Tag: Merida

Travel in What Pictures Cannot Capture

January 27, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson
Travel in what pictures cannot capture.
Travel in that, from which pictures can just borrow a piece.

When I first landed in Merida, I did not expect to stay so long, though I thought it efficient to run out my tourist Visa. (180 days).

I look at my photos, yes picturesque, yet they do not capture all the beauty and anguish interwoven into the weeks. They don’t match the ease I felt sitting in the sun after a long project and drinking agua fresca. Salsa in the bar. Daily free performances. Restaurant stands. Cute shops. The pictures do not capture the taste of a good Mexican meal, only the appearance and sometimes, they mistakenly highlight a tasteless Yucatecan one.

The pictures are graciously appreciated yet also inconsiderate of the anxiety I felt leaving a nice Merida neighborhood for an inconvenient one.

Pictures borrow a piece from the scenery, they borrow a piece from the nostalgia, they borrow a piece from the senses that engage in the moment. They borrow from the delight and sometimes veil the anxious spirit. They borrow and allow a revisit to the places, to the feelings and sometimes uplift a moment that was not uplifting and alternately dull a moment absolutely beyond exhilarating.

The experiences were unimaginable. I am glad I tested out a desire to see the Mexican city among the many, and look forward to soon seeing if the feelings, both okay and good, are still there. Yet, short, round-trip ticket, this time.😊

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Telling Time

May 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

I plan to go back to Guatemala.

Although, I left the country for Mexico about a month ago and I really enjoy myself here, the Central American country stays on my mind. 15 days was not enough to do all I wanted to do, which also would include a lot of days, just being there not having to do anything, freelance work or otherwise. The capital city specifically lingers with me, and I just want to linger there.

Can a person instantly adopt another comfort zone? Is it possible for a person to feel like she stands out while feeling welcomed at the same time? Yes. Apparently. Both.

People were not too prying, just nicely curious and not so much in circumstances where you are also just a passer-by, a shopper, dining in, strolling. They are just notably kind and receiving.

Being a nomad in a lot of Latin America has generally felt similar, mixed with hanging out with travelers and locals between work and volunteering and my own preferred sight-seeing.

I cannot detach myself from the high relaxed vibe I feel wandering around Guatemala City (Ciudad de Guatemala) for a couple of hours, working from a coffee shop and even exchanging pleasantries and jokes in the grocery store. I can easily get used to working from this capital city, and of course, you know, I am already more than okay with not having a boss. Just mere deadlines.

I love the city of people who are native to the place. I loved how accessible many of the stores and restaurants were to my neighborhood. I was in Zone 1, but in consideration of Zone 4 for next time. I enjoyed hanging out there. I Ubered to Zone 9, to a more touristy area one day and loved that it still wasn’t touristy, just ritzier. Btw, the flirtation is welcome as well.😉

Most likely, I see myself returning to Guatemala City. It was the sleeper hit I was not expecting because I really enjoyed Panama and Colombia among new places I had never been as well as my familiar Peru where I have been planning to stay.

I simply did not know what to expect from a city and country I had not yet considered among the stops. I had heard good things on YouTube mainly. The visitors were not wrong, and I now have more of a sense of how stress-free and productive I could be there.

I still must be vigilant, especially now as a solo traveler. I remind myself to be discerning and I guess at my more mature age and with more experience,  I enjoy myself while deferring to my instincts. Even being somewhere twice now, like Colombia, I have faced a familiar scam of being overcharged.

Yet again, Guatemala? There is so much more to eat (both cooking at home and eating out). There is a lot more ideal weather to sit in. There are more libations and cappuccinos to sip on, and I need a lot more time to hang out with the local people and expats.

I may not go back immediately but, as I mentioned, I am quite enjoying myself in Mexico again. I just got back to my accommodations from VEGAMO restaurant in Mexico City and once again, I am just reminded of all the unique places, hospitality and conversations each country has to offer. This is my first time in the capital, and I want to stay at least a third of the time I stayed in Merida. Time to take my time.

Medellin, Colombia

October 31, 2024 by Cassandra Johnson

Medellin has been my safe space. My stay in this city has turned out to be longer than I thought before I move on to the cities of Bogota and Cartagena.

Medellin, Colombia came after I once again left my bae, Peru, so I am pleased that visiting here has reiterated my more uplifting travel experiences. Peru was etched nicely in my past and remains in my future dreams while Colombia was on the horizon to be brand new. New surroundings, very friendly people, and my variety of experiences fortify my decision to continue working as a digital nomad, for now.

Medellin particularly facilitates a calmness that is better for my nervous system. It is coincidentally telling that several of the people here have encouraged me to remain calm. Just in passing and not out of extreme gravity, they say “Tranquila” and encourage me to keep embracing the natural parts of me that remain as my optimistic and free-spirited desires. Simultaneously, I am at ease and then in other instances, it is nice to have the reminders and not be too overly preoccupied with being mistaken or perceived incorrectly. I was probably taken to task in too many instances before I left the country, which is enough to concern me despite my best efforts.

