Last night in Mantanita

Tomorrow is a translation day   

I move from one place to another.  

I try and put appropriate attention to getting to the right place.  

So far it's worked out. 

The Guayaquil bus terminal was probably the most challenging with its size and mostly indigenous clientele.  

That is to say it wasn't geared towards gringos.  The last week I've used my Spanish more often.  

I still suck.  But I'm trying and that comes through.   And  probably picking up more than I realize now.    

My back is finally complaining about the beds I've been on. This most recent the softest.   

Tomorrow I've hired a driver to show up at 730 for a sometimes four hour ride to Guayaquil airport. 

My plane is at 140 so I've built in time for things to fall to shit and still make flight.  Not the same without Edie's precision.   More of a blunt instrument than an elegant ballet.  

I do have "junior" picking me up at the airport and taking me to his dad's hotel.  The place exudes charm so I'm excited to spend 2 nights there outside of Quito.  

Airport is an hour outside of town and a wreck nearly made

Me miss my flight to Cuenca. So I'll chill tomorrow night.  Then Friday is wide open so I may hire junior to take me to the craft market.  

First thing Saturday morning I'll be headed to Mexico City then LA then pdx.  Wake up in Ecuador.  Lunch in Mexico and dinner in LA before pdx just prior to midnight.    Sunday I wake up in my own bed for the first time in four weeks.      

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Tuesday in Montanita

Tuesday.  On the beach.  At Shanka beach bar.   

Went into town as usual    Chatted with my friend who owns the pipe shop.  He was interested in the pot legislation in the states.  

We talked about doing business here in Mantanita.  To my eyes it looks overbuilt from a business standpoint 

But labor costs are lower so the amount of customers its takes to keep a pace open differs here.  

Also it's seasonal. 

Through dumb chance I am here for the best weather and the fewest crowds.  

In January this place is packed with Europeans.  

So I guess it's a bit like Christmas shopping for US retailers.  (Or summer for Yogurt Shack).  You make enough profit at one time of year to let you stay open the rest.    

Reflection time.  It seems

Forever ago that I

Landed in Quito.   I'm glad I journaled and took as many photos as I did because of such a crowded palate of images.   Experience.  People.  

I can hope this trip helped me

See through the viewfinder 

Rather than the mirror.  

Never was that more acute than this morning when the first thing that popped up was the unasked for photo from exactly two years ago. 

It was a view of Frizzel campground.  Last time the parker four were there together.  

That annual event took place this weekend. My son in NYC and his dad somewhere on the beaches of South America.   

No matter how fond they are

We can't go back to where we've been.  We can only dream new dreams

Maybe better dreams

Before the last revolving circle ends.   

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What day is it?

So it's Monday but I've lost track of how many days I've been on the road.   On the bus into town I sat  next to Jennie Devine.
No shit that's her name.
Ecuadorean but spent time in U.S.
She said
You will get lost in Montanita
I said.  It's not that big
She said that's not what she meant.
Now I understand

Having lunch at Ibiza
You know you made a good impression when you've been here only three days and the staff calls you by your name
Or the name you've been given by your smokin hot 7th grade Spanish teacher.
Gregorio
Seems to fit

A little more so since I've not found my comb for a week.
I feel a little bit like James Bond at the beach at the start of Skyfall.

After lunch I'll head back to beach and watch the waves.  Today I'll sit under an umbrella
Yesterday I pulled the dumb gringo stunt.
It was heavy overcast
Damit.   How many times did I read how much uv comes through the clouds when you are on equator.
Felt sick last night.  Hydrated and went to bed early.  Woke up still a bit out of it but have shaken it off.  

Adios V

July 10

Loja airport. 

Nice and new.  Beautiful setting. Of course in the Andes you have to look hard for someplace flat enough for a runway.  

Quite the ride from Vilcabamba. Up and down the mountains and windy roads. I count among my blessings that I don't get car sick. 

Yesterday and today at Madre Tiera people were coming in for a conference on a controversial medical treatment known as MSS.  Seems it has an almost cult like following among those with interest in alternative alternative Medicine.  

I haven't had time to Google it but part of it seems to involve taking a tincture of a bleach like liquid.  Supposed to heal a number of ailments.  

The leader of this group looks like Danny Divito on vacation. Even better he comes with a Don Corlione whisper speech.  

He told me that he is always hounded by CNN and other news outlets.  I didn't see any there.  

They also operate under the mantle of being a church so they can take their medicine as a sacrament without running a foul of the law.  

I spoke to a woman from Arizona who said she has been to another one of these seminars and wanted to see what was new. 

It's been three weeks on the road now.  Two hour taxi to Loja.  Then a 45 minute flight to Guayaquil. Largest city in equador and its major port.  

After spending the night there I'll find a bus for a two hour ride up to Montanita for my first beach experience here.    

A closer look at el cento. Vilcabamba

How many times have I said we don't see things as they are

We see them as we are.  

Probably what's going on with Vilcabamba 

It's a mismatch between the last several weeks in large cities and my own clueless expectations 

It is a magical setting 

And maybe that is the point. In Quito and Cuenca, life came

At you. Big. Noisy. 

In V it just is.  

Like a Norman Rockwell image of men just sitting outside a barber shop and watching seemingly nothing happen.  

So goes the moments here.  

It's perhaps a little like Master Doug taught us about photography 

Wait for the tree to tell you how it wants to be photographed 

Here you have to wait to see life unfold at a pace you are not used to.  

It's buzz is that it's the valley of longevity.   Maybe or maybe those ancient looking gringos are really really old. 

Sitting at an outside table having coffee and a brownie that the waitress convinced me dipped well in coffee. 

A Dutch woman sits down next to me and asks if I mind she smokes.  Usually I do but I was eager to engage a local.  She looked 60.  Slender.  Had a unique Dutch/English accent. Said she was a landscape designer but made bad choices in Amsterdam.  Visited here and never left.  

