Last Day

It's the last night of my vacation in Cancun and while I'm not overwhelmingly stoked to return to work in 36 hours, I am most definitely ready to come home. I feel disenheartened to complain so much about this trip for which I invested a great deal of time, money, energy and enthusiasm. To all those who treated my pronouncement of a solo vacation with awed epithets and adulations of bravery, I feel almost humbled. Sure, I made the bold choice to take this trip and fling myself in, full of unbridled spunk as I do in so many of my life's endeavors.
Given the description of my accomodations by my travel agent - great location, lots of singles, built-in activities - all the variables should have fallen into place with a few "alone days" sandwiched by outings to local drinking establishments with my new-found, if temporary friends. Unfortunately and rather cruely, this did not come to pass. My hotel is located far from Cancun's many nocturnal attractions, making a late-night bus trip back alone potentially dangerous. Additionally, the hotel seems to attract mostly couples, either on a honeymoon or another type of getaway that makes 3rd or 5th wheeling awkward. While I have met some good people, spending time with them occurs by pure happenstance. No one has made solid plans with me, meaning the choice of eating alone or with live humans depend solely on timing.
Making my hotel even more frustrating is the sudden appearance of scores of children, white trash (complete with mullets) and scantily-clad Italians (travelling in co-ed packs, meaning no Paolo for this Rachel). While the basic rules of human harmony prevent me from castigating the latter two groups, the hotel's supposed "adults only" policy gives me plenty of room to gripe about the prescence of rugrats, rapper poseur tweens, crying babies and unwanted pool splashers.
In the interest of learning from my own mistakes and of helping you, dear reader, avoid making your vacations anything less than fabulous, I offer a few quick travel tips:
1. RESEARCH! Read, check everything out on the Internet, make some calls, ask some friends and then read some more.
2. Always wear sunscreen.
3. Remember that "all-inclusive" is a relative term.
4. Approach boats, motorized vehicles and escalators with appropriate caution and respect.