Hello friends! How was your holiday weekend? Ours was great. It’s freaking snowing again up north and we’re in APRIL! Needless to say, we’re happy being back in Florida. Even if it’s only temporary! So this year obviously turned out nothing like planned. And in the hard times, I get hard on myself about it. But for the most part, I think I’m holding on to the fact that life doesn’t always go in a linear plan up. Life is messy. And we’re making the best out of it. Or trying to anyway… So you read the title right, we’re temporarily moving to Quintana Roo Mexico!

When we were figuring out details to leave our home and move to another country, there was a big internal debate on  whether Mexico or Guatemala would be the right choice. (I love them both so much.) I think at the end of the day… or rather, after our month in Guatemala, it was pretty clear that as much as I love Antigua, we do in fact need the beach to survive

And so now that my health is getting better and the health issues left from the pregnancy/miscarriage feel like they’ve mostly subsided, we’re trying to figure out whats next. I know I mentioned it the other day, but Alex is heading back to work in July. And so that means we’re all heading back to life in Florida. So that leaves us with all of April and May to just explore. So the question was, now what? Our house is rented out… and as much as we love being back in Florida with friends and family, I don’t really want to stay here the entire time either.

We had hoped to maybe finished up the Asia trip we planned and bailed on. But we held back on that for a few reasons. One because, while my health is getting better, my stomach is still insanely fragile since the pregnancy hormones. And I don’t want to risk flying all the way to the other side of the world and having to cancel another trip and fly back again. I hate flying so much, I just can’t imagine going through that again now. Not to mention, I don’t even want to tell you how much money that whole thing cost us. We lost an embarrassing amount of money cancelling our india trip last-minute. I can’t at all risk taking another financial hit like that again.

And so while I’d like to travel to the other side of the world, I have to admit that my body and life is just not the same since I got sick with c. diff (+whatever). Three years later, and I have to accept that life is what it is and I can either be bummed (which sometimes I am) or I can make the best out of it (which I often do). We only have a bit of time with Alex left before he’s back on the full-time schedule, so let’s make the best of it, ya?

So while this is crazily unlike me…. I didn’t want to take a big adventure. I didn’t want to explore new places in this time off anymore — I wanted to go somewhere that feels like home. Somewhere that I could and can very well see myself living. Somewhere where I will have daily adventures, but wont be taking such big risks. Somewhere where I can do all the things I love most… while relaxing and re-exploring with my family. And while the idea of heading right back to Guatemala came up, Mexico won this round.

We’re staying in the town of Playa Del Carmen in the Yucatán. We’re all pretty excited. I rented an apartment for the three of us just a block from the beach and two blocks from the natural health food store (haha of course). We’ll be traveling with one… maybe two suitcases… and not much else. And honestly, the second suitcase is probably just being brought so I can bring home all the goodies I find, haha. And we’re leaving the blender behind this time (but only because theres one in the apartment, haha).

I admit that at one point Alex and I had said that Playa Del Carmen was tourist hell. And maybe parts of it totally are. But I sort of enjoyed my last few day trips into Playa last time. I figured it’s sort of the perfect place to call home base for a while… It’s totally walkable. Theres easy public transport. (I’ve even taken the public bus on my last trip to Mexico— after I went to a strangers house). We’ve rented a car out of there pretty easily in the past (great to travel out-of-town and explore other towns). And best of all, there is a ton of vegan places… and I already mentioned the health food store.

So we figure, lets call it home base, and explore from there!  We can do quick overnight getaways to other parts of the Yucatán. We can take Marlowe to the Mayan temples– she’s been dying to go to go to Chichen Itza. And we’ve promised to take her. We can go back to Coba.And maybe a day trip or two to overrun touristy Tulum. And we’ll visit cenotes. We can go swimming in caves– or I can show them how I’ll swim in caves– because Alex and Marlowe still have a hard time believing me, haha. But I HAVE PROOF.
And while I know, Marlowe would probably rather just head back to our house and be in her own room for a while, she’s excited. Outside of a quick day trip on a cruise we went on, she’s never really been. Guatemala a handful of times, yes! But never really Mexico… you know, other than that one day.
We want to take her to Punta Allen. Only because our experience there… or getting there… was so ridiculous.
So I don’t know… I think we found the perfect happy medium. Yes, we are not living in Guatemala like we planned. And I don’t have the physical or emotional energy to head back to Asia now, but I get to be in my favorite place, living small, everyday adventures while I’m there. We get to really experience Mexico. Maybe not forever, but at least for a short while and I’m pretty happy about that.

We might also fly out to Mexico City for a bit.. because we’ve never been. And Marlowe has been dying to visit Frida Kahlo’s house (so have I). And we might do a 1-2 week trip in Colombia (for my moms birthday), but I’m not sure! All of that is up in the air! For now, we just have a one way ticket into the Yucatán and a place rented out. And for that, I am excited.
Eventually Alex will go back to work. And life will go back to how it was when I wanted to leave Florida. I think I’m mostly okay with it, because I know this is probably best on my body now. Gratefully, I am mostly feeling a lot better, but not everything is in working order how I’d like it to be… yet. This was not at all my life plan, and honestly at times it does feel a bit defeating to plan to go back to Florida full-time, but at least for now, there is this Mexico adventure in front of us.

We leave for Mexico on April 21st (Alex’s birthday). And until then we’ll be soaking up as much fun florida time as we can. I hope you guys are soaking up as much good stuff around you as you can now 🙂 Life is short, take in all the good and let out the bad, k?

Happy Monday friends!

photos of me by: celiadluna 🙂

1 Comment

  1. Where do you usually purchase your hats ? I love them all !