The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Been on the road for over 2 months straight now and we have experienced the good, the bad and the bedbugs but I have to say we are feeling good! Life is Good. And to what do we owe that? I think it is because we have taken this time to really stretch ourselves. Something that most people don’t do after youth. As we age we tend to allow our lives to get smaller, more comfortable. We take routine to be contentment. What we have done the past two months; in addition to the the year of prepping, planning and research, which in itself is a positive thing, is we have seen new places, tried new foods, completely changed our routine!
Mike loves to walk, me not so much. I find it painfully dull but if you put me in a new environment where I don’t know what is around the next corner it becomes a fascinating, close-up adventure. So we have walked, far more than we do at home.
We have driven THOUSANDS of miles. Again, not my favorite thing, truth be told I am not looking forward to the long drive home, BUT the views we have seen, the mountain ranges we have traversed have been beyond my wildest imagination. The trees kept changing along with the topography and flora; it is all so new and majestic. I’m also not a fan of mountains, but the mountains of Mexico are diverse and well worth experiencing, at least once.
We have eaten foods that are way out of our comfort zone and at times paying a bit of a price for it afterwards, and some, I can say, I don’t need to have again. But we tried them and many more were pleasant surprises. So many people think the food in Mexico is limited to tacos, beans and rice, and you will absolutely find the best of those here, but each region has it’s own unique styles and flavors. Plus, in the cosmopolitan areas of Mexico, there are so many great Foodies and Chefs that one is hard pressed to find better cuisine.
We have stayed in a number of hotels, houses and condos. Some have been fabulous, others nothing to complain about and some that required a 2AM call to the rental company to get us moved. That said, we have never felt unsafe! I would recommend when working with a rental agency that you are unfamiliar with go through a larger company such as Airbnb or TripAdvisor so you have their staff to help you out. We found that extremely helpful when dealing with a less than reputable agency in Telchac Puerto, Mexico. With Trip Advisor backing us we were able to get the results we needed and were put in a nice condo. The positive outcome of our questionable experience was that we found we were not alone and got to meet a lot of wonderful people who make the Gulf Coast their winter home.
Try new things! Don’t just let the new scenery be enough. Get out of your comfort zone. You will find that you are NOT too old to learn new things. Try a new language, yup, we are struggling with that. Try a new sport – at 67 and 63 respectively – Mike and I have both given scuba diving a try. We found an incredible dive instructor Natalie with Dive with Natalie and Ivan and the experience has been amazing. And to our surprise diving is a wonderful sport for many who find they are now too old to do the more physical sports they used to enjoy. Not to mention it opens up an entirely new world.
Learn to pamper yourself! And do so by first letting go of the guilt that may start to creep in. Grab a good book and head to the beach. Try a new spa and pick the most outrageous treatment on the list. Close the black out blinds and sleep in. Oh and the best thing we did was dump the watch! Even if that means letting go of your fit bit-like device. Do you really need to know how many steps you took that day? NO! Free yourself to listen to your body and find that perfect balance in life.
This adventure has been an eye-opening experience and we have both grown so much from it. We are totally enamored with Mexico and its people, but that is not without seeing the flaws, as everywhere and everybody does. There are several things I wish were different - ability to flush toilet paper, drink from the tap, sing in the shower and not have to soak your vegetables - but when you factor in all the diversity, cost and lifestyle it is a very appealing place to live! Stay tuned for more stories, reviews and facts about the good, bad and ugly in our future.