by Joanna Albrecht | Apr 30, 2013 | Blog
We said our goodbyes to our wonderful new friends and waited for a bus at this bus stop…which we later found out wasn’t a bus stop…I am still not sure what that was, but there was a guy there who I talked to in Spanish and he said to just take a taxi. He then offered us a coke…how nice is that?
We finally flagged down a taxi and headed into the next town.
We got to the next town, but what we didn’t count on was that in order to get across the border to Belize we needed to pay an exit fee for Mexico and an entrance fee for Belize. We had run out of money because we were waiting on someone to pay us from the computer work we had done, so we were stuck. We went to a computer cafe and asked for help from our parents again…
We got more funds and went back to the border. They didn’t take cards so there was some guy with a truck on the side of the road who said he would take me across to the ATM and then bring me back so we could pay and get across. He was nice enough and chatted to me along the way. He said that we should just stay in town for the night, that he knew a place. That seemed really good to me actually because it was getting late and we were so tired. We got the money and got back to Rob who was worried the whole time, understandably so since he just sent his girlfriend off in some random truck with a guy off to who knows where…
We paid and go through and our driver took us to a clean place to sleep for the night. We were so glad to have our own room with a shower and a bed. It was the first time we had our own space alone. That night we walked around the town and found a place to eat. There was a couple there and the man of the couple introduced himself and started chatting us up. He talked to us about love and about how important it is to think and speak positively, but mostly that love is the most important thing there is. He was glad to find other people who were fellow happy loving people.
The next day we tried to figure out the best way to get to Guatemala. We thought that maybe we could take a boat there from where we were, so in the morning we tried to get to the boat. We found out we missed the boat…as we were walking to the bus stop this guy said that he had an uncle who could take us there on his boat, which we thought would be ok…however he was a little sketchy…so we were a bit wary. We got a taxi to this guy’s uncle’s house and the taxi man said not to trust this man, that he was bad news. He said that we should just fly there, that most people fly and it would be much easier and safer. When Mr. Sketchy got back into the car we let him know we were going to fly instead and we brought him back to the bus station.
We were then whisked away to the tiny airport where we caught a plane to San Pedro.
In hind sight I am not quite sure what we were thinking…we should have just taken a bus. It would have taken us longer, but it would have been waay less expensive. Rob and I am a bit blown by the wind when it comes to making plans and this happened to be a spur of the moment by the seat of our pants move…
In an hour we were up in the air and on our way to the island of San Pedro, where we were told we could camp…
Let me tell you about San Pedro…it is the most expensive of the Belize islands and you can’t camp. We get off the plane and get a ride with one of the locals who is a school teacher. She brings us to the only hostel on the island and it is booked up….we are beginning to realize that this was not the best move…
We asked someone who was on the street driving by if he was going into town. We told him we were looking for a place to stay for the night and he said he had a place right there so we ended up staying at the dirtiest, apartment in San Pedro…but at least it was a place to stay and it was inside and had a bed which was a plus.
We went out to the main town that night to catch the sunset, walk along the beach, get some dinner and find internet. The sunset was so beautiful…it was very relaxing there on the island. Many people were on honeymoon or other holiday. We found a restaurant with free WIFI and we sat outside to use the internet. Rob wanted some pie and so I told him to just go order a piece, I mean, how much could a piece of pie be really? It took him forever, but once he came back he said…”Well that was a little bit more expensive than I thought it would be.” Well how much was it? $18 dollars Belize, which is $9 US, but still…wow… Just for the record, it was really yummy. We had to laugh really because for us, trying to live a frugal life, this trip seemed to be a super expensive adventure…we needed to figure out a way to sustain our selves or we were going to get ourselves into trouble…
by Joanna Albrecht | Apr 30, 2013 | Blog
We hopped into the truck and we were off. But first the people who were taking us on this new leg of our journey needed to get paid from the organizers. So we went into town to meet up with them. As it turned out the money was not in the bank yet so we had to hold tight for the night. They put us up in the hotel they were staying at and we were able to have a proper shower and a nice bed to sleep in. We even recorded a video that night talking about our adventure so far. We walked into town that night to get some food and it was deserted…and then we realized…It was Christmas! Every once in a while we would see a big set up of toys for kids and we even saw this little boy in a tiny new kid car.
We got back to the room and had a sleep and then the next day we were on our way to Tulum. The person who owed them money was going to be there waiting for the money to come in, so we might as well just wait for it on the beach. We had already been to Tulum and quite honestly, we were glad to be back. The sands are white and warm and the water is warm, blue and beautiful.
