BootsnAll Travel Network



Weekend update with Kevin Nealon…

 

Does that guy still anchor the desk at SNL?? It’s been too long since I last watched an episode, aside from those special theme clips they play every now and then. “The best of Chris Farley,” “Tribute to Phil Hartman,” “SNL’s Funniest Moments with People You’ve Never Heard from Again.”…

It’s been a very relaxing last few days hanging out in Isla Mujeres. Seems as if I’m retracing Mike’s steps from his visit to this part of the Yucatan…but instead of a moped, I ended up renting a mountain bike and spent most of the day leisurely cycling the island and finding little rocky bluffs and secluded shoreline to read my book, chapter by chapter, and then continue to another hidden or not-so-hidden spot and continue with my reading. I’m in the midst of a Dan Brown novel, “Angels & Demons”, and hopefully can get my hands on the next in line “The DaVinci Code” before i watch the movie. But finding English books down here has been a struggle; I have picked up another book or two along the way since Vallodolid to keep my occupied as I laze away in the sand on the beaches.

From my bike ride..

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Rocky bluff.

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Cool house resembling a seashell

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Another vantage point, underneath a palapa and looking down at Garrafundo resort.

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I can’t boast that I did any reading from this vantage point; but the guards to this hotel did at least allow me in to take a look around.

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I spent most of the afternoon in the warm, shallow waters of the North Beach. Just sitting, wading, swimming, floating, thinking of nothing and of everything.

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And what is hanging out at the beach without my obligatory sunset photo?

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North Beach has many bar/restaurants, and they rent out every kind of relaxation apparatus imaginable–private cabana, palapa shade, lounge chairs, hammocks, regular chairs, even these mattresses.

 

I only spent one night in Cancun, but what a night it was!  I wasn’t entirely impressed with my choices of hostels, so I did what any backpacker would do…I splurged for one night, one night only at the Le Merida!

 

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The pool alone justified the $280 per night cost of my room.  Pure bliss.

 

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Another pool on the other side of the resort.

 

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And just beyond, the endless expanse of the beach, where you sink your toes into the warm, soft sand and wait for the Carribbean the wash them over.

 

Okay, I know I fooled absolutely nobody with my claim of staying one night at the Le Merida.  Blow 11 days budget on one night just because of the pool?  I’m not even sure I would have been lucky enough to get a room for ‘only’ $280, it just so happened that another place quoted me $280 and that was enough to dash that dream.  But it was fun to imagine, even for just a few minutes, how the other half lives.  That is, until the guards identified my haggared appearance, unkept big head hair, and dirty shirt.  Definitely out of place, not where I belong.  I even tried to play cool and coy and asked if they had a restaurant that I could eat breakfast in.  Not that I would even think about spending the $25 (dollars, not pesos) on a plate of eggs, bacon and toast.  No, had I the financial means, I wouldn’t have even been able to eat there.  The answer, more often that not, was a resounding “No.”  Because apparently, most of the hotels were either “All Inclusive” properties only for their guest, or they were Members Only.  But that’s okay, because just you wait, one day, ONE DAY, I’ll own all these resort properties on this coastal strip.  Maybe I’ll start with these ones below…

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Last year THE hurricane, I forget which one, came in and damaged many many hotels, some to the point where it was a complete loss.  This hotel, like the Ritz Carlton just beyond, still had not reopened.

 

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Others were just about ready.

 

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And still others, the verdict is still out.

 

The beaches though are still beautiful.  But for $280 or more a night, I’d recommend going to Isla Mujeres instead.  The island is small and people get around on bikes, mopeds, or golf carts.  The main part of town near North Beach is easily walked on foot, and at night, just off the main plaza, they close off the street to create a pedestrian only zone.  It is here where you will find the heart of the nightlife, dining under the stars and surrounded by conversation, laughter, music, and endless promotions for 2 for 1 drink Happy Hour.  It is like a mini French Quarter where everyone comes to enjoy the evening. 

Sure, Isla Mujeres is a little touristy, but there is a reason why people come here.  They come to shop, dine, drink, play, relax, swim, explore, rest, lounge, sun, shade, reenergize, read, write, contemplate, escape, and define just what a vacation means to them.  Time manages to slip away and I am lost, intoxicated with doing nothing but enjoying the moment.

Alas, it is time to say goodbye to Isla Mujeres.  Soon I will be on the ferry back to Cancun, where I will climb aboard a bus destined for Playa del Carmen, and hope to lather, rinse, repeat in the joy of the Carribbean, Yucatan style.



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2 responses to “Weekend update with Kevin Nealon…”

  1. The Bomb says:

    I think Tina Fey and that blonde does weekend update now.

    Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigo.

  2. Jonas says:

    Estoy comenzando a pensar que usted no fue a America Central a aprender español. Pienso que usted fue solamente allí a comer (o no comer en algunos casos).

    Tan comenzando hoy, mis comentarios serán escritos solamente en español, incluyendo mis bromas no divertidas.

    ¿Si usted no practica su español allí, cómo usted espera cantar canciones del karaoke de Enrique Iglesias cuando usted consigue de nuevo a los E.E.U.U.?

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