Global Entry: Another step towards a traveler lifestyle

It took $100 dollars and about 45 minutes of time. Next I get fingerprinted and a criminal background check. After a personal interview with a T.S.A. official, I will get my Global Entry pass.

The pass grants me a “trusted traveler” status at airports. It allows me to by-pass the normal T.S.A. security procedures and lines for all domestic and international flights.

For international flights, it reduces time returning to the US with an expedited customs process.

It’s a small thing, but it means a lot to me. I feel it’s a commitment to travel, to explore, to make more new experiences.

It also means that there is more exploring ahead of me than behind. That is a change of mind for me. I have a realistic – some say morbid – view that there are more days behind me than ahead of me. But in regards to travel, the days ahead will hold more than the past.

My first airline flight was at 15 years of age. We never flew as a family. In fact, I’m pretty sure my parents never flew at all. In high school I stepped on a plane for Alaska to volunteer at a church camp. I was glad to finally have taken the first step.

My first big flight was at 19 when I flew to London to study history. It was 1972 and the charter flight cost $99 one way. (I was too clueless to worry about how I would get home.)

I’ve never lost the magic that occurred on that first flight. Every time I take a long flight I marvel how – in one day – I traveled further than most humans ever traveled – ever.

After that, I went ten years without flying. But at 30, I was operating a profitable broadcast business and decided to be extravagant – book a vacation to Hawaii.

I left Portland at 6 a.m. I can still recall digging my toes into the sands of Hawaii that afternoon. What an amazing thing. Waking up in one place and going to bed in another. It’s a magic I still feel.

As a married guy, I was blessed with a family with extraordinary expertise in travel. Trips to Mexico became so familiar to me, I even took one on my own to Mexico.

But now, the travel planning is mine alone. There is anxiety, even fear with that. But also gratitude for an opportunity in the fourth quarter of my football game to finally call my own plays. And to be prepared to scramble when a play is broken up. It is time for me to live up to my own advice to my children. I always told them as new events unfolded, move yourself emotionally from fear to excitement.

Meet Barbara  -- maybe my next landlady

Barbara and her husband used to live about 90 miles from Canby -- up in Washington State. Now they live in Cuenca. In addition to their home there, they also rent out a separate apartment -- which might be my home for however long this summer I decided to stay in Ecuador.

It's in a great location along one of the four rivers in Cuenca and within walking distance of El Centro -- the historic downtown.

Looks comfy.

I've been prowling the discussion forums on Ecuadorian topics and the topic of crime has popped up a lot. No major crimes -- murder rate is dropping and of course lower than many US cities. But petty crimes seem to be a point of discussion. So I asked Barbara and here is what she had to say:

I've read a lot of the blogs but I can only give you my experiences. We live in a very safe area, the house has a security fence as do most of the houses in Cuenca. I have lived here over two years now and I have never been the victim of any kind of crime. I am on my own most of the time and am always downtown by myself. I shop at the mercados. I either walk or take the bus. I have never felt afraid or uncomfortable in any way. I have one friend who had her earrings stolen and another who had her cell phone taken from her open backpack and that's it. My Spanish teacher has pointed out two areas that she considers dangerous, but I have visited those mercados many times without any problems. Again, these are my experiences, but I think you'll feel quite safe in Cuenca. 
Have a great day! 
Barb

-----

So I will find out for myself.

This is starting to get fun

I'm starting to remember myself. It's been a while. (That could have layers of meanings.) But planning a big trip is starting to become familiar to me.

Especially with this trip -- heading alone to a new place in South America -- I start with fear, then intensity of research, problem-solving, second thoughts and finally -- acceptance. Now the fun part is starting. After more than two months, I am actually getting excited.

I finally have a flight plan. There are many ways to get to Ecuador from Portland. None of them straightforward. None of them obviously better than the other. I have some Alaska miles that I am going to use and I figured -- go big or go home. So, for a 14 hour flight with three legs -- it's time for first class. So I have that going for me, which is nice.

Second, I am working of the Zen of this travel thing. I am convinced it is more about the journey than the destination. I want to find out -- who am I when stripped of the familiar, who can I be.

Third, let's enjoy the journey. For example, I have a three hour layover in Dallas before transferring to Miami, then Miami to Ecuador. So, why not spend $30 for a day pass to a gym/day spa? Rather than spending a couple hours eating airport nachos and drinking beer (not always a bad thing), how about an hour workout, swim, steam bath and shower.

Part of the coolness is that the facility is part of a Weston Hotel that is literally built into the airport. So no ground transportation is needed.

So far, I've gotten myself down DFW in class and leisure. Now let's see about Miami.

Zen and the art of learning a second language

So I took Spanish in high school and ever since then have .....well, I guess the term is dabbled in it. Over the last 25 years, I've been to Mexico about ten times. I've continued to study -- haphazardly, the language.

When my niece was in fourth grade, I volunteered to be a classroom assistant. It was a Spanish immersion class. The students were to speak Spanish all the time -- but they were given a break when talking with Muestro Parker. 

