Touching Base, What I’ve Been Up To and Where I’m Going!

Well here I am about to take off on yet another Alexa-style adventure! This usually means of course a trip chocked full of new faces, unique places, strange food samplings and linguistic faux pas. For all those who have asked me what I’m up to I thought I’d give you a quick recap of my holidays and a summary of my plans (or lack thereof) for South America.

After wrapping up my stint in Key West I waved goodbye to this eccentric little island of drag queens and bicycles with cup holders and set out on an Oregon bound ‘cycling assisted’ adventure. I brought my trusty roadbike with me, using it for transportation within cities and dismantling and toting him along as baggage on other modes of transportation. I used this method to take my bike on buses, trains, subways, ferries and passenger vehicles. An article on the details of this coming soon!

My Pannier Backpack System (Backpack Readjustable to Fit on Rear Bike Rack)

On my trip home to Oregon I visited and explored: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Grand Bahama, Asheville, DC, Oklahoma and Denver. Under the dillusion that our American coast to coast Greyhound Bus system couldn’t be much worse than buses I have taken abroad I used it as my primary mode of transport. Let’s just say that the ol’ Silver Dog, while sociologically fascinating, does not give me warm fuzzies upon reflection. The odd hours, neglected passengers and dilapitated stations wore on my psychie and added to my other new term: bus lag. It is to jet lag what decapitation is to a sprained ankle. In junior high terms: it sucked.

Thankfully the Bahamas Were Incredible!

On a happier note my overall trip was great. I met new friends and reminisced with old in Florida. Celebrated The 4th of July in The Bahamas (Fun fact: did you know The Bahamas is one of only two nations to officially have “the” in its name? The other is The Gambia. If you win it all on Jeopardy because of this I hope you’ll remember the little people who gave you your Slumdog Millionaire moment). Earned my EMTBasic in North Carolina. Explored our capital and the surrounding area. Spent time with family in Oklahoma and Houston. Hung out with one of my awesome sistas in Denver and was blessed to spend a lot of quality friend and family time in Oregon.

I’m a Nationally Registered EMT Now!

So now, still feeling the after effects of over eating on Thanksgiving I’m about to embark upon a journey on an entirely new continent: South America. It’s also an opportunity to experience travel in its purest form: with absolutely no itinerary. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to travel in this matter and I plan to relish every moment.

Colombia is an interesting country from which to launch my trip. It is a crossroads; the common link between Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama. All of which are fascinating countries that beg further exploration. Part of me would like to travel South along the coast and finaggle my way to The Galapagos before human activity reduces its rich biodiversity. Part of me is enticed to travel East and visit some Caribbean highlights. Still another part of me would love to travel North toward Belize to see what Central America has to offer. Wherever I go I will do so with the spirit of an inquisitive explorer and citizen of the world.