" We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again -- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more". By Pico Iyer
Fancy hotels, pretty stores, being waited on with fancy drinks, and frou- frou restaurants are all great but they don't change you. It is the other part of traveling that changes you and that is what we truly love. Experiencing other cultures, getting lost, wandering through foreign markets and grocery stores having authentic experiences, conversations with the local people, seeing how they live, what they really eat, what they think. We spent a good amount of time away from the tourist zone, seeking out some local culture. Our last night was spent in a local home - Aerolito, was found through an airbnb search. Arianne, our host, a German expatriate, living in Mexico rents space in her home so she "can get in touch with people from all over the world." We shared an evening of food, drink and conversation with Ariane, her friends, family and two travelers (mike and sharon) from Chicago also staying at Aerolito. It was hands down the best night of our trip.
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One of her rooms for rent |
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a little bit of zen space to relax at aerolito |
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she has built a few cabanas in her backyard to accommodate travelers |
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Our host Ariane |
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Ariane's artwork can be found throughout the property |
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simple food that was out of this world good. |
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Good stuff |
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The kids filled a pinata with treats and then proceeded to beat the heck out of it |
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Entrance to our room |
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Inside our room |
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Our cool door handle |
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Our home for the night |
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So long I wish we were able to stay longer. It was all good. |