The Gotta Go’s

Have you ever suffered from an incurable case of the “Gotta Go’s”? 

I have suffered for as long as I can remember from the burning desire to go somewhere. I remember as a kid looking up into the sky at the passing airplanes and desperately wanting to be on one. It didn’t matter where the plane was going, I just wanted to go. I wanted to go and see new things, smell new smells, taste new tastes, and have new experiences. I want to explore! 
Ironically, my own backyard is often neglected as I strain to see over the next horizon. 

Recently, the Gotta Go’s became too powerful to deny, so I packed my bag and I went! 

If you follow me on social media, you might be a bit confused right now because I post several times a week, yet I did not mention this trip on any platform. That was on purpose and for reasons. First, my face was too full of tacos to say anything about where I was and what I was doing. Second, I needed a break from sharing all the things. Third, I am a scheduling genius and I take great pride in the fact that I was able to be “out of the office” and have my digital world keep on posting without any additional input from me. Fourth, the elephant in the room, COVID. It was a gamble to attempt international travel during a pandemic; things could have easily gone sideways. In addition, there are a lot of opinions about what people should and should not be doing right now, and there are a lot of people who have not been able to live their lives to any degree of normalcy due to the pandemic. I was and am aware of all the above issues, but I also needed to take care of myself and my own metal health. I’ve got wings, baby, and I need to fly. I also had an ace up my sleeve; I was going to be traveling with a friend who is a health care provider, has been on the front lines of the pandemic for two years, and has yet to get sick. 

So where did we go, you ask?!
We went to Southern Central Mexico. The main purpose of the two week trip was to visit the “Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca,” or in English, The Monarch Butterfly Preserve in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Monarch Butterflies migrate to this area each winter from Canada and the northern states of the US and it was the most magical and wonderful thing I have ever experienced in my whole life. 

There were MILLIONS of butterflies. 

Prior to arriving at the preserve, my brain could not actually process what millions of butterflies were going to look like, but nothing could have prepared me for what we saw. It was stunning. The trees were coated, pulsating, and absolutely dripping with butterflies. The sky was almost black at times with butterfly wings. The photos will never do justice to the awe inspiring feeling of standing in that time and space. It was otherworldly, overwhelming, and all-encompassing. 

In addition to seeing the butterflies, we traveled by motor coach to a number of different small towns and villages where I took thousands of photos of Mexican doorways, plant pots, and architecture. 

The parts of Mexico that set my soul on fire were all the COLORS, the art, riding around in the Colectivos (minivan style neighborhood buses that seat 10-12 people), and the food! 

There are murals everywhere; beautifully intricate murals in every town. The homes and buildings are painted with bright bold beautiful wonderful colors. Orange, turquoise, raspberry, pink, purple, red, all the yellows, and so many shades of ochre my heart ached. 

This is Ella. I have followed her for hundreds and hundreds of miles across countless countries. She is my ride or die, and my first pick of travel companions. We have a tried and tested travel routine that suits us both. She is the navigator and map reader. I trust her implicitly and will follow wherever she leads - she is generally leading to tacos. She also carries the most comprehensive first aid kit you will ever see, so if I get a blister or an owie, she’s got something for that. What do I bring to the table you might ask? I don’t complain and I'm really good at hotel room laundry.  

Ella, on the hunt for the next taco!

Her nickname is Frodo because she will gleefully walk for 10 - 14 miles in a day to see what is around the next corner and I will gleefully follow, because again, tacos. During this 12 day trip, we logged 135 miles on foot. We both like seeing new places on foot, it’s slower so you might see less overall, but you get to feel, hear, and experience more. On foot, you tend to sit on walls, benches, stairs, or in parks for snacks and watch the world go by for a bit. 

Street tacos and aqua de jamaica (hibiscus iced tea)

We saw amazing things and ate so much wonderful food. We ate tacos every day, and I almost proposed to the street vendor who was making gorditas (fluffy tortillas stuffed with Cotija cheese and then wrapped around taco meat).

I have a deep and boring love for this man’s tortillas

Other favorites included: 

Elote - grilled corn slathered with sour cream, salt, lime juice, chili powder, and Cotija cheese; 

Paletas - fresh fruit and coconut milk popsicles; 

Street Fruit - buckets of fresh tropical fruit with lime juice, chili powder and salt sprinkled on top. 

We also drank coconut water straight from the coconut, and then ate the coconut meat. Also, in Mexico, you can get lime and salt flavored Fritos and they are delicious. We ate, we walked, and then we ate some more because when you average 10 miles a day, you need to replace some calories. 

I also need to order new shoes.

Our general travel routine is a slow morning with tea, bananas, and yogurt. Then we walk. Mid-day we might swing back by the hotel/hostel to rest, snack, and refill our water bottles. Then we head back out to find dinner, ice cream, and sunset photos. 

How did we stay safe traveling during a pandemic? We carried a variety of masks and we wore them - all the time. Inside, outside, any side, we wore them. The only time we did not wear masks was for selfies, while in our own hotel rooms, and when eating outside. 

For airplanes and packed motor coaches, we wore heavy duty N95 respirators that sealed completely around our nose and mouth area. For city buses and colectivos with open windows, or crowded areas we wore structured N95 paper masks. And for walking around cities or being in open air markets and squares we wore cloth masks. We also washed our hands at every opportunity and sanitized at regular intervals throughout the day. These were easy and simple precautions that protected us and more importantly, the people around us. It was such a small price to pay to be able to travel again.  

If you don’t feel safe enough to travel right now, I hope you have been able to live vicariously through my photos, and if you’ve got a bad case of the Gotta Go’s - where will you go?

Tell me all about your dream Go’s in the comments!