Vacation: Does a Psychic Mind Good

I needed a vacation, not only from the rigors of my psychic work, but from technology; texts, emails, phone messages. And especially, all the election drama.

The occasion of my friend's 50th birthday provided the opportunity. His grand plan; to be amongst friends, sailing down the Rio Dulce, out to the White Reefs of Belize...

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It was the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation, and reminded me of the value of playtime in the greater scheme of life.

We like to see kids having a healthy amount of playtime, but what about us adults? Two sayings come to mind (if you've had a reading with me, you might have noticed I like idioms, axioms and aphorisms).

The first, I heard from my father: “All work and no play leaves Jack a very dull boy.”

The second comes from Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice.”

It's not always easy, or feasible, to take a vacation. But in whatever way you can, find a way to do it. It'll renew your spirit, and give you fresh perspectives.

Perhaps, when we're hammering away at a problem (and feeling unsuccessful), the solution to our dilemma might be found in taking a break from trying!

Before we boarded the boat, we spent a few days in Tikal, in the north of Guatemala. Being in the jungle is not for the squeamish. Shortly after we checked into our lodge, my friend Michelle and I discovered a large furry spider, a scorpion, and a centipede in our room. We also saw, in the woods nearby, two snakes, a foot-high ant hill, and plenty of mosquitoes.

I'd brought along an organic insect repellant, which I purchased in New York for twelve bucks. Twelve bucks for insect repellant, to my mind, equaled EFFECTIVE.

Plus, it was organic, so after I sprayed it on, I proudly turned to Michelle and read her the list of ingredients: “Geranium oil, Rosemary, Mint...”

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She smirked at me midstream: “They’re gonna eat that for lunch.”

“Well, I think I’m covered!” I replied.

We got up at 4am, to meet a guide named Juan, who was to escort us deep into the jungle, where we were to watch the dawning of the day, amongst the ruins of the Maya.

20 minutes in, I was scratching my arms and calves. Someone in our group chose this time to mention we were in a “malarial hot zone.”

I said, “Hey, Michelle, you got any more of that DEET?”

After about an hour, we were taken to the top of a magnificent temple, which offered stadium-style seating for a glorious view of the jungle canopy. There, we listened, through the mist, to the birds greeting the day. It was incredibly peaceful, yet dramatic.

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In the above recording, you'll hear, in the background, behind the louder colorful sounds, two birds calling to one another in a low key, “Whoot! Whoot! (pause) Whoot! Whoot! (pause) Whoot! Whoot!”

Those are Mot Mots. I never actually saw one, unfortunately, but they are stunning birds! I did see Emerald Tucanettes, a Keel Billed Tucan, a Lineaded Woodpecker, Crested Guangs, and others.

One of my favorite birds was the Montezuma Oropendola. You can hear him about 40 seconds into the above recording. Then again, at 55 seconds. He sounds something like the Hollywood caricature of a native-American Indian from a 1930’s Western. As he issues his call, he bows deeply from his branch.

If you want to see any of the birds I’ve mentioned, google search their names, then click on ‘images’.

       
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That night, Michelle and I tucked into our mosquito nets and settled in to sleep. We were awakened shortly thereafter by the deep, eerie calls of Howler Monkeys. Collectively, their long, rhythmic roaring sounded like a giant dragon, breathing.

Their cries never felt threatening. They felt rather, magical and hypnotic. I would return just to listen to them.

The next day we went zip-lining. From cables hung 30-meters up in the trees, we careened through the jungle canopy.

Our drive to the Rio Dulce river took several hours. There we boarded our catamaran, a 46-foot, double-hulled sailboat, for a week-long trip to the White Reefs of Belize.

Eight of us signed up, plus crew; a captain, a private chef and a deckhand. As soon as we set sail, el Capitan announced that each day, coffee would be served at 6am, breakfast at 7, lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 6:30. Fruit would be served at 10am and 4pm. For being on such a small boat, we ate like royalty.

Along the way, the crew caught barracuda, grouper, snapper and lobster. Each of these was delectably prepared within hours of being caught. Our chef, Ariel, was a 19-year-old, who executed meals out of the boat’s tiny kitchen with remarkable expertise.

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Storms occasionally appeared out of the blue. They barreled over us, pelting us hard, then left. But overall, we enjoyed brilliant days, and clear, starry skies.

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The reefs offered spectacular snorkeling.
We saw Angel fish, Parrot fish, Star fish and Trumpet fish. Sea cucumbers, Sea biscuits, Brain coral, and Christmas tree worms. We also encountered some Spotted Eagle Rays. The short video to the right features Sting Rays passing beneath our boat.

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For me, the prized sighting of the trip was the Cuttle fish. Two of them floated about a meter away from Michelle and me. They scrutinized us carefully, electric currents pulsing down their backs.

As the Cuttle fish watched us, I kept thinking, “You’re beautiful...You’re beautiful!”

I like to think he heard me, because the more I thought it, the more colorful he seemed to become, changing from a translucent, silver-green to a speckled blue and yellow.

He was probably actually afraid of us though, because he seemed to blend into the background.

The sea was mostly calm. I spent a lot of time reading.

There were times, however, when the boat was rocking. No one got sea sick (perhaps thanks to Dramamine and magnetic bracelets). But once I got on land, I was land-sick. For two days after I disembarked, I was nauseated by the land swaying back and forth.

My sleeping quarters adjoined the kitchen.

There was a hatch above my pillow allowing for a view of the stars.

Each night I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of our boat floating on the water.

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On our next to last night, we were treated to one of the most glorious sunsets I have ever seen.