All-U-Can Drink and the New Beverage Math

I might have gone to Cancun alone, but I found myself almost never alone, or bored for that matter, particularly in the evenings. There's a lot of fun bars, clubs, and so forth to keep one entertained . . . pretty much until the sun comes up . . . and always a great fun-loving crowd from all over the world.

  A couple of recommendations: conveniently located across the street from the Costa Real hotel is the La Boom / Tequila Boom complex. La Boom cranks the techno / pop / disco tunes and features a lot of special effects (fog machines, lights, etc.), while Tequila Boom, a short hallway away, is a more relaxed place, with big-screen TVs, often a live band playing, and dancing in a boxing ring. Behind T.B. is a large patio with a snack bar and has nice terraces overlooking the tranquil lagoon. Tequila Boom was also the regular host of the US$12 all you-can drink evenings. More on that shortly.

 The Dady'O and Dady Rock complex had a similar arrangement, although the 'disco' side was a lot more intense, with this floor-clearing light show that bordered on cheesy. Dady'O also had the aforementioned floor-shaking sound system. Dady Rock also usually had a US$10.99 (don't forget your pennies!) all-you-can-drink event going.
Tequila Rock was a similar disco-setup but seemed to draw a more sedate crowd the two nights I was there (probably due to the lack of the all-you-can drink deal). Tequila Rock is located in the so-called "Party Center" of Cancun, about 200 yards to the rear of Dady'O between the south and northbound directions of Blvd. Kukulkan.

 In speaking with Tod, the Canadian scuba-instructor at the Costa Real, the topic of the all-you-want beverages came up (mainly because his eyes looked a little red after he took off his shades to put on a mask). Tod whipped out his calculator and did a little beverage math: at 1.8 pesos per beer wholesale, and at the prevailing exchange rate, one would have to drink 52 beers in order to get $12 worth. Apparently, Tequila Boom isn't in danger of going out of business . . . and many perfectly good livers have been sacrificed in the attempt.

  And liquor was being administered by so many methods. By teapot, by shot glass, by plastic beverage bottle with hole punched in cap, and by Super-Soaker squirt gun, various tequila concoctions were administered from the top of the bar, the top of a ladder, or the side of the swimming pool. Usually a lot of whistle blowing and cheering was involved, too, and perhaps an occasional mop. The best part was to turn the tables on the waiters/waitresses and give *them* the shot. They never seemed to mind that terribly; soon, I found myself playing waiter to the wait staff.

 The Tequila Rock ladder liquor, professionally administered

Xel-Ha and Xcacel

 On my fourth day in Cancun, I hopped in the Tracker with a recent acquaintance from Tennessee and headed south to Xel-Ha for a day of swimming and snorkeling. Xel-Ha is not to be confused with the highly commercialized Xcaret -- I went there last year but spent about US$20 less getting into Xel-Ha.

  Xel-Ha was pleasantly uncrowded when we arrived, and after a walk down on of its jungle paths, pretty soon it was just us and the iguanas. After a bit of a walk, we reached the mouth of a stream where we put on our snorkel gear and descended into the cool water for a trip downstream. Just as we entered the water, we heard a pretty large splash of some other animal probably doing the same. The Xel-Ha employee assured me that it was nothing, and we continued. Next day I would feel otherwise, after visiting a local crocodile farm (more on that in a bit).

 The river begins lined with the roots of trees and gradually becomes more rocky. Giant parrotfish and an occasional stingray populated the waters. Unfortunately, the algae coating the rocks was a little thick and tended to occlude the water at some points, the eutrophication probably the result of daily human interaction. At other points, the water cleared up spectacularly, revealing caves and niches under the rocks where all kinds of fish were hiding. There were also rocky outcroppings on the banks which the good Xel-Ha folks had developed into tiny, private sandy beaches, complete with a few chairs and a palapa. We had a great time swimming, sunning, swimming, sunning. I was the lizard king.

  I had wanted to explore the out-of-the-way beaches along the way back, and with the sun setting, I turned off the route back to Cancun and after a short bit, emerged on the incredible Xcacel beach. On this stretch of beach were a few people camping . . . and then white sand, turquoise water, a few palm trees, more white sand, and a beautiful sunset over the jungle.

Next time, I'm pitchin' a tent.

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