The sun has come out here in Cancun after pushing through the morning haze. It promises to be a gorgeous, hot day here. At least here in Mexico they say it was the dryest July in 68 years! Except for an occasional short-lived downpour or a few sprinkles I am glad I finally bought a pump for my vegetable garden at the ranch–dry, dry, dry.

The much-fought-over and long-awaited beach rebuilding project looks like it may finally begin in September while scrabbling continues over details of the project like where they are going to get the sand from. The dredgers are wending their way here from Dubai where building beaches and the everyday phenomenon of building islands from scratch is child’s play. What shape do you want yours in?

Fernando Garcia Zalvidea, the owner of the Real Resorts in Mexico has always been a loose cannon in the hotel association here and suspect of many things and subject of many rumors. But then most successful people are. Envy and jealousy are things we do. Well, he has been pressuring everyone who will listen about the need for this project and since getting any 2 people to agree on anything is difficult, just imagine getting thousands of people in 3 different municipalities and the Federal, State and local governments to all agree to rebuild the beaches. Well, not so much to rebuild them but HOW to rebuild them.

Anywho….when things started taking a long time (Can you say “mañana?”) and the waves were threatening the foundations of his hotel and tourists stopped coming because there was no beach, he set out to truck in material and sand and fill in the beach and rebuild it himself (mostly under cover of night!). He also built breakwaters out into the ocean to stop the beach from being washed away. When the big, official beach rebuild project was approved, they told him he had to remove the breakwaters in preparation and he said to the affect “I will when I see it is really going to happen.”

Well, as usual, initiative is one of the things least tolerated by people who don’t do anything and he was in trouble. Truth to tell, what he did was illegal since he did not get an environmental impact study approved–in cuadruplicate–and the proper permits from the local and Federal governments. (He knew they would never approve it so why try?) So after a couple of years, a new Federal Environmental “Czar” with his own agenda and dubious political and real estate history, an ex-Governor of Yucatan, (after closing 7 or 8 hotels in Tulum and one hotel and Marina in Punta Maroma)closed the beach of the Hotel Gran Caribe Real.

Since iniciative and action of any kind are frowned upon, this caused a big stink with the Federal State and Local governments and businesses. The Federal government Czr guy came in WITH ARMED MARINES and closed down the beach in the middle of the day in high tourist season while it was full of tourists. After one day they came to a truce and opened the beach and Fernando agreed to remove the breakwaters. He started the other day with the permission of the neighboring hotel to the north, Park Royal Caribe Real (formerly Hyatt), that graciously offered to let them tear down a wall and give them an easement to removed the debris.

Now, late afternoon on a Friday, in a well-timed maneuver, Park Royal sends a fax (or email depending on what paper you read) saying they have to stop the work. So we have 2 hotels and a government agency in a “Mexican Stand-off.”

Occupancy around here has gone way down since the Mexican tourists have returned home in preparation for the kids going back to school. It is around 60% in Cancun and about 65% in the Riviera Maya. My guess is that is will get really low in September and October BUT hotels and airlines both are putting out really heavy promotions. I saw one for Valentin Hotel for mid-January, mid week for $1220 for 9 days for 2 people with air included from Baltimore. And there are lots more where that came from!

I will stop here. I have more to ramble on about but this has gotten too long. I will try to post more and less–more often and less content! So have a good weekend and if you aren’t in Cancun or the Riviera Maya, check out the websites or travel agents and maybe one of the great deals will convince you!

So now I am off to breakfast and out to the ranch! Have a good one!