Well, as you can see we do indeed have a little bit of time on our hands. We are between treks in Ushuaia and Tony found a job he is applying for so I have some time while he is working on his cover letter. We have both been reflecting a lot in the last 10 days seeing as this is our last month traveling. I suppose that´s what happens when you spend such a significant amount of time doing something...
Particularly interesting to me is the experience of being outside the U.S. for so long. Tony experienced this the last time he traveled, but for me this was the first time I spent more than three weeks out. It really has an impact on a person. You really begin to see things from a different perspective, a broader lense. You look at a world map and you see more than you have ever seen before, at least that is happening to me. I want to learn about each and every place I can. I want to meet the people and feel the culture. I appreciate the break from intense media messages that seem to bombard us everyday in the states. And I relish the fact that my cell phone is not attached to my hip anymore :)
Hmmm.... we have seen life in a more simple form. Hardworking people living simple lives, eating simple food, sure there are less regulations and they don´t even refrigerate eggs or yogurt here, but I bet their immune systems are stronger than ours...
The people we have met along the way...wow, we have met some amazing people along this journey. Friends from all over the world who carry similar views, ideals, and values that we hold dear. Endless conversations defending and also not defending the United States, changing the perception that others sometimes have of Americans. We have heard a lot on this trip... ¨wow, you guys are the first Americans we like!¨ Hmmmm.... how can we change this world view. There really are a lot of great Americans out there.
When I think of snapshots of places we visited, here are some things I will remember. The hands of a Bolivian woman who was sitting in the seat in front of me on a bus. Tough, weathered, leathery, strong hands... dirt under the nails, no rings except for a simple wedding band. And an equally weathered, beautiful, unpainted face. Hair pulled back into two braids... smiling and laughing with her seat mate. She gets off the bus in the altitude of the altiplano with nothing in sight, off on foot with her cloth sack tied on her back to her home nestled in the chilly hills of a beautiful countryside.
I will remember the little kids in Peru who followed us on our trek which crossed their path to school. Two small children, walking through snow with sandals and no socks. Dirty dirty dirty smiling faces, curious about these white people hiking for fun on paths that their parents travel every day to work the fields.
I will remember fires in the streets on New Year´s in Baños, Ecuador. No fire codes, no rules, just lots and lots of drunk people and fire- oh and fireworks too!
I will remember that on a boat in the Galapagos there was a passenger on the same cruise as us who had my uncle as a math teacher in high school and graduated with my aunt, reminding me of what a truly small world this is.
I will remember hard hiking and backpacking days in the backcountry of all of these places of which I thank my love, my partner, my best friend who was so excited to go there with me. He was willing to go the extra mile to get out of the cities, carry a lot of the group gear so my foot wouldn´t hurt as much, and always making me laugh no matter the circumstance.
Many of you know that for me this is my 30th year... a transition year for me in career, in life, and in love. I was searching for a rite of passage opportunity on this trip to really celebrate the next steps I am, we are about to take. I thought going to see a Shaman in Colombia was maybe what I was searching for, then I thought well a really tough physical and mental experience is what I need, then I realized that I don´t need anything specific to mark this transition... this is it. I accomplished my transition with this entire experience. I feel rested, relieved, refreshed, and renewed.
What are we going back to? Hmmm... we recently came across a couple of Americans who had just started their 2 month travel experience. We asked them, what have we missed in the last 6 months in the U.S.? They sat for a minute and thought about it, and then said, ¨wow, you really missed a lot, a lot has happened in the last 6 months¨ We may have ¨missed¨a lot but, we have also seen it from a different perspective. Instead of being in it we have been on the outside looking in. We have had the chance to seek out information instead of having it jammed down our throats as one of my friends said to me (I don´t remember now who said it). We were able to celebrate with the rest of the world on the election of our new president, we have heard about the loss of jobs, we have felt the hit of the American Dollar more acutely since we calculate costs every day and base it on the currency exchange rate. We have talked to people from other countries and listened to how our U.S. economy has now dragged their economy down with it. Do you know that in Ireland the loss of jobs is so bad that people were leaving and going to Australia, and now Australia has cut back or shut down their visa´s because they can´t deal with the overflow of people? We met one traveler from Australia who took a few months off to biketour with his wife because he was so burned out at his job. He was a financial advisor and he was tired to having to tell people bad news all the time, all these people who worked so hard all their lives and now are none the richer for it.
I guess we don´t really know what we are going back to. We are in our 30´s with no jobs, no home, and few things. But we have youth, hope, and determination on our sides. I know there are many people out there who are facing similar situations, loss of income, loss of investments, a starting over- or chance to redirect our lives is the best we might get for right now. So when we go back, we will work day by day, week by week, to help get ourselves and in effect our country back on track. We have faith, but we also believe that people have a lot of changing to do. Change in three major ways... 1. is becoming more environmentally conscious, consuming less stuff, looking for alternatives to oil, going green 2. Improving the middle class, or actually, recreating the middle class that is disappearing before our eyes 3. being able to trust our government again and believe that our votes, our beliefs will be reflected in the actions of our leaders. I know it is a tall order, but Tony and I have had many conversations about this and we hope to be part of the changes now and when we return to the states.
One thing is for sure, we are now life long world travelers and hope to continue to do what we need to do to be able to get out there an see the world.
Feliz Viaje y Disfruta Vida (happy travels and enjoy life)
stay tuned for updates and pictures from the last days in Patagonia... for now we are going to eat our way through Buenos Aires, when we actually get there! with love C & T
Iceberg we saw while we were hiking the trail on day one of the "W"
