Hey,
Hurricane Zeta hit Playa del Carmen at about 6:00pm yesterday and it was much more intense than the last one. The noises coming from outside were frightening at times, the building shook and I even saw some small explosions across the street. Matcha and I huddled under a table in the middle of the apartment before sheltering in my bedroom as it got worse. The power went out around 8:00pm. We just sat in the dark and I tried to keep her calm. At around 12:30am the storm finally began to calm and we both fell asleep soon after, which is impressive since it was so hot inside the apartment. I woke up only 30 minutes ago and now I'm curious to see the damage outside. That's 2 hurricanes and 1 tropical storm in the past 2 weeks. Let's hope that's the end of it. After all the delays, I never thought I'd say this. Matcha got spayed! It's now been 5 days and apart from her occasionally nibbling on the stitches, jumping around and freaking out about the hurricane, it seems to be going smoothly. The stitches come out on Thursday and the never-ending saga of this surgery will miraculously be over. --- Apart from that, it's been a slow week. Since I need to monitor Matcha, I only managed to sneak out of the apartment a few times for quick walks or coffee. Between this, all the storms and getting Covid-19 a few weeks ago, I've spent an extraordinary amount of time in my apartment lately, which I am definitely not used to doing! --- Before the storm arrived yesterday though, I glanced out my window and saw a small yellow bird sitting on a tree branch. This bird reminded me of the various birds of the Galapagos, which led to thoughts about an incredible trip to the Seychelles. Then I started thinking of all the wonderful fruit in Sri Lanka, simply because it starts with an 'S' too. Before long, Ushuaia, Argentina popped into my head, along with its glaciers and stunning national parks. I thought of the penguins. Then I thought of Petra and how there are no penguins there. I remembered a really bad pizza restaurant at Petra and then I recalled an amazing local fish restaurant in Novi Sad, Serbia. Thank you little yellow bird. (It's a good exercise. Look out the window, observe something small and think about your travels. Where does it lead? Getting lost in the memories of our brilliant adventures from time to time can be a form of meditation as useful as any other.)
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And a huge thank you to everyone who sent me your feedback about my new project, RemoteClub! --- Cat lesson of the week: When your cat gets spayed, make sure the vet puts a cone on her before she wakes up. You got it. My vet did not do that. And that led to several more sleepless nights for me making sure Matcha didn't bite at her wound. Travel-related (usually) tidbits that appeared in my inboxes this past week. - KLM: Out of nowhere, I received an email from KLM airlines telling me that my refund for a Covid-cancelled flight was processed. That was a nice surprise. Now the focus is solely on you Royal Air Maroc. Where's that $350+ you owe me?
- Insanity: A friend sent me this video of a brave woman replacing a disabled airplane's tire while in the sky, flying high above Los Angeles....in 1926!
- Aerial Photography: The recent Aerial Photography Awards, and the magical photographs that won the various categories, had me in awe for a good chunk of time.
- Handsome Earl: Imagine my excitement when a new Google Alert arrived in my inbox about an article that began with "Earl is a handsome...". I quickly opened it, only to discover the rest of the sentence - "Earl is a handsome miniature Bernedoodle puppy with a super friendly personality." Sigh.
I opened my front door two days ago and...another perfect Mexican sunset. |
ALONE AT MACCHU PICCHUA Japanese tourist got stuck in the town near Macchu Picchu during the pandemic, unable to visit the famous ruins that were now shut down. But two weeks ago, the Culture Minister of Peru granted him special permission to visit, where he was the only tourist at the typically crowded site. DIVA TAXISDue to the economic effects of Covid-19, a new all-women taxi service has launched in Uganda, providing new opportunities and a much-needed service. WORKING AT THE PUBIn the UK, pubs have started offering 'pub desks' to attract remote workers and make up for lost business. 10 GBP gets you a table, plug socket, wifi, lunch and unlimited coffee and tea in some...not a bad deal! And finally.... |
As always, please send over any questions or comments! Regards,
Derek (my middle name is Earl) *If you received this email from someone else and want to sign up, just visit A Life of Travel. |
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