Hey,
It's all about diversity. As I walk around Playa del Carmen each day, the one thing I really notice is the variety of everything...and everyone. People from all over the world live here. All ages, all backgrounds and all interests. You can find anything you want here as well - food, services, activities and lifestyle. And I mean anything. That diversity is what gives this town its appealing vibe. It might not be the quaintest town in Mexico, but the diversity certainly makes up for all that. It's without a doubt the main reason I enjoy living here so much.
When I returned to my apartment last Wednesday after a dinner with friends, I discovered that Matcha was 'in heat'.
For the next four days and nights, she was howling and meowing nonstop, 24 hours a day, loud enough to be heard across the apartment complex. And of course, I started reading everything I could as I had no idea what to do. Neither of us slept for those 4 nights. She would how and I would try to calm her down. I'm also certain my neighbors were not impressed by the piercing sounds. Needless to say, I was exhausted, unable to do any work and with barely enough energy to take a walk outside. I went to the spa once and almost fell asleep in the steam room. You might be asking - why hasn't Matcha been spayed yet? She had several medical issues as a young kitten in Bali so we didn't want to traumatize her even more. We wanted to wait until the end of the year to give her a break. Well, so much for that break. She's now going to be spayed in a week. --- As parts of the world talk about entering lockdown again and as travel to faraway lands continues to be virtually impossible or simply not worth it, I see even more attention on Playa del Carmen. In the past week alone, 3 friends from the US, 1 from Romania, 2 from the UK, 1 from Spain and 1 who's been in Thailand for awhile have all asked me about the logistics of coming to Playa del Carmen right now in order to ride this situation out. It's the place to be apparently. --- Cat lesson of the week: Get your cat spayed before she goes into heat for the first time. Otherwise, you've been warned...and good luck!
Travel-related (usually) tidbits that appeared in my inboxes this past week. - Social dilemma: After several people sent me messages telling me to watch The Social Dilemma documentary, I finally watched it. Please watch it as well. It's important and scary and real.
- Ethiopia: Keeping up with industry news...I saw that the brand new terminal at Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport is now the first terminal to be completed with the pandemic in mind. It offers a completely contactless travel experience as well as strict safety, cleaning and social distancing built into the design.
- Book recommendation: I was sent a recommendation for travel writer Bill Bryson's newest book, The Body: A Guide for Occupants. Not quite about travel this time around but it's a 'guide' nonetheless. I'm looking forward to diving into it!
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If you travel at all, set up email or text notifications with your credit card company. I receive an email notification every time a purchase is made with one of my credit cards. The reason is that a few years ago someone spent $3,000 at a hotel in South Carolina using my credit card. And I was in Melbourne, Australia at the time. Without that notification from my credit card company, I don't know when I would have noticed the fraudulent charge. As a result, it would have been much harder to get that money back. It really pays to set up these notifications and it only takes a minute to do. |
It's all about the diversity in Playa del Carmen |
EXPLORING MEXICONow that I'm in Mexico, I started looking for places I haven't been that would make for great weekend trips. So far, I've added: The abandoned Mayan city of Calakmul (with its very impressive pyramid), all of these amazing cenotes (water-filled caves/sinkholes) and one of the freakiest caves in the world, Kantemo Cave, where snakes hang from the ceiling in order to catch bats. A LONG WALK
Sarah Marquis walked 10,000 miles over 3 years, from Siberia to Australia, simply because it was a dream of hers. COSMIC GARDENThe Garden of Cosmic Speculation near Dumfries, Scotland has a most bizarre design based on things such as geometric fractals, DNA helixes and black holes. And it's only open to visitors on the first Sunday of May, just that one day each year. SWEET SLOVENIAThe stunning country of Slovenia has a new 167-mile long walking trail that highlights the true diversity of nature, food and culture that this small nation has to offer. And finally.... I NEED A NEW PHONE My current phone, a Google Pixel 2XL, is on its last legs. I'll need to get a new phone within the next month I'm sure. Any recommendations? |
Until next week, take care for now! 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. |
Wandering Earl Tours - Ready to join one of my small-group tours to some really cool destinations around the world once this current global situation has passed? Travel Insurance - Be sure to check out Safety Wing, my personal favorite for incredibly affordable travel insurance. Cruise ship jobs - While cruise lines are not hiring right now, they will be hiring thousands of new crew members once they start up again. My popular e-Guide How to Work on a Cruise Ship will help you get a rewarding job on board a cruise ship once the time is right. Travel resources - My updated Travel Resources with the booking sites, gear, apps and more that I use on my own travels. |
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