Acapulco 2.0

Sanjai three, me one, all shrimp.

This quote from the local tourism booklet just about sums this place up: "Cancun may well be the world's first completely fabricated vacation resort, from the infrastructure to the superstructure… in which the Mexican government hoped to duplicate the success of Acapulco... so what you see now is not the result of haphazard growth, though it appears that way in parts, but the completion of phases one and two of a three-phase development plan..."

The truth is I'm not all that sure what to do with myself in this kind of resort. I don't think I relax well on command. For instance, I went splashing in the crowded waves alongside Sanjai, but where he whooped as he dove between them, I gurgled saltwater and squinted a lot. As for parasailing, it was at once tranquil and exhilarating. We even saw a shark. But there were so many people doing the same thing that I felt a little like I was on an airborne conveyer belt. Snorkeling was kind of like being at an aquarium while very wet and occasionally choking. In retrospect, the best part of the day have been driving a motorboat. You can't argue with the thrill of the wind in your hair and the flicks of salt water against your cheeks.

I enjoyed everything, to be sure, except maybe the squinting and the choking, but I'm left wondering what I'm missing.

A quick anecdote before the Internet center closes: I walked by a young girl and her mother today, both taking sun on the beach. "I'm really hot, can I stop now?" the girl asked. Her mom said something like, "No, if you do that, you won't tan your front well enough." The girl gave in.