SPORTING EVENTS IN CANCUN THE TIGERS One of the pleasures of living in Cancun is that it's a big enough city to have a wide variety of sports and other entertainment events. Let's talk about sports, at the moment. Cancun is the home of the "Tigers of Quintana Roo" baseball team. One of the best of the teams in the Mexican League of Baseball, they finished second in 2009 in their run for the championship of all of Mexico. This season, I had the pleasure of attending one of the last three games, a championship playoff game, with two other expats: it was the first "Tigers" game for all of us and, although I'd enjoyed sitting in the stadium in Arlington, on a hot summer's night, watching the Texas Rangers play, I wasn't sure what to expect, here. We sat in the "cheap seats" on the third base line. We were the only non-local looking people in our section. Though the beer was flowing freely, sold in the stands for 20 pesos a bottle, the crowd was well behaved, and enjoying the game. We were extended a number of small courtesies. People smiled often, making us feel welcome, seeming to appreciate that we were sharing the game with them, and moving over to offer their seats, when we first arrived. All in all, in was a very enjoyable evening, though the Tigers lost. I'm looking forward to the new season: perhaps the "Tigers" will make it all the way this time! Tickets for the games run 20 to 80 pesos.
LOW SEASON BARGAINS I mentioned earlier that, living here, we have the opportunity to take advantage of the low season discounts to stay in the Hotel Zone, or at Isla Mujeres, for a "mini" vacation. My wife and I have tried this a number of times, this season, staying just 24 hours, each time. The hotels and restaurants appreciate your business, even more: you get a chance to feel generous by tipping just a little more than you would, otherwise; and, you get a chance to try out a number of different lodging possibilities at amazingly low prices, every year, at low season. To go on "vacation" in the hotel zone, Cancun, we just board a city bus! Finally, you get to have a really relaxing time, with an almost deserted beach, and your choice of beach chairs.... It's 88 degrees, here, today. What's the temperature where you are, this 31st day of October, 2009?
Ineligibility Nice of you to suggest it, Gonzo, but immediate family members are, as is typical of contests of that type, ineligible. Thanks for the weather report, makes us who live here happy to hear it! I just returned from an early morning swim in the sea, where I made the photo, above. The sea, as usual, was clear and that lovely turquoise color, the water temperature perfect. That's the Western Caribbean for you, this time of year!
Sports Events Cancun was the host for the Gran Premio Viva Mexico Cancun 2009, a criterium for professional cyclists. A criterium race consists of many laps around a (relatively) short course, 3,5 kilometers, in this case. Criteriums are good for spectators as the riders pass by repeatedly during the race, which seldom lasts more than an hour. Something like this can make you glad you live in Cancun. The world's greatest cyclist, Alberto Cantador, was here, as well as a number of other highly ranked, professional riders, to participate in the Gran Premio Cancun, run on the streets of the hotel zone. As you might expect of a professional event, things were well organized; and, a helicopter carrying a camera circled overhead throughout to record the action. Several hundred people were in attendance to watch the 14 lap, 50 Km main event. ______________________ As an major international entertainment venue, the city continues to attract a number of events and performances to appeal to a wide range of tastes, and interests.
I believe his name is spelled Contador. The following comment was submitted to my blog today: Quite amusing if you ask me. There ARE people who are more sour on Cancun than your resident Dietary Grinch. Bwahahaha!
LIFE IN CANCUN The poster's response to Cancun that Rivergirl spoke of, visceral as it is, isn't very enlightening, for it could be said of a number of cities in the U.S., as well. Here are a few observations I'd make about Cancun, and life in Cancun, which I find true. You've said before, Rivergirl, that life here, for retirees, is a different life from those who have tried to work, here. That is undoubtedly true. I've worked in a number of foreign countries, but Mexico was the hardest place to get permission to work of any place I've been. I spent a great many hours, and considerable money, getting mine. Further, I've never had so much difficulty getting work started for myself, anywhere. It's not easy to overcome the perception- perhaps it's more than that- that there are Mexicans who are just as capable of performing a job as you are, and more in need of one, to boot- not to mention that it's their country, with a right to control access to jobs for the benefit of their citizenry. Then, there's the problems involved in getting services, such as home repair, performed well, and at a fair price, which those who live here begin to encounter, after a time. I could go on, but life is "easy" here only for those who don't need to work, or do much of anything else, other than enjoy the sun and the sand. Having said that, as a very large foreign country, where a language different from our own is spoken, having a rich history, there is much to enjoy and appreciate here, in Mexico, for those who have a capacity for enjoyment, and appreciation.
Starting your own business here, as I did, is tough. But one major stumbling block, which is alleviated simply with the passage of time, is that people here don't want to do business with foreigners who they think might up and move away in a few months. So as you stick it out here it gets easier to get business...your credibility goes up just because you've survived here for a while. (Same goes for making friends here, lots of us don't run out to make friends with newbies who might be gone next month.) When we first came here a Mexican woman (from Acapulco) told us that Cancun was so hard to live in that if you managed to live in Cancun for over a year you were FROM CANCUN! So now I'm Cancunense! And I have more work than I can do.
PERSERVERANCE I agree with Rivergirl, persistence is required to succeed, here, perhaps more so than other places. Some of it could definitely be related to the fact that foreigners come here, many of them make first efforts to get something started, then leave. The locals may have simply learned to ignore those first contacts. To get an opportunity to speak with a "decision maker," there were several occasions in which I had to call on the same office five times. It took me three months to get things "up and running." It's never taken that long any where else I've lived. Here's a saying I've admired since I first ran across it. "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb."
