All in a Years Work!

THIS SITE IS NOW CLOSED. NOW BLOGGING PROFESSIONALLY AT BUDGET BACKPACKING SITE

  DON'T FORGET TO MOVE

So this blog officially marks one year on the road! And what a year it has been. Full of life, laughter, love and a continued passion to persevere with what I've started. Travelling continues to unravel the mysteries of life and along the way it has been one solid investigation. When i reflect and ponder over my travels I sometimes feel that a year is a super long time in the context of what has occurred. Other times i remember when I'm back home just how fast a year can pass you by without even recognising any significant alteration in your life. Travelling is like an icy bucket of water waking you up in the morning. A less than subtle explosion of alertness that sharpens your wit and tests your judgement. I can tell definitely say that this last year of travelling has been pretty intense and I'm starting to think it's affecting my brains capacity to hold onto memories. So many things have happened in the last year that I feel absolutely blessed to have experienced even a slither of what I have. My life right now feels like one of those really awesome YouTube compilation videos that crops all the best parts of an adventure into one continuous play and thankfully leaves out all the tedious aspects such as; traffic jams, petrol prices rising, who's dating who in the movie world, the latest Twilight saga, political controversies and that thing we call full time work. Just an action packed episode of new friendships, long bus rides to seek out the world's treasures, sleeping in sketchy places to save a buck, seeing wonders, testing my boundaries, learning, loving and living!

This blog goes out to all the people that are following the journey and have been enjoying it. It's been awesome hearing all the well wishes. Although I'm far away, and in my own words having a blast, I do get homesick every now and then. I think about all the amazing people I've left behind and i miss those friendships and connections. Here's hoping that no matter how long I'm away for, that nothing ever changes. For people home and far away! Especially those in far away places, both physically and mentally, who think that the world has suddenly become bigger. Never forget that you're only just a plane ride away from getting back into it.

So how do i break down the year that has been? It's a pretty daunting effort. I can compare it to recent trivial events like the Oscars. You want to make sure you recognise everything and everyone for being a part of it, but you know as soon as you step off that stage you're going to kick yourself for forgetting that someone special! I'm going to break this down into a snapshot of the main categories; people, places and experiences and hope i get the main gist of it!

People

Once again a massive emotional journey of friendships along the way. I've met some rad people, shared some good times and as always had to reluctantly say goodbye to them. It's the nature of the travelling beast. Although we come for all parts of the world, we'll forever be closer than distance dictates for the memories we created together. PSF peeps! You've been a major part of my life this last year, especially the first 6 months at PSF. There are too many people to mention specifically, but you know who you are. If i was gonna mention any i guess it would have to be my incredible girlfriend Christine :) We're a month off spending every single day together for the last year, sharing this adventure completely together, and I couldn't have done it without her. Massive props... the girls alright! Everyone on the road can vouch for that, and everyone back home you'll just have to wait a little longer before you get to see how awesome she is! Here's to many more years of wherever our life takes us. And here's to not worrying about the future too much! Other crews that have played a good part along the way are the Williams for sharing their home with me over the holidays in San Francisco and of course Christine's friends who welcomes me like one of their own. To everyone else I've met along the way... it's been a hoot!

Places and Experiences

Since arriving into Santiago a year ago it feels like it's been nothing but a constant flurry of exciting, and sometimes erratic, adventures. The places have been breathtaking and the experiences have been lessons in life. It all kicked off with volunteering in Pisco for 6 months... and it hasn't slowed down since. Pisco took a lot of the memories, and here are some of the best ones. 50 hour bus trips to get home to Pisco. The abundance of Pisco parties! Partying in some hilarious costumes (He-Man and Orko combo, Cool Runnings team, ninjas, wrestlers). Couple of loose Huacachina trips. Doing site assessment with breast feeding mothers. Not having running water for a week. Subsequent beach runs for water. Typhoid and parasite outbreaks amongst volunteers. Getting an injection in the butt in front of a Peruvian family. Giving Christine a lap dance for her birthday at the club Los Friales. Watching a cock fight in the very same club on a different night. Mandatory safety meetings with the crew. Visiting the old Pisco families from 2010 and reminiscing. Rugby days at Pisco Playa. Riding in the LeBaron likes Pisco pimps. Eating carapulca at Ludoteca with the Peligroso Boys. Pisco punches. Drinking crates of beer after completing The Pitch! Building Mystery Modular. The art gallery night. Making mini-golf. Driving the PSF truck for the last month before she died. Witnessing a parrot riding on a dog. I really could go on...

