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TravelOut
by
Allan MacKinnon
Club
Med Goes Pink
Hanging
upside down in fuscia tights 40 feet above the ground
“These
guys are really determined!” I thought as I watched
a group of gay men climb a ladder high above a circus
safety net. The strange thing was that I was one of
the men and wondering what on earth I was doing there.
The Club Med at Playa Blanca south of Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico, runs a circus school for guests and we were
learning to swing on a trapeze as part of our Club RSVP
gay vacation experience. Every guest at the resort was
“family,” and we were fulfilling that childhood
fantasy of running away to join the circus. However,
it was a very big step from the dress-up in costume
circus acts I’d staged on my backyard swing as
a little gay boy in grade school.
“Give
a bunch of queens an opportunity to wear tights and
you can get anyone up there!” snapped my partner,
Steve. He wasn’t having any part of this. At least
he was nearby to ship the pieces home and sprinkle the
ashes. The prospect of letting go of terra firma was
scary, sexy, and thrilling all at the same time (sort
of like my first same-sex experience, hmmm).
Circus is only one possibility at Club Med. Playa Blanca
offers a wide array of possible activities. Sunning
by the pool was at the top of the list for many and
we did participate. However, I like to be physically
active too and so I scaled the rock-climbing wall and
took Steve horseback riding for his first time. He admitted
to being petrified when we went up or down hill. He
lurched sideways and nearly panicked when we trotted,
but he managed to stay jelly side up and dismount with
a big smile.
The
Club Med has an excellent gym facility that is quite
a few notches above those that travelers find at good
hotels in most major cities. All of the equipment is
new. There are daily aerobic and water aerobic classes,
water polo, and volleyball games. There are tennis courts
and sea kayaks available too. Of course sunning was
a major pastime either around the huge pool, on the
white sand beach, or in the clothing-optional solarium.
The sun dance was a noontime tradition each day at the
edge of the pool where men and women joined in to dance
to choreography directed by one of the enthusiastic
club organizers.
The
food at Club Med is excellent and almost overabundant.
The Club Meds are French owned and managed, hence food
and wine are important. Good Mexican wines and beer
flow freely at lunch and dinner. Food is served buffet
style, beautifully prepared and presented. As evidence
I offer you about 10 pounds of newly acquired body fat.
Sure it was possible to eat light and healthy, but I
was on vacation, dear. I love fresh bread and it was
there in all shapes and sizes at every meal. Baguettes
came plain or whole wheat, onion, garlic, or herbed.
Mornings featured fresh croissants, some with chocolate,
and even chocolate and banana. Lunch and dinners there
were sauté stations where more food was being
prepared as we wandered in search of the exotic and
delectable. I love fresh fish and it was a regular feature.
There was salmon, snapper, calamari, and more. I loved
the Mexican ce viche, raw fish in lime juice with onion
and tomato. Memorable too was the Mahi Mahi with mustard
sauce.
We’d
had some hesitation about joining the Club RSVP trip
prior to signing up. Our fear was that the group would
be made up of party circuit and gym rat types with attitude.
Not so. Our fellow vacationers came in all ages, shapes,
and sizes. Dining at large tables offered great opportunities
to meet and talk with others. As gay folk, our stories
and our experiences are often unique to the rest of
the world. I think there is a book inside every one
of us and I like having those pages opened for me. We
enjoy talking to people to hear their coming-out stories,
about their relationships, and tales of how they met.
I’m always amazed at how many of us were formerly
in heterosexual marriages. It fascinates me to meet
and talk with gay parents about their decision to have
children, how they went about it, and how fulfilling
it is for them. Frequently we found ourselves listening
to and sharing those stories over lunch or dinner.
We
also found ourselves talking to a number of interested
Club Med staff about what it is to be a gay person.
I like those opportunities to inform people who genuinely
want to know. I’m sure they have a better understanding
and acceptance of all gay people as a result of the
RSVP group. Never did we sense anything but acceptance
in any of them. They were interested in us and they
also laughed with us at the jokes we make about ourselves.
I felt they enjoyed the group’s enthusiasm and
eager participation in the club activities immensely.
Yes,
there were some problems. We were the first group to
arrive for the new season and it seems the club had
not completed all of a major room-renovation project.
Our room was fine, but we heard some horror stories
from others. Still the RSVP Travel experience and the
time Steve and I shared with those other gay men and
women was beyond compare. The price that included airfare,
ground transfers, lodging, all meals, and most recreation
facilities was good value. We’ll definitely do
another RSVP trip; maybe Club Med at Cancun next year?
Both
RSVP and Atlantis events offer the Club Med style of
“all-inclusive” vacation for lesbians and
gays. Prices starting as low as $799 per person double.
Some upcoming events are Club Atlantis Manzanillo, Mexico,
May 6-13, and the Club RSVP Cancun trip, Nov. 4-11.
Their websites are www.atlantisevents.com
and www.rsvp.net
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