I guess I tend to share the best parts of our trip. I don’t intentionally omit the challenging parts of our journeys, but there are always hard things, arguments we get into about timing or preference, cold showers for [7] days, club music that keeps us awake, etc etc. We just arrived into Tulum, know as “la ciudad mágica” and felt the immediate shock of only young white hippies all around us: gringolandia infiltrating Mexico, a familiar annoyance that reeks of entitlement. And then there’s the common occurrence for me of getting sick while traveling, which I did today: I am getting some kind of respiratory virus or chest cold. Probably from another traveler, and exacerbated by riding in a donkey-drawn carriage last night, in my wet bathing suit and towel, with chattering teeth.
Back home, in “real life,” there are constant annoyances like this. Catching a cold. Arguments and fights. Imperfections. Job and career stuff. The usual! When we travel, we get to take a momentary break from the bigger stuff, and get to have a lotta fun: but there are still challenges.
Ice cold and lukewarm showers have been one such annoyance. It’s been a week since I’ve had a hot shower! We’ve only had cold trickles so far (until we go to our resort in a few days, fingers crossed). We are hoping maybe to have hot water here in Tulum tomorrow, but tonight we surely don’t. And it totally sucks because I have a cold and want a hot shower, and to wash off the day.
Hotels are nice in that you are cared for as a guest. Airbnbs and home stays are often more charming and fun, but are challenging in that you kind of have to navigate a relationship with the person who rents you their space. We have to communicate with them and negotiate timing of breakfast and check outs and getting more toilet paper and things like that. Most of our bnbs in Mexico so far have been lovely, but have also had their challenges. In Valladolid, it sounded like we were at a dance club til past midnight in our bedroom. So, it was hard to go to sleep or relax at the house, and often we would have to wake up early without having slept much (not JUST because of the club music, but in part).
As I write this, Sammy just got out of a freezing shower and is now washing their clothes by hand in cold water (because they intentionally pack light). But — it’s an extra thing to do.
Yesterday, we went to a place to get taken to various cenotes by carriage, and were hassled and lied to about where we were, which cenotes were there, and were even treated poorly by one mafia looking guy, who made us wait a long time saying someone was going to drive us, but then ignored us for 20 mins. Then, as soon as a heterosexual couple walked up, he served them right away (most Mexicans use the masculine pronouns to refer to Sammy, so we mostly pass as a “straight man/woman couple”), but the mafioso used feminine pronouns and called us chichas). Sammy asked him what was up, and he acted dumb. Then I filled with rage and told Sammy we needed to leave and go to the place down the road. Sammy was dumbstruck and as we left I explained he was probably being homo/transphobic (which can be hard to pinpoint as people aren’t always straight up about it). But I felt like he was and in any case had no interest in spending the afternoon with him swimming in cenotes.
But even though that sucked and made me angry…it also brought us down the road to a more magical place, with nice people who helped us right away….
I guess I don’t write this stuff because it doesn’t dominate our trip by any means. Serendipity and joy dominate, or are the central force. But…there are other winds that come through and blow us about, give us colds, make us angry, etc.
I just thought I’d right that now as I’m thinking it…trying always to be a grateful traveler who also keeps it real.
Tonight, all I want is a hot shower.
And some rest.
We DID have delicious seafood soup for dinner at Muelle.59…with a little habanero chili (felt great for my little bronchitis or whatever I have), alongside the moistest tamales we’ve ever tasted…
And! Just in case your worried about my being sick, we have Dr. Cara (Sammy’s bff) on hand via text who always tells us what to do when we get sick while traveling (cuz it basically happens every single time lol).
Buenas Noches……
NEXT MORNING CELEBRATORY UPDATE: we had a VERY hot high pressure shower this morning and it was life changing!!!!!!!!
