a week in review (aka week one in the states)

1. a customs agent asked if i brought any number of items with me: fruits, veggies, seeds, insects...YES insects! haha, my reply? "oh you have got to be kidding me, i hope not!"

2. wow the changing colors of the leaves, who knew it was fall?!

3. 5+ hour flight without a movie? jeez, in the buses in Mexico i would have at least 2 movies and a couple of episodes of 3 1/2 Men in that amount of time!!

4. walking through the local Fred Meyer's i thought, do we really need so many choices of _____ (fill in the blank with the myriad of items that fill up such stores)?

5. in response to the person who said, "welcome back to civilization"...

well i am not sure how to respond to this as "thank you" would imply that i agree with the "civilization" assessment. i can guess what is meant by the comment, the western world = civilization. forgive my impudence but why is the western world held as the model of civilization? i ask because i wonder, is not knowing your neighbor a sign of civilization? is suing a teacher for disciplining a child in the classroom civilized? are we more civilized because we own cars, computers and cell phones all the while being one of the loneliest societies in the world? are we more civilized because cashiers can rely on a computer to tell them how much change to give me after paying $20 for an item that cost $3.58?

i know how much we have in our country and generally in the western world. i understand that stability and systems/infrastructure set us apart from many countries in the world. i know how lucky we are and how much we have, still i wonder about the view that we are models that others should aspire to. i understand that "civilization" is used to imply a particular sense of advancement, but in my opinion, it was used invidiously and the discriminatory 'we are better or more advanced than them' attitude was not well hidden below the surface.

surely i am more sensitive to this after my travels. admittedly my first week back in the states has been a difficult one. it seems the 'reverse culture shock' is far worse than the 'culture shock' i experienced throughout my trip. thus, statements like the one above have provoked silence rather than dialog; images, experiences, observations and opinions are piling up in my brain but i fear the release of one will cause all to come tumbling out in a torrent of confusion that will not help me to explain or others to understand.

still, this comment (or sentiment perhaps) needed addressing. i only wish the statement had stopped at "welcome back." this is such a lovely phrase, especially after traveling to so many places where i never knew anyone and never saw a familiar face. in the few instances where i saw friends it felt so good to be met at a bus station or hostel and hear the words "welcome!" clearly three simple words have evoked much emotion and thought, leaving me to conclude that i will hold on to the "welcome back" i have received during my travels and upon my return home because these are the important interactions i want to remember and hold onto. the other comments, well those i will let go.

it figures

in almost 5 months i crossed in, out and through 7 countries. during that time i took all manner of transportation all the while with a small day pack and a good-size backpacker pack. it got to a point where they just became a part of me and thus separation from them was kept at a minimum. i was sure at some point my pack would fall off the top of a bus, get taken from under my eye or topple into the water as it sat precariously on the edge of a lancha. never happened. my pack and i were never separated for very long...until i got on an airplane to go home. you have to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. OF COURSE the most systemized, mechanized and structured of all the modes of transportation i have taken in the past 5 months would lose track of my bag. OF COURSE!!

as it happens it was only lost for a day and we were reunited this morning. welcome to the good 'ol US of A.

final days

Cancun. basically two days left and i will spend them in Cancun. i came a day early because some friends i met a few weeks or was it a month ago are here and it seemed like a good idea to come so we could hang out. i am sure it will be great fun and i am so glad to get some extra time with them. still, we are in Cancun. i think if there is any place on my trip that is going to make me want to get on a plane for the states, this is it.

my lonely planet guidebooks are no longer necessary. the bus rides are over. i am in my last hostel. soon enough i will be stepping on a plane, and then another, and still one more, in order to return home.

one more thing...

an addition to the list below...

i am looking forward to: being in a place where i am not being bitten by unknown insects that seem to know exactly where and when i applied the chemical filled repellant that generally works for about 20 minutes. at one point during the trip i was going to keep a list of all the bugs and types of bites but since i never met a bug-ologist (aka entomologist) i never got to know the names of any of them. so they remain...

the miniscule bug that leaves a welt on you 20 minutes later that doesn´t hurt or itch

the spider that bites at night and leaves little red marks on your skin

the misquito that makes your skin itch just by touching it

the misquito that leaves bites that last for over a month

the spidery-thing that bites you, leave a quarter-size welt that turns to a red dot that leaves you itching for days

the ankle biter- the unknown bug that bites only your ankles and legs

stupid scabies

bastard bed bugs

oh and these are just a few of the ones that are on land...there are more, and there are many more in the water! yep, fairly positive i will not miss any of them. one more reason to be grateful for living in a pollution-filled, over-sanitized, industrialized nation!

