I stand by the very entrance to Antractica, and find it closed due to the season. In my heart I have said good-bye to Americas, though it is strange, perhaps even too early. I am still here, no door has opened for me to be able to continue to the next continent. They say Antarctica is just a two hour flight from here - yet it feels much further than any other place as it is an impossible destination for now. I have no idea how, when and if at all this is going to happen, but continue in optimistic hope not giving up on the Dream.
Meanwhile the most generous and kind couple Juan Contreras Hernandez and Purisima Reyes Briones have "adopted" me and given me a volunteer position in the family business. They are very good people and I love my daily routine by their side. The winter began only a few weeks ago, yet I am not impatient for the coming of spring, every day I enjoy more and more this new "waiting room", am grateful and surprised to how perfectly once again everything has fallen into place.
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| Juan and Purisima, June 2012, Punta Arenas |
3 comments:
Have you considered getting a job there and earning the plane ticket money? Sounds like a reasonable thing to do for me.
Dear Janika,
My answer has kept you waiting. Thank you for your comment and for your patience. Money, I know can open doors - yet only some. With money mind has power to direct the footsteps of a traveller. Which is of course great for these who are satisfied with such a way. As to myself then I have started a kind of experiment since April 2008 that until today has made possible one most astonishing journey where money has very little or even none to say. If I look back at the chain of happenings taking me to the place I am now, then there is no question - moneyless travel allows people´s kindness to shine - the most beautiful sight no map would lead to nor a photo could capture. To work and not ask money for it is best rewarded, yet only with things that are not made of matter which would damage with time or could be lost. Hmm...perhaps it is indeed unreasonable. Reason in fact has least to say in all this and keeps fighting my heart´s choices. Could I live and think and believe in a different way tomorrow? Let it come if it will.
Thanks for the answer. I have been hitch-hiking myself also in Scandinavia, Scotland, England, France, Kenya. Stayed in tent and with the couch-surfing hosts. In my opinion it is totally fine to get a free place to sleep, a free ride in somebody's car and even to share a meal with somebody. I never refuse to give any of these to anybody and have received myself also several times. But in these cases it does not cost anything for others (the room/floor in the house would be empty otherwise, car seat as well and even the food would be most probably thrown away, because most of the western people always buy it too much). In case you offer help at your host's home for the food and shelter, it is even more fine - it is like an employment, but on its own terms.
I have also worked myself for 2 years without asking any money for it. One year of it was community development work in Africa and I paid all my expenses myself. And yes, it was rewarding. So I agree with that point as well. But I never expected anybody to support my travel just because I am doing free work during these 2 years.
The only thing that I personally do not approve, is to create a situation, where you need a plane/ferry ticket (to cross the oceans it is needed) and you have all the time in the world to stop on the road and to work for some months to buy it. Instead, as I have read from the blog, you have been supported by other people with the money that they have earned with their work (or in one case somebody gave you his/her flight bonus points and gave up the opportunity to use them).
But as you said, it is experiment about moneyless travel. And in that case you have succeeded. I read hundreds of travel blogs and yours is really different, you need to have a lot of patience to travel the way you do.
I personally prefer travelling with few money, but not without it. I have lived with nomads in the desert and with local village people in the African mud hut and nobody asked for anything. I just felt better that next to being useful extra hands, I could also contribute to the family food. So I bought something for 1 euro every day, that was a lot in African terms. It took me just 30 euros in month for living expenses.
I do not understand people who claim that they want to experience the real culture in a developing country and then live off from 3000 euros per month, while most of the locals live off from 30 euros per family. But these are the typical travel bloggers.
So, to make it short, I am not questioning your way of travel in terms of free food, shelter and ride. Only about the tickets. But as it is an experiment, it is a good and successful one. Good luck.
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