I'm a solo traveller, but I'm never alone

"If you are travelling alone, get a good book. Loneliness can drive you crazy". That was the advice of one of my friends when I told him my plans. Of course I followed his advice and got a good book, but the problem is that I hadn't have time to read it. I've been always surrounded by people. At the moment, I've been alone just 3 days out of around 30 days travelling.

I always meet friends on the way. Since I arrived to India, I promised myself I was not going to let the fear of being alone prevent me to do the things I wanted. So I started travelling alone around India if nobody wanted to join me. The interesting thing is that every time I travelled alone, I came back home with one or two new friends. For me is way easier to meet new people when I'm alone. It's like I feel pushed to go out from my comfort zone and talk to strangers. On the other hand, I assume most solo travellers feel the same and we are looking for friends to share some time.

I've met so many interesting people while travelling. People that even if I've met them just for a couple of days, I can call friends. People that had helped me in difficult times,  like when I got robbed in Goa or when I was alone in Jaipur.  People that had inspired me with their stories. People that had motivated me to go to new places. People with whom I've shared not just a part of my trip but also ideas and feelings.  Since most of them have been travelling for long time, I've learned from them the best tricks, what are the best places to visit and which is the easiest way to do it. They've filled my mind with great travel stories and with the desire to go to more places.

It seems incredible how can you make such a connection so fast with certain people. There is people I've met during breakfast at hostels, but nothing goes beyond a 15 minutes conversation. And there is people I've met randomly on the street or  waiting for a taxi or in a bus, with whom I end up travelling for weeks. These travel buddies have made my travel so fun. Sharing at least a day trip with them is enough to call them friends. And sometimes I meet them again somewhere along the way and it seems like we have been friends forever. Living these travel experiences creates a special bond. With most of them I regularly exchange messages telling each other about our most recent adventures and location, and planning our next meeting. I love to see the world through their eyes.

So even if I'm  a solo traveller I'm never alone. I have now lots of new friends and thousands of stories to tell. They have taught me to trust and open my heart to new people and to be able to let go and say good bye when our plans are different; just hoping to meet again soon, somewhere.  This is just like life is. You trust, you enjoy, you thank, you let go. I know we'll meet again.

I'm the first Guatemalan you've ever met

I know it is not true for my friends and family from Guatemala. But outside the  country I hear it quite  often: "You are the first Guatemalan I've ever met". I have to admit that it makes me feel special. But at the same time is kind of sad. The world is missing to get to know all these amazing Guatemalan people,  and at the same time Guatemalan people are missing to see the world. 

Africa was the continent were less people knew about Guatemala. I was confused with the Thai princess in an Embassy in Kenya and asked if Guatemala was an island near China in Senegal. It's sad that they don't know Guatemala. But I feel glad that at least I can show something new  to the people I met when I travel. In India was a little bit weird since Indians confuse Guatemala with Guantanamo. Was I a political prisoner? Or when I say Guatemala is in America they think it is in the USA. I already know the speech on how to explain that America is a continent and not a country.

Since we tend to create stereotypes in our minds, I believe that is a responsibility to show the people I meet how nice Guatemalans are. Usually people that have heard about Guatemala just know about it because of the news about the violence and dangers of our country. I've met a lot of travelers in hostels that tell me they have heard Guatemala is beautiful,  but they haven't dared to  visit it because it's dangerous.  I have to be honest and admit that our country is not the safest one, but I still encourage them to visit it telling them which are the safest areas.  I love to tell them about how beautiful Guatemala is. I enjoy describing the ruins of Tikal and the beauty of the volcanoes around Atitlan lake. I think I have convinced at least a couple.

I have to make up their mids not just regarding the beauty of our country. But also how kind, hard working and trustworthy we Guatemalans are.  I do my best to be sharp, polite (sometimes they  make fun of me because I'm TOO polite), and always smiley. I met a  Polish  girl that told me: "Just seeing you so happy makes me want to go to Guatemala". I always tell them that even we are in the top countries in criminality and poverty, ironically, we are also in the top countries of happiness.

I strongly believe that we Guatemalans have to go out there and show the world how beautiful people we are. We have to promote our country. The world is missing us and we are missing  the world.
  

