Reflections from the Road

I’ve been traveling for about a month and a half now (time is flying), so it’s about time for a reflection post! Soon I’ll write about the actual countries visited, and about what I have been doing. I have a ton written down, so now it’s just a matter of putting everything together into a few coherent posts.

It’s a basic fact in my world that people are inherently nice, and not dangerous, scamming thieves, and that a smile and good manners will get you far. However, I’ve seen this in action so often recently that, as much as I say “Grr, people suck”, or “Argh, people are the worst”, I know in my heart that those statements could not be further from the truth. It’s time to reserve them for the times when they are legitimate and deserved. Also, I can barely remember more than a handful of times feeling unsafe or like I was putting my life in danger over the last few years of existing in other countries. I definitely feel more sketched-out in Albany (ugh) or Philly (but only at night. My Philly is a sweetheart during the day) than anywhere else I’ve been.

I’ve learned that I despise being perceived as a walking ATM, but that I’m willing to pay a bit extra, or the tourist price, as long as the seller isn’t outright scamming me or being a total jerk. This is especially true when I’m dealing with local businesses. That extra 5-100 pesos won’t affect me much in the long run, but can be the equivalent of a few meals for a family.

Water and sunscreen are SO IMPORTANT. Unless you’re swimming with whale sharks, in which case was that stuff off!

Walking is fun, and makes me feel great. Jeepneys (colorful shared vans) are a wonderful way to get around, and make me miss the Israeli moniyot sherut; three cheers for public transportation! Motorbikes are hands-down the best.

Chilling out sporadically is totally okay. I’m not missing out just because I need to take a day or two to relax, or because I feel like catching up on my shows one night instead of hanging out with people from the hostel again, or if I spend a few hours reading a book in a local café instead of exploring.

I can live comfortably without air conditioning, hot showers (especially if the alternative is swimming in a waterfall), and steady Wi-Fi, but I appreciate them as much as (or more than) ever.

Bargaining isn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be. Neither is standing up for myself when something is happening that is clearly not okay, even if sometimes I come across as a raging witch.

Pan-Asian food (currently I’ve tried a spectrum of Taiwanese, Japanese, South Korean, and Filipino foods in-country) is all-around AMAZING, and decently inexpensive depending on where you get it.

I’m not as afraid as I thought I was, or would be. I definitely thought going caving and riding on a motorbike would freak me out, but for both experiences I was already in the cave and on the bike before my brain started asking if it should start freaking out; it was quickly shut down by my eyes telling it “Shut up and live in the moment, because what you’re doing right now is awesome!”

On the other side, some things still freak me out. For example, I can argue with a guy about Cthulhus (something I know nothing about) but I’ll be nervous about flirting with his friend/travel buddy. Or, I can walk up to a random guy at a train station and offer to help him get relatively less lost, and talk with him for hours on the train, but then anxiety-out when it comes to meeting him at a theme park the next day after I see him walking in the opposite direction and realize that wow, he IS cute.

However, on the other-other side, it has become a lot easier over the last year to ask strangers to take my picture. Often I’ll repay the favor; couples especially appreciate this, since it means they get to be in a picture together. I can go to a sex-themed sculpture park and ask multiple people to take my picture while we’re all surrounded by giant genitalia, and not feel any sense of shame, or guilt, or embarrassment. I can easily ignore or brush off being laughed at for being touristy and asking for pictures of myself posing by strange or cool sights.

I haven’t been as body-conscious as usual. Maybe it’s because I’m (to quote Aida) “anonymous and gone tomorrow”, so there seems to be less pressure. Maybe it’s because I’ve been walking around a lot, drinking a ton of water, and eating decently (and making sure to eat vegetables at least once or twice per day). Maybe it’s because I’ve been seeing a lot of pictures of myself [doing kickass things] recently, and it has made me realize that maybe people mean it and aren’t just patronizing me when they tell me I’m cute.

One important thing I’ve learned is that, unless I’m physically ill (colds don’t count), I’m completely and totally willing to go on an adventure. Even if it’s supposed to be my chill-out day. Even if it means waking up before the crack of dawn. Even if it means asking to tag along on other people’s adventures because I don’t have a steady plan yet. Even if it means trusting strangers to get me to where I want or need to go, and getting pictures from them later. Even if I’m sore, or it’s hot outside, and the idea of moving sounds like the worst idea in the world.

It is always adventure time.