It's hard to believe I've been on the road for nearly a month now. Somehow it feels like it's been much longer, and much shorter at the same time. The last month has been all about developing a "new normal." Without going into too much detail, I'll give an example. As I write this, I'm stranded in Costa Rica with a very, very broken motorcycle, unsure if the bike's engine is going to be salvageable at all, and in desperate need of replacement parts that can't be found anywhere Central America. So here I sit. And wait.

But a big part of the "new normal" is learning that time, along with most things, are not under my control. I live in time's world, and must bend to it, never it to me. So even as the first few weeks demanded a speed and focus that I wasn't sure I was capable of, I now find myself with nothing but time. So here I sit, watching "Man on Fire" (probably a terrible thing to watch while traveling anywhere in Latin America) trying to capture my experiences and reflections from the first before I forget them forever. So here I go.

Leaving Monterrey was an incredibly sobering experience for me- It felt as if the full weight of what I was attempting settled in as I let out the clutch and eased on the gas. There's something that happens when honest fear and sincere excitement mix that's...indescribable. Seconds after waving goodbye to new friends, I rolled on the throttle and let out the clutch- unsure of where I was going or what the day would hold.

When you're in a situation like that- when you're so completely aware of the world around simply because it's all so new and uncomfortable, life is full of little adventures- tiny successes and failures that come your way. Even getting gas, or finding an ATM, or asking for directions (something I literally do about 20 times a day) feels foreign and challenging. It's an exhausting way to go through your day- but only because you're so aware of all of the unknowns that lay before you.

(Here's a video from my trusty helmet-cam as I pull out of my friends house.)


After filling my fuel tank at the corner PEMEX station (the only kind of gas stations in Mexico as they are all owned by the government) I hit the open road. Eager to get underway I didn't bother stopping for breakfast-or Lunch. I reached Tampico (my goal for the entire day) at around 1 in the afternoon. Little did I know this would be the ONLY time during the entire trip where I arrived anywhere early.

After a brief break to look at my maps and get a quick bite to eat at Pollo Loco (yeah the Crazy Chicken), I set out again-this time for Tuxpan, a smaller coastal city. Rather than spending time talking about the ride, which was wonderful other than being lost in Tampico, I'll focus on what I found when I reached Tuxpan.

Tuxpan sits right at an inlet on the gulf of Mexico. It's a beautiful, older little town, and I arrived just as the sun was setting- A beautiful sight as I drove along the water. Excited about my first day on the road, I splurged for a nice hotel, quickly unpacked, showered, and headed out to check out the town.

Tuxpan was really a beautiful little town, centered around an old Cathedral, with narrow bustling streets full of shops with names I won't bother trying to pronounce. Well after dark now, I wandered around aimless and content. Stumbling on a small town square a few blocks from my hotel I sat and watched as people filled the small square. Some bargained with the street vendors for small trinkets, some ate or drank coffee at the little outdoor cafe, others played with their children or just talked.


I could not have felt more like an outsider, and I couldn't have been more okay with it. There was no one to talk to, but at this point I don't think I would have had much to say even if there had been. There's a certain kind of humility that comes with traveling- the realization of how differently the rest of the world walks through their day- and of how small a piece of the puzzle my own experience is. It makes you both hungry to see and experience more- as well as thankful for what and where you come from.

Well that's it for now. I have a lot more to catch up on, but it's 1:26 am...And I have some traveling to do tomorrow... More to come!