1 ) IT IS NOT AS ROMANTIC AS EXPECTED
I am no noob when it comes to travel, or to life in general. I know high expectations tend to spoil the party. I also knew before we started that there would be hard times both on the bicycle and off. Yet still I couldn't help but dream... with over a year to plan and wait for "the big trip" to begin, how could I not? I dreamed of all the adventures we would have, all the amazing people we would meet. I also visualized the way I would change, the kind of person I would become. I imagined I would become more cultured, more textured, that I would be more outgoing and friendly with a deeper understanding of the world. I thought I would become more badass too, and perhaps a little crazy, but interesting.
It brings me to the same lesson I have learned many times before: it is all just life, and I am living it. Here's the thing, I knew I loved to travel but - big BUT - I had never traveled for more than a month at a time, and usually much less. That is what you call a "vacation". A holiday, an exciting week or two where you get away from it all and SEE THE WORLD. A break from life. Long term travel is life, with the same hardships, the same mundane chores and the same low points where you are just too tired to do anything. If we stay in one place for a while, we see far less of it's attractions than we would if we had flown there on vacation. One key difference though is that in working life your time is organized for you, for better or worse, and you have a steady flow of income. In this traveling life, we are always thinking about how to optimize our time (yet still wasting a lot of it), and we are always counting pennies and saying "no" to many things that would have been acceptable to indulge in on a week-long excursion. But the point is, it is OUR time. All of it. Time is so much more valuable to us than money. Time is not replaceable.
2 ) LEARNING THE LANGUAGE HAS NOT COME EASY
3 ) IT IS LONELY
4 ) SO MUCH PERSPECTIVE
Being immersed on a day-to-day life level, we are able to really see the striking cultural differences between Mexico and the United States, and Cuba is a whole other world of difference. We are often quick to point out the faults of our own country in comparison to these unique cultures, but soon enough something reminds of the benefits within the US, and the privilege we have by just being a United States citizen. To say we feel lucky would be an understatement. Yet these benefits and privileges we could not possibly have understood had we never traveled, and this understanding really highlights in our eyes the entitled attitudes of many Americans today who just can't see how good they have it, or how easily they could make it even better if they would pull back on their ingrained consumer behavior just a little. But that is a topic for another time!
5 ) THERE IS INSPIRATION ALL AROUND ME
In Mexico I am excited by the colors of the buildings, the uniqueness of each pueblo... rarely is anything uniform or repetitive. The older, more natural ways of living, the interesting faces and clothing. The sounds, the smells, the air, the light. There is so much beauty, I cannot help but long to be a part of it, to share it, to spread it around for all to see. And it is everywhere! There is plenty of inspiration in NY, for example, but 8 or more prime hours in an office, with remaining hours of life dedicated to sleep, chores, and what pleasures I could fit in, left little time for immersion in the living art of existing. Now my 8 prime hours are often spent on a bicycle, or walking around a village, or hiking a trail, or exploring a city. A dream come true for a creative spirit. |
6 ) I NEED TO WORKHowever, sometimes my 8 prime hours are still dedicated to self-imposed work, because I need it. I suspected as much, having worked always since the age of 17, even through my university education, which was a ton of work in itself. What would I do with myself, with my hands, on this journey? I brought a few arts along, such as watercolor (which, after a brief inspired spell in Hawaii, has more or less been a bust) and needle felting. But it is not enough. I need important work. I need fulfilling work. I am always repairing our gear and clothing, and inventing new little things to solve problems and make our life on the road a bit easier. But still, it is not big enough. I need to do work that someone needs, or loves, or work that brings delight or inspiration to others. |
7 ) OUR LIFE AND FU
TURE HAVE BECOME EASIER TO SEE8 ) FREE SPIRIT TRAVEL IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS
That moment finally arrived and it was great. We suddenly no longer had any place to be or any time frame in which to be there. We could take it day by day and if we found some place really special, we could stay for a while. If we found out last minute about another awesome route to take, we could go for it. We occasionally added some things to our schedule, such as a music festival in the beautiful colonial village of Alamos, or Carnival in Mazatlán. But really, we only heard about these events from locals just a few weeks before they happened, and it was because of our free schedule that we were able to say, "that sounds pretty great, lets go!". It seemed like fate was at work that these events were happening along our general trajectory.
We decided we needed a break, and picked Guanajuato as the place to host that break, because of it's rumored beauty and the fact that it is fairly under the tourist radar, aka inexpensive with a lot of true Mexican culture. And here we are. I am able to work on my art and nurture my budding photography interests here, as well as practice Spanish and yoga. We are making friends. And Lewis is now free from the tedious route planning and can dream about Leg 2 of our adventure, which will begin here again in Mexico, after a trip to the US for the summer. We decided to make a goal, and that goal is Patagonia by December 2016. We will work on planning it, loosely with a few options here and there to make room for spontaneity. We will plan certain destinations to take extended breaks in so we can decompress and really get to experience "living abroad". We will take a slow travel approach, with bursts of dedicated cycle touring between. If we don't bike the entire way, so be it. But we will get there. It feels good to have a goal. And as aways, it is totally open to change, but having something specific to work towards has really improved our psyche.