The Final Countdown

Well, this is it folks.  If you think this process has been dragging on for WAY TOO LONG now, just think how I feel!  

The plan thus far:  We arrive in Cancun at 3:30pm tomorrow.  We’ll take a bus from the airport into town, where our first couchsurfing host has offered to pick us up.  Thanks to google maps we were actually able to get a street view of their house, which looks like it has a jungle out front, which is kind of cool.  We will be staying with them for three nights, then have a free night that we aren’t sure what to do with yet, maybe stay another day in Cancun, or we could head down to this little town Puerto Morales, or maybe spend a night in Playa Del Carmen.  Then on Sunday we’ll take the ferry over to the island of Cozumel where we have another couchsurfing host lined up for another three days.  (She just wrote to tell us she is taking us to dinner at her parent's house the first night.  Love it!)

I’m glad to have the first week sort of planned out, as it gives us some breathing time to adjust and get on the right schedule.  These will also be some of the most expensive areas we’ll be, so having a free place to stay (and hosts who can tell us where to go and what to avoid) is extremely helpful.  

Yesterday we put everything we were taking out on the bed.  In general I think we are doing pretty well with the “stuff” quota, but I think we may be bringing too many clothes.  I mean, we are only bringing two pairs of shorts, two pants, two t-shirts and two button up shirts each (with an extra t-shirt and button up to share between us).  But I expect we will end up buying stuff along the way that is more appropriate and comfortable, so we’ll see how long this stuff lasts.  As usual all the guidebooks stress how only kids wear shorts and that you can’t really wear shorts away from the beach towns and expect any kind of respect from the locals, but we’ll see how that works out. They said the same thing in Asia and I never noticed any problems with my incessant short-wearing there.  But I’ve got pants if’n I need ‘em.  In the end, we each have plenty of spare room in each of our bags, so we should be fine.  

We’ve got one more stop to make today, plus a trip to the post office, but otherwise we are packed and ready to go.  Oh, I had another great talk last night with my family about getting finances worked out.  (After Melissa made the most delicious homemade lasagna.)  It is really exciting watching everybody setting goals and getting prepared for the future.  It is such a relief when you can set aside the social stigma we are all taught that talking about your money is somehow impolite or whatever.  When you all get together and brainstorm and are able to rely on each other for encouragement and support, amazing things can happen.  I’ve even gotten to do my favorite thing and play the big brother card.  We all made six month goals, and I told them in six months I will be back to check up on their progress!  lol  

Today is Thursday, right?

Yesterday we had lunch with another old friend from Sacramento, Jay Joseph.  He has been living in Vegas for about ten years now, and it was great to catch up with him.  In another blow to Albuquerque he had some first hand knowledge about salaries for RNs here which was much higher than I'd anticipated.  I'm glad I have this big trip to think about instead of having to decide where I want to live when we get back, because I have too many options that are all so appealing! 

I was afraid that with four weeks in Las Vegas, we'd be totally bored by now, but in reality we have so much to do that we haven't had a chance to get bored at all.  Every day we accomplish a little bit more.  At this point the only "big" things we still have to do is figure out how we're gonna file our taxes, decide if I'm gonna feel safe paying a few bills online from internet cafes or if I need to set someone up to pay them for me from here, and then cross my fingers that my final paycheck from work is going to show up in the next few days.  I also still haven't had any mail forwarded from our old address yet, which is very unnerving.  They said it can sometimes take two weeks for it to catch up with you, so there isn't necessarily anything wrong yet, but I wish it would just start arriving so I could relax about it. 

We'd wanted to buy a sink plug to take with us (to wash clothes in the sink) but are having the hardest time finding one.  Also it took us about fifteen different stores to find a 1oz tube of Neosporin cream.  Everyone only had the ointment, or had the cream in the 0.5oz size.  Am I weird, cause I hate ointment, it is just so messy, but apparently it sells a lot better than cream does.  Anyhoo, we finally found it at Kmart (of all places).

Like I've said we have a couchsurfer host lined up for Cancun, and possibly one for Merida.  We're now trying to get one for Cozumel, but haven't heard back yet.  Maybe today will be the day!

Tuesdays are for Supercuts

Today was another lazy day.  We were waiting for a package from UPS so had to sit around until they finally came.  At one point I told David, "Go check the door and see if they've come yet."  He opened the door just as the UPS truck turned the corner and stopped in front of the house.  Hmmm,  maybe I need to head on down to the strip tonight.

Hey, I AM going to the strip tonight!  For Christmas my sister got us all tickets to see "Jersey Boys".  Most of the family doesn't want to go on a school night, so I think just me and the parents are going tonight.  I've got two quarters in my pocket, and I'm feeling mighty lucky tonight!  :)

I got a haircut today at Supercuts.  My Dad says I look like a Marine, but I wanted it short.  Who wants to deal with bedhead when you are traveling?  Pics will be forthcoming.