The first night we were there Rob and I slept in a hammock together…now let me let tell you something…hammocks…they have never been my friend…I have never really had a relaxing rest in a hammock…and then here I was in this hammock with Rob…squished into a small half rounded hanging piece of fabric of mostly uncomfortableness…there was no making that hammock work for the both of us…and I love Rob and want to be with him and close to him all the time, but this was where even I drew the line… I remembered there was a hammock outside that a woman said someone could use if we needed it. I slide myself out of the hammock of torture and zipped myself up into the hammock with the mosquito netting outside…I was so very thankful for at least being able to stretch out for a little bit. (as much as you can in a hammock.)
The second day we went walking down the beach and on the way back that night we saw a big group of people and some flashing lights…
We got closer and saw that they all had brown shells on their ankles and they were doing a sacred ceremonial dance, holding hands and all went into the water and came out together. We were swept up in the dance that happened afterwards and we ended up standing in a big group of people. There was medicine man that was talking to everyone in Spanish, so I couldn’t make out everything, but from what I could make out he was saying that now that the energies of the planet have shifted, we need to remember to stay focused in love. We need to remind people to love one another and to stay in that loving energy. Together we will bring the world into a more loving space.
The money was taking longer than everyone thought and people were starting to get stressed out. The person who we were waiting on just wasn’t sure when it would come through, but his girlfriend came to check if we were doing OK. I told her that we were struggling a bit and she brought us some food and some raw cacao beans. I thought that was so sweet! I remembered her from the hotel we stayed at a couple of night’s previous. I remember having a really good talk with her and let her know that everything was going to be ok. That the festival had been really amazing for so many people and that eventually people would get paid and everything would sort itself out. I think she was glad to have someone be kind to her because there were many people a little freaked out about the money situation, but Rob and I really did have the most amazing time and we were very glad for the experience of it.
The next day we were on the road. We were going to go to a place called Palenque, where there was an event called the Rainbow Gathering happening. If we could get there we would have a free place to camp and we would also have free food to eat because everyone brings food to share. We would offer healing and share with people the things we learned from the Synthesis Gathering.
About an hour into our journey the guys who were driving us said that they needed to let us off in another location on the border of Belize because they needed to go through some check points and they weren’t quite sure what was going to happen when we got there…
Our next stop was Corresol….
by Joanna Albrecht | Apr 30, 2013 | Blog
The reason we wanted to go to this particular festival is because of the fulfillment of the Mayan prophecies. Basically the Mayans believed that Dec 21st 2012 would be the end of the Mayan calendar. We weren’t quite sure what that would mean…but we figured, if the world was going to end we at least wanted to give each other a hug and while we were there we might see if we could help with shifting the energies on the planet during the time of the transition.
The people who came for this festival were healers, teachers, artists and musicians, all people committed to making the world a better place. There were many spiritual leaders and innovators from all over the world who attended and gave workshops and talks everyday on a whole matter of subjects. Most of the time Rob was working with the Aktar people and I was doing energy healing and coaching, but we did get to attend some really interesting workshops on the energy shifts on the planet, high vibrational meditations and energy healing processes.
On the night of the 20th back at our camp we attended a fire circle. Many people gathered around the fire and sang sacred songs. Each person brought a special gift of their presence to the circle and we were all uplifted. At around 11pm we all looked up and noticed a pyramid shaped light in the sky. It traveled very slowly in a straight line and then eventually disappeared. We are still not quite sure what that was…
That was an interesting night actually because the local police came by to tell us that the group we were with didn’t have the proper permits. They tried to keep people from coming in the front gate…so for many hours the people out side and the people inside sang songs of unity and hope and they even hugged the police officers. Eventually the police just left…it’s hard to be mean with a bunch of people who are being so loving and nice to you.
Later that night I woke up with terrible pains. They came in waves like I was in some sort of childbirth. Rob sat with me through it all and helped me to breathe through them. Wave after wave would come and he would just help me to breathe and relax and open to everything that was going on in my body. I had never experienced anything like that and I was so glad he was there besides me to help me through it all.
When the pains finally subsided we heard many voices out side of our tent toning. When we crawled out of the tent we saw a group of people all in white handling hands in a big circle. We were all together welcoming in the Winter Solstice. There was a ceremony of honoring the elders and the directions and prayers for the Earth and the people of the Earth.
The ceremony ended as the sun came up and we all gave thanks for a beautiful transition into the energy of the new world. We asked that the sacred energy we experienced together go out and touch every one in the world and assist them in their own shifting of consciousness.
Later that day we went into town to catch the last day of events. We found out that sometime during the afternoon was another big portal of energy we were supposed to be conscious for. Rob spent his time doing magnetic activations with Aktar and I ended up doing a healing on a healer that was having a rough time…
That night we listened to some music, went to a talk, met some amazing people, had great talks and eventually made it back to camp.
The next morning we helped with the breakdown of the camp. Taking down most of the things we had put up, but leaving the white stone trails and the mandala.
