Not Always Beautiful

From the beautiful setting of Erendira with its beautiful skys and pure air I moved on to the interesting city of Maravatio by way of Ucareao and a rather winding path. All pleasant except for a brush with employees of the wide-spread hydro-electric facilities. Brush was so close that it snapped back one of my outside mirrors.
In Maravatio I took a room in an attractive hotel with an interesting woman manager. Paid only P200, but after a nice meal across the street in was driven out of that nice room within about 3 hours by the repeated, and I believe malicious, slamming of the metal door of the room across from mine. The young woman occupant of that room and I had been laying on my bed trying unsuccessfully to connect my laptop to the hotel wireless. Because we hadn't been introduced and because I found the situation a bit amusing, I said, "Who are you anyway?" I guess my young helper took it badly because shortly began the slamming. My nerves were soon in bad shape.
Left and began a marathon drive of about 35 hours! Drove all of two nights and a good part of two days. Was troubled by an intestinal upset during that time. Still am somewhat troubled by it.

Thoughts While Driving

My calculations did not keep me from enjoying the countryside. Did not stay completely in the `here and now` for my memory was taken back to times of WW II. Seem to be getting ahead of myself a bit. Still let me give you a sample memory.
I was not yet five years old, I find myself sitting with my father at a tiny fire far out on the desert. He is drunk. With us (or we with them) are two indians; they do not speak English. They do not speak much at all. They are thin muscular men as short as my father. They have open white shirts and dark skin. The dark skin shines in the fire light. They look very much alike and could be brothers. They may have drunk some with my father, but I now suspet that they were high on something other than alcohol. Thinking back I now also suspect that they were Yaqui.
They `sang` to the coyotes. Maybe it is better said that they spoke beautifully with the coyotes. I liked it. It seem that they spoke and the coyotes answered. It seemed that the coyotes spoke and they answered. It was an intimate than loud conversation.
I may have felt safer had my father been sober, but still the memory is good.

Looking back I suspect that it was not a good time for my parents. I think my father was having troubling thoughts about being a husband and father. I think he had just hepled my mother to get a late term abortion and that she was begining a depression. I think that the abortion was badly done and left long term phisycal damage as well as lasting psychological damage.

The spell check here is in Spanish. I hope you will forgive my spelling errors.

Thoughts while traveling often differ from the thoughts typical of home.

Travel Decisions?

These travel decisions are not easy.
My '97 Astro Van is still in pretty good shape It's in the garage now being kept in 800 $ good shape. I can sleep in it. I put a futon mattress on the floor. On a driving trip I'll sleep in it about half the time. I imagine that each night in the Van adds 50 + $ to the gas budget. It is also my escape from a noisy motel or hotel.

So, I could start this trip in the Astro. I probably would not drive it to Finland or Turkey.

What I have done is start driving and then sell the vehicle at the shore or airport to be rid of an encumbrance and to finance my onward journey. I've sold two vehicles in Miami and one in Tegucigalpa.

Maybe someone going 'my way' would drive. Loves come and go. My love of driving is going.

I suspect that a lot of the Astro comes from Japan. Maybe I could drive it there. Driving to Japan may nor be a good idea, but going to Japan sounds very good at the moment. Just watched and old movie about American baseball players in Japan. I don't play baseball, but I can see myself at a quiet country inn with easy access to a hot water spa. I see myself eating wit a fork.

I still have not decided in which direction, or to which destination I will turn my first step. I am putting obstacles in my own way. I am a bit farther from transportation centers here, than others are elsewhere. Which thought suggests that I am feeling sorry for myself for the slight added difficulty and expense of beginning a trip from here. My goodness. Weaknesses and fears of age and fixed income are raising their ugly heads.

I have begun to put a few things in a suitcase.