Cancun

Dates: September 20-22

Cancun Airport, Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid...

Red Light, Green Light…

Once you hit the ground in Cancun you will find one thing pretty unique, after you adjust to the humidity you will be headed to customs, no big woop except that you will be asked to go through scanners, normal right…until you get to the buttons.  Yep you will be asked to push a button when you go through customs and if that button turns on a red light you are stopped and checked extra thoroughly, if you come up green you are free to walk through.  We luckily turned up green, but some people ended up red in more ways than one.

The Gauntlet,

When we got through customs we were hit by a phalanx of bag and taxi types that pounced on us, as we passed each one they grabbed for our bags as if they personally had expected us.  They all said they knew where we were going and what we wanted to do, all we had to do was follow them..it became quite a tug of war between us and them and believe us this kind of stuff can be annoying if not frightening if you are not prepared for it.

Also it must be noted before we knew it we were sheep dogged into a timeshare representative for a quick presentation, “BEWARE” of their spiel it might appear harmless, but it can be hypnotizing and sometimes even fraudulent.  

Long story short, after a great deal of misdirection we were able to eventually break free of all of the malarkey and get to a driver whose taxi he promoted to us was a private car… which we of course had to share with another couple J. 

Well we endured and escaped that mob scene, but be advised when you fly to Cancun just hold onto your bags tightly when you hit ground and keep your wits about you or you might end up owning rather than renting .

History: Did not know only 120 people lived in the area in 1970, did not know the Mexican Government had to finance the first Hotels because no one thought they could make money.  Did not know the meaning of the name Cancun is still a mystery.  Did not know Cancun has a coat of arms (below) and is called the "Glistening City".

Quintana Roo, Who Knew?

It bears mentioning that Cancun is in the Mexican state of “Quintana Roo” and many travelers who go there have the impression that Quintana Roo is some old mystical reference or name used by the ancient Mayans, but that’s not the case at all.  Andres Quintana Roo was actually a lawyer, newspaper publisher and revolutionary statesman who played a major role in getting Mexico’s independence from Spain.  His father’s surname was Quintana and his mother’s maiden name was Roo which made his full name by Spanish tradition a provocative and unique  “Quintana Roo”, but the most intriguing or interesting thing about Quintana Roo was not his name or exploits it was his even more daring wife Leona Vicario, who was sort of a secret agent during the revolution and was jailed for her actions, but broke out of jail so she could continue to fight for Mexico’s independence….now that’s gangsterJ!!!  

And in hindsight had she been a man the state of Quintana Roo might today be called the state of Vicario

The Marriot Casa Magna

Ok, we took the taxi to the Marriot Casa Magna a grand beach hotel along the Cancun Hotel way about 15 minute drive from the Airport.  We arrived in the mid afternoon so we checked in hit the room then quickly unpacked, the view from our room was right on the ocean and we immediately decided to hit the beach, it was quite a beautiful day and Kelynn especially found it promising. 

……

Eric in Blue: A Picture’s worth a Thousand Words

Kelynn says:

I absolutely love the ocean and when we hit the beach I was excited to dive into the waters of Cancun, but the beach in this part of Mexico was a little bit too treacherous for me. Even with my heels planted firmly into the sand, the undertow tried its hardest to suck me out to sea. One slip of the foot, I thought to myself, and I’d quickly become a human buoy somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. The ocean and I battled for a few minutes as I became increasingly more determined to enjoy my day at the beach just as I had in the calm and cool waters of Jamaica.  But a tousle with the forces of nature is rarely won by a single mortal. So, as much as I love swimming, I threw up my hands, conceded defeat and went towards the beach chair to get a towel.  I was a tad bit disappointed, but the day was so extraordinarily beautiful, I didn’t mind as much as I might have. The sky was clear except for a few puffy white clouds. The weather was warm and slightly breezy. The water, from horizon to coastline, stretched out for an eternity with various shades of brilliant blues melding one into the next. I realized that this beach, though strong and unyielding, was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful I have ever experienced.  I turned to see where Eric was and discovered he had taken a seat on a piece of driftwood near the shore. He was sitting there, so still, looking out into the water. It was just Eric, the ocean and his thoughts.   My camera beckoned to me.  Quickly and quietly I snapped away trying to capture fragments of this point in time. When I see these photos now (I titled them Eric in Blue) 

I’m still transfixed by not only the beauty of the day but of the moment. That moment kindled my passion to take pictures and would prove ever so valuable to our and my own personal journey going forward.  I don’t know exactly how far I will take my passion for taking pictures, but I do know it is a joy that I will work to pursue and perfect probably for the rest of my life, thanks to the beaches of Cancun and of course “Eric” in BlueJ


Ghost Town...

