Travel Impermanence: Pulling Myself Towards Myself

Hi guys! Fifteen months. Five continents. More than 25 countries. Dozens of accommodations and beds. And just about every form of transportation you can imagine: airplanes, buses, trains, human-powered bicycles, boats, walking, cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks and everything in between. Whew!

As a reminder, the purpose of this journey has simply been to JUST BE. There is no real agenda. No rigid itinerary. No list of goals or objectives that I have to accomplish. My intention has been to first acknowledge my soul and then allow my soul to guide me as I saunter and sonder my way around the world.

I am trying to forget about goals, objectives, and plans and simply live my life: having experiences, meeting people, learning, growing, and being an adventurous solo, older woman. Freedom. But somewhere along the way, I realised that even with all this freedom, I was still trying to control the narrative. And Mexico helped me see that.

Mexico: When the Traveller Becomes the Lesson

Mexico was interesting because, initially, I felt like I had been there and done that. After travelling to so many places, I started noticing similarities everywhere. The things to see, the things to eat, the architecture, the tours, the activities. After only a short time in Mexico, I found myself thinking, Okay, I’m ready to leave. But then I had to stop and do some introspection. I realised it wasn't Mexico. It was me.

I was shifting. I was growing. My intentions were transitioning, and I was trying to control and write the narrative of what solo travel was supposed to be instead of simply allowing it TO BE. So, y'all, I pulled myself towards myself.

And I reminded myself of an ancient Eastern philosophy: impermanence. Impermanence is the recognition that all physical things, mental states, and experiences are constantly changing. Nothing stays exactly as it is. Everything is temporary. Everything is in flux.

Once I remembered that, Mexico started teaching me. Instead of deciding what Mexico should be, I became more open to experiencing what it actually was. And that is what this blog is really about: lessons, experiences, unexpected moments, and simply living as an older solo female traveller.

Why Mexico?

Mexico wasn't actually high on my list of places I absolutely had to see.

I had been here several times before, mostly in the more touristy locations and along the western coast. But I had heard about the relatively new train system and thought it would be an interesting way to experience the eastern side of Mexico. So, I did.

I travelled on the Tren Maya, and it was a very nice experience. The train is new, comfortable, and offers a completely different perspective of the country. As you ride, you pass through jungle, small communities, farmland, rivers, and beautiful stretches of nature. Most of my travelling within countries has been by bus, so being able to walk around on the train, purchase food and drinks, chat with people, and use a clean, comfortable bathroom was a refreshing change.

I travelled from Cancún, where the train route begins, to Palenque, visiting six cities along the way: Cancún → Mérida → Progreso → Campeche → Villahermosa → Palenque

I also travelled through five states. I may have to write another blog just about the Mexican train system because, honestly, the USA's Amtrak could learn a few things from it! One thing that really impressed me was the cleanliness. Cleaners regularly sweep and mop the carriage floors and clean the bathrooms. Almost every hour! CLEAN AKA LIMPAR, Excelente!

I also noticed the presence of National Guard and police personnel at the stations and stops along the route. The train itself became part of the adventure.

Language

I have studied several languages: Latin, French, Zulu, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese. Of all these languages, I have basic and functional language skills.

Thirty-five years ago, I studied Spanish in Antigua, Guatemala, and lived with a family there to enhance the language experience. Well, after years of not using it, my brain seems to have shut down in retirement. I struggle, but if I am desperate, Google Translate is my best friend. I really do try to speak and listen without using an app, though. In fact, I have fun with people trying to understand what I am saying. I just laugh at myself, and it makes for an enjoyable situation. Somehow, I get by. But I know that if I can get away with using English, I will. My brain seems tired after all these non-English-speaking countries and trying to learn at least the basics everywhere: hello, thank you, I want, bathroom, etc.

Some days, I don't even know what is coming out of my mouth. In the USA, I was speaking Spanish. What the heck?! While in Brazil, I became known for conversing in sentences structured in three languages: Portuguese, Spanish, and English. LOL. I think that is a talent, mixing three languages together to form sentences and have a conversation!

Food

Wow, I really struggled to eat. I am a lacto-ovo pescatarian, and I have been eating a lot of beans, rice, tortillas and eggs, but most menus have meat, with meat added to vegetables, beans and even eggs. Yes, I do ask to remove it, but this can become complicated, and then I never know what I might get. Sometimes I go to the market or grocery store, but because I am constantly moving, and because of what I learned long ago, I do not like eating the same thing every day, nor do I have any desire to cook. I eat two meals a day: late breakfast/brunch and then early dinner.

While in Mexico, I thought I was going to have to start drinking protein drinks instead of eating because, in remote places, just eating vegetables is uncommon. Arriving in Veracruz was a saving grace: fresh fish, seafood, and a variety of foods. What I realised was that each state in Mexico had its own regional specialities, so I tried to have those experiences wherever possible, such as trying dogfish in Campeche.

Upon my arrival in Veracruz, I went out to the plaza and noticed everyone was eating what I thought was ice cream called nieves. Since it was hot and humid, I decided to give it a try. It is actually a cross between ice cream and shaved ice, more like shaved ice, but with fruit flavours. I am not a big ice cream eater, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I ordered a medium nieve with two flavours. I got two medium-sized cups of nieve. Oops, all for my Spanish communication skills. So I took them both and sat at the plaza with the locals and ate them. I even got a brain freeze and thought I would pass out right there on the ground.

