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FEBRARY 21, 2012 - DAY TWO
I'm sitting in my Window Seat directly in front of the bathrooms (wishing I'd brought an air fresher or at the very least a facemask) but I'm not complaining, it took us 5 hours to get these seats through Air Canada, an airline that apparently does not believe that after purchasing tickets on a 14hr flight, we should be afforded seat selection.
It is my second day of travels and it got off to a rough start. We arrived at the airport in Toronto yesterday with our backpacks in tow. Our backpacks were over packed and we had not a clue how to wear them correctly, I was struggling and cold but by the time we left Toronto for Beijing today, we were 30 pounds lighter and had become semi pro at packing our gear and adjusting our gadgets. For someone like myself who's never backpacked and lived in over 80 degree Farenheit year round, getting from the Toronto Airport to our hotel in Downtown was trying. At 27 degrees Fahrenheit, which is extreme cold for a Miamian and over 40 misplaced pounds on my back, the journey was torturous. So after having to reroute twice on the subway we found our way to our room, where I, although tired, took a good look at the monster I had strapped to my back and began the feat of figuring out what I could do without for the next couple of months. I knew that traveling for a couple of months would be trying, at least when it came to packing and budgeting oneself. Which means getting by with as little clothes as possible and giving up comfortable cab rides, opting instead for going on long walks to from your destination or at best taking the metro.
By the next morning Andrew and I had rid ourselves of 30 extra pounds, found or way to the nearest Canadian post office, sent 30 pounds back home and mapped our route back to the Airport, no rerouting this time. It became apparent to me last night as I readied myself for much needed sleep, that mistakes, wrong paths and the unexpected were going to be a part of this "Trip of a lifetime", a part that much like I did this morning I am sure to learn from and laugh about in the future. Before I fell asleep in my hotel room last night, in a city I'd expected to venture in for at least a day, but never got to discover, I prepped my arrival in Beijing, studied their subway map and planned on using alternative transportation upon our arrival. If we had a hard time getting around in English Speaking Toronto, I can only imagine what awaits us in China.
I have three things in my life I simply cannot do without:
- My Loved Ones
- Fitness
- Travel
Oh yes & there is poor Enzo….. L
My Loved Ones
Leaving my loved ones behind is difficult, not so much because I will miss them, which I will do, but because they haven't a clue what I am doing, why I want to travel and why I would want to be away from them, so far away and for so long, I'd say they even feel a bit offended, as thou I were merely trying to get away from them. Its simple, I had to do this, I have always wanted to do this and I guess everything I have ever done and been through has brought me here. So to say Paulo Coehlo is correct, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."
The universe did consprise and it took me sometime to realize that I could only repeat to myeslf for so long that one day I would go, before I either actually gave up on my dream or chased it. But it took a few good & bad experiences and even some outside advice to make me realize that for one just because others don't understand me, doesn't mean I can't do as please. And secondly, the good reasons I need for something are my own.
FITNESS
I love to train hard and run hard, so although I'm traveling, I'll still be hitting the weights and the pavement. I plan to keep a journal of my workouts & see if I can get the two loves of my life to flow well together: FITNESS & TRAVEL.This is yet another aspect of my life few understand, but it is just who I am. As a traveler, my guess is most people believe one should spend their time feasting & drinking, that is not what my travel is about.
TRAVEL
I can easily become homesick, but as of recently I've become rather sick of my home and when you live in Miami, Florida, there aren't many reasons to want to leave. But I had good reasons, one of them being the people. Yes, I hate to say that and I don't mean to offend anyone. There are numerous marvelous people living within the sunlight and Palm trees of our heavenly paradise, but I guess I just haven't run into them lately.
I am not in search of a better place or better people. People are good and bad in all parts of the world, I just had to get out of my circle for a little bit, for as long as it takes me to crave it again and that is why I love to travel because when I do, I appreciate my own existence on another level, I appreciate where I am from and embrace life with a softer heart when I return, anger fades and although I encounter both misery & wealth in my journey and have both good and bad times, I feel richer for having my experience, a sensation that no thing or money can provide.
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