el zonte – Three World Travelers

I have struggled with relinquishing control for a very long time. I have felt unease at not knowing what the future will bring. I had my days meticulously planned and had plan B/C “just in case”. According to Wikipedia: “Type A individuals are outgoing, ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status-conscious, impatient, anxious, proactive, and concerned with time management”. I guess that’s a good description of me. I must admit that I enjoyed the status of my position in my own mind. I enjoyed a certain amount of respect and authority. When we chose to retire and travel indefinitely I had to face this reality about myself. I had to relinquish control of micromanaging Ricky’s education and our lives because there are many things that are out of my control. Life has certainly been different.

Managing details served me well in my career. It ensured tasks were completed and mistakes were minimized. Being a control freak kept patients safe and well cared for. While keeping my family safe and cared for is important they are not my only priorities. The world is not a scary, dangerous place and our life is not a series of tasks to complete. My job required me to be vigilant for the worst case scenarios and life threatening diagnoses, but my life does not. Mistakes are also not life threatening, but opportunities to learn, grow and hopefully laugh. Finally, I also realize my family’s life is not mine to manage. I must empower my sons and husband to explore and persue their dreams so that they can reach their greatest potentials.

A surfers life (as a non surfer) in El Zonte is the ultimate test for a type A person like myself. The days are dictated by waves and the tide, neither of which I can read. Days start before dawn as most people scramble out to surf followed sometimes by surf lessons for Kenny and Ricky. I cheer them on, play in the ocean with Ricky and tackle my own fears of the ocean. Lunch around noon is a highlight of the day for many here and at $2.50 a plate is a bargain for the quality and the excitement of never knowing what you will get. Mid day usually brings siesta when it is the hottest, but nothing is written in stone. Not understanding my husband’s Japanese conversations with his friend (our host) challenges my type A tendencies further. I felt on edge after 2 weeks of never knowing what we were doing, never being ready, not knowing the plan. Then I realized that the lack of structure is what I need to let go of my controling, goal oriented habits and appreciate the time to read a book, relax and reflect. Now I am trying to embrace these opportunities which allow me to enjoy the moment and inevitably open doors to the future. There is no need to take life so seriously. In reality there is no emergency.

We finally made it back. Ten years have passed since our last visit. The pandemic delayed it an additional 2 years. The surf camp has changed little, but the surrounding area is more developed. There are small “tiendas” selling snacks, flip flops and tank tops, restaurants and other hostals along the beach that were not here on our last visit. There are many more visitors to the area and English is widely heard spoken.

Today we crossed the river and saw many foreigners partying at a new bar on the beach. I believe many are attending the Bitcoin conference. There are even “lifeguards” blowing their whistles at people. The waves are higher and more frequent than I’ve ever seen even on this side of the river that is normally calm. We think it may be due to the full moon. Ricky had a great time playing in the sand and ocean. Later, a 9 y/o girl from the Yukon (Canada) named Erykah arrived at Saburo’s. I chatted with her mom Kelly as the kids played in the pool. Hopefully they will hit it off.

I am happy to see locals benefiting from increased tourism, but I can’t help worrying that this little known secret town will be overrun by tourists and look like every other tourist destination. I worry that there is very little infrastructure to support this much tourism and I worry about the increased garbage that I saw on the beach today 😔.

We have only been here three full days, but we are startng to see a routine take form. Kenny has been enjoying catching up with Saburo and that has filled most of our days. Yesterday we went shopping for groceries and returned via microbus – we splurged at $1.50/ person for a 30 minute ride from Libertad. Moving forward we will probably shop for produce every few days from the local trucks like we did today. We bought limes, oranges, avocados, a small watermelon and platanos for $5. We haven’t figured out where to buy meat, but we have access to nice seafood on the pier at Libertad. Up until now we have been eating out or ordering $2.50 lunches from a local lady.