We talked about gringos with lots of money coming here and building huge houses.  

There was sustain in her voice but an acknowledgment that rich gringos are the only ones willing to pay to design landscapes.   

She moved along and I finished my brownie and coffee   The waitress takes my plate and I've been sitting here for maybe 20 minutes.  

I watch people come and go.  

There is a couple talking to a street vendor.  They've been trying out maracas.  For at least ten minutes.  Listening to the sound.  I never realized how each one has a different sound.   Even pitch is different.  I may need to come back tomorrow and try some myself.     

Day 18. The zen of nothing

Yesterday may go down in the books as the art of doing nothing.

I got up about 8 AM and went down for breakfast to the main lodge. After a relaxing breakfast of eggs homemade bread, and fruit salad, I headed back for a shower before the start of my three hour spa.

This sweet brown eyed lady who was going to guide me through my spa apparently spoke no English. And my form of Spanish didn't seem to register with her. So we spent the next three hoursgesturing and giggling as we tried to figure out what came next.

So she took me to a room with bathrobes and said to me, Todo.  

As I stripped down naked, I hoped that this was truly what she meant. It was.

We then began with a 45 minute facial. It was my first real facial and I really loved it. Then it was off to the steam room. It took longer than it should for me to understand that I was to go into the steam room a total of three times and each time I emerged she would hose me down with cold water. Very cold water. 

This took almost an hour though frankly I lost track of time.  

Next it was time for the sea salt scrub. I began by laying down on a massage table and had a generous quantity of some sort of Oil poured all over my body. Then I felt big globs of sea salt being placed around my body. And for the next half hour that was scrubbed all over my skin. Then she flipped me over and we did the other side. Then she motioned for me to stand up. I looked myself over and I looked like some sort of lubricated snowman.  

We moved to another room with a shallow bathtub and she brought in a big ceramic pot filled with warm mud. She then motioned for me to cover myself with this mud, which I did. However she wasn't satisfied she said "mas. Todo"

I guess I didn't take it on thick enough. So I used about two more quarts of mud to cover my entire body. This seem to satisfy her and she smiled and said Bueno.  Then she motioned for me to stay put for what seemed like a half an hour until the mud pretty much dried. Then she filled up the bathtub and I scrubbed the mud off. I have to admit there was a child like sense of joy of playing in this mud and rubbing it all over me. Next to the shower and my spa treatment was over. It had in fact been three hours. I marveled at how I completely lost track of time.

It was now about 1230 so I headed down to the lodge and decided to treat myself to a cheeseburger and French fries. My first American indulgence in more than two weeks here in Ecuador. It was pretty good.  Next it was nap time. After about an hour I got up and came out and laid in my Hamic. Did some reading and did some writing. Went down to the lodge and completed my final travel plans to the coast. And then it was time for dinner. A wonderful Italian feast last night and some more great Argentina wine.  

Conversation then for an hour with some local dudes who were spending a couple of months in south America. And then back to my room for some reading and time to call it a day. 

Day 16

Day 16.   Vilcabamba

Spent the day in downtown V.  It's Downtown is about the same as Canby.  Like most cities here it grew up around a church and town square.   It's just all in miniature.  

The big buzz about this place was the presence of lots of potheads who have made this their home.  

Not so much.  I think Portland has a higher density.  

It is an interesting collection of folks tho.  There are some folks who were pretty successful in their careers and moved here. 

I met a few of them at a coffee shop this morning. One fellow is intent on acquiring Spanish fluency.  He spoke with some

Disdain of gringos who come here and don't bother to learn the language.  I ran into one of those in Cuenca.  

Who am I to judge.  I can understand it takes more work to learn a language and in Cuenca and even to some

Extent here in V a person can get by with limited or no Spanish. Still it seems like

learning the language is a sign of respect for your host country. It also opens up more opportunities to engage locals.  

For now I'm back on the patio of my bungalow and back in my hammock and looking out

Into the big green valley ringed with sharp mountain peaks.  

I can see coming back here.  But I can also see myself visiting a different South American country each year.  After all there is a huge continent where I poorly speak the language.  

Tomorrow I am staying onsite for a three hour spa session.  I went for the whole thing except the colonic.  I need

To save something for my next trip.    

The van ride, even anticipating it, was the most stressful part of this trip so far. The highest leading cause of death in Ecuador is traffic accidents. 

So here I was, getting in a van for a four hour ride through twisty Andean roads. 

Let me add at this point, that this little socialist country has excellent back roads. 

So here I am, all packed up and ready for the van trip. And I'm waiting on the designated street corner for this Van.  

Around the time he was supposed to be there, a driver shows up. I fill out the paperwork for the trip. And then I am joined by this wonderful and crazy collection of travelers from around the world.

There is a couple from Australia (actually a mixed marriage -- she is from New Zealand). There is a woman from Austria. She speaks German, French, and English.
In addition there is a French man who now lives in Canada. We get on our way about a half an hour late. And we drive. And drive. 

Now those who know me well, know that patience in terms of things like travel, is one of the things that I'm seeking to better myself on this trip.  

So we have been driving for what seems like hours, and I look at my phone and I see we still have 2 1/2 hours to go. Ok let's reach.  

Gratefully, the conversation is great. The guy from Australia fixes on the fact that I'm from Oregon. He says, hey don't they have a great college football team?

Then the Frenchman asks we think the Cavs could win if all players are healthy. 

You can imagine my questions on European rugby were not as nuanced. 

So we arrive about six.  There is a mixup and I'm being left at another spa and on my own to get to my place.   

Did I mention I am tired. Stressed. Hungry and grumpy.  

The Aussie tries to help. 

"It's all right mate."

He's right.  As I told my kids and my students

Patience and flexibility are the two keys to success.  

I just find them more work than being grumpy. 