The Hotel was grand and the beaches were truly amazing at the Marriott Casa Magna, but there was only one drawback, we arrived during the off season and the place was only about 30% full.  It was like a luxurious ghost town.  The hotel was fully staffed, but not very many people were staying there.  We had much of the place to ourselves including the beach, the pool and premium 200 seat steakhouse in the hotel which we kid you not had not one customer there the night we walked in for dinner at 8pm.  The Steakhouse to its credit was enchanting with its dim lights and colonial decor, but even though the food was said to be great we decided to go into Cancun central to get hopefully just as nice a meal and some much needed atmosphere.

Diamond and Gold Gate Crashing

We did find a nice spot to have a delicious steak dinner.  After we finished we decided to hit the discos, but were a bit early.  As a time killer after dinner and before the discos got into full swing we walked around the main Cancun nightlife area. We walked around for about 5 blocks and found ourselves looking at an old friend from Jamaica, the “RIU” Hotel and Resort!  It was too familiar not to want to stop in and see what was happening.

RIU Cancun was in the central area of Cancun where the nightlife was in walking distance and the beaches we heard were not as rough because of the protection from the island currents at the top of the way of beaches.   RIU had a twin hotel setup side by side, one called gold and one called diamond.  The gold was the first building we encountered.  We didn’t have a bracelet stating we were guests so we had to do some quick talking nyc style to get past the all too dedicated, but overworked security guard at the entrance.  We slickered our way in and saw that the hotel was packed to the gills, tourists and shows a plenty. 

The RIU was a stark contrast to our ghost town it had ballroom dancing acts and traditional dance acts, and an emcee that coordinated the festivities in the main ballroom area.  We stayed for about an hour checking out the shows and walking the grounds.   It was very similar to the set up in Jamaica. We didn’t try the food though, didn’t want to take a chance on spoiling our nightJ

We left the Gold hotel and skipped going to the Diamond, but we did have a nice time. RIU, have to give it to them, they know how to entertain their guests including a couple of interlopers like us.

Koo Koo for Coco Bongo!

The Cancun nightlife is centralized in Cancun proper, north of the hotel strip consisting of a series of streets that wind and center around clothing malls, tee shirt shops, gift shops, restaurants and open air bar/discos. The best of the bar discos is Coco Bongo, a fabulous night club with great music and non-stop cabaret shows every 15 minutes, it is “THE” place to be and see in Cancun nightlife.

We enjoyed ourselves and have video of the amazing happenings,… you can also find tons of video of Coco Bongo online if you want to see more of the shows.

We enjoyed it immensely, but as is our mission we wanted to take a more unique view, we wanted to know exactly who owns and runs this place and how do they put on these amazing light and video shows with all the celebrity impersonators like Elvis, Lady Gaga, Beatlejuice and such.  Our curiosity led us to do research online.  We found out a few extra things, most interestingly we found out that Coco Bongo does not always have permission to use the celebrities they promote themselves with or portray in their shows and that they were even sued for trademark infringement of the name “Coco Bongo” by of all people Gloria EstefanJ 

Now comes the real surprise, Coco Bongo is now vigorously being sued by 50 cent the rapper and these Legal Documents tell a very interesting story about how Coco Bongo might be cutting a few corners when it performs and promotes its shows. The point is if you travel to Cancun you should not miss Coco Bongo, enjoy their shows “now” as they are truly a sight to see, but someday there is  a “chance” Coco Bongo might have to look entirely different due to all the law suits that are sure to keep coming their way.

Taxi!

