My current adventure is as much about figuring out some things about myself as it is about seeing the world. Pushing my boundaries and discovering more about how I function.
When I left I promised myself I would try horseback riding (again) and windsurfing while traveling the coast. The options I’ve had for horseback riding have been either for people who already know how to ride, or sunset beach tours. I don’t really know how to ride and a sunset beach tour felt a little too romantic and not really about riding. So now I’m looking for a ranch with real lessons in Guatemala.
And… windsurfing. Apparently it’s the wrong time of year for windsurfing. So, I decided to try surfing, only I’ve never really wanted to surf. But, I wanted to get some sort of adventure travel experience in to set the tone for the rest of the trip. I tend to place myself in the role of observer and that’s a habit I want to break.
I stay in hostels because I want to meet new people, not just watch passers by (although that can be really interesting – especially the stories I make up in my head about them)
I started this trip because I want to see the world for myself with all of its shine and filth, not just read my travel guides.
I want to try activities I normally wouldn’t because I won’t know unless I try and watching on tv or even from the sidelines, just isn’t the same.
But sometimes I’m not ready for what I want. Sometimes I need more mental preparation. Sometimes I need a different location or situation. Sometimes I need a catalyst.
My life goes a lot more smoothly when I follow the lead of the universe. I meet great people and learn what I’m supposed to.
On Tuesday, I arrived in Puerto Escondido and immediately after getting off the bus, the owner of a hostel started talking to me about his place. Given that I didn’t have a room anywhere else, it was within walking distance of the swimming beach, and had a pool on site, I agreed to try it for the night, and I’m glad I did.
Towerbridge has a feeling of easy camaraderie. After I returned from supper, I joined Steve (the owner), Carla (an employee), and Jason (a traveler from Seattle) under a palapa by the pool. Soon after, Nina & Sefil* (from the Netherlands), and Merti* & Luna (from France) invited us to go to the bars at Zicatela, the surfing beach. Each day, as people arrived and left, so many were engaging and generous.
I spent the next two days working during prime beach time and I realized I was putting off surf lessons. You see, Wednesday morning I had gone to the beach to sign up with a surf school. I couldn’t find anyone to talk to and the surfers on the beach seemed to have a cooler-than-thou attitude, something I used to encounter when I spent all my free time in tattoo/piercing shops. I’ve known plenty of down to earth tattoo artists and piercers, but I’ve met many more who believed their own hype. I think I just didn’t want to go back. Since I’d worked so much the previous two days, I was able to take Friday off and spend it at the beach. (I didn’t take the camera, sorry no pics.) When Jason and I left I still intended to take a surf lesson. Once at the beach, I said I just wanted to spend some time in the water first. And then I realized that I had already mentally allowed myself to not take a surf lesson. Only a few people had arrived at the beach and the waves were small. I was really enjoying just playing in the water and talking.
Soon Romina, Petr, and Martin arrived and I admitted out loud that I had chickened out. Looking out into the water, I realized it was true. With too many people in the water and the waves getting much stronger it looked complicated and not like any real fun. Well, the surfers looked like they were enjoying themselves, and really that was when I realized that I wanted to learn to surf for its own sake.
As the waves got stronger, Jason, Martin, and sometimes Romina too, would ride them onto the beach and then allow the receding wave to drag them back out into the ocean. I went out with them for a bit, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as they did. Letting the wave carry me in was fun, so was letting it flip me around some (like I could have stopped it if I wanted to), but I started to lose my breath, the salt water hurt my throat, and having my backside dragged down the rocky beach back into the ocean lost its charm rather quickly.
Ultimately, I believe the people I met were more important to my journey than a surf lesson. Plus Jason gave me the name of a beach in Ecuador that is supposed to be perfect for surf lessons.
I know I’m ready for something, I’m in the right place, doing the right thing when I can do it readily. I feel right and strong and I win my inner argument with emotion rather than logic. Just like you can’t logic someone into a relationship, I can’t logic myself into action. I’ll act when I’m emotionally ready, not just intellectually.
The same seems to go for people, they show up in your life when you’re ready for them. Martin has also sold everything and is spending the year traveling and figuring out what’s next. Jason’s returning from a whirlwind tour of South America and already plotting how to return to Puerto Escondido and a trip through Central America. Romina is headed back to medical school and has offered to show me around Switzerland when I get there. With many of the people I met in Puerto Escondido it feels like the journey is not over, like we’ll pick up someplace later. Probably starting with Martin since we’re on similar paths, both literally and figuratively.
I’m ready for the next step, even if it’s not a surf lesson. What do you want next and are you ready for it?
*I am in no way sure about the spelling of these names, or really, even if I’m close.
Tags: comfort zone, get out there, meeting people, travel, unnerving, Who I am
