I had this conversation with a few girls when I was in Santorini, Greece. And honestly, I totally agree with Kirsty (girl from Aus) who's been traveling for a year too, also worked on the side in England.
Some people think that we are glamping it. Like glamorous camping, with the comforts of a bed all the time or even lavish in accommodations.
Well one thing's for sure, I surely haven't.
I've experienced the following and I'm proud of it, because it makes me appreciate the simplest pleasures in life, and I believe that's what matters. As I've said, complaining is always easy to do, but looking at things from a different perspective is a gift/skill that I believe people should learn to adopt as they go through life's journey.
- I've slept on the streets "literally" of Calais, France. And when I say streets, I mean the hard cemented streets where you see homeless people sleep on, wrapped by just a simple sheet of blanket. In the cold of the night, I opted to sleep on the streets rather than in an expensive hotel. why? well, of course, I'm on a budget and I can't complain. Calais was just another sort of resort area that didn't have a hostel and I just couldn't be bothered to be walking miles to the nearest beach which I figured would have been colder. I was joined in by 2 girls from Finland who I looked after during that fearless morning. Yes, a few drunk men stopped but geez, I was so thankful nobody tried anything on us. It was a struggle though to keep an open eye to suss out the passersby.
- I've slept in the car, amidst the cold of winter's end in Canada... shivering beside a lake and trying to sort out how to get warmer. In the middle of a national park, knowing it was just me, myself and I, it still felt safe. Watching the grandeur of the Moose was enough inspiration for me to Live in the wild for a while. thinking of bears was a different thing altogether.
- Benches in parks/side streets come sometimes be a person's best friend. And that's what I experienced in Trikkala, Greece. I didn't bother taking out a cover coz it was already 25degrees that morning. People who were about to start the morning were already staring at me, yeah, another homeless backpacker. At that point I was already feeling sorry for myself..... But I just had to stop or else I would have fainted because of exhaustion.
- Airports have always been my fave places. But the art of sleeping in airports and finding the best position is what I truly find challenging. And so I was able to relive the phrase "Sleepless in Seattle". Another lady with a dog did the same with me (she was from Alaska), and we ended up looking after each others stuff whenever one would need to go to the loo. The position we were at was quite bad for the bag, but I didn't bother to complain. I just wanted to save on accommodation so I sorted the benches out and had a shut eye.
- The Beach, the sand and the ocean. Experienced that first time in Santorini, Greece as we watched the first rays of the sun show its lumen on the island. Then we had our sunrise swim. That was memorable. Another one was in Mallorca, Spain when I went on a road trip. What made those nights memorable was that I always chose a position on the beach which was closest to the resto/pub where there was an acoustic singer for the night. So yeah, sleeping on the beach, getting serenaded by the different musicians on 2 different beaches of Mallorca. First night though was a little bit scary when I woke up to a French guy staring at me at 2 am. that's when I just decided to move to the car and figured it was so much safer.
In typing all of these, you should realize my dear reader, how special your own bed/cushion/mattress can be, in the confines of your own room, in a safe zone...your own comfort zone. I was aware before I embarked on this journey that I'd miss the comforts of my lifestyle back in New Zealand. I had my own flat back then, on top of a hill, and I'd wake up to the lights of the sky and sleep to the stars and moon. I honestly miss those moments. So much. One day i'd be back maybe. But for now, I'm roughing it as much as I can. Until I get fed up of living on the road.
So you see, it's not all a walk in the park. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to finances and decisions to be made. There were always moments when I'd tell myself to book that ticket and get back to New Zealand. But as I write this now, i'm on my 5months and a half through the 1 year that I've planned. Maybe one day i'd give in and head back to Aotearoa...I can't really say. The future is something I can't fathom yet in my mind, the least I can do is to imagine or daydream.... but what I have control on is now..... this is now. IF there were opportunities I have missed out, I've never been a fan of regrets in life, so I let them be. All I know is, if things are meant to happen, it will happen. If it's meant to be that paths cross each other again, it will do so. For now, i'll allow Time to be my bestfriend and the Road my company until I set my feet on solid ground and allow myself to settle on a familiar soil.
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