The scents of moisture, decay and age filled my nostrils, the damp, cool air inside the dark building contrasted against the warmth of the sun I’d felt on my skin just seconds before. The sound of water trickling close by was nearly deafening… and seeing… really seeing the details of everything around me was almost dizzying! It was a perfect moment and I stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity taking it all in and letting the mix of feelings wash over me.

If only this sculpture could talk. It may be my imagination but she seems so serene and knowing.

Seconds after those feelings melted away the kid in me screamed “OMG! I’m really here, right now seeing this… me, in Herculaneum! This is so freaking amazing!”. The sudden rush of child like wonder and excitement made me almost laugh out loud.

Sometimes life gives you a perfect moment. On this day I was lucky enough to experience a series of them. What an amazing feeling!

I’m sure at some point almost every long term traveller has hit a point when they wonder if they’ve been travelling too long. I’m not sure there is such a thing as too long, but at the very least, you know you’ve been travelling a very long time when this list starts accurately describing your life.

You Know You’ve Been Travelling a Long Time When…

1. You see your home country flag and think “that looks familiar, when did I travel there?”
2. Taking a warm shower with decent water pressure feels odd.
3. Someone starts a sentence with ‘when I was in (random place)’, not only do you know the exact area they’re talking about, you know the best bars and cheap local eateries.
4. You get so obsessive about travelling light that you empty the trash bin in your netbook before packing it to ‘lighten the load’.
5. The flag patches on your backpack actually are adding extra weight.
6. Having a full set of clean laundry feels like winning a lottery.
7. You can hold an entire conversation with hand signals and body language… and often start a conversation that way not expecting to be understood in your own language.
8. You forget words in your native language but can substitute them with one of 10 other languages.
9. A meal of random food-like items that have been in your backpack for weeks seems edible… possibly even a tasty treat.
10. You stop ordering water and get beer because it’s cheaper… even at breakfast.
11. When you can think of at least 20 uses for a bandana.
12. You call any place you’ve stayed more than 7 days “home”.
13. You wake up and forget which country you’re in.
14. You count the last time you had a decent haircut not by weeks but by months or years.
15. The mysteries of how exactly to use various kinds of toilets is no longer a mystery, at a glance you not only know exactly how to use it, you also know how to flush.
16. The only thing left from your original packing list / home country is your passport.
17. You not only know which airlines offer the cheapest flights between areas, you know the times and days they fly those routes.
18. Bartering over the equivalent of 25 cents is a normal thing to do.
19. You actually look like your passport photo.
20. And now one that’s (mostly) for the women… you’ve perfected the art of hovering above the toilette so artfully that not only do you always hit the target, you can hover with the backpack still on without your thighs giving out!

Don’t get why I was so thrilled? Look at the pattern of the chipped and peeling paint on the wall of the powder blue building and follow it up all the way into the sky, the clouds seemed to be forming part of the pattern perfectly!

I could go all poetic and talk about the fleeting nature of a perfect cloud and compare it with the impermanence of what humankind has built or how the universe and everything in it is interconnected… but instead I’ll just say what I thought the moment I noticed it “OMG, right here, right now is a perfect moment!”

Don’t you love it when out of nowhere something suddenly reminds you that there’s beauty everywhere, and that you’re lucky enough to be alive right now to experience it… you just need to look around and be willing to notice.

I know I’ve been fairly quiet on this little blog for a bit, I hit a case of writers block caused by having one event play over in my head so often that writing about (and experiencing) other things has been near to impossible. While I’m nervous to publish this post, I need to get it out and I’m very much looking for advise and opinions.

About 2 weeks ago I had to make a big decision between following my head or my heart. Anyone that knows me will tell you that there was a time it wouldn’t have been a question at all, I’d have gone with my heart without batting an eyelash. This time was different though and I went with my head. Despite my heart and intuition screaming at me “Say yes!”.

What made the difference this time? Well, quite a while ago now I got infected with a little bug called self doubt, it grew and grew and grew. That doubt became an overwhelming fear that caused me to try to avoid the world at all costs. Eventually I started to realize how miserable I was and the only way out that I could see was throwing myself back into the world full force… that’s why I sold everything and started travelling.

