A recollection by our author:
When I was a little kid, I used to love everything that had to do with pirates. I think that is where my fascination with the Gulf of Mexico began. I went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland about 30 times! I read pirate books, watched all of the Errol Flynn movies, and in general, did everything that a pirate kid can do. I even built pirate ships with my dad in my spare time. I had some great models back then.
Anyway, when I first got to the Gulf of Mexico on my 10th birthday, you can imagine I was a little bit disappointed. There were no pirates anywhere. Fortunately, this disappointment isn't last long. My dad brought a map of the Gulf of Mexico along with us and showed me all the places that pirates used to live. We strolled out by the seashore, looking out to sea and watching for pirate ships. We went down to the harbors and looked at the tall ships, comparing the designs to the classic ones we had read about in books about the age of sail.
I had a great time on that trip, but the Gulf of Mexico held more for me when I was a little bit older. Going to Cancun for summer vacation is a rite of passage for almost every college kid or high school graduating senior in America. I was no exception. My Cancun summer vacation was a blast. I danced all night, slept all day, and drank till I couldn't drink anymore. I swam in the warm ocean, relaxed and hung out with my friends, and in general had a grand old time. As a matter of fact, I've never had a better time than I did on that trip.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of other things to do in the Gulf of Mexico besides drinking and looking for pirate ships. As a matter of fact, if you can get off the beaten path a little bit, you can see some interesting and fascinating ruins. This is particularly true if you go to the mountainous states of Mexico. It is essential to have a good tour guide with you because there are certain areas you don't want to stray into, but you can have a great trip and get to see some great history. And of course, on the American side there is the famous Texas coast. There are almost too many things to do and see!
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