)I( notes from the playa
The past few days here “on playa'“ - or, should I say - in Playa del Carmen have been nothing short of…mesmerizing. What is there to make of a place like this? I have been calling Playa del Carmen “the playa” in my brain because the only place I can truly compare in craziness level to Playa del Carmen is a place like burning man…. although the ethos of these two places are so different. I’m oscillating between saying that Playa del Carmen is NOTHING like the burn and EVERYTHING like the burn, and I can’t really decide which is more true. I know that similar types of people travel to Playa del Carmen as well as to Burning Man - people with ideas, people who are interested in improving their health and well-being, people with an adventurous spirit. Playa del Carmen and Burning Man are also similar because they are walking paradoxes; Burning Man is a festival that was once based in the spirit of de-commodification but that people now shop at Walmart to prepare for, and PDC was once a quaint coastal town, but is now a boombox playing the same mixtape of tourist traps, and it’s streets are littered and dirty in the same way as party cities such as New Orleans. People travel all over the world to visit both Playa del Carmen and to visit Burning Man - both places host international communities, and both bring a certain “type” of person- yogis, spiritual seekers, artists, musicians. There is no ethical consumption under the rain cloud of late stage capitalism - but there are still people trying to find themselves.
Playa and Burning Man are comparable when it comes to the level of heat (literally) as well as the “party all night long” energy. They are also places full of paradox. It is easy to get lost in a place like Playa del Carmen or Burning Man and it is just as easy to “get found”. I have had experiences here that range from not being able to find an ADO bus stop and missing my 8 pm bus to Tulum and having to wait for the 11 pm bus to Tulum - to stumbling upon a beautiful apartment for the cost of $350 USD a month. On the night that I got stranded at the bust stop, three soccer moms found me crying. I was over-heated and out of it, and they asked me if I was ok. “I’m fine”, I responded. I didn’t want to let these women on to the fact that in no way was I “fine”. “You look like you’re on something”, one of these ladies responded. I hadn’t taken anything but I had packed up all of my things on five hours of sleep and didn’t have a clue on where I was going. I felt and looked like I was on drugs - the heat was exhausting, I had missed my bus stop and walked 2 miles dragging a 30 pound suitcase behind me. Why had I brought this gigantic coat with me to Mexico? Why do I even have any stuff with me at all??
I have a CarHart jacket that someone gave me to 3 years ago. It’s the type of coat someone wears when they are working on a construction project, it’s a pricy jacket. I LOVE this coat and it has been on so many adventures with me. So here I was, sitting on a park bench in the middle of a gigantic tourist trap in Mexico, feeling salty, and with a CarHart jacket. And these ladies wanted to make sure I was okay.
They ushered me into one of the hostels and gave the guy at the counter $30 so I could crash for the night. I woke up feeling well enough to figure out what my next steps “On Playa” were. I don’t know these ladies at all, and one of them told me the ring I was wearing was tacky, and they also fed me gluten - but their random act of kindness could have possibly saved my life. It was truly a random act of kindness AND it was only something that I have experienced “On Playa” (aka at Burning Man). Sometimes I really feel like I should have a t-shirt on that says “I AM SO HAPPY - AND - I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING”.
I remember seeing a sign in Los Angeles that said “The Best Travelers have NO FIXED PLANS” and I have often wondered what would happen if I adhered to that advice. The best travelers have…no fixed plans? I would have liked to have the foresight to at least have mailed this jacket to someone three weeks ago. I think the best travelers have a bit of foresight as well as “NO FIXED PLANS”.
So here I am, in Mexico - trying to follow the rule of NO FIXED PLANS. Or at least, to not have self judgement about it. I am thankful for the moments that I have had had here - and it’s been pretty great traveling car-less. Having a car is definitely A LOT more convenient and a part of me has wondered why I have not just bought a small car while being here but everything modern seems to have some kind of opportunity cost. The opportunity cost of cars is : fossil fuel + $$. So I have been existing in a world where I am trying to save $$ and burn less fossil fuel. AH! I have the impulse to spray paint “NO FIXED PLANS” somewhere, but I don’t have the motivation to spend $10 or convince someone to sell me, an American, a can of spray paint at 3 pm on a Saturday. Is it appropriate at all to spray paint something in Mexico as an American? Is it appropriate to do anything in Mexico as an American? These are questions I ask myself daily.
Ah.
Time to continue on.