Here's To New Adventures

Arriving in Mexico in the middle of January was quite a different feel, having left a Minnesotan winter. The hot, humid, air was an amazing feeling; it warmed my body from the inside out. Tourists and travelers everywhere, I realized how quickly money adds up when traveling. With all the tourism, it only made sense to me that Mexicans would be well off.
We got picked up at the airport by a man from our resort who took all our bags, and was very polite. He treated us like royalty. On the way to the resort, I was thankful I was not the one driving, as I saw the crazy traffic and drivers. I mean, I only thought this kind of traffic was in Rome!
I was scared having to stop every so often on the roads when I saw what reminded me of tolls in Chicago. These were not tolls, however. The word "policia" written on them, and the men at them were dressed in uniform. Only speaking small amounts of Spanish at the time, I couldn't make out much of what our driver said to them each time we stopped. It was very apparent he was used to the stops and used to police presence on the street.
Also on our ride to the resort, I saw the one thing I remember most about my trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico. Being a curious youngster, my head was darting back and forth looking around outside of the van, observing all the characteristics of this different world I had entered. I was looking for your "everyday" citizen of the country, I wanted to see what their houses looked like, what life was like for the men, women, and children which lived in this country. When I first saw it off the side of the street, I hadn't even known I had seen it, because I didn't know any better. I saw small wood structures that looked like old sheds. Falling apart, nearly all of them looked as though a storm had just come through. Many didn't have roofs, many were without certain portions of the walls, and they didn't even have a normal door. I was shocked to find out this is how the people live, and realized just how common it was as I continued to see house after house that looked just the same. Getting to our five-star resort, Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda, I didn't feel right having these men and women serve me, entertain me, and treat me like a queen, knowing what they go back home to everyday. There was such a world of difference between the resort and beach's beauty, the comfort of back home, and the poor lives of many Mexicans. I could leave this country, they can't. I've never felt so rich.