I've come to realise this is a definite low point of the trip. I'm not really being social, kind of down and tempted to go home. I think this is the inherent problem with long term solo travel, you eventually get to the point where you get a bit worn down doing the same thing in a new place all the time, namely:
- Arrive in new town
- Find hostel
- Make new friends, tell/exchange life story
At this point I found that I've done it so many times I'm just don't feel like it anymore. I really enjoyed staying at Yo Mamas Casa as there were people you could get to know for longer than a few days who weren't just on holiday from their day jobs back home, other travellers with similar goals and experiences.
There is also definitely is a difference between the long term travellers and the holidayers, namely the holidayers are full of energy and enthusiasm and the long term travellers tend to go a bit slower - for this kind of lengthy travel it's a marathon, not a sprint).
My Goal was to make it to Brazil but I found I got so bogged down in Mexico, and Guatemala that everything has taken much longer than it should have, I probably should be in South America by now.
Reassessing things I have compromised with myself that I have to keep pushing myself to keep going til Macchu Picchu in Peru, then if at that point I have well and truly had it and need to go home I will.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
In the Bay Islands, Honduras
I would like to say that the Bay Islands (Utila anyway) are very overrated, it just feels very swampy, muddy and not particularly nice. I'm sure the diving is the main draw. I am probably comparing it to Belize and the Yucatan, which is an unfair comparison and those beaches are absolutely stunning.
And kinda tired, worn out and not feeling particularly social, there's a crazy party going on at my hostel but I'm just not in the mood to party, a little depressed actually. Just kinda killing time in a cafe with sweet wifi. I was looking into doing a dive certification but to be honest forking out $280 I'd rather not in these conditions as the weather has turned to shit. The last guy I talked to at the dive shop was drunk off his ass, and I suspect coked up and asked me 2 times in 10 minutes where I was from. Kind of decided then it wasn't the best place to learn to dive. Theres other places in town but I'm just not that enthused about it, I think it's time to keep moving.
On a positive note I got to see the most amazing bar today called Treetanic. The pictures do not do it justice, it was kind of nice just to see it alone and really take it in, I left a few dollars in the donation box as it's a pretty epic project. It's kind of like Wonkaland meets the great barrier reef on acid. I think it was worth the trip to Utilla.
Well tomorrow back to the mainland and out of Honduras, it's not a particularly nice country, it has similarities to Guatemala but lacks the character and vibrance of the Mayan culture. Overall its very dirty and run down without much charm, the people tend to be very friendly though. I guess the fact it hasn't stopped raining since I've been here has been a bit of a downer too.
Anyway I'm alone again and to be honest feeling pretty content about it. I've got my computer where I can do some writing, Lightroom for photo editing and that's all I need right now. I don't feel like I need to make new friends for a day to make myself feel better.
And kinda tired, worn out and not feeling particularly social, there's a crazy party going on at my hostel but I'm just not in the mood to party, a little depressed actually. Just kinda killing time in a cafe with sweet wifi. I was looking into doing a dive certification but to be honest forking out $280 I'd rather not in these conditions as the weather has turned to shit. The last guy I talked to at the dive shop was drunk off his ass, and I suspect coked up and asked me 2 times in 10 minutes where I was from. Kind of decided then it wasn't the best place to learn to dive. Theres other places in town but I'm just not that enthused about it, I think it's time to keep moving.
On a positive note I got to see the most amazing bar today called Treetanic. The pictures do not do it justice, it was kind of nice just to see it alone and really take it in, I left a few dollars in the donation box as it's a pretty epic project. It's kind of like Wonkaland meets the great barrier reef on acid. I think it was worth the trip to Utilla.
Well tomorrow back to the mainland and out of Honduras, it's not a particularly nice country, it has similarities to Guatemala but lacks the character and vibrance of the Mayan culture. Overall its very dirty and run down without much charm, the people tend to be very friendly though. I guess the fact it hasn't stopped raining since I've been here has been a bit of a downer too.
