live better

i begin my journey kinda backwards, by visiting my hometown before leaving for central america. though i gotta say, there is something nice about being in a place i know so well, and being comforted by family and friends before launching myself into the unknown.every time i come home,-stone mountain, georgia- there are several places i must visit to make my trip complete. things that, while living here, i either deeply cherished or took for granted; things they don't have in los angeles. they are mostly restaurants (which makes it difficult to stay on any kind of healthy eating track i may be on), but there is also the drive around my high school stomping grounds in tucker, georgia. i found out yesterday that they have torn down most of the school and are rebuilding a rather huge structure; i guess there are just more people 'round these parts now.

there is one of the largest wal-marts known to man just down the street from my parents' place. i remember when it was built; it's always a big fucking deal when a new wal-mart opens. it started out as just a regular size wal-mart, but then grew into a monolithic beast that lies in the shadow of the great stone mountain.

i decided to visit wal-mart today, because there are a few things i need still for my trip but also because it is a completely different cultural experience than one can expect in los angeles. 

DISCLAIMER: i do not mean to offend people who do not live in los angeles, or big cities, or everyone who resides in small town southern america. i think there are so many quality, kind and caring human beings that live in my hometown, and i would never be prejudiced or judgmental to people who just want to live a nice life that fits their needs and wants, as long as it is not effecting anyone else in a negative manner. that being said, their are a lot of interesting characters found in a wal-mart, and if they ever want to write a blog about how funny my life is, more power to 'em.

i took the pickup truck down the street. it has been storming on and off (another thing you just do not see in southern california. there is nothing like a real thunder and lightning and pouring down rain STORM.) 

i walked in to find that they were doing a major overhaul and rearranging everything. that's ok, i still found some really great products. 

i also did some serious people watching. i was ecstatic to hear an old man use one of my favorite southern colloquialisms, "if it was a snake it woulda bit me" (used when finding out

 something you were looking for was really close the whole time). there was this other guy whose aim was to have a conversation with every person in the store. i saw him giving gun advice to a teenager in the gun isle, and shoe advice to another guy in the shoe isle. to me he said "you seen my wife? as soon as i turn my back she goes out and shops. cain't turn my back on that woman." aren't we in a store? isn't she supposed to be shopping? my reply, however, was a simple smile.

this wedding cake topper is just sad. it screams: "women! always tryin' to rope you into marryin' them when you knock them up!" 

cinnabon candles, for when you want your home to smell like a food court.

this lady sure seems excited about never having to leave her home. "y'all, don't tell anyone you can walk outside....for free."

guns and knives!

guns! yes, they're BB guns, but it just looks so sinister, all those guns in their packaging, up on a shelf. shivers.

you'll be happy to know that wal-mart sells live bait! see, they even want to take down the mom and pop bait and tackles. damn mega corporation.

"whadda you mean your sister wants to go fishin' with us?"

i am not sure how this product slipped by. bohemian, indeed....

i always show support for the shitty beer i drink by walking all over their logo. 

then the wal-mart turns into a full on grocery store. with the most impressive selection of jerky and preserved meat ever.

and the best part? it's right next to the soy milk.

i am sorry, but saving a few pennies by giving your already hyperactive child overly sugared cereal will not make you "live better".

i just loved these because they look like you could couple them all with big floppy hats and have yourself a ready made southern bridesmaid outfit!

"math is hard!"

i walked out of wal-mart with a grand total of nothing. all i wanted was a rubber door stop, and they didn't have that. perhaps i could have just used a WWF homoerotic action figure?

don juan's reckless daughter

a friend of mine called me a professional escapist. there is some truth to that, and though i am ashamed to admit it, i'm pretty good at getting away. movies, novels, booze, music: all fairly effective tools of avoidance. not too mention extremely entertaining.

the idea of being able to up and leave has always been appealing  to me. i lived in an rv one summer, and the 26 ft ford econoline had the name "the escaper" emblazoned on the side. we named him houdini, in conjunction with his model, and i felt an immediate kinship.

