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Wise Guy, Aye?
It’s hard not to feel like a Wiseguy carrying around a roll of hundreds fat enough to choke a horse. Back in the real world this wad of Guatemalan currency totals about $350 U.S.
How We Roll
Sometimes referred to as “chicken buses” because of their occasional use to transport poultry as well as people, these colorfully painted former school buses form the backbone of the public transportation system throughout much of Central America. There are other ways to get around, but traveling the way locals do has many virtues; not least of which is cost.
One thing we’ve come to realize is that people’s sense of “value” is deeply rooted in their ordinary experiences. If a two-hour, one-way, Greyhound bus ride typically costs us $30 U.S. in the states, then we come to think of that as a reasonable price for a two hour bus ride. What should a similar ticket cost in Belize, or Guatemala? It’s hard for foreigners to know. We’ve encountered a small army of people trying to take advantage of that ignorance.
When Mayan Gods are Smiling
We awoke to such dark skies and rain that we considered abandoning our planned trek to the Mayan temple of Xunantunich (Shoo-nahn-too-neech) in the Cayo District of Belize. After procuring some plastic rain ponchos we decided to brave the weather and undertake the bus trip and mile long walk needed to reach the ruins.
The Mayan Gods smiled on our fortitude.
Where Next?
Judging from comments, my readers are a well traveled lot. I’d like to draw on that experience in trying to piece together the next leg of our RVing route. When we return from Central America, we’ll spend a couple weeks in Houston; exploring the city and catching up on all the chores we’ve been neglecting the past two months. After that, we’ll hit Austin, maybe Big Bend, and then, well, we don’t really know.
You can see from the map were we’ve been, and where we haven’t. We’re planning on charting a northerly course up AZ/NM, CO/UT and WY over the spring and summer. I know there is a ton to see in that region of the country but we haven’t researched anything yet, so suggestions are welcome. The biggest challenge I’m seeing is finding interesting stops between Austin and Arizona (we’ve already covered a bunch of good stuff in NM). Maybe I just have to accept the fact that a couple of long driving days are in my future.
Well crowd, what do you think?
The Face of Success
To us, Bill Clinton is what success looks like. Not because he’s a two-time former U.S. President who could have rested on his laurels after leaving office but instead parlayed his fame and energy into a charitable foundation that is doing tremendously good work around the world. His accomplishments certainly meet any conceivable definition of success. But our meaning is a bit more personal.
This past year Shannon has accomplished things that most freelance writers only dream about. She’s progressed to the point where editors have started approaching her with writing assignments, instead of her having to research, pitch and scrounge for every story. Financially, it was her second best year ever, notwithstanding the fact that most of her time is spent gallivanting around the world. But most impressively, she wrote the March-April 2012 cover story for Arrive Magazine (download the PDF version here) and got to interview our 42nd President for two separate publications (she also wrote a short piece on his most recent book for an industry newsletter called Shelf Awareness). It is a career highlight any journalist (and anyone really) would be proud of.
That she accomplished all of this while traveling full-time is a testament to her dedication and her excellent work. It is also a statement about the things you can make happen once you commit yourself to them.
We often get asked how people like us make money on the road. The short answer is through a lot of persistence, creativity, adaptability and good old fashioned hard work. For a longer answer, stay tuned for next week’s post, How to Create a Mobile Business.
Everywhere Once 