Sunday, October 2, 2011

National park el cajas near Cuenca, Ecuador

Has many lakes and clearly marked trails. The weather can change in a second.

Bus ride to cajas national park was short but difficult because there was not a fixed bus terminal. I asked several people with different answers yet waited 30 minutes in double. The bus finally came but full and the driver did not allow me to stand for just one hour ride. While I was waiting for another bus, a food vender striked a conversation with me in English. He came back from a visit to new york 6 months ago. Like many other foreigners with their broken American dream, he came back. He did not tell me why he did not get to stay in the US. During my bus rides, I saw a few American movies and young people learning English. I had never dreamed to be in the US or even work in the US, yet the fate led me to the US. I learned English because the schools required it and many new tech books and papers were only in English. Many years passed since I arrived in the US in 1994. I am not sure where the fate will lead me to after south America. For me, a home is not a house but a sense of belonging with people and events associated with the location. It is the family and friends, who shared their time and dreams with me, make me feel like home. It is the familiarity of people, locations, food, and events, make me relaxed and comfort me.

During my trip, i am getting used to plan for my activities of the next day. This new routine builds up a sense of familiarity as well. The worst can happen is to dose at a bus terminal overnight which I can handle after one month in south America. Do I miss my bed in Virginia? Sure, but I can not have everything at the same time. I need to travel while I am still young and healthy.

Each of us is a traveler for one's life journey with different expectation for oneself and others. People in developing countries have very low expectation for their governments and almost no sense of entitlement to social welfare, health care, etc. Nevertheless, they appear to be more contented and happy with what they have, rather than focusing on what they do not have. I am adopting this attitude for my trip and life.

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