10 years ago, i was going on luxury trips around the world with a group of friends. it was the 5 star experience from start to finish. at the same time, i was budget backpacking the world too. two totally different experiences but i learned the most during that time. this was a trip i backpacked Guatemala on a tight budget. staying at $4/night hostels and riding $1 bus rides that seemed like it would never end. meeting cool people along the way from all over the world. that was super fun.
some of the bus rides were 16 hours and the bus driver would speed on some of the most deadliest roads in the world. gravel road with steep cliffs. no room for mistake. i actually closed my eyes and tried to sleep because i thought i was going to die at times.
then we would stop and everybody would get out of the bus and use the toilet right in the bushes. girls too. then a guy would pop out of nowhere and start selling fresh fruit.
and while we were driving in some remote areas, guys would run and jump on the moving bus to get a free ride. when this guy came out of the bushes and jumped on the bumper of our bus, i thought we were getting hijacked. haha.
but in the end, it’s experiences like this that make it all worth it. hiking up 8 hours and camping on the top of an active volcano that was erupting every 20 minutes was the highlight of my life. i never felt so connected to nature, and i never thought in my life that i was going to die every 20 minutes. it was an experience of a lifetime that i will never do again. never!
but if anyone wants to go on that same journey of a lifetime, i’ll tell you how. but just to let you know, hundreds have died on that mountain before. i found that out the next day.