Not to brag too much but the 6 months post PSF are pretty sweet as well. Surfing the world's longest lefts in Huanchaco. Floating down the Amazon river in a hammock for 3 days. Entering the Amazon jungle and seeing all kinds of crazy creatures. The world's sketchiest black market in Iquitos. Cruising the island of San Andres in a golf buggy drinking beer. Peeing in the sink of a restaurant next to a midget chef cooking chicken (as advised by the chef). Wrestling crocs in the Amazon. Catching piranhas and eating them. Chilling in the Sierra Nevada, Colombia. Sleeping in an airport to save money. Riding in a 4X4 off road to Cabo de la Valle with 14 people, 3 goats, a pig, a chicken and 3 huge desert tortoises on the roof. Eating lobster straight off the Caribbean coast. Ocean showers. Spending 12 dazed hours in the Big Apple NYC. Becoming a vegetarian (still going strong since Xmas day). Eating my first tofurkey. My first (and second) Thanksgiving. Visiting an ethical farm in California. Exploring all of San Francisco. NYE in SF. Going to my first NBA game... Go Warriors! Getting into the harsh Mexican sun. Bring bitten by a zebra on the coast of Mexico. Staying in the house of the famous Mexican film star El Indio. Sitting in Frida Kahlo's kitchen. Carnaval in Veracruz, the most incredible party I've ever been to. Hitting up a Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling match. Witnessing a bird migration that would have made David Attenborough jealous. Singing songs with mariachi bands. Shredding some waves at Zicatela... and eating my way through the whole of Mexico... one delicious meal at a time!

So there is my year in a very digested, but reader's choice selection. If I've forgotten anything big let me know. For now the days keep counting and the stories keep accumulating. Tomorrow's another day and it presents another mystery. If it's anything like the last 365 i know it's going to be a good one! Hasta luego amigos!

Start Small... Dream Big!

Adios America and Buenos Dias Mexico! The next stop on our Latin American tour started at the beginning of January and if the next year is anything to go by these first few weeks, then it's going to be an incredible trip. In already only two weeks we have encountered some fate like opportunities and it honestly feels like the universe is alinging in our favour. So far we've stayed in the house of the famous late Mexican cinema actor/director Emilio 'El Indio' Fernandez (who is actually the model behind the Oscar trophy), visited the house of Frida Kahlo and sat in her kitchen, spent a crazy Carnaval in Veracruz dancing the weekend away, saw 10,000 birds migrating in perfect unison, met incredible friends and local generosity and have hooked up with a perfect fit non-profit that will teach us all we need to know about setting up in Mexico and making our dream come true.

Mexico for many people, like many of it's Latin American neighbours, still carries the stigma of danger, corruption, kidnappings and drug fuelled cartel crimes. While many of these stigmas still hold some truth; the majority of it is media hype and misrepresentation from foreign press. That's not to say Mexico doesn't still suffer problems, it's just that overall as a nation they are steadily on the ascent. In reality Mexico is a country on the move. Kidnappings have been and still are significantly on the decline from 15 years ago and it is rarely heard of these days. Corruption comes mostly in the form of opportunists or people who have nothing anyway; no different to corruption in our Western world countries that happen behind close doors of the people entrusted to represent us. Drug crime, although still common, is isolated from all but a few cities and only happens within the cartels. And the overall level of danger is no different to riding the New York Subway at night or trying to get a cab on King St after 3am.

In a land dogged by negative releases and false representations it is often forgotten that it is primarily a country of rich culture, national pride, passionate souls and amazing food, music and fashion. With a mixture of ancient beliefs, colonial imposed influences and contemporary culture Mexico is slowly moving away from the shadows of yesteryear’s and into a progressive stage of transition. The youth of today are educated, globally aware and are making their mark on the traditionalists of Mexican culture. They are moving towards unity, cohesion and are making Mexico a country of strength.

We have spent a lot of our time here so far CouchSurfing (check out www.couchsurfing.org if you're not sure what I'm talking about) and really trying to intertwine ourselves into the national psyche. So far our trip has taken us many places and led us to a number of vital networking opportunities just by being open to the immersion of cultural exchange. In fact before we even landed on Mexican soil we had the ball rolling on our plan to start our own non-profit organisation. We happened to bump into the executive director of the largest woman’s fund group in Mexico called Semillas. There primary goal is large scale fundraising through grants and individual donors in order to distribute grants amongst many smaller Mexican non-profit groups helping to support women in domestic violence issues, land rights, workplace relations and sexual education. After meeting with them recently we are happy to say that we're going to get involved with them for a few months and join their team as volunteers. It's early days yet but we're hoping to incorporate some of our previous experience in non-profits, education, leadership, etc into their already established operations. Primarily though it will be from here that we learn all about the ins and outs of professional non-profit work in Mexico and it get us in touch with many different communities in need from all over the country.

In the months that will follow it will be all about working towards our own goal to set up a community based non-profit that assists rural communities in Mexico. This is our dream! This will be our reality! Start small, dream big!