The best plan is to don't have a plan

When I started traveling and not just following a tourist group I used to plan my trips for weeks in advance. I spent hours reading about what to do, how to do it and when. I remember a friend of mine even used to create an excel sheet with all the previewed expenses. All these creates many expectations,  so when the place is not as you imagined or the plan doesn't work as you want, it can be very disappointing.

When I decided to go to India, I remember I met a Swedish couple that have been there and asked them for some advice. The girl just answered:  "I don't know if I should tell you, since I don't want to create any idea or fear. I can only say: everything is just unexpected". I think that was the best advice I had. Other people I asked about India filled my mind with so many warnings and fears that I was crying in the plane before landing in Delhi.  And it was incredible! India was, just as she said: unexpected! And I loved it.

Traveling in southern Asian countries for example,  you realise that deals, times and distances have different meanings.  These make making plans almost impossible. They tell you, "five minutes", that can be half an hour. And you need two hours to travel 50 km.  Once in India I took a bus to Manali that arrived to its destination 13 hours late. Therefore, you develop a capacity to deal with frustration and to overcome the habit of controlling things. You realise that you can't change the way they think or live, so or  you change your ways or you will be angry your whole trip. Besides, it pushes you to be  creative  and find fast solutions to the always arising problems. Once I was dropped in the middle of the highway, 20 km from Pushkar at 1 am. I had to call a  random hotel to see if someone could pick me up, so the owner of the hotel arrived on his motorcycle and drove me there.

Now I spend less  time planning and more time traveling. I decide where  to go on the way. I read less travel guides and trust more other travellers to chose my next step. I'm not afraid of changing my plans because I barely have them. And I realized that when you don't expect anything about a place, magical things can happen. For my tip to Myanmar and Vietnam I just had some flight tickets, I didn't have a clue on what to do until I arrived to each country. On Myanmar, I was planning to go to Mandalay, but a Tulsa minute I decided to go on a three day trek to Inle Lake that ended up being a four day trek because we wanted to stay for a funeral festival in one of the villages. This week I was quite sure I was going to Hue for a tour to the Demilitarized zone in Vietnam, but I met an Italian guy who told me about some National Park and ended in the most amazing caves near Dong Hoi. Life has many surprises prepared, but is up to us to be ready to change our plans and be surprised.

People that know me for years might think this is not me. Two years ago, I always had a plan for what to do next and I was eager to make my plans happen as expected.  But as a fortune teller in Khajuraho told me once: I was not this happy two years ago. Being more prone to be surprised has made my life way more exciting. Now I just know I have to be somewhere at a certain time and date, what happens in between I'm not sure. The same way, I know what I want from my life, how I get it and at when I don't know yet, but I'm figuring out on the way. 

Be a traveler, not a tourist

Two weeks ago I went for a very short trip to Nepal. In many ways it changed my way of thinking and made me realise how much I enjoy being a traveler and not  just a tourist.

When I was a little girl, me and my family traveled several times with those huge tourist group packages. I remember being to Disney World following a red sign and a bunch of people. We  were going where they wanted us to and when they wanted us to. We were  just seeing what  they wanted us to see. Years after I went to Miami for shopping without even seeing the beach. And even went to the typical summer break to Cancun. It was good and I enjoyed all these trips. But it was because I didn't know what was it like to be a traveler and not a tourist.

What's the difference? You must be wondering. Being a tourist is going where they are telling you to go, being carried around to and site seeing museums and the must-see landmarks of each city. It is spending heaps of money in fancy hotels  and drinks on the beach.  I'm not saying that's not fun or that I don't like it. I think this is just the perfect vacation. But it is not the way to really know a place and its people. It just depends on what are you traveling for.  I travel to see smiles, I travel  to see people, I travel to see moments.

And all these just strike me in Nepal. Realising that I enjoy way more seeing people than places. I did everything as the locals do. As they say: while in Rome, do like the Romans. I met my American friend Daniel and started our trip walking to the Kathmandu's bus station and  buying a ticket to Pokhara in a public bus for that evening. Then it became more interesting, when we decided to go to Baktarpur in a public bus. It cost less than half a euro,  but it took us 2 hours to travel 30 km. The bus was stopping every 100 meters; picking up and letting people  out. The bus  was packed. It was quite nice to see the faces of people smiling at me and some expressions of amusement. The fact that I have small eyes and dark skin, but don't dress like them nor speak their language always makes them wonder where I am from. Usually that's what triggers the conversation. And if they can't speak  English they try with gestures. I love to say that I'm from Guatemala because everyone always say I'm he first Guatemalan  they have ever met. This  makes me feel special.

