It’s always courageous to step out of the ordinary. But I get it. People have said that about me too or that I’m an adventurer. I never would have thought either of those words describe me.
That part is definitely true! But I think it’s also courageous to do lots of things. It’s kinda like “smarts” imo. A math PhD might be considered more “smart” than a communication studies PhD, which is insane haha. I think people attribute courage to certain type of behavior, but just like smarts, there’s LOTS of different types. And like smarts, if people don’t think they have courage, they’re going to limit what they do & they’re probably wrong!
Love all of this! You’ve already started the journey we hope to embark on soon. For now, we sail in the Chesapeake Bay and dream of that horizon. Cheers mate.
That’s very true! Annapolis is QUITE nice though! We were there for the boat show last fall. Also loved Oxford! Except we got our anchor fouled on an old mooring haha
Oh no! I’ve never actually sailed up to Oxford somehow, but our sailing club gets up there usually once a year. I’ll have to put that on my local list!
That’s some of the complexity! But we’d leave the boat here. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to leave it here for relatively cheap. Packing up the boat is tricky cuz we don’t know exactly when we’re be back, but we think we got that part. Then we’d need to take a car about 7 hours to Guatemala City, with Pineapple, & go to the vet to get “an export certificate”, get the necessary paperwork for Mexico, & find a place to stay in Mexico. Then we’d have a boat in rural Guatemala, a cat that is hard to move around, & we’d need to figure out some next steps haha
Mexico City is definitely more expensive but has a good vibe and they have the most interesting group Spanish classes that do half the class in the classroom and then take a field trip to a park or museum for the second half.
Positives: lots of expats (could also be a negative), cheap tacos, lots to do (museums, classes, music), good public transport, locals are generally nice.
Negatives: expensive housing and non taco restaurants, super dry, polluted air, no screens+mosquitos (you're probably used to that), really big so it can take you 40 mins to an hour to get most places outside your neighborhood.
This is great, Travis! I’ve been about 3 times & love the city, but agree with all the negatives you mentioned. We’re kinda aiming toward getting closer to the U.S., though we’ve considered Medellin & further south than that! The problem would be that we’ll get even more distant when even older cat. Do you have any other recs in Mexico?
Oh, & the other downside of Mexico though is that it’s up to the immigration officer how long they give on your visa. So you could get 30 days then need to leave! We’re thinking about circumventing that by getting a 6-month permit from the consulate in Guatemala City….
Lots of moving parts man, but I know one thing: we need a break from this boat!
That is a bit of a mess with customs! Sweet talk them with your Duolingo Spanish haha.
I haven't spent much time anywhere besides Mexico City, only 5 days or a week in touristy spots with family vacations when I was younger. Oaxaca/Puerto Escondido is on my would like to visit list and I've heard San Miguel de Allende is nice if you like art, mountains and a pretty city.
Santa Marta is nice in Colombia too. Everything pretty much goes through Bogota anyway so you can really stay in any city there.
I'm more of a Southern Latin America expert though.
Two things: i think it's a brilliant idea to go to Mexico City - i loved it and hope you will to. I went not long after COVID when my head was still full of those epidemiological models with little dots bouncing around and how much faster things moved as density increased and Mexico City is very dense indeed but it seemed to me that those models work just as well for brilliance and inspiration and astonishment as they do for viruses. These things just spread faster in densely populated places and the likelihood that you will come into contact with them in any given time spent there is so much higher than in a rural place.
But I'd also add that a big part of this life is patience. Places don't open themselves up to you all at once and we travel slowly anyway so every new place is a big commitment, big expense, big strain on the boat and on you. Chesterton wrote "is ditchwater dull? Naturalist friends with microscopes tell me it teems with quiet fun" and I think the secret of life is finding the microscopes. And it takes time. And not all experiences that are meaningful -- that lead to insight and growth -- are happy ones. And i can tell you that, though I'm not sure say i ever quite enjoyed the latitude inducing heat of Central America. And I never really wanted to go to begin with -- it was just on the way. The time spent there in that heat was important to me and I'm thinking to go back once the season is done here -- there are things I'd begin to understand that I'd like to spend more time with. I think anyone who's really exploring has to get the knack of not trusting first impressions, or second or third impressions.
