I began traveling solo at 19 and every since then I have been addicted. Since then I've been to various states in the US as well as Egypt , Morocco, Portugal and now living in Mexico. Now before I started doing all this traveling , I binge watched Youtubers and travel shows on the Discovery Channel and CNN . I wanted desperately to be just like those people that I admired, traveling and eating to my hearts content, like Andrew Zimmern and the late Anthony Bourdain. But once I embarked on my own adventures there were some of the things that I experienced that nobody told me about. From the outside looking in traveling may look like 24/7 fun in the sun , taking Instagram worthy pictures of breathtaking views and partying til the dawn with modelesque strangers. But people don't always let you know what goes on behind the meticulously staged and scheduled social media posts. Well I'm going to lift the veil on what goes on behind mine.
The Food- As a US citizen,I have had the luxury of having access to virtually any cuisine I can think of at my finger tips. As self proclaimed connoisseur of international cuisine, particularly Mexican food , I believed that I was well prepared to be surrounded by it for 6 months. Little did I know that I would be on my final month before l had anything that was similar to the Mexican food I had become accustomed to in the States. Sometimes it might taste better in your home country just because you have gotten used to food tasting a certain way. Most days , I stick to my familiar foods like milk and cereal and make myself satisfied.
Another thing that I as an American am used to being a certain way is food grade sanitation and from what I have observed you aren't going to find any food grade sanitation scores anywhere in Mexico so don't bother looking. Mind you that I've eaten cheap street food from little old ladies on the corner as well as high end restaurants and the various eateries in between I have never been as sick as I was on this particular occasion. I got bit by the bug early on in my adventure and thankfully haven't been bitten since. I had diarrhea once or twice , the first of second week but it cleared up on its own. The day after my birthday I don't remember eating much of anything. Crashing on the couch most of the day; hunger drove me to walk in the night to the nearest taco stand for dinner. On my way there, I decided to pop in and say hi to my guys at the Greek restaurant to let them know I made it through my night of celebrating. I walked in, climbed up the spiral staircase and ran into the server who could easily double as Adam Sandler with a Swiss accent. He told me that the others, the head chef and the Italian server, were down the street at a party. So I left to go find them. After walking about a block in a half I saw their silhouettes in the night. I told them I was on my way to get tacos for cheap . The chef insisted that he cook me dinner once again on the house. I don't know what he did different or what I had that was different except this glacier of an ice cube the Adam Sandler doppelganger put in my glass of water but after that night, I couldn't hold my stool . My entire body was riddled in sweat. Lying on the floor of my Airbnb; I knew I would die from this. All day I drank water and went back and forth to the bathroom. I planned to fight my way to the corner store to get me something suitable to eat but I could barely stand. I messaged my friendly neighbor who was able to fulfill my shopping list. This went on for a week until I finally received professional help when I moved into a new Airbnb. The owner just so happened to be a doctor and prescribed me effective medication. To this day we remain good friends. On the other occasions when I needed medical attention I was able to have someone who could translate for me. Moments like these make me realize how alone I am but also that there are people willing and able to help me in my times of despair. People I am convinced are sent by God. Also if you haven't had at least 3 injections in your gluteus maximus, you haven't been in mexico long enough. Its only a matter of time.
The People- You probably think I'm about to tell you some horror stories of the evil people I have run into, and all the maladies I have experienced in travel but that's not the direction I'm going in this time . I will save that for another post. Whenever I travel, I always meet interesting people, whether in the airport, on the airplane, on the train, or living with host families who would ultimately become friends and family for life. The sad truth is that some of these people you encounter , you may never see them again and it truly is heartbreaking. To form a bond with someone even briefly and then to part ways once your flight has landed or your time in the accommodation is up is like a little light bulb inside of you flickers off. I honestly cannot imagine what travel before internet and social media was like but while social media does help, what do you do to stay connected with someone who has no social media , contact information or permanent address?. That is if you even take the chance to exchange information. You're will probably fall in love two or three times along the way. All you have is the hope that you don't forget them and that they don't forget you.
The loneliness- One might say 'well why the heck are you traveling by yourself if you're going to get lonely?' First of all, one can still get lonely even while traveling with others. The loneliness you get when traveling and living abroad comes from feeling isolated due to not speaking the local language or speaking it fluently. Leaving you trapped in your own head. Being a fish out of water or a fish in another body of water where the rules are different and you have to figure them out on your own. Especially traveling solo for extended periods or living abroad. If you are constantly surrounded by people who don't speak the same language and who don't understand what you're going through it can feel very isolating.
I am not telling you these to discourage you . Believe me I want to do the exact opposite. I tell you these things to prepare you. Everyone has a different travel story. This is only mine. Someone may read this and say to themselves, "well I never get lonely" or "I never get sick!". Well that is marvelous to hear. I don't wish for that to happen to anybody. Although If someone told me five years ago what would happen to me while traveling, I still would have gone. The amazing moments outweigh any unfortunate event that you will most likely experience in this life and because of that , I have no regrets.
