WORKCATION CHRONICLES PART THREE | DIGITAL NOMAD WORK-LIFE ADVENTURES.

Part Three - February 2023. 
Date: Feb 21st, 2023
Currently in: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 🇲🇽
Lessons I’ve learned: Traveling is hard, but I am resilient. Sisterhoods are crucial.

A lot has happened. I haven't been on top of these blogs as I had hoped so. I’m releasing that expectation of myself. The main lesson that I have learned on this trip is that I can choose what I want and don’t want to do. 

Where to go. 
What to do.
Where to stay. 
Who to talk to. 
When to write or not write a blog. 

A lot has happened. I spent a week in cold, dreary Chilliwack with my mom and grandma. We cleaned, we organized, we froze with the temperatures. It was a good introduction into digital nomading and balancing working on my business, working on myself and working on the task at hand - organizing and building Ikea furniture. 

I went to Vancouver for one night. After a shocking wake up call with snow on the ground, my ride fell through - thanks mom - and I took my first ever Pop-a-ride. Not quite hitching hiking even though that's what my mom likes to think of it as. Shouldn’t have bailed on me then. 

I met Erica in Vancouver and we spent the evening how any young, hot, 26/30 year old would. By going for an early dinner then cozying in and watching The Parent Trap. #Rowdy. 

The next morning we woke up and decided to redeem ourselves with brunch and Science World. Truly a match made in heaven. While I was there in Vancouver, Erica booked her ticket to Mexico!!!! She arrives in a few hours and we are going to take on Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita! I can’t wait. 

After we parted ways, she made her way back on a bus to Whistler and I took the skytrain to meet my mom at Ikea. This time she couldn’t bail on me! Take that capitalism. 

The first week in Mexico seemed to fly by while simultaneously taking its time. I found myself thinking both “It’s only been three days???” along with “it’s already been three days???” Such a fun time. 

We shared our time between airbnb’s and a great deal at a resort. Even though, here I am living my dream of traveling and working, I still felt unfulfilled. My days were spent eating tacos, and dancing between “holy shit, I’m doing it” and “I am a fraud, I should go home.” A whirlwind. I find that ideals and experiences can be so romanticized on paper, and clips and social media. That you can get so in your head that you forget to live in the moment. 

I sat by the pools, I had a taco picnic with new friends next to the ocean, I say whales and spent time at lovers beach - the same beach that my grandma visited thirty years prior. It remained the same!  I made new friends and new connections, and even taught the Mexican bar (Eddie’s) how to line dance. It was a blast and some lovely Mexican cowboys taught us their Mexican line dance. 

After eight days of adventuring, a plethora of tacos and not to toot my own horn, but understanding a good amount of Spanish, more than I’ve known of the language than any other country, Cassia left to fly back to Canada. I am forever grateful to her for the push that I needed to get me to Mexico. To get me comfortable with the idea of traveling internationally again, and to help me own my independence. I am a badass. I am a traveler. 

Sola. Alone. By myself. The morning that Cassia left was a hungover morning. We had to go big for her last night. We had spent the evening at Eddie’s playing pool, line dancing and singing karaoke. Truly a night to remember. 

My first night alone at the hostel was isolating. I truly felt alone. I felt awkward. I felt like I didn’t belong. After having private rooms for the first part of the trip, I got used to a good nights sleep. Now I was sharing a dorm room with 7 other people, and sometimes a cat. Surrounded by people, but I still felt alone.  

Someone - or rather a few someone’s - snored that night and I tried to sleep with my earplugs safely away in my backpack.  A great spot for them, NOT. That night I woke up convinced that I was not cut out for traveling. 

I could not handle it. 
I didn’t like hostels. 
I had a hard time making friends. 
I wasn’t meant for this. 
I should go home. 

Talk about a Mexi-cution*. An execution is a putting to death especially as a legal penalty. A Mexi-cution is the metaphorical death period that you go through before you can come out stronger on the other side. I am in the midst of mine. 

The next night was better. Mr. Snores Loudly checked out and the hostel was quieter. I made friends with the other travelers and the volunteers at the hostel. I pet the cat. I swung in the hammock. I ate the guacamole and life was looking up. 

The first 5 days alone at this hostel seemed to fly by much quicker than the first eight days with Cassia. All of a sudden, I was packing my bags and getting ready to head to the airport the next morning. Something that I was dreading. 

One: I would have to leave this place, this hostel, this cat, my new friends. 
Two: This is my first solo adventure in another country and this would be my first time exploring a new place SOLO. Getting to the hostel SOLO. 

I was a solo traveler but I wasn’t alone. 

Some guys and new friends that I met at the hostel were also flying out that morning. Different flights and destinations, but we split an Uber to the airport. 

Once they left for Mexico City, I found out that someone else from the hostel was actually on the same flight. We chatted and got food together during the layover.

Get to the airport ✔️
First flight ✔️
Second flight ✔️
Get to the hostel…

This part I was worried about. There is a bus from the airport into Centro in Puerto Vallarta. Perfect. I have my Mexico sim card so I can map the way. Perfect. I found the bus stop. Perfect. It is only 10 pesos. Perfect. Finding the correct bus, turns out not perfect. It was crowded, I was tired and by the time I saw the number on the bus and determined that it was my bus, it was happily driving away. Again and again. Fuck. I’m alone. That is until I found some lovely english speaking tourists who were looking for the same bus. Perfect. This new connection with the other travelers helped ease my anxiety with the bus. I made it to the hostel with no further anxiety or complications. 

I’m a badass. I’m a solo traveler, but I am never truly alone.

Once I arrived at my hostel and settled in, I actually found myself craving alone time, so I went out for a walk to explore and take photos of the sights. The Centro is such a beautiful area with so many colours.

I finished the night with a beach sunset and margaritas with chips and guacamole with old friends who are also traveling through Puerto Vallarta! What a small world. 

All in all, a great day and a great trip. I’ve smiled, I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve been so overwhelmed, and I’ve been so so happy. And this is just the beginning. ✈️