“Travels to a Different Time” : 3September1989: Cancun, Mexico: Is the Beer Safe to Drink!

From Toronto off to Cancun. Unlike the obnoxiously early limo to the airport last year on the way to the Dominican Republic the limo was 10 minutes late but so early in the morning the traffic to Pearson airport was light. The flight was on Canadian Airways and the passengers were relatively quiet unlike our suburban populated flight last year where the suburbanites were dreaming of Pina Coladas. The terrain upon approach was less tropical than in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Vallarta. Whizzed through customs as we were the only flight arriving. The trip to the hotel was on an old dilapidated bus. There is a huge amount of construction occurring and I wonder if it a result of the hurricane that struck Cancun last year. They were, in a great entrepreneurial spirit, selling cold beer on the bus for a USD. Cold, light and thirst quenching. I even had a wide-eyed gringo ask me if it was safe to drink the beer in Mexico. This reminded me of my mother who once said (and those were different times) the safest beverage to dink in “those foreign countries” was beer. The hotel was in a hotel strip like in Las Vegas. A swampy lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other. Unfortunately even with a room change I am facing the lagoon. But at least on the third floor instead the ground floor. You can see Isla Mujeres from the beach. Room is adequate but not luxurious. I harken back to my travel days in the 1970’s and should be overjoyed I have hot water and even a poorly functioning television set. Pizza at a pizzeria (in Mexico!) was excellent although the mushrooms were canned! Corona beer was chilled and refreshing. Came home and sat on the balcony for a bit before retiring. The air is so different in feel and smell here.