Just over three months ago, I took a one-way flight to Colombia.  Tired of merger agreements and trademark licenses, I wanted to feed my soul with foreign experiences.  Seven countries later, I’m back in the United States.  While I head back down south in a couple weeks, I thought a recap of the original Columbia to Colombia pilgrimage sounded appropriate.

Colombia

Colombia was home base.  I took Spanish classes at a local university in order to speak at more than a third-grade level.  My professors, Vanessa and Diana, were wonderful.  We went on field trips every week to visit museums, parks, and cathedrals (Back to School). 

My third day in Colombia, I went to a graduation party in Manizales for a girl named Eliana.  One of the three attendees at the ceremony, I was conveniently seated right between her (divorced) parents.  I have never felt so bad at Spanish.  Luckily, the night went smoothly and I ended up meeting many family and friends, gradually making less of a fool of myself as the night went on (or so I tell myself) (Graduation Party).

Colombia also served as the place in which I attended my first salsa classes (Salsa Police), a Hare Krishna ceremony (Michael Goes to Church), and the beautiful Valle de Cocora (Valle de Cocora).  I love Colombia and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Ecuador

While I had many adventures in Ecuador (including climbing Cotopaxi, a large volcano—My Trip to Mars), one seemingly uneventful afternoon stands out.  I had met two girls from the Netherlands, one of whom needed to do some laundry.  We walked to the laundromat only to find the establishment closed.  We then asked a woman selling goods in a small shop if she knew where we could find a laundry service.  For the next ten minutes, this wonderful woman dropped everything to help us.  She showed us where not to go (too dangerous) and informed us where certain shops might be open.  She also offered to call the laundry service to ask if the owner could come back to do a special load of laundry.  The lengths to which she went out of her way to help three random tourists was inspiring.  This attitude of service and community permeated my entire experience in South America.

Peru

Five thousand meters above sea level, I climbed over Salkantay Pass on my way to the historic city of the Incas (My Trek to Machu Picchu). 

Five days and many kilometers later, I had the privilege of being the first tourist let into Machu Picchu for the day. 

When the Spanish came to the “New World” (or, to the native peoples, “home”), they ritually leveled the indigenous religious monuments and replaced them with Catholic cathedrals.  This symbolic destruction accompanied the massacre of the people themselves.  Luckily for us, the Spanish never found Machu Picchu.  As so many cultures are currently engaged in the destruction of others, I think it is instructive to learn from the genocide of the Incas.  When society looks back 500 years from now, much of the murder and intolerance committed by humans in 2019 will be judged abhorrent.  Let’s give thanks for our diversity and celebrate our differences—life would be boring if we were all the same.

Bolivia

After taking too many night buses, I had the pleasure of visiting Bolivia—the country least like the United States in my opinion (also the poorest).  I took an extraordinary walking tour which included explanations of the underground human skull market and the ritualistic burying of llamas (and, apparently, sometimes humans) (Lit Llamas and Stolen Skulls).

I also had the pleasure of visiting the salt flats (Salt Flats ).  Countless square miles of salty deserts, volcanic features, and geysers.  Back at 5,000 meters with no heat, I put on all my clothes (including gloves) before climbing into my sleeping bag and burying myself with layers of blankets.  I was still cold.

Paraguay

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my stay in Paraguay was much shorter than expected.  Perhaps the best part of Paraguay was getting a call from my good friend Curtis Baxter, which culminated in our decision to start a business together.  Goodbye lawyering.  Our first business conference will take place in Seattle on June 25^th.  Time to take over the world. 

An unfortunate side effect of my time in Paraguay was that I stupidly retained 500,000 Guaranies (about $80USD).  Countless failed efforts at converting them into other currencies finally ceased during my second attempt in the Miami airport, in which I at last persuaded the currency exchange to relieve me of those five dastardly bills).

Brazil

Oh Brazil, how you won my heart.  After flying solo for two months, I reunited with my good friend Brett in Iguazu.  We saw the massive Iguazu Falls from both Brazil (link) and Argentina (ink).  We even got an aerial view from a helicopter.  I felt the magic wash over me as I was confronted with gallons of water cascading through rainbows with birds circling overhead.  Truly an incredible place.

My feet will always want to walk back to the perfect sand in Rio (evidently pronounced “Hio”—I didn’t learn this until later).  From playing cards in Portuguese while drinking on the beach to unsuccessfully finding Christ (Christ the Redeemer), I fell in love with the picturesque landscapes and friendly Cariocas.

Next was the massive metropolis of Sao Paulo.  We visited botanical gardens (Jardim Botanico), alleys of street art (Batman Alley), and glorious parks (Ibirapuera).  With 13 million people, the city dwarfs any metropolis in the United States.  I met some amazing people and have made the executive decision to return in August.  Time to learn some Portuguese.

Guatemala

Back in a country where I could actually speak the language, I went on a walk my first day in Guatemala.  I stumbled upon a protest in front of a city hall (Antigua).  Children had no access to clean water.  It really put each of our problems in perspective.  Certainly, I don’t wish to minimize anyone’s personal strife—everyone has their issues.  That being said, we should really strive to provide basic human necessities to each member of our human family.

My first best friend’s name is Alix.  We met when I was three.  After over a decade without seeing one another, it just so happens that we reunited in Antigua (the city in which she lives).  Small world!

Deciding I had one more trek in us, Brett and I hiked to the top of Volcan Acatenango to see the fiery eruptions of the ever-active Fuego (Acatenango). 

At 4am the next morning, we climbed higher still to watch the sunrise (Hiking to Heaven).  Mystically above the clouds, I’ve never seen anything so divine.  It was the best place I’ve ever been.  No question.

We then made our way to the pristine Lake Atitlan and participated in a four-day yoga and meditation retreat (The Yoga Forest), complete with cacao ceremonies and electrical storms that shook the horizon (Electric Cacao).

Finally, we met up with good friends Whitney and Danielle to mark the end of the trip.  We spent a few days on the banks of Lake Atitlan to mark the end of the journey (Lake Atitlan).

Conclusion

These three months away from the United States surpassed my expectations in every way imaginable.  I felt the stress, expectations, and paradigms melt away as the ethos of Latin America seeped into my existence.  So much of our lives are informed by an innate expectation of individualism in the United States.  We are raised to compete, discriminate, and win.  The community takes a back seat to the individual.  We put each other into boxes of religion, race, sexual orientation, career, and anything else we can come up with.  We segregate ourselves into groups of “us” and “them.” 

Part of the reason I chose Latin America is because I suspected that their sense of community is stronger.  I was not disappointed.  My travels taught me that, while we are all unique in some ways, we are also all the same.  We all have hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals, triumphs, setbacks, pain, and loss.  Each of us is human.  While the specifics of our paths may appear distinct, the underlying currents of our paths are the same.  We all want safety, acceptance, and love.  When I spoke to locals in each of the places I visited, I saw a reflection of myself.  In a time when the ethos of the world seems to increasingly favor setting the individual apart and demonizing the opposition, I implore each member of the human race to focus on similarities, not differences.  We’re all in this together.  By pulling each other up instead of pushing our “competition” down, we raise the well-being of our entire consciousness—we are all connected. 

I’ll be returning to Colombia in two weeks to continue my journey.  While someday I may move back to the United States, my quest to attain higher understanding and to facilitate trust and communication between cultures has just begun.  The people across the globe are our neighbors.  Treat them with kindness.  Lend them your hand.  See yourself in their eyes.