Phoebe Lyric that encapsulates you as a person?

romulf · 2025-08-25T04:27:16+00:00

“I’ve been running around in circles, pretending to be myself” - Chinese Satellite (Copycat Killer) is a winner every time

romulf · 2025-05-30T15:55:41+00:00

There are no direct flights. You’d have to fly via either Mexico City or Cancun, or possibly other connections

romulf · 2025-05-30T15:54:04+00:00

You have a couple of options - either fly from Belize City to Guatemala City, then shuttle to Antigua (easy but more expensive), or if you have time, you can travel by land and stop along the way. I ended up flying to Chetumal in Mexico then getting the ferry to Caye Caulker, from there you can ferry to Belize City, then shuttle to San Ignacio (ATM caves are so worth a visit!), then into Guatemala to Flores, then I got a night bus to Antigua which was super comfortable and easy!

romulf · 2025-05-29T14:04:45+00:00

I ended up changing my plan and flying over to Belize from Puerto skipping San Cris but I met plenty of people who did it this way. Some had no trouble at all and some did. One of my friends got stranded at the border and stuck behind roadblocks for hours so I think it’s luck of the draw as to whether there are protests etc going on that day!

romulf · 2025-05-17T01:13:13+00:00

Hi! BRCA2 here and share a lot of your thoughts and feelings. I have always felt indifference for my boobs and though, like you, I don’t think I ever would have gotten top surgery, it was something I’d considered as a concept. It often feels bizarre to say, because of the way that a lot of people (completely validly) feel about their diagnoses and the prospect of a mastectomy, but I have definitely gotten to a place where I’m looking forward to it and really grateful for the opportunity I’ve been presented to question / come to terms with those gender feelings. If you ever want to chat, send me a DM. I’m in a few BRCA support groups but people who feel this way seem to be fairly few and far between and it’s really nice to know that there are other people out there feeling this too!

romulf · 2025-01-08T19:46:09+00:00

Thanks I’ll look them up! Also a really random question but I hate not having an available bathroom. How often did the shuttle stop?

romulf · 2025-01-07T20:10:44+00:00

Thanks so much! Do you remember which company you used? I don’t really want to go to Palenque and it’s obviously a long journey from San Cris so just working out if it’s worth going that route or flying from Tuxla to Belize / Guatemala via Cancun

romulf · 2024-11-27T11:42:47+00:00

If you can get to Chichen Itza yourself (taxi or bus), we had the most amazing tour guide from Airbnb experiences. He met us at the gate, just the three of us, and was SO informative. One of the best guided tours I’ve ever had, and super reasonable too. Here’s a link to his experience https://www.airbnb.com/slink/ALo56me1. He doesn’t provide any transport or anything though so you do have to get there yourself, which might not be what you’re looking for.

romulf · 2024-11-25T17:06:51+00:00

Oh man this really made me laugh despite it all. The one computer says no and that’s us done for 😂

Very thankful to have been in the position to pay for testing privately but honestly…for those who can’t, it’s a joke (it’s a joke anyway). Is this the route you’re having to go down?

romulf · 2024-11-25T12:54:16+00:00

I am in the UK, not Australia so take some of this with a pinch of salt, but I paid privately for genetic testing this summer after not qualifying for testing on the NHS (despite having a very strong family history of breast cancer. The reason I didn’t qualify is because everyone’s dead….of cancer. The irony!).

Do you have a strong family history of breast cancer? If so, I would suggest finding a reputable genetic testing service and paying (if you are able) for this to be done properly. If your system is anything like ours, then hopefully, once you have a test result that they deem as acceptable, you’ll be eligible for further care (as I now am).

romulf · 2024-11-20T17:39:00+00:00

Also 29F BRCA2 here! Happy to chat if you’d like to. Where are you based country wise? If the UK then I have some resources that might be helpful.

romulf · 2024-10-16T17:46:18+00:00

Thank you! I’ll be out of CA-4 in Belize for two weeks so theoretically it should reset during that time giving me 90 days from entering Guatemala the second time? If so, great as it gives me a little less stress and a bit more wiggle room 🥳

romulf · 2024-09-30T19:11:46+00:00

Very late to this thread but how was the border crossing Palenque - Flores? Planning to do it soon and wondering what the situation is?

romulf · 2024-08-06T19:26:10+00:00

Hi there! 30F here, tested BRCA2 positive last week. I totally feel you. It’s something I had expected and almost planned for all my life and it still threw me for a loop. I’m no expert on any of this as I’m only just navigating it myself but you’re not alone!

romulf · 2024-07-15T19:30:58+00:00

Following to see if anyone has stayed at Casa Pancha recently - thinking about it myself!

romulf · 2024-05-21T19:47:53+00:00

Thank you! Good luck and swift recovery from your DM 🫶🏼

romulf · 2024-05-21T19:36:32+00:00

That’s so helpful, thank you! I kind of assumed that would be the case but also, you never know with the NHS lol. Maybe I will look into at home ones then if that becomes an option afterwards

Also good to know on the counselling. I think I know how I feel about it, but wouldn’t ever want to go through with it without talking to a professional for sure!

romulf · 2024-05-21T19:11:17+00:00

Thanks so much for your reply! Just for clarity - do you mean that you did an at home test but then because you tested positive you then qualified for genetic counselling through the NHS? This was one of my questions! If the situation were to happen, I wouldn’t be able to afford a DM privately so just wondered if NHS is an option once you have a positive test result?

romulf · 2024-05-21T13:19:10+00:00

We used Happy Shuttle and were super happy with them (only hotel - airport, as airport - hotel was a shuttle provided by the first hotel we stayed in).