A quick note, the one thing in Cancun proper that you will never do without is a Taxi, you will be asked incessantly and into the wee hours if you need a taxi.  The taxi’s are plentiful, cheap, fairly modern and reliable.  If you stay at one of the hotels on the hotel strip don’t ever worry about being stranded, just an FYIJ

Ants on the ground, Ants on the ground, Feeling like fools with these Ants on the ground!

Day two of our stay was supposed to be about us doing a day trip to the Mayan Ruins or maybe even just some jet skiing, no such luck, it was incredibly windy and raining the next morning.  We slept in and called for room service brunch in the later morning.  We ate a wonderful meal with French toast, fruit and steak.  We finished and put the tray in our living room area and retreated to the terrace.  It was really nice to relax after that meal and take a break to just look onto the horizon for a few hours or so, all was well….until.

Kelynn was the first to notice, while we were out looking at the ocean and taking all the grandeur of the wide expanse in, we had been attacked!  There was a army of ants that was now swarming all over our left over brunch and living room!  Kelynn just lost it, the eeew factor was too much for her to endure.  The manager of the hotel was called to the room and even though he apologized and moved us to another larger room, it was just icky.  We found the little creatures in our laptops and in the safe too.


To be honest when we were in Jamaica at the RIU we had a similar problem, but not this big, video is a bit icky, don’t click open if you are squeamish.  Our advice to all traveling to beach resorts “no matter how regal” be careful to put your laptops especially in ziplock bags and don’t leave any food out



L


The mood was a bit tense after the ants attack, it was just some teeny tiny ants, but we still found it hard to feel comfortable in a luxury hotel that could allow such a slip up

. Fortunately later on that evening we decided to go for a swim in the pool, it was not as hot as the day time, but it was warm in the pool and Jacuzzi area.The pool had 10 foot columns ringed around its perimeter and seating area that was reminiscent of the Mayan ruins, when the moon shown above the ring… it was as if we were transported to ancient times of the great Mayans. It was eerie, but calming all at the same time.  Definitely after the ants fiasco this was a welcome experience.  We must have stayed in that pool for three hours just “chill-laxing”, we were prune skinned when we got back to our room, but so much the better for having gone on that swim.

The good time we spent having that evening swim was not quite enough to make us forget the ants, but it was enough to make us never forget Cancun.

Something Out of Nothing

Cancun was a bit over the top, it is bodacious and drunken at night with underage and "overage" tourists binging and frolicking into the wee hours.  The Hotels seem to be cookie cutter and overrated, the vendors and attendants overbearing....but all in all, Cancun is the busiest Caribbean destination, it is the most lucrative resort in Mexico and compared to what it is like elsewhere in Northern Mexico it is a breath of fresh air economically and socially for the Mexican people. No one thought it could be this successful and for the most part few peoples were displaced to build it and ecologically only few animal species have been affected negatively by all the growth.  This place was built from nothing and has turned into quite something...we tip our hats to Mexico and all those in government who had the vision to build up around this beautiful, but once deserted area.

Next up Orlando for Kelynn and then New Orleans for both of us.

International Travel

With our AYCJ pass we had a option to fly international, we planned trips to Montego Bay/Jamaica, Cancun/Mexico and Santo Domingo/Dominican Republic which will bridge us to a off pass final trip to Port Au Prince/Haiti.  We want to note that International Travel is a lot different than domestic trips and will need a different preparation than domestic.  Check out our checklist below to get an idea of how best to prepare for an international flight.

Pre-Travel Preparations

JetBlue flies to several international destinations which makes pre-international travel preparation a must, what you need to do as a basic pre-travel prep for international flights is listed below.

Passport:

Unless you have one you will not be able to enter any foreign countries, make sure you have a valid passport that is not expired. Note if you need an expedited replacement passport you will need to be within two weeks of travel to be eligible.

Vaccinations: Do you need shots to enter that country?

wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/    

Find out and quick or you might not be able to leave for your trip or worse you could be susceptible to an infectious disease.

Languages:

Dutch, English (Patios), French (Creole/Patios), Spanish.  The JetBlue International destinations will undoubtedly lead you to countries that speak these major languages or have tourists who speak these languages, it is always a good idea to know or bone up on these languages/dialects/patios before you get to your destination.  We include patios of english as even though you might be speaking basically English or French in places like Jamaica and respectively Haiti the "slant of tongue" used by the people might still be unintelligible if you are not prepared in advance for it.