I was not expecting both my differences and similarities to be so welcomed and to fit so well into a place I have never been. I enjoy being complimented for who I am. I like being appreciated for knowing Spanish and I like that it is okay not to know, as well.

Sadly, with my roots, I have to admit, I am not accustomed to going for an extended period of time without being othered. I am not used to getting to leave that feeling behind as I can at this moment, and I readily feel the potential discomfort when I reenter the United States. As much as I care as well as enjoy my birthplace and home and hold it in affinity, there is some need for self-protection there.

Another gift: Medellin allows me the opportunity to further shape my work-life balance, looking back on how I thoroughly enjoyed Merida, Mexico and San Juan, Puerto Rico, but got it sorely wrong in both places.

So Medellin has left me feeling some type of continued good way, a way that is more kindred and comfortable the majority of the time. The travel difference now, (former volunteer versus current worker) has proved a gentler reinitiation thanks to the people that reside here, their culture and the setting.

I admittedly did not know how I would adjust to life on the road/in the sky as a full-time instead of part-time wanderer, so thank you, Medellin for being a bridge along the way back to San Juan to Merida to Guadalajara to Oaxaca to Lima to Cusco to you and beyond.

On Second Thought

March 29, 2024 by Cassandra Johnson

These March blogs come as a substitute for what I was originally going to present because I’m now working on an older computer (thankful for it, mind you!) while the laptop with all my notes for blogs and writing-inspired moments in general were saved on the aforementioned laptop in dire need of a charger replacement.

The charger needing to be replaced is almost comical in a series of ups and downs I have experienced while attempting to be an organized digital nomad, but truly it’s also another source of frustration or rather a reminder of frustrations and workarounds.

Not wanting to reorder a replacement card from one bank while I was in San Juan and just happening to lose it did not seem like such a big deal (I had my reasons). I thought it would be such a hassle not to have access to it and just came to rely on a second one for all things: payment, withdrawals, etc. That was all fine and good until I attempted to do a mobile deposit but then suddenly, the powers that be of the other bank decides, nope, we are just going to close this account altogether due to “suspicious activities” (Luckily I am now skilled at sending myself money).

It is no joke that as a long-term traveler, one can definitely be hit with the workarounds, so amongst all the pretty pictures and all the ups, there is also the not-so stellar heavy-bag-toting, sweating, thirsty, muscle-aching days.

Therefore, bear with me people. Love you and love that you have been sticking with me through it all, even when it was just a dream of revisiting Peru for a third time.

I will be writing another March happenstance post very soon, again – not what I planned…. But so much of what I had is unplanning itself …. Sometimes even surprisingly well. Self-guided cash pickups. Who knew? Thankfully. You.

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Today, We Leap

February 29, 2024 by Cassandra Johnson

I like how rare this is. We only get one leap day every four years, and I am reminded I have reignited the plunge I sparked in 2010. I am reminded I have the capacity to do what is unique and strange again. Like many friends (bus, train and flight-bound), I have been nervous along the way but as I noted: My expectations and inspiration far outweigh any doubt I easily identify as a potential obstacle growing into regret.

Everyday, I am reminded I am different in a country not my own. In the country that was my own, the difference began to meet rejection early on. Fair moments, revelations and acceptance could do their work, yet fall short of those experiences which shape our formative years.

Now abroad in Mexico, somehow, the difference seems more welcome, reminding me of affectionate conversations and quality time I had during Pisco Sin Fronteras (Pisco Without Borders). Looking very different from the other Westerners that went to Peru to volunteer then, I wanted to be a part of improving infrastructure after a natural disaster and be someone who shared experiences with people who worked along with us and could face the same judgments I could.

As I wrote of a new life that is healing to me, I sometimes feel like a casual liaison between home and new international places who can be friendly and say a lot or not much at all. I get to be a person who is free, friendly, pensive, outgoing and reserved.

I am consistently aware of how different I am. Only this time, the difference isn’t as daunting as having to be in a space where I could be instantly judged poorly on any micro or macro level or feel expected to represent a variety of people despite my own independent ideas and presence.

This time, being as different as I naturally am feels welcomed abroad by local people, new residents and other visitors like me. Affection and innocent curiosity is exchanged for the microscope (though this can still appear). The boxes to be fitted in don’t remain so close as they used to be. Many of us have already chosen something so left of the norm. Abnormal becomes the usual.

I know there is no perfection. I know both being welcomed and unwelcomed exist in all our spaces, but there is such a stark contrast between first worrying I could easily not find homes away from my native home yet managing to stumble upon comfort again and again.

