Sunday, March 2, 2014

Mexico 2014

In early February, The Five of Us were blessed to find ourselves on a plane heading south of the border to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  Another great adventure, with many memorable moments.

After spending our first night in Cancun, we loaded the SUV and experienced some four-wheel off-road action on our way to the tiny fishing village of Punta Allen, just south of Tullum.

 The town was beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, and a great escape.  The sad reality is that the currents that hit the beach come straight from South America, and bring tons of plastic garbage.  The main beach in town was kept clean, but when we explored other areas, they were littered with anything that can be made from plastic.  ;(

Our next stop was just outside another small town called Chemuyil.  This turned out to be a great location to explore the local area... Mayan Ruins, numerous cenotes, beautiful beaches to snorkel, yummy food, etc!

All in all, it was another great opportunity to travel with the five of us... and reflect, take in some beautiful sites, and contemplate the current path we find ourselves marching down... and with that said, here is a great story...

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”


Below are a bunch of shots from our trip... cheers!