A New Beginning: Independence Day 2020

First, a disclaimer. I honestly had no idea that the last post I published was in November 2019 which is over eight months ago now. I switched to writing more long-form posts on Facebook and Instagram versus using my blog. My apologies for not being more consistent; I really do have a lot to say about everything that has happened in the past year and, overall, about my travels in Central and South America.

Me, testing my limits, in a cave (Jumandi) in Ecuador in December 2019.

For now, here's a recap:

After packing up my relatively few possessions to store in a friend's basement, I said goodbye to my husband and friends in Portland, OR and flew to Nashville, TN on August 30, 2018. I spent a couple of weeks visiting with my family and making final preparations for my trip, then I flew to Mexico City on September 11. From there I traveled a total of 489 days visiting 15 countries and 184 cities throughout Central and South America.

Celebrating Independence Day in Mexico City on September 15, 2018.

I carried a 26” wheeled duffel bag that weighed 40 lbs and an 11.5” laptop backpack that weighed 15 lbs. I wore the same clothes over and over, and never bought anything new until the last few months of my trip.

My suitcase and backpack in a dorm in Santa Ana, El Salvador.

I stayed in hostel dorms the majority of the time. That means I slept in a twin bed, often a bunk, in a room with strangers and we all shared one or a few communal bathrooms. The nice thing about traveling this way, besides saving money, is that you meet other travelers from all over the world. I made many new friends who I continue to stay in touch with and hope to see again someday.

Sometimes hostels have house pets like this one in Salta, Argentina.

With only a few exceptions, I traveled alone the entire time. I used almost every imaginable mode of transportation, from airplane to horseback. One of these, a bicycle, resulted in the only injury I sustained during the entire trip: a badly sprained left wrist while I was in Galapagos in September 2019. The injury forced me to change my plans to travel down the Amazon River into Brazil at the end of the year, but it didn’t stop me from continuing to travel in Ecuador and Colombia for a few more months.

This photo was taken about about an hour after the bicycle accident.

Yes, I continued to ride for several more hours even though I knew I had injured my wrist.

Of course, I also got sick. I had a few sinus infections and several bouts of intestinal illness that likely were a result of eating contaminated food. But the only time I ever went to a doctor was when I had the bike accident. As luck would have it, my 364-day travel insurance policy had just expired a few days before the accident. However, in Ecuador, public health care is free, and I was treated for my injuries (including x-rays, two casts, and multiple doctor visits as well as physical therapy) and did not have to pay anything.

Cast and all... I still made the most of my time in Galapagos.

I think it’s really important to mention that I learned to speak Spanish, which made traveling in Latin America a much more rewarding (and overall better) experience. I started building my vocabulary using the Duolingo app every night for 30 minutes for a few months prior to my departure from the U.S. In October 2018, I lived in a friend’s home (alone) in Guatemala for the entire month and studied Spanish, primarily by watching Professor Jason’s YouTube videos, an average of three hours per day. In November 2018, I took 32 hours of one-on-one classes at Copan Spanish School in Honduras. I continued to study on my own and improved rapidly by resolving to only speak Spanish, except when talking to my family in the U.S. or when I met another traveler who did not know the language. Finally, in November 2019, I took another 20 hours of advanced Spanish at Lingua Viva in Cali, Colombia.

My teacher Dunia and I at Copan Spanish School.

I enjoyed all of the countries and places I visited, but I particularly loved the Galapagos for the laid-back lifestyle, sense of community, and, of course, for the abundant nature. Even though I knew it would be almost impossible to live in the islands due to very strict residency laws, I decided to spend more time in Ecuador to find out if it was the best match for me in terms of a place I could see myself living for awhile. Once I had maxed out the number of days I could stay in Ecuador without a visa (180), I returned to the U.S. to start planning for the future.

My friend Adena and I drove down to the Florida Keys and
visited some breweries on one of my first days back in the U.S.

I landed in Miami on January 13, 2020. After visiting with friends there and in Houston for one week, I flew to Portland. I spent a couple of weeks visiting with friends, sorting through my personal belongings to get rid of some excess, and I met with a lawyer.

Fun times with friends in Houston.

