First, in case you are wondering why am I now writing a blog, after saying I won´t, there´s more on that on "About me" and each of the pages (with numbers) above. They also explain what this blog is about, so I won´t go into that here in much detail, in short, I need to slow the pace down in terms of paying out for experiences like I´m on a holiday and I need to pick up the pace in terms of learning, creating, being productive, doing something for living this new lifestyle on the road, as this isn´t a holiday, but my life, I should live it accordingly.
Two months on the road, how does it feel huh?
The first two months were mostly like one long holiday. Not bad, a 2 months holiday :). But occasionally I would stop and think to myself - hold on, this isn´t a holiday, this is my life now! That´s the most liberating feeling ever. You´re experiencing something great and you know it doesn´t end, only when you feel like ending it.
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Is that a bug in your beard…?[/caption]
I spent my first 4 weeks in an animal rescue center Zanjarajuno, run by a couple of nature and animal lovers Medardo and his wife Lucero. These guys are doing a great job caring for the animals, learning about them and trying to breed them and release them into the wild, but also supporting a community of wild living monkeys, who rely on the center for protection. On top of that, they are very active in local communities, organizing events educating local farmers about the importance of the forest, as the government wants to look for oil there.
Aside from other (more important and deep) things I learned there, I also learned to be comfortable with loads of monkey and bird shit and pee on my t-shirt, without washing it for days. What a skill to have for life.
After this, there were too many things to write in detail about, but here´s a quick run through:
- climbed Chimborazo, a 6310 metres volcano
- climbed El Altar, a 4100 metres high set of peaks and volcanic lagoons
- rode a horse around hardened lava at Baños
- "starred" in a local short movie about Ayahuasca ceremony (erm...my role was to slowly fall asleep, then wake up, so had my eyes closed most of the shoot! :D)
- walked 80km with my full gear on in 3 days
- camped under Tungurahua, an active volcano, with a cow as my alarm clock
- stayed 1 week in a Krishna farm
- practiced Ashtanga yoga
- been to two heavy metal concerts (special bonus! :))
- learned how to make jewellery out of wires from Argentinian artesanos
- improved my spanish to a conversational level
- had my backpack and passport stolen
- met so many good people who helped me on the journey with food, advice, shelter
- helped build a cob house, with some great people
- seen the most amazing sunset at Puñay:
If this can´t render you speechless, then nothing will![/caption]
Not bad for two months! All these are amazing experiences, but I value the ones that tought me something the most, as I love learning. This got me thinking and evaluating my travel style during the last two months. I travelled like I was on a holiday, but had to remind myself that this is my life now! So many of these experiences were paid for, something I can´t sustain going forward, unless I find a way to make shitload of money travelling.
So there will be a small change - I will cut down on touristy stuff and do more things I enjoy that don´t cost much, like the cob house, volunteering, self organized treks, walking, camping.
I will also spend more time ensuring this blog has good content, which means more caring, learning, challenging and earning to do!