Since then I’ve been told repeatedly to be ‘careful’ on my travels, to watch out of ‘dangerous situations’… But how do you know when it’s the Lizard Brain squawking, or when the best thing to do really is to be careful? And what does ‘careful’ really mean?

Does it mean I should stay away from ‘dangerous’ situations like taking rides with the locals?
I don’t think so, I’ve done that many times and while I remained extremely alert and closely watched the route being taken, everything always turned out wonderfully! Often I got to see stuff I would never have experienced had I not taken that ‘risk’.

Does it mean to never let anyone know I’m travelling alone?
Hmm… I guess I’d have to delete this blog then.

Does it mean ‘stay on the gringo trail’?
I’d rather jump on or off it whenever I please! Most of my favourite spots where the ones that non-locals seem to rarely visit.

Does it mean not allowing someone to get too close emotionally?
To borrow a bit of the Dalai Lama’s wisdom; “We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.”

Who knows what might have happened had I gone with my heart. Maybe I would have been hurt, maybe I would have been scammed… or maybe I would have found one of the things I finally realized that I’m looking for, the ability to place my trust in someone and open myself up to new emotions.

The saddest part is that I’ll never know, and that has lead me firmly back into the dark waters of doubt.

This whole thing has left me feeling very sad and shaken. My mind is swirling with thoughts of this and everything else I have missed when fear told me to say no. It’s made me wonder what I’m really made of and even question whether I have the courage in me to truly experience the world. (My heart, while bruised and very angry at my head… says YES btw, but not fully until I’ve dealt with this obstacle.)

Among the reasons I’m travelling is to learn about the world and myself, as well as overcoming fears… and this is a biggie! So, I’m hoping for advice.

How do you decide between your heart and your head? How do you know when to take that leap into the unknown and when to be ‘careful’?

Sometimes we (or at least I do) need a bit of a reminder why we’re travelling all over the globe and what exactly it is that we’re hoping to find. Sometimes I’ll turn to other backpackers blogs, travel movies, deep thinking and at other times travel quotes are just the thing to get me back on track.

Here’s a few of my favourites, some are inspiring, some sadly true about life on the move, others are just plain silly and may put a smile on your face.

Do you know some great sayings or quotations about travelling? Share them in the comments.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

“Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo.” ~ Al Gore

“We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” ~ Carson McCullers

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” ~ William Least Heat Moon

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” ~ Anatole France

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Most travel is best of all in the anticipation or the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage.” ~ Regina Nadelson

“I did not fully understand the dread term “terminal illness” until I saw Heathrow for myself.” ~ Dennis Potter, 1978

“Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” ~ Paul Theroux

“No matter how you travel, it’s still you going.” ~ Jeff Goldblum

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~ Saint Augustine

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ~ Oscar Wilde

“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” ~ Miriam Beard

“To travel is to take a journey into yourself.” ~ Danny Kaye

“Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness.” ~ Ray Bradbury

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” ~ Frank Herbert

“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” ~ G. K. Chesterton

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” ~ Dagobert D. Runes

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” ~ Bill Bryson

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ~ Martin Buber

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” ~ Lao Tzu

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not Directly Travel Related, but Great Quotes:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~ Steve Jobs

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” ~ Unknown

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” ~ Anna Quindlen

The shower stall… I’ve seen this innocent looking contraption come up with many devious ways of tormenting the tired, road weary traveller. Here’s a few ways I’ve personally been mocked by showers on the road.

Running Out Of Hot Water

This is perhaps the most common way showers take pleasure in taunting tired, sore-muscled and dusty travellers (or anyone for that matter that just wants to shower away the days dirt). After jumping in you’re thrilled that there’s hot water when suddenly and without warning it mysteriously runs cold.

Jumping back in an attempt to wait for the hot water you quickly realize that your teeth have began to chatter and your feet are turning a lovely shade of blue. To get this shower over with quickly you start splashing the water onto yourself hoping that the warmer air will magically heat it a bit before it comes in contact with your skin. The result is usually a shivering, goose-bumped, half clean person… and I suspect, a silently giggling shower.

This shower is particularly tricky because it will somehow be perfectly warm for the next person… for the first minute or so.

Running Out Of Cold Water

A less common tactic but the more sinister showers will suddenly stop serving up any water other than scalding hot. Jumping back screaming you desperately turn the taps.. one has to be cold right?!?