As most of you already know, Greg and I formally ended our marriage earlier this year. We had looked for many solutions over the years to find a way to be happy together but, in the end, nothing could change the fact that our lives were going in opposite directions. We split amicably, and our divorce was finalized in April.

Greg, my mom and stepdad joined me for a two-week cruise
from Buenos Aires to Santiago in February 2019.

I flew from Portland to Nashville on February 4 and spent a few weeks visiting my family. However, after a month of being back in the U.S. and, particularly, dealing with the legal process of the divorce, I was a bit stressed and needed a break.

On the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

For me, the easiest escape was to Mexico, where I ended up spending eighteen days traveling from Mexico City to Acapulco to Puerto Escondido and through Oaxaca. Unlike my recent travels, this was pure vacation. I was less worried about sticking to a strict budget and instead focused on enjoying my time to the fullest. In short, it was absolutely fabulous, and I came back replenished and looking forward to getting things done and visiting more friends and family in the U.S.

Tornado damage less than one mile from my grandmother's house.

I landed in Nashville on March 2, a few hours before an EF-3 tornado devastated the city and surrounding areas, coming within ½ mile of my grandmother’s house in Hermitage where I was startled awake by the warning sirens, cell phone alerts, and roaring wind. It was a terrifying and traumatizing event that reminded me how the future is never guaranteed and, therefore, it is so important to make the most of every day.

A family gathering after my mom's surprise 70th birthday party.

In spite of the chaos caused by the tornado and the unsettling news of a deadly virus that had recently made its way to the U.S., my sister and I still followed through with our months-long plan to host a surprise 70th birthday party for our mother on March 7. A few days later, on March 11, my mom and I flew to Canada for her birthday vacation. We had a wonderful time exploring Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City.

My mom and I had a wonderful time in Canada!

We kept a close eye on the news but were still shocked as we watched popular tourist sites close their doors indefinitely and once-busy public places become strangely silent. Not wanting to gamble on the possibility of the border closing, we flew back to the U.S. on March 18. The experience of traveling that day, on planes with only a dozen other passengers and through airports that were essentially empty, reminded us of what it was like immediately after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

The empty immigration hall at Montreal's airport.

Our vacation together was a life-affirming bright spot in what would soon become a previously unimaginable descent into chaos and uncertainty around the world. I had to make a quick decision as to where I would go (or stay) for the indefinite future. While it was tempting to go back to Mexico (most other countries had already closed their borders and imposed strict stay-at-home orders) where I could rent an apartment for a few months relatively cheaply, I ultimately decided to stay with my grandmother so I would be able to help her if and when things shut down in Tennessee.

Celebrating my nephew's 20th birthday in June.

As we all know now, the U.S. as a whole and the majority of states did (and continue to do) a horrible job in their response to the virus. As weeks turned into months with no end in sight, I focused on the future. More specifically, I hired an attorney to help me navigate the visa process for becoming a resident of Ecuador and started gathering all of the necessary documentation for the application.

A rainbow over the complex where my grandmother lives.

There were a lot of ups and downs in the 109 consecutive days I was in Nashville during the pandemic. I stayed busy organizing all of my accounts, reading, writing, studying Spanish, talking to friends on the phone, helping a neighbor whose mother was in hospice, and caring for my grandmother. I am thankful for the quality time I did get to spend with my family and a few friends, even while social distancing and wearing masks. But, of course, I am also sad that I didn’t get to visit my friends along the east coast or to travel anywhere at all as I had originally planned.

One of the few social outings I enjoyed during my final month in the U.S.:
Lunch and a long walk with Heidy and Ivy.

With my birth country falling apart at the seams and countries around the world starting to impose travel restrictions specifically on U.S. citizens, I decided that if I wanted to get back to Ecuador this year, I should probably leave as soon as possible. After a nine-hour layover in Miami where I spent a relaxing day with Adena and Raul, on July 4, 2020 a few minutes before midnight and exactly one year to the day I first visited the city of Guayaquil, I landed in my new home country. Thus for me, going forward, Independence Day will always be a time to celebrate new beginnings.

In the pool at Adena's house in Miami on July 4.