So I nicely (channelingEdie Baker) say

Say I could use your help. Seems I'm here when I thought I would be somewhere else.  

A phone call. 

One dollar 50

And taxi is dropping me off.  

There are stairs not a ramp up the hill.  

Will this hell never end?!

I have to carry.  Not roll.  My luggage.  

I walk into the lodge and a woman who looks like Eva Longria says excitedly

You're greg!

Ok.   This is getting better.  

She takes me to my bungalow 

More steps.  

Somehow I don't mind it as much now.  

Ten minutes later I'm at the outdoor dining with some fine Cabernet 

And soon a vat of great lasagna.  

Ok.  So I guess I can deal with this.    

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4th love from latitude zero

So much of the past year is a blur  Most days are indistinguishable from one another. 

But there is one day that is different.  

I know where I was.  What I was feeling.  

It was in Sauers driveway. A place I loved for its sense of community.  It's sense of humanity. 

So much the same 

Ronnies blackberry desert 

Nancy's joyful laughter.  Rusty in her sunglasses always keeping a gentle eye on me.  Stobie yelling.  "Ready for another drink Parker?"

I hear it's called cognitive dissonance.  Where the mind and the body are in disconnect.    

My body was doing the same thing it always had on that same day for more than a decade.    

Yet my mind felt a disconnect.  

I remember Brian was never more than a few feet away from me.  As if ready to catch me were I to fall.  

Finally I could stand it no more.  Even though this was a place I knew I was loved and a place I loved.  

It was a place I couldn't stand to bear another moment of the conflict of the past and present 

I remember thinking.  I'll never be able to come back to this place because of the conflict between memory and reality. 

That was a year ago.  Today I am literally a quarter of the earth away from there.   And I miss it dearly.   

I will be there next year.  
I am ready.  

Catching my breathe on Day 12

 Last night I went to a rock concert sponsored by the American Embassy.  I thought it was funny that many of the songs they played for a Independence Day celebration were British bands.     I would have picked Springstein songs.      melloncamp.  

Went to Goza.  My favorite outdoor spot.  Ordered their good Malbec and later their chicken crepes.   

Got back to the apartment late and their was Divorced dave from Denver.  Pilar my delightful equatorial landlord

And a new couple who were staying.  

We stayed up late talking.  Got up normal time.  Headed to Cafe Austria for some coffee Americano and fruit, yogurt  and granola.  

I was not feeling 100%.  So figured I might be worn out from a week of pretty aggressive high altitude walking.   

So back to apartMent for a nap

Got up a couple hours later and felt much better.  

Found a art show online and walked to a new neighborhood.  Cool stuff.   

Now dinner.  How about inca bar.   Bartender recognizes me.  I remember he spent 10 years living in Norman OK.  I tell him my uncle taught there for many years.   

The local gang talked me into a hamburger.   Pretty dang good with what I would

Call homemade potato chip/slices.     

Now I'm back on the banks of the Tomebamba River.   When I'm back in Canby I'm going to

Try and figure out what the secret will be to getting a park on Riverfront we own.    

July 1. Wednesday

Sitting at a window table at Cafe Austria.  European feel.  Just a block from my apartment.

Yesterday I negotiated my first solo taxi ride. Went to the Mall del Rio.  First time in ten days that I felt physically off.  Bought a ticket for the Spanish version of Jurraaic World. Still pretty good even without understanding diolog well.
Left before the movie was over due how poor I felt. Bought some Gatoraide and rested for a bit and actually got scared about how I would negotiate if I got feeling even worse.
But a key element of self reliance is being self reliant.
I was disoriented in this giant mall so I found one of the ubiquitous guards and asked where I could find a taxi.  He was so kind. Walked me all the way to the outside taxi stand and asked another guard to call a taxi.
In 20 minutes I was back in my apartment.  Drank some water and ate my last Cliff bar (yes I should have brought more).  Then laid down with a stomach ache. Took an Alkaselzer and fell asleep for a couple hours.
Got up about 7:30 and had some more water and felt better.  A knock on the door was from another Gringo who lived in the apartment Downstairs.  He asked if i had dinner yet and said no.  Let's go.
We went to an outside cafe and I had some dinner and wine.  Still not feeling 100% but doing much better.  A second glass of wine and Dave told me his life story.
He lived in Denver as an aerospace engineer specialized in weather satellites. He worked with and met Elon Musk to get his satellites in space.
He decided to come to Ecuador for a month to try and get a new perspective on life. He told me his wife last year began an affair with her boss. He moved into an apartment and wanted time away to reflect.
We walked back to our apartments in the warm late evening air.
I thanked him for knocking on my door and suggesting dinner.  I thanked him for the opportunity to share our stories.  We exchanged email addresses and suggested we keep in touch to see how our lives progressed from that shared meal together.

Monday evening at Goza.  One of my favorite wine bars.  Sitting outside watching futball on an outdoor TV.   Yes another glass of Argintine Malbec.

One of the expats invited me over today and we did something very routine.  Took the bus and went grocery shopping    It was fun to see what it would be like to live here.

Again walked all over the place.  Getting pretty familiar with this place.  Spainards did a great job of laying out cities.  

After 9 days I finally needed to do laundry.   There are many places to drop off laundry where they wash and fold and get it back to you the next day.  Because this transaction involved some new words in Spanish I spent some serious effort preparing for it.  
So I walk in and explain what I need.

Sweet lady behind counter said in perfect English
"You can continue in Spanish if you wish but I speak English. "


Turns out she is a retired professor from the university of Cuenca and is helping run her 95 year old fathers cleaning business.  It's ok.  I learned the word for laundry.  

Sitting on the ground next to the Tomebamba River again.  

This is my 9th day in Ecuador.  

I'm healthy and at peace. 

About six months ago I went to the Canby Cinema to attend my first movie solomente.  