          

so yeah, i like to get away. but i also like to get toward things as well.  it's not just fleeing from responsibility, a job, several failed romances and failed career moves....it's running toward the promise of learning new things, meeting interesting, like minded folks,  and seeing things i've always dreamed about.  

i think getting out of one's comfort zone simply for the sake of travel has it's merits, but consider the contrast it creates for one's "normal" life. yes, there is that laundry list of things up there that yes, i find myself fleeing. but. there is also comfort in routine. security in your own home, your own city, country. clean sheets, hot showers, and toilets you can sit on. man, you will never love those things as much as when you get back from living life as a smelly backpacker. 

this duality drives me. one of my favorite joni mitchell songs uses the metaphor of a hawk and a serpent-"the serpent fighting for blind desire, and the eagle for clarity"... we all crave some sort of chaos and excitement in our lives, just as we want to have a steady income and constant roof over our heads. it's the battle between the two, to find the balance, that makes us who we are. fight your appetite for adventure and feel restless. refuse to settle down, find some routine...grow tired.

so travel constantly gives me something to look forward to, be it my next trip to a new place, or the thought of being in my own bed again one day soon. some people have said to me: "so are you going on this trip to 'find yourself'?", and the truth is, i have already found myself...and that's why i travel.

decisions, decisions...

trying to use this day, a very rare and precious day off, to pull the trigger on some big trip decisions.

first: i am trying my damndest to make it to my friends' wedding in colorado, right before my flight to belize. which means a round trip flight from atl>den, hotel room, etc. my funds being what they are, i'd have to find these things pur-etty damn cheap.

next: i have no flight home yet. this is because i don't know where i am coming home from yet. my original plans had me leaving lima to go down to santiago, chile to bum around southern south america for a while, possibly trying to find a way to easter island. as it turns out, not the best time, weather-wise, to be in those parts of the world. not to mention i will most definitely be out of money at this point, which is why what i should do is book a flight home from lima to los angeles.

but i probably won't do that.

i'm looking into a couple of options: hitting buenos aires before coming home. i've heard it can be pretty cheap and good for solo travelers.

also, meredith is going to new orleans after leaving lima. i could come back to los angeles via nola, and catch voodoo fest, a big honkin' music festival. and drown my travel weary bones in chicory coffee, beignets, po' boys and bourbon.

i think you know which way i'm leaning.

slogging through itineraries, travel websites, and flight plans is both exciting and frustrating, especially when one does not know from where one will be departing. this is just another one of the downsides to traveling (partially) solo. making decisions.

while i have always loved traveling alone, it means that you have to make some big decisions without really having it effect anyone else. which can be amazing and liberating, but it also means you can't pass the buck sometimes when you just want shit to be taken care of. 

luckily, i am not doing the whole trip solo, so we've made some group decisions. very little compromise was needed, as we all wanted pretty much the same in an inca trail hike. it was nice to have a couple people weighing in on the issue. i have been bouncing ideas off of people, of course, as well as using social media (facebook, this here blog) to try to get different opinions. but there is only so much a person can stand to talk about someone else's fabulous vacation. it's come down to me.

countdown to travel times

2 weeks until i depart los angeles!

first it's off to atlanta to visit family/friends. looking forward to this as it's been over a year. i am sure i am in all kinds of trouble for taking so long to get back, but i hope to charm my way out of such trouble in person. lots planned for this part of the trip, mostly catching up with some pretty important people in my life.

i leave for belize september 14th. arrive in the morning, and according to all i've read, it's best to get out of belize city as soon as possible. so, i plan on jumping on a taxi boat to caye caulker, to spend a couple of days on this "backpacker destination" island, right off the coast. life here should be fairly cheap, and i'll be able to meet some fellow travelers and get some ideas on where i'd like to head next. ideally, i'll spend a little time in mainland belize, some time tin guatemala, then off to san salvadore to visit a friend. this should be around 1 1/2 weeks. i am probably crazy.

also, today i went to an orientation for couchsurfing.org, an organization dedicated to bringing travelers together. you can either host, if you are in your hometown, or meet up with locals while in a new place. hosting can mean letting someone stay with you in your home or just taking them out on the town and showing them how the locals do it. i hope to utilize the organization while i travel, but the problem is i don't tend to plan too much in advance. luckily there are plenty of low cost hostels in most places in central america, but it would be nice to hang out with some people who live in an area. we shall see.

have any suggestions or ideas? contact me!