After 2 painstaking weeks of posing for passport photos, I'm happy to say that my passport renewal has found itself in the mail! I actually took myself to 4 different Walgreens to take 4 different sets of pictures to choose from for my renewal. One might say I'm crazy, but Crazy here is stuck with this passport photo for the next 10 years (unless I get married and change my name), so I had to make sure that I liked my photo.
Well, guess what? I still hate my photo!! But, with time running out, I had to get it in the mail. I probably could have created a really nice picture using Photoshop, but then again, I'd probably make myself look like Angelina Jolie and then I'd never get into Mexico.
I think that once I return and have some extra cash in hand, I might have to accidentally lose my passport, just so I can apply for a new one.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Mexico - The Preplanning Begins
So, the official word was handed down by my boss last week and the company is allowing me to take 5 to 6 weeks of unpaid (or maybe slightly paid) vacation time so that I can live one of my dreams which is to live in another country for awhile.I'm a software tester and documentation writer for a small (@ 18 employess) software development company. Our business is family owned and the brothers that run it treat us all like family. We have many software developers here the hail from India and they take 6 weeks each year to go back. After working here for nearly 10 years, I thought it might be my turn to ask for the opportunity to take a leave of absence and experience a life outside my own.
Playa Del Carmen is a fast growing resort town on the Yucatan Penisula in Mexico. To get there, one flies into Cancun and then drives South for about 45 minutes. Playa Del Carmen is a charming resort town that has maintained it's mexican heritage. I first 'discovered' this town back in 2002 when my mom, sister, and I were looking for a place to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday . That September we arrived in Playa and I instantly fell in love with the town. 2 days later, Hurricane Isidore rolled in and she did nothing to dampen my spirits. Since then, I've organized vast family trips and small friends or gals only trips. Over the years, I've come to know the cheaper hotels to stay in, the cheaper places to eat, and how to get around on public transportation.
Now, I'm not going with the sole intent on getting drunk every night and sleeping off my hangovers on the beach everyday, cause that would be a waste, right? Instead, I've decided to to study Espanol at http://www.solexico.com/ for 3 weeks. I'll be in class Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1pm and that leaves the afternoon and weekend opened for me to learn to SCUBA and lay on the beach. My weekends wil be spent traveling the yucatan. I want to visit Coba, Holbox and to stay in Tulum at a hotel that has no electricity or running water (just to see if I can). :)
The small hotel where I'm staying is calle La Rana Cansada (The Tired Frog http://www.ranacansada.com/ )two blocks up from the beach and has wireless internet in the open aired lounge area. I'm working out the details with my boss, but I may be working a couple of hours / week to have some money coming in. I'm going to be funding the rest of my trip by robbing a bank. *grins*.
Actually, I bought my own condo about 5 years ago and I've built up more than enough equity that will allow my take out the small loan that Ill need in order to enjoy my trip. I've budgeted about $5000 for the trip. Eating Cheap and Drinking Cheap won't be an issue. Playa Del Carmen has a Walmart as well as it's Mexican version of Walmart called Mega so, I can buy my beer, water, and food there. Seriously, the Walmart there is gorgeous. The produce selection alone is to overwhelming and they even have a fresh bakery and a Sushi bar. NO KIDDING!!
So now, I have just under 3 months to plan this out. I need to renew my passport as it's ten years old already. I first got it back in 1997 so that I could fullfill another one of my dreams, which was to go to Paris before I was 30. The travel bug bite me after my trip to Amsterdam and Paris, I didn't realize how many awesome adventures my passport would take me on. Lets see, I also need to ask one of the neighborhood teenage gals to feed my kitties and bring in my mail. And I need to find airfare and enroll in school. Oh yeah, I also have to put together a costume as I'll be in Playa for Halloween and I hear the parties there are so much fun!!So...there you have it!! Please follow me on my journey. I'll have my laptop and internet acess while in Mexico so I'll be posting here regularly.And if you have the desire to visit Mexico while I'm there, by all mean come on down.
Playa Del Carmen is a fast growing resort town on the Yucatan Penisula in Mexico. To get there, one flies into Cancun and then drives South for about 45 minutes. Playa Del Carmen is a charming resort town that has maintained it's mexican heritage. I first 'discovered' this town back in 2002 when my mom, sister, and I were looking for a place to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday . That September we arrived in Playa and I instantly fell in love with the town. 2 days later, Hurricane Isidore rolled in and she did nothing to dampen my spirits. Since then, I've organized vast family trips and small friends or gals only trips. Over the years, I've come to know the cheaper hotels to stay in, the cheaper places to eat, and how to get around on public transportation.
Now, I'm not going with the sole intent on getting drunk every night and sleeping off my hangovers on the beach everyday, cause that would be a waste, right? Instead, I've decided to to study Espanol at http://www.solexico.com/ for 3 weeks. I'll be in class Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1pm and that leaves the afternoon and weekend opened for me to learn to SCUBA and lay on the beach. My weekends wil be spent traveling the yucatan. I want to visit Coba, Holbox and to stay in Tulum at a hotel that has no electricity or running water (just to see if I can). :)
The small hotel where I'm staying is calle La Rana Cansada (The Tired Frog http://www.ranacansada.com/ )two blocks up from the beach and has wireless internet in the open aired lounge area. I'm working out the details with my boss, but I may be working a couple of hours / week to have some money coming in. I'm going to be funding the rest of my trip by robbing a bank. *grins*.
Actually, I bought my own condo about 5 years ago and I've built up more than enough equity that will allow my take out the small loan that Ill need in order to enjoy my trip. I've budgeted about $5000 for the trip. Eating Cheap and Drinking Cheap won't be an issue. Playa Del Carmen has a Walmart as well as it's Mexican version of Walmart called Mega so, I can buy my beer, water, and food there. Seriously, the Walmart there is gorgeous. The produce selection alone is to overwhelming and they even have a fresh bakery and a Sushi bar. NO KIDDING!!
So now, I have just under 3 months to plan this out. I need to renew my passport as it's ten years old already. I first got it back in 1997 so that I could fullfill another one of my dreams, which was to go to Paris before I was 30. The travel bug bite me after my trip to Amsterdam and Paris, I didn't realize how many awesome adventures my passport would take me on. Lets see, I also need to ask one of the neighborhood teenage gals to feed my kitties and bring in my mail. And I need to find airfare and enroll in school. Oh yeah, I also have to put together a costume as I'll be in Playa for Halloween and I hear the parties there are so much fun!!So...there you have it!! Please follow me on my journey. I'll have my laptop and internet acess while in Mexico so I'll be posting here regularly.And if you have the desire to visit Mexico while I'm there, by all mean come on down.
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