An Incredible Day in the Life of a Digital Nomad
Living and working in Mérida, México as a digital nomad over the past four weeks has been a wonderful experience. Visiting 3 local cenotes yesterday, took it to another level.
Every day as a nomad is different, how yesterday unfolded was particularly spectacular.
My day started at 7am with my typical morning activities of Qigong, meditation, journaling and a quick workout.
I had hoped to see some cenotes before leaving Merida tomorrow but I didn’t have a firm plan. The tour buses all left in the morning and I had some calls and other things to do, so I couldn’t leave before noon.
Serendipitously, after I finished my calls, I ran into my landlord, he explained how to take the local bus and a friend was available to join me. Everything was working out.
At 12 noon, I changed clothes and walked about a kilometer to the bus stop. My friend met me there and we caught the local bus (34 Mexican pesos / $2 US) and rode about 75 min to the cenotes.
We paid 350 MX pesos (just under $20 US) for entry to 3 cenotes and a full meal. They gave us life vests and a choice of grabbing a free bicycle or taking the “trolley” for the roughly 1 km trip from the main building to the cenotes.
It was super (hot 95F) so we chose the trolley which turned out to be a cart on train tracks that was pulled by a horse.
We got dropped off in an open area with some outside showers and a bathroom. It took us a minute to realize that the area that looked like a small deck was the entrance to the first cenote.
We started down the stairs and went down a few flights.
OMG! The cenote was incredible! The water was beautiful, the cavern was magnificent, the lighting was perfect, and there was a sense of complete calm.
Even though we had seen almost a dozen people outside, we were the only ones inside. We were blown away by how incredibly beautiful it was. The water, the cavern, the energy, and having the space all to ourselves had us giddy in awe and literally giggling with joy.
We swam around just enjoying the wonder of the place. Finally, we remembered that there were other cenotes to see, so we tore ourselves away and headed off to the next.
We walked back to the tram stop and saw the sign to the 2nd cenote. This one was as amazing as the first one, only bigger. It was so big there was a lifeguard. We did not get to have this one to ourselves but it was still a magical experience. The water was strikingly deep blue. The light shining from the holes in the ceiling caused the water to shimmer magically in places. The ceiling was covered with stalactites.
We spent about 25 minutes absolutely enjoying the 2nd cenote when we realized that it was getting late in the day and we still had another cenote to explore.
The 3rd cenote, which had an open top, was also incredibly gorgeous. You could see the roots from the trees outside, growing downwards toward the water. We were running out of time, so we had to leave after only about 10 minutes in the water. We caught the horse drawn trolley back to the main building and enjoyed a wonderful meal of local food before catching the bus back to town.
I walked home from the bus stop and was back at my studio apartment by 7:30 pm. I was even able to squeeze in a couple of hours on my computer before I called it a night.
While yesterday was not a typical nomading day, I do make an effort to explore and do things that bring me joy every day. I often have full days but I do my best to find workspaces that nourish my soul, when I don’t have to be inside on Zoom calls.
Each week, when my schedule permits, I allow for a ½ day activity on a weekday when there are no crowds. On other days, if I take a break in the middle of the day, I'll usually work again later at night.
My time in Mexico has been an opportunity to see life from a new perspective, while still getting my work done. Every day is a new experience. Some days are mundane, others are awe inspiring. Days like yesterday show me just how incredible this lifestyle can be.
(February 23, 2023)
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Julie Allen is an Executive Leadership and Personal Transformation Coach. She helps people discover their authentic leadership style and live with unapologetic authenticity.