It has been 30 days so far on the road. For me this is a long time to be roaming, wandering, living everyday with out needing to go to work. I know that last part sounds like a luxury to those who are working hard everyday…I mean it as, I feel lost without work. It has been my purpose for sometime now, work. So what happens when you set forth to find a new purpose. Quit your jobs and leave everyone you know to set out on an adventure, alone… I´ll tell you what happens or at least what is happening for me. The minute the plane started to take off and the pilot´s voice came on the loud speaker in Spanish, I thought…what did I just do?
For six months prior I dreamt of travel, well maybe longer but that is when I got my lonely planet Central America guide book and started researching traveling to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I thought, I know a little Spanish, I think I could make this work. Oh man…am I a dreamer! This little dream led to some savings and then a plane ride to Guatemala City where I flew in on Dia De Los Muertos, the day of the dead.
Nothing can erase the feeling I had as I boarded the shuttle to Antigua, the beautiful once grand capital of Guatemala located in between three volcanoes, Aqua, Fuego and Acatenango. It was as if all the nerves in my body were tingling at the same time…I was completely buzzing, some call this sleep deprivation after 14 hours of travel but I call it a state of amazement. I made it. Here I sit 20 days later writing about it. Alive and well, happy and caught in a daze. I have been reading about other people´s adventures for so long and now here I am, a little bit more adventurous than before. Surrounded by fellow travellers and wandering souls, looking for something to make our hearts beat a little faster. To all my friends out there, I say, go for it. Wander with a little more curiousity and be open to meeting new people. You never know what good can come from taking a leap of faith on yourself and your curious spirit.
Go forth and be kind.
Wanderlust Katie 