Everybody knows that Canada and U.S. A. go through among the harshest winters in North America every year. Indeed, some years, winter is so bad and miserable that everybody yearns to escape to some sunny climes where the weather is not only warm but also where one can wallow in lush sunshine, lounge on the beach or take a dip in the ocean – which is, in itself, quite a joy and relief as it makes you forget the dreary, dismal winter days you left behind back home. So much so, every year, winter with its endless spell of c-o-l-d, frigid days is a drag and getting away from it all to some warm spots with plenty of sun, sand and sea is a dear wish with many Canadians — as with Americans.
No wonder these spots are known as tourist havens to Canadians and Americans –particularly with those yearning for the sun, the good, warm weather while at home the cold and drab wintry days hold sway. Cancun, in Mexico, located in the Yucatan Peninsula, the home of the Mayas, is a famed holiday resort and leisure spot par excellence well known to Canadians and Americans.
Winter has been particularly harsh this year. January and February are usually the toughest months of the cold season. For days on end, this January, we have been going through frigid temperatures with snow often accompanied by freezing rain and cold winds, which all make life miserable – especially for seniors, like us. So much so, my wife and I decided to find for some relief; to find some warm sunshine and we opted for a week in CANCUN, Mexico, which, as everybody here knows, is a Mecca for vacationers offering plenty of sunshine, sand and sea to us, Canadians, during the freezing winter days. We both knew that we would love it. We made our bookings for the second week of January – right after the Xmas break when we hoped the resorts wouldn’t be that crowded. But we were to be mistaken. Cancun is always crowded.
As a matter of fact, only a few days earlier, North America had experienced a terrible winter storm that dumped tons of snow on the ground, literally paralyzing the airports and throwing thousands of people’s travel plans into limbo because the airports were closed and flights were cancelled leaving thousands of travellers stranded. It was chaotic. Lucky, we had booked our vacation for mid-January.
A view of the golden beaches of Cancun where the steel-blue sea laps right on the sandy beach. It’s a lovely sight to behold! Besides, the beaches in Cancun are all lined with imposing hotels and resorts – a landmark of the resort town.
We longed for some warm and sunny weather. We were fed up with the cold and frigid days. It was a bit too much, we thought! Was it because we were older now and our body less resistant to the discomfort of winter weather? When Monday, January 16th came around, my wife and I were all ready for our sunshine get-away in Cancun, which is just three and a half hours — direct flight –from our City of Windsor!
We knew about Cancun and what to expect in terms of its weather and climate. We were all geared to enjoy some lush sunshine, take a dip in the steel-blue sea and lounge on the gorgeous sandy beach.
However, on Monday, our flight somehow got delayed in Windsor and we did not arrive in Cancun at the RIU Hotel and Resort, where we were booked to stay, until well past eleven in the evening. Everything at the hotel was closed – I mean the cafeteria and the restaurants … Only the bars and cafés were open. By the time we checked in, it was close to midnight. We were tired and were eager to turn in. It had been a long afternoon for us.
Next morning, we got up early well rested. We did not go through any jetlag as Cancun and Windsor are in the same time zone.
My wife was the first to get up. She pulled the window curtains and with joy, said: “Come, look at the beach below! Isn’t it gorgeous!”
Indeed, it was!
“You’re right! It’s like we’re home in Mauritius!”
She agreed!
A coconut-tree gently sprawling on the golden beach of Cancun, Mexico – very reminiscent of the gorgeous beaches in Mauritius!
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We had a fabulous view of the beach down below from our hotel balcony which was on the 14th floor or what the people at the hotel told us was the “Penthouse!”
We sure were glad we had made the trip. Outside, the air was warm. We could feel it! In fact, the average daily temperature in Cancun was 23-25º Celsius. When I thought of the frigid (-5ºC) temperature we had left behind in Windsor, Cancun, believe me, felt like ‘heaven!’
Soon, we settled to the routines of the Riu Hotel and Resort – a chain that owns several similar resorts in Cancun. Besides, RIU was a name familiar to us. We knew the famous hotel-chain also has a unit in far-away Mauritius. Food at the resort was varied and aplenty and everything was included in our hotel tab. As far as food and drinks were concerned, everything was “on the house!” The staff at the hotel was very courteous and friendly. “Le client est roi!” (The customer is king!) seemed to be the motto. As a matter of fact, the Mexicans are among the friendliest people I have met. They always say “Ola!” (Hello!) to you and have a smile on their face and are ever ready and willing to help you in any way they can.
The friendly waiters just make rounds in the lobby, by the pool, by the beach always asking for orders and always eager to wait on you and serve you.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day were each a wonderful experience. It gave you the opportunity to meet with people, who come mostly from the U.S. A. and Canada and with a few from South America. Everybody was so nice and friendly!
Mayan monuments and ruins abound in the Mayan Peninsula. Above, a view of the Kulkacun Pyramid, in Cancun. It is the most visited of the Mayan monuments. Cancun, which is part of the Yucatan Peninsula, was home of the Mayas. Visits to the ruins are available all day long.
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After breakfast, we would set ourselves to our daily routines: go for walks in the town or, if we so chose, spend the time at the beach lounging on the beach-chairs, reading a book and feeling the warm soothing breeze from the sea and listening to the waves lapping on the golden beach. Indeed, Cancun felt like a piece of heaven and the more I thought of the cold winter we had left behind back home in Canada, the more I tended to think of our lovely, tiny Mauritius, the little jewel in the Indian Ocean and would say to my wife, Mauritius has nothing to envy Cancun – except for size!
The days went by quickly and soon we realized that it was time to leave and fly back home to Canada and face the realities of the Canadian winter we had left behind. We knew that was a reality, we, Canadians, could not forget. Yet we were glad to have enjoyed one whole week of lush sunshine and warm and godly weather. We made a few new friends and would be leaving with lots of memories. Both, my wife and I loved Cancun!
The day we landed in Windsor, it was mid-afternoon and sunny yet c-o-l-d! As we stepped out of the plane on to the tarmac, the frigid temperature hit us – it was -5º Celsius outside. Indeed, we had just the experienced ‘dream weather’ in Cancun and now we were back to the grim realities of the harsh Canadian winter! And to think, we still had two full months of winter ahead of us before we could feel the joy of spring! But the memories of our days in Cancun will keep us going … till spring arrives and the daffodils start blooming and the robins and swallows herald the end of miserable winter with their hypnotic songs! Nature’s weather cycle keeps on spinning!