Ryan's Journal

"My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" — David Mitchell

The Birds Steal Condiments

Posted from Isla Mujeres, Mexico at 8:44 pm, June 8th, 2011

First full day scorecard: two pina coladas, two substantial naps, one swim, six fish tacos and two iguanas. An attempt to beat the heat by running at 6:30 AM failed miserably due to temperatures that fell somewhere between “sauna” and “convection oven”, but complaining about weather on a tropical island is a bit like whining about taxes after winning the lottery, and therefore such commentary is hereafter banished from this journal. Tomorrow’s activity is a boat trip to swim with whale sharks (yeah, that’s right, whale sharks) and rumor has it that they are here in large numbers so tomorrow may be one of those rare days that will gain permanent storage in the memory banks along with a handful of other notable adventures.

Never Say Never

Posted from Isla Mujeres, Mexico at 10:01 pm, June 7th, 2011

After visiting over thirty countries during my 35 years, a long-overdue trip to America’s southern neighbor has finally added Mexico to the list of places in which I’ve set foot. The day’s journey started with a wakeup call at the ungodly hour of 4:15 AM, was immediately followed by an even more ungodly thirty minute run, and then improved noticeably with a first-class seat from LAX to DFW, some barbecue in the Dallas airport, and another first-class seat to Cancun. From there it was a mere two hours of standing in line to get through customs, and an hour and a half to get out of Cancun and across the water to Isla Mujeres, after which Audrey and I set about finding our hotel and appropriate island beverages. The coming days promise much in the way of water, sand, and napping, with fish tacos and pina coladas to be employed as often as possible in service of maximizing island time.