On the Open Road

Back on the road again. The open road. A well used cliche when referring to the uninhibited freedom of backpacking the globe, but an appropriate one all the same. If we stop to consider the notion of an open road it starts to become an even more suited expression if you take it literally. Open roads are one of the things we all love to get on when we drive our cars. Abandoning the metropolitan hustle and bustle of the roads is a liberating experience when you suddenly find yourself on a back country road and you take a little more control of the way you travel. Minimal signs, a rarely followed speed limit, no one up your backside trying to rush you along. Oh that's a beautiful sunset... ok I'll stop and have a look at it. The open road is something we look forward to because it has limited instructions about how we are supposed to travel along it. It is open and we choose to travel along it to reach our destination. Unlike the opposite, let's call it a structured road, that tells you when to stop, wait, go, merge, slow, speed up and all other things. The structured road is often one that we have to take. It has all this extra signage because if it didn't then things would get chaotic.

In many ways the 'open road' is quite like a metaphor for life. The desire to get onto the open road and control your own movement is similar to the freedom and liberties that travellers work so hard to achieve. As a traveller you long to cross that road in your own fashion and without the restrictions and constraints of life's constant motion. When you're on the open road of travelling you can choose when and where you want to stop, you decide how fast you want to get there and also when you want to leave. You take your time, you slow down and then suddenly you start to see more things. Things aren't rushing past you at 100kmh, but now you're walking past them and seeing intricate detail, you're noticing things you had never seen before. You start to realise that as you slow down and examine this open road, that there are now other roads just like it branching off and heading off in all other directions. Each one offers a new adventure! Each village you come across is as different from the last one, as the last one before that.

The open road now offers you options and lets you decide your own fate. All of a sudden you are in complete control of your life. It is an extremely empowering notion to have your life in front of you and to decide where you want to steer it. Instead of having your life off in the distant horizon dragging you through the routine, you now have it within a comfortable reach. Not enough to forcibly grab it, but enough to sheepdog it into the gates you want to enter. You no longer have life telling you how you're going to get on with it, but you're now telling your life what is happening. The open road has given you this opportunity and there is only one way to give back to it. Give with your head, heart and gut instinct. Don't regret you decisions, but rather learn from the ones that didn't work out how you planned. Be flexible, adapt, take chances, better yourself and most of all make sure you enjoy it. Take control of your life!

When I'm on the open road i feel liberated. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not working and have all this free time. It's not because I'm no longer in front of a classroom and working 50+ hours a week on school stuff. It's because i am in charge of my destiny and i listen to the universe as it continues to open up more exciting adventures for me. I'm flexible with my travels and i go with my instincts. I'm 'supposed' to be in Europe now if i followed my pre-purchased flight ticket, but what would that have left me with. Certainly not an amazing girlfriend that i now have the pleasure of travelling with and sharing my experiences with. Sure Europe would have offered other exciting adventures, but this is the one I've chosen and i have no regrets. I am happy at this very moment, so that means that everything leading up to this point has made it worthwhile.

Don't hesitate to choose your own destiny. You don't need to be on the open road to start making decisions that impact your life now. Simply think about what you're doing and put some conscious thought into where it will take you. Think about what you want to do, who you want to be and then don't stop in your pursuit to achieve it. Don't look into a mirror and see a reflection of what you should be, but instead look for your own reality. I'd rather see my reality than a preconceived societal reflection.

A lot of people ask me why i write like this; in this mixture of travel writing and attempted travel philosophy. A lot of the time it isn't planned. A lot of the time it's just my mind finding a way to conveniently offload my abundance of thoughts. For me travel hasn't just become a hobby, it has become a way of life. It is so much more than hopping from city to city taking a few snaps. It's living, learning and loving. It's about unlocking the mysteries of life and seeing how cultures all over the world go about their daily business. I've learnt equally insightful life lessons from rich inner city people living in Buenos Aires as i have from farmers in the poorest areas of highland Peru. What I've learnt is that there is no code or pattern that people need to conform to in order to live a specific way. That is what travel has taught me. People live in all sorts of conditions all over the world, yet people still live happy lives in these conditions. Just the same is that people all over the world live unhappily. People live in mansions with fancy cars and never have to work, but they are still crippled by unhappiness. Happiness is a state of mind. It can be made and it can be lost. Happiness is part genetic, part circumstantial and most of the time just how you decide to get on with your life and try to find the positive in what you do.

So this is where i leave it. No travel writing, just travel thoughts. With the next blog I'll actually write about what's been going on. I'm in San Francisco at the moment for the holidays with Christine. In between blogs is the 2 months we spent in Colombia on the 'open road' travelling at our own pace and drifting with the current of the universe. It was an incredible time in the north of Colombia that I'll definitely get into in a few weeks.