When there is a power outage in the states, it’s breaking news. People freak out. They sweat. They can’t run the dishwasher or do laundry. News crews roll out in the live truck, powered by a generator, to broadcast to homes with no juice. Here in Tulum, outages are accepted as a part of life,

On a bike ride around Tulum last Sunday evening, I stopped at churches to listen to people celebrate faith in God. One church had a lot of singing and dancing and happy, loud celebrating. I could hear the song down then street because the speakers sent the music through the quiet night air. Another church

A woman offered to clean my apartment for a reasonable price. She was sitting on the curb in front of my apartment building in Tulum, where the trash can is kept chained up. I didn’t know what she was trying to say. She kept saying “limpieza” and I hadn’t learned yet that’s the Spanish word