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Discovering Playa Pelicanos: A Day Beyond Mass Tourism in Mexico | Day 298 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Oct 26, 2023· 3 minutes

Playa Pelicanos!

The simple excursion of the day was to walk to a new beach. We are still taking Mexico in slowly. Easily. There is no rush. We enjoy hanging on the balcony, watching the basketball games at the sports court across the street, and the general commute on the road, with the warm wind cooling us down and the music from the bars on 5th Avenue.

We enjoy the warm and fresh corn tortillas and the holy trinity and the beans very much, peeling layers off the membrane between the visitors and the people who live here, peeling off layers of our own ideas about what the nomadic life is all about, realizing there are several membranes in both fields and that things get mixed up and confused and clear in unpredictable ways.

So, we went for a walk. With friends. This, alone, is enough.

And the beach was awesome. No less. White sand, no bars, space, colors, clouds. Waves a bit bigger and more fun, the peace and quiet a great relief. We, the girls, sat in the sand talking, enjoying people-watching and connecting, while the boys enjoyed the water. Silke unfortunately had to stay home as she was not feeling well.

As a decoration or affirmation came flying the first pelican we ever saw outside parks, a “real” one if you like. It seems our first impression is changing fast; Playa del Carmen has a lot more to offer than the darkness of mass tourism; it is opening new sides to us, and we do enjoy it.

On the way to the beach, we saw more iguanas, still very exotic to us, and on the way back, there were some very charming back roads. And more street art.

And then, there is always UNO. It is incredible how much fun it can be to play UNO if you have some fun friends to play it with.

First, the negotiations of the rules, as they always differ between families, and it seems they differ even more over the Atlantic - that was fun. Then there was the actual playing of the game, a lot of shouting, a lot of swearing, and a lot of laughter.

The game is on. And we are on fire. This is fun, and just like any other context, it has much to offer.

With love

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

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Unschooling and Parent consulting, conversations, blogposts, and podcasts on family life and learning

Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

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