Oh boy, a new story to tell!

Only nine months had passed since I returned from Asia, but I've never been one to stay in one place for very long. I've been living in San Francisco during this time, and life has been good. But a job contract I had been working on was about to expire, and I was faced with the prospect of either renewing my contract, looking for new work elsewhere, or taking a trip. Hard choice. :-) Well, it was, in a way. I had to decide where I wanted to go. Unlike past trips, this time I had a very expensive apartment rent to pay, no one to sublet (this was a last minute decision), and no overwhelming lust for any particular part of the planet. So, I decided a short trip would be best.

But where? A conversation I had last year with someone in Thailand turned my thoughts towards South America, the only populated continent I had yet to visit. I had always put it off in the past due to the large numbers of people telling me stories of crime and violence in their travels there. But the woman I met last year put the place in a different perspective. In addition to telling me stories of troubles (everything she had was stolen three times in nine months), she presented an image of the people, the dancing, the passion and power that exist in that part of the world. A passion that does not exist in passive Asia, that struggled to survive in Africa, and that long ago was tamed and civilized in Europe.

This was a last minute decision, and I do mean last minute. I made my final decision on where to go, bought my tickets the next day, and nine days later, I was flying into Caracas. People asked me about my decision to skip some more interesting parts of South America, such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, and choosing the two countries I did, but the answer was rather simple: money. With a high rent at home, this was the most expensive trip I've ever taken, and travelling through Argentina, with costs as high as Europe, or the costs of expeditions in Peru or Bolivia, were more than I was willing to spend on a spur of the moment decision. Travel is not always about the destination, it is more about the spirit. The other places would wait until next time.

The first beat...

So now, the backpack is ready, my tickets are in hand, and a new continent awaits. Please join me in the dance!

Email me at nomad3 @ GoneWalkabout.com