How Do We Spend Our Time?!?!

Somebody recently asked us what we do all day. It´s an honest question and it goes along with the thoughts about what we are doing this for. Some people have asked how our vacation is going. An innocent question I´d say but the answer is not so simple. Willingly being exposed to uncertain circumstances, new places, strange food and many other unique things takes it toll and means that you learn things you never could sitting at a desk or spending a week at a resort. How do you take that all in stride and make the most of it?

Before we left, we spent lots of time saving money to make this possible. I guess we could have spent the money on two cars, more clothes or house renovations ( we look forward to making some of those happen - we´ve had lots of time to dream.) Instead we took time to explore the world and its people. We have been faced with a rising awareness that life back home is simple compared to most. It also becomes more clear the the Canadian philosophy of ultimately valuing the individual at all times comes at a cost, a cost that at times seems dangerously high. Our imaginations and views of life have been challenged and we´ve been made keenly aware that we have so much room to grow.

That being said .... where was I? A typical day.... No day is ever the same. Sometimes we set our alarm and sometimes we don´t. It depends if we have something important to do or a bus we can´t miss. Jay remains an early bird and often spends an hour or two being quiet; listening to the iPod, reading and journalling before I wake up. At that point he is raring to go. Breakfast it is. Lately breakfast has been included with the price of our hotel, which makes it super easy. If it's not, we usually find bakery for fresh rolls or the grocery store for yogurt and granola. The hotel breakfast typically includes a hot drink (hot chocolate is my favourite option), fresh juice (pineapple, orange, blackberry...), an assortment of rolls or toasted bread with home made marmalade and if you are lucky they fry or scramble an egg.

Now comes the more challenging part of our day. What will we do? It depends on the place and what it has to offer. We consult our Lonely Planet guide book for ideas to get us started. Talking to local people is our favourite way of gathering information: a taxi driver, the cashier at a store, the old man resting on a park bench. People are generally friendly and willing to offer advice and recommendations. Some places (especially in Mexico and Ecuador) have tourists information booths. We love to casually wander around a place the first day we arrive. Then we do touristy type things on our own. We rarely use a guide or tour agency. Planning those sorts of details are usually easy enough once you´ve figured out the transportation. That being said, figuring out the local public transportation isn't always that straight forward, especially when you get a few bus drivers in row who tell you they are going where you want to go... even when they are not!

Transportation out here can mean many things. In Quito we resisted taking the taxis because the drivers take advantage of the fact that we were white. Generally instead of using their meters you had to barter with them. We were used to that from Nicaragua but that is not how the system is SUPPOSED to work here, so we often had the feeling of being somewhat cheated each time we got in a cab. Other times transportation might mean waiting an hour at the road side for the right bus to pass by. Or going to the station and arriving just in time to catch the bus that´s leaving, then you've got to grab the handrail of the moving bus and get in quickly or you will be left behind. We´ve spent many hours on buses, our longest trip was an over nighter that took 18 hours. One of the most interesting ways of getting around a new city is just walking around new places and getting the vibe and pulse of a city and the people who live and work there.

Then there´s the logistics of a new place that have to be learned. One of the most important things you want to find out is if / when it is safe to walk around. I recently asked a guy working at a hostal that and he had to hold back a laugh, we´de just come from Quito (not safe) to a rural village ( very safe). We can´t drink water out of the tap because it will make us sick, so we have to buy water. On any given day we consume about 5 litres. You gotta plan ahead for that because being dehydrated at an elevation of 3000m makes us grumpy!! Then there´s choosing resturants and hostels, for both of these types of decisions we may start with recommendations from locals or the guidebook but we ultimately go with our instincts - if it looks like a sketchy place to stay, or a restaurant that'll make us sick we move on to the next one. We have a whole collection of photos of places we´ve stayed to help us remember them. It´s a neat arrangement.

The majority of this is done in Spanish and involves a little bit more thought and energy. If we are really tired our Spanish ability is equivalent to that of a small child, which can mean some pretty silly mistakes and blank, confused looks. Connecting with each other, the locals and people back home is all really important to us. We do that is so many ways. Our latest phone calls home were excellent because we had the first good connection in months. Journalling regularly helps us process what we see and do.

In many ways this seems a vague type of life routine and yet we hope it gives you a glimpse into what we do. Some days are not easy but we are much better at rolling with the punches then when we started 10 months ago. The pleasure of experiencing so many new things with all of our senses continues to amaze and excite us.