Baktarpur  was quite interesting. It seems like the town is frozen on time. We saw many interesting sacrifices due to the  festival of Durja Puja. On the way back we took the  wrong  bus, and reached a different bus station. We could have just hired a taxi and reach the other station, but we wanted to do it the hard way! That's  what makes the trip interesting! That's the  adrenaline, that's the challenge! We had to walk for some blocks because no bus wanted to take us there. Finally we got into a public tuk-tuk. These are bigger tuk-tuks that resemble trucks on the back and can carry up to ten people. This one was driven by a lady, which  was  extraordinary. She took us to a  place where we could take a bus to reach the station. All the trip cost less than one euro and took more than an hour.

In the station we went to have some momos. The other customers were looking at us as if we were Martians. They are no used to see foreigners  eating in local restaurants. Anyway, I had the greasiest and most delicious momos ever.  Sometimes the locals don't let you experience their life. If you ask them about places to eat or visit,  they mention the typical tourist places. It's not because they don't want  to share, its because they expect you  to be more comfortable doing the usual  tourist trips. For example, if I get on a bus, they sit me on special seats near the driver, probably because they see I'm a girl traveling alone. And if I ask for a train they send me to the most fancy cabin, sometimes at the same rate. Until you gain their trust and show them that what you want is a recommendation  based on  what they do, they share the most secret and amazing places. Just  this week I met Koko the guardian of one of the temples in Bagan, Myanmar. We became friends and he took  me  to the ruins  of a monastery. I had the best view of the city from there. Koko even told me I was the first person he had taken there.

I strongly believe that the best way to  know about a country is to hear the story from its people and to try to see and experience their lives. It shows you the same scene from another point  of view. Besides, until  you meet the locals  you are able to destroy stereotypes.

I love to find new paths, not just the one the map shows. I travel to see people, to  see smiles, to see moments. Because those can't be captured on a  photograph or be found  on  Google images. Being a traveler you realise that even the most stunning landscape is not complete without a personal story. 

There are no accidents

      And two years after, I finished my Masters. I never expected it to happen this way, but now I can’t imagine it happening in any other way. These two years have taught me the most, they taught me to believe, enjoy, thank and let go. I’ve learned to trust God, who always knows the perfect time and way, and to trust everyone, remembering that no one is perfect. I’ve learned to enjoy and be amazed by every single small detail, every moment, every random smile and even every mistake. I’ve learned to thank every day for being alive and because I have way more than I deserve. I’ve learned to let go, because nothing is forever and it is needed to move on to see the next adventure that God has prepared.   

      They had given me the most amazing experiences, but they also took away what I’ve loved the most. They brought me to places I’ve never imagined, but also to face my biggest fears. They showed me that family will always be my safety net and there is no failure that can’t be overcome by their love, their words of hope and their trust. Home will always be home.  I can go back whenever I want and I can take it with me wherever I go. I’ve learned that real friends are few and that time and distance just make real friendships stronger. Friends come in different sizes and colors, and you will never know where you can find them. I’ve seen that there is a big world outside my small mind that I never imagined. There are so many thoughts, religions, cultures and ideas that sometimes are hard to believe and impossible to understand.  

     I’ve learned that most of the time I’m wrong, and that is right because that’s the way I’m learning.  I’ve found out that I can be right and wrong at the same time, because everything is relative and I’ve been enjoying getting to know the various unimaginable right thoughts. I’ve learned that failing and being alone is not as bad as they say, and those experiences made me love me more. I’ve learned that there is no pain or trouble that lasts forever; looking back and realizing what you just overcame makes you appreciate how stronger you have become.  I’ve learned that saying good-bye is just a part of life and it teaches you to love when you are and where you are, because you don’t know when it is going to be over.

