Words of Wisdom

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” ~ Edward Abbey

Cactus Revolution

The melodic idiosyncracies blend and flow from the newest musical inspiration I have found. Definitely been a Gardens and Villa type of life lived the last three months. Bags, boxes and bunjee cords have dominated the scenery. So to has saguaro cacti, lizards and a magnitude of rock. Rock as far as the eye can see. Broken only by the sporadic bunching of shrub and weed. The human landscape of six lane highways, Palm trees and lucious green grass penetrate the desert psyche and lure one in to a false sense of impact. Mountain views dominated by people and everything associated with them. But if you squint your eyes just right, take the time to escape the urban sprawl and run free in the wild and untamed Sonoran desert, one has a desert revolution take place. Sunsets that can make one's jaw hit the ground and an intense energy from the sun that can seemingly cook you. The harsh and wild landscape is surely something to behold, especially at dawn as the world wakes from its slumber. I am slowly falling in love with this place and am excited for more adventure.

Canadian Bacon

The cloud of hash and tobacco smoke penetrates my reservations of being alone in a new and strange place. A beautiful hand leads me passed the gorilla of a bouncer, up a narrow stairway and back amongst to the techno infused world full of sparklers, bottles of Grey Goose and those looking for an escape from reality. Is the stinging in my eyes from the sparklers or from the sweat that is worked up on the dance floor? I gather my senses long enough to glimpse a sight of a personality I have seen hundreds of times on screen. Definitely more beautiful in person. Light penetrates the haze...It's closing time. The hand leads me to coat check, to a cab, to a hole in the wall place specializing in schwarma. The smell hits me before I even step inside. My booze infused brain is in a type of hunger induced coma. Back in the cab and back to the reality of the bitter cold. The package is ripped open before the cabbie puts his foot on the accelerator. The air inside is filled with similar scents of the restaurant and my mouth is flooding with tastes and sensations I have never before experienced. I am riding a wave of elation I haven't had the chance to experience for some time. Maybe it is the hash, the booze, the shwarma or maybe just the sweet Canadian air I have been breathing. But something is different. I have changed. I realize I know less and less about the world and more and more about myself every time I shatter my comfort zone and place myself in a foreign land and get lost. Getting lost is the best way to discover the world.

Acting like a Mayan

The sand between my toes and the salt spray that hangs heavy in the air give physical relevance to my current state of being. My palms receive a slight reprieve from the heat of the sun as they cup a quasi cold beverage written in a language I have learned for just this occasion. The melodic crash of the waves seems to lull me into a state of imagination. Reality grips tenaciously at my throat as the food arrives. Senses completely awake, almost hyper aware. Ceviche, the freshest seafood left to bask in the poignant juices of citrus fruits. The first bite is an almost orgasmic return to the sea as the salt water penetrates the taste buds and combines almost mythologically with the lime and cilantro. All is washed down with a sip of Mexican brew and the feelings of good times to come. As I lay back in my chair, wiggle my toes deeper into the sand and scan the almost surreal blue of the Gulf I finally realize I could probably accept the prospect of expiring right here and now. Playa del Carmen is a truly amazing place, with a blending of cultures from all over the world. It is however hard to deviate from the path of the gringo and search deeper into the cultural undertones of the area. We are searching for those hard to find cultural gems, so we need to make a getaway. As we head to the ferry one can look out across the sea and see the island of Cozumel. A small microcosm of Mexican awesomeness. Once the destination of Mayan women seeking a blessing of fertility, Cozumel is home to some amazing historical and geological phenomena. One merely has to put on a pair of goggles and peer underneath the waves, eat a fried shrimp torta, or wrap their lips around a shot of mezcal for the for the experience of a lifetime. I am interrupted from my work with the bustle of activity. I stare at my watch to reveal the time as 1:30 am. It's time to get ready and go out for the night and dance to techno beats and sip fantastic mexican spirits. I love being on Mexican time.