CVD 's new Decline column
It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the
same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is you." -Benjamin
Button
This side of the equator, most people go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house at the end of a coldesac, and have their 2.5 children. The status quo has a strong hold, and deviations are generally considered abnormal or weird. One of my friends back home told me that I must be running away from something with all the travel I do. I smiled to myself. Maybe they were right, maybe it is the silouette of their life that I am running away from. Owning a house and having a family is great, but because I'm not interested in a "real job" and 30-year fixed right now, does that make me lost in society's eyes? We are all shackled by the burdons we put upon ourselves, and we must find our own path. It has been said that life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.
Travel is not for everyone, but it is for me right now. Thanks to two highschool dropout bike mechanics (Orville and Wilbur Wright) we can be anywhere in the world in a day. A big misconception is that traveling is expensive, but the reality is that it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to start seeing what the world has to offer. You learn along the way and soon realize that there is too much to see in one lifetime; and maybe things you thought were "normal" are not so much in other parts of the world. There are countless resources out there for tight travel budgets(hospitalityclub.org, hostelworld.com, and couchsurfer.org are some good ones).
Granted, I am traveling as a bike racer which is different than your typical tourist, but I have been on this trip in South America for a month now, and broke away from friends to stay in a hostel four nights in the Urubamba Valley, totaling about $40 usd for lodging.
A lot of Americans are terrified at the thought of hostels. There are plenty of hostels I wouldn't sleeping in, but there are more crappy over-priced hotels I wouldn't even consider. There is a wide range of hostels out there depending on location, from all night party hostels, to sanctuaries, to family run boutique-style places with better service than five-star concierges. I personally appreciate free internet access, making my own coffee and breakfast in the morning, and practicing my language with the caretakers, which almost always leads to solid local information. I have met a lot of engaging and inspiring people staying in hostels. I have had some of the best meals of my life in hostels, and shown a fantastic night on the town in repayment of a helping hand. I prefer single rooms, and rarely ever need my noise cancelling Skullcandy's or earplugs for a great night's sleep.
I've spent the last month in Peru, riding with the "causa locos" and getting ready for some urban races in Brazil and Chile. From some of the longest waves in the Pacific, to the highest peaks in the Andes, to the most remote jungle in the Amazon river basin; it's hard to comprehend the diversity of the Republic of Peru. It is no wonder that some of the planet's first civilizations and greatest empires chose Peru. The Peruanos have been building singletrack through the mountains here for a long, long time and they make the loops back home seem like a bunny hill. More living species reside in one tree in the rainforest here than in the entire continent of North America. It costs about 60 cents to put your bike on the roof of a bus and catch a ride up a pass, or you can hire a driver for the day for a few bucks. This morning we did a downhill run from 3,400 meters in the sierra to the Pacific. To each their own. Here are some randoms from Peru:
Never:
Challenge a Peruvian to an artichoke eating contest
Wear Khakis or sweatpants to a discoteque
Race a city bus on your hardtail, unless you want a diesel dirty sanchez
Show weakness while sport bartering or scaring off stray dogs
Drink large quantities of cheap Pisco
Drink tea with a gringo Shaman
Ask a barber if you need a haircut
Buy 'jungle mountaineering' clothes from the J Peterman Catalog
Get in line behind livestock at customs
Tell anyone how much your bike is really worth
Always:
Drive it like you stole it and honk around blind corners
Stop for fresh tuna fruit
Pay an extra nickel for double toilet paper
Learn the bowline and anchor hitch, tie-downs are a luxury
Go tubeless
Be a boy scout and be prepared
Show courtesy to everyone (except at the start of the Megavalanche)
Get Gypta with your Coca Leaves
Pay respect to Pachamama
Let it unfold,
-cvd
This side of the equator, most people go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house at the end of a coldesac, and have their 2.5 children. The status quo has a strong hold, and deviations are generally considered abnormal or weird. One of my friends back home told me that I must be running away from something with all the travel I do. I smiled to myself. Maybe they were right, maybe it is the silouette of their life that I am running away from. Owning a house and having a family is great, but because I'm not interested in a "real job" and 30-year fixed right now, does that make me lost in society's eyes? We are all shackled by the burdons we put upon ourselves, and we must find our own path. It has been said that life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.
Travel is not for everyone, but it is for me right now. Thanks to two highschool dropout bike mechanics (Orville and Wilbur Wright) we can be anywhere in the world in a day. A big misconception is that traveling is expensive, but the reality is that it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to start seeing what the world has to offer. You learn along the way and soon realize that there is too much to see in one lifetime; and maybe things you thought were "normal" are not so much in other parts of the world. There are countless resources out there for tight travel budgets(hospitalityclub.org, hostelworld.com, and couchsurfer.org are some good ones).
Granted, I am traveling as a bike racer which is different than your typical tourist, but I have been on this trip in South America for a month now, and broke away from friends to stay in a hostel four nights in the Urubamba Valley, totaling about $40 usd for lodging.
A lot of Americans are terrified at the thought of hostels. There are plenty of hostels I wouldn't sleeping in, but there are more crappy over-priced hotels I wouldn't even consider. There is a wide range of hostels out there depending on location, from all night party hostels, to sanctuaries, to family run boutique-style places with better service than five-star concierges. I personally appreciate free internet access, making my own coffee and breakfast in the morning, and practicing my language with the caretakers, which almost always leads to solid local information. I have met a lot of engaging and inspiring people staying in hostels. I have had some of the best meals of my life in hostels, and shown a fantastic night on the town in repayment of a helping hand. I prefer single rooms, and rarely ever need my noise cancelling Skullcandy's or earplugs for a great night's sleep.
I've spent the last month in Peru, riding with the "causa locos" and getting ready for some urban races in Brazil and Chile. From some of the longest waves in the Pacific, to the highest peaks in the Andes, to the most remote jungle in the Amazon river basin; it's hard to comprehend the diversity of the Republic of Peru. It is no wonder that some of the planet's first civilizations and greatest empires chose Peru. The Peruanos have been building singletrack through the mountains here for a long, long time and they make the loops back home seem like a bunny hill. More living species reside in one tree in the rainforest here than in the entire continent of North America. It costs about 60 cents to put your bike on the roof of a bus and catch a ride up a pass, or you can hire a driver for the day for a few bucks. This morning we did a downhill run from 3,400 meters in the sierra to the Pacific. To each their own. Here are some randoms from Peru:
Never:
Challenge a Peruvian to an artichoke eating contest
Wear Khakis or sweatpants to a discoteque
Race a city bus on your hardtail, unless you want a diesel dirty sanchez
Show weakness while sport bartering or scaring off stray dogs
Drink large quantities of cheap Pisco
Drink tea with a gringo Shaman
Ask a barber if you need a haircut
Buy 'jungle mountaineering' clothes from the J Peterman Catalog
Get in line behind livestock at customs
Tell anyone how much your bike is really worth
Always:
Drive it like you stole it and honk around blind corners
Stop for fresh tuna fruit
Pay an extra nickel for double toilet paper
Learn the bowline and anchor hitch, tie-downs are a luxury
Go tubeless
Be a boy scout and be prepared
Show courtesy to everyone (except at the start of the Megavalanche)
Get Gypta with your Coca Leaves
Pay respect to Pachamama
Let it unfold,
-cvd
