Where do I go now?
Why do I feel so antsy lately? There are approximately 196 reasons, depending on how you count, but one stands out, and it’s time it came out of the closet. Nope, no discussion of sexuality here, I’m still depressingly heterosexual, I mean the closet in a much more literal sense.
It felt like dropping a beloved friend off at prison when I put my backpack on the shelf in my closet. I mitigated the pain by whispering “Don’t worry baby, it may not be long…”
To my surprise I am committed to living in a fixed place for a while, enjoying it, and the pack is getting juuust a bit dusty.
So why so antsy? Because I am human, ergo I want both sides of every coin. Of course I want to have this cake and eat it too, can there be a more appropriately ridiculous expression? I want to have this home and leave it too.
“But no!” I scolded myself without deliberation or consideration, “You need to settle down and stay put.” As with most arguments, this was unnecessarily fixed in its opposing positions, and it wasn’t until this cup of chai that I realized I CAN have both, just with a little adaptation. I can’t follow my beloved tact of buying a one-way ticket to a continent of Tantalus dreams, packed to go until I stop, but I can still travel. I’m thinking…two weeks?
The thought of pulling that bag off the shelf is erecting my bloodstream and stiffening my anticipation. My pupils are dilated in preparation of visions and vistas. So where do I go? There are approximately 196 options, depending on how you count.
It’s gotta speak another language, and I don’t want to forget my Spanish, so I’m thinking Latin America, which is una coincidencia muy buena for physical proximity.
I’d LOVE to go to Honduras or El Salvador, but trips there without an organization-endorsed purpose are purportedly a matter of hiding in one’s hotel room a disproportionate amount of the time.
If I go all the way to South America I won’t want to leave after only two weeks, and I fairly recently traversed Central Nicaragua down through Costa Rica and Panama. I’ve spent some time in Mexico’s Yucatan, but have not yet been to Oaxaca, a land of colors, textures, and culture that has long called to me. (And has enough rumors of danger to keep me pleasantly on edge.)
I did a solid loop through Guatemala a few years back, but much has changed since then, within the country (for the worse) and within myself (for the better).
And finally Nicaragua, where I missed the northern section, which includes the “recently discovered” Somoto Canyon, where Jerry hurt his knee and you deal with locals more than tour companies as you swim through slot canyons and rappel into ravines. (Plus I’d have the option of crossing into Honduras/El Salvador if the vibe and local reports condone it.
Great post ! I enjoyed reading it and much of the. Thank you very much for this new release. Greetings! ! :))
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Thanks amigo, glad you’re enjoying them!
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Reading this brings back memories. After coming back from our epic overland trip I couldn’t bear the thought of travel that required buying a RETURN TICKET and actually PLANNING my trip! Which meant that I didn’t leave NZ for more than three years after arrival home (with the exception of a long weekend wedding trip to Australia). Try not to do that!
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Oy, I can imagine, especially after the epic odyssey that y’all did. Three years? Oy, that’s kind of a scary thought, particularly because I can absolutely imagine it happening to me too. How long until you can take your bambino on the road? I’d love to meet you three for falafel/sushi/tamales in some marvelous country.
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Don’t know about you, but I am going to Berlin. I just came to brag about it 🙂
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Ha! I look forward to reading about it. That is indeed a great city…I oughtta make it back there too one of these days. Brag on!
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Your emotional response to the idea of a two-week sojourn sounds a lot like mine as I close in on a new photo trip destination. Unfortunately, I feel lucky if I can pull that off twice a year.
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They do sound pretty similar, you’re right. That blend of excitement, pleasure, and pressure as you move towards something so integral to your experience of life, though you’re much closer to the professional side of things. Three cheers for the modern age, with its enabling technologies of airplanes and cameras! (And ten cheers for the human element, seeking to make connections with places and people despite the dehumanizing and distancing effects of those very same technologies…)
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Its so hard isnt it! I can hear the riad calling me again but when im away I miss all my friends. Id love to be in two places at once.
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Exactly! I used to want both, but it was more of a 70/30 in favor of the road. Now it’s pretty darn close to 50/50. I’m hoping local trips and a couple longer ones will suffice…
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Old bones get too tired to travel and Oaxaca has some preettyy delicious mole.
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Very true, very true. It suddenly occurred to me that I could go all the way to Peru for not much more money or travel time…even more options. Such an amazing time to be alive.
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Exactly! Enjoy planning the journey.
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