TIME STANDS STILL AT THE BEACH

 

By Dasha Davis

 Author's Note:  As a writing prompt, I used the song "Toes" by Zach Brown Band

The waves lap up the beach, then disappear into the massive expanse of water. I can feel the squishy wet sand between my toes. Three hot summer days with college friends on the beach of Acapulco. Worry free. Relaxing. Enjoying.

 

             I am at the end of a three-week stay in Mexico. Those of us who are majoring in Spanish at Missouri Western State College (later to become University) travelled to attend a Spanish Language Institute in Cuernavaca. During our trip we visited several cities, including Mexico City (Museum of Anthropology), Taxco (silver mines), Tenochtitlan (pyramids), and the much anticipated Acapulco (beach).

             Beyond the beauty, friendliness, and hospitality of Acapulco, you notice the language. Being in Mexico, one would think that most would be speaking Spanish. That is not the case. Most employees at the hotel, beach, and restaurants all speak English. This makes it too easy for us to speak English and not practice our Spanish. I wonder if speaking English is an employment requirement at these tourist spots. I can see that money influences culture here.

When you think of the beach, you think sun, water, sand. Well, I’m very fair-skinned. I cannot spend all day in the sun, but I can spend all day under an umbrella in the sand, looking at the water.  The solid blue umbrellas provided by our hotel shade me as I lie on a white plastic lounge chair. Even with all the shade, I think I sunburned my sunburn. (Can you say future melanoma?)

            I’m not particularly fond of water, but I do love the beach atmosphere. With my frozen piña colada at my side and a Nora Roberts book in hand, I listen to the lulling crescendo and decrescendo of the waves, occasionally closing my eyes to nap. I can hear the water lapping up on the sand. Absorbing the cheerful sounds and divine beauty is my favorite part of the beach. I just want to make time stand still and never leave.

Seagulls and rock pigeons squawk as they fly overhead and back out over the water. People of all ages are playing and splashing in the calm waters of the Acapulco Bay. Mothers are holding toddlers’ hands tightly to allow them to walk in the ocean, while also preventing stronger waves from knocking them down. I can smell and almost taste the salt in the air mixed with the smell of sunscreen and coconut from my drink.

My entire time at the beach is not spent in a lounge chair.  I decide to go snorkeling. My future self can’t believe how brave I am. I guess at 20, I think I can do anything – until I jump into the water. When I finally get over my fright of putting my face down into a literal ocean of water, keep my eyes open, and learn to breathe ONLY through my mouth, I begin to see the beauty from beneath. It’s as beautiful as I imagined, but this time it is FOR REAL! Fish of all sizes and colors swim around in the clear blue-green water.

 To maximize my vacation experience, I decide to go parasailing, too. Somehow I scrounge up enough money to go with a friend in tandem (it is cheaper that way). Of course, there is only enough money left to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the last two days before flying home – but it was worth it!

            I’ve been to a couple other beaches, including Virginia Beach and the Cayman Islands, but Acapulco is the one I remember the best.  A beach vacation in Acapulco is a once in a lifetime experience. The atmosphere is so relaxing and beautifully serene. No cares. No worries. No work. Like the song says, “Life is good today.”