Two Months

When I arrived to the Cuna De Tierra vineyards just outside of Dolores Hildago, I had no idea that two months later I would be saying goodbye to a new a dear friend. Just two months ago, I expected that I would be staying there like most of the places I have traveled to thus far with touch and go relationships and making quick friends on the road. But, as life would have it, things change, and curve balls are thrown. In these two months, I left one relationship, and enriched several new ones.

My new dear friend Paco is someone that I will hold close to my heart on this journey across the globe. He is family. Because of him, I was able to take the time to understand a culture a little bit more, make new friends, find the time to heal from a failed relationship, and contribute to something bigger than me and my journey.

Two months ago, it was Dia de la Muerte (Day of the Dead). We went to San Miguel, a popular ex-patriot town with picturesque squares, a grand Cathedral, and a perfect place to experience Day of the Dead. That night I met Courtney and Shelly. They were from Maine, and were on extended holiday here in SMA (San Miguel). I would later catch up with them, but I had some transitioning to do over the next 10 days in order to move on with my journey as a solo act.

During the transition one of the things I did to help earn my keep in Paco’s home was to help his with some of his projects which I wrote about earlier in my blog.

Time went on and my solo life was taking shape, I was able to catch up with my new friends Courtney and Shelly in Guanajuato. I really liked the city. It is a chaotic mess of twisted streets, tunnels that seem to time warp you from one side of the city to the next. Unlike San Miguel, It has a youthful crowd of artist and students rather than retired ex-patriots. This is what the new generation of Mexico is shaping up to be.

We partied the night away making more friends Chaim and Irene. It was great to feel free, and to let go of inhibitions that I have been holding for a long time. We ended the night, proudly getting kicked out of the most popular night club in GTO because my companions were making some of the local girls jealous, and well, they could have that. GTO left a place in my heart and I would return again, and again.

A month has passed now, and I was deciding my next move. Paco who had been so gracious with me offered his home and family for Christmas. I was feeling the eagerness to keep traveling, but had no plans for the holidays and had no idea where I would be. So, I decided to stay until the new year. Paco and I continued to work on his projects and before we knew it, we had completed most of our goals.

I believe that good finds good, and that ‘karma’ plays with us in our lives. Paco is man with who is free with his heart and brings happiness to those around him. His generosity and loyalty have, in many ways, kept him from reaching his own potential, because he sacrifices so much for others. So, on a fateful weekend about a two weeks before Christmas, Paco got a visit from an old friend. By the end of that weekend, Paco would become a new manager for a factory that employs over 400 employees.

Christmas was upon us and we traveled to Mexico City to spend the holiday with his family. Oihane, an old friend of Paco’s from Spain, who was now living in Ecuador, flew in for a Christmas. Being a motorcycle rider/enthusiast herself, she and I became friends quickly and we spent the next week getting to know each other well. She was planning a trip from Ecuador to Patagonia next October, so we had lots to talk about, and if fate has it we will reunite and travel together. Oihane left after the new year, and took a little piece of my heart with her. She is a force in this world. A proud Basque Woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. This she reminded me often,

So, in two months a lot can change. The new year shuffled out the old, and brought in the new. New freedoms, new friends, new opportunities, and new inspirations. And although I had found a small new life in Dolores, it was time to move on. I am thankful for all the friends I made in this time, and hope to keep them in my life. Jordie, Saida, Lidia, Maureen, Araceli, Roberto, Jim, Jenz, Robert and Chilo.

So I said farewell to my new good friend, but will never say goodbye. Thank you Paco.