A Sticky Situation…

This is kinda weird.

I spent most of the day writing, but realized a break was in order to glean some perspective into a reality that doesn’t involve the ridiculous book ideas being pumped from my brain.

So what am I doing?

Writing this.

A break from writing to write more… yeah, weird…

I was unsure of how to play out this day when the sun rose, but I headed to the lagoon to put some pen to paper, or more accurately, fingertip to laptop. The sky was magnificently blue, with nary a chem-trail in sight (it warms the heart to see real clouds again), and I spent several hours toying with new ideas and doing much needed proof-reading.

My food supplies have run low, but my body wasn’t crying out in any desperate famished state, though I knew an amble back to Poptun would be necessary before long. As I debated cave tours, hikes, or lounging lazily in the sun as possible options to fill my day, I decided to head back to my room and give a shout out to the Universe for an effective suggestion to maximize my time.

My game was simple… Hey God/Allah/Higher Self/Jesus/Universe/Whatever, give me a straightforward message on the best way to spend my day as I walk the trail back to my personal dorm-mansion. (I rule the roost here, day 5, and I’ve still got the place to my lonesome).

My monkey-mind was anything but quiet on the walk back, but when I turned to consider foliage I thought was most likely taro, I saw a twig resting on the massive leaf.

I dismissed it at first, but then realized broken branches normally don’t have legs attached to them. Upon investigation, I discovered a lifeform that had me dumbfounded in wonder.

I stared at it for what seemed like hours. The detail was incredible. If limbs weren’t attached, I would in no way have been able to distinguish this creature from a broken twig. From the hollowed out hull at its head, to the rough and random protrusions that comprised its body, I couldn’t possibly imagine this “bug” was some random genetic mutation a billion years of evolution produced accidentally to help it avoid predators.

I can’t say for certain how life evolved on Earth, but there’s definitely more going on here than generations of selective breeding. Consciousness is dictating outcomes.

When I came out of my fascinated stupor, I realized I was given the message I was looking for…

The walking stick! No ambiguity there, I’m heading to town!

The hiking shoes were donned, I strapped on my shitty, fraying dollar-store backpack, and the game was afoot. I wandered back to the highway to see if the cart-pulling, fruit guy remained consistently at his location during the hour of the day I last passed him, but alas that wasn’t the case.

I weaved in and out of the side-streets of Poptun ‘Burb, eventually realizing I wasn’t going to find a fruit stand that stocked all the items I sought, so I extended the journey back into Frenzyville.

It was a smart move.

Prices vary with each vendor on the strip, so my most oft used phrase, “cuanto cuesta,” was put to practice several more times.

I found myself back at a familiar shop that treated me kindly days earlier, and they were just as pleasant and helpful again. I collected my items of choice, and packed my bag. Here’s what 3 bucks American will buy if you shop around…

Pretty sweet, eh?

Stocked up for several more days, I began the trek back to Finca Ixobel.

As I fired up my laptop to write a Daily Bread, a new email came in from a Workaway contact I tried to reach a couple weeks ago.

She apologized for her late reply, and informed me a space was opening up on February 8^th if I was interested to travel to Flores, 2 hours away from here, to paint a mural for their hostel. She also informed me that if I wanted to make my way there by the 2^nd, I could tag along on their adventure to the ruins of El Mirador — a 6-day trek into the jungle to explore several overgrown sites of a once massive hub of the Mayan empire, boasting one of the largest pyramids in the world. Hmm. 20 km daily hikes, camping, a mule, and skeeters — how appealing did that sound to me? Call me a banana baby, cuz I’m a-peeled. Woo!

So once again, with no real game plan in mind after Finca Ixobel, my Divine Tour Guide presented me with new itinerary. And who am I to argue with the genius of the Universe?

Tomorrow I tackle a slightly different pyramid, a natural mountain just south of my hotel. A hell of a steep climb I’m told, with none of the typical ropes or supports you’d find in a safety-fanatical North American culture, but I’m up for the challenge. The view should be stunning if it’s not too overgrown.

No one’s signed up for the River Cave hike yet (they want more than one person before they commit a day-guide to the excursion), but I’m going to do my best to find a logical route there that no one seems to have a map for. Worst case scenario, I get lost in the jungle. Meh. I’ve done stupider things.

Time for sleep, and a few more silent thank you’s for every glorious experience thus far.

Next post I’ll share some pics with you, and give you a rest from my philosophical mutterings. There’s no need to always over-analyze everything — although necessity is indeed the mutter of invention.

Yup, I really typed that, and I ain’t hittin’ delete.