A Year in Acapulco

A year ago as of yesterday, February 13th, we first drove into Acapulco.  Save for going to the nearby Diamante, I haven't left since.  John's left once for work to Cuernavaca but that was for less than a day. Due to the freedoms specific to Acapulco, it's currently our safe space to get our lives back on track. We told everyone we'd be staying in Acapulco if we could find a way to make it work and so far we have. 

Many know at this point that we only had about 50 dollars USD when we crossed the border into Mexico, just over a year ago at this point.  It was literally Border or bust with our freedom on the line.  Despite all odds and with a little help, we made it all the way to Acapulco with all of our stuff.

Our good friend traveled with us through Mexico and he was honestly the reason we made it to Acapulco in any sort of timely matter.  We were going to be forced to figure things out along the way otherwise, which was a bit daunting in a place where you didn't speak the language.  Before we met up with our friend, we weren't sure we'd make it in time for the conference, even though it was nearly two weeks away.  

We arrived in Acapulco tired, hungry and now in debt to our friend.  There was a meetup at a local italian restaurant called Forza Italia that we were interesting in going to, although we made it to Acapulco a few hours too late.  Unable to get word about whether the meetup was still going on, we decided to figure out sleeping arrangements for the night.  To celebrate freedom and making it to Acapulco, our friend got us a hotel room to share.  

We stopped at a store, what would be my first visit to Bodega Aurrera, which is owned by Walmart.  We adventured the aisles, taking in the products and prices.  A bit overwhelmed, we ended up with things like bread, bologna, cheese, mangos and tequila. We didn't even have where we were staying covered, so we were honestly eager to handle that.  We drove to Coasta Azul area and looked at hotels, eventually deciding on Hotel Coasta Azul.   It was going to be tricky business as the reservation we made only was for two people and we also had a dog, who for sure wasn't allowed.  

It took some manuvering and sneaking but I got into the room with Rebel without being seen.   We started to unwind and John and I decided to take a shower.  We left Rebel with our friend, which ended up being a bad idea.  When we opened the door, we apparently scared Rebel because he freaked out barking.  Needless to say we were really paranoid from that point foreward.  We ate, smoke and drank a little tequila before laying down to sleep.  

A day or so later we ended up in the building that would be referred to as the Anarchist building, as there were several units occupied by anarchists within the community.  We started attending events locally once we had a place to stay. 

Our plan was to get our bearings and figure out how to support ourselves.  Intially we did this through the restaurant business.  It came down to figuring out what people needed and where we could provide for their needs.  I've had people ask me how I got into various businesses and how I knew they would do well.  If there's a need there's a market, and that's what we played off of and still do to this day.  What we focus on depends on the needs of both us and our community. If no one's buying glass, I focus on cooking more for money.

We've come a long way in a year but we've still got a long way to go.  We're still in debt to our friend, who isn't even in Mexico anymore.  We owe a few friends pesos to keep us going between our bigger paydays.  We aren't rolling in cash, but we are bringing in a lot more than before.  

Things seem to be only headed up from here.  So long as everything goes according to plan, we'll be financially fine within a few weeks, a crazy concept to think about. It's been a really long, hard year but we've survived this long and it's looking like that might finally pay off for us.  Its easy to get stuck in the difficulties of every day life, but at the end of the day I can't complain. 

All things considered, we've got it good.  We're free, we leave in an awesome cheap place.  I'm finally pursuing my dream of glassblowing, still mind boggling to me.  Despite all of our challenges, we've managed to pull some pretty great things off this past year.  I'm ready for a better year this year though, honestly.  We've had a long couple of years and it'd be nice for things to go according to plan.  We're interested in flourishing, not struggling like we have.  

Thanks to everyone who reads these posts and comments, it means a lot to know that people are hearing us.  A huge part of why we went public with being on the run was a means of protection.  If no one knows who I am or why I'm here, no one will notice if I'm apprehended.  No one will fight for me.  Now that I've got a following, you'll all notice if I'm gone, won't you?

Thanks again, everyone.