        I’ve learned that there are no rules to follow, just my own, the ones that lead me to happiness. During these two years I’ve figure out what I want from my life: I want to be happy and make my life useful to people around me. I don’t have a plan on how to get it, but I’m enjoying being bubbly and sharing smiles, cheering up people and keeping up a good mood.  I know I’m getting close because I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and each day is getting better! =)

     There are no accidents: a phrase from a children’s movie that a good friend told me during one of my most painful disappointments and a phrase that reminded me that I’m not walking lost and alone, but there is purpose in my life. Every failure, every tear, every farewell is taking me closer. Closer to life, to happiness, to God, to my destiny, however you want to call it…

New start: New Delhi

Delhi's airport

I arrived at Delhi's airport at noon, with the sadness of a lost, the fear to the unknown and the hope of finding something new. At least this time, I didn't have to make a two-hour queue to go through the migration process. I had in mind that the first thing to do was to get my luggage, the one that was left in Miami and was supposed to arrive at this airport. It took me some time to fight against the bureaucracy of the Indian security officers, until I could arrive at the airline desktop to ask for my bag. 

They made me wait for more than an hour and I left without my luggage and without a clue of where it was. I was super hungry and went to a small kiosk just outside the airport, where my first "What am I doing here?" came to my mind. Everything on that kiosk was vegetarian, or vegetarian and spicy. It took me sometime to find something that looked like a hamburger and it turned out, that it was potato, not meat. Disappointed, I called for a taxi. It was a small (the smallest I've ever seen) van, super narrow. I get on it, and the second "what am I doing here?" pop into my mind, accompanied by a " I'm going to die".  The old man drove like crazy, with that narrow car, he was getting between two other cars, making four lines in a three lanes street. He was accelerating and hitting the brakes every 10 seconds. After five minutes, I decided just to calm down and trust on him, I thought that that should be the way they drive here, so he should know better. 

The monkey on my balcony

I felt it was a long drive, and I was just waiting for the landscape to change, from the small apartment buildings that were almost falling apart, to nice big buildings. It never happened and when I noticed, we were stopping in a super crowded street, with small, old, dirty houses.  The third "What am I doing here?" came to my mind, this was my block.  I walked slowly towards the entry of the gated community. I saw some ladies, wearing their saris, kids playing on a dry dirty park. I started looking for the number of the house, when I saw three monkeys jumping from one house to the other. It was outrageous! I even had monkeys on my block! Finally I found the house and the apartment, it wasn't as nice as I have pictured it. It was messy and dirty and with a continuous dripping from the shower that was driving me crazy. I put my things on place and went to buy some food.  

The market was just in front of my block. It had mostly restaurants, a lot of food that I have never seen in my life. I managed to find some food and decided to get a SIM card. I needed a copy of my passport, some pictures and to give the number of a reference person, as if I was applying for another visa. I went to get the copy of my passport and the old man who attended me didn't have change for my 10 rupees note, and he told me "bring it later!".  I was impressed, he didn't even know me, that was something that hadn't happened for me in a while. I managed to get my SIM card, the man on the store filled all the forms for me. Then I wanted to pay the man for the photocopies, but still didn't have change, so I asked someone on a store. He told me "I don't have change, but I can get it for you". So the man left his store and went to a near restaurant to get me the change. 

Riding the rickshaw

I went back home, met my new flatmate (an awesome, super friendly guy) and went to sleep. Before sleeping I was thinking on how lucky I was to have found a flat so close to the place I am working on and with so nice people, how lucky i was to get a SIM card activated on the same day, while it usually takes two, even for the locals. The next day I woke up with a renewed attitude, went to work on a rickshaw and realized that without knowing, I chose the perfect place to work on, doing exactly what I love. I have been here just for a few days, but I am starting to understand why am I here: I am here for the thrill, for the adventure; I am here for the smiles, for the kindness: I am here to challenge myself: I am here for something different, to see that the world is much more than what I am used to. I still don't know the whole reason, but at the moment I just feel is just right. I am just in the place I am supposed to be, that's why everything has worked out so perfectly. 

Safari at Sweetwaters

       We were ready for a three days trip outside the city visiting some solar projects and working.  At the last moment, on Thursday night, our contact person for visiting the sites told us that we couldn’t go.  So, we decided to visit more of the country and travel anyway.  The next morning, we woke up and spent some time deciding what to do.  Finally, we decided to go to Nanyuki and go on Safari.  I was super excited.  I didn’t imagine I would have the opportunity to do it. So we boarded a bus to the city centre and there we would find a matatu that would take us to Nanyuki. 

