You're Welcome to the Jungle! May 31st, 2007

Hola amigos y amigas!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the summer! I just wanted to write a few lines as it's been a while. I'm writing from Playa (again), and apart from a cough I'm feeling great. The sun is out again, the sea is an incredible blue, and life is good!

I have been having a testing time over the last week living in a jungle palapa (hut) near the ocean at a work-in-progress retreat centre in Puerto Morelos, a fishing village near Cancun. It's been bucketing down with rain every day so haven't enjoyed it as much as I would have liked - ocean, cenotes, sweatlodge, forest and birds all around - but have done some great writing so all is not lost! I've been living there for free, and I'm helping my good friend Goyo, who I met in the jungles of Palenque, set up a healing and retreat centre. He's a real character, and is turning into an unlikely muse as my writing goes from strength to strength.

Several nights ago we did a temescal or Mayan sweat lodge. It was great to sing and howl in the womb of the earth! I banged my drum so hard it is now consigned to the graveyard of instruments! The mosquitos were out in force, and the rain torrential, and afterwards I stood in the rain for ages just feeling the purity of it. We had another temescal last night for the (late) full moon which was magical, and I had the strange sensation of waking up today feeling like I'm in love. The rain has gone now. I had been talking to Chac-xhel, the Mayan rain goddess, to hold off for a couple of weeks before I go insane, and thankfully so far she has been complying! It rained constantly for nearly a week and severly tested my desire to live in the jungle. I've been covered in bites, constantly damp, dirty, tired of squatting in the bushes and being confined to my room. I asked for this test and it will be interesting to see how it turns out! I'm adapting and also seeing where I don't want to budge. All part of the experiment. So after nearly 4 months life is telling me to move on from Mexico, at least for a little while! Next week I'm off to Mexico City, then I'm planning to go to Costa Rica, Peru and Boliva. I'm planning to return to the Mexican Caribbean in August to work for a while, and then will do Guatemala, Oaxaca, all these joys are still to come! I'm planning to be in London late Sept. I'm getting v excited about leaving here, but nervous at the same time.So I'm an offical failure! I just traded my backpack for a suitcase with wheels and handle - it was a nice dream but I guess it's just not my destiny! It was really heavy - I don't know people manage to lug them around, especially in the heat.

Been having a romantic time of late. In Merida I had a holiday romance with a guy from Mexico City, Hugo, and we've met up 3 times now in various exotic locations. We recently spent a week in the paradise that is Sian Ka'an reserve which was blissful. He's very nice, despite his carnivorous ways, ha ha! I'm going to visit him in his home town to get to know him a bit better and make a decision as to whether to continue or move on. I want somebody on the same path and somebody who can be with me, among many many other things - no more long distance relationships!

I've been experiencing some animal welfare nightmares of late that have had me mroe than queasy. The other day we were driving to a cenote for a swim and watched helplessly as the guys in front deliberately ran over a small snake. Its guts were hanging out and the poor thing was going round in circles, from pain or hopefully from shock. I didn't want to run it over again to add insult to injury, but upon reflection I should have put it out of its misery. The other day I went to meet a friend of a friend whose husband was in a fishing tournament - I was talking to her and watching them bring past huge dead swordfish, marlin, all sorts of beautiful creatures. On the positive front, when I was in Sian Ka'an a turtle nested in front of my cabana, and for days after the shape remained in the sand. I'm hoping to be there in August when the little wigglers make their run for it! I'll be there beating off the birds!

Anyway, lots of love to you, enjoy your day!

Sandra xx