The Monastery At Cholula
What every good traveler knows is that every trip contains unexpected surprises. Some surprises bring a wide smile to your face at the first sight of a natural wonder or touch your heart at the unexpected kindness of a stranger. Others make you laugh out loud or purr with delight. Of course on the flip side, events sometimes occur that make us frown with disappointment, wince in pain or even snarl with anger. No matter where you go and what you do, life happens. So even when most of a trip flows pleasantly as expected, learning to accept and flow with unexpected events is the key to traveling SMART.
Last Sunday I woke up in Mexico City with a growling and unhappy stomach. Fortunately we had planned to take the bus to Puebla later in the afternoon so there was no rush to pack up or leave. Thom went to a local
The main TAPO Bus Station in Mexico City
pharmacy and came home with a recommended remedy that was stronger than Pepto-Bismol. A couple of hours later the medication kicked in and we took a cab to the ultra modern main bus station for the city. In a waiting area as nice as most airports, we checked our bags and waited for our luxury bus to Puebla. After an easy two-hour ride, we caught another cab and arrived as planned at our hotel.
No one plans to get sick when on vacation but anyone who says it doesn’t happen is in denial. Thankfully, although my energy level was reduced and we were unable to see some of what I had intended, my experience was still as good, if not better than it would have been if I had gotten sick at home. That’s why I decided to offer the following five SMART Travel Tips For Those Unexpected Surprises that can and do happen when we travel. Hopefully they highlight how to make the best of it when unexpected surprises happen on your trip.
#1 The right plan can make a big difference. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, when you have a plan you always have the option of being spontaneous should the desire strike. But with no plan you must accept whatever fate delivers. Because each leg of our trip was planned out, including easiest transportation and carefully selected places to stay, we experienced no concern about such details while feeling less than optimal. For example, our hotel in Puebla was spacious, comfortable and a great place to relax while I was recuperating.
Our room at Hotel Casareyna in Puebla
The private patio for our room.
#2 if you need an aspirin take an aspirin. This statement from a former teacher of ours named Ernest Holmes always reminds me that when something unexpected happens we have two ways to deal with it. One—we fight it and pretend it isn’t happening. Or two—we flow with it and take steps to ease the situation. When my stomach didn’t settle down for two days we talked to the front desk and asked about a doctor. Barely an hour later a doctor showed up at our hotel room, and after a brief exam prescribed several new medications. Not only was this doctor as good as any I’ve seen recently in the U.S., the charge was only about $55 for his services. Best of all, my doctor recommended a natural probiotic (not the antibiotic I expected) named Entergermina. This over-the-counter remedy heals and restores the digestive track in a natural way. Although I had never heard of Entergermina before, it will now be included with all further travels.
The beautiful main square (Zocolo) of Puebla.
One of the quaint streets of Puebla Mexico.
#3 Let go of thinking you can ever figure it out. It’s VERY tempting to obsess with trying to discover what it is that I ate that made me sick. Isn’t that what we ALL do when something goes off-plan? It’s as though we think that if we could only find the answer we could control the Universe so that something like that would never, ever occur again. But we are not in control of the Universe. As we know, stuff happens. A SMART perspective is to remember that the one thing we can control is our own reaction to what happens and our attitude from there on out. So even if we get sick or something goes awry, how we deal with it is up to us.
The city preparing for their upcoming Independence Day with lights and banners.
Out for a stroll in the Zocolo at night.
#4 You can still have fun even if you can’t do everything. Did I get to see and do everything in Puebla that I hoped to experience? No. Did I still enjoy my time there? Definitely. Instead of lamenting that I needed to scale back my diet and activities, I slowed down and did my best to enjoy what was right in front of me. Thom called it Slow-mo-ing my FOMO. Remember from my previous post about FOMO, it is virtually impossible to do everything there is to do anyway, so letting go of that and relaxing into any experience is always a better way to go.
Touring the pyramid at Cholula (with the church on top!)
Exploring the tunnels under the pyramid of Cholula.
#5. Always look for the good. After four days of eating a very mild and light diet I’m certain I have lost weight. Hundreds of women around the world pay thousands to go to luxury spas and achieve the same result. While it is tempting to say that I would never have come down with this condition if I had stayed at home, I could also say that would be true if all I ever ate was oatmeal—but that ain’t gonna happen! Sure it is wise to be careful with what we eat, but a SMART Life is to be savored and enjoyed along the way. As Frida Kahlo said, “Viva la Vida!”
The large church next to the Zocolo in Cholula.
An active volcano 34 klm from Cholula. We finally saw it for about 15 minutes through the clouds.
After four days in Puebla I am writing this post on the bus to Oaxaca. I’ve eaten well the last
Healthy and hard at work (ha!) on the bus to Oaxaca.
couple of days and my energy has returned to near normal. My experiences in Puebla remind me that I can be happy and at peace no matter where I am and what is happening. It’s always SMART to flow with unexpected surprises.
Nice post. I’m so sorry that you haven’t enjoy 100% your trip because you were sick. Even though you were not completely yourself, you managed to make the best off al the trip. Good for you. Thank you for sharing this amazing story with us.
Hi Jess & Brandon! Yes, this post was a reminder to me (and anyone else of course!) that no matter what we are going through we can still take time to stop, look around, and find the good. Glad you liked it. ~Kathy
Hey Rena! I’m flattered that you squeezed me in before your trip AND hopefully it helped you FLOW with everything you encountered on your trip. Thanks again for your comment. ~Kathy
You are definitely a “glass half full” kind of person and you lift my spirits with your positive attitude! Glad you’re feeling better. It looks like it was a wonderful trip despite your illness.
