Luxury fades, but the stars endure

With eyes wide open.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the rainforest. The stars in the sky are brighter than ever. In the background, you hear a roster and cars passing by on a dirty road.

You wonder how this happened.

Last week, you were in a five-star boutique hotel. You are sleeping in a bed warmed by hot water bags placed inside. You remember the surprise of finding a different chocolate bar on your pillow each night. Now you find yourself on the other side of the coin, inside the mosquito net that covers your bed.

You wake up early to pick up cacao. Take a cold shower (not for a protocol or choice). And learn all day about ancient medicinal plants. There is a Wi-Fi signal (near the hut where you sleep) but no mobile phone signal around.

You are loving it, each day the adventures never end.

But, no one can doubt it's another world.
It's another world, at least for you.

When you arrived the was only one question in the air.
Would you be able to adapt or perish in the try?

From a 5-star boutique hotel to a billion-star wooden hut.

The people you meet in both places are ambitious. They want to take over the world in their way. On one side, you learn from ambitious & remarkable individuals in the first world. Who aim to build things to improve their lives and the lives of others.

And inside a kitchen without windows, you meet someone who is building a future for his family. It's everything he ever wanted. And he is making it happen. By combining his knowledge of nature and tourism. He has the vision, has seen it in his mind, and knows he can make it real.

It is amazing to see how these two worlds connect at this point.

To illustrate the difference.
The price of one night at the boutique hotel is around the same as the monthly expenses of the family (3 members) with who you are staying in the rainforest.

No BS, that's the truth. Makes you think, right?

When I arrived at this family's home. They told me I was lucky because potable water had just arrived two weeks ago. I thought, wow, this is so immersive. But, never imagined how immersive and foreign to my world bubble was going to be.

One day, I woke up at 4 AM to have the traditional tea "Wayusa Upina" with my Kichwa family. It was the experience & moment that made me realize that this is a world I had never been in before.

Their stories during dinner are ones you only imagine inside drama books or series. Hearing them popped my bubble. I was out in a new reality. Yet, as real as it gets, like the one I knew.

Yes. The goals of the people I encountered at the hotel and this family in the rainforest are vastly different. My takeaway is that there isn’t only one way to live or to be successful. The secret (I think) is to seek our best version and stay true to ourselves. It all starts in your mind; you have to see it, feel it, and live it.

If you cannot envision it in your mind, it will never happen.

What I saw in the end is, I was living in a bubble. Naturally, we all live inside bubbles based on what we consume daily. But, it can be dangerous.

What happens when the bubble pops? What happens when you step outside? You either are ready to evolve to adapt or perish.
Next time, I'll be more ready to adapt.

This is a Summer I will never forget. I have kept in mind to be more conscious of what is happening around me, of what I am not seeing from my normal point of view.

My perceptions of luxury changed. 

I realized you don't need much to call it a luxury experience. You don't need all the food or all the service. With the basics, it's possible to have a good time; and all extras are more delightful from there.

We all can decide to be a 5-star customer; it's a decision we're in control of.

If I choose to be a 5-star customer.
I will, by first principles, have a 5-star experience anywhere and anytime.

How do you approach every moment of your day?

Keep your eyes wide open.

With love,
Mateo

P.S.
Thanks for being here)
I'm rooting for you from afar.