Wanderlust Strikes

I was scheduled for a six week stay in language school, but I never made it to week six.

 It was my first international travel.  The schedule called for six weeks of summer language immersion in Guatemala. It was the era after the war but before the current violence set in. 

On the recommendation of a friend I went to Quetzaltenango - or Xela to locals. It is the less touristy country cousin to Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala. The indigenous influence there is strong along with the Latin culture. There was an abundance of language schools and easy bus transit to other cities even farther of the beaten track. 

My teacher Mateo told me about how he grew up and what is was like for him to study and teach spanish. He spoke quechua in addition to Spanish and English. We bought books to practice my spanish, reconstructed the basketball hoop at the school, and generally found ourselves beyond the school walls whenever possible.

 Being outside school provided opportunities to get to know the people and the place. The idea to do a trip around the whole country began to take shape in my mind. After some research I settled on a circuit around the country  using my language school tuition for travel, food, and entrance to the ancient ruins on my route.

This was my itenarary.

Xela -> Guatemala City     chicken bus

Guatemala City_> Flores       coach bus

Flores -> Rio Dulce      chicken bus

Rio Dulce to Livingston     river taxi

Livingston to Chiquimuila      chicken bus

Chiquimula with border crossing to Copan and Quirigua ruins in Honduras.       

        Chicken bus and walking through banana plantations.

Back in to Guatemala To Antigua to reunite with my original group before departure.       chicken bus

The trip involved many "chicken buses", countless discussions with curious locals, walking along the rotting rail tracks of banana plantations, three visits to ancient ruins, a lengthy water taxi ride, a ride on a "passenger coach" bus where I met a local cattle rancher, and the desertion of one hotel due cautious avoidance of some english speaking kids trying to score some drugs.

It was an amazing adventure. Often on the trip there was not another "gringo" in sight. That was not and still is not a common experience for me! Travel was the bridge that took me beyond my own experiences to see the world from another perspective. It opened my eyes and changed my life. There was no going back.

A Couple Her and Me photos

In the gondola over Salta, Argentina.

Her and Me Plus Three - Time to Travel

It was just Her and Me.

Now there are three more.

My wife loves to travel. When we first met she had already lived abroad for almost two years. She wanted to get back out there. The Motorcycle Diaries inspired her and she set her sights on a trip through South America.

A couple years later we were on the road. We traveled through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. We followed that with Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Later in that trip, we visited the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia. We loved to travel. It tapped into the deep recesses of our identities.

These days, our four year old asks when our next adventure is. 

I ask him,"Where do you want to go first?"

His answer never changes, "Africa."

Our three year old likes to ask where we are going today, and he loves to talk

about past travels. "Well, the last day we went to...."

These two young boys are ready for life on the road!

When they were infants, we got the boys comfortable in the car seat and ready to travel. They have road-tripped and flown throughout the US, but our travel has been on hold for almost  a year now. First, little brother's pregnancy involved bed rest. After, that he had another plan.

Instead of the new baby falling asleep in the car seat or being comfortable, it has caused him to scream.  Not a little crying, it was full-out red-faced howling. My wife has had to endure many dirty looks when she is picking up his big brother at pre-school.

 I took the baby to the store yesterday and he did not cry. I am hoping we have turned the corner.

The sights, the sounds, the tastes, the smells, and the people add zest to life. They stretch our souls and change our perspectives.  Travel makes life delicious.  The adventures mirror the adventure of life and show that no one place is your home and that boundaries are just the artificial creations of politics and habit. 

It is time to Travel. GO!