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| Dropped off in Lakeland, FL by Joey the German Tourist |
Gainesville, Florida
I've been on this here road for some time now. It was the beginning of January 2011 when I left behind my friends and family in Kentucky to go abroad once more to my adopted home of Chile. There I taught private English classes to help fund my time abroad and even managed to save a bit for further travels in South America, which took me to Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. I had intended to hitchhike my way through Central America and then into the USA; however, my longing to be home with friends and family for the holidays was too much. So I returned to Kentucky.
Now I find myself exploring this vast land that, like every other country, has its pros and cons. Obviously, the cons are always bothersome. The cons of South America helped make my premature return to the USA a bit easier. However, the cons of the USA have now taken their toll on me somewhat. It is certainly an escape what I am about to do. I may be a weak individual for not confronting these cons head on and dealing with them, but I feel I need to get as far away as I can from the downers of life and embrace what is good for me in any given moment. This is the reason why I have decided to make a brief trip back to Latin America--to the land of our Mexican neighbors, people severely misunderstood by people of the USA.
In order to help me understand Mexico a bit better, I got in touch with my local travel agent and had her put together a travel package of things to do and see and eat in and around Cancun. I went to the local Barnes and Noble to have a cup of mocha latte, and then it also occurred to me to buy a traveler's guide book on Mexico. I bought it and skimmed it while having another coffee at Starbuck's. All I have to do now is make reservations on a rental car and in no time I'll be ready to sip some margaritas at my beach-side resort.
No. That is not what I did. And if you thought that seemed like a great idea then shame on you. Resorts are kind of like the devil in the dogma of my hitchhiking religion. Instead of planning well ahead of time and relying on others to determine your recreating, I take a more independent approach and wing it on my own. Things just so happen to pop up and I find a way to get there and do things. How else are you supposed to learn anything?
This time the Festival de Brujos (Festival of Witches) in Catemaco is what popped up. I first heard about Catemaco through a student of mine back in Eastern Kentucky who I helped make transitions into doing schoolwork in the English language. He was from there. Of beautiful waterfalls and a legacy of sorcery in this small town in the state of Veracruz is what he told me. As I wanted to know more about where my student came from, I decided to look it up. After reading more about the town it seemed interesting enough.
Fast-forward three years later to February 2012 and Catemaco reappears into my life again. As I was working on repairing a sunken boat in Key Largo, Florida, the owner of the boat told me of his visit to Catemaco. I began to learn even more about the town. After a bit more internet research on the town I became aware that the Festival de Brujos was inching closer--the first Thursday night/early Friday morning of March. Usually, small towns that are nowhere close to being major tourist destinations for foreigners do not just reoccur in people's lives for no reason. I deemed it an omen. I decided to go.
So now after having rested up at an old buddy's place in Gainesville, Florida, I am ready to set out. No thanks to the unfriendly weather of the Gulf of Mexico region these last few days I am very pressed for time. Nine days are all I have to hitchhike there. But with the right discipline great time can be made even by hitchhiking. It's a wonderful feeling knowing tomorrow I'm going to be on my way to another significant chapter in the story of my life.
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| Intended Route and Sleeping Spots |