Monday morning

I keep seeing ads for LOST, which are no doubt placed there with the sole intention of driving me crazy.  Giving up TV to go travel is a no-brainer, but that dang stupid LOST is something I've been following for years now, and I don't see how I'm going to make it back without someone ruining the ending for me.  Twist ending movies are ALWAYS ruined for me before I see it, whether it is "Sixth Sense" or "The Crying Game" or whatever, somehow I always stumble into a conversation at just the wrong time.  ::sigh::

Today we are going to get the typhoid immunization, and do some more shopping.  We're also dropping Kyle off at the airport, so he can fly back to Albuquerque before flying to England tomorrow for his semester abroad.  I'm so excited for him, he is going to have such a great time.  Plus, he doesn't have to worry about dengue fever or malaria.  (Although I'm gonna get a much better tan.)

We've found another potential couchsurfer host in Merida which is good news.  It just gets tricky since our schedule is so open-ended, we aren't exactly sure when we will get there.  If Coba is a great place, we might stay a few days.  If it isn't, we might stay only one, and we have a few stops like that before we hit Merida.  So we'll see if it works out, but it is nice to have it as a possibility.

Yesterday was a lazy day while I fought off this cold.  Still feeling it a bit today, but it is still mild and is going to pass soon, I can tell.  Just a bit more tired than usual.

Happy New Year!

Ten years ago I was living in New York, wondering if Y2K was going to destroy the world.  I spent the evening with some awesome friends, Heather and Anna and Emily, and I remember going to the roof and listening to everyone cheer when the end of the world didn't happen.  lol

I can't believe that was ten years ago.  The "oughts" were a pretty great decade for me.  I lived in NYC, San Diego, Albuquerque, DC, and spent three months in San Francisco.  I traveled to eleven countries, did a Broadway show, earned another bachelors and became an RN, went to both Disneyland AND Disneyworld, dived with an octopus in Indonesia and whale watched over lunch in Newfoundland.  I had the pleasure of getting one-quarter of "Il Divo" and one-third of The Jonas Brothers to sing "Happy Birthday" for my sister over the phone.  I saw the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls and Uluru and Angkor Wat.  But most of all, I've made a heck of a lot of good friends whom I treasure.

I have two more weeks to prepare for our Central American Adventure (what a way to start the decade!), and though we are getting a little antsy it helps that we have some really cute kids here in Vegas to play with in the meantime.  Got our travel insurance yesterday, and we're getting the Typhoid (it comes in pill form now, no shots!) on Monday.  We've even found a couchsurfing host for the first three nights in Cancun, which we are really excited about.  I wasn't sure I wanted to stay in Cancun at all as it would be so expensive, but now we have a place to stay and a local guide to give us info on where to go.  CA isn't the best region to take advantage of couchsurfing, so we are grateful for the opportunity.

Oh, and we've already seen three sets of friends who have come through Vegas traveling, so if you are coming in the next two weeks, be sure and let us know!

Winter is bearable at 60 degrees

So how’s this for synchronicity. On Monday I had to pick up my brother at the airport, who was flying home from Albuquerque. Then I get a Facebook message that my best friend Tiffany has a three hour layover in the same airport that ends just after my brother arrives. Tiffany and David and I all met at the same time, doing a college production of “The Boyfriend” back in 1992. But Tiffany wasn’t flying alone. A few weeks ago her brother broke both his legs, so is now recuperating down in Cabo San Lucas with their parents (I know), but since he was gone our friend Nick, who was also in “The Boyfriend”, had left his home in Chicago to spend a few months in New York living in Tiffany’s brother’s room, and for reasons I don’t quite understand was flying to Sacramento via San Francisco with Tiffany and so was on the same flight. This part I knew. But then when we arrive at the airport, it turns out that ANOTHER friend of ours, Rod, whom I met just prior to “The Boyfriend” in a college production of “Chicago”, and who now lives in San Francisco but had been in New York doing a show for the holidays, had his show close the night before so just happened to be on the same flight home. Awesome, right?

It was great to catch up with these peeps. Also great was when we noticed how young and attractive we all still were. Until my stinking brother, who had been four years old when we all met, showed up and sat there as a 21 year old living reminder of how old we all actually were.

