Wow, is that all it has been? It feels like a lot longer. Maybe its the heat! There are a lot of observations after a week in Mexico to discuss: language, the heat, walking everywhere, hotel living, the heat, doing this alone, travelling on a budget, and the heat. These aren’t complaints as much as simple, mundane observations of things I’ve been thinking about the last couple of days. I feel like these observations are a good topic though, so let’s get into it.
Maybe the most obvious challenge to discuss is language. I will say that after over 250 consecutive days on Duolingo my Spanish is much better. I’m not conversational by any stretch of the imagination. I can greet people, express my needs, and generally get the gist of what is being said. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that’s a massive step for me! It is also imperative that you make an attempt to learn the language where you are travelling. Just the other day I was waiting to get on the Winjet ferry to Cozumel. I had 20 minutes and wanted a coffee for the ride. I step into a little French bakery and there is an American lady in front of me with zero Spanish, no inclination to attempt to communicate in anything other than English, and no interest in ordering any of the multitude of pastries that are on display. She proceeds to spend the next 15 minutes telling the clerk repeatedly that she wants what she had yesterday, with hand gestures and English… Of course that got her nowhere and I didn’t get my coffee because I ran out of time. A little bit of Spanish can go a long way. Maybe a little common sense too.
Not having wheels like I’ve always had in the U.S. is an interesting challenge. I don’t mind walking everywhere. It has in fact been both my primary form of exercise as well as my primary source of entertainment. There are several groceries within three blocks of my hotel. There are cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops, laundry, and the beach all within easy, short walking distance. So no problem in terms of willingness and ability to walk. I should mention at this point that my feet have been taking a bit of a beating in this heat. Literally every piece of footwear has given me blisters at this point. Despite being eager and willing to walk, I have been considering other options.
However, if I want to make the 2.5 hour trek to Chichen Itza its a bit more complicated. If I want to check out a cenote or three its a bit more complicated. There are buses, taxis, and collectivos I can hire to get me to other towns and possibly places of interest, but that adds both an extra expense and an extra level of complexity especially given my limited Spanish. The Ado bus line is really nice with comfy seats and A/C. The Ado app is entirely in Spanish however. That isn’t insurmountable, but can lead you to getting dropped off a mile from your hotel when there was a station two blocks away. Yes, I dragged my bags across town in this heat having made that error. I’m going to experiment next with an app called Busbud that charges a nominal fee to present everything in your chosen language, making it a little easier to pick out those subtle nuances.
Frankly, I’ve always at least had a bike literally everywhere I’ve lived. Gotta say I really miss having a bike. Biking isn’t just a form of transportation. For me it is a source of joy. I discovered there is a bike share program in Playa del Carmen called Biciplaya. It is much like the rental bikes all around Denver and other cities. With Biciplaya you can pay a flat rate of $399 pesos for a week or $420 pesos for a year and snag a bike for 30 minute time slots to cruise around town. 400 pesos is around $24 give or take given the exchange rate. I’m in Playa for at least seven more days at this point so that is totally happening.
I’m technically not on vacation although it probably seems like I am from the outside looking in. Vacation implies I am taking a break from my job and will return home at some point. I currently have neither a home nor a job to return to, so not on vacation. Honestly, this isn’t vacation so much as sampling a potential destination for a longer term change to a new life. I think that is a perspective change I’ve been trying to adopt to help adjust to where I am at the moment. I also point that out because, aside from riding the ferry to Cozumel, I haven’t even considered doing the plethora of tourist things there are to do here. This change is supposed to be budget friendly living. Spending $100+ U.S. to go to Xcaret Park or Xel-Ha Park looks amazing, but doesn’t fit my immediate goal of living frugally. Hopefully I’ll get to experience those places in the future.
Another thing that doesn’t fit into frugal living is eating out constantly. A huge mistake I made on this initial trip is booking a place that doesn’t have any way for me to eat in. I booked Hotel 770 because it was inexpensive, located centrally, and close to the beach. I have a king bed, a desk to work at, big windows, a rooftop pool, my room gets cleaned regularly, it feels safe and secure, the A/C and Wifi are both excellent, and the owner/manager Tom is both friendly and helpful. What Hotel 770 is lacking is a kitchenette. Lacking even the ability to cut some fruit, make a cup of coffee, or even boil some water is a serious challenge and forces me to literally eat out every single meal. Despite really enjoying the tacos and chilaquiles I won’t make the same mistake with my next long term stay.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of this endeavor is being here by myself. Obviously there is the emotional side. Tiffany and I have been together for 27 years. We basically do everything together. We knew going into this period that it would be a challenge to be apart for a long period of time. Having said that, the observation I’ve had over the last week is more about the logistics of being by myself. A good example was standing in line for the ferry after my coffee acquisition failure with Karen. There were several vendors setup along the line. Stepping out to grab a coffee would have been easy if I was standing in line with someone. If I did it by myself I would lose my place in line. Seems minor, but its a thing. Maybe the best example is going to the beach. I head out from the hotel to the beach and of course I typically have at least my phone and wallet with me. It is wicked hot people and that water looks really refreshing. If I want to go swimming I have to leave my stuff on the beach to go for a dip in the beautiful ocean. Essentially a swim in the ocean requires I head off to the beach without anything other than maybe a towel. So far I’ve been content to dip my feet in and stand in the cool water. That feels pretty good actually. I know, I know. This is very tragic to all of my friends nowhere near a beach.
I’m really not complaining about these things. These are just observations I’ve made in my first week here. For the most part they make me chuckle. I need to make some adjustments to my routine, break up the way I do things, have some faith that I can leave everything in my room if I need to, explore new options for travel, and embrace these observations as potential opportunities. Thank you all for giving me an outlet to sort through and ponder these observations and challenges. That’s it for today. Stay cool and comfy. Peace!
Bravo, on the language side of things! Immersion is the best way to learn, and it can also be hard. In summer of 93 I spent ten weeks in the Yucatan, with a team of 4-others we did home stays at a three cities/towns and led vacation Bible schools for kids. I audited Spanish 102 at the UW before going (with most of my language background studying French up to that point.) but in the Yucatan I learned to think in Spanish which I had never been able to do with French. For years later it stuck with me. I loved my time in the Yucatan and would like to return someday. I spent a lot of time in Merida, the capital. Uxmal (Mayan ruin) was pretty neat, and the cenotes are incredible! Pat and I love reading your and Tiff’s updates! I know what you mean about the heat down there. I was told to drink one “Coca” (Coke) a day to help with the heat when I was down there, lol.
I do appreciate your observations. Like your ideas of embracing them. I need to keep that in mind and step out more.