So, It's Been 10 Years huh?

Ten years on the road you say, huh? I can't believe I made it this far...

I didn't write every year about this, but this is what I've written on this magnificent occasion...:

2010: Reflextions After Being One Year On The Road

2011: Lots Of Firsts After Two Years

2012: Just Like That

2013: New Life = New Haircut

2015: Back Home?

And without further ado, my thoughts for, wait for it: 10 year anniversary! yay!

First off,  I was supposed to write this on the actual date of the anniversary and not a week later... fuck me right?

I have been through a lot of shit in all these ten years. I've met people. I've un-met people... can I even say that? It's like one day they are very important to you and you think you cannot live without them, and then bam! they're strangers to you. They act like they don't know you. Oh well, it's their miss, not mine.

Even tho I tried to follow my late father's advice to be happy, I've had my moments. I'm not at my greatest right now due to many factors. I mean, I'm happy to be where I am at the moment and I wouldn't change if for anything but still. Don't know how to explain it. I know I'm not the only feeling what I'm feeling. I know so many people right now that. 

I've seen so many places. Places I never thought I'd see some day... shit, I've written this before. I don't know what else to write that I haven't written yet...

Hmmm. okay, last time I wrote I was back home. I ended up staying for about 5 months. It was shit! Thanks to someone it was not a complete shit stay. I will always be grateful for that. Labai ačiu...

Sometimes it gets me a while to get onto the swing of things when I move a new place. That was the case when I moved to E(riceira). That year (2016) was a fucking telenovela. A telenovela that I hope I won't ever, ever, EVER had to watch again.

It was my second time living on the PT. Had a hard time adjusting but ended up loving E. Finally managed to move back and work for the enemy for a few months. It was fun tho. Being back in E, I mean... lol

Sometimes I wish I could go back to my 2014 self. I didn't care about anyone or anything. Dunno, someone told that he likes my present self more. Not so sure. I'm a softy now and I don't want to get fucked over. Which I have, by the way.

When I was in Nicaragua a few years ago, I almost fuck all and go back home. I'm actually glad I didn't. I'm here, otherwise I think it would've taken me a few months to get back, best case scenario.

I'm confirming that I write less bullshit when I'm drinking. I have this shitty beer by my side. 50 cents for a beer, it's a good deal, I think? Should've bought four, instead of two. Or not, I have to work later.

Portugal became my second (or first?) home. I have lived in there basically since 2015, until now. I live in Sevilla now. I like it here. It's not as cold as other places I have been. The rain sucks tho. I don't like rain. I mean, I don't care about it if I'm home, watching a movie or writing this with a beer in hand. But if I have to be outside or go somewhere, then it sucks!

When I was in E, this past summer, we broke the "corporate" record of the most sales at the bar. Guess who was barteding that evening? That makes me remember the last week (or day?) I was working at the bar in Jungle Hell, I sold the most booze of all bartenders. And people liked the music I played. I like my taste in music. Now it's very diverse. A few years ago it was mostly heavy metal, I mean, still is but now I listen to a lot of other genres. I could listen to Britney Spear's Toxic and the next song could be The Number of the Beast. I like to listen to music on shuffle.

Don't know what else to write, I want another beer and my back is killing me. Had to clean up a garage and had to carry a lot of heavy shit. Now I'm fixing bikes. Should practice some French but I start working soon again. I have double shift tonight and again tomorrow. But I'm Sunday and Monday off.

One last thing, life is indeed like a bad haircut...

What have I been up to...

This first part, had been saved as a draft since March. I even forgot that I had it until I wanted to write something else that has been as draft since August! shite. I am the master procrastinator. So, this post will be divided in two halves.

The First Half

A lot has happen since the last time I wrote. I left Sagres and went to Galicia for a week or so before taking the flight to Guatemala City. Lots of up and downs, literally and figuratively. Already had my mind set on Central America. I had tickets booked since the beginning of the year, for a reason: nothing could deterred me from going. 

Once, I saw a meme that said something like this: "when you're away and your friends tell you that they miss you but once you get home, they can't even call you or drive 20 min to go see you"... or something like that. Well, in my "friend's" defense, they never told me that, so why waste 20 min of driving to see someone that "was meant to take another path". The only person I met is a guy I grew up with and it was a pure coincidence, which made things nicer.

Last time I was in Guatemala, I had to work. I had never taken proper holiday, I was finishing a job and almost immediately started another one. The last time I actually didn't work during summer was back in 2010, when I spent the entire summer hitchhiking all over Europe:  From Beligum to Sweden to the Netherlands to Portugal to Germany to Czech. After that, my only holidays were when I was hitchhiking from place to place in order to start a new job. This time in Guatemala, no job and all play! First proper holiday in 7 years! I mean, holidays from my big holidays.

