07.31.21

I spent a collective 16 months or so (actually 496 days more or less with some of those days back in the US) in Mexico, a long way from what was intended to be a two-week visit. Overall, I liked it more than I would have expected; the people were generally outstanding, very nice and accommodating, and even with no Espanol, I got by. There are things that I will miss and some things I look forward to.

> Pastry in Mexico is just not the same as any other parts of the world that I have visited. They are good, but there’s very few things that I’ve found that had justified me taking in those carbs and those calories into my body.
>I will not miss the mosquitoes! Whether I was a sea level in Puerto Morelos or 5,000 ft in Oaxaca, it seems that the mosquitoes are part of the culture. The humidity at the coast, of course, was oppressive, especially in the summer, but the air quality in Oaxaca was wonderful. With that said, I spent the last 2 weeks in Mexico City at 7,000 FT elevation and, what do you know?, no mosquitoes!
>The ocean water was never close to being cold, maybe a bit cool, but that’s about it. But some of the waves that I saw down in the Puerto Escondido area where some of the most challenging I’ve ever seen.
>Very affordable food. It’s all relative, of course, but still, a fraction of US prices. Overall, it was all good. I had one incident of food poisoning towards the end–it wasn’t even a street stand– and that can happen anywhere, even in the US.
>Even though they lack a (usable) railroad system, the bus systems seems to be pretty good. It can cover many hundreds of miles, but their Greyhound style buses are very comfortable. I took three long distance bus trips, all around 8 or 9 hours, and I was amazed how quickly the time went and how beautiful the scenery was; it’s a wonderful way to see the country.

When Kathleen and I started planning our journeys several years ago, Mexico was not on the list and Central/ South America were at the end. This part of the world never drew me in or engaged me, but that does not mean it wasn’t beautiful and rewarding in its own way.

Will I ever return to Mexico?

It’s too hard to predict anything with 100% accuracy, but probably not.

During my last weeks in Mexico, I was fortunate to stay with a friend in Mexico City. She invited me into her home as a guest and friend and we took side trips down to Pueblo and San Miguel de Allende. As a native Mexican she also educated me on many things that I did not know and it made me aware of opportunities that I let fall between my fingers while we were in the Yucatan. I guess sometimes you just can’t do it all.

While I was in Oaxaca, I wanted to visit the petrified waterfall called Hierve el Agua, one of only two in the world, but it was closed due to controversy between the indigenous people and the tourists. The Copper Canyon train ride had been on my list for long before I even got to Mexico, and I had it set for the last few days while I was there in the country. Then I found out that the train route had been flooded and they were offline for several weeks, including my short window of time while I was there! Sigh… my friend said this is the risk you take when you travel around the world, and he is correct.

Now it’s on to South America (I’m actually there now…) and continent # 5. Just Australia and Antarctica left, and they are iffy. So little time…Life goes by in an instant, but it usually takes decades to recognize that and to do anything about it. Not that there is anything specific to DO about it, but just appreciate it.