Exchange Rates:

www.x-rates.com/

Know what the value of the US Dollar to the domestic currency of the country you are visiting, this will allow you to avoid being taken advantage of when and if you have to exchange your dollars with banks or money changers.

Climate, physical and political:

 

Know the season, rainy, hurricane, winter, etc.  And always try to know about current political unrest or civic disruptions it could be critical to your safety.

The Flight :

It had to happen...  we had a bad experienceL

We were the last to board, but on time for the flight.  When we got on board and walked towards the back of the plane to our reserved seats it became evident that a traveling group of passengers had taken it upon themselves to fill our seats.  There was confusion, but a flight attendant determined who were the persons sitting in our seats and they were asked to move. The movement of those passengers though became a bit protracted.  The more the out of place passengers delayed in moving the more frustrated the flight attendant got and finally she proposed that “we” change our seats to two isle seats nearby.  We were waiting patiently, but in no uncertain terms did we want to change from our reserved seats. We immediately said “no”.  The flight attendant was miffed at our response and threw up her hands …then briskly walked back to the front of the plane exclaiming how she was “through with the whole thing”!  Another flight attendant, this time male  was enlisted to restore order and approached the back of the plane, let’s just say his approach did not alleviate the problem and Eric lost his cool…it was almost a major incident, but order was eventually restored, we got in our seats and the flight took off on time.

Cooler heads did prevail, but the mishap spent a lot of good will we had for JetBlue and set the trip off on a bad foot for both of us.

Jamaica, Jamaica!


Dates: September 14 - 16

History

http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History of Jamaica 

Did not know that Arawaks Indians who were the original people of  "Xaymaca" invented the hammock. Did not know there are Jamaican Chinese and Lebonese who have lived there since the 1800's. Did not know that Jamaican Maroons/"Runaway Slaves" had fought the British to a standstill and had won their freedom through treaty 50 years before slavery in Jamaica was officially abolished! Did not know Marcus Garvey the revolutionary and populist leader was also a poet.

Current Events

www.jamaicaobserver.com

Why Jamaica?

When we first reviewed places we wanted to fly to the Caribbean was a great option that JetBlue had on its roster of destinations.  The ability to go romping in the sun was a lure that caught us, but also we both had Caribbean cultural roots, Jamaica/Dominica and Guyana/Grenada respectively.  Since JetBlue does not fly to Guyana, Grenada or Dominica it was Jamaica for sureJ

Our Personal Peas and Rice Stories

Our Caribbean roots are uniquely interesting so we share individually to give perspective on how we view this trip.

Eric

Well both my parents immigrated from Guyana to the US in the 60’s, but it was particularly my Grandfather on my father’s side that had the most interesting story.  My Grandfather was originally from Grenada and when he was a young man about the time of World War I. He took a ship to America as citizenships were being offered to all enlisted emigrants, but got on the wrong ship and ended up not in America but in South America, whoopsJ   Anyway… I have family in Grenada, Guyana, Trinidad and probably every Island, so this trip for me was not just about fun it was about seeing up close how my people were doing on this island called Jamaica

Kelynn:

One of my most vivid memories I have as a child was when I was four years old, I was terribly missing my grandfather who was away on business in his homeland of Jamaica. He was a businessman and would travel there very often. One day I heard him come through the door and I went barreling down the hallway to meet him. He had a cardboard box with something moving and scratching inside. I looked in the box and it was a puppy! My grandfather told me that he had brought back a  Jamaican puppy and if I listened closely I could hear it go "Ruff Ruff Mon"....I loved that puppy and I loved my grandfather for giving him to me.  I named him "Jahpoepoe" and he is one of the fondest memories of my childhood. 

I guess in hindsight you could say that I am somewhat of an island mutt myselfJ My maternal great-grandparents families came from four separate islands, but ultimately their children ended up in two, my grandfather's family wound up in Jamaica and my grandmother's in Dominica. They both came to the U.S. as young children, later met and married, but would travel back and forth to their respective islands on vacation and business throughout their lives. 