by the way, can people build a resistance to bug spray? also, i think companies would make a fortune if they could create an all in one bug repellant-sunblock-skin creme...undoubtedly it would be harmful and lead to some deformity or terminal illness but for the moment it would be worth it! of course i wouldn´t use it because i am against sunblock but it might actually be the way to get me to wear sunblock! haha. actually i am considering wearing sunblock the next few days while at the beach, the staff here at the hostel have started to call me, ´la morena´

things i am looking forward to...

we all do it, at some point the backpacker or traveler or whatever you call yourself (with the exception of `tourist`because that is never ever uttered by our group) begins the list of "oh it will be nice to ____ when i return home." i started doing it about 5 days ago. initially i stopped myself from this line of thinking as i felt i was getting ahead of myself and wanted to be certain i did not miss a moment of the trip. a few days later though it happened again, then again, and since that time it hasn´t really stopped. to be clear, the list is not long. i will share a few items below, along with a bit of an explanation. oh and before i start, there is no order to this list and i have not put on the list "it will be nice to see, talk to and spend time with friends and family" because i think that goes without saying :-)

1. have the ability to drink water from tap, any tap. having clean water that is accessable in your home is a luxury and while there have been stops along the way where i could indeed drink the water, these stops were few and far between.

2. wear other clothing. i have been wearing the same clothing (more or less) for 5 months and while it makes picking out my outfit for the day fairly easy, the state of my clothing and my enthusiasm to wear said clothing diminishes day by day.
*there are 3 exceptions to this however. i will continue to wear my newly purchased flip flips, my pink turtleneck sweater i purchased in Guanajuato because i was "cold" in the 79 degree evening weather, and the skinny jeans with crazy zippers and other such decorative nonsense i purchased for $4 in Guadalajara.
**i know the admission that i own and prefer to wear the last two items will result in streams of mockery and general teasing...go ahead, i would do it to you.

3. go for a run. as a "runner" (not sure why this is in quotes, for some reason i was compelled) 5 months of not running has not only rejuvenated my running spirit but also left me looking forward to the many runs i will be doing in the Oregon rain!

4. not have to constantly consider, "where can i put, hide, store, lock or pack my passport-camera-money-memory cards?"

5. along this same vein, being able to put something down in one room and leave it there knowing it will be there when i get back. unfortunately this may result in my leaving things everywhere just because i can.

6. listening to my music whenever and wherever i want. i once had an IPOD and then i gave it away. the reason is not important because while i listened to it often, i was not able to listen to it as much as i wanted as it was one of those items that just calls out "look at me! i am a foreigner with a shiny object that costs obscene amounts of money in your country, if it is even available in your country!" yeah i just didn´t want to put myself or the would be thief in that position.

7. use my laptop. ok so this is one of those things that i go back and forth about...i am looking forward to my own laptop, with my own programs and music and photos, and to a quick internet connection. on the otherhand i am not looking forward to being unundated with what the online culture deems as "news" as soon as i open my internet browser. yes i know i can change the settings, and indeed i will. but i also know that my love of unlimited information about almost anything that can be accessed within 60 seconds of being online is going to collide with my desire to defend myself from information overload and unwanted distraction.

8. eat sushi, thai, indian, italian and whatever other types of food my little heart desires. this is not to say that i do not enjoy Mexican or Nicaraguan or Honduran or Salvadoran or the food of every other country i have visited. on the contrary, i have enjoyed almost all of the food i have eaten and with the exception of the few days i was "over" rice, i will happily continue eating and probably missing the foods from these countries. it is only that i am looking forward to other types of food. we in the western world have access to a wide variety of foods (be it in markets, restaurants or our own homes) and i am looking forward to tasting them all again.

9. cooking, in a kitchen with spices and dishes and pots and pans and recipe books. granted, many hostels have shared kitchens with pots and pans but they are not always in the best condition or there are only a few. i am looking forward to cooking AND baking AND making some of my favorite things AND attempting to replicate some of my new favorite things!

10. not packing and repacking and repacking and repacking. granted i will not be returning to my own place. but i will be staying in one place for a while, and it will be someone´s home. so, not only can i unpack, i can also hang things up!

that´s all for now folks.

162

hours left in Mexico and left in my trip. yes, it has indeed come down to counting, appreciating and savoring every hour.

