So we are back from our annual winter adult only vacation. No matter where we go, we always have a great time. Sometimes it comes out in forms of immaturity, as in, before having children or just complete stupidity, but it always leads to a funny story afterwards. We went to Cancun, Mexico this year. It is one of the cheaper destinations so we thought we would try it out. We've been to the Rivera Maya, which is nice (they have great golf carts that you can borrow to get around some of the resorts...well...maybe that's not for everyone), but we were trying to be a little budget conscience this year. So we take the plunge to try it out.
The beach has at least ten miles of sand to walk on. The ocean is beautiful and fun to swim in if you're a strong swimmer. Cancun is extremely commercialized so if you like shopping this is the place for you shopaholics. Since we had arrive, we heard nothing but good things about taking the local bus to different places down the hotel strip. One of the buses was labeled for going to one of the markets (like a flea market). I thought, that's where I want to go. It was only 85 pesos or about 75 cents per person. Of course, the picture I have in my head is something like when I was a little girl and my parents would take us down to Tijuana for the day to do some shopping (This wasn't probably all that safe 25 years ago. I am almost positive it's not safe now to go to Tijuana, but on my parents behave, they both speak Spanish. Even though at eight years old, I knew a little blond white girl, even with being tan, wasn't safe. I stuck close to my parents and I always kept a close eye on the other eyes watching me. I learned a lot from these experiences--always knowing the proximity of people near me, understanding I have a dead on gut feeling, and possibly my wild imagination was developed during this time.)
For me, the objective was to find something that was locally hand crafted. No problem finding a bus stop (they're everywhere). We hop on and get into looking at all the other hotels down the strip, comparing the sizes and the newness of each. After twenty minutes, the hotels start turning into more of a city. There's gas stations, fast food restaurants and some local color. We must be getting close, right? I feel a tap on my shoulder, the local says you should get off here at Walmart, you shouldn't go any further. The hubby and I look at each other and jump up exiting the bus. Now we have no clue where we are. I want to know where the market is. There's a few other tourist, but mostly locals. We follow the other tourist across the street to Walmart. I definitely don't want to go into Walmart so we ask some others where the market is and they say we passed the market. Now what do we do? Get back on the bus going back up or try to walk it? Nah we ask the local guy trying to sell excursions and time shares (now if you've ever been to Mexico, you know what kind of guy this is). He pulls us into his booth and tries to get us to go to one of the hotels to sell a time share. He tells us the market is only six blocks up, but he can take us to this new hotel, we go through the tour, then he will drop us off at the market. We politely decline (like a hundred times) and walk away. It can't be that far right, six blocks is nothing we can walk it. So we start walking.
After several blocks we start our adventure to the market. As each block passes, we notice the pedestrians becoming less tourist-like and more local-like. The buildings are becoming more shabby and tall stucco walls surround some of the places of business. Suddenly, across three lanes of traffic a bus opens its doors and the driver asks if we want to get in and is repetitively waving his arm for us to get on. We both shrug our shoulders and cross traffic to get on the bus.
When we get on the bus, there is another couple that are tourist too. We ask them if they know where the market is. They tell us they've been on the bus for an hour trying to find this market (Thank God, we're not the only stupid tourists around). The local was right to tell us to get off. They rode the bus the whole way downtown. Apparently, it wasn't a place for any tourists.
Through this whole ordeal not once did I feel panic or feel we were in danger, but I could feel my hubby becoming very uncomfortable. When you're six feet tall, it's kind of hard to blend in.
Heading back down the hotel strip, we get off at one of the bus stops near one of the older malls. The other couple have a map showing the flea market somewhere close to this place. So we all trek through the mall and out the other side. We pass some more plaza shops and finally we make it to the market. Except this isn't exactly quite like I picture it. All it is is a bunch of t-shirt shops in a building. Not what I was looking for.
Of course, the first vendor tells us only $1 for each t-shirt. We get pulled in and start picking out shirts. Then the tune turns to $1 dollar off. I put back all the shirts and my hubby wants to know how much for the shirts. He likes playing the haggling price game. I just walk out and go down a few shops thinking he will follow me. I take a look at a few purses and bags. Then I realize he didn't follow me. I can't see him at the other shop. Where is he? I look back, then look ahead of me. He's nowhere. Now the panic starts to settle in. One of the vendors says your husband up ahead pointing to another shop ahead and says inside (all the crazy alarms are going off in my head). I step forward to look into the shop, but I don't see him and I don't go in. I see the other couple we were with up ahead and I don't see him. So I head back to the first shop and my hubby steps out. Phew, the relief comes back. We skip the rest of the place and catch up with the other couple. Neither one of us wanted to stick around. We walked passed another older mall and found a bus stop and hopped on.
Now I have a pretty wild imagination, but I'm sure you all have your own version of what could've happened there at the market. Please make note there is not market in Cancun. Stick to the lady selling things at your hotel.
I think Mexico is going to have to do without us for awhile.
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