My Thoughts

Sometimes I feel like I am in a big hurry going from one destination to the next, but there are so many things to go do and see I would hate miss while I am here. It seems like I get to a place, hurry to see as much as possible and move on. At times it´s not really a vacation, but more like hard work. When I left I weighed about 225 lbs and I would be lucky if I weighed 210 now. It is also crazy how when I started I would walk around with a 50 lb pack and it would seem heavy and now I will just walk strait up a steep hill with it and not even loose my breath or feel my legs burn. One night a few weeks ago I woke up and realized that the whole back right side of my head was numb. It was the same feeling of that one feels when going to the dentist. It did not hurt but when you touched your head, it was just numb. I am not sure if I pinched a nerve in my neck sleeping or if I was bit by a bug, but it was like that for 2 weeks. I am glad to see my head is feeling normal again and wonder what other crazy things are going to happen before I make it home. On another note I am disappointed to say that either I lost my Ipod and MagicJack, or it was stolen out of my bag. I am coming to decided that although gadgets are so nice to have, they are a burden when you are constantly moving around. I have come to expect losing things or having them stolen, it´s just part of the experience I guess! When I left I had 6 pairs of socks and now I have 2. I have ruined 3 shirts and a pair of shoes. I didn´t think that would be a problem until after going to at least 30 shoe stores, the people here have really small feet. The biggest size you can get down here is US 11 and I was lucky to find a pair of shoes my size, although they are the worst shoes I have ever bought in my life. While on the topic of size, I can´t say for every bus, but most buses here are not made for a guy my size either. Sometimes when people put their seat back my legs are pinned between my seat and theirs. As for the roads there is no such thing as strait. A journey that would take a couple hours in the US would/could take an average of 8 hours. I am SO glad that I don´t get car sick anymore. I have also decided that learning Spanish at my age is very hard. I am able to get around, but I think that maybe I´ll just learn an English accent instead. Maybe I´ll come home and let you know what the British are talking about since it seems they have so many different words for everything. If you get a chance go and play a game of pool with someone from England. You will spend half of the time arguing about what kind of messed up rules they play by. I do have to say traveling like this is a lot of fun and I have met so many great people and had some amazing times. Sometimes I miss working as it has it´s vices and virtues. I always enjoyed working with a bunch of great people and having an organized structure. All that is very comfortable but I have always believed that you need to be uncomfortable to really appreciate being comfortable. I guess the same theory applies to life in general. One is not thankful for feeling good unless one has been sick or one doesn´t appreciate nice things unless one has done what is necessary to earn them. In my case as I sit here on the bus writting this I am thankful that I am on a paved road today since yesterday I bounced down a bumpy dirt road for 6 hours to only go 80 miles. As I sit here with no Ipod I am extremely happy to be on a bus with a guy who does have an Ipod that he is not currently using. To make it even better it is loaded with Dire Straits. Most of you who know me well, know that most of my adventures will include Dire Straits. As I sit here I remember back when I was in high school and I got my first car. It had 14 speakers, 2 amps, and a stereo that would bounce you right out of the drivers seat. Having the freedom of a car, it was so exciting to go to new places. I love the memories of sitting in the car going somewhere new, spending time with good friends and as I sit here listening to Dire Straits I am reminded of that feeling. It is a big world out there and things are never how you imagine them. One surprise that comes to mind is Colombia. More then all of Central America, in Colombia things seem more orderly and clean. While in Colombia you can tell that the people care more about their environment and the place is not ¨as¨ littered with trash. The cities are worth seeing and the people are great. I´m sure they have a way to go in terms of dealing with the paramilitary/FARC, but Colombia seems to be better preserved then I would have thought. I also wanted to say thank you to those of you who have kept up with the blog and have been sending me emails. I really enjoy hearing about what is going on in your lives, even if it´s just about routine/everyday things. I hope all is well back home and keep it touch!
Cheers,
Lucas