Searching for a Way of Life in the Mexican Jungle

I had no idea what was in store for me when I joined World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. I’d heard about the organization through my sister, whose friend was picking grapes in Italy. Nearing year’s end, I had unused vacation days and being unhappy with my career, I certainly didn’t feel like lying on the beach sipping a beer.

I had grown so sick of corporate life – but didn’t know much about nor dare consider other lifestyles besides it. To even slightly deviate from the “path to success” in a traditional Chinese family would immediately have me branded as the “Bad Son” who brings shame to my parents. Nevertheless, I contacted Goyo Morgan, who runs a healing center and farm in the Yucatan jungle in Mexico. Not knowing a word of Spanish, I set out to experience a way of life as far as skyscrapers and cubicles as I could find.

I arrived in Puerto Morelos, a quiet fishing town hidden between bustling Cancun and Playa del Carmen, where I was to meet Victor, the co-owner of the farm. I ate breakfast in a café on the town square as a muscular, long-haired, Mayan man reminiscent of Tarzan walked in. “Are you Han?” he asked. “Let’s go.” I got in his truck and we drove inland. Like me, Victor used to be a graphic designer. He was dating Goyo’s daughter when Goyo asked him to join his venture. So he quit his job, put away his computer, and moved here. The healing center was under construction, and at that time they provided jungle tours and Temazcal – a Mayan herbal sauna where people sit in a dark, heated room playing musical instruments, singing and chanting whatever came to mind. There was no electricity or running water – we used gas lamps and hauled water from a well.

Goyo was another interesting character. A true adventurer originally from Washington, he has lived in the area for 32 years, working as a fisherman, jungle guide, and ecologist. His dream was to create a Mayan healing center that grew its own crops and eventually become self-sustaining.

Time flew by quickly – I slept and woke by sunset and sunrise, cooked breakfast, and performed tasks ranging from planting herbs, building sheds, shoveling manure, to preparing for Temazcals. I was also in charge of painting Mayan-themed murals on the walls. Then we would drive to town to use the Internet and hang out by the beach. I met two more coworkers – June, a free-spirited American college student taking a year off, and Nelson, a knowledgeable Mayan Eco-tourism student doing field research.

Over two weeks, I felt completely alive. I didn’t bother to check my email, and enjoyed my best sleep in months. Though I’m not sure if I wanted to live without electricity and water for an extended time, I saw people living differently, and they were thriving. I didn’t find exactly what I wanted, but between chants in the Temazcal, furiously pounding on a xylophone, I saw a world of possibilities.