It went fine of course.  But I didn't like the apprehension of doing something alone.  

As is consistent with my OCD personality

I wanted that fixed

And now.  

So i figured if you're afraid of water then jump in the deep end of the pool. 

If you're apprehensive of doing things alone then fly solo to someplace you've never been, don't speak the language (well) and spend a month traveling from city to city.   

Tomorrow will be one third of the time I set aside for this little intervention.  

I'm not lonely or sad or apprehensive.  Rather at peace which -- this may sound weird -- but is an odd feeling for me.  

I knew my goal from the start was not Ecuador.  This country -- as wonderful as it is  -- was merely the embryonic sack for my development.  

My goal was to live in peace wherever I was and whoever I was  -- employed.  Not employed.  Elected. Not elected.  Married. Not married. 

It's the fourth quarter. The game is tied.  And it's time for me to call my own plays from the field.   

Put me in coach.  I'm ready to play.   

Cuenca.   Sunday

Eight days on the road and never felt so peaceful. Having crazy dreams about events in my past.  Maybe subconsciously I'm letting go of things.

Something about growing up with the training of things being right and wrong got me off track.
If I disagreed with someone then one of us was wrong.

Starting this year with the city council "gun debate"
And maybe earlier
I've become comfortable with the idea of people coming to different conclusions based on their experience

There is a part of me that wants to do the 12 step approach of apologies to all I approached with a different attitude

Heard from one of my 9th buddies today. God it was great to hear from an old neighbor

Like some other things during that era
I'm trying to extract the beauty of some great times from the
Trauma of the conclusion of that episode.

Time to wander back to the river.  Meeting some American ex pats who invited me to their weekly Sunday cocktails in the afternoon

27 junio
Cuenca

Imagine spending a week in LA and then being dropped in Portland.
That's how Cuenca feels to Quito.

It's still a big city at 250,000 but not 2 million of Quito.

Less traffic. Slower place.  I like it a lot. And what a great context of going from a large city to here.

My host Pilar is adorable. My room is comfy and private

Time to explore

Friday June 26 -
One week ago I was on a plane leaving PDX. Today I am preparing for my second week in Ecuador -- flying out of Quito at 9 am for a one hour flight down the Andes to Cuenca.

Doesnt feel like a week. Perhaps its just that time is becoming less relevant with my travel schedule based upon weekly segments. Unless it is a Saturday, I have no where specific to be. Reminds me of something Rick Baker said, we are human be-ings not human do-ings.

This morning I went around the hostel to thank and tip the staff. In my broken Spanish I explained how much at home they made me. The five foot tall cook came up to me and gave me a hug. I cant imagine a better place for me to start than this place. A collection of fellow travelers who are so into it.  Some have been traveling for months. I see the skills, confidence and knowledge they've picked up.

As I write this at the big table in the hostel, a couple of the staff mention there were complaints about the loud Australians playing drunk Janga last night. I admit it was a display of energy Ive not seen for a while.

Reminds me of the stories Rob Dembicky told of his Marine days serving in Somalia with Aussie soldiers.
They were always ready to go out and get into battle for the rush of it.

Its been an added bonus to meet folks from around the world. I love my world of Canby. Like my son said, it was a great place for a family to enjoy together. And last year, being the only one left in Canby, I thought it was time for me to leave as well. But I dont feel quite that way anymore. Immodestly, I feel there are still contributions I can make on the city council as Canby sees the biggest redevelopment of a generation. Other than in the hearts of my children, it is my home.  But this trip helps. How can I miss you Canby if I dont go away? I will be happy to return there and enjoy the pastoral pace  -- and plan for more adventures to make me miss, and want to return to Canby.

Quito - Day 6

Sitting at the big table at the hostel. Lots of conversations. The couple from Australia were drinking all afternoon and are the loudest.

Again I took dinner here at the hostel. Five dollars for a great meal tonight of Thai food -- started with wonderful letture wraps and followed by a main course of rice and a Thai chicken gumbo.

Gotta say, I am more adeventuous in eating than I ever imiagined. This morning was a guacamole sandwich made with delicious sweet bread. Lunch was at an outdoor cafe in the newer part of town -- where I ran into one of my fellow hostel-goers. A neat computer programmer from Norway.

He spoke about the differences he sees between Scandinavian countries and USA. He said it seems obvious that a society wouldn't want any proverty. He says its better without it. He said people are less interested in stealing if they have their basic needs met.

Getting to the new area required me to head off in a completely different direction of Quito.  I got a general idea and then -- just headed out. Got lost several times but not once freaked out. I knew enough of the main cross streets now that I could get around.  And it worked out.

One more day in Quito and it will have been a week in Equador. Feels fine. Not nearly as much a sense of loneliness -- but that may also be in part to making new friends here at the hostel.

Saturday I take a flight across the country -- down the length of the Andes to Cuenca. At 200,000 people, it's exactly ten times smaller than Quito.

Wednesday Junio 21
Dia Cinco en la cuidad de Quito

Suitcase arrived yesterday. It was good, a releif and a comfort. But as Bill Kennemer told me about his clients who went through hard times, no one would have changed the events. I now know I can get by for four days with only the contents of my backpack -- and a razor I purchased from la tienda down the street.

The place I am staying is very much in line with the traditional hostel. Most people have shared bunk rooms. I splurged and got a single room for $30/night.

There is a big table in the dining room where people hang out and use the several hostel laptops and share their backgrounds and adventures.

A woman at my table is from Australia. Another is from Germany. Most of the people here are younger by many years from me. It is a joy to share their space and energy. Many have vast travel experience.

Last night a young, fit, fellow invited me to join him on a hike up to a mountain top park. Why the hell not?

It was hard. At 9,000 there is 25% less oxygen. Normally I don't feel it, unless I am on an incline -- as I was for 45 minutes.

