Gosh, it’s been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks… circumstances changing as drastically as the weather. Thanks to everyone who emailed, texted, and expressed concern with things going on with my family. I think it’s safe to say that things have settled down a bit and things are returning to normal. Just have to now deal with a lot of follow-ups and medical bills. (yay!)
Anyways, enough about that. Last week I was in Mexico to photograph Emily and Vince’s wedding. We stayed at the all-inclusive Beloved Resort (how appropriate a name!) and what a beautiful resort it was. Above all else, the customer service and experience was exceptional and beyond anything I could have asked for.
During our stay, my second shooter and I ventured off the resort and traveled into town one day (there’s not much non-touristy stuff in Cancun) and also traveled a few hours off the beaten path to Valladolid… a city which I will always remember as the city I lost my wallet in. My friend tells me I should just tell everyone that I left my wallet in El Segundo, which actually would have been cool to do and say… but that wouldn’t be the truth. And I think there are some copyright issues with saying that over and over again anyways.
But despite all the photography wind being let out of my sail that day, we didn’t let it ruin our day. Canceling your credit cards when abroad isn’t as easy as it seems… especially when I was panicking so much, I couldn’t even remember my login names!!!
Someone in El Segundo… I mean Valladolid is enjoying my 1000 pesos, my metrocard and MoMa membership card. You win some, you lose some.
Anyways, I wanted to share with you some street shots from that trip into town. Every time I go off a resort and into town, there is such a huge disparity in terms of lifestyle, wealth and culture. One can only speak English so much on a Mexican resort. And then when you travel into town, poverty all around hits you in the face.
But there’s always one thing that is palpable from witnessing such things… and that’s the family bond that they all share. It’s truly endearing, and it always reminds me of what is truly important in our lives. It’s not the money we make, the status of our jobs, the food that we take photos of. It’s family and living for those who we love. It’s what we share with each other, what we teach and learn from each other, to make our lives that much easier and more bearable to live, no matter what our circumstances.
This trip to Mexico was certainly not short of soul searching on my part. I had lots of moments either thinking or writing in my journal, of the things I’m going through as a man, a son, a brother, a friend, what have you. And that’s what traveling is all about, yes? It’s about self discovery through discovery. To be more self-aware and grateful.
And that maybe I need to get back to using my chain wallet again. Even at the risk of looking like a teenager. At least I never lost my wallet that way.
On that note, I hope you enjoy some of the images that follow. I’ll be blogging images from Emily and Vince’s wedding later this week, so stay tuned!
~Jase