Vegas has been great. Been getting a lot done, plus are getting to spend some quality time with the kids here. We played darts and Sorry! and judged a gingerbread house building competition. David and I have even gone to see two movies, something we almost never do on our own. (Netflix, baby.) We saw Avatar with my mother (which was enjoyable) and The Princess and The Frog with the kids. Well, sort of. It was six adults and four kids, and we were the only people in the whole theater, so the six adults sat and watched the cartoon while the four kids literally ran around the theatre changing seats about every two minutes. Afterwards they said they liked the movie though. lol

It still doesn't seem real, but goodbye DC

Leaving a city you love, even for a grand adventure, is always bittersweet. Our 2 1/2 years in DC have been an adventure in themselves as we explored the many things DC has to offer. We attended a Presidential Inauguration, studied history at museums and civil war battlefields, and gaped at the grand architecture that decorates and uplifts a city like this. We found hidden gardens, underground art museums, and even learned to make homemade crabcakes with delicious fresh Maryland Blue Crab that replaced the turkey at Thanksgiving. And we both were blessed with fantastic people to work with, whom we will miss even more than the monuments and festivals. Our Central American expedition has our attention, but going to DC was not just a great decision, it was the right decision.

We were so wired the night before we left we couldn’t sleep, so we were on the road at 4am. (Thanks Chrisy for the pancake and bacon dinner the night before, next time I want some more of that black raspberry jam!) With such an early start we avoided any semblance of traffic and were able to push through to Jackson, TN for the first night. We lucked out and seemingly found the one non-fast food restaurant in town, hidden away on a side street, where the waitress was handing out homemade chocolate chip cookies she had just baked. Our motel was notable for having some of the best donuts I have ever had as part of the continental breakfast. Kudos to the Days Inn!!

After another motel in Elk City, OK, we hit Albuquerque, where we stayed several days with our dear friend Erin and her family. We saw lots of great peeps and were severely tempted to move back, even though a move back would violate my own commandment that our next home would be winter-free. The green chile breakfast burrito I inhaled didn’t hurt the cause either. Of course we won’t be making that decision until we come back next summer, but Albuquerque is back on the table.

My sweet Craigslist Adventure

Holy crap, Craigslist is awesome!  I've bought a few things from there in the past, but this was the first time I've sold stuff.  Made $100 in less than 24 hours, and someone who wants to buy the washer/dryer for $550 but probably won't come and get it until Monday.  Sweet!  I probably should have tried for more money, because clearly there are plenty of people desperate to buy my crap, but I'm not gonna worry about it.  Each piece that leaves this townhouse decreases my stress level, so I'm happy.

The POD with all our stuff was picked up yesterday, which was the biggest relief of all, as I was convinced it was going to be too heavy for the forklift.  But it wasn't, and that is on the way to Vegas.  So our apartment is quite bare.  Still have a dining table, which I intend to put on craigslist, but not until closer to departure, because clearly once it goes up it will sell quickly, and I need somewhere for this computer!

While the focus is on getting things out, we unexpectedly just had to bring a bunch of stuff in.  My brother surprised us (and himself probably) with a last minute visit.  He and Tara arrive tomorrow and are staying through Thanksgiving.  Of course I work four of the five days they are here, we have no couch or TV or dishes or just about anything.  Luckily a friend loaned us some bedding, towels and even a shower curtain, so we've at least got the basics covered for them.  (Good thing I didn't put the futon on craigslist yet!)  But I'm sure we will have a great time, I've been trying to get him to visit since we moved here, and late is certainly better than never.

Had dinner with Chrisy last night, who just got back from a conference in the Yucatan where she got to pal around with Jane Goodall.  Yes, THAT Jane Goodall.  She had lots of great tips for us.  I can't wait to go swimming in a ceynote!

Plane tickets to Mexico? Check.

Super boring? Remembering to call and cancel Netflix and Tivo. Super fun? Buying our plane tickets to Cancun. January 13th, with a layover in Dallas, window seats the whole way. Sweet!

I was surprised to find that most flights were either a red eye with layovers of 10+ hours (who wants to do that?), or else they landed in Cancun at like 9pm. I suppose most people who fly to Cancun have their resort pre-booked so just have to get there, but as a backpacker you want to arrive early in the day so you have time to look around and find a place. We haven't ruled out pre-booking a hotel that first night, although we don't really intend on staying in Cancun. Just a few hours south is Tulum, an old Mayan ruin right on the beach, which sounds far more interesting to us.

We arrive at 3:30 in the afternoon, so we'll have a little leeway to decide what to do.

More packing

Yesterday I had what, for me, comes as close to a "bad day" as it gets. Just feeling a little overwhelmed with so much to do, with a million little decisions that aren't really so important, but added together made me feel like I was on the verge of accidentally parking in front of a fire hydrant or something. Deep breath, keep packing, move on.