Running Out Of Water

Somewhat rare, but this surprise tactic will only happen as you’ve massaged your shampoo into a sweet scented bubbly heaven… suddenly you hear strange sounds coming from the pipes. Realizing something is wrong you try desperately to rinse before the water goes boiling hot / ice cold only to have it stop completely… not even a trickle. The shower in this case will often wait until in your desperation to de-lather at light speed you’ve got shampoo in your eyes. Sadly the sink has also gone over to the dark side and won’t help by offering up any water either. If you start eyeing the water in the toilet, you’re on your own…

The Rebellious Drain

In this tag team match the shower will often blissfully pour forth a strong, steady stream of perfectly heated water. Only after you have shampoo lathered and are fully soaped up do you notice that not only is the water is pooling at your feet, it is dangerously close to overflowing and flooding the next room. Realizing your backpack was left on the floor and not wanting to get kicked to the street in the middle of the night for flooding your room, you turn off the water and wait…. and wait… and wait some more.

Shivering with cold, feeling vulnerable and naked you can do nothing but wait a bit longer. Eventually realizing that the drain is truly plugged you have 3 options; reach into the dark, murky water to try to find the drain and attempt to unblock it… sprint naked to the next shower (if available) and hope no one sees you… or accept your fate and dry off hoping to remove enough soap with the towel that your skin won’t itch for days.

The Shower Doors…

Some places may have sliding doors to protect your room (and backpack) from taking a shower with you. The beauty of this is you won’t encounter the ‘affectionate shower curtain’ in this upscale establishment… as you step inside the steaming stream flowing from overhead you reach to close the door.. tug… tug…. push… jiggle… grunt…. Puuuuuuush *gasp* then suddenly.. SLAM… Victory!

You shower in bliss thinking how lucky it was that you could close that door before flooding the floor. As soon as you’re done showering you fling open… pull… tug… *foot on wall for leverage* Puuuuulllll… *pant, pant* Puuullllll… SLAM OPEN the door.

If you’re lucky, you didn’t land on your behind only to have to wonder whether it’s worth attempting to close that door again to wash off questionable hostel shower floor water from your newly dirtied skin… after all, you escaped without having to call for help… (*dun dun dunnnnn*) this time.

The Affectionate Shower Curtain

Many travellers and even non-nomadic home dwellers have had unwanted advances from the slimy shower curtain, some blame the breeze the water causes but I suspect these filthy curtains have only one thing on their minds. They can often be spotted by that mysterious film of slime and mildew that only shower curtains seem to possess. When you encounter one of these, even tactical placement of a foot, elbow or shampoo bottle is rarely enough to hold back the assault of cold, slimy plastic flapping against you, thwarting your every attempt to get clean.

Other mischievous tactics some showers take are mis-labelled, unlabelled or confusingly labelled taps (I encountered one that had a green dot on one tap, yellow on the other) and the ever popular ’shower head aimed far too high’ or at tummy level, while it probably is funny to watch us try to figure out how to use these showers it is a bit mean to pick on us.

So shower stalls of all colours, shapes and sizes… I beg you, please stop this war on us poor unwashed masses, peaceful coexistence is possible.

If you’re planning on a round the world adventure or are currently out travelling, how much of a language do you feel you should know for each country?

In Mexico it has been suggested to me many times to take some language classes since when I arrived I had no knowledge beyond “Hasta la vista, baby”, “Yo quiero taco bell” and “Un, Dos, Tres, (*mumbles some lyrics*) Maria”. I was originally only going to be in Mexico for a few weeks (that changed, I found I’m a very slow traveller) and after that would probably need Portuguese, French, German, Dutch and eventually some Asian languages as I slowly crawl around the planet… how much can a traveler be expected to pick up?

I’ve become quite curious how other travellers do this. So far I’ve learned some basic Spanish phrases and can understand a tiny bit when spoken to very slowly but I know I’m missing out on a lot of the culture. I’ve heard some say that it’s possible to become fluent in 3 months (*brain implodes at the thought!*). For me it’s feeling like learning even basic conversation for each country I want to visit is beyond overwhelming. There’s so much to be learning almost every minute of travel as it is, and adding language classes may be more than I can handle without my brain turning to mush.

