I was fortunate to vacation with my dear friend Anne Rainbow Shepard over the Christmas holidays with her and her family in NYC and then Cancun Club Med. It was one of the most memorable holidays of my life. Here are my journal entries from NYC and ClubMed during that time.
Please enjoy!
Linda
December 21, 2000
NYC
I feel so cool. Sam, Anne and I just shot a roll of film of us on the roof tops of Brooklyn. NYC skyline in the background, east river. On so many levels, things are perfect today.Subway rides, coffee shops, walks on the east river, photos on rooftops, brownies in the West Village. Beautiful big-nosed, brown eyed, olive skinned men everywhere.
Hafiz graffiti scribed on bathroom walls:
Five Thousand Times
You loose your treasures.
Do not go in search of them,
Do not climb the nine
Mountains in ten days
You will get
Them Back.
Yes, I am where I belong.
I am sitting at a SoHo Starbucks, next to Balthazar Restaurant. It is supposed to be hip. I ate a falafel at a Greek stand and it was fantastic. Now I sit in an overstuffed plush black velvet chair drinking ginger tea. Sam and Anne had a fight and I am chilling while they do their thing. This is my 4th cafe since 11 AM this morning. Sam told Anne he didn't want to see her anymore. Too painful. They had been together since 1996 and she left him because she felt isolated in NYC. She thought she was going crazy. Maybe she was. They spent most of their time fighting about money, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, making art, looking for work and they were always talking about the movie they were going to make together.
That's what Sam does now. Makes movies. He didn't want her to leave but she did. They fought all the time and she couldn't take it so she moved back to Seattle.
Today we had a good day drinking all kinds of coffee and taking pictures and Sam remembered how much he misses Anne. I believe him. His old wounds are open and exposed to his empty existence without her in the illegal flat he lives in above the meat processing plant.
The men in NYC wear cologne. Too much perhaps. There are vans covered in graffiti. It is very cold. Fur coats, fur hats, fur lined gloves, fur cuffs. People race by 2-stepping to keep the blood warm under their furry jumpers.
Tomorrow I will be in another kind of paradise.
December 22, 2000
NYC to Cancun
It is early morning. Soon we leave for JFK for our direct flight to Cancun. I am excited and nervous. I am afraid I won't be a good traveling companion...this is unfounded since Anne and I have traveled many thousand miles together in the Malibu Stacey Funtime Camper. But now we are with her family. God will help, I hope.
Anne isn't feeling well but she won't discuss it. She practically denies her health is bad when asked but she kept me up most of the night because of her coughing. She is not dying, but she has a bad cold. She is the person you don't want to see boarding a plane. Nose dripping, coughing up goo, sniffling and sneezing...she is run down. The fight took the last bit of life out of her.
It's been raining in Cancun. This is supposed to be the driest month in Mexico. I am listening to Joni Mitchell's "Hissing of Summer Lawn". "Edith and the Kingpin" is my favorite track. It is so well orchestrated. Joni Mitchel's phrasing is magical. So smooth. It sends me to a very happy place. Music does that to me. I am lifted and moved to this magical world. My cells dance joyfully. Blood reaches my warmed, tender heart and sings out in happiness. And it lasts for three minutes, twenty-eight seconds.
Three minutes has passed...
I hearing the question, "What am I feeling?" in my head. I just don't really know, so I will listen to the music. Watching Anne interact with her family makes me feel so grateful for my fucked-up, whacked-out family...I know. That's crazy. There is no fear in expressing ugly emotions in my family. We specialize in it. Mother is uneducated and highly opinionated. This makes for great conflict. She makes racists comments and then justifies her position based on her experiences. This leaves no room for disagreement.
Yet mother is well-breed. She knows how to behave in public, socially, manners and all. Mom. I'll call her on Christmas day before she heads out for a movie.
LATER...
I am waiting with 50 or so ClubMed goers. We're being taken to our privet, chartered plane. Americans...all of us..wealthy ones, everywhere. All shades of white are represented here. I hear the over-exercised white women talk about how much more exercise they will do when they arrive at the resort. Others are concerned with the water in Mexico.
"I hear at ClubMed all the water is safe to drink," the platinum blond says with a thick New Jersey Accent. "it is when you get off the compound that you have to worry." She goes on. "It's the ice cubes that get you." Another blond woman nods in agreement.
"I feel naked without my cell phone!" another woman chimes in.
Hard bodied women stretching in the tram car using the bars to entertain the men: a preview of the string bikinis to come.
December 24, 2000
ClubMed, Cancun Mexico
The charter flight is unlike a regular trip. The flight attendants are in resort-wear and the free drinks are flowing. It is a party plane. I am not too interested and Anne is not feeling well so we don't participate in the raffles and party-games for the 3 hour flight.
When we arrive at ClubMed, the staff rushes outside to meet our bus. They stand in lines on either side and they clap in rhythm and smile and cheer as if we were an all-star basketball team returning victorious from the state championship tournament.
