There's always a first time

There is always a first time, for everything.

First kiss.
First beer.
First time having sex.
First time traveling.
First time hitchhking.

This is not the place and I won't discuss the first three. I'm going to write about my first time hitchhiking.

For most of the people (if not all) in my circle of friends it's a very known fact that Spain is one of the hardest countries to hitchhike. Ironically, the person that introduced me to hitchhiking is Spanish!

I was very active on CouchSurfing back in 2009. I saw a post in one of the Guatemala forums, it was a Spanish traveler asking a few questions about Guate. I replied. We met and after a few beers I decided to take a couple weeks off from work to travel with him.

We agreed to meet in the cute little village of Monterrico on Guatemala's Pacicif Coast. I took the bus. After a couple of days we left, destination Xela (Quetzaltenango). Not more than 230 Km but it took us the most part of the day. I was amazed of this new way of transportation. I got to Monterrico by bus btw.

Now, having hitchhiked for more than 5 years and gathered experience, I would say that that distance is easly covered anywhere... well, almost anywhere.

It was a hell lot of fun. Riding in the back of pick ups which is one of the things I miss about hitchhiking in Latin America. 

I was a newbie to traveling and specially to hitchhiking, I didn't know how and what to pack. As you can judge for yourselves: the backpack on the right is mine. I traveled two weeks with that huge backpack (now about to close my sixth year of travels, my current back pack is a third smaller than that!)

That was the beginning. I got hooked. I have been hitchhiking ever since.

I hitched new cars. Old cars. Family cars. Sports cars. Lorries. Trucks. Pick ups. Coca Cola trucks. Buses. Minibuses. Horse and cart. Taxis. Ambulances. Boat. Sailboat. Sailship. Motorbikes. Ferries. VW buses (my favourite). Tractor. I still have to hitchhike a donkey.

This last photo was just to show you some of the impressive beauty of my country.

Este post es para vos Jotikas, gracias!

what I have learnt

The other day I read my friend's facebook status, it was something like: "this is what I know by now". After reading that I felt inspired to (attempt to) write a few thoughts and well, this is what I have learnt (or not) so far during my time on the road:

I have learnt through hitchhiking...

that there are still good people in the world. Basically I learnt to trust people. Maybe too much I may add. I've hitchhiked all over Europe, Central America, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador and never, NEVER had a bad experience. Alright, I had a bad one: when my brilliant travel companion managed to get all our shit stolen.
Since I'm a shy person, HHing helped overcome my shyness. Given the situations I get myself into I've become a more resourceful person. 

I have learnt that friendship... 

is when true friends will be there regardless if you talk to or see them often. Last time I was in Guate it was so disappointing that the vast majority of my "friends" couldn't even take 30 min (or even less!) to say "qué putas vos serote?".  Only one took an hour of his time to have a coffee with me. A very few other hung out with me, hosted me, helped me (after being robbed of all my material possessions), to you my friends... a HUGE THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIENDS!
I have closer friendships with people I met only once  or with people that I have recently met than with those I have known for years. 

I have learnt...

how to leave my comfort zone. My first time in Europe I didn't hitchhike, I didn't even know the existence of CS, had no idea of what the fuck rideshare meant. I flew, I took trains and I stayed in hostels. 

That was then. This is now: I don't give a fuck wether if I stay in someone's couch or if I have to squat the small house (?) where the bank machine is. I always, alright not always, but 95% of my transportation within Europe has been done by hitchhiking. One thing is true: never flown inside Europe but I'm not counting connections to get to my final destination (I flew from Paris to Oslo and from Reykjavík to Brussel). I dumpster dive now.
I've become more persistent after being turned down for rides and having so maaaaany bad looks when I ask for a ride. I've learnt to be more tolerant for the same reason. And patient for the same reason.

When it comes to my romantic relationships... eeerr... hmmm
I have learnt... absolutely nothing!!!

I will keep making the same mistakes. Hhmm, they were not mistakes, maybe wrong choices? At the time didn't seem wrong...  So maybe, unlucky? One thing for sure is that I will never learn. I crossed the fucking Atlantic Ocean... twice and both times didn't work out but I'm sure I would do it again. Thank God my survival instinct is very much alive (now) and is preventing me to do dumber things. I still do dumb things. 

No, wait. I did learn something: take a hot shower and finish it with a cold one... but it's much nicer with her beside me.

I have learnt...
to be more patient. I had no other option. Once I was stuck for 12 hours in the same petrol station, although 6 of that half day were spent sleeping. Now I have a more positive attitude. During those 6 hours all I was thinking was that I didn't want to sleep in the bushes again!

I have learnt...
that karma does exist and it sucks!

I have learnt...
to never trust the police. I didn't trust them one bit before but in Colombia they were very nice so we left our shit at the police station in the beach town of Taganga and they kept my laptop and the girl's camera. It was broken but for me had more sentimental value and besides, I was going to fix it once I reached Guatemala.

I have learnt...
to become detached of material things. Not that I'm going to give you something I use but if I can live without it, then it's your! A guest gave me an awesome bicycle and 5 seconds later I had someone in mind to give it to. Never crossed my mind to sell it.

I have learnt...
not to plan. When I started traveling that was my main goal, go with the flow. I tried to stick to it, so far I have been successful except in two occasions, I will try to not have a third one but then again knowing me...

I have learnt...
that people is more important than places. To explain this I will use quote I used before that is actually one of my favorite ones because is so true! is from the movie "The Art of Travel" and it goes like this: "the only thing that matters in life is the people that you love, the hugs, the kisses (...) the actions we don't think about".

I don't know what else I have learnt and the song that I'm listening to right is not letting me think what to write. Well, I guess that these are the main things I have learnt.