During the year, my Spanish improved. I never felt I was particularly good -- especially when I would vacation in Mexico.

Not once, but twice, I had restaurant servers interrupt me when I was trying to order in Spanish. I remember one specifically. He said, "I am sorry sir but I am very busy. Could you please order in English?"

So here I am -- six months away from flying to Ecuador. Granted, Cuenca may be the city in Ecuador where English is used most -- but still the blogs all say, the best experience comes from using your Spanish every day.

So I am taking that approach.  Many times I am thinking about something and then try and say it in Spanish. 

I am going to my kitchen. "Voy a mi cocina."

I set aside some of every day to work on my Spanish.

I was thinking today about it. My life, my careers have been focused on communication. Even this blog is an exercise in putting words together.

As with anyone, my insecurities swirl about me -- but my words, yes my words. That is something I know I can stir into a soufflé just as masterfully as Julia Child could whip some eggs.

But now. Give me a new language. Now that is a new challenge.

I will never forget the first time I used my Spanish to actually -- communicate.

It was before kids and we were in Xtapa on the Pacific Coast during the off season. The Weston was wonderful but not full. And the staff was not fully bi-lingual. 

As I an inclined to do, I was wandering about the property. I went to an isolated pool on the resort property. There was a bar and restaurant there. The staff didn't speak English. I wanted a drink and a sandwich. I stopped a server. I asked -- in Spanish -- if I could eat and drink at this place. He said no. I asked if I could drink only. He said yes. I asked if I could eat "there only" -- pointing to the bar. He said yes. So I said, I would have a drink only -- now.

It was amazing. It worked.

So today, I was practicing Spanish nouns. I know about 75% of them. It encouraged me. I know I am miles from being fluent -- but it seems a worthwhile endeavor.

Some folks my age do crossword puzzles to keep their mind sharp. 

My crossword may be -- becoming fluent in Spanish.

Stuff:

One of the mental exercises that this adventure has produced is a reflection on stuff.

There are people I know who reach this point through a more spiritual or humanist path.  Some want to walk more gently on the earth. They speak of appreciating what they have rather than wanting to accumulate more. I appreciate that sentiment. I can get there. I am there, but in truth my thoughts are driven by practicality.

Now, I don't know if I am really going to move permanently to Ecuador, but let's say it is a 50-50 possibility.

So if I move, what do I do with my stuff? I guess I can give or sell stuff I don't really want or need and pay for a storage unit for things I want to keep.

But it seems the next logical question is -- why should I get more stuff if it will only go in storage.

It's changed how I look at the weekly Fred Meyer newspaper ads. I enjoyed looking at the new and shiny household stuff. Crock pot, coffee makers, blenders. So colorful and tempting. But now I look at them and think, what would I do with that if I move?

I find it a worthwhile exercise. How much stuff do I really need to be --- aha, that is another question -- to be what? Happy? Not inconvenienced?

This also is part of the lesson. I will travel for at least a month with only a backpack and a carry-on. That will be a start.

From imagination to practicality

Among the push-pulls of this venture is moving from creativity to the practical elements of this trip. I think the lesson is that the practical elements are part of the journey and not just lint to be dusted off the suit.

That is, the journey is as much about the journey as the journey itself.

So some of the elements are falling into place. Learning new things is such a funny thing. I start out thinking there is so much to learn. As I learn more, I realize how much more there is to learn. And the hardest part is recognizing that I really have learned some things already.

For example, many advise to use a non-American airline as soon as you can. The buzz seems to be that a foreign airline -- any foreign airline -- is better run and more customer friendly that American-owned companies.

I am looking at LAN airlines. It is a South-American based airline with an awesome reputation. They have one of the few direct flights from US to Ecuador -- and one of the shortest, just over six hours.

The flight begins in New York at JFK. 

I have Alaska miles to get me to New York but...Alaska flies into Newark. So again this gives me another great opportunity to learn and problem-solve. For a quarter century, this was something my adorable (ex) mother-in-law would subdue with wit and wisdom. Now it's my turn.

So, I will fly into Newark the day before the flight. And then use Airbnb to stay in Newark near the airport

Newark Airbnb place

So for $45, I will have my own room for the night, get up the next day and head into NYC and go to JFK.

Actually, I will have all day to hang in New York -- since my flight leaves at 10 pm. I then arrive the next morning in Ecuador. Again, I will spend the night near the airport at Guayaquil. 

Here the rates are slightly better than the US -- $25 a night ( again, Ecuador uses US $ so all rates are US currency)

From Guayaquil, it is less than a three hour drive (on great roads thanks to the new president who has been pouring money into infrastructure) to Cuenca.

So -- for now, there it is. I can get there. Once there, I will start Spanish lessons with at a home with an American expat and begin exploring the city -- oh, and myself.

World traveler asks me, "Why go to USA in Ecuador?"

Good question -- even if asked with a note of one-upmanship from someone who backpacked in Mongolia.

