Long Overdue

Near the end of the trip, I reached a point where I was just tired of it all.  I’m not sure whether or not the trip was the catalyst to an ever expanding world-view, or if I just miss the travelling life, but I feel tired and depressed.

After I got back home, I went back to work at the hotel.  My first mistake.  After seeing a world that had next to nothing and was happy about it, I went back and dealt with moronic and entitled North Americans in their quest for a perfect three-day vacation to Niagara Falls.  I admit now that it wasn’t for the extra 500 dollars or for lack of something to do.  I went back to work to see the people, to whom I’d grown attached to after working with them for so long.  We share a sense of camaraderie that will never die.  To the people at work, I love you all.

Though the trip to South America was financed entirely by myself, I do have my parents to thank for quite a bit of support.  I wish I could have paid back that kindness better than I actually did during my last week at home.  I know a blog post really can’t do anything justice, but I hope you’ll accept my apology.

The truth is, the future gives me more fear and anxiety than a trip to South America ever could.  I have slept on park benches, I have hiked in a 2500 meter deep canyon.  I have met amazing people and I have had my heart broken by the intangible beauty that Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina have to offer, and yet I still prefer that than the monotony of everyday life.  There is something amazing about it all that gives you insight into who you are like nothing else.  Yet this is all I have gained, insight.  I still have no bloody clue who I am, but I think I’m closer than I was before I left.

So where I am I now? I’m in Vancouver, BC.  I’m starting the second adventure of this year, but this adventure has a less glamorous quality than another South American country.  I’m starting university.

You’d have thought that a trip of the magnitude of the one I took would have prepared me somewhat for this experience, but the truth is, I have no idea what to do with myself.  Though part of the problem might be attributed to the fact that my experience with the university so far has been one disorganised mess after the other (seriously guys, get your shit together), the truth is I’m just lost.  I don’t know whether this is the path I want to take, and I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, or even, for that matter, if I’ll be finishing here.

For now, I guess the plan is to just take things as they come, and hope for the best.

And now, I’d like to share some revelations about my trip.

1. It was not dangerous.  Government of Canada website be damned, I was happiest and had the most fun in the areas they said I shouldn’t be.
2. You can find like-minded people anywhere. You just have to look.
3. Guide books are good for getting you on the ground, but when you’re there, never follow the recommendations.  Your best guide books are the people you meet along the way
4. If when intoxicated, two people begin having philosophical debates, the likelihood that they are or will become good friends is very high.
5. The world is small.  Seriously, I sometimes met the same people two or three times.  For example, I met a German in Arequipa, saw them by chance on the streets of Cusco, and then saw them again when they walked into the dorm in the hostel in Iguazu.
6. Silence and being alone are two different things, but they are both better when paired with the other.
7. You can ignore any kind of noise in a dorm except for sex noises.
8. Coming home is nearly as hard as going away.
9. You are more yourself when you’re travelling, because you’ll never see these other people again.  So why pretend?
10. Sitting around and doing nothing is an entirely acceptable activity.

At the moment, I don’t know whether blogging will continue.  I’d like to, given that my travels will never end, and Vancouver is such a huge city in terms of diversity and outwards differences.  I guess I’ll see.  Because in the end, there are two things in life: there’s waiting for something to happen, and there’s going out and seizing an opportunity, and the trouble is knowing when to do which.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my South American travels, and I hope that if I continue to blog, you’ll continue to follow along.