The more things change, the more they stay the same? Nuh-uhhhhh!
On Sunday, I dropped in on a Travel Expo and wandered by the Club Med booth. Standing there were two young boys (by young, I mean young-as in early twenties). No doubt they'd heard stories from their parents about the vacation spot known as "the antidote for civilization."
Sadly (sniff, sniff) I overheard the travel agent correct their misperceptions. Club Med is NO LONGER the place for singles. Nope. From what I gather, it answered the call of the aging boomers and ruined everything.
Okay, in case you've never been, let me paint a picture of my first visit. (This is back in 1981 when I was, er, about 28.) I shopped for DAYS prior to the trip, envisioning myself as one of those Vogue models with the Jackie O glasses and the casually chic clothes. After all, this was my first ADULT vacation (y'know, minus the parental units) and I was preparing to attract MEN.
Imagine my dismay when I arrived clad in tailored, belted, walking shorts with matching top, high-heeled sandals, and a floppy straw hat, to find a bunch of half-naked Club Med employees greeting us with some kinda welcome routine that bordered on childish. What had I stumbled into...a camp for overgrown adolescents?
And what was this...? You expect me to carry my own luggage...where? How far?
Cutting to the chase, within days, I was a convert. During the following week, I never once wore shoes. In fact, I hardly wore anything but a bathing suit.
It was all about experiencing the antithesis of real life.
No locks on the doors. No TV's or radio's in the rooms. No newspapers. No telephones. No MONEY, for God sakes! (You stashed your money in the central office at the beginning of your stay, then purchased plastic snap beads to use for buying drinks and other assorted amenities.)
Flash forward to 2007. Plasma screen TV's. CD players. Wireless Internet access.
I tell ya. It's enough to break your heart.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment