It's a juggling act this travel blog business. And I'm too new to really say if I'm worth a damn at it or not, but it's not looking good. Nearly everything I had tried my hardest to have arranged in Alaska before I left seems to have magically turned into a train wreck. But I can still write, and as soon as I get my camera back (any time now) I'll be able to resume proper updates, so that's gotta be worth something right? Or nearly it seems. My finances became drastically simpler a few days ago when I learned that every bank account I had in Alaska has been permanently closed, so I am literally cut off from any asset that's not directly under my nose right now. Circumstances have become far simpler than they were supposed to be, but improved? I don't think so. My ability to update will undoubtedly take a hit, but I'll keep doing the best I can. I owe it to a hand full of folks out there, and the Alaskan Dude doesn't dig red ink.
My time here waiting for my camera has turned into something akin to Groundhog Day. Every day a carbon copy of the day before and what to expect of the next. I couldn't imagine a more pleasant place to kill time, the weather is ridiculously nice, the beach is the very definition of ideal, the women are plentiful and super model hot, and yes I'm broke as a Mexican joke, but that's nothing new. I'm accustomed to it. I will tell you it's tougher getting by in the third world with your pockets turned out than in more developed countries such as the US or Canada, but it's still doable. Less comfortable in the more populated areas, but doable. A man can survive and get down the Road as he sees fit. I like a challenge anyhow.
The other night was damned interesting. I was invited to a Mayan Cacao Ceremony where they drink a concoction made from the Cacao bean (pronounced “KU-KOW”), which just so happens to be what ALL chocolate is made from. The beans are ground and brewed in a fashion that results in a beverage with hallucinogenic properties. That's right. Trippy chocolate. Like a psychedelic swiss miss.
To be clear, I am not one to advocate drug use of any kind. Ever. However, this seemed to me more like a rare opportunity that likely wouldn't reoccur for pretty much the rest of my life. So I took it. I actually took 3 times the normal dosage according to the Shaman conducting the ceremony. And the result? Nothing. I would rather have been drinking a cup of weak coffee. It turns out my physiology/brain chemistry is such that I am immune to the mind altering effects. So I sat there feeling like the designated driver watching everyone else get naked and dance around the fire howling at the moon all night. At one point I dozed off so I eventually left to lay in my hammock and read an old paper back Hemingway. There's nothing worse than unwanted sobriety. Bummer.
Soon my camera will arrive, and I'll be on the move again. As nice as this place is, I've been quite ready to leave for a solid week now. The delay is frustrating, I hate having to mark time. The only question looming over me now is what nation is next? Belize? Cuba? Guatemala? No matter what I'll be seeing some new country, and that's my only real consistent source of comfort. Well, that and all the gorgeous topless women at the beach. But even that can only do so much.
Gimme a few days and I'll be back in action as the wandering adventurer we all know and love instead of the sedentary beach bum.
My time here waiting for my camera has turned into something akin to Groundhog Day. Every day a carbon copy of the day before and what to expect of the next. I couldn't imagine a more pleasant place to kill time, the weather is ridiculously nice, the beach is the very definition of ideal, the women are plentiful and super model hot, and yes I'm broke as a Mexican joke, but that's nothing new. I'm accustomed to it. I will tell you it's tougher getting by in the third world with your pockets turned out than in more developed countries such as the US or Canada, but it's still doable. Less comfortable in the more populated areas, but doable. A man can survive and get down the Road as he sees fit. I like a challenge anyhow.
The other night was damned interesting. I was invited to a Mayan Cacao Ceremony where they drink a concoction made from the Cacao bean (pronounced “KU-KOW”), which just so happens to be what ALL chocolate is made from. The beans are ground and brewed in a fashion that results in a beverage with hallucinogenic properties. That's right. Trippy chocolate. Like a psychedelic swiss miss.
To be clear, I am not one to advocate drug use of any kind. Ever. However, this seemed to me more like a rare opportunity that likely wouldn't reoccur for pretty much the rest of my life. So I took it. I actually took 3 times the normal dosage according to the Shaman conducting the ceremony. And the result? Nothing. I would rather have been drinking a cup of weak coffee. It turns out my physiology/brain chemistry is such that I am immune to the mind altering effects. So I sat there feeling like the designated driver watching everyone else get naked and dance around the fire howling at the moon all night. At one point I dozed off so I eventually left to lay in my hammock and read an old paper back Hemingway. There's nothing worse than unwanted sobriety. Bummer.
Soon my camera will arrive, and I'll be on the move again. As nice as this place is, I've been quite ready to leave for a solid week now. The delay is frustrating, I hate having to mark time. The only question looming over me now is what nation is next? Belize? Cuba? Guatemala? No matter what I'll be seeing some new country, and that's my only real consistent source of comfort. Well, that and all the gorgeous topless women at the beach. But even that can only do so much.
Gimme a few days and I'll be back in action as the wandering adventurer we all know and love instead of the sedentary beach bum.