Slowing Down (or Growing Up)

These last few weeks have seen me back on my backpacking game, on the road again with my good ol’ pal Willie Nelson. No plan. Moving as I wish. Doing what I please.

Which turns out… is not much.

I knew I’d be traveling more slowly than before — no more of that three nonstop nights per city thing — but I didn’t expect to feel straight up lazy.

Or maybe, I’m just growing up.

In Guadalajara, I cooked veggie fried rice.

Disclaimer: I could never get sick of tacos. Mexican food is elite: my favorite part of the country by a mile.

But the cold truth is that my body had been craving vegetables. It’s hard to eat healthy in Mexico unless you go to nicer restaurants, which frankly? No desire. (Street food forever.)

My body was feeling it though.

On top of my somewhat lacking travel/health habits, I also had a proper night out that weekend in Guadalajara — fun and much needed — and my body was really feeling it the next morning. I was useless that day.

Useless save for the single hour where I dragged my feet to the market and bought some rice, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and onion. Hauled ass back to the hostel. Made the rice. Took a nap. Ate the rice. And went back to bed.

It felt really good.

In Leon, I watched Netflix.

24 hours in Leon. One day in one big city. So much to do, so little time, right?

Well…

Leon is not a popular tourist destination. After walking around the center of town for a couple of hours and devouring a dank torta, I felt satisfied, and went back to my room.

Also because Leon is not a popular tourist destination, hostels do not exist, and I ended up booking an AirBnb instead. It was my first night sleeping alone in a room for some time.

And hell, what kind of budget traveller would I be if I let that privacy go to waste? So, instead of heading back out to get a taste of local bar and all, I bought a bottle of red wine and watched TV in bed for the first time in three months.

*Mr. Burns voice* Excellent.

In Guanajuato, I woke up for sunrise — three times.

Surfing is well on its way to making me a morning person — but there’s no surfing in the mountains.

Lack of ocean aside, I immediately loved this town. Colorful. Lively. Local.

And I still didn’t feel like doing much. I went to sleep early my first night because there was nothing to do. So when I happened to wake up in time to take a short climb to a viewpoint for sunrise, I did. It was spectacular.

(Below: the photo which a kind man offered to take in that very moment. I never have photos of myself that aren’t silly and self-timed, so I appreciated it.)

That hike was all I did that day, and most other days, for that matter. My Guanajuato routine consisted of a walk, eating on the sidewalk, a siesta, and some work. I was content, yet felt like I should be doing more. I was left with a vague sense of anxiety.

Even on Thursday night (which the hostel collectively dubbed our drinking night after “Bebes de Jeuves” as the local university students call it) I couldn’t manage to get in the spirit. I went home early.

And! Got up early once again to beat the heat for yet another hike.

I was enjoying this town so much in the morning hours that I skipped being social.

Maggie in Colombia one year ago today would be stunned.

In San Miguel de Allende, I visited hotels (and cooked more veggie fried rice).

Normally I’d be obsessed with the feeling of total freedom that comes from arriving in a new place with no plans or obligations. But this time, I got to town with just enough time to drop my bags, have a snack, wash my face, and go tour a hotel.

And it felt really good to have somewhere to be. To arrive somewhere and have purpose.

Most of my time in SMA was spent on work-related tasks. I didn’t mind.

Easy to say in one of the most beautiful towns ever, I suppose.

In Mexico City, there are a million things to do, and I arrived with the intention of DOING Them ALL as my time IN MEXICO came to a close.

Then, a friend who I don’t see very often came to town last minute. Itinerary cast swiftly aside, I spent a majority of my time hanging out with them. There was nothing else I’d rather be doing.

A week gone by and not a thing on my to-do list marked done. But no matter, I have another week to try.

—

Even as I write this, I am not motivated to do much beyond eat as many mangoes as physically possible, have a walk and see more of this massive city, and get this post done.

Alas, I finally (finally!) came down with a little stomach bug these last couple of days, so I’ve had even more downtime than usual.

All’s to say: I think I’m actually prioritizing my health.

And my work.

And my relationships.

It’s not that I don’t. I mostly do.

What? I do.

It’s that I’m now doing it while traveling, meeting new people, seeing new stuff — all those good things.

So this is me, giving myself credit where it’s due.

If this period of travel was about finding some semblance of a work/life balance — and it was — I might be doing better than I thought.