Day 21 - Water

When we were preparing to visit Tulum I decided to do a little precursory research. I had never been to Mexico, and I guess I love terrifying myself and reading horror stories of places I am about to visit. It’s not a new development for me; when I got lasik surgery I spent the entire night before watching botched lasik videos like a fool. I guess it just adds to the excitement? I don’t know, maybe I should see a therapist or something.

Anyways, there were surprisingly few horror stories of murder and theft. But what I was absolutely flooded with were people saying, “Tulum used to be cool, now it’s just a tourist spot and therefore ruined” or, “I went to Tulum when it was small and cool”. And that made me sad. It was miserable feeling like I would never be able to have the “real” experience, because I was not a pioneer; like the magic of a place is finite. Other braver, faster, more intrepid people had taken it all and left me with a husk of a place that I was going to thoroughly hate.

But you know what? It was absolutely, undeniably magical. It was one of my favorite experiences, my wife’s as well (apart from marrying me: the epitome of masculine perfection, obviously). And laying in bed on one of my last nights in Mexico I had a realization: there exists an entire group of people who do not know how to have joy unless it is at the expense of others. I am sure you have worked with/gone to family gatherings/been in general contact with a few throughout your life. Maybe you are one of those people, you brute.

Without wandering too far into the weeds and really tearing down the rampant tribalism that is plaguing modern society, I can say this: stop caring what other people think. I know that is the most tired and overused cliché imaginable, but it influences you more that you are aware of. Even more important than that, stop trying to make other people care about what you think. Bring your own joy with you when you travel and experience the different sensations that your intrinsic joy can blossom into in new places. Be curious of new experiences and stop relying on other people’s encounters to let you know how to feel. Stop letting people’s reactions and opinions concerning your experiences dictate the worth of that experience. You are allowed to like and dislike things on your own accord, I am officially giving you permission. Except my pictures, you have to like those.

This is an ancient Mayan ruin located at the Tulum Archeological Zone. This specific building is known as “El Castillo” and it functioned as a lighthouse. This entire area is packed with incredible historical sites and the most beautiful jungles and beaches and cenotes (if you don’t know what that is look them up, they’re awesome) you could imagine.

And the food. The food!