An Unexpected and Abrupt End

Had I not read Siddhartha the day before this unraveling I might not have been so composed as I actually remained. What can Siddhartha teach us? Life, all life, is transitory. One day your the richest man on earth, the next you're as poor as the most wretched among us. The past, present and future are all one being, constantly morphing and yet remaining the same. One must be able to transcend circumstances and rise above the ebbing tide of change remaining with complete grace and equanimity.

It all began Monday evening in Vilcabamba when I was overcome with a feeling of lethargy and drowsiness. On our way back to the eco-lodge from town I felt some sickness was ready to overpower my senses and send me to bed trembling with fever. We awoke the next morning too late to make the bus to Peru, but headed to Loja anyway figuring we could possibly make it to the border town of Macara. Some friendly police officers offered us a ride into town and we graciously accepted.

As always, I left Danny in charge of our possessions at the bus terminal while I went to fetch us some tickets. Under quite a spell of sleepiness himself he failed to see a thief snatch one of my bags carrying most of my valuables, including my passport, plane ticket, camera, and some crucial medicines. Outraged by the incident I was flustered as what to do. We scoured the terminal but found no theif! The police officers in Loja were less than helpful and so we ambled across the street to find a hostel where we could sort out this whole mess.

After several frustrating days of travel we are back in Guayaquil awaiting the cessation of the holy week to meet with the American embassy sometime early tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we'll see if I can get a new passport, but there's still the issue of my medicine and plane ticket home from Santiago. After much thought and calculation it may seem in our best interest to just cut our losses and fly back home. Although there is still some part of me that wishes to move on, the medical question and logistics of the whole process beg us to return.

The future of our South American Oddyssey, as I've entitled it, still remains up in the air, but the longer we stay in Guayaquil the more certain I am that this is the end, the sad and tearful end, but the end nonetheless. As much planning that went into this trip I didn't plan on certain irrecoverable losses. My budget was tight and has only grown tighter.

I would like to say that I've learned some important and crucial lesson out of this entire affair, but really it's just bad luck or happenstance that no turn of fate can undue. Tomorrow, after our appointment at the embassy, we'll decide if we will stay and proceed, despite all obstacles, or call it quits and return with what dignity we have left. I don't spite the robber, or Danny for not having been so vigilant, but rather pray that no other bad befalls us before we can move on.

This isn't the end of my traveling days, but rather the beginning. In the future I will carry less and pay more attention to my valuables in crowded situations. To any would be travelers I only offer a simple note of caution: sometimes what you carry on your back is worth more money that what these poor young kids will ever see in a lifetime! If you wish to travel in poverty stricken third world countries, be generous and open, but always with care and insight. Remember that you may be viewed by a thousand different faces in a thousand different shades of light. Some people will love you, while others will despise you. Remain with an open mind and an open heart, but always take care and look after yourself and your stuff with vigilance.

Tomorrow our fate unfolds, whether we continue on our path southward or whether we return back to the States to figure out what comes next. Personally, I think I'm ready to find a job and move on with whatever money I have left. This has thus far been a beuatiful journey, despite the fact that I never got out of Ecaudor and down to Peru. There is always the future, which is in truth not so far from the past or present. Like Siddhartha I've realized that time is merely an illusion and all paths coincide eternally at one every moment that awaits us. Tomorrow will be no different than yesterday as yesterday is not different from today. The one thing I cannot lose is my peace of mind and a certain sense of tranquility that cannot be stolen. I only hope my thief finds peace with his newfound possessions. Maybe they will do him more good than they have done for me.

I'll be sure to keep writing as things progress, but most likely you'll be seeing me before I can update this blog. Thanks to whoever took the care to read these notes and you'll be hearing from me soon.