04.25.20

I really don’t think that our 14 months of travel fall under the category of “jet setting,” but when I review how many flights we were on during that period, it was 36; that’s three a month, pretty consistently. So that IS a lot of jets, including the last one bringing us to Cancun, Mexico on Mar 21 where we were the only passengers.

But things have changed in a BIG way, for all of us, and jets, along with trains, Europe, Australia, and scores of other countries that we planned to visit, are on the back burner, and no one really knows when the borders and freedom to travel will return. We have been homebound, isolated, socially distancing for the most part and instead of jet setting we are just plain setting.

So we make the best of being stationary, as are you, and I wanted to share some of the modifications that we have gone through, and you can share yours.

When we arrived in Puerto Morales one of my first goals is what I do at every new location: find a gym. I did find one just a five-minute walk and almost signed up for three months (a reasonable $36) but decided that a) it’s a bad idea to be around sweating people leaving their germs behind and b) there was a good chance that they would close as regulations got tighter. That second part did come true, the gym is closed, so now I am working out from home.

I’ve never been one for calisthenics, but instead I have a daily regimen of stretching, hip flexor work (getting older, you know?), and a video routine that promotes cardio and strength with 10 exercises over 10 minutes. It works and I have extended the exercise periods plus added my own homemade (or home designed) workout equipment.

Did you know you can use wine for weight workouts? Actually not the wine itself, but the full bottle, which is just about palm size for me and weighs just enough to do curls, triceps work and a few other movements with it. Since we use a lot bottled water we get it delivered in large jugs of 20 liters. When it is FULL, it is very heavy (about 45 pounds) and I use it for chest pulls since it’s too awkward to bench press or use for leg work, so instead I use it when it’s empty or almost empty, and I can adjust the weight accordingly. Fortunately there is a sturdy handle for gripping. With necessity being the mother of invention I now have routines using wine (red works better!), water bottles and even a chair, which I can use for overhead stretches lying on the bed. These routines are not my ideal, but having my “gym” just 10 feet from the living room makes it hard to ignore.

Another new routine involves riding my bike for longer distances on a regular basis, which has been my dream and vision since we started our travels. I imagined biking down the coasts of Croatia, Greece or Italy, all places we stayed, but we were not there long enough to justify it. So instead I bike through the jungles of Mexico, which is actually very cool since it’s quiet, no traffic and relatively flat. The road outside of town is called the “Cenotes Highway”  and has forty of them (cenotes) along a hundred mile or so distance. Cenotes are underground caverns inside tunnels of various sizes and filled with cool fresh water. There are TWO within six kilometers, and we will visit as soon as possible. As I adjust I will take longer rides, and I think the $40 I spent to buy this bike was worth it.

Oh, then there’s naps…which I partake of several days a week. It IS warm here, upper 80s, and even after five weeks I don’t think my body has adjusted to the 70 percent or so humidity. But we ARE blessed with excellent breezes most of the day and four ceiling fans which make all the difference in the world.

As we take one day, one week, one month at a time, we have all adapted and adjusted as best we can, and realize that it Is what it Is. This too shall pass, and I look forward to when we can reminisce about that nasty virus that interrupted our lives in 2020. #cenotes, #mexico, #puertomorelos