writing every day
Mornings are fabulous here. Up at 6:30 with the birds flying – so many in the morning and at dusk. Work and life must be good because I am not naturally a morning person. Take a shower, ask at the front desk to turn on the wifi, and get to work. The birds, the fresh air, the quiet. It’s so beautiful I almost want to cry. It’s a time I am at peace. It is exquisite. So much so that you want time to stop and it to last forever. I’ve been having these intense feelings lately with my life and somehow feel more profoundly. The morning runs so fast away and at 9 we’re off to breakfast meetings.
There is something very interesting about this area. I’ve noticed it from the first time I came to visit Alex and Allison. It seems to me quite different from Yucatán and I attribute it somehow to the Caste War of the Yucatan and the beginning of the Zona Maya. People seem freer here and more motivated and assertive than in neighboring Yucatan. That’s my observation as an extranjera. There is a different attitude here. A more positive attitude and hunger for change. It’s a liminal zone – between Yucatan and tourism. There are two time zones here, quite literally: hora nacional and hora rebelde. The latter is still followed in the pueblos and doesn’t follow daylight savings time like the rest of the country. Gilmer checked the other day to see what time we were meeting – hora nacional or hora de verano (hora rebelde). I am going to live between the two – well, I am always a little between the two.
On the flight here we met an attorney from Orlando: Dan Newland. She recognized him because she had seen him before on his TV advertisements and thought he resembled Conan O’Brien. So there we were with a seat-mate. Interesting conversations as another sign of a good trip. As a personal injury lawyer he gave the advice to never ever have surgery anywhere but a hospital. He also said something interesting that stuck with me: Look next to you and that’s who you are. That’s a nice thought. He is here because he invests in real estate and in one hour or less he’d be having a margarita by the pool. Our trip is a little harder to explain because it seems implausible that we’re not here for the beach.
JetBlue is highly recommended. Non-stop from Orlando to Cancun and leaving in the early afternoon. The perfect flight, the perfect time. We had the extra leg room. Worth the $20 + seats together. Me and my long legs. But overall a very nice experience, comfy seats. Even the poor child behind me kicking and screaming didn’t bother. I remember that was me and how my ears used to get blocked on the planes – sometimes it was unbearable. Even the trick with hot towels in little plastic glasses never worked.