Both my maternal grandparents passed away by the time I was twelve, but I was always very curious about their history and began researching information about them on Ancestry.com a few years ago. I found tons of stuff.  My grandfather's documents included papers detailing his first arrival by ship from Jamaica in the U.S. at about 5 years old. Census records showed his military service records and his business travel on various ships. For my grandmother I was able to retrieve several U.S. census records, including one with her age listed at 11 years old. The magic of this document was that on this Census which I believe was the 1930 Census, I saw her address handwritten in...and it was an apartment building in New York City that is only about a block away from the very apartment building where I live now. I certainly found that amazing.  How industrious and conscientious they must have been to carve out a life in such a all consuming place like depression era NYC yet still stay connected to the islands that they were from. 

My Caribbean and Jamaican heritiage are things that have always facinated me and this trip is one of many Island journeys to come, each time I hope to find something more about my wonderful Island people and possibly about myself.

Where we stayed

RIU Ocho Rios Resort

The RIU Ocho Rios, was modern, new, and entertainment was a premium experience. We played tennis, we swam in the beautiful blue and calm ocean and frolicked on the immaculate beach day and night!

We also enjoyed horseback riding.  The horseback riding was the single most enjoyable thing we did and it was punctuated by a water ride, meaning you get to ride your horse into the shallow ocean about 5 feet deep, sorry no pics of that, did not want to risk losing our cameras that would have been a bummerL.

What a blast horseback riding was!

Night Life RIU Ocho Rios!

We enjoyed the night entertainment and had dancers and bands galore at the hotel main stage and could dine at either restaurants or buffets. 

All was really great except…will have to say that we found the food “tolerable to horrible” neither buffet nor reserved restaurants proved worth it…sorry can’t pull any punches on this one it was just too much of a disappointment.  Maybe we caught the resort on a bad couple days, but be advised this place is pot luck when it comes to foodL

Jamaica the Place the People

As we have stated we are of Caribbean decent so we have an affinity for not only Jamaica the vacation spot, but we have a familial connection.  In saying this… we found it curious that amongst so much finished hotel construction that there were so many unfinished residential structures along the highway. 

We found it also curious as we rode our horses in the back woods, just a 5 minute drive away from the grand hotel we stayed in, we found it curious that shanties with tin roofs and no inside toilets were juxtaposed against all the beautiful beach, buildings and wide toothed “Hey mons”.  Jamaica is the third largest Island in the Caribbean and one of the largest economies in the region, but poverty is abundant and growing, even its mainstay tourist industry can’t hide the deep economic hole that Jamaica finds itself in today.

How it got to this state of affairs is debatable, but one place to start a review is

Life and Debt

What will be Jamaica’s fate, we don’t have much of a clue, but we were greatly dismayed  to hear that  its ubiquitously famous and historically lucrative Music Industry was also having major problems of late.

What is the solution?

While Jamaica remains alive and vibrant it is surely injured, our prognosis would then be that Jamaica needs to re-establish a more self sufficient manufacturer based economic eco-system and quickly if it is to fully flourish and not continue to fall deeper into stagnation.

One Love One Heart

As we bid goodbye to Jamaica, we clearly were impressed with its beaches and wonderful people, it is a land of great views and great times, but also a place where our hearts ached.

The Flight Home

Montego Bay departing flights are checked for liquids just before you board, we mentioned that previously, but be advised even if you want to bring on bottle of water that will be confiscated, no exceptions, no other Airport  we have been too does that prior to boarding.

As for the flight, well without our usual libations allowed on board and our previous arriving flight issues we braced for a difficult trip.  To our surprise it was a joy, we had the best three stewards.  They were organized and allowed orderly seat changes as the flight was not full, even did some baby sitting when a new dad alone on the trip with his 18 month old son got overwhelmed.  Nice way to come back strong JetBlue!

Tornado Warning!

We were delayed for about an hour as we were told inclement weather hit NYC and we would ride it out instead of land elsewhere, it was a bit disappointing but the crew was so good we barely noticed.  It was a great thing too as when we landed we found out NYC had been hit by a deadly mini-tornado, thanks again JetBlue for getting us home safe!

