Making Conscious Choices and Accepting Consequences that May or Maya not Make Sense

               Customs and habits are very different here, and you just have to go with the flow. You are the visitor and nothing you are going to do is going to change a lifestyle that has endured thousands of years. People are inherently kind, and don’t necessarily want anything from you other than some of your time. Remember, you are an ambassador for your country, and your behavior reflects on me and how they view Americans. Don’t forget: you are different, and that’s okay! That said because you can afford to travel away from home, you also seem to portray the vision of money that is going to be spent. In Merida they realize this in and around the main plaza, but the further you get away from the city that changes quickly. Whereas there will most-likely be a ‘gringo-tax’ when shopping in tourist zones (only because you don’t know how to negotiate a better price… yet), in the pueblo this hardly exists. Prices are very economical, but service and sanitation can be a test of your will.

               While you are here in the pueblo, or anywhere else for that matter, make conscious choices! You are not in the comfort of your home even while you are within the walls of the property. Though you can let down your guard quite a bit while you are relaxing, be conscious of your surroundings and stay focused in your situation. For sure, enjoy life while you are here; just do not put yourself in a vulnerable position because you were not prepared. Daily reality is very tranquil in the pueblo, but anything can happen at any time to put a damper on the situation. Relax, sleep in a hammock for hours, but keep one eye slightly open, or at least an ear. Also, remember you are in control of your choices and must bear the responsibility of your actions and the circumstances that follow. There will be no helicopter to rescue from out of the jungle where you just fell down the face of a pyramid, and if there is they will require payment up front.

If you find yourself in trouble with the law and order, first try to talk your way out of it. Explain you are a traveler in broken Spanish, and don’t really understand the customs. If that doesn’t work, offer up a couple hundred pesos for a ‘refresco’ as a bribe to get you out of a jam. If it seems really bad, offer up a $500 peso note, undercover of course. They say that it’s better to deal with problems on the street than have to argue your case later in front of a judge or from behind bars. Even if you are not in the wrong and are faced with a police threat, they say that a $500 pesos pay-off there at the scene is better than the $5000 the judge will expect, and I'm inclined to agree; or perhaps you would prefer the $50000 you will have to pay the warden to get out of jail. If you do find yourself in handcuffs, don’t say anything more than to ask for a translator. Remember: you are guilty here until proven innocent. Act accordingly.

               Life here is raw and mostly-unforgiving for those who don’t look out for themselves, but on the other hand if you just grasp hold of the situation and squeeze it for information that you can carry away with you, those moments will surely be impressive. As you walk and talk your way around the pueblo, you are vulnerable with every step you take; but at the same time this opens you up to the potential for participating in a reality that does not come with ribbons, bows, and shelf-paper of what you may be used to living elsewhere in the world. However, this is how most of the world encounters their daily existence. There is no safety-net, and no Uncle Sam to bail you out of a jam; only the kindness of others and what you invest into that reality. You are at the mercy of a crude reality and must approach each moment more profoundly than you might in the safety of your own country, where you understand exactly what is to be expected. By coming here to Chicxulub Pueblo, you are taking a risk, but taking it will bring you face-to-face with the real world as you have probably have never seen it, expanding your concept of true life on this planet and how privileged some of us really are.