He was looking at the ABC News report (found near the top of the right hand side of this page.) He said it made him cringe. All those American ex-pats. What's the fun of that?

Not sure I am doing this for fun. In fact, no. I am traveling alone to a place I've never been to prove to me -- the inner voice especially -- that I can do this.

Look, for 25 years I was part of an extended family with extensive and elegant travel skills. I would merely have to show up at the airport and next thing I knew I was in a cool hotel room someplace cool.

Now I am on my own and it is time to embrace that. Yes, there is some terror at the idea of leaving bucolic Canby for the unknown. But time is running on the scoreboard. It's the fourth quarter and it's time for an audible from the line. Even if that audible is a "hmmm, now what do I do at a closed airport at 2 a.m. in Columbia?"

I can see no other path before me than to challenge myself in doing things I've never done.

Having said that, there is a very practical and obsessive-compulsive part of me that says, let's manage this project to guarantee the highest percentage of success.

Cuenca does that.

Ecuador uses American currency. I won't be befuddled as I so often am in Mexico (Did I just tip fifty cents or fifty dollars?)

It is a university town. In fact, five universities which makes it a young and vibrant place.

Cuenca, yes, does have a large ex-pat community. It means I will see a lot of gringos and be tempted to hang with them and talk English rather than Spanish. But it also means a huge support network.

So I could choose to backpack across Mongolia and make the point I am trying to make -- or I could start with Cuenca and exercise those atrophied travel skills.

Hey, if I want adventure, the Amazon forest is two hours outside of Cuenca. Two German tourists just spent three days lost there.

So by Mongolian standards, it is a more modest approach. Fly to NYC. Fly to Guayaquil, Ecuador and find transport to Cuenca. Get a place to stay and thrive for at least 30 days. 

It's a start. And it's my start.

Where to stay and what to take?

So... how to do what you've never done before.
Go to a foreign country and plunk yourself down for up to 90 days.
How does one do that?
Well, it help to be a research geek.
I've always loved researching stuff.
And I've been able to narrow down certain things. I know where I want to go (Cuenca) and when (mid-June).
So now, where to land?
I may have come up with the place. A Spanish immersion condo.
The setting looks great.

There is a private room with a private bath and 90 minutes of Spanish each day -- along with field trips around the city. All provided by a former Virginian named Elle.

She runs the Cuenca Spanish Club. So room and lessons is $45 a day. (all costs are in US dollars since Ecuador uses US currency.

Cuenca Spanish Club

So, if I decide to go with this, I will have a place to stay for a week and a teacher to instruct me on the language and the lay of the land. So right now, this is my favored option.

What to bring

Another thing that I needlessly obsess about is what to bring. I've vacillated between and all new outfit from Travelsmith or simply using what's in my closet. I am leaning toward what's in my closet.

But how to bring it remain in play.

I will take a carry-on and a backpack.

The lighter I am, the easier and more flexible the travel.

The most practical backpack I've found is manufactured in Montana.

Reddox

Lifetime guarantee and designed to fit under your seat as a personal item carry-on

The way in

And as much as I love researching and preparing, I also am trying to get inside my own head and heart for why I want to do this.

First, it is the right time. My kids are on a success trajectory at UO (Go Ducks). If they were having babies, I would want to be right there. But they both have a couple of years to finish out school. While they will always need their dad, I asked them and they said I should do this.

Why do it?

I get different answers every day -- but many times it comes back to: to show myself I can. And if I can do it in Cuenca, maybe I can do it elsewhere -- or anywhere.

I recall an old saying, "wherever you go, there you are." I guess that means you can't run away from your feelings or problems because they go with you. 

So there is a bit of faith in the idea of travel. 

Of gaining perspective.

Maybe I will be miserable. Or terrified. Or lonely.

But at the least -- I will be alive.

Count down begins, second thoughts and emerging focus

Saturday January 3, 2015
Canby

Six months, two weeks and one day from starting the voyage.
Well at least the start of the physical voyage of getting on a plane.
The way in is the way out -- and I've been going in.

This week the new rankings for best retirement places came out,
Again, Ecuador was #1.
http://internationalliving.com/2015/01/the-best-places-to-retire-2015/

But I thought I would look at number two - Panama.
Slightly higher cost-of-living, but also uses the US dollar. Perhaps more centrally located.
So I pulled up some videos.
And I realized something more clearly with the comparison of Panama to Ecuador (especially Cuenca).
Panama doesn't have the historic vibe and culture that I am looking for.

http://youtu.be/3x1Ttm7UnjQ

Cuenca was founded in the 1500's by Spanards who knew something about urban planning and laying out a city. There are a dozen or more churches in El Centro that are 400 years old. There are dozens of native cultures -- some with roots in the Aztec pre-history. And Ecuador is the most bio-diverse country on earth.

Oh and Panama is humid all year round -- including the rainy season.
Ecuador is not.

So it turns out that having a doubt reenforced my initial decision.

I've been spending time every day working on my Spanish. There is a long way to go before I have any chance of fluency -- but work and time will tell.