Recently I had a vivid experience of how an identical situation can look dramatically different depending on the lens through which we view it. Last year I came to Mexico for a month over Christmas and decided to be spontaneous in booking accommodation. Over the years, I have experimented with planning everything on a trip as well as leaving things less organized. I have learned that being spontaneous can significantly increase the magic of an experience. The downside is that sometimes it doesn’t work out and creates equal levels of anxiety. This seems very consistent with the Chinese philosophy of yin-yang suggesting that opposites are also interconnected. I’m
Last year I learned that spontaneity over Christmas in this part of Mexico is a recipe for disaster and yet there was also a moment of magic. My first stay in a town called Sayulita was not ideal. I had booked late, it was a nice room, but it was too far from the beach and did not have a patio. I learned this is an essential requisite when I’m having a tropical vacation.
I only had my room for five days because basically, the town was booked up. Searching revealed no desirable accommodation at all. Feeling a little pissed, I decided to look further afield and took the bus to a nearby town called San Francisco. It’s only a few miles up the coast. It was quieter, the town seemed cute, I found a lovely bistro overlooking a sandy beach, then tried to find a place to stay. Absolutely no luck! Things looked bleak, this spontaneity thing sucked! Somewhat disconsolately I was walking back to catch the bus back; I was strolling through a delightful palm strewn,, grassy space adjacent to the bistro and the ocean when a voice interrupted my frustration. “Can I help you?” I looked up to see a reception desk where a pretty Mexican young woman named Fernanda was seated.
I realized I was walking through what appeared to be a boutique hotel. Spontaneously I responded, “do you have any rooms available?” She replied that they were full, but then hesitated and said well, you can have this room for five nights, and then you can move to another room for four nights. The first room she identified was absolutely perfect, spacious, clean, with a magnificent view across the palms and a lovely pool to the ocean, together with a delightful outside patio for my personal use. It was expensive but who cared! I snatched it up.
Before I left this paradise, I realized I would plan my next December trip well ahead so made a reservation for two weeks over Christmas and New Year . I was not going to risk any repeat experience. It was an expensive treat to keep this room over Christmas and New Year as the prices went up significantly however, it felt worth it. It seemed an idyllic spot for my stay next year. I left my deposit of 5000 pesos and carried on with my trip.
This year I left nothing to chance. I booked early in what seemed to be a beautiful, new oceanfront hotel in Sayulita called AzulPitaya. Despite Sayulita getting busier, it had a charm and familiarity after sixteen years, and I also get my teeth cleaned here every year. Hopefully this time I had accommodation I could enjoy.
Fortunately I loved my new hotel. It was by far the nicest place I’ve stayed in Mexico. It had spacious rooms, was moderate in size, had a beautiful patio, overlooking the ocean, kitchen facilities, and was modern, clean with very friendly staff. I also got complimentary breakfast, but although I don’t eat at that time of day, I would help myself to fresh fruit – pineapple, papaya, banana, and cantaloup to have later in the day. It felt uncrowded, with a quiet shaded beach area. Basically I enjoyed a blissful six days and I felt reluctant to leave however I had my “nirvana” to look forward to.
It was a short 250 peso cab ride. I was there at noon and I was shocked by the negativity that welled up. What had happened to my perfect escape? It looked jaded, almost shabby in comparison. The manager attempted to move me from the room I had reserved. The patio, table and chairs were dirty, The room was clean and spacious but had few of the accoutrements I was used to. What had happened to the idyllic retreat I had so loved the previous year.
I unpacked noticing the lack of storage space, the absence of a comfortable couch or chair, the fact that the bistro was closed, even the grass did not look as green. I went for a stroll, had a weak, lukewarm coffee and felt thoroughly out of sorts! It was about then I realized I needed an attitude adjustment. I began by analyzing my reaction this year vs. last year. Last year I viewed Hotel Ysuri through the lens of desperation and anxiety. It seemed like the answer to all my prayers. I had found my nirvana. This year I looked at it through a different lens all together. I had just left a very impressive, quite perfect experience. Hotel Ysuri had not changed at all but I had. It had lost its lustre in light of my changed reality.
I cleaned off the table, opened a beer and watched an astonishing sunset. My world began to reform before my eyes. As Canadian motivational speaker Brian Tracey once observed, “ you cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude towards it, and in that you will be mastering change, rather than allowing it to master you.”
Posted by ta44 
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