 |
| Trek 2006 |
Let’s see … where did I leave off? Well, back in April I returned to guiding camping tours for Trek America. Same thing as I did last year, but always with the prospect of seeing new places. This year I was scheduled to start guiding tours in Mexico. So I started off in Mexico, but on an orientation trip and soon found myself circumnavigating the USA and Canada, again. Going clockwise from LA to NY, back to LA in ten weeks is always exhilarating, but the real adventure began as I headed south, guiding tours around Mexico and Central America.
In July I departed LA and headed south … pretty far south. Starting in Cancun, I made little counter-clockwise circles around the Yucatan, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize; balancing days among ruins with cities, and nights camping with hotels. While I may have dodged hurricanes and bullets, avoided illness and cruised across borders, I could never shake the stress of unpredictable speed bumps and having to constantly translate menus.
Though all the conditions were in my favor while in Central America, my heart was soon pulled back to the States. How could that happen in paradise? Well, somewhere along the way I crossed the path of a dear friend, Vanessa. We shared some time traveling together and racked up some impressive international phone bills.
A couple months later I found myself settled in perhaps one of the least expected places for me to be: Texas (Actually, I’m in Austin, which is the little blue island that keeps the rest of the state from drowning in a sea of red). Politics aside, there’s quite a bit of good happening here, especially on the music scene. But I’m mostly occupied by my allergies and wondering what I’m going to do next. Oh, and did I mention this is where Vanessa lives?
Yup, Austin. Everyone here loves to rave about it, and it’s on all the lists of cool/hip places to live, but it’s hard to see beyond the massive sprawl and speeding SUVs. There is a funky side, and plenty of outdoor activities. It kind of reminds me of Tucson, but without the mountains. As you can tell, I’m still adjusting.
I’ve been here for over a month, and have avoided getting full-time job so far by just doing handyman work for friends, and friends of friends, and so on. And Vanessa started managing the local hostel this year, which has about ten years of deferred maintenance, so that’s keeping me busy too, for now.
Meanwhile, I’m just taking a moment to enjoy being happy. I’ll deal with the rest of my life next year.
Happy trails,
George
(georgemcqueen@gmail.com, 520.548.1216)
No comments:
Post a Comment