Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Traveling 'Differently'

Paul and I travel differently than we used to. When our kids were growing up, we both had full time jobs (sometimes more than one at a time) and we maintained a huge house in the suburbs of Toronto. We provided our kids with programmes and lessons and ‘stuff’, and we made sure they had all the advantages that life had to offer. Money was essential. We worked hard.

During those times, we’d send our kids off to camp in the summer and take off. We enjoyed vacationing in all-inclusive resorts. There, we had the chance to unwind from our hectic lives before we would rent a car and take off exploring on our own. We both love travelling. In those days I used to say “One day we won’t spend thousands of dollars on an all-inclusive resort for a week, but the same amount of money for a months staying in less expensive places.” That’s what we do now.

The place we’ve rented in Cancun immediately gives me a sense of home. It ‘s a simple and quaint place, umbrellad in palm leaves, bamboo stalks, orange blossoms and mango trees. The tree trunks winding around each other also caress the structures that provide rest for travellers. Many of the walls are round.

Patricia and Abigail’s B&B/hostel is in the heart of Cancun city. The streets rumble with music, and the voices of people speaking Spanish and inviting conversation. “Come and have a tequila with me,” storekeepers shout, trying to enhance us to come and buy their wares.

It’s simple and inexpensive. That is how we are able to invite our children for the week here. We were invited to a wedding in a massive, all-inclusive resort. We wanted to be at the wedding of our cousins, Jeff and Rachel from New York, but we knew we could not afford the resort. We found this option as a viable and wonderful alternative.

The wedding was beautiful. It took place at a magnificent place called La Amada. The ceremony was on the beach under the blue sky just as the sun set into her orange-pink mode. The vision of the bride and groom embraced by the natural surroundings was almost breathtaking. Being there with our extended family was priceless.

Rachel made it possible for all of us to spend the night by letting the hotel know that we would be sleeping in the bridal suite. The suite was a three-bedroom apartment overlooking the Playa Mujeres aqua sea. The white sand flowed from the building’s entrance right to the water’s edge. Paul and I slept on a beautiful mattress outside on the balcony with a wild and comforting breeze cooling us throughout the night. Even Lindsay dragged a mattress outside to experience the expanse of the night sky, the cool breeze and the outdoor energy. We rocked the party, dancing, drinking and eating delicious food and celebrating a marriage of our family members. What more could we ask for?

In the morning, we hugged and kissed everyone, thanked our hosts, and travelled back to our comfort zone…back to Cancun proper.

I think about that big hotel sometimes now. We felt badly leaving our family the morning after the wedding. We agreed as a family that the cost for the day pass was exorbitant and it didn’t even allow us to stay through dinner. We felt the exclusivity of the resort, and we felt excluded. We chose to say our goodbyes and thanks and to spend the day on a public beach,

I am happy with the simplicity of our accommodations. I like the familiarity of the residents in the neighbourhood. I appreciate the feeling of living in Cancun and communing with the people who live here. The local grocer knows us already. And the corner storeowner finally realizes that we don’t want to buy sombreros or the handmade luchador masks that he sells. We do want to smile and wave and say buenos dias, and find out how his night was and what his plans are for the day. And we do want to ask him advice about what we should do today and which public bus will help us get to where we want to go.

We love having our dinners together with others in the house, and often prepare a conglomeration of dishes to satisfy all of our appetites. And we do want to stay up late under the stars, sharing tequila and beer and juice and talking in so many languages, laughing and learning and planning together.

Now the week is over. Three of our children have gone home. Tonight we make our way to Palenque with Josh. More wonders await us, no doubt! It doesn’t get any better than this!

No comments:

Post a Comment