Always enjoying the thought of my own mortal limits I thought, wouldn't it be funny if I died here on this strenius climb. As I stood on the top of this mountain I thought, better die here than in a nursing home. It's been a good life and getting better but we all must return to the earth at sometime and I have been blessed in life beyond anything I ever imagined when I was age of the young hostelers I am sharing this experience with.

Day 3- no suitcase, now no daypack

A good friend (who happened to save my life) sent me a travel article that said travel is not for the faint of heart.
I said I wanted to not just find myself but prove myself on the road in a distant place on my own.
Aeromexico says they think they found my suitcase. "We won't know until a plane full of them show up today."
And then today -- lunch. I didn't follow my own rules and my daypack got snatched.
Oh well, another story. (like going to emergency room after a chemistry experiment in my blood system with high altitude medicine).
Not a victim -- just a tonto gringo.
(People my age will remember that the Lone Ranger called his sidekick that. Spanish slang for stupid).
Nothing that can't be replaced. But dang, my favorite travel brush.....gads.
But now I travel lighter.

So what do I do? Well wash out one of my two pieces of underwear and visit the NW style brewpub.
I am sitting on the stool for about a minute before a guy who looks like Bill Stobie walks by and slaps me on the back and says, "hey Greg Parker."
It is the owner -- a Willamette U grad who I met yesterday.
Hey this is just like the Backstop -- people know my name.

I started with three pieces of travel gear. Now I am down to my main packback.
Maybe the universe is saying, lighten up

Day 2_ Quito
Great sleep.  Woke up and was able to listen to opb in bed on my phone.
Last night I went out alone and got lost. No a problem. I already learned two main streets so I wandered until I found my hotel.
Quito is the size of Seattle. And I found an outdoor concert by accident.


It happened earlier thAn I predicted.  A sense of alone and isolation. Airline still hasn't contacted me about lost luggage. Not a huge deal but it would be nice to have my stuff.  But this too is a learning experience

So I knew what I needed. Lots of sleep.  And it did. Ready for mas adventure.  And find a farmisia and buy a razor.

June 19 -- day 1. I am underway. All systems go. Seem to have everything I need.  Oddly my checked suitcase was only 28 pounds.

Of course my daughter Cate points out, Ive had six months to prepare. But its been a great six months. At a time when I was struggling for focus, this adventure provided diversion and entertainment. Plus I love packing. Ive been getting ready all my life for this trip.

First leg - PDX to Dallas
Went great. But whats to complain when you splurge and go first cabin. Dallas airport is huge. But I find it manageable.

It is odd to my ears to hear so much overhead PA annoucing for passengers. I guess PDX uses TV monitors. But it is no easy job calling out passenger names when they are made of sounds not found in the English or Latin languages.

Having a beer at a second floor Italian retaurant. Recharing the Iphone and checking email.

Next, my first experience of Aeromexico and on the Mexico City.

OK -- so now I'm starting to get excited

Four days and I am wheels up. It's an exciting week. Ricky goes to the airport on Wednesday for his summer internship in NYC.

I am wrapping up a few more details -- like phone number for US Embassy and travel insurance to haul me back to a US hospital.  Or even my dead body. How considerate is that kids?

Chatted online with Pilar today -- my Cuenca host.

 Makes it a little more real to talk with her. She loves her city and is excited to share her home.

Here is where I will be taking my morning coffee.

The second floor (where my bedroom is) has this neat little outdoor patio.

I've added Quito to my weather app on my iPhone and now can track what the weather will be like when I land. Daytime high of 75.

Feeling like I've got my preparations where I want them.

Is it time to relax?

I've only been working on this for six months now. Ten days from now, I will be in this city on the center of the earth. And staying the first week in this room.







(accessories are for display purposes only, your room may not contain a pretty señorita )

Contacted my banks to let them know they should authorize credit card transactions from South America. Placed funds into an international ATM account. So, starting to feel relaxed. My to-do list is getting smaller.

Catie will be watching my place in Canby. All my bills are on autopay.

What's next?

12 dias

I have to go back many moons to a time before I was married and joined a local theater group. I only did two productions on stage, but stayed active as a fundraiser (bringing Frank and Barbara Roberts to sign a fundraising letter to upgrade all mobility access to our theater); bowler on theater team; and host to a fundraising auction.

I remember my hard-ass director say, we want you prepared but not peak too soon.

As I both will myself and give myself permission to relax, my thoughts feel like snow in a snow globe that's settling. 

Only a few thought raise their hands in the crowded classroom that is my cerebrum. The filter for calling on one of them is: is this something that HAS to be done in the next 12 days.  Helps me settle down.

Death by volcano

So my friends and family have often joked about my pre-occupation with death. Maybe I just like to talk about it to reduce the discomfort about its inevitability. (no organ music at my funeral, Stairway to Heaven played on the piano).

And here I thought I had pre-conceived of every possible way of walking that stairway.

How naive. 

I overlooked this one.

-----

U.S. Embassy Quito, Ecuador

Security Message for U.S. Citizens

Increased Activity on the Cotopaxi Volcano

The U.S. Mission in Ecuador advises U.S. citizens living or traveling in Ecuador that the Cotopaxi volcano, an active volcano near Quito, has recently experienced a rise unusual activity. According to the Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, since mid-April 2015, Cotopaxi has experienced an unusually high level of seismic activity, more frequent movement of magma inside the volcano, and an increase in sulfur dioxide emissions, resulting in periodic sulfur smells and visible vapor emissions (fumarole activity). While the Ecuadorian government has not announced any alerts for the Cotopaxi volcano at this time, U.S. citizens are advised to take precautions and monitor the news for updates.

---

I land in Quito in 16 days.

As I say, it's been a good life.

Unseasonably calm

And maybe it's the time of year, yes, and maybe it's the time of man.
And I don't know who I am but life is for learning.
We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.

