Tuesday, July 3, 2007 (flight from Houston, TX, to Hartford, CT)
Another month (or so) of travel and my 2nd big (and international) backpacking trip. I wonder if I'd be able to last longer staying in the U.S.

So much has happened on this trip. I've experienced much that I expected and much I didn't, much I was prepared for and some I wasn't, but with all of it I managed to muddle through somehow. (Isn't that always the case?)

In the bodily sense I've been sick twice this month. How I managed such a high rate I don't know, but with any luck it means I'm done for the year. First was a stomach issue, brought on by food poisoning, causing vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. Then, right on a week later, a night in a cold room led to a sinus infection that clobbered me for a few days and still seems to have lingering effects. Between all of this and splitting most meals with C, my stomach has shrunk considerably, leaving my appetite diminished as well as my ability to eat. Overall, though, I think this is good and want to maintain this, as I think it will help in the weight loss area. But it is a radical shift in thinking and being for me (I've never regularly eaten so little!) and will take time and effort to mentally adjust to match the physical.

In terms of dealing with other people, many things have happened. We were had and threatened by a local on Little Corn Island who promised to show us the shittyest-assed lighthouse, then demanded money while waving his machete around. That was a valuable (and expensive) lesson. More mundanely, we've been accosted by countless taxi drivers and money changers, all wanting a little slice of the business they think we can offer (often we couldn't or wouldn't). We've been mistaken for (or – more infuriatingly – assumed to be) a couple more often than we could keep track, and that's just the times it was brought to our attention. Did I mention that Cristine's plane tickets out of and through Nicaragua were made out to Mrs. Cristine Trivette? And, of course, I myself have had to deal with plenty of language barriers, usually, though, with just enough ability to get by (and it did improve with time).

I've, of course, gone way, way over budget and even had the brilliance to lose my shoes in Belize, just before leaving. I very nearly left the presents for mom and dad (a hammock and scented trivet).

Some thoughts on money. Along with all the basic stuff that I'm good about budgeting for (lodging, transportation, food, admission and entrance fees), I also need to start budgeting more spending money that's just for shopping or whatever I feel like. And more than that, the old adage, "Take half of what you think you'll need and twice as much money" is really true. I need to get my estimate and then increase that amount by at least 50%, maybe even double it. Then I don't think I'd have the constant worries about money that came up throughout this trip (and are reflected in the journal excerpts I've posted).

Then there's the bouts of homesickness (mostly near the end), but these were more than balanced by the sense of adventure, especially on bus trips (at the exchanges!) and at border crossings. I cross four borders by land, driving across the Costa Rica-Nicaragua, walking across the El Salvador-Honduras (and later the Guatemala Belize), and just kind of stopping in the Honduras-Guatemala.

Of course, I think the pinnacle campfire story remains capsizing a canoe on the Laguna de Apoya outside Granada.

In terms of the positives, many experiences also abound. I met dozens of nice, interesting people, both locals and internationals. I met other travelers from all over Europe, across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia. I met people traveling a month, like us, to as much as 4-5 months. I met people at language schools and others that landed somewhere and just stayed to work.

I've seen beautiful, lush forests, swam or boated in grand lakes, beaches, and oceans, climbed the ruins of ancient buildings, and soaked up the splendor and wonder of old Spanish colonial towns, declined from their former glory, but still holding a sense of charm. I've been through more airports than I expected and changed buses in an array of towns and cities. I've bargained and haggled, experienced religious services and rituals of a variety of sorts, and had more bottled water than I thought possible (and recycled so little of it, unfortunately).

I don't know where I want to go next, but I do want to continue traveling, as I have time and money (and next time, more money). Also, though, right now I just want to rest. I think the time away has been rejuvenating, but I also need a break even from this. It's an interesting both/and paradox.

Travel really is an adventure. And so is coming home.

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