And packing indeed. I'm now worried that we are packing so well that the pod is going to be too heavy. So the duality of my nature is having an epic battle, with one half of me wanting to save as much as possible just in case (or just because we can), and the other side wanting to toss everything that is not required to sustain life. If someone could film the fight going on in my brain it would make one heck of a pirates vs ninjas movie. Again, I am fully aware of the futility of trying to know which dresser would be most useful or if the decorative pillow will be useful in a different apartment. Knowing me I'm gonna want to decorate everything Mayan when we get back anyhow, so maybe that answers that question. :)

We've decided to go ahead and pack the TV, three weeks before we actually move. In theory, I'm a snob that hates TV and would feel great about being one of those show-offs who brag about not owning a television. In practice, I am a reality TV junkie, and love Survivor and Amazing Race and So You Think You Can Dance and Food Challenge, not to mention Glee. It is going to be hard to give them up, especially in the middle of a season, though I suppose we can watch them all online. I had given up TV for several years in the early 90s when I was doing so much theatre, which worked out great. Maybe it is time to try it again. Except for Glee, no lofty philosophy is making me miss that piece of heaven.

David can pack like Einstein can do math

We've got the pod coming on Wednesday, which we will fill and then send on to Vegas, where we will move it into storage until we get back. After a lot of debate, we decided to only get one pod instead of two (which was recommended for our 1200 square foot townhouse), sell the extra furniture and just buy new stuff once we get moved into another place. Yesterday we decided to get a head start on the packing, taped out the area of the pod on the floor and did a practice run. And thanks to David's savant-level packing ability, we realized are going to be able to bring a lot more of the furniture than we thought. The great thing about adding a dresser (or four) is that all that drawer space is great for packing dishes and things too, so two birds with one stone.

We put our first plant out on the sidewalk today, which someone snagged less than ten minutes later. We are going to lose a lot of great plants, and it is good to know they will be going to a good home. (Forget pets, my plants are my babies!) Gonna be tougher when we get to the expensive plants, our gigantor bird of paradise and the ficus tree.

Rain, rain, go away

Preparations continue. Tuesday I walked 2 1/2 miles to some office to get a permit for the moving company to park a storage cube on the street for us to move the essentials to Vegas. We are going to get rid of most of our furniture, but there are always boxes of yearbooks to save. Unfortunately they have to do some visual inspection of the street to make sure there isn't a bus stop or something in front of our house (there isn't), so I have to go back again to get the actual permit. Due to the holiday yesterday, it may or may not be ready this afternoon. However, it is raining cats and dogs out there, and another 5 mile round trip walk in the rain does not sound very appealing. (I don't drive in the city, parking is awful.) I guess I'll have to take the metro part way. I'm weird like that, the metro doesn't make a straight line to where I'm going, I have to go all the way into the city, transfer to a new train and then head back out again, which isn't hard but just annoys me to have to, map wise, go so far out of the way just to circle back. In the end I'd rather just walk, which I guess is partly what makes me constitutionally inclined to be a backpacker. Thank you New York for bringing that out in me!

Tuesday night our friend Morgan who was in "La Boheme" with us called, he has been living in Switzerland but was in DC for an audition. He had just a little time to spare before his train back to NY, so we walked another 4 1/2 miles to see him and give him a brief run around the Capitol Building. (I never get tired of seeing people see it for the first time, it is always such a thrill.) We had a great time catching up, we are so lucky to know such awesome people that are scattered across the world, and maybe we don't get to see them very often, but when we do we have such a great time. Ditto to the time we got to spend with Jun, my best friend from high school who stayed with us for a few days this weekend. We have great friends!

I can tangent like no one, eh? My point being that I ended up walking almost ten miles that day, and while my legs and body had no problem, my feet were a little sore at the end of the day. Gotta start building up my callouses again to prepare for hiking up all those Mayan temples. So rain, please stop so I can start walking again every day.

Travel health

Our preparations continue. Next up we need to find a place to get a Thyphoid immunization. I had one for my Asia trip, and I was hoping it would still be good but after looking it up it turns out it is only good for about two years. Luckily we've both had our hepatitis shots for work, because those ones are expensive. The last decision concerns the malaria prophylaxis medications. When I went to Asia I decided not to take anything, partly because I'd heard about all the side effects, and partly because I was there for so long the risk/benefit/expense didn't seem worth it. I'm lucky that mosquitos don't particularly like me for some reason, which also helps. We haven't decided for sure yet, but I think we are going to forego any meds this time as well. Which just means we have to be extra careful to not get bit, so we'll be bringing along the DEET and wearing long pants and shirts at night.

Otherwise there isn't too much else to worry about health-wise. We'll probably go to the dentist for a last check-up just to be safe, and I'm going to order some extra contacts to take with me. There are several companies that do travel health insurance, that will fly you back to the US if anything particularly bad happens to you, and we will definitely take out a policy, they actually aren't that expensive. (Which tells you that most people never make any claims, because traveling is as safe as anything else!)