Anyway I'm alone again and to be honest feeling pretty content about it. I've got my computer where I can do some writing, Lightroom for photo editing and that's all I need right now. I don't feel like I need to make new friends for a day to make myself feel better.
Monday, November 22, 2010
So another funny thing
I'm kind of amused at how little imagination I had when it came to travel when I first went on the road. Central America has turned out to be a million times more interesting, and cheaper than the USA and Canada (not that money is the main thing, but damn it's nice to be able to dick around for a while and not worry about spending all my money). The fusion of the Spanish language and indigenous culture and food is absolutely fascinating. Despite the problems I've had it's been a much more rewarding and interesting experience.
In Guatemala
Well It's been an interesting few weeks.
I've just made it to Antigua, Guatemala to learn Spanish, a necessary skill for travel in South America.
Prior to getting here I had a great few weeks in Mexico City seeing the cultural sights, Dias de Muertos and crazy nights out on Mezcal in Oaxaca, A cruisy birthday week drinking beer , being nude and getting high on the beach in Zipolite followed by a stressful touchdown in a bad part of town in Guatemala City and being stranded there for a few days after having my card stolen in Zipolite.
As it stands now I'll be spending the next 6-8 months in Central and South America followed by hopefully a month in South East Asia if I still have enough cash. There will be more woofing in more expensive countries like Chile and Argentina but fortunately due to the relatively low cost of South America I'll be able to have more fun rather than be a farm boy the whole time.
I've just made it to Antigua, Guatemala to learn Spanish, a necessary skill for travel in South America.
Prior to getting here I had a great few weeks in Mexico City seeing the cultural sights, Dias de Muertos and crazy nights out on Mezcal in Oaxaca, A cruisy birthday week drinking beer , being nude and getting high on the beach in Zipolite followed by a stressful touchdown in a bad part of town in Guatemala City and being stranded there for a few days after having my card stolen in Zipolite.
As it stands now I'll be spending the next 6-8 months in Central and South America followed by hopefully a month in South East Asia if I still have enough cash. There will be more woofing in more expensive countries like Chile and Argentina but fortunately due to the relatively low cost of South America I'll be able to have more fun rather than be a farm boy the whole time.
On the road
I talked to a guy the other day in Antigua who told me he liked the idea of liking on the road than the actual book itself, which I found quite sad.
Obviously it is not a conventional book and as such does not follow a standard narrative structure, and I think this is why some people find it hard to read. The stream of consciousness style that Kerouac would use is in my opinion quite innovative for it's day (even for these days) as well as suitable for for content of the book, that being travel.
Life isn't broken up into chapters, it's a constant flow and I think the book accurately portrays that, my thoughts on it anyway. The themes resonated with me a lot as I spent time on farms in North America and really felt many of the same things Kerouac did, I think every solo traveller does.
Obviously it is not a conventional book and as such does not follow a standard narrative structure, and I think this is why some people find it hard to read. The stream of consciousness style that Kerouac would use is in my opinion quite innovative for it's day (even for these days) as well as suitable for for content of the book, that being travel.
Life isn't broken up into chapters, it's a constant flow and I think the book accurately portrays that, my thoughts on it anyway. The themes resonated with me a lot as I spent time on farms in North America and really felt many of the same things Kerouac did, I think every solo traveller does.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
It's funny
The things that infuriated me when I first arrived don't bother me as much now, in a scary way they even seem normal. I guess I accept things for what they are now rather than fight the unwinnable battle, this can only be a good thing and is actually a really good life skill.
At the end of the day I see the positives of this experience and don't worry as much about the small stuff. I think shovelling shit and working on a farm has humbled me a bit and adjusted my attitude to what it needed to be to survive here. It still does frustrates me that no matter how hard I try the chance of getting design job will still be incredibly slim. I think if anything I wished I knew what I know now so I wouldn't have wasted so much time and money.
