adventure goes on

"Amiga, tengo un rancho, con caballos, tengo mango, aguacate, te gustan los caballos?" - says completely drunk official sitting next to me on the night bus back home from the beach. 

It's been exactly 2 weeks since I stepped on the land of quesadillas and chille and so far it is great. Of course there are some small bugs as at any work, but even the fact that I can be reading and  talking about ancient rituals and cultures and get paid for it is quite exciting.

There is this human habit that is very hard to fight - we tend to compare, everything. How much this, how much that, here it is like this and there it was like that, and usually decision on wether you like smth or not is born in comparison. I couldn't avoid it, and I am still wondering at what point i'll stop making parallels with DR. But the good thing about it is that i've already found replacements to most of my favourite places(the Dominican friends will understand when i say i've found my Duarte con Paris, Zona Colonial and Macao here), so it does feel very comforting.

It's just been two weeks, but with all the excurions from the company, my solo trips to the nearest beaches, meeting mexican families, every day visits to park with fireshow it feels like it's been at least couple of months.

And yet there are so many things to see and to discover, in Cancun, in Yucatan, the whole country is a mystery on its own, with all the different states, traditions, dialects, shamans, it looks like a year might not be enough... Step by step

first day in Mexico

The unexplored places do have some magic.

I’ve never thought of how Greenland would look like, and wow - it was like we were flying over some other planet – huge pieces of ice floating in the sea, snow covered mountains, crystal clear blue rivers and bright green! lakes. Maybe that’s why it’s called Greenland?  I’d happily google it, but the internet signal stolen from neighbors is just enough to update fb and check the e-mail.

So, the Mexican adventure has started with a 1,5 hour  line at the passport control, a sip of southern humid air and the driver who presented himself as Julio Patron “Narkobaron”(=drug diller, apparently a joke of some drunk Russian tourist).

Almost no food and at least 4 showers a day - that’s my normal reaction to the hot country.  And of course on the first day i just have to get out of the appartment and start walking in the direction that feels like the right one.

“What?? You’ve walked all the way till here?”-  I do tend to get such questions most of the time I’m in foreign countries. Here was not an exception. Guys, it’s just Russia is pretty big and the big distance in Russia and big distance anywhere else is a different story, though it would be nice to get a car at some point.

I've met iguana, it smells like flowers here and you have red blooming flamboyan and “Danger, crocodiles” signs everywhere around lagoon. There are almost more tourists then locals in the local buses and to my sirprise no good coffee in the supermarket. The Mirador is amazing - 6 km of the white sand beach with nice big waves and people camping there. Also i've found the open air gym and a surf school, so the first walk was pretty productive.

And i'd better go to sleep, cuz there are tons of information about Mexican history and culture that are about to enter my head.

Rainbow

Nice sunny day - not even a cloud, St Petersburg is in a good mood today. Two cars one after another and finally the third epic one with the son of а Russian Orthodox priest who is fond of meditation takes us through the forest to The Place.

The first thing to notice is a big colourful sign "Welcome home" and naturally radiant smiles of the people saying "Good morning" even though it's about 7 p.m.

You get into the rythm very quick, and before you notice you are happily grating carrots in the common kitchen accompanied by the sounds of drums and flute. The food tastes divine after the day on a couple of cheese sandwiches and the common circle of people singing OM adds up some magic to it.

Living in the forest you understand how little we really need in life, and how many things the society and good marketing imposes. And damn it, sometimes it's pretty cool to be able to wake up in the morning, skinny dip in the lake and have a cup of fresh blueberry for breakfast.

People on the Rainbow are truly unique- anyone from old school hippies to yogis or just nature lovers from different cities, with different belief systems, different hobbies. Same kindness and good vibes.

An hour walk through the forest and I'm lucky enough to get a ride at the almost unhitchhikable road. And what a ride - straight to the city and with a 3 hour talk on personal development.

Back to "civilization", thank you Rainbow.

P.S. This Sunday the plane full of russian tourists will fly from Moscow to Cancun, Mexico and I will be on board.

on the road again

New chapter in life, new blog that i'll try to update more often.

The inspiring posters on blurry background say - to be happy try to stay close to the things that make you feel alive...True

Some people need to have a place they call home, for me it's extremely important to move - my backpack, good music, warm wind in the face, that's the happiness.

I made a promise to myself that after i get the drivers lisence i'll be out of my hometown. And I was, and it was amazing - ants everywhere, small salary, 24/7 work with little interruptions for sleep,  but the summercamp for kids is really worth it. It's worth it because of the nature aroud, because of those 66 eyes looking at you when u're scolding them, those pictures they draw, those "please tell us a fairy tale before we fall asleep",  those "professor, let's play with us, pleeeeeease". It gives you energy nothing else can give.

This energy was well used for the crazy trip St Pete-Moscow-Kiev-Odessa(Black SEA!!)-Belarus-Moscow-St Pete- Finland- Pskov.

The sea is always magnificent, especially when it's glowing with light pink and purple in those 30 minutes before the sun starts going down, and it doesn't matter if it's Caribbean or dear to heart and almost not salty Black sea. And seeing dolphines splashing 15 meters away from the shore is indescribable..

And the road always brings along the characters i'd never meet if i wouldn't be travelling. 

Like on the train from the camp to St Pete:

-May I help you with your backpack? And by the way, there are 11 minutes left till the train to the music fest in the forest, would you go with me? 

-Errhh, I was going to St Petersburg, cuz tomorrow is my train to Moscow i've to catch, and i'd like to sleep well before...and i don't have a sleeping bag...and no tent... ehh...music fest? forest?bonfire?allrigh, let's go!

Or like in Kiev walking around:

- Excuse me, do you know how to reach that church?

- No, but I have a map (Actually a fancy touristic map :P )

- Oh, maybe we could go together?

- Fine, more people, more fun (and not everyday you so randomly meet a saxophone player who worked on the cruise ships and is opening his own orchestra now).

Or like in this little village in Ukraine near the Black Sea:

Young lady carrying the fridge all by herself to my room: "hey, finally someone young and without kids here, let's go out together ;)"

And we did, and finished the bottle of delicious ukranian sherry and this lady turned out to be a single mother raising 2 daughters in her little village, taking care of her 4 cows and a bull in the morning and working as a nurse in the afternoon. Ah, and also she practices martial arts...

And the final kick was on the train back to Moscow:

-Hello, I am specialising on coaching programs that change lives.

-Nice to meet you, I'm Sasha.

It's like this magic flow have started again - flow of people, adventures, little things that make you smile every day. This is what makes me feel alive, this is what makes me understand that life is damn good. And new adventure is about to come, i just need to book the tickets.

P.S. I almost know nothing about Mexico yet, except they have pretty good burritos and tacos and that there are pyramids of Mayas not so far away from Cancun.

I'm gonna be a tourguide there ;)