- Joni Mitchell

This is an odd feeling. Calm. I can usually find something to be anxious about. Especially when I am less than three weeks away from a big solo trip.

Even if I was completely ready -- which I'm not -- I would usually be anxious over the unknown.

But I am ready enough. I'm mentally ready. 

There was something about hitting the one-year mark living in my new place. Haven't developed the vocabulary for why, but it will come. Part of it may be a renewed sense of confidence in my own aloneness. It's not dreadful and I'm enjoying it more every day. And I now eagerly look forward to standing on a street alone -- four thousand miles from here and looking around and saying only to myself, "let's go check this out."

Little boxes

So I have several boxes on my kitchen counter

The one on the right is stuff I am taking to Ecuador. Next to it is stuff I am taking but needs to be repacked. Far left, is a box of stuff I am pretty sure I am taking but want to think about it some more.

Elsewhere around the counter is various crap that I am not taking and need to put away. (those ice cubes are going to melt and then I will want some ice.)

I've been thinking about this for more than six months. First, I thought I would go down and stay. Now I am certain I will return. I am falling in love with Canby again. And, immodestly, I think I may still have some value in some of the upcoming projects. If I like Ecuador, it may become my getaway of choice. But I no longer feel the need to run away and never come back. I just want to run away for a while.

the way out is the way in -- to Ecuador

Three weeks until I fly to Ecuador and last night I finally took care  
of one of those little essential things -- got a return ticket.
Ecuador won't let you in unless you can show you can leave.

I was talking to my son about his New York internship and advising him  
to write down his goals before he left. At least with me, I will set  
goals in my mind, acheive them and not even remember they were goals.

So one of my goals was to feel more comfortable as a traveler. I never  
wrote it down, but I need to do that.

Last night as I was looking at the three legs of my trip home, I felt  
much more at ease evaluating the merits of different departure times,  
airports and legs.
I almost forget a few months ago how much less confidence I had in  
doing that.

I knew I wanted to fly out mid-morning -- so I didn't have to wake up  
and get ground transportation in the twilight.

Did I want to transfer in LAX and have a 16 hour duration trip or Las  
Vegas and SFO and have a 22 - 26 hour trip. Normally one would lean  
towards the shorter flight, but LAX has a reputation as a travelers  
hell. When our family returned from Mexico through LAX, one of my then- 
yougnsters labeled LAX, "the bad place."

So a call to a friend who travels a lot. She said LAX wasn't great but  
getting better. And she said, with my new TSA pre-clearance Global  
Travelers card, I should sail through customs.

24 days

It's usually like this.

In the past, major trips seem so far away. Then they are here. 

People are asking me, "are you excited?"

News flash -- I'm a funny guy. 

Not funny in making you laugh -- but as one friend puts it - quirky.

There may be some original injuries at work here of not wanting to get too excited. Part of my dear mother's effort to prepare me for a changing world. 

But maybe that is the point of the trip. Of reclaiming my life. I've only traveled a few times by myself in the past 25 years. Clearly, this will be the most ambitious. And that's why I am doing it. 

I am reminded of the time our main sewer line to the street went out in our first house in Salem. Homeowner for the first time, I quickly concluded -- while it was a new dilemma for me -- there was no alternative to the option of fixing it -- and soon.

I found someone who could come out the next day. He said he could work on it immediately. The estimate was $3,000. 

I tried to find others who would come out and look at the job. But no one else could be there for a week.

Based upon the best intelligence I had at the time, I said yes.

The next day the job was done. 

The bill came. It was $1,500.

I felt elated as I wrote a check for that amount.

I don't know what to call that part of human nature -- maybe it's comparison.

But I want to travel. By myself. And be comfortable doing it. So I'm planning a trip with exaggerated elements -- flying alone to a country I've never seen.

I am counting on the fact that after this trip -- other solo trips will cost half the emotional effort of this and feel the same sense of elation at planning a trip in August to -- say, New York City.

Or as Hoffman said in Way the Dog, "You think this is bad. This is nothing. You should have seen....."

Time to start taking it a little seriously

So I've started a list. OK. Who am I trying to impress. I've started several lists -- in several locations and on several media. Part of the charm of me living with me. It may seem like a fun time, but it gets challenging with immutable deadlines.

Still need to call my credit card companies and tell them I am hitting the road so they don't deny a charge while I am out of the country.

US State Department: fill in a voluntary report to the Quito Embassy so if there is a volcanic eruption, they will have the name of this American. 

Bill pay. I have 90% of my budget on auto. Just a few more things and it should coast.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I need to book a return flight. They won't let me enter Ecuador without proof that I am planning to leave at some point.

Holy shit

What once seemed like a distant possibility is now 30 days away. This time next month, I will be doing something I've never done -- and never thought I would do. Get on a plane and fly alone to South America.

I am nervous, scared and excited. It is a little like anticipating a jump in a very cold pool of water -- you know it will be a great experience, but not sure how much it will hurt.

I am feeling more confidence every day as I research where I am going and time I spend practicing Spanish. 

Still, holy shit. 

Something different happened last night.
I was talking about the affection I feel for the teachers I work with.
Every day, 6-8 of us gather at a table in our shared work room.
I was sharing a story about Tom. How much I enjoy his easy going nature.
We sometimes kid that it is even childlike.
He owns a pet turtle. He named her Dusty.
She hybernates in the winter and recently Tom has been excited in our lunch talks  ...Dusty is awake!
The other day, Tom was excited to bring in a video of Dusty walking.
He pulled it up on his phone.
Here was a turtle.  Still. Still.
Then one leg moves.
Tom shouts, See!

Something about his childlike wonder gave me the gigles.
And then it happened.
I opened my mouth and laughed out loud.
And laughed until I cried with tears of laughter.

May 9, 2015  -- my first belly laugh in a year.