I guess this is the problem with undertaking a working holiday when you are in your late twenties and a bit more establised in your career, it becomes harder to go back to the jobs you did when you were 20 as you feel you've been there, done that and moved beyond on to bigger and better things. I never wanted to be the 27 year old guy waiting tables or working in a retail store.
To put things in perspective though you are not your job, your clothes, etc (insert fight club reference). I'm here to experience this beautiful continent, expand my horizons and meet new people. If I have to shovel a bit of shit in order to do that it's a small price to pay.
At the end of the day I see the positives of this experience and don't worry as much about the small stuff. I think shovelling shit and working on a farm has humbled me a bit and adjusted my attitude to what it needed to be to survive here. It still does frustrates me that no matter how hard I try the chance of getting design job will still be incredibly slim. I think if anything I wished I knew what I know now so I wouldn't have wasted so much time and money.
I guess this is the problem with undertaking a working holiday when you are in your late twenties and a bit more establised in your career, it becomes harder to go back to the jobs you did when you were 20 as you feel you've been there, done that and moved beyond on to bigger and better things. I never wanted to be the 27 year old guy waiting tables or working in a retail store.
To put things in perspective though you are not your job, your clothes, etc (insert fight club reference). I'm here to experience this beautiful continent, expand my horizons and meet new people. If I have to shovel a bit of shit in order to do that it's a small price to pay.
Feeling a bit worn out
Woofing is tiring. It'd be really nice to get some paid work, at least something indoors. Getting a place to live and a job would allow me to build up a social life here which is the only thing I really feel I lack at the moment. Woofing means my status is always somewhat transient, it's a bit like backpacking but you meet fewer people.
I think mentally I wasn't in a good place when I first got here, I didn't adjust very well to life on the road at first, and I definitely had to eat some humble pie and face the reality of what my employment situation would be like. I knew this before I came but I think the reality took a while to sink in.
I think at the moment my attitude is I really don't give a fuck if I get work here or not, I've done almost everything I wanted to do in BC and if I get a job that's great, but I don't want to piss away the rest of my money trying to find work here. The time spent not earning money is the only thing that concerns me, only because of the cost of living is so high here.
I'd much rather spend it seeing California and Mexico. That's how I feel about the whole thing now anyway. I think I care less and less about having to go back to Australia, if I did I'm sure I'd have enough money left over to move to Melbourne and I know enough people there I'm sure I could get design work (would actually have a chance at finding work instead of battling against this Canadians before foreigners headache).
The way I see it now is woofing allows me to stretch my money further and gives me the flexibility to move around, and that's good enough for me at this stage.
Will be interesting to see where I end up in 3 months time. I think in retrospect a job placement would have been really good when I arrived. It would have given me the stability and peace of mind I needed when I first arrived, it also would have saved me some cash even if it cost an extra $500 through the agency.
I think mentally I wasn't in a good place when I first got here, I didn't adjust very well to life on the road at first, and I definitely had to eat some humble pie and face the reality of what my employment situation would be like. I knew this before I came but I think the reality took a while to sink in.
I think at the moment my attitude is I really don't give a fuck if I get work here or not, I've done almost everything I wanted to do in BC and if I get a job that's great, but I don't want to piss away the rest of my money trying to find work here. The time spent not earning money is the only thing that concerns me, only because of the cost of living is so high here.
I'd much rather spend it seeing California and Mexico. That's how I feel about the whole thing now anyway. I think I care less and less about having to go back to Australia, if I did I'm sure I'd have enough money left over to move to Melbourne and I know enough people there I'm sure I could get design work (would actually have a chance at finding work instead of battling against this Canadians before foreigners headache).
The way I see it now is woofing allows me to stretch my money further and gives me the flexibility to move around, and that's good enough for me at this stage.
Will be interesting to see where I end up in 3 months time. I think in retrospect a job placement would have been really good when I arrived. It would have given me the stability and peace of mind I needed when I first arrived, it also would have saved me some cash even if it cost an extra $500 through the agency.
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