Chat Zone for The Big Big Trip Journal!

[cwskas]

I was nearly out of México before I knew it and straight into mystical Guatemala which tempered my sense of loss on leaving México. This is different. I'm heading into familiar country, Ecuador is down the road, then some big roads, a big city and a plane.

Am I confused or just lost trying to keep up?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I assume it would be the opposite direction? That could seem like a whole new route.

No, it would be in the same direction. If it was in the opposite direction it would be a no-brainer. I'd be seeing everything different and at different times of the day.
There's only one border post open, unfortunately so options are limited.

Am I confused or just lost trying to keep up?

Sorry! After so long in Colombia (and looking forward to it for quite a while) I'm feeling a sense of loss as I close in on the border. A lot like when I was leaving México. Hence the talk of México and Guatemala

 

[HobbesOnTour]

It's something only you can decide of course..

If you did want to traverse it again I'm sure you'd have a great deal of support and encouragement from those of us half a world away.

Thanks!

 

[cwskas]

My enthusiasm was at zero. This hadn't sprung up overnight, it had been building for days.

For a start, I'm coming to the end of this trip. I knew that would hit me at some point and now it has. The fact that I'll be finishing in Ecuador and not Patagonia as planned feels like a failure of sorts.

feelings aren't reality. I know that - I just don't feel it. Frustrating!

This trip is nothing like a failure! It wasn't what I had planned but is all the more wonderful for that.
Ecuador I still need to get my head around and I could do with rediscovering my "Touring Head".
And the road to Ipiales? I have alternatives. Not easy alternatives, but they exist. Besides, what kind of a Dumbass on the other side of the world decides that he's seen it all?

I had several long chats with myself along that road. Not a lot changed in terms of my mentality but my destination did. I'd stop in Piendamo for the night. I'd pamper myself, relax and give my head a bit of time to get itself together. I'd still have the figary option in the morning if I felt like it.

Sounds like you have a good grasp of what you are feeling and why. Hopefully, the pampering will be just what you need. And . . .
Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they are just feelings. I think sometimes the types of feelings expressed above are akin to mental and/or emotional exhaustion.

I often retreat to some of my older favorite music which transports me to different places and times and almost always brings back memories that help soothe my runaway mind.

The last days of winter tend to always be hard on me, but that just makes the onset of spring time that much more enjoyable.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Sounds like you have a good grasp of what you are feeling and why. Hopefully, the pampering will be just what you need. And . . .
Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they are just feelings. I think sometimes the types of feelings expressed above are akin to mental and/or emotional exhaustion.

I often retreat to some of my older favorite music which transports me to different places and times and almost always brings back memories that help soothe my runaway mind.

The last days of winter tend to always be hard on me, but that just makes the onset of spring time that much more enjoyable.

Thanks Willie,

Yep! Feelings are just that. They can be as substantial as we let them be. The problem for me has always been to control the darker ones. I'm getting better at it, though.

Of course, you would mention music! After Texas wiped my iPod! I actually found some music on a memory card a little while ago. It was a playlist I had made for someone else. There's a lot of crap on it but there's some good stuff too. YouTube is great too - I have some playlists on there - but internet has been sketchy of late. It will seem silly that on the adventure of my life I find myself looking forward to plugging in my old laptop and hearing all my old friends. My iPod would have helped a lot on those days.

Yes, Spring is just around the corner! (Some people here are amazed at the idea of four different seasons. To them two seasons is perfectly normal - wet and dry). Time for more adventures on your trike!
The last couple of years have been hard on a lot of folk. Hopefully now things can start getting back to normal.

Thanks for commenting

And as proof that things aren't quite so gloomy and dark........

 

[cwskas]

And as proof that things aren't quite so gloomy and dark........

Yes sir! You are now probably on at least 4 new FB posts!

It won't go down as the longest or greatest day on a bike but it was just what the doctor ordered. I left in good form, I enjoyed the day

Very impressive photos today as well. Too bad the butterflies are left to our imagination.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Very impressive photos today as well. Too bad the butterflies are left to our imagination

I included two photos on the Strava log just for you! If you can pick out the butterflies you have better eyes than I

 

[cwskas]

Some trees are just special

Very interesting shot, I really like the composition.

My day started with a bright beaming smile and it ended with one too.

What a great day!

There is nothing, and I mean nothing to make me think "oh, this is a nice place" - except for the people.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hi folks

Well, it happened again. I've lost my phone again and without my tablet I'm locked out of all my accounts. New phone, new location = all kinds of problems.

I know some of you follow HobbesOnTour on Facebook. If you could make a post on my page (wall?) to explain that I'm currently unable to communicate through normal channels that would be great. Google, Hotmail, Facebook, WhatsApp are all locked down.

If you could ask anyone that I have had email contact with to email me on dumbassontour@gmail.com that would help a lot. I need to provide email addresses and subject lines for verification.

If anyone knows someone in Google that would be even better!

There's a lot of short term hassle but the biggest problem if I don't get back in to Google is that I'll lose the last two and a half years of photos.

I got jumped by four guys on a busy road. Not a single car stopped to help. Other than a sore elbow and a broken chain guard we're fine. All they wanted was the phone. (No need to mention that on Facebook)

Many thanks!

 

[cwskas]

Done!

 

[IaninSheffield]

PM'd

 

[CharlesF]

That’s bad news, I’m not on Facebook, but will send an email

 

[chriswoody]

Blimey, that's bad news, I hope you can get back into your accounts without too much hassle and you're not too shook up by it all. I'll send you a PM as well.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thanks, folks.
I appreciate all the sentiments.
At the moment I'm working at two paces - one is very, very slow, having to wait before I can do something, the other is working frantically to do what I can outside of the blocked accounts. Also, trying to do things at European times.

Just to clarify, I need the information from email correspondence prior to losing the phone - email address and subject title - to my blocked account.

Anyone who wants to email me is more than welcome but it won't be helping the "blocked" problem.

As a non techie person the whole thing is really, really interesting - or it will be when I come out the other side. A lot of people lose access to their accounts with no comeback. It seems next nigh to impossible to talk to a human. "Use your home or work WiFi" they say!

It's a real shame that this happened so close to the border (I'm in Ipiales).

As you might guess there'll be no updates for a while - notes and photos are on the phone/cloud and inaccessible. But, there'll be a humdinger of a post when I get around to posting!

In the meantime I'm happy to chat.

Thanks!

 

[netman]

Just to clarify, I need the information from email correspondence prior to losing the phone - email address and subject title - to my blocked account.

Have sent you an email...
Do let me know if there's anything I can do to help from this end...
Al.