Unplan

February 28, 2023 by Cassandra Johnson

Today was an unplanned continuation of my birthday (February 27th). It was not even meant for my birthday but truly could have been because of the celebration of my new life and our lives overall. Whereas I spent last night with my good friend, today, we, together spent the majority of today with 5 more like-minded individuals. How it all happened that we traveled here to Merida solo, with past and future stories of continuing travels and all met eventually today in one spot near the Art gallery exhibition for Afro/African American Cuban Art and stumbled upon an eclectic coffee shop, ordering beverages and chatting some more, parting ways respectively to meet again and visited our very familiar Cuban restaurant with a resident artist and lastly ended at a Vegan restaurant that has improved even more since I got here in December. How it happened. That is just life. Knowing some of the ladies for a while from here, meeting perfect strangers and instantly connecting and shaking off the stresses that came from everyday work in the States. That is just life.

I am still working but more fulfilled. I am pleased I made it here before my birthday, knowing I could have done little or next to nothing and still felt the joy of getting to this sanctuary in which I am readily reminded that I am already in one of my vacation spots when I get done with each project.

Tomorrow = more work. Tomorrow also = rest, rejuvenation and possibly more exploration. Tomorrow may also just =  way more ease in being still, surrounded by art and history and performance, events both seemingly random and anticipated. Tomorrow quite possibly just means more of finding out what makes me comfortable in everyday surroundings and unexpected excitement.

Living meta

January 31, 2023 by Cassandra Johnson

Status: Translating Mexican documents and currently in Mexico (next trip, leaving Merida, Mexico for Oaxaca, Mexico) and noting that the next document to be translated is from Oaxaca.

It’s hard not to feel I am where I should be when past experiences and fantasizing about seeing more of the world are now mixing again. Still I can’t say it’s all fun and games, being the life I want it to be is definitely still to come between working nomadically and feeling comfortable and secure all the time. It ebbs and flows. I note the current reality as a beautiful struggle.

So, I wanted to be a freelance translator when I took up traveling again. I had traveled with my non-profit job and had a hard time forgetting I needed to be back and what still needed to be done once I did get back. Though I had fun, those thoughts lingered. This time is different. I don’t have to be back and sometimes I worry that I have to come back. Sometimes, I miss not being back.

For now, I am liking my changing schedule. Not so random days can include lunch with a one-day roomie from France in which speaking the language we have most in common is Spanish, having lunch in a restaurant with larger than life pictures of Gandhi and Amy Winehouse, stopping into the University of Yucateca in Merida and eating green curry Asian and European food with a Mexican spin while listening to US/British American rock and pop like “Maniac”. Yet, this is still nothing to say of what the current city is most notable for including the cenotes, Mayan ruins, Mayan traditions, colonial influences and Yucatecan food. Taking everything in is magnificent and occasionally a feat.

Recall the adventure book where “you choose” the ending as you go if you will. My less than dramatic version means: I take a break here, hit up a museum there, have lunch with friends, hit up a bar, go to Cantina Negrita, go to Tropico to watch Karaoke and have the best margaritas I have ever tasted, go to the nicest most economical Cuban restaurant (La Cubanita) in the area and lavish a bit more on an establishment here in there on the street, Paseo de Montejo. Still, there are shows all weekend, festivals, events, an abundance of pets and strays in a dog and cat friendly city complementing a focus on biking, roller blading, skateboarding, abundant park spaces, and working and studying friendly people all around. Where I am still fitting in is through working, touring, relaxing, stressing, luxuriating and appreciating. That is all for me and that is everything.

home is where I am getting to

December 29, 2023 by Cassandra Johnson (Merida, MX)

I sat in my very long layovers from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Merida, Mexico, being in Chicago and Houston respectively, and thought I can’t wait to get home. Home? I then realized this just meant the next place I would live for a while and not a place I had even been before. This perspective was surprising and very true since where I was traveling to was not necessarily permanent and was only first introduced to me through my love of Sortilegio. Coincidentally.

Understandably, home naturally once meant somewhere I was already comfortable and to which I would be returning.

Suddenly realizing I could not wait to be here in Merida now felt the same as looking forward to settling back in somewhere and feeling comfortable and satisfied again. I could rest and explore. The feeling resonated especially with my flight ticket being open-ended. This is a very homey feeling. I do not expect to move here but recently, one-ways have meant not necessarily feeling the pressure of time.

Of course, extended time at the airport and just dealing with travel add to the feeling, but I handled the layovers surprisingly well and just became increasingly excited for my next accommodations. Furthermore, within my now locations, I feel myself getting excited about neighborhood and hostel and AirBnB hopping as well (even eyeing a short resort stay in my near future). Home is getting to feel more like having these options and variety. Each option has pros and cons but I  like being in a new neighborhood I can check out and returning “home”/ to wherever my current accommodations may be.

There is a new peace in deciding my true tastes in food, sightseeing and living each day and becoming more accustomed to how each setting has its own uniqueness. It is a test to adapt creature comforts to my new surrounding but sometimes it is easier and sometimes even better than I could have even imagined.

This is it until I become a more permanent expat/immigrant/snowbird, resident. When I am ready, I will know…

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