As it is I often am finding myself speaking “Spenchlish”… which is what I’m currently calling my new, fluent language. It’s the odd combo that my mouth spits out when I’m trying to say something in Spanish but my brain inexplicably throws in random French, then quickly tries to correct with broken English. Yes, I’ve had quite a few blank stares and more than a few giggles, but in my defence I’ve heard others fall into using “Spenchlish” (or maybe it’s “Spanglais”) at times as well.

I’m starting to wonder if it’s part of the difference between a traveller that’s out to really understand the world and a tourist on a prolonged vacation. But, how much of each language can a traveller realistically be expected (or expect) to learn if they aren’t planning on living in the country for an extended time?

Which leaves me back to the question, which is it going to be for me? I’m currently in Guanajuato, Mexico which has an amazing amount of language classes and tutors willing to teach Spanish for very reasonable prices. I feel like I’m at a crossroads, stay here a few weeks and pick up basic conversation or continue to move along with travelling and hope to pick up what is needed along the way.

I’ve tried to look inward for the answer that best suits me, but I’m now asking advice and opinions.

When out in a foreign country, do you rely on hand signals (which can vary from culture to culture) and facial expressions? Use phrase books to ask questions? (And if so, how do you understand the responses?) Do you try to learn basic phrases, or even up to light conversation? Do you try to be selective and learn languages that are more common worldwide and would be handy further along your travels? Do you end up talking mostly to other backpackers and expats, usually in English? How do you decide how much to learn in the (perhaps) limited time?

When I first decided to start my backpacking in Mexico I was a bit worried that being vegan I would starve before I learned what I could and couldn’t eat. The first few days were a bit tricky and I lived on fruit since that was the one thing I could buy (and recognize) without knowing Spanish. I quickly realized that the first words I needed to learn were food related because of my limited diet.

Once the basics are learned it’s fairly easy to find either vegetarian (& even vegan) friendly meals in restaurants as well as being able to make your own meals if the hostel (hotel, B&B etc.) you’re staying in provides a kitchen. From what I’ve seen most hostels do have kitchen access available and may even have some basic cooking supplies like vegetable oils, salt etc. that you can use.

One thing you will want to watch out for is animal products in foods that are usually a safe be at home. In Mexico for example, mustard often contains animal products where as in Canada it was a fairly safe bet. Also keep an eye out for lard in refried beans and check if the rice is cooked with chicken stock (caldo de pollo) or water (agua).

If you head to the local market (mercado) to buy fruits and vegetables to make your meals (which is far cheaper) I’ve been told it’s important to either peel them, cook them very thoroughly. If you’re like me and often prefer raw or lightly cooked veggies there are products available in most grocery stores and many pharmacies to clean them. Two of the brand names to look for are Microdyn or Bacdyn, to use them add 8 drops per litre of water and soak the fruits and vegetables for 10 minutes.

There are however times as a vegetarian or vegan that there just isn’t anything around that you can eat, so carrying a snack bar, small bag of dried fruit or nuts, or your favourite veg*n friendly snack around in your day bag is a good idea. This has saved my grumbling tummy (& my own crankiness when I get hungry) from annoying everyone around me quite a few times. I also pack a small jar of peanut butter in my main backpack so that I have access to protein if I start feeling a bit wobbly. Remember that while you’re travelling you’re probably doing far more physical activity than at home, so you may need to eat more than you’re used to. Thankfully fruit and vegetable juice is widely available here and small bags of nuts are sold in most corner stores.

The Great Parts of Travelling in Mexico as a Vegetarian

Once you get the basics of asking what’s in the food and being able to explain what you want, you’ll probably find that people in restaurants are often happy to make something special if needed, and the food is usually fantastic! Forget what you know about Mexican food, depending on the region you visit it may not remotely resemble what is served at your local Mexican restaurant at home. So far I’ve found that the mixture of flavours is great but less spicy than I’d expected. I did however try vegan (dark) chocolate with chillies and the heat from the spice with the bitterness of the chocolate almost made me swoon… pure heaven!