   A matatu is a small bus, a minivan of approximately 12 seats that makes long trips to different cities inside the country.  They are all parked in a spot in the city center, waiting to be filled.  You have to try to find a matatu that is almost full, because otherwise you will wait like 4 hours until it is full and departs.  When we arrived in the city center, we came down the bus and we just saw many people walking towards us, covering their faces. We didn’t pay attention and keep on walking, when suddenly a horrible smell, like if someone was frying onions came to us.  That’s when we realize that we were walking in tear gas.  Apparently the police wanted to move some vendors from the street and they use the teargas to move them.  We took another route and reach the matatu station. There were a lot of matatus, and a lot of people asking us where we were going and trying to make us chose their matatu, but we wanted and almost full one. Finally, we found one and started our journey to Nanyuki. 

     It took us like 6 hours to get to Nanyuki, it was a small city with mall in the middle. We found something to eat and then we looked for a hostel. At night we went to the supermarket and in the surroundings we found an English man that start talking to us and end up helping us to find a car and a guide for the Safari. The next morning, at 6 am, we were ready for Safari. But, our Kenyan driver wasn’t there.  We were worried, because they say that you can spot more animals in the morning that is when they go for food, at midday they try to hide from the sun. Our driver arrived 30 minutes late and we started our trip. 

    We arrived at Sweet waters park at 7 am and start our Safari.

  The first animal we say where zebras, apparently they are very common and you see them everywhere. Then we saw some Baboons, they were so nice passing in front of our car.  I loved to see the moms carrying the small babies on their backs.   Impalas are also very common and we saw a lot of them.  But we were looking for the “big five”.  The “big five” are animals that are rare and Kenyan people were always trying to find and hunt since they are very precious and they are very difficult to spot on foot.  

     We kept on driving and we saw some giraffes, I was so excited, since I like them a lot. Sadly, we just saw them from far. But, suddenly, we saw our first one of the “big five”: a buffalo.  

     We saw it from far, they are huge animals and very dangerous, so we tried to stay far. We went to a Chimpanzee rescue center.  Chimpanzees are not original from Kenya, but they have been brought here, since in their native countries they are captivated and sold. So in this place, they try to simulate their normal environment and keep them safe.  Chimpanzees are the most similar animals to humans, our DNA is 98% the same, so it was very interesting to see them.  We heard many sad stories of how they were treated before they got there; some of them cannot even stand properly since they had been for years inside in small cages.   

      After the rescue center we saw our second one of the “big five”: an elephant. This was an interesting elephant, since they are usually in group, and this one was alone.  They say he was expelled from the group and since then they always see him alone. Elephants are very territorial, and while we were taking pictures of it, unexpectedly we saw it coming towards us. It was quite scary to see such a huge animal walking towards us.  So we just moved from its territory and it calm down. 

     We saw another one of the “big five” on a protected site, the rhino. Rhinos are now endangered, so they are in special areas, with many guards taking care of them. Since their horns are very well pay, many villagers try to catch the rhinos and kill them to get their horns. This rhino was called Baraka and was half blind, that’s why it was very calmed and we could even fed him.                       We also saw some cheetahs playing among them and resting.  It was interesting how the Safari works, when one of the drivers sees one of the “big five” or other rare animal, he calls his friends, so in some minutes there are a lot of cars with people taking pictures. This was a little disappointing for me, because it kills the excitement of going in the wild and finding animals or tracing them. So, when we were looking at the cheetahs, our driver got a call announcing that there was a lion close by. So immediately we went to try to look for it. Sadly we didn’t. On the way we think we saw a leopard, three of us saw a shadow in the woods and told the driver, so we drove towards it.  Apparently it was really a leopard, since there were a lot of baboons nearby and all of them seem alert as is a predator was close.  We stay there for some more minutes, waiting for the leopard but we never saw it again.  At the end, we saw, for sure three of the “big five”, we think we saw four, and for sure we miss one: the lion.

     Other interesting fact of this park is that it is extended over the equator, so you cross the equator many times, to the north and to the south hemisphere while you are driving around.

    I liked the experience a lot. Nevertheless, I was expecting something wilder. I don’t know if it still exists on Earth a virgin place, where these wild animals have never had contact with human beings. The animals in this reserve seem very used to people, with turns it into a show more than a real experience.