Lost without a net

We are 15 days into Mexico and Zihua and it’s been an adventure, for sure.  We’ve found a market for food and the like, a fruit/produce stand, and we’re just walking everywhere.  Because of our rush through the Mexico City airport, we didn’t get to pick up SIM cards and since we’ve been here, it’s just been a hassle to do that, so we’ve lived off of the WiFi at the apartment for the noice.  Two weeks in with a week left and we’ve still not gotten local SIM cards.  

I bring this up because we are running without a net here.  Yes, we know you can download Google Translate to work offline, but a lot of times our phones try to grab local networks and since it’s not connected, Google Translate doesn’t want to work because our phones are trying to connect.  However, I’ve spent time as a waiter, so I know some “kitchen Spanish” and from my time in Pharm, I picked up a few other things.  J, for her part, taught in a Title 1 school in SoCal for a decade and a good portion of her students were Hispanic, so she picked up a bit also.  With all that in pocket, we’ve been able to Spanglish our way thru Zihua and just make it work.  With only a week left, we’ve decided to NOT get or active SIM cards.

We search things on Google and Google Maps, take some screen shots of markers and street names and then we just go explore.  That was kind of how we did BKK.  Granted, in BKK we had SIM and internet access on the go, but Translate for Thai is far from perfect and BKK is also not good on Maps since there are so many little alleyways, odd little streets, and a whole lot of unmarked or out of date info.  We were half blind there, with only a little safety net, but we made it work for 3 years.  We can, certainly, get thru our last week in Zihua how we have been.  Besides, we know where the market is, so it’s not like we’re gonna starve.

That’s part of the fun for us and part of the adventure.  Going in and exploring.  We can understand why this might make others anxious or uncomfortable, but for us it just works.  It fits our mentality and spirit.  Like J and Kiddo in Vietnam… the worst that happens is you get a little lost and turned around.  We can get a taxi if needed, but it hasn’t been needed yet, so we explore and see what we can see.

Even the cafe that I’m writing this at was an adventure to find.  The map made it look easy enough, but the road was a bit more twisty and turny than it looked and it took a bit of faith to find it.  I knew the general direction of it, so I knew I would find it, but sometimes you just need to march the ground and see what you see and find what you find.  I did.  In a bit, the ladies will join me.

On top of that, a few nights ago, it was raining and J tweaked her back on the beach, so instead of heading out and finding food, we managed to order pizza and get it delivered.  We can just make it work for us and find a way to get or find what we need.

Also, with an apartment to use, we picked up some groceries.  Mostly cereal and breakfast food, some drinks and La Croix, and other items like that.  However, we did find a little wine shoppe and picked up spaghetti and sauce, so tonight I get to make a meal at home and J and I can have a glass of wine or two and just hang out at home.  

It’s also good prep for Shanghai, where we will again be in the dark in some ways.  China is unfriendly when it comes to Google and Translate and Maps, so we will have to explore, use clues, and be willing to get turned around, lost, and have some adventures.  It’s not like we’re going far off the main drags and beaten paths.  At least, not at first.  In BKK, we found some small spots and tucked away places, but that came after we’d been there for a few months and had a better understanding of what we were doing, what to expect, and learned better how to navigate (and picked up a few key words and phrases) to assist us in our exploring.  

I’ve said before that we’re up for the adventure since you’ve got one life so why not live it, but also, that it’s not for everyone.  China, we know, scares some people and they are hesitant to visit us there.  That’s ok.  You are not us and we are not you.  One of my best friends, EZ, doesn’t travel well and has a major phobia of flying.  I doubt anywhere outside of Chicago or the SE WI area would be in his comfort zone to visit us… Which means we’d have to get to him.  Sadly, we don’t plan on getting back to SE WI anytime soon, but who knows.

Sometimes you need to get lost, get out of the zone of comfort, and see what comes of it.  Maybe you need to get a point in the right direction, sometimes you find what you are looking for, and sometimes you get to experience things you didn’t think you would.  Our travels have been a lot of that so far- getting lost, getting put back on the path, and experiencing a whole lot of new.  We hope, sincerely, that you all get to have adventures and experiences of your own; Even if it’s just a new cafe down the road, a new restaurant that popped up, or you are brave and bold enough to reach further than that.  Remember (paraphrasing/quoting Steven King) - “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

We hope you keep reading.  We hope you enjoy reading.  And we hope to see those we caught up with the summer again soon… Be that in China, in Asia, back in the States, or somewhere different.  Let’s go have an adventure together.  The worst thing that can happen is we’ll get lost and find our way back, but even that will be a story of a lifetime.

Let’s go, Kiddo…. We have a whole globe to explore and get lost and found in, but we have you with us and so it will be an adventure.  You have seen so much in the last three years.  You’ve seen and experienced so much just this summer.  You’ve seen more than most of the peers you would have had if we had stayed in the States.  You are even getting tired of Tacos and wishing for Asia food again.  You, Kiddo, are my hope.  My hope for brightness in the future.  Your future.  And whatever adventures it might hold.