Best Westernized

San Jose, Costa Rica
November 7, 2001


Familiar food, even if I cannot read the sign.

Days of sleeping in a nice bed at the Best Western, with clean towels, hot water, CNN, HBO, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, etc, reminds me too much of why I chose to take this trip in the first place: to get out of my comfort zone and discover myself while seeing the world.

I also envisioned a more mystical journey, filled with days of meditation on mountain tops and daily yoga in exotic jungle temples. Well, I manage to meditate about four times weekly and have done yoga like once. I foresaw a trip filled with learning and self-discovery.

I have learned that while not dependent on my creature comforts, I do enjoy them, more than I thought. But I could also do without them for stretches, which make them that much more enjoyable later.

I also figured out that, often, I don't possess any inkling of what I really want. When I travel alone, I search for other travelers; with fellow travelers, I long to be alone. I read and re-read the Lonely Planet guides, trying to come up with the optimal plan...ensuring my trip is on the efficiency frontier. Yuck, how anal is that!?

Well, just give yourself a break sometimes and don't be too hard or demanding. After all, no matter where you go - there you are.

One thing I do know is that I am ready to head out on the next leg of my journey. The good thing about sitting still in one place for four days is that the longing for travel takes hold again.

I missed a lot of the "key" tourist sites in Central America and let go of my planned schedule earlier in the trip than I thought. I'm glad too. The important thing is to be present as much as possible and not necessarily to check off every block on the list. After all, as I keep telling myself, it's the journey and not the destination.

Central America Observations:

- Guatemala is one of the most beautiful and interesting of the countries down here, with amazing indiginous people.

- Used US school buses rule the roads here and also provide the most interesting mode of transport...especially the local "chicken" buses filled with campesinos.

- The older, colonial cities with Spanish influence, like Antigua, Granada and Oaxaca attracted me more than the dirty, noisy, and dangerous capital cities.

If this particular Travelogue seems a bit stream-of-consciousness, well, it is. You can view this as a bit more of a "Captain's log" rather than a more theme oriented piece like my previous ones.

I have blazed through the first leg of my trip, keeping true to my intention of covering as much ground as possible on buses and ground transport and minimizing flying. In fact, my first flight is tomorrow to Caracas, Venezuela.

I have been on the road since 6 Oct and really spent a quick month in five countries. I think things will slow down a bit more in South America, where I plan to hit six countries in four months.