The buildings are shaped like Mayan Ruins. Painted in Fresco style in tangerine, sunshine yellow, sky blue with white and honey mixed in too. I wonder if Chitzinitza, the most excavated and popular Mayan ruin, was once just a ClubMed for the Mayan people and not a sacred site.
The general manager, Ryan, led us in our orientation. There are 23 different countries represented here on vacation. All announcements are made in English, Spanish and French. Everyday there is a huge schedule of events going on that you can or cannot participate in...it depends on what you want to do. So far I've kayaked, floated in the ocean and taken salsa lessons. today I will take a massage.
It is Christmas Eve day. There is a plastic Christmas tree with blue and gold garland and a few stray bulbs: red, green, gold. Lights flash in chaotic order. The announcement this morning warned of a holiday show at Noon out by the pool and at 5 PM the "Giant Cocktail". I have no idea what that could be, but is happening today. It will be followed by a buffet...naturally. There are a lot of buffets here. All meals are buffet unless if you make a reservation for the fancy restaurant. Anne's parents have made our reservations for us tomorrow.
I passed on the Noon event and was taking a swim for the "Giant cocktail". An enormous stage was set in the open-aired theater with five stations: Pina Colada, Margaretta, Mai Tai and Brandy Alexander. Were these the drinks the Virgin Mary had before accepting the Christ-child? The fifth cocktail is Champagne. Not a cocktail, I think to myself, but why start complaining now. God Bless Christ and his birthday. "Happy Birthday Jesus." I think to myself.
Each cocktail is introduced by a woman in costume to represent each season. These women models are employees who work at the front desk or gift shop. The costumes are thrown together from scraps of fabric from other shows they have here, tied around their wastes with belts and wires. Underneath they wear thong bikinis. They do not spend a lot of money on costumes here. If you have a bikini, then it can be scantily clad and all will be happy. ClubMed style...
When each drink is introduced it is passed out to each of us watching the show...5 sugary drinks in less than an hour. Most of these taste like packaged mix watered down with cheap rum. You have to drink a lot of sugary, flavorless drinks to get drunk here and I can see why people do it...it is pretty depressing without the booze. But getting drunk on Christmas Eve...well, that is an American tradition in many families...so people indulge and celebrate. I fell isolated and out of place. Anne has been sick in the room the whole time we've been here so I am left on my own to do as I wish.
As a surprise, the staff at ClubMed had a live nativity scene set-up in the ping-pong table area, next to the basketball courts. I love this kind of stuff. More employee humiliation. The life guard is dressed as a Shepard, waiters are the wise men. There are two donkeys, several chickens, a lamb, a turkey and a rooster. Just like in Jerusalam. Isn't that how Jesus was born? Pool boys and waiters...Good Bless them, please.
I am sitting at a SoHo Starbucks, next to Balthazar Restaurant. It is supposed to be hip. I ate a falafel at a Greek stand and it was fantastic. Now I sit in an overstuffed plush black velvet chair drinking ginger tea. Sam and Anne had a fight and I am chilling while they do their thing. This is my 4th cafe since 11 AM this morning. Sam told Anne he didn't want to see her anymore. Too painful. They had been together since 1996 and she left him because she felt isolated in NYC. She thought she was going crazy. Maybe she was. They spent most of their time fighting about money, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, making art, looking for work and they were always talking about the movie they were going to make together.
That's what Sam does now. Makes movies. He didn't want her to leave but she did. They fought all the time and she couldn't take it so she moved back to Seattle.
Today we had a good day drinking all kinds of coffee and taking pictures and Sam remembered how much he misses Anne. I believe him. His old wounds are open and exposed to his empty existence without her in the illegal flat he lives in above the meat processing plant.
The men in NYC wear cologne. Too much perhaps. There are vans covered in graffiti. It is very cold. Fur coats, fur hats, fur lined gloves, fur cuffs. People race by 2-stepping to keep the blood warm under their furry jumpers.
Tomorrow I will be in another kind of paradise.
December 22, 2000
NYC to Cancun
It is early morning. Soon we leave for JFK for our direct flight to Cancun. I am excited and nervous. I am afraid I won't be a good traveling companion...this is unfounded since Anne and I have traveled many thousand miles together in the Malibu Stacey Funtime Camper. But now we are with her family. God will help, I hope.
Anne isn't feeling well but she won't discuss it. She practically denies her health is bad when asked but she kept me up most of the night because of her coughing. She is not dying, but she has a bad cold. She is the person you don't want to see boarding a plane. Nose dripping, coughing up goo, sniffling and sneezing...she is run down. The fight took the last bit of life out of her.
It's been raining in Cancun. This is supposed to be the driest month in Mexico. I am listening to Joni Mitchell's "Hissing of Summer Lawn". "Edith and the Kingpin" is my favorite track. It is so well orchestrated. Joni Mitchel's phrasing is magical. So smooth. It sends me to a very happy place. Music does that to me. I am lifted and moved to this magical world. My cells dance joyfully. Blood reaches my warmed, tender heart and sings out in happiness. And it lasts for three minutes, twenty-eight seconds.