Saturday 27 june 2015  09:15 Quito (UIO) 10:10 Cuenca (CUE) XL1541 Economy-V Maximum 2 pieces which weigh 23 kg in total

Here it is. Another step for me. My first booking of an international intra-country flight. Not a big deal I guess. But it is significant to me. First time I've done this. Won't be the last.

I've figured out the broad strokes on the canvas for three weeks. Next, a week in Peru with a trip to Machu Picchu.

So I was trying to figure out how to get back to Portland from Lima. But the flights sucked. First leg left at midnight and final leg included a five hour layover in San Francisco.

I couldn't figure out how to make it work. So instead of getting pissed off, I just walked away from the computer and did something else.

When I worked for Higher Education Chancellor Tom Bartlett, I would often hear Tom say, "If you can't answer the question -- change the question."

So if I can't find the flight home I want, then let's come up with another question.

Or as my coming of age favorite writer, Hunter Thompson used to say, "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

A sense of peace is falling over me. At least for this moment. As I look toward getting on a plane and heading out.

I know where I will land. Where to go to stay the night. It will be in the morning around ten local time, so I will have time to get settled and look around a bit. It will be a Saturday night and maybe I will head across the street to the northwest style brewpub.

The next day I am guessing I will awake to the sounds of a church bell. A good day to  walk around the neighborhood and watch the rhythm of a city as it goes to church.  I will stay in Quito for a week -- flying out to Cuenca at 9 am on Saturday. It is a 55 minute flight down the Andes. Pila -- my landlady -- is arranging for someone to pick me up at the airport.

For at least the next week, I will stay in Pila's home in El Centro, the oldest part of town. I am starting  to know the layout of Cuenca and expect by the time I arrive -- it will seem almost familiar. Hence a sense of peace.

Shit's becoming real

Just two months now until I head off by myself to someplace I've never been before.

It is scary. That's one reason I am doing it.

This past year has seen a lot of change. Things over which I did not have control. And there were times I hated it.

It's a funny thing, human nature. Do we prefer when things stay the same? Or at least stay the same by our choice. And yet, life is not about choice. We choose not to age. For the most part, choose not to die.

And there is pain in that, in life itself. Jung and Buddha intersected on the one point: we need to face pain. Experience it fully and not deny it. For to do so, is to become crazy, they both said.

My daughter reflected on someone's behavior that I didn't understand and she ever so wisely said, "people do what they think will make them happy."

So profound. Invoking the ancient wisdom of Socrates who said, people don't do bad things because they are bad people. They do bad things because they think it will make them happy.

So back to my trip.

I am reminded of an exercise by self-esteem expert Tom Peters.
He brought several people on stage and taught them to say:"no matter what you do or say, I am still a good person."
He asked them to repeat it after each sentence he said.

He began:
"I don't like you"
They repeated the sentence: no matter what you do or say, I am still a good person."
"You are dumb"
The refrain.
"You are fat"
The refrain.
"You are fired"
The refrain.

At the end of the exercise, Peters told the audience that each time he has run this exercise, the same thing happens. As his comments become more critical, without any coaching -- the participants speak louder and more clearly.

Peters' point, I think, is that it's not just our physical skin that can toughen up with regular work or exercise. It is also our metaphorical skin.

I am tired of the universe saying at random times things I didn't expect or didn't want to hear.
In the past year, I've felt alone and lonely.
I don't want to feel that way any more -- even when I am alone.

Travel, in itself, is its own reward. But somewhere in South America I am counting on being more lonely and alone than I've ever felt before. I want to embrace that as an innoculant. When I return to familiar places and sounds and there is a breeze that before would have invoked a sense of dread and loneliness, I will be able to say (like Dustin Hoffman said in Wag the Dog), This? This is nothing. You should have seen.....

why

Someone asked me why I am going to south America.
I wondered why it was hard to give an answer.
After thinking on it, I have the answer to why it's hard to answer, though perhaps not the reason I am going

It may be an act of faith.  
That there is something out there.  Something I don't know. Perhaps about myself.  Waiting to be learned.

I can't be sure. Or can't imagine what it might be. I've often quoted the Zen line
The way in, is the way out.  

Perhaps for me, this time, the way out is the way in.

Testing, testing: Put me in coach, I'm ready to play.

OK -- so a domestic flight to someplace I've been once isn't that much of a test for my chops as a traveler. But it's at least some WD40 to my rusted airline skills. The trip to Atlanta for a Main Street conference will also let me try out some of my cool new travel items.

Chatted last night with an old friend. Like everyone, he also has felt the pain of ups and downs. I told him about this trip to South America and he said, "you're braver than I am." I guess that meant for heading out of the country alone somewhere that has a sketchy reputation.

I turn the sock inside out. Not so much brave but anti-coward. It scares me. Hell. it scares -- well at least annoys me -- when I am out of yogurt for my smoothie in the morning. 

But my life has changed. My first reaction is to be turtle enough to pull inside and retreat from any other chance of more painful realities.

But fuck fear. It's the fourth quarter of my playoff games and when the game is over, I want to know that I wasn't afraid to play with a concussion of the soul.

Connecting -- dissecting

It was another night at my local pub. My old neighbors and friends called me to join them. I brought photos going back nearly twenty years. Photos of our kids growing up together. Of us traveling as families.

Such good times. And here on the eve of selling the only home my kids have known, a decision on what mood to strike.

Easy to get melancholy -- so many changes.

But I keep thinking about the Mr. Rogers' quote: don't be sad it's over. Be happy that it happened.

--
I shared with them the latest I have learned. Of Quito and the funny connection to Oregon with the Willamette grads operating the hostel I will be staying at.

They seemed joyed at my joy -- or the anticipation of joy.

It was good to share. My old neighbors are planning a bon voyage party for me before I go.

Their love is the wind beneath my wings.

