Tourista Zone

---

In Cancun, feeling a bit off kilter. Realize I left my spanish phrase book on the plane. Feel a bit lost not speaking the language. After breakfast at a local place today - I the only gringa and did not order what I thought I had - went out to the Zona Hotel - an extremely different place from el centro where I am staying. The traffic was crazy getting out there - no marked stops in the town, just saw a group of people gathered so flagged down a bus with them. A fairly rainy day - very rainy earlier so some streets were too flooded to walk across. Thought I could get a new phase book so stopped at 2 malls out there - not one to be found, nor a dictionary. The Hotel Zones is full of stores catering to tourists - marked up "local" goods, and many north american chain stores and restaurants - all the chains you see in the plazas and big resorts blocking the beach. Its one a very narrow pennisula, with the carribean on one side and a lagoon on the other, just a spit of land. Got wierded out, so went further to find some small ruins - no one out there and area seemed desolate but along the road near the ruins saw a woman smoking a butt under a shelter- turns out she is from Ottawa so we hung out for the day - walked along the long road out there - heavy traffic and resorts set back from the road, were going to go to a museum, but by then it had stopped raining, so we went to find a beach. Had long left the nice beach by kn 18. She speaks spanish, and had a taco in a workers resto - ok and very cheap, and then tried to get to a beach. While all beaches are public, access can be difficult, got turned back trying to cut through a hotel. Tide was very high so there was not much beach, near that hotel, so went to a more locals beach - lots of seaweed, and relaxed for a while.
Now am off to buy a dictionary.

---