Now sailing north to and into the resort area of Cancun, this includes countless other towns and areas. The sheer quantity and scale is mindboggeling. Tens of thousands of hotel rooms pass by per minute, two dozen booze cruise catamarans returning at once form a picket off our bow as we sail nearer to Isla Mujares, wing on wing in light southerly breeze.
Over three dozen cruising yachts adorn the bay here at Isla Mujeres ( isle of women ), more than we have seen in the last year. Fat cats in motor yachts steam up and down, music blaring, selfies the thing..
Mexican tourism industrial is impressive and depressing at the same time, paradise lost and found differentiated only for by view of the viewer.
I first came to isla Mujeres in 1975 while in college here in Mexico. Isla was dinky, cheap, rustic, cute, undiscovered. Cancun was nothing, a sand flat. Quintana Roo, the state, had just been given statehood a few years previous, prior it was a territory, and fraught with native uprisings, crocs, swamps, baymen etc.
Ana Luna found a nice tucked up anchoring spot, very close is the dingy beach with constant traffic of Flintstone appearing vehicles; with winds predicted from the north of 30 knots we are behind a huge dock for two giant car ferry’s to the mainland, a very nice shelter..!
None of this was here back when, we arrived to a dock made of poles stuck into the mud bottom. This area of mexico must have 200,000 to 500,000 guest rooms and a population of 1,000,000. Inward invest in the hundreds of billions, for pesos multiple by 20! And the prices are competitive internationally but provide good profits at the same time, a successful business model…
After a bit it gives the seasoned mariner making a long voyage an overdose of social reality, despite conspicuous consumption marinaded in alcohol, documented with selfies..
As Debbie and I plot strategy’s to enjoy our family’s visit here, emphasis is placed on taking special time with Cameron (8 years) & Gemma (4), in sailing skills, anchoring & night at quiet nature filled places away from the maddening crowd. Just like my folks did with me years ago, before any of these tourist destinations even existed.