Hi Helene! Thank you. I don’t ALWAYS manage to see the bright side but am blessed to be able to most of the time. And yes, feeling MUCH BETTER now and getting ready to post the final in this series. Thanks for stopping by. ~Kathy
When we were in Italy last April I was feeling way under the weather one day while we were staying at a gorgeous hotel in Tuscany. Rather than get angry and frustrated, my husband and I decided to spend the day snuggled in bed, eating delicious pastries and reading. We had a lovely view, and since it was Sunday, many things would have been closed anyway. We made the best of it!
Hi Sharon! Yes, it sounds you definitely did the SMART thing in Italy. And doesn’t reacting to it in such a way make for a MUCH better memory. My challenge of course is to do the same in everyday life. Thanks for sharing your story. ~Kathy
When you need an aspirin, take one, is the very best advice ever. We always head off on trips armed with Rx our doc gives us. We text her if we need help. It works.
Hi Carol. Glad you like this one. I think too many of us resist and fight things that are going on instead of just “flowing” with them and taking an aspirin when needed is one of them. ~Kathy
i’m sorry you got sick! Your tips are great and actually could apply to everyday life. Hope you’re feeling better and enjoying your trip to the max!
Hi Lisa! Yes no one wants to get sick (on vacation at home) but thanks for noticing that my suggestions apply to LIFE either way. In some ways I am seeing travel as just a microcosm of the journey of life….and yeah, that might be part of my final post about this trip. Thanks for your comment. ~Kathy
Thanks so much for telling me about entergermina. I\’m going to Haiti soon and now I am going to get my hands on some and take it with me!
Hi Jodi! Yes! I would definitely see if you can find some. I don’t know that it is sold in the U.S. or not but you may be able to order it over the internet from Mexico. We will be buying some while we are here just to take with us. I think one advantage to what we can get at home is that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Let me know if you find some? ~Kathy
Good for you for finding the positives in it, and I’m glad you’re feeling better, Kathy! I have bookmarked Enterogermina in my Travel folder for future reference.
Hi Laura! Yes we are thrilled about Enterogermina. From what I have researched it is made by a company in the Netherlands and they are using a lot of it around the world to combat the problem in children in third-world countries. . I guess it is available in both capsules and in little amulets (we have the amulets) and from what I can tell there is absolutely zero side effects. I think for future travel I will try to find the pills rather than the liquid but otherwise I recommend it. ~Kathy
Yay! I’m so happy to see your smiling face in all these photos, despite a couple of days of ill health! Very SMART tips here for any traveler, Kathy.
I also love that the doctor prescribed a probiotic versus an antibiotic. How refreshing! 🙂
Stay well, and have fun!
xoxo
Hi Nancy! Yes, isn’t it great that a doctor would prescribe probiotics right off the bat. From what I’ve read Mexico is becoming much more sensitive to the whole antibiotic problem as well so even though it is much easier to get drugs in Mexico than the states they are discouraging overuse (as well they should!) Meanwhile I am doing LOTS of smiling and feeling great! ~Kathy
I am really enjoying following your journey! And, I love that you are such a great planner – if we ever take that trip, I think we’ll just follow your lead. The places you have chosen to stay look beautiful!
You are so right about the importance of attitude and how we choose to deal with setbacks. That reminds me of a news story about a cruise ship that experienced significant problems at sea. Many of the passengers were interviewed after finally making it home and their reactions to the same event were so different. Some saw it as the worst thing that could have happened to them. Others chose to focus on the positive and talked about how, although it wasn’t the cruise they expected, they made the best of the situation and even enjoyed themselves. Attitude really is a choice.
Hi Janis! YES! Thank you for sharing the story about the cruise ship. What an excellent example. And what is that saying, “Wherever you go, there you are.” So if you go with a bad attitude or except things to go wrong then that will often be your experience. I’ve also read that psychological studies say that if a trip ENDS badly that people tend to carry that forward into their memory of the entire trip. That’s one reason I always save something special for the end of my trips (and I’m happy to say I feeling much better now) so that my trip has a much better chance of ending well. We have just under one more week and so far everything is GREAT. ~Kathy
Great advise Kathy. There is nothing worse than ignoring a symptom hoping it will miraculously go away but gets worse when a bit of changed plans and medication can help!
Hi Haralee. Thanks. I am such a great planner that sometimes events can conflict with those plans for sure. But I have learned through the years that as you say, “there is nothing worse than ignoring symptoms hoping it will miraculously go away!” I am also very thrifty so wasn’t crazy about hiring a doctor at a hotel to come see me—but we have had very good luck with Mexican doctors and this was no exception. It was definitely a GOOD decision. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy!
Thanks for sharing such an amazing adventure story. Wow! Pictures are fantastic. Mexico is definitely on my list. Hey, always look for the good. 🙂
Hi Gosina! Yes….sometimes we have to really “look” for it but I do believe it is always there. And I definitely recommend that you put Mexico on the list. The people are so friendly, there is so much to see and the exchange rate is very good. ~Kathy
How Fun…except the sick part.
Gorgeous photos.
I ADORE that white bed & white sofa & adorable husband! xxx
Hi Kim. Yes, because I had “planned” the hotel room I expected something nice but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. And yes, the adorable husband helped to make the “experience” even better. ~Kathy
Glad you managed to go with the flow rather than fighting against the current.
Enjoy the rest of your vacation!
Hi NR….yes, I know you know what I’m talking about here. Row, row, row the boat….GENTLY down the stream! ~Kathy