Merida, Merida, Merida

oh how i love this city and it´s people. especially those involved in Project Yucatan...i have had a wonderful time spending time with the youth (now young adults) who i met many years ago. it is so good to hear how they are doing, their thoughts for the future and their ideas from day to day. i have missed them and being able to spend hours with them has been one of the best parts of my trip! tomorrow i will go to the village to see more of the young adults and see the changes in the village as well.

it does feel as though my trip is winding down and i find my days are slower and my mindset has altered as well. it is a strange feeling and certainly is odd to be one of the travelers who is speaking of going home. i envy those who are just starting out on their journeys, just as those who are continuing envy my transition home. i do think it is good my final days are in familiar places and with friends, i think it affords me the ability to relax and embrace the time i have left.

ah, because my time is limited, and because the computers in the hostel are slow as molasses, i will not be putting up any other photos until i return home.
hasta luego!

almost last stop

arrived in Merida this afternoon and while it has been a few years since i was last here it feels quite familiar. turns out i am staying at the same hostel i stayed at 4+ years ago...glad to say they have made some changes (all for the better) and that there are many more travelers than there were in the hostel in Campeche (2 including me).

when i find a computer that does not remind me of computers cerca-USA 1990 i will post more and make an attempt to add photos as well. for now i will just say that i am so very happy to be in Merida...not just because i love the city and the outlying areas but because i will get to see the young adults i worked with through Project Yucatan!! to say i am excited and happy is an understatement :-)

want to know more about Project Yucatan...check it out: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18094534106

saying goodbye...again

many months ago i posted about my trouble saying goodbye to Oaxaca and today i find myself experiencing this feeling all over again. i do truly love this city and am certain that it is because of the people i have met and spent time with while here. there are those of course, whom i will continue to talk with and hopefully see again as they have been a wonderful addition to my already fantastic circle of friends!

tonight i start on what i hope will be my final EPIC bus ride of this trip...there will be other bus rides, that i am sure, but i am hoping this will be the last of the 20+ hour adventures. that being said, i feel rather sure that i would take a 12+ hour bus ride in a first class bus in Mexico over a 1+ hour plane ride to-from anywhere in the USA. sorry but i am just being honest. airport security that takes away my tweezers and water bottle plus the barbie-size seating on the airplane are not easily forgotten or forgiven in my book.

ok then...off to have lunch with my Oaxacan family, followed by nieves with my fellow travelers, and a final walk through the city!

oh for the love of...

i have 17 days left!

oh dios mio.

24 hours in Puebla Mexico

a few photos from the very short but full 24 hours in Puebla.
the cathedral.
around the zocalo.
the train museum...

i always want to be sure to see something new and different...this was the first train museum of the trip!

a new view of Oaxaca

my third time in the state and city of Oaxaca included a weekend outside of the city and in the mountains. beautiful does not begin to describe the landscape and there is no way that a camera can possibly capture the beauty of the area. still, i made feeble attempts and hopefully this gives you a bit of a glimpse of our surroundings.

this is early in the morning our first day at our first stop. we had a bit of breakfast and a short zip line adventure!

next stop, a beautiful view

and a very very long bridge over a very very deep ravine!

later in the day we hiked up up up into the trees...

and through the large rocks that formed the land.

a view from the cabin in the early morning.

Photos from Guadalajara Mexico

i was not in Guadalajara for very long and while i was there i spent more time with new friends than i did taking photos, thus i only have a few to share. the photos are from areas throughout the city including the historic district and one of the parks.

slowing down and taking stock

back in Oaxaca i am sure that this time will be the final visit of this trip. it is bittersweet i suppose as i am catching up with friends and then saying goodbye once again. certainly this city is familiar to me now and the past few days i acted as a guide (and sometimes translator) for one of my newest friends, this one from Slovenia. we actually met in Puebla and upon realizing we were going to the same place decided to travel together. the hostel in Oaxaca has been full so there have been lots of new friends and interesting conversations amongst those of us from all over the world who have one simple thing in common: we are all here now.

i have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful, funny, interesting people throughout my trip and certainly many of them have been at the hostels. the whole culture of hostels is unique and while each hostel has it´s own "flavor" as a friend of mine would say, the world of hostels is certainly all it´s own. sometimes it kind of feels like you are living in a bubble.

