I have been backpacking for two weeks now. I have three more to go. I was studying Spanish in Panajachel Guatemala for two and a half months before I left heading northeast for Belize. This is what I tell the dozens of locals and fellow travelers who I meet daily out here.
On the road you become expert at introductions
What’s your name? Where are you from? Where did you come from and where are you going? These questions led me to meet the most wonderful, fascinating people from all different walks of life.
- Substitute doctors from Switzerland who tell us stories from their trip to Iran
- A chain smoking Belizean plant shop owner whose girlfriend just got out of jail
- A guy from the US who sold his house, car, and business to motorcycle down Latin America
We ride on the same wavelength together, maybe for an hour, maybe a week, having chats about life, exploring caves and rivers, or traveling, then part ways on our separate paths.
I just arrived in Belize the other day
I’ve gotten around by chicken buses (aka old pimped out North American school buses), a new friend’s banged up car that needs to be hot wired to start, pickup trucks, micro-buses, boats, you name it.
I’m traveling alone.
No program, guides, no friend from home. Sometimes it’s lonely. But in reality it means I meet more new people, and I have the freedom to live on the fly. I go wherever and whenever I feel like it.
From cloud forests to subtropical jungles to the Caribbean coast. I ask around for how to get there, arrive, then find a cheap hostel. Not gonna lie, this guarantee-less “plan” freaked me out before I started, but everything is calculated risk.
I learned to trust my intuition, to distinguish discomfort from actual danger. (Thank you Jenn who I met up with in Guatemala for the wisdom! -pictured above)
And I can tell you that only through letting go have I truly discovered the abundance of goodness and beauty out here in the world. Let go of your preconceived notions and fears. Go see for yourself. Embrace that squirming, thumping feeling in your chest because that means there’s an adventure and growth ahead.
Then you’ll be living.