The Way the Rich Play

Indio CA
Near Palm Springs



We are now sitting in the midst of some of the wealthiest people on earth. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sheik walk past my window. Although I would, because we’re sitting on a lake.

Nevertheless.

This is Indio Resort and Golf, one of the Signature Resorts opened by the Monaco Coach Corporation, a company obviously so tuned in to the rich that it builds not just the coaches that take them on vacation, but the places to park once they get there.

The site next to us has a pool, hot tub, bar, casita, enormous outdoor barbeque, table and chairs, couches, chaises and some pretty spectacular plantings to give them a sense of privacy and containment. I, of course, can look right in to their site and have no compunctions about watching every move they make.

Their coach is a Monaco high-end coach and with upgrades could cost as much as a million dollars, which is about what they spent on their site.

These are Angelenos, folks. Los Angeles wealthy who use this place as their vacation home. Some of them have custom-made golf carts to play the lush greens that meander in and about the resort. Others have small patio boats to traverse the 100 feet of water they front on. God, I could wade that distance. How incredibly redundant. But this is how the wealthy play. They get in their little boats, motor 50 feet to a friend’s casita, tie up and proceed to tie one on. If they get too blitzed, they can always walk home.

And the coaches! More Monacos than I’ve ever seen in one place. And Prevosts. And Newells. These are the crème de la crème. Just Google these names and see what comes up and what they look like inside. Gold plated faucets are not out of consideration here. Newells run about $1,400,000. Before upgrades.

The sales office told us they only had about 60 of 400 sites available to the poor people like us who rent a day or two, because most folks leave their campers here and travel back and forth – in their Hummers, no doubt – from LA. They can’t be bothered renting out their spaces when they are not here. Besides, then they’d have to drive their rigs. How plebian.

It’s fun to play among the rich. I have to confess that I am enjoying seeing people with all their teeth again after our sojourn through rural America.

Although now that I think of it, I would have to guess that most of the teeth I’m seeing aren’t originals, but rather the store-boughten kind of of pearlies. Which makes these privileged folks more like their country cousins than they think.

Now that’s something to ponder.

Betty