Flying Cross Country on September 11th

We had a early flight out of LA, took an early option because Jet Blue’s other flights had long layoffs with connecting flights on the later ones.  The early flight was non-stop and got us to our home stop of JFK at around 7:20pm giving us a whole evening still available, a no brainer pick for a 5 hour cross country flight.

We would be remiss if we did not mention that we flew on September 11th, a sobering date for all Americans and a even more potentially effecting one if you were flying to NYC cross country that same day.  We left for the 10 minute drive from the hotel to LAX (we now could switch from Long Beach but it cost an extra $20 bucks to drop off the rental at LAX) during our drive we discussed the emotional context of the flight as well as the political one, we were reverent of the lives that had been lost, but we also considered the Iraq War a misguided effort in response to the tragedy.  We could only hope that moving forward we as Americans make wise choices on how we honor all those that died without being misled by those with agendas

We were not scared to fly, but the fact that we were not scared had more to do with the times that we Americans now live in and under than any courage on our part.  After the events of September 11^th, 2001 nothing seems to be off the table as a calamity and in knowing and feeling that.. we all seem to be collectively made of sterner stuff, we all seem to have adapted to this new normal and are prepared for anything, without much complaint, for better or worse.

 The Flight

The flight again was smooth, actually it went over very well as it pertains to our safety and comfort.  We have had no problem really with JetBlue so far, but one area that we found unusual was the smell in the plane.  The smell from the bathrooms which are usually not an issue, well on this flight it was very prominent, and we mean very prominent, our noses had few breaks during the five hour trip, JetBlue don’t know if this was a aberration or common on flights of this length, but whew what a stinker that flight was.  One good note though is we got in early to JFK and goodness were we especially thankful for thatJ

Meet Ups

When we hit JFK we were tired, spent but we had one more thing to do before we could rest, we heard of a meet up in NYC and we wanted to attend. What’s a meet up? A meet up is a loosely structured gathering of like minded people who meet to compare notes, organize and in certain circumstances have a drink or twoJ

  

AYCJ had many of these meet ups, some were even put together on meetup.com, the one we were going to was put together by the “Infamous AYCJer Sunny Memon”! 

Meeting Sunny was a goal as he was a prolific poster on the AYCJ facebook page and he seemed like a really fun person to meet plus this was our first chance to join in on a meet up and given our hectic trip schedules might  be our only chance. We had exchanged emails on Facebook with Sunny and had his cell phone number, the meet up was at Max Brenner in the Union Square area of NYC near 14^th and Broadway.  We got there about 10pm, yes just two hours from when we hit our homes from the cross country trip!  Tired, but intrigued as to what kind of gathering this would be.  We surprisingly we’re amongst the first to arrive, but soon about 7 others including Sunny showed up.

Sunny did not disappointJ  …this guy is party central any place he goes.  Sunny not only knows where the best places to dine are, he knows where the party, the after party and the after after party are!!!

Max Brenner was much fun with its eclectic chocolate based menu, we enjoyed pizza and delicious caramel/chocolate dishes as Sunny regaled us with stories of celebrity sightings and his non-stop trip schedule, including the one about his roommate in Costa Rica who only brought one pair of underwear for a entire week stay in 90 plus degree heat and humidity…eeewww!

Got to mention we shared a corner of a table with the irrepressible Lilly Nunez, a twenty something from Cali that was doing her entire 30 day pass solo and on the fly.  Lilly was indicative of the majority of AYCJers...  intrepid souls who braved the journey mostly alone, but with a willingness to make friends, try new things and see new places.

Pumpkin time…

The night was moving well, we mingled and talked with the other AYCJers, a great group of people, energetic, gregarious and did we say energeticJ it was approaching 12 midnight and we were in jeopardy of turning into pumpkins as we were having fun but dragging because of major jet lag.  Sunny and the others were just getting started, they had plans to go clubbing and beyond into the wee hours in the city that never sleeps.  Long story short we respectfully declined to join themJ

We left Brenners at about 11:55 or so just in the nick of time, drove Lilly back to her hotel so she could freshen up before she rejoined the party. We bid her a good night and then mercifully  called it a night to rest our travel hammered bodies. 

Two days to recoup, regroup and recharge our engines then next stops Jamaica and Cancun back to back!!!