And I have to be careful with the spicy hot sauce. Remember when, in Mérida, I added the green sauce to my ceviche, and my lip started to tingle and then went numb? I like spicy foods, but I am learning that there is spicy and then there is Mexican spicy! I am gaining weight eating pan dulce and tortillas. I lost weight in Guatemala and Belize but am picking it up here.

So I am becoming a foodie and trying new dishes and being adventurous. I tried eating dogfish, which I initially thought had something to do with a dog, was pretty adventurous, only to learn that it looked like a baby hammerhead shark and had a very strong gamey taste and interesting meaty texture. I also had street food, panuchos, which I call a deconstructed taco. I was lucky that the vendor had sliced boiled egg, otherwise, I would have had to pass on it. It is a hard tortilla with layers of lettuce, tomato, avocado, different sauces, spicy toppings, and protein. Y'all, basically a taco!

Everyone says their coffee is the best. Well, I do not drink a lot of coffee, but I have tried coffee in most of the countries I have travelled to, and think Colombia has the best. Now, disclosure, I did stay on a Colombian coffee farm and did a tour and tasting, so I could be biased.

Olmec Heads

The main reason I came to Veracruz was because of the Olmec heads. Many years ago, I learned about these ancient statues, or rather busts of heads, which looked very African to me. There is literature documenting theories that Africans travelled by boat to this region of the world long before the Europeans and definitely before colonisation. So here I am looking for these heads, thinking they are in Veracruz.

While in Villahermosa, there were Olmec heads at a park, but the park closed before I could get there. So I thought, no worries, I will find them in Veracruz. I went to a museum in Veracruz looking for those HEADS. Well, they had one Olmec head. I told the museum custodian, "Only one head? Where are the rest? I want to see more." He indicated I would have seen them in Villahermosa. What the heck?!

None in Veracruz, and the one I saw was a replica. In fact, there are no remaining originals around there

GURU Walk

Friend alert! I have a new good friend. We met virtually via WhatsApp.

In some cities, there are guided tours that are free; you just pay the guide a tip. I tend to use them when arriving in a new city to get oriented, learn the history and facts, and get information from the guide about places to eat and places to go and see from a local perspective. Oftentimes, I befriend the guides and we continue to chit-chat even when I have left the country. I also meet other travellers, and we share information, connect and hang out. There are a few travellers that I have met who I still keep in contact with to this day.

In Campeche, I wanted to do the Guru Walk tour, but the guide kept cancelling due to not having enough English-speaking participants. It was pointless to do a Spanish-only speaking tour where I would not understand 60% of the information being delivered. Anyway, the Guru Walk representative contacted me via WhatsApp and said, "Gail, this is awful about the cancellations. We have no control over the guides cancelling, but let me help you plan a self-tour, things to see, places to eat, and how to get around." I was like, sure, and thank you very much.

This person was so resourceful and seemed to be working really hard helping me, day or night, and responded readily. She/he was planning my day and activities based on what I said I was interested in, providing all kinds of resources and even telling me that because I was arriving late somewhere with luggage, even though I could walk, I should take a taxi or Uber. I was like, oh wow, this person is so knowledgeable, helpful, cares about my well-being and readily responds.

Y'all, I realised this is AI. ChatGPT.

I had not used this technology before. Friends had used it for me, but not me directly. So imagine my new friend is technology! I think it is hilarious, and probably some of you use this technology regularly. It is not that I was unaware of it; it is just that I had not used it in my travels. So, well, now I have. My new friend is now my information source as needed and when requested.

I want to be out of the Matrix, not in it. Which makes me really concerned about our youth who stay on these phones and laptops and think they have friends or an advisor and are unable to distinguish the difference. Technology can be useful, but I don't want it to replace human interaction and real relationships.

Pulling Myself Towards Myself: My Overall Travel Experience

Mexico has been so different from my other experiences in Central and South America, naturally, but there are some parallels due to the histories of the countries. Cities can be set up similarly, with similarities in language, buildings, architecture, food and history, particularly because of Spanish colonisation and the influence of Mayan culture.

I initially thought Mexico was uninteresting and the same old, same old, but I had to refocus and change my lens to be open to newer encounters and growth. This is what I can control and nothing else. It is about life, really. You cannot control other people or life circumstances, but you can control how YOU experience, react and choose to BE.

So Mexico just reminded me of why I am on this life journey and why I needed to PULL MYSELF TOWARDS MYSELF. Ha ha, LOL.

You do not need to travel to have these types of experiences. It can be done on a daily or regular basis. Remember the assignment from Southern Thailand? In one day, take time to watch the sun rise and the sun set. Experience a different type of morning and evening. Find peace, tranquillity, solitude, and just do something different to mix up the routine and monotony of everyday life. Or just drive or walk a different path and observe that distinction.

Peace out. It has been a slice. Carpe Diem. And remember, time is never promised. Do not wait.

Live your life the way you want.

Gail aka WildivaThe solo-travelling sonderer and saunterer