I spent about 5 weeks in Guatemala. I like to travel with no plan but the idea was to stay in Latin America until March and April. I would come back to Europe in March and my travel companion would go to Brazil in April and then come back.

This time around, it was super hard to leave. It took me a good 15 minutes to let go of mum. She said something that terrified me "I don't know if I ever will see you again". The exact same words my dad told me before starting this journey, almost 9 years ago. His words became true 6 months later...

One thing I never experienced to the extent of this one time, was that people tried to get advantage of me, just because I looked foreigner and had a backpack. Always trying to rip me off. After the first attempt, they didn't know I spoke Spanish, I always asked locals about prices so that way they couldn't rip me off. This one time, this woman actually got pissed off because she couldn't over charge me!

From Honduras came Nicaragua, which was nice. I love that country: it's cheap as fuck, the people are very nice and hospitable and is very beautiful. Like I said before, it was up and downs. Nicaragua was not the exception, I almost send everything to fuck all. When I entered Nica, I didn't get a stamp in my passport, which I thought it was weird. I asked if I will have any problems when leaving and the guy said no.

Spent some days in some isolated village not far from San Juan del Sur and the Costa Rican border, camping in someone's front porch. Leaving Nica was a different story... Was stopped by a group of soldiers that told me that I was illegally in the country. Of course, I didn't have a stamp. They made me empty my backpack, took pics of my passport, my shit, of me! They were only taking the piss! They let me go after an hour or two. Had to be in Costa Rica before dark. Was not going to happen and indeed, it didn't happen.

Finally crossed into Costa Rica and made it to San José by the evening. I met with a friend whom I met in Estonia many moons before.  But the time in CR was short, in total less than a week! CR is a very expensive country. I spent, maybe 3 or 4 nights before moving onto Panama. I left my big backpack at my friend's. I booked the ticket back to Europe when I was back in Nica. I was flying out of San José so I didn't see a point of taking all my shit to Panama if I was coming back a few weeks later.

Crossing the border I think I was ripped off a few dollars. You had to pay the exit fee at a pharmacy... a pharmacy? riiiight. At the border, there were other travellers. I was the less hippy looking but guess who was the only person that was asked if he had money? exactly, moi!

Panama was super hot, like Nicaragua. They don't know what cold is.  Nothing new to see in Panama. I had been to all the places. One thing was different this tho. When I was in Bocas, there was this massive celebration commemorating the incorporation of Bocas as a province of Panama. Parades everyday, street food everywhere. It was an amazing and unique experience. It was an explosion of music, colors, and diversity.

I spent almost a week alone in Panama City, not because it was nice but because I was lazy and didn't want to spend more money. I've found a nice hostel to stay, so I stayed. Just waiting to go back to Costa Rica to take the flight back to Europe.

So, I came back to Europe. Spent a few months moving around between Portugal and Spain before setting in Sagres again. I stayed the whole season there: from March until the very end of October.

I left Portugal once again and spent around 8 weeks  in Spain, 6 of those in Granada, before going back to Lisbon.

Had two shitty work experieneces in Lisbon and Faro, before landing a job in Ericeira. The place I was longing to go back...

The Second Half
This draft was written while I was staring at the ocean then suddenly I felt the urge to write it. I was in Baleal, north of Ericeira. Maybe because it was my mother's birthday (19.08). It's been 7 years since the last time I gave her a birthday hug. I miss her, a lot. That day she turned 76.

One of my nephews had the idea to ask the whole family for a video wishing her a happy birthday. I wanted to make one on the beach but with the sound of the ocean and wind it was impossible. Instead, I had to do it in a maket. It was still nice but would've been nicer at the beach.

I would like to go back this Christmas but it's going to be impossible. By the date this draft was originally written, it had been exactly 2 years since the last time I saw her and gave her a hug. I miss my mother.

It's been 7 years since I didnt' have to work for the month if August. 7 fucking years! It was also 7 years ago that I got all my shit stolen and was left only with the clothes I was wearing. But I already wrote about that at the time.

I actually have forgotten how nice is to not work during summer. I think I deserved these holidays. Yeah, I did; after putting up with a lot of shit from guests and sometimes colleagues.

I utterly enjoyed these "forced holidays". While writting this, I had a beautiful view.

Many things have been happening since the last time I wrote, which I don't even remember when it was. One of the most important things is that my mother doesn't live by herself anymore, my brothers take turns. I'm very glad and relieved that my brothers are taking care of her.

Others things, maybe less important but some changes in my personal and professional life had happened as well.

The End
To sum things up: I left Ericeira. Traveled a bit and visit friends in Sagres, Lisbon and Porto. Had to live Portugal because I couldn't afford to pay rent anymore. Been in Sevilla for a month already. Had been to Granada twice. Met you.