We needed to plan our next move, but weren’t quite sure what we were going to do next. Many of the people were talking about another festival happening in Guatemala, so we decided to travel there somehow.
We got some breakfast with people across the street from our camp ground where there was an outdoor restaurant that was giving everyone from our group free breakfast. We sat and talked to people and found out that there was a big truck leaving in 10 minutes that could drop us off at the Guatemala border. We ran back to our campsite, grabbed all of our things. (Ok Rob grabbed most of our things, I am actually surprised at how strong that man is.) We ran them back across the street, hopped into the truck and we were off on our next adventure…
by Joanna Albrecht | Apr 27, 2013 | Blog
The night we arrived it was dark. We finally found our way to the camp ground and in the darkness I heard my friend Tree’s voice.
Tree! I saw my beautiful friend and we hugged and were so thankful to see each other. Tree and I had been facebook friends and recently met in California. She is a beautiful wonderful Sacred Healing Dancing Medicine Woman and she was assisting with this event. Now that we found Tree I knew that everything was going to be OK.
We set up camp and rested, happy that we finally made it!
The next day we awoke and looked around at the amazing camp site. They had created this beautiful sacred space from an abandon ruin site that had been somewhat of a dumping ground. They had been clearing it for a couple of weeks and now it had white rock paths, art and different spaces set up for different events.
They still needed lots of help to set everything up before the event started, so Rob and I got to work assisting where we could. He went out and cut down bamboo and helped to set up structures. I painted signs and helped to create a flower of life mandala made of sand.
The people running the event made sure that everyone who was helping got fed and had water to drink so we were set for a place to stay and food, which was a relief. Plus we were in this space with some of the most amazing healers and innovators of this time. There were many camera crews from all over the world to document this event and the happenings. (I wonder if we will ever see the footage…)
Our camp ground was great, but the real events, talks and workshops were in town. There were shuttles back and forth from the camp ground so we would go into town every once in a while to get food and see the events.
Rob was really wanting to see a Mayan Elder named Aktar. So one night he went out to meet with him and his people. I ended up going to an event in the town square where the locals were performing a Winter Solstice Ceremony. It was full of fire, dancing and music. It was so very cold that night…they handed out candles and I remembered just warming different parts of my hands with the tiny flame to keep myself warm…it kind of worked…but not really…
Later that night I met up with Rob and we huddled for warmth. We had no idea it would be so cold in Mexico! Brrr! But we had sleeping bags and each other to keep us warm.
The next day Rob was very excited about using his new machete. We had a pineapple and he was slicing it open and ended up slicing his thumb too. With blood everywhere we were taken to the Emergency tech on staff. Which at first was a local Mayan who wiped it down with Preparation X cloths and bandaged it up. A little while later a nurse who was sent from Hay House showed up and we went to see her.
This lady…she was wacky, loud and quite the conspiracy theorist. The best advice we got from her is that “If you get a cut or anything in the jungle, clean it, cover it and then leave it the fuck alone. ”
We were able to visit the festival in the city on a few days and I got to do some healing on people and Rob got to learn a magnetic healing activation which was supposed to help with the ascension. He also learned this really cool greeting that we still do every once in the while. It is a series of hand gestures that ends with saying, “I believe in me because I believe in you.”
by Joanna Albrecht | Apr 27, 2013 | Blog
Money goes fast when you are traveling…so we had to figure out a way to make money on the road. I do voice work and have a steady client so I had some money coming in from that. Rob codes websites and does graphic design work, so when we could find a place we would be doing our work. I think the most beautiful place Rob did coding was on the beach in Tulum. We were camping on the beach and in the morning we walked down the beach until we could find a place for him to sit at a table. We found a fancy resort type place and sat down, but they wanted to charge us for using the table, so we said…are there any free tables? and the man said, yes that one over there without an umbrella. So we sat all day and Rob worked away.
In those days we lived job to job, so the graphic design job he did got us to our next location. Then I would do a voice job and that would get us a little further…I suggested that we get a machete because there were days when we were really low on food and if we had a machete we could cut down coconuts, which we could quite easily live off of for a while if we needed to. (That machete became Rob’s very favorite thing in the whole world, besides his family and me.)
We tried to make it on our own, but there were times we got into trouble, and our families sent us money so we could get to our next location…our intention was always that we were going to make enough money to pay everyone back, but as it went, it was hard to have enough time to work and travel. Traveling all the time takes it out of you sometimes and there are not always perfect situations in which to work when you are on crowded buses or finding the next place to stay…
After Tulum we were at a bus stop and we met this man Jerry. Jerry was quite a character. He was vivacious and full of life. (and rum) We told him we were going to go to Synthesis, but couldn’t get on the list and he said, “I am not on the list, I am just going to show up!” So Rob and I looked at each other and said “Ok, we’re in!”
Off we were to the Synthesis party!