I’ve also noticed that many of the fruits and veggies seem to taste far better, maybe because they are grown locally so they arrived in my hands fresh, ripe and usually quite unbruised! The variety is amazing as well, depending on where in Mexico you go, you may get to try fruit you haven’t even seen before. Another wonderful thing is that fresh fruit is sold almost everywhere here, even chopped up and served from street stands as a refreshing snack.

Nuts are also very easy to find in most markets and even corner stores… so you will have a yummy way to get your protein (something omnivores seem perpetually concerned that vegans must be missing).

For all of us soy milk junkies, there’s soy milk in not only the usual flavors I got used to in Canada (regular, chocolate etc.) but also some mixed with fruit juice which is incredibly delicious! I’ve seen apple, orange, soursop, peach and a few others. Yummy, creamy, fruity goodness!

Helpful Phrases for Vegetarians & Vegans in Mexico

Here’s a few hand words to know for the vegan travelling Mexico to know so they can be able to avoid animal products. This list is far from complete but it is helpful to be able to go to a store and put together ingredients for a veggie friendly meal.

Meat (Carne):

• puerco or carne de cerdo – Pork
• pollo – chicken
• aves de corral – poultry
• pavo – turkey
• pescado or pez – fish
• mariscos – seafood

Animal Products (Productos Animales):

• huevos – eggs
• leche – milk
• lácteos – dairy
• queso – cheese
• mantequilla – butter
• crema – cream
• yogur – yoghurt
• manteca (de cerdo) – lard
• caldo de pollo – chicken broth
• miel – honey
• mayonesa – mayonnaise
• gelatina – gelatin

Other Useful Phrases for Vegetarians and Vegans in Mexico

• I am vegan – Yo soy vegana (female) / Yo soy vegano (if you’re male)
• I am vegetarian – Yo soy vegetariano/a
• I don’t eat meat. – Yo no como carne.
• I do not eat meat, pork or chicken. – Yo no como carne, cerdo/puerco, ni pollo.
• I (do) (do not) eat eggs, milk/milk products or cheese. – Yo (como) (no como) huevos, leche/lácteos, o queso.
• I don’t eat fish. – No como pescado.
• I only eat vegetable and fruit. (for the times it’s just far easier to simplify) – Solo como vegetales y fruta.
• Are there some vegetarian restaurants in the city? – Hay algunos restaurantes vegetarianos en la ciudad?
• How is the rice prepared; with chicken broth, or only with water? – Como se prepara el arroz; con caldo de pollo, o solamente con agua? (Agua (water) is the answer you’re looking for)
• leche de soja – Soy milk

Handy Vegetarian Links:

• Happy Cow’s List of Vegetarian Restaurants
• Vegetarian/Veg-Friendly Restaurants and Food Stores in Mexico
• Spanish Terms and Items Commonly Used in Cooking

Do you have any other tips, resources or phrases that would make travelling as a vegan or vegetarian a smoother experience? Any tips on food to try? Know any easy recipes to make in the hostel kitchen? Share your wisdom in the comments.

I arrived safe and very happy in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México this week! The first few days in Guadalajara I spent recuperating from the final push of getting rid of the stuff from my old life in Toronto. I basically hung around the hostel (which I lucked out on and found an amazing place!) and spent lazy afternoons wandering nearby areas soaking in the view and learning a bit of Spanish.

One of things I needed to do since well before I left was find a pair of comfortable, summer, walking sandals. This quest for the perfect wearable footwear began in Toronto, if you’ve ever tried to find summer shoes in Canada in the winter you’ll know that it was a fairly futile task. There were lots of strappy high heals that at any other time I’d love, but were not quite right for backpacking around Mexico and into Central and possibly South America.

No problem, I though, once I arrive in warm, sunny Mexico I’ll surely find appropriate footwear.. Hmm, not so easy. Why? Well to start I didn’t speak a word of Spanish when I arrived and the sizings here are different than in Canada, so I couldn’t just point and write down a number to say what size and style I wanted. No problem, I’d just learn to speak numbers in Spanish. Not such an easy task but a very helpful hostel host and another backpacker helped me through.

With this new found knowledge I set out to find the shoes that will carry me through this new life. I eventually had success with help from a very friendly shoe sales girl and I can happily say that I’ve found my footing to start my new nomading life.

Sometimes it’s the little victories in life that make all the difference in the world. :)