And one last thing. Canvas can do miracles (apologies for the Christopher Cross lyric reference). Survival, i think, means leaving the boat open even in the rain (and oh how glorious rain can be!) And it's usually possible to work something up with canvas deflectors that will let you do that!
I’m excited to hear about potential adventures in Mexico City! It’s gorgeous and I have a few friends who live there on an off nomadically. You gotta do what makes you happy and follow your gut (and Thai food craving). 😊
Thanks Brandi!! And realizing that the adventure is still ongoing, right?!
We’re still considering the Mexico City thing because there’s now an added wrinkle that it’s tough to know how long they will let you stay in the country…. you’re supposed to get 6 months, but the officer can give you 2 weeks if they decide on a whim! But understanding what we need, we’re building the path, & we’ll take some steps, 1 at a time, till we get it! (Then, I’m sure that’ll lead to something else 😂 )
Mexico is unpredictable like that. Border patrol, immigration, it’s always a wildcard. But things have a way of working out the way they’re supposed to. And you’ve learned both the hard way and the easy way how to roll with it. 😄
“the biggest obstacle is not knowing what you need” .. or knowing what you need but NOT taking the step toward it. yep. done that, been there. million times. again & again. until you take finally the f*** step :))
“The biggest obstacle is not knowing what you need, & then not taking the next honest step toward it.” Love this quote, Cory.
So glad you liked that Rose! I hope you’re all doing well up north!!
It’s always courageous to step out of the ordinary. But I get it. People have said that about me too or that I’m an adventurer. I never would have thought either of those words describe me.
That part is definitely true! But I think it’s also courageous to do lots of things. It’s kinda like “smarts” imo. A math PhD might be considered more “smart” than a communication studies PhD, which is insane haha. I think people attribute courage to certain type of behavior, but just like smarts, there’s LOTS of different types. And like smarts, if people don’t think they have courage, they’re going to limit what they do & they’re probably wrong!
Different degrees of courage…. works for me.
Love all of this! You’ve already started the journey we hope to embark on soon. For now, we sail in the Chesapeake Bay and dream of that horizon. Cheers mate.
Wow very cool still!! What’s your favorite place in the Chesapeake?
We’re up near Annapolis and I love the entire upper Bay. The eastern shore (St Michael’s) is pretty special too. But nothing beats getting offshore!
That’s very true! Annapolis is QUITE nice though! We were there for the boat show last fall. Also loved Oxford! Except we got our anchor fouled on an old mooring haha
Oh no! I’ve never actually sailed up to Oxford somehow, but our sailing club gets up there usually once a year. I’ll have to put that on my local list!
Excited to continue to follow your travels!
Thanks for the support Annie!!
So if you decide to go to Mexico City where would you sail to? I know it’s several hours from the coast so what happens to Pineapple and the boat?
That’s some of the complexity! But we’d leave the boat here. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to leave it here for relatively cheap. Packing up the boat is tricky cuz we don’t know exactly when we’re be back, but we think we got that part. Then we’d need to take a car about 7 hours to Guatemala City, with Pineapple, & go to the vet to get “an export certificate”, get the necessary paperwork for Mexico, & find a place to stay in Mexico. Then we’d have a boat in rural Guatemala, a cat that is hard to move around, & we’d need to figure out some next steps haha
Is leaving the boat in Guatemala the best option to avoid hurricanes?
100%! We’re very fortunate here. And it’s cheap to store a boat!
Mexico City is definitely more expensive but has a good vibe and they have the most interesting group Spanish classes that do half the class in the classroom and then take a field trip to a park or museum for the second half.
Positives: lots of expats (could also be a negative), cheap tacos, lots to do (museums, classes, music), good public transport, locals are generally nice.
Negatives: expensive housing and non taco restaurants, super dry, polluted air, no screens+mosquitos (you're probably used to that), really big so it can take you 40 mins to an hour to get most places outside your neighborhood.
