A week of firsts with an Eco-Adventure tour of Cancun
This story has been one of the hardest for me to write. See, I didn’t start out as a "writer" I started out as a "talker". I then figured if I had the words to say, I could write them down. This worked well for a very long time, as I have never had a loss for words. I'm known for the gift of gab. The problem is that on this trip I saw so many beautiful places, and experienced so many new and different things, that I feel like I do not have enough appropriate words. As I speak to family and friends, no adjectives or descriptions seem to do justice to this life changing experience. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say or how to accurately say it. When you love something you want to do everything "just right"... I loved this trip to Cancun, and I wanted to describe it "just right", but I have learned that might be impossible. I am hoping whoever reads this, travels there for themselves, and it is so amazing for you too, that you also have no words.
When my editor sent me the itinerary for this trip, he said, "I don’t know if this is for you". I have to be honest, that inspired me even more to go. The worst thing you can do is to tell me not to do something. I barely read the itinerary and told him I would go. He asked, "Are you sure?" At this point, I would have gone no matter what. He tried to explain to me, that I was "high maintenance" and something about being a princess. I ignored him and started to pack. If this was a little out of my comfort zone, I figured even more reason to go! I had no fear! (Maybe I should have.)
I arrived at Cancun International Airport, where it was very hot, and I noticed the difference right away in the humidity. Having traveled from NY, I had a jacket on and I must have looked very silly. I had never been to a Club Med and I was excited to be going there. This would be the first of many new experiences on my trip. Whenever people talked about Club Med, I felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke, and I was missing something. Now I know what I was missing. This is an all-inclusive resort, and supposedly, Club Med Cancun is one of the first and one of the best. The staff is overwhelmingly helpful and friendly, and in the little amount of time I had to enjoy all the amenities, I realized I would want to come back for a vacation. They think of everything to help you leave your worries behind, and the relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere was right up my alley. I had some time for some lunch and sat by the pool and decompressed. This was probably a smart move since I knew the rest of the trip would be action packed.
We were picked up for dinner and went to Plaza La Isla, a very nice shopping village. I wish we had more time here since I remember thinking to myself, this is a mall, this is perfect for a princess. What was my editor thinking? This isn’t an adventure! We walked around the outdoor mall, a mix of high-end stores, novelty shops, clubs and restaurants. There was even a gondola ride through the center of the mall.
We then went to the Interactive Aquarium, a nice treat in the center of the mall, which I thought was very nicely done and interesting and engaging for all ages. There was a pond to pet animals, a dolphin show, and many exhibits.
Just as I thought this trip couldn’t be any tamer, they led me to the shark tank. When asked if I wanted to feed the sharks, I said sure. I didn’t realize I would have to go down into the tank to feed them. I thought I would sprinkle food in from safe ground. By the time, I realized what was going on, I was being lowered down to the sharks with a guide and another guest. We were in a see through cage, and the water started pouring in, as we were being lowered. We had snorkel equipment on and were holding raw meat in our hands.
