Chasing wants

I’ve always been the type of girl who finds comfort in normalcy. I usually take the same exact route to places I have been, I live in one place for a long while, and I like what I know I like. Oftentimes I think that lends to my creative side because while I don’t act upon out of the box experiences, I sure dream about them. I can sit for hours upon hours dreamily plotting out my days and I revel in the uncertainty of unplanned moments. I love the idea of driving aimlessly and finding little shops and restaurants with longtime owners and endless hours of operation and stories upon stories. Recently I discovered a whole lot more than I was really anticipating and I have heard that traveling out of the country will do that to a person. I feel ever so fortunate for being changed.

When I was invited to travel to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I thought of the typical partying scene and drinking as we stepped foot off the plane and walking around like we owned the place. As soon as we landed I realized that the trip would be anything but that. As I walked right past the bars and the folks drinking in excess, we stumbled upon a bus which took us to our hotel, and it was the beginning of everything. I sat there with eyes wide open on that little trek and I observed all I could possibly take in. Between the toll booths and the baroness upon each side of the road and the driving laws which seemed to be open to interpretation and the cool AC buzzing in the van, I realized pretty quickly that I was anywhere but home. Although I felt very comfortable.

San Jose del Cabo, Mexico will forever have my heart. I remember sitting upon the church pews in an old mission church in town and looking upon the intricate details upon the vaulted ceilings. The walls held in such promise and it took in so much gratitude amongst the locals and non locals who took time to take to their knees and pray. While this historic church had been moved several times since the mid 1700’s, it appears to have found its forever home and the town seems to adore it quite a bit. I recall looking upon the structure in awe and admiration for the hard work entailed in creating that space. I also remember not praying for myself in those moments of quiet. I prayed for the humans surrounding me and for the ones who tirelessly built the structure that I was so grateful to pray within. That little church was sweet and I’ll carry it with me wherever I go.

I remember walking through the streets of that little town and feeling proud to be there. Some of the roads were made of cobblestone and some were paved imperfectly and some of them had ramps and stairs to travel upon. I was grateful for the hands who built such strong foundations for me to walk upon. I was thankful for the ones who cleaned them tirelessly and who made them safe. Nearby art galleries surrounded the historic district and those walls housed some of the utmost beautiful artwork I have ever laid my eyes upon. If you were lucky, you would stumble upon one of the artists amidst his newest creation and watch him with wondrous eyes. This town was only like everything.

I was glad to visit one of the most prominent vacation destinations which was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. When Mexico’s government decided to turn Cabo into a major center for tourism in 1974, it guided the masses to some of the most amazing beaches, surfing, and fishing that Mexico has to offer. I hopped onto a glass bottom boat and took a tour of the arch of Cabo San Lucas which is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo. While the scenery and the wildlife was stunning, it was the tour guide who made the entire trip memorable. Tony had been working as a guide for over 10 years. His family would often ask him how he could possibly enjoy working the same job, with the same route, upon the same ocean day in and day out. His answer was simple. The people. Every single tour was different. The people were different. Their hometowns were different. Their conversations were different. Every single person he encountered stumbled upon the glimmer in eyes as he spoke of his hometown a little differently every time. Some may have sat in silence, some may have engaged with him, some may have rolled their eyes. Yet they heard his story differently with every word spoken and with every affliction in his voice. He was no doubt one of the coolest cats I have ever encountered. Tony, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to believe that I loved your city just as much as you do in those 45 minutes we were together. Best boat ride of my entire life.

I recall quite vividly one of the most spectacular nights of all. We went to a pretty popular spot for dinner and it was alright. Food was great and entertainment was pretty lively. When we walked out, we stumbled upon a little bar. I wasn’t certain I wanted to walk in because I was pretty tired and worn out. Jazz Tapas Bar. San Jose Del Cabo. The owner, Roberto. If you haven’t met him, you ought to. One look into this guys eyes and you know immediately why he owns these digs. He loves his family. His wife, his children, his grandchildren. He will work until the wee hours of the morning if need be to take care of them and gosh, he loves San Jose with his whole entire being. This place was drop dead gorgeous and their hospitality was a whole lot of goodness.

On our final day, we traveled to Hotel California in Todos Santos. Although folks wildly believe it has direct correlation to the infamous Eagles song, it does not. It was founded in 1947 by a Chinese immigrant who lived in the hotel with his family. In the late 1980’s the hotel had become quite neglected and it was refurbished by a Canadian couple in the early 2000’s. The hotel is stunning with 11 rooms and a gorgeous restaurant with some amazing food and some of the prettiest artwork known to man. The best part of that day trip? Walking upon the streets of the city. Entering the stores which were owned and operated by some strong women accompanied by their children. This city thrives upon tourism and rightfully so. I have found that you can haggle some prices, but it’s important to know when it’s apparent that you are being offensive. These humans wake up earlier than you and I do to tend to their shops and they probably close later than we are used to staying open. Walking upon side streets, I looked into some of the makeshift shops and noticed babies lying upon blankets with fans blowing upon them to keep them cool. Children sit with old TV’s and apples in their hands to occupy their time while their mamas are working tirelessly to make money to provide food and shelter their families. As we scoff at paying $10 for a beautifully crafted beach towel, I am reminded that we make no apologies for spending $15 on a factory made one at local department stores back at home. If you decide to take the time to stumble upon one of these shops, please take the time to respect their work. It’s pretty beautiful.

This was my first visit outside of the country and I acquired my very first stamp in my US Passport. Along the way, I have heard that traveling will forever change a person. Sure I have travelled within the States, but it pales in comparison to travelling outside of the US. I realized an awful about myself and I began to wonder about the people I walk alongside of. I think we live in a society where we put ourselves first. We tend to have a skewed vision of the importance of things we want and need. We chase what we want every single day. More things. We want what is tangible. Clothes, money, jewelry, items. If we don’t feel it upon our skin, it’s not something we have. What if we realized that our needs are vastly different from our wants? We need one another. We need to talk to the person next to us even if language seems to be a barrier. We need to shake hands. We need to smile. Need to hug. We need to understand even when it seems nearly impossible to do so.

I think we spend so many seconds upon minutes upon hours chasing our wants which in the end nearly bankrupt us. I sort of think it’s time to change our focus. This world is so entirely great and I think we are so jaded by what the media wants us to believe. I think it’s time to catch a flight, catch a bus, take a walk. Chase the goodness in life, because man, it’s out there.