Three minutes has passed...
I hearing the question, "What am I feeling?" in my head. I just don't really know, so I will listen to the music. Watching Anne interact with her family makes me feel so grateful for my fucked-up, whacked-out family...I know. That's crazy. There is no fear in expressing ugly emotions in my family. We specialize in it. Mother is uneducated and highly opinionated. This makes for great conflict. She makes racists comments and then justifies her position based on her experiences. This leaves no room for disagreement.
Yet mother is well-breed. She knows how to behave in public, socially, manners and all. Mom. I'll call her on Christmas day before she heads out for a movie.
LATER...
I am waiting with 50 or so ClubMed goers. We're being taken to our privet, chartered plane. Americans...all of us..wealthy ones, everywhere. All shades of white are represented here. I hear the over-exercised white women talk about how much more exercise they will do when they arrive at the resort. Others are concerned with the water in Mexico.
"I hear at ClubMed all the water is safe to drink," the platinum blond says with a thick New Jersey Accent. "it is when you get off the compound that you have to worry." She goes on. "It's the ice cubes that get you." Another blond woman nods in agreement.
"I feel naked without my cell phone!" another woman chimes in.
Hard bodied women stretching in the tram car using the bars to entertain the men: a preview of the string bikinis to come.
December 24, 2000
ClubMed, Cancun Mexico
The charter flight is unlike a regular trip. The flight attendants are in resort-wear and the free drinks are flowing. It is a party plane. I am not too interested and Anne is not feeling well so we don't participate in the raffles and party-games for the 3 hour flight.
When we arrive at ClubMed, the staff rushes outside to meet our bus. They stand in lines on either side and they clap in rhythm and smile and cheer as if we were an all-star basketball team returning victorious from the state championship tournament.
The buildings are shaped like Mayan Ruins. Painted in Fresco style in tangerine, sunshine yellow, sky blue with white and honey mixed in too. I wonder if Chitzinitza, the most excavated and popular Mayan ruin, was once just a ClubMed for the Mayan people and not a sacred site.
The general manager, Ryan, led us in our orientation. There are 23 different countries represented here on vacation. All announcements are made in English, Spanish and French. Everyday there is a huge schedule of events going on that you can or cannot participate in...it depends on what you want to do. So far I've kayaked, floated in the ocean and taken salsa lessons. today I will take a massage.
It is Christmas Eve day. There is a plastic Christmas tree with blue and gold garland and a few stray bulbs: red, green, gold. Lights flash in chaotic order. The announcement this morning warned of a holiday show at Noon out by the pool and at 5 PM the "Giant Cocktail". I have no idea what that could be, but is happening today. It will be followed by a buffet...naturally. There are a lot of buffets here. All meals are buffet unless if you make a reservation for the fancy restaurant. Anne's parents have made our reservations for us tomorrow.
I passed on the Noon event and was taking a swim for the "Giant cocktail". An enormous stage was set in the open-aired theater with five stations: Pina Colada, Margaretta, Mai Tai and Brandy Alexander. Were these the drinks the Virgin Mary had before accepting the Christ-child? The fifth cocktail is Champagne. Not a cocktail, I think to myself, but why start complaining now. God Bless Christ and his birthday. "Happy Birthday Jesus." I think to myself.
Each cocktail is introduced by a woman in costume to represent each season. These women models are employees who work at the front desk or gift shop. The costumes are thrown together from scraps of fabric from other shows they have here, tied around their wastes with belts and wires. Underneath they wear thong bikinis. They do not spend a lot of money on costumes here. If you have a bikini, then it can be scantily clad and all will be happy. ClubMed style...
When each drink is introduced it is passed out to each of us watching the show...5 sugary drinks in less than an hour. Most of these taste like packaged mix watered down with cheap rum. You have to drink a lot of sugary, flavorless drinks to get drunk here and I can see why people do it...it is pretty depressing without the booze. But getting drunk on Christmas Eve...well, that is an American tradition in many families...so people indulge and celebrate. I fell isolated and out of place. Anne has been sick in the room the whole time we've been here so I am left on my own to do as I wish.
As a surprise, the staff at ClubMed had a live nativity scene set-up in the ping-pong table area, next to the basketball courts. I love this kind of stuff. More employee humiliation. The life guard is dressed as a Shepard, waiters are the wise men. There are two donkeys, several chickens, a lamb, a turkey and a rooster. Just like in Jerusalam. Isn't that how Jesus was born? Pool boys and waiters...Good Bless them, please.
Tomorrow...Christmas Day...
So much love...
All the way from Cancun.
Linda
2 comments:
Club Med Hell!! Great writing. I loved this story!
I didn't know ClubMed was a real place that you can actually 'go to'. Like I would see all the commercials with the old people dancing in the sand and stuff, and thought it was just some kind of rehabilitation clinic.
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