Tanya: Dear Linda, what's new? Are you in the warm temps yet?
Linda: My dear Tanya, we've been for 4 days now in Mexico. And it is very warm. Peter starts to defrost.
Linda: :‑D
Tanya: We've been having below zero temps since Friday. Aiden hates it! No snow, everything frozen stiff, grey and uninviting. Show me some nice sunny views!
Linda: <file_photo>
Tanya: How wonderful! This being...
Linda: The area is called Riviera Maya. It has fantastic beaches, as you can see, but no easily accessible coral reefs. We've done some snorkeling though, just in front of our hotel's beach that has an artificial reef. Not bad at all!
Tanya: What the hell is an artificial reef?!
Linda: Rows of clay half-round structures, open at the top. After some time they become so overgrown that they nearly look natural. Fish don't seem to mind.
Linda: <file_photo>
Linda: Not very best these photos but you can see what I mean. Water temperatures are 24-26 C, so perfect for us to swim. There are also natural coral reefs along the coast here. We can even see them - Arrecife de Puerto Morelos - but they are either nature reserve or you have to be taken there by boat. I would be tempted but Peter says it's too expensive. I just think he's getting lazy.:(
Linda: <file_photo> Mark at his most active!
Tanya: Be lenient and have more understanding for his age! Can't you go alone?
Linda: Even if I go for a walk alone, he becomes fidgety after 20 mins. Yesterday before sunset I went towards a stretch of wild beaches, no hotels, to pursue my favourite hobby here - collecting seaborne rubbish, and were back to him after half an hour or so, and he was nearly angry with me for leaving him alone. What a bore!
Tanya: And your accommodation? It's a fashionable area, isn't it?
Linda: The hotel, or rather a resort, Vidanta, is idiotically luxurious. But we are coping!
Tanya: Don't make too many sacrifices.
Linda: <file_photo>
Tanya: A paradise as artificial as those coral reefs.
Linda: Spot on! Being here you just switch off any critical thinking about environment, social justice, all that crap. More food wasted here in one day that people eat in some neighbouring village in a week. Kilograms of foodstuffs used solely as decoration. Hectolitres of water pumped through enormous swimming pools...
Tanya: Heated, I presume.
Linda: Oh no! We are environmentally friendly and let the sun warm the water. Bullshitters! But of course I can't talk about it with Peter. He loves it here.
Tanya: And you should too! Look, it already exists and your small protest won't change anything. Just enjoy as long as it lasts.
Linda: I guess you are right. It's a very pleasant living here. I admit. And their breakfast are fabulous!
Tanya: Make the most of it, Linda dear. Life is short.
Linda: Life is ...
Linda is spending her holiday in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico with Mark in a luxurious resort. The food and water waste bothers her, but Tanya advises Linda to enjoy her time there.