Excited to hear what is next whatever you decide.
This is great, Travis! I’ve been about 3 times & love the city, but agree with all the negatives you mentioned. We’re kinda aiming toward getting closer to the U.S., though we’ve considered Medellin & further south than that! The problem would be that we’ll get even more distant when even older cat. Do you have any other recs in Mexico?
Oh, & the other downside of Mexico though is that it’s up to the immigration officer how long they give on your visa. So you could get 30 days then need to leave! We’re thinking about circumventing that by getting a 6-month permit from the consulate in Guatemala City….
Lots of moving parts man, but I know one thing: we need a break from this boat!
That is a bit of a mess with customs! Sweet talk them with your Duolingo Spanish haha.
I haven't spent much time anywhere besides Mexico City, only 5 days or a week in touristy spots with family vacations when I was younger. Oaxaca/Puerto Escondido is on my would like to visit list and I've heard San Miguel de Allende is nice if you like art, mountains and a pretty city.
Santa Marta is nice in Colombia too. Everything pretty much goes through Bogota anyway so you can really stay in any city there.
I'm more of a Southern Latin America expert though.
You have a ton of courage for leaving your job and taking on this journey, Cory. And sharing it with us every step of the way.
Two things: i think it's a brilliant idea to go to Mexico City - i loved it and hope you will to. I went not long after COVID when my head was still full of those epidemiological models with little dots bouncing around and how much faster things moved as density increased and Mexico City is very dense indeed but it seemed to me that those models work just as well for brilliance and inspiration and astonishment as they do for viruses. These things just spread faster in densely populated places and the likelihood that you will come into contact with them in any given time spent there is so much higher than in a rural place.
But I'd also add that a big part of this life is patience. Places don't open themselves up to you all at once and we travel slowly anyway so every new place is a big commitment, big expense, big strain on the boat and on you. Chesterton wrote "is ditchwater dull? Naturalist friends with microscopes tell me it teems with quiet fun" and I think the secret of life is finding the microscopes. And it takes time. And not all experiences that are meaningful -- that lead to insight and growth -- are happy ones. And i can tell you that, though I'm not sure say i ever quite enjoyed the latitude inducing heat of Central America. And I never really wanted to go to begin with -- it was just on the way. The time spent there in that heat was important to me and I'm thinking to go back once the season is done here -- there are things I'd begin to understand that I'd like to spend more time with. I think anyone who's really exploring has to get the knack of not trusting first impressions, or second or third impressions.
And one last thing. Canvas can do miracles (apologies for the Christopher Cross lyric reference). Survival, i think, means leaving the boat open even in the rain (and oh how glorious rain can be!) And it's usually possible to work something up with canvas deflectors that will let you do that!
Thanks for this John!! I just read it out loud to Corey & we’re both chewing on it like a beautiful steak!
I’m excited to hear about potential adventures in Mexico City! It’s gorgeous and I have a few friends who live there on an off nomadically. You gotta do what makes you happy and follow your gut (and Thai food craving). 😊
Thanks Brandi!! And realizing that the adventure is still ongoing, right?!
We’re still considering the Mexico City thing because there’s now an added wrinkle that it’s tough to know how long they will let you stay in the country…. you’re supposed to get 6 months, but the officer can give you 2 weeks if they decide on a whim! But understanding what we need, we’re building the path, & we’ll take some steps, 1 at a time, till we get it! (Then, I’m sure that’ll lead to something else 😂 )
Mexico is unpredictable like that. Border patrol, immigration, it’s always a wildcard. But things have a way of working out the way they’re supposed to. And you’ve learned both the hard way and the easy way how to roll with it. 😄
Love that advice & perspective, Brandi!! Thanks for the support!!
“the biggest obstacle is not knowing what you need” .. or knowing what you need but NOT taking the step toward it. yep. done that, been there. million times. again & again. until you take finally the f*** step :))
You have a ton of courage for leaving your job and taking on this journey, Cory. And sharing it with us every step of the way.
So glad you dug it!