From early morning I wasn't entirely sure that today I'd end up where I am now

From early morning I wasn't entirely sure I'd end up where I am now. There was a vague feeling that something was off. And, as it turned out, not without reason. I booked accommodation through AirBNB while I still could — before March 10th, before all bank cards were cut off abroad — and started getting ready for the trip.

I wrote to the apartment owner periodically, but the owner either just ignored me or didn't see my messages — at the time I didn't pay enough attention to it. No, and that's that. It had never happened before that I arrived and no one met me there, and I usually book mostly through this service — AirBNB.

But then my intuition spoke up in a loud voice and I, without thinking long, wrote to support so they could also try to contact the owner and find out why he wasn't answering me. Otherwise it might turn out that I'd arrive and not find the house — I've had such troubles before, sometimes I have to call the owner to meet me and show me to the room.

Support also couldn't reach the owner. They informed me about it in an email, and also decided it would be right to automatically cancel the booking with a subsequent transfer of the money to my Russian card, which would happen in 5-15 days. That definitely wasn't part of my plans. Why would I need money on my Russian card here, abroad?

Support also said they'd help me find other similar accommodation. And they asked — could I pay for the booking. I replied that, of course, I couldn't, I'm Russian. )) My cards are blocked, I'm cut off from the foreign financial system and all I can do now is pay with cash — the old-fashioned way.

The support agent, apparently, didn't know how badly Russian tourists were stuck in this whole situation and promised to help me with this issue. He asked me to give him some time to consult with management.

Meanwhile, oh miracle, the owner of the apartment I booked writes to me and apologizes for how ugly it turned out. He told me that the fact his apartment was listed among available bookings was a mistake, and that it's not being rented out at the moment.

As an apology, he offered to let me stay at his place for a couple of days until I found something better. I agreed in advance and replied that if I didn't find accommodation today, I'd go to him. Going there, of course, I had no desire — it was an extra 70 km, and the town of Acayucan — that's exactly what it's called — isn't on the coast, and the town itself, judging by the photos, is so-so.

I already wanted to stay here, in Coatzacoalcos. It's a small and cheap town, a bit farther from Catemaco, where I want to get to soon, but on the seacoast! And more civilized. Not like Playa, you can still feel some backwardness, but still it's a city. At first glance. Lack of civilization isn't to my advantage right now — I'm still working and can't take risks — what if the internet lags somewhere. Not the time to say goodbye to work yet.

First I got on Facebook and looked at what offers there were in its famous and, by the way, very convenient service that I've used here many times — Marketplace. The only thing, perhaps, that I love Facebook for. Apartments there are cheaper than what you can find on AirBNB or Booking-com, but in reliability they of course lose out. If accommodation rental services, no matter what, guarantee the presence of all the amenities listed in the description — Wi-Fi, water, and other conveniences that apartment owners really try their best to maintain — then on Facebook, as I understand it, no one will give such guarantees. No one to answer to, everything's on your word of honor.

And yet, I arranged to view a couple of apartments through Facebook. Neither one was in the center, they were on the outskirts of the city, and that wasn't cool at all. I'm already pretty tired of living far from the center — too much time goes into moving from point A to point B. Taxis in the eastern part of the country work, to put it mildly, rather poorly, and you, of course, don't know the bus stops. Well, they don't have DoubleGis, what can you do. Only the capital Mexico City keeps up with the civilized world and you can navigate quite normally with Google Maps. But in all other cities you need to be a local and live for several years to figure out all the stops and memorize all the route numbers. In all other cases, the bus isn't for you, foreigner. Be so kind, catch a taxi, where you, as a white person, will most likely pay double or even triple, or walk. I usually choose the second option, since catching a taxi doesn't always work out, and in the time I stand waiting for a taxi driver in a white car, I can already walk to where I need to go, spending 30-40 minutes on it. During that time I usually walk and write some post or learn Spanish words. I don't waste time. What difference does it make to me — sitting and doing it at home, or doing it on the go. Movement is life! 🔥

Anyway, if anyone gets the bright idea to create their own DoubleGis here, write to me. )) I'll help with marketing. I know how to get this thing rolling in this country. We'll split the money 💰 This is really lacking here. I don't understand at all why no one has done this here yet. It's really like a hole in a vacuum here. The main thing is to find investors.

Let's continue the story. The most interesting part is just now 🔮 I was already starting to pack up when the AirBNB support agent writes to me and says they're ready to give me a discount coupon for the full cost of accommodation, up until April 8th. Well, well, I thought. Wow. Things like that happen, totally unexpected. Cool people work at AirBNB, now that's the only reason I won't cheat on them with Booking-com, their direct competitor. ))

In the end, I booked an apartment that turned out to be better than in the photo, probably twice as good. It has everything — a kitchen, even if it's in the hallway, but that's even better for me — less cleaning to do, a bedroom with a big bed, a decent bathroom, and the accommodation itself is right in the city center, which was my top priority. I don't want to walk half an hour to training anymore, I want to do it in 5 minutes.

There is goodness in this world. And life really is like a zebra. )) God takes, God gives. Yesterday I was robbed, today I was gifted. This morning I couldn't have imagined I'd end up in such a wonderful house with such nice, kind owners. I incredibly love Mexicans, they are simple and good-natured people who would never hide an axe behind their back. They are what they are. Without falseness and dirt — the purest creatures. At least, that's the kind I keep meeting. I've been lucky with property owners from the very start.

Inspired, I'm finishing this post and already glancing toward the shower. I'll unpack my things now, take a shower, work a bit, and lie down to catch up on sleep. Today was a tough day. Although, I admit, I don't even remember what a simple day looks like anymore, when you don't have to do anything, when you just rest from everything, put your brain on the shelf and just live. Peace is just a dream 😉 We'll rest... someday. 🙂

In the end, coming back to where we started — I really, starting from the morning, wasn't doubting for nothing that I'd end up in a place completely different from my original plans. Let's see what's interesting here! 🏜

With faith in goodness, and also in the fact
that the world doesn't... not care about us,

Arthur O'Harra.