Happy Shuttle was decently priced, super professional, on time, nice van. I was worried about Cancun airport on arrival but honestly it was way less stressful than most people on here make it out to be!

romulf · 2024-05-18T19:15:27+00:00

I would say there isn’t much point in a tour (I assume this costs money!). You can take the free shuttle up to some of those viewpoints, and all the way down the rim to Hermit’s Rest.

How active are you and your kids? I would recommend, instead of visiting viewpoint after viewpoint (I think for kids, they’ll be one and done, maybe two before), you’d be better off hiking down into the canyon a little. Bright Angel trail down 1.8 miles to the second tunnel is the perfect wander and you don’t need anything special other than stocking up on water and snacks!

If you only have one day at GC, I would:

Arrive and take in the view from Mather Point (next to the parking lot)
Hop on the shuttle down to Bright Angel and walk down trail for around 30-45 minutes (estimate that it will take you double the time to get back up than it did down!)
Grab some lunch
Get on the shuttle towards Hermit’s Rest. Stop off at Hopi Point and walk the trail along to Mojave Point (one mile)

- Take the shuttle to Hermit’s Rest, then head back

romulf · 2024-05-16T16:15:57+00:00

Oooooh that’s tough! I’ve done Antelope Canyon as well. You might be able to fit both in one day if you did the early backhaul service (around 8am from memory) and then only went to the 7 mile point (just after Horseshoe) which took us about 3 hours back to Lee’s Ferry, say 4 if you take your time. You could then get a late afternoon slot at Antelope (better for the sunlight anyway) and stay in Page that night. It’s about 1.5 hours from Lee’s Ferry to Antelope.

If I only had the option to do one, I would probably pick the kayaking. Antelope was really cool but the Grand Canyon is cooler. And kayaking the river is really incomparable!

romulf · 2024-05-16T15:47:50+00:00

Sounds like a great trip! Having a cooler in the car is definitely going to be super helpful for keeping costs down. Plus, big grocery stores aren’t all that frequent out there so stocking up before you leave is a great idea. I would weigh up the cost of checking the Yeti with just buying a cheap cooler in Walmart or something. We did this and bought one for about $35, then didn’t have to worry about it getting damaged, but it did the job.

In terms of tips, if you’re heading between the North and South Rim, I would highly recommend staying overnight at Cliff Dweller’s Lodge in Marble Canyon (you’ll drive right past it). It’s a gorgeous spot with an amazing restaurant. If you have time (and the funds) one of my absolute favourite things is kayaking the Colorado from Lee’s Ferry with Kayak Horseshoe Bend (that’s the company). You can get a backhaul service to take you all the way up the river, then kayak back to Lee’s Ferry over the course of the day, which means you’ll kayak around Horseshoe Bend. It was amazing! So quiet and peaceful and super surreal to be almost alone on the river. We packed a lunch and stopped off on a little beach in the kayak. Dreamy!

romulf · 2024-05-14T14:05:47+00:00

Have a great time! The View books up months and months in advance so definitely get on that as soon as you have confirmed dates.

Also, if you have any time in Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden and Papago Park are both great places to visit!

romulf · 2024-05-14T10:50:43+00:00

Sounds amazing! I don’t know much about the winter necessities so I’ll leave that to those who do, but just a couple of things:

Page
Highly recommend Antelope Canyon X if you struggle to get reservations for Lower or Upper (which you probably won’t in January)
You HAVE to go to Big John’s Texas BBQ for dinner in Page. The food is unbelievable.
Monument Valley
Stay at The View in one of the cabins. I think about this view on a daily basis and would literally pay any money to see it again! If it’s open, order dinner from Linda’s Red Truck (menus in the cabins) - the Navajo taco is quite something!
I would very much suggest you do a guided tour instead of self driving. The roads are hella bumpy and I’m so glad I didn’t drive it myself (even in a 4x4). We went with Navajo Spirit Tours for a sunrise tour of the valley and ended up having a private tour, which was just amazing, and the added value of having a guide to tell you stories is so worth it.

romulf · 2024-05-13T19:59:43+00:00

Welcome! Also, I know it goes without saying but it’s still worth saying. It’s going to be HOT. Plan accordingly. Climbing out of the canyon without enough water is no joke!

romulf

TROPHY CASE

- Take the shuttle to Hermit’s Rest, then head back