for instance, as i write this, one guy from New Zealand and one guy from England are watching Honey I Shrunk the Kids as they relax after a morning of learning to cook chile relleno, guacamole, tortillas, and tacos dorados. next to me sits a couple from England who are traveling the world in 6 months and a German girl who is here in Oaxaca for a week and is volunteering during the mornings because she feels she needs to do something besides "see pretty buildings and old ruins." the owner of the hostel is from the state of Washington who after traveling for about a year returned to the states and quickly realized he wanted something different. a friend told him that this hostel was for sale so he bought it 5 months ago. the hostel provides breakfast, free internet, open kitchen, hot water showers, book exchange and a tv for use throughout the day-night. i could feasibly stay here all day and hang out, read, write, eat, chat with others and never really know i was in another country much less oaxaca. it is a strange little world.

and in this hostel world after 4 months traveling i have moved up in the hierarchy of travelers. yes there is a sort of weird hierarchy which is loosely based on how long you have traveled, and where you have traveled. being a girl who is traveling alone adds a little something and it appears at this point that i have some sort of clout. it is a funny thing and certainly is a contradiction since the moment i walk out the door into the oaxacan neighborhood i am just a tourist...a gringa.

as a gringa i walk a fine line between accepted tourist and annoying outsider. this too is a funny thing to manage and one that is only better managed when you accept that you are somewhat untouchable but on the outside, in your own alternate universe and no matter how much you may try or no matter how much you may want to be a part of the culture of where you are, you will always be "different" and may never be "a local"... i have had many conversations with travelers, ex-pats, volunteers, and residents (locals) about this and other related topics and it is enough sometimes to make me wonder: how is we all get along, much less live with, each other?

but that i suppose is question better left for the philosophers.

spa day in Sayulita

hiking, swimming, discovering a sacred site...just another day in Sayulita.

here are a few photos:

and if you want to see more photos, check out this blog: http://www.romansinmexico.blogspot.com/

where am i?

i had that moment again. it is the moment when i look around and do not know where i am. the one where i must search my brain and all the items around me to get some indication of where in the spanish-speaking world i may be currently standing. it happened once when i turned a corner, it happened again when i walked out of a coffee shop, and it happened this morning as i stood in a bus terminal. the thing about bus terminals is that they usually do not say where you are but have lots of buses going to many other places so process of elimination is out of the question. so i have learned to just wait and then the moment comes when i remember, "oh right i am in Mexico City and i need to get the bus to Puebla."

i got the bus and arrived in the lovely town of Puebla. upon setting my things down in the dorm at the hostel i turned to see a friend i made in Mexico City. it is always fun running into people and we spent the rest of the day exploring the city and catching up. tomorrow i will have the morning to enjoy a bit more of Puebla before heading back to the state of Oaxaca where i will hopefully catch up with more friends and explore more of the state.

oh a quick update for those who care...
1. my wardrobe is quickly dwindling and it is not because i am buying my dearest family and friends beautiful gifts. rather it seems that clothing you wear every other day that is not-washed, handwashed and then randomly washed in questionable washers-dryers does not add to the longevity...if you start to notice me wearing the same things in photos it is because I AM WEARING THE SAME THING EVERY OTHER DAY!
2. remember that cough-sore throat-lose my voice in the morning thing...yeah it never really went away. i have decided the culprit is the constant climate changes...88 degrees with 150% humidity for 4 days and 70 degrees with 40% humidity for 3 days, etc. not complaining though because if this is the downside of my current lifestyle i will take it.
3. is hearing some complaints from my devoted readers...i am not writing enough, i am skipping the "good stuff," and i am getting "too serious." umm...ok let me see if i can come up with a clear response...have we met?! haha good try good friends but there is no way i am sharing some stories with the world. AND dear friends, if you and my family have not been able to keep me from being "too serious" then traveling alone through central america and mexico for 5 months probably is not going to do it either. as for the writing, it is true i am not posting enough. i am writing though. posting no, writing yes. still i take your complaints seriously (hahaha) and will work a bit harder in the future :-)
4. best way to cure a fear of drowning? continued attempts at surfing. this last one was fun and provided some quality moments of panic. yep the motivation to surf is fueled mainly by the desire to get over this rational but annoying fear.

friends in foreign countries are awesome!

ok so this part of the trip is where i see people i know and the timing couldn't be better! i have been in Sayulita (in the state of Nayarit) Mexico for the past few days staying with friends. it has been great fun, quite relaxing and i have been ridiculously spoiled...which is why i must leave. i fear if i don't leave now the laughs, conversation, carrot cake, crazy cats, beautiful pool and overall wonderfulness of friends might just keep me here forever.

tomorrow i am off to a new destination although at this moment it is not clear where...pictures to come (as i say with almost every post) and stories to share next time!