“A wise traveller never despises his own country.”
Carlo Goldini.
Since I can remember, I've always wanted to travel and see the whole world. I faithfully watched every NatGeo's adventure documentary and serie that I could, and dreamed about waking up in some extraordinary place with beautiful landscapes. I could see myself immersed in other cultures, speaking different languages and learning about life in distant lands, sharing interesting stories, trying new foods and discovering new horizons. I dreamed about all of this almost daily, I dreamed a lot...
That mountain can be seen from my grandparents' house. When I was a little kid I remember spending hours in front of the window wondering about the scenaries behind it, imagining the adventures it hid. With my eyes lost in that horizon, I recreated in my mind the stories of my favorite books and movies; from the stories of Jules Verne and Jack London to the fantastic worlds of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
The adventure always found me even in my imagination.
On several occasions during my teens, I was determined to leave everything and go backpacking all over Latin America, I just couldn't wait to get to see the world and had to start as soon as possible. I went out in search for adventure, but I had no idea, or any plan to follow, so I never got very far and as soon as I ran out of money and the impulse of excitement desist; the complexity of the journey overwhelmed me, and I returned home asking to myself the same questions, while idealizing the trip: "What should I do to be able to travel continuously? How do I begin?"
I was lost in my own expectations of what it meant to be an explorer and travel the world, that I didn't notice the paradise to explore that was right in front of me. Looking for landscapes in distant borders, I had been ignoring the abundance of natural experiences and beauty offered by my state and my own country.
Uribante Municipality's mountains. El Rincon Village, Táchira State. VE.
Once I became aware of this, I took Goldoni's words very seriously: A wise traveller never despises his own country -much less his own state-
I could not lose the opportunity, it was time to make a plan; All this time I'd been surrounded by the journey I'd always dreamed of, I just had to decide to start doing it. I also realized that I underestimated my capacity to undertake trips; I had already started traveling years ago, not how I'd idealized it, but how It was within reach of the moment. When I understood this, I discover the possibilities that I had not seen before and I began to travel more often and with much more encouragement.
Chorro del Indio National Park, Táchira State. VE.
Since then, I stopped thinking about "the ideal adventures" and focus on the trips and places that my state and country offer. Traveling has become a way to find myself and discover who I am, what I want and can do. It is in these trips that I find peace, and the spirit and energy to continue believing in making things better. I will never stop traveling, even if I will only do it through my imagination.
Going out to explore what surrounds us is start an adventure, you just have to make the decision. I hope you guys start yours too.
