~—T* 36 - Sunday, February 11, 1990 - North Shore News Despite taxi fares, along the beach highway in Can- cun with engine roaring and music system in overdrive, when 1 spot- ted the Hotel Calinda. Naively I went to the rear door and looked for a bell. No bell. . , I looked around in desperation and caught the eye of a fellow pas- senger, who displayed the ap- propriate local knowledge by banging loudly on the metal roof. With a screech of brakes the bus shuddered to a stop, and I stepped out into a cloud of dust and the baking sun. Such minor adventures contrast with the ridiculous ease of getting to Cancun. An aerial odyssey that used to rival Balboa’s trek is now an easy non-stop flight thanks to Fiesta West and Canada 3000 Airlines, whose new Rolls-Royce- powered Boeing 757s do Van- couver to Cancun non-stop in just over five hours. What's more, the service on board is so good — Chivas Regal is the bar Scotch — that some pas- sengers were saying this could be the new Wardair. Another thing I liked was that the ex-Armed Forces pilots not on- ly found the runway both times dlet’s get the priorities straight), but kept passengers well informed along the way, which can be a tremendous tonic for nervous flyers. The easy going continues in Cancun, where package-holiday nadian women in pink Fiesta West T-shirts. ES travel talk David Wishart Having someone else to take care of your worries is what vaca- tioning is all about, leaving tourists free to concentrate on making the most of Cancun’s sun, sea and sandy beaches. Diving and snorkeling are ex- cellent, and many hotels have their own docks for dive and glass-bot- iom boats. Winds can be tricky for inexperienced windsurfers, but regardless of your competency don’t forget booties to protect feet from coral. by plane for $130. Take your pick, three hours each way on bumpy roads or 35 minutes in a very clean Fokker F-27. Once there, the ruins will stagger the senses, particularly the climb inside the pyramid to look into the jade eyes of Jac-Mool the jaguar, whose back served as a dish for human heart sacrifices. The combination of history and hedonism makes Cancun a par- ticularly attractive destination, and there is no shortage of places to let your hair down, both in the long strip of hotels and in malls across the beach highway. The ‘downtown’? is a touristy flea market and a few cafes, but bear in mind there was nothing here 20 years ago. Serious shop- pers should consider a trip to the old city of Merida, where rich Spanish planters built elegant chateaus. Dedicated sun-worshippers can do worse than relax at comfortable hotels such as the Calinda, where I enjoyed the food court concept. Fiesta West has another half-dozen hotels to choose from, as well as similar air and hotel packages to the resorts of Acapulco, Guaymas, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. It’s the easy way to go. And so is the bus, just so long as you remember to keep a hand free for banging on the roof. NORTH SHORE SUMMER CHARTER AIRFARES TO EUROPE from Vancouver to — a |_| it Viexico is a ba rgain LONDON $699.00 PRESTWICK $699.00 CANCUN — The peso may continue to fall through the Most hotels have tennis courts MANCHESTER $699.00 floor — 2,000 to the Canadian dollar and still dropping — (bring your own racquets and AMSTERDAM $699.00 but taxi fares go the other way in real, that is Yankee, balls) and there is an [8-hole golf FRANKFURT $799.00 doliars. In Cancun, gringos are asked $10 U.S. fora modest The island of Cozumel and its PARIS $849.00 ride in a cab that looks like it has been through a dozen giorious Palancar reef are just a STOCKHOLM $975.00 . demolition derbies. short flight away, although the one . 7“ Intrepid tourists ride the bus, tourists are met by Fiesta West excursion that should not be miss- COPENHAGEN $975.00 which costs 800 pesos for as long representatives and steered to the ed is a visit to Chichen Itza, loca- HELSINKI $1020.00 ‘ as you can hang on, and a little appropriate buses for their hotels. tion of the largest and most ac- . local knowledge helps, such as Problems (such as lost luggage, claimed Mayan ruins in the ROME $1069.00 knowing how to stop the contrap- hotel complaints and missing ucatan peninsula. tion. tourist cards on return flights), are There is a full-day bus trip for VENICE $1069.00 So there we were, barreling dealt with by a team of young Ca- about $50 or a half-day excursion MILAN $1049.00 Date restrictions apply. Call us for details. 110 East 14th St. (at Lonsdale) 8 North Vancouver [986-1377 | ENTER THE GREAT CAPILANO RIVER DUCK RACE You could win up to $40,000 in prizes! TICKETS *5 4 Available at Park Royal South, Capilano Mall, Lynn & @ Vailey Centre, Lonsdale Quay, Granville Island Market, @ a Stong’s Deep Cove and West Vancouver stores (Satur- ¥ m days), Park and Tilford, Pinetree and Merine Drive j a Save-On-Foods stores, Tetem Color, Model Shipyard, ‘North Shore Neighbourhood House, North Shore & f Family, downtown and south slope YMCA locations. ff 7 Day | Alaska Cruises FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 980-DUCK * 1989 Prices Extended! Set sail from Vancouver. Cruise the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, the Inside Passage and return to Vancouver. Departing Sep. 06, 1990 Price is per person, based on double cecupancy From and includes all meals, earertainment. Reservations are subject to availability. * Must be booked & purchised by CDN. Mar. 1, 1990 Call today for details! © BCAA Travel 908 Park Royal Mall, South West Vancouver, B.C. 922-3361 mee” People helping people.