March 15, 2015

It's been a busy week and a change in schedule with the new trimester at the high school. My part-time job at the high school had its hours shifted so I show up at 9 a.m. -- a full 90 minutes earlier.
Combined with daylight savings -- that changes my circadian clock by 2.5 hours.

Or in other words -- the same time difference in Ecuador.

Man, adaption and flexibility. That's the question. Can I handle the type of unanticipated changes that living on the road will bring.

My focus this past week is getting into what it means to release yourself to travel. For help, I've turned to travel writer Rolf Pott's book -- Vagabonding:

"Vagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Rolf Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Potts gives the necessary information on:

• financing your travel time  
• determining your destination  
• adjusting to life on the road
• working and volunteering overseas  
• handling travel adversity  
• re-assimilating back into ordinary life

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit. Visit the vagabonding community’s hub at www.vagabonding.net."
----
Perhaps like so many things in life, it's about attitude. It's been a traumatic year with many significant changes. Time will tell if that -- and my responses to that -- have weakened my ability to cope or improved it.

Go big (actually go small) or go home

I am so weird. I read something new and then I want to do it. Actually a couple of articles and books have mentioned this, but last night I read it in Rick Steves' advice to travelers. 

"Take only enough to get started. If you find yourself in Bulgaria trying to buy something that looks like toothpaste, it only enhances the travel experience."

So I had been toying around with this idea for several days -- could I get by with only my very cool backpack? (More on the backpack later).

I was planning to use a new and very cool carry-on that was a thoughtful Christmas gift -- and my backpack.

It is so tempting from the standpoint of making this more than a trip -- but a journey. As I say to my friends and family, the way in is the way out.

It is the heart of Zen. The less you have, the less you have to worry about -- the less you have to lose.

So being the weird guy that I am, I will lay out what I think I need for a month in South America and see if it fits.

Made in Montana by Red Oxx

"PLACES FOR YOUR BELONGINGS.

You want pockets? The Roadster has handy exterior zippered raised pockets (6"W x 7"H x 2"D on the front and 12"H x 6"W x 2"D on each side) to give you plenty of room and keep your belongings organized.

In the spacious main top-loading compartment you could pack your plentiful picnic, the raised side pockets holding your wine, spirits or soda bottles and glasses and the front pocket your cheese, appetizers or dessert and the top flap pocket your silverware. Attach your blanket with the buckled loop compression straps on the bottom."

One cool thing about this pack is that it is guarenteed FOREVER. Not lifetime. Forever. So it is also a family heirloom.

Pictures to follow as I see how much I can get into this.

To think or overthink

I had a great time catching up with Bill and Lisa last night down at the backstop pub. I was able to talk to them about some of the things that I've been thinking about in terms of travel. Lisa has been following me on this blog. And she had some feedback that was similar to others that I've received from people. 

One of them is not to over research or  overthink travel. But go to another country and to be in the moment. I suppose it is a balance between being prepared and overthinking it. I'm guessing that there were going to be sold anything.

I am guessing that there will be so many things that I will not have researched or anticipated, that there will be plenty of time to be in the moment. The real challenge for me, the real growth for me will be how I respond to it. Whether I get frustrated because I hadn't researched it or anticipated it. Or whether I look upon it as a crossword puzzle and something to be solved. I hope the latter is the case.


________________________________

Arriving in Ecuador on June 20, 2015 -- 5:54 a.m.

Tickets in hand. Spent Saturday at REI buying cool stuff for travel. Really kind of splurged on myself. Purchased some excellent walking shoes that in the past would have seemed an extravagance.

But I guess I am worth it. And from a practical standpoint, I will be doing a lot of walking.

I will arrive in Quito. How funny it is that I find a hotel that is run as an educational foundation, wait for it --- run by Willamette University grads.

So here it is --- my first stop in Ecuador 

• HOME
• RESERVATIONS
• ABOUT US
• THE HOSTEL
• THE FOUNDATION
• RESOURCES
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Located in the La Tola section of Old Town Quito, Community Hostel is a mere five blocks away from La Plaza Grande, the heart of Colonial Quito’s historic churches, architecture, and sightseeing. We are nestled in an active neighborhood among local wood workers, family businesses, a bustling Ecuadorian local marketplace, private shops, etc. We are a ten-minute walk from two beautiful parks, El Alameda and El Itchimbia, which offer unparalleled views of Quito, beautiful outdoor walking trails, rowboats on the stream, and the famous glass house of Itchimbia. A quick five-minute cab ride away is La Plaza Foch, the busy and active tourist district of New Town Quito ample with restaurants, bars, clubs, and nightlife to satisfy all your partying needs. To relax from your busy night of partying, take a ten-minute cab ride to El Teleferico, where you can take the cable car to see the view of Quito from over 4000m.

The front of Community Hostel

We offer several styles of accommodation to fulfill the needs of every traveler, including dormitory, private, and single gender rooms (female only). Our beds are the most comfortable in Quito, handmade by a local artisan carpenter. Sip on some complimentary tea or coffee from one of our two seated balconies and take in the beauty of an Ecuadorian sunrise or sunset while overlooking the city. Each traveler is provided a large, lockable personal storage drawer underneath your bed to store your items, and rooms are cleaned daily. We offer complementary laptops, fully loaded with skype and internet access, and free wifi within the hostel so that you can quickly and easily keep in touch with your families and loved ones. If you’re hungry you can help yourself to our fully equipped communal kitchen, or take a walk down the road to one of the many local cafes and shops. We also offer communal dinners and breakfasts provided by our foodie staff.

There’s never a dull moment here at Community Hostel. If you’re looking for something to do, join us for one of our many social nights hosted at the hostel. Show off your favorite recipe in a potluck dinner, cozy up for a movie night, or jam out with us in one of our open mics. Come stay with us at Community Hostel! With so many things to see and do, we guarantee you the best experience on the equator!