Viva Mexico Cabrones!
I leave tomorrow, and its a bizarre feeling. For ages, it has seemed that this trip was just a distant dream, and though everything I did was to plan and prepare for it, this day would never actually come. The only other time I have felt that freedom was so near, such a plausible, tangible thing, was the period encompassing my last day of high school and graduation. Leaving the country marks a whole new beginning: Free from routines and commitments, my life will be a blank slate, my mind like clay, free to be shaped by all I see and experience. I’ll go wherever the wind blows, from modern cities to ancient ruins, gorgeous beaches and towering waterfalls.
Honestly, I have no idea what I hope to get out of this adventure. It seems that I couldn’t undertake such a trip and not be fundamentally changed as a person. I’ll meet people everywhere and I will surely have some wild adventures. Assuming I am not robbed of everything or seriously injured, this trip is already destined for success. It would be hard to imagine returning home wishing I had never left.
Everybody asks if I’m frightened to travel alone. I can’t explain why, but I am not at all afraid. This trip has been my dream. I generally don’t have problems meeting people, so I don’t think loneliness will be a huge issue. I have to acknowledge, of course, that crime rates in parts of Latin America are horrendous, and that traveling anywhere can be risky. I’ll be careful though, and do all I can to keep safe. I may still encounter trouble, but I tend to take things as they come. There is no reason to live in fear of what might happen. If I was terrified of the world, I wouldn’t be traveling. Paranoia keeps you safe, but it kills your spirit. As far as I’m concerned, a healthy faith in humanity is the only way to live.
On a slightly different note, I leave at 6:30 am tomorrow, and I arrive at 12:35 in Nuevo Laredo on Monday. That adds up to 54 hours of bus travel, assuming I make all connections on time. It should be an absolute blast. I’m going to see more miles of freeway than I ever wanted to see. I also get to stop in many cities I’ve never seen before, though only for a short time: Richmond, Nashville, and San Antonio. Also, I’m not sleeping tonight so that I’ll be tired enough to sleep while on the bus. Though it may sound like hell to some people, I’m actually excited even about this first leg of the trip.
I only have about 18 more hours in this country, so I feel obliged to make the most of them.
Paz y Amor,
Dan
Tags: Travel
Neocoltrane
September 30th, 2005 at 11:25 pm
hey dannn!!! i cant believe you’re leaving… it seems like only yesterday that u told u me u were vagely plannin on goin on a big trip… and i didnt take u seriously until not long ago… until about …. 10:43 tonight, just as i walked out your house, and realised i was not gonna see you again for more then half a year. i cried myself dry on my whole way home… it’s going to be so weird here without you… so empty, so dull, so boring. i’m going to miss everything about you, because you are such an incredible person, full of life and humor. When i was with you, never did i lose my smile. Until tonight. I’m going to miss you so much.
I was talking to my mom on my way home, and she said “maybe he’ll get all his things stolen just 1 month from now, and u’ll see him again very soon!” i was cryin harder then i did for when marco and jacob and vini left…. and the weird thing is that i have known u for less time. so when she said that i told her “mom, i dont think i want him to get his things stolen, i dont want him to get sick and have to come back, and i dont want him to come back at all until he wants to come back” because you are such an amazing person and u deserve to have the best time of your life on this trip. u’ve worked so hard, and now it’s all paying off. I’m so exited for you.
have the time your life danny doodoo!
dont come back till ur ready! u hear me boii? i dont wana c u settin foot ne where near boston until next june aiiight?! or else i’ll send u STRAIGHT back to wherever u came from!!!!!!
🙂
love always,
Alix