We've only been back once: last summer to visit family and friends.
I don't know if I have any really deep, life-changing, philosophical stuff... One thing thing that really struck me about Latin America was how unregulated everything is. Small things like the standard height of steps (you don't realize how you take these things for granted until you try walking up a flight of stairs that is maybe a cm or two taller or shorter than you expect!)
And then larger things like the safety concerns regarding road hazards and signage. You really have to watch and pay attention where you walk and ride because there will be a huge hole in the ground that in North America would have a huge neon flashing light pointing to it, covered in reflective safety tape, etc. But in Latin America - nothing. Because if you fall down an open manhole cover because you were too busy texting, you don't sue anyone. It's your own damn fault and everyone sees it that way.
So I start wondering about all the right-leaning conservatives in North America who bemoan molly-cuddling, nanny state and government intervention and wonder how long they'll last living in Latin America... That most people back home whine and complain but have no idea how good they have it. We've met quite a few ex-pats in Mexico, Guatemala, and parts south and they seem to have a very realistic view of life in LA: that when you take back control of your life, you also give back a lot of the conveniences that having a regulated environment gives you.
There are a million similar observations contrasting life in North America vs Latin America, too many to write down. One thing that's always stuck out is how powerful the media is in shaping our perception of foreign lands. We were in San Diego over a year and a half ago, and I was really hesitant about crossing over into Mexico because of everything I've heard about on the news about how lawless and violent it was. Neda had to almost physically push me over the border.
Then a few days later, we were having cervezas on the patio of a bar in Mulege in Baja around midnight, watching old grandparents strolling out on the streets with their grandkids. A dance instructor was rehearsing with her students in the square down the road under floodlights, an old ghetto blaster blaring out Spanish Christmas songs that they were going to perform to for a holiday concert. And I thought, what the hell was I so scared of? It's so beautiful and friendly down here.
And that experience was repeated many, many times over the next 3 months in Mexico. Given that we were only going to spend 1 month traveling through there, that country captivated me in a way I had not thought possible, and that it was with great reluctance that we had to leave in a rush to catch a ship to Cuba.
And then I thought about all the people who echo what they hear on the news: "Mexico is violent", "You'll die if you travel to Mexico". If *I* - who actually planned a trip through there, did all the research beyond the news and endeavoured to search out first-hand accounts (all of which report how safe and friendly it is) - if *I* was scared, then how could someone who had no inclination of ever visiting that country ever overcome the pervasive media brainwashing? That Mexico isn't a tiny place, it's a huge country. That nobody ever stopped going to the Grand Canyon or Disneyworld because of the rampant murder rate in Oakland or the regular school shootings being reported all over the US. Mexico isn't Juarez, just like the United States isn't Detroit.
So whenever I read about how someone who's never been to Mexico or Latin America tries to deter would-be travelers about visiting, I don't say anything. I'm not going to try to change the mind of someone who believes that eating sushi is gross because it's raw fish and that they'll die of food poisoning, even despite never even trying it before. I don't even mention that they should try it just once. Because I don't really care. You do what's best for your own life and if you've never eaten sushi before, it's your loss.
And really, if you're going to take someone's word about eating sushi if they've never tried it ever without seeking the opinion of someone who has, then maybe you've already decided you don't like eating sushi and are just seeking some confirmation.
So these are some of the thoughts that go through my head, but don't make it to the blog because I know it'll spark arguments and I'm too busy having a good time to argue on the Internet.
But you asked, so I wrote them down.
The only nitty-gritty that I leave out of the blog is the daily foraging for food and shelter. There are tons of hotels and restaurants everywhere, but it's pretty tedious work trying to find cheap accomodations and a grocery store to stay on budget. Add to that, you can't buy food in bulk because of space issues on the motorcycle, and you have to find a laundromat every 5-7 days.
Even nomads don't travel every day, they set up camp for a while, which is what we do sometimes - rent an apartment for a month, which is way cheaper than a hostel and you have kitchen and laundry facilities right on-site. It also helps to alleviate the travel fatigue, which hit us pretty bad after the first 9-months on the road, and seems to happen much more frequently and for longer periods of time these days.
However, all of these issues and the nitty-gritty of long-term travel is so miniscule. They're First World Problems compared to the daily struggle that people all over the world (even back in Toronto, Canada) go through to put food on the table.
We're riding motorcycles, seeing the world and meeting some amazingly cool and interesting people along they way. Overall, it's pretty awesome!
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