Sinking In Like The Titanic
This blog entry was originally posted on October 19, 2003.
It is the night before I leave (well, technically, the morning of the day I leave) and I’m more or less all packed. Leave it to me to wait until the last minute. Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator. In fact, I only tried to reserve my hostel for my first night in Quito earlier today, with no reply just yet.
There is a weird feeling I have; part anxiety, part sadness. Funny how on all my previous trips, the feeling of going away never really sunk in until three days into a trip, and here I am on the eve of The Global Trip 2004, feeling almost nauseous over what is about to happen. (Or is it just the exhaustion of partying all weekend long?) For months, I was notoriously nonchalant about everything, and now, it’s all happening so fast. Never before have I embarked on such a grand — and long — trip. But, as I’ve told people before: “If you’re anxious or nervous, that’s why it’s gonna be good.”
I said some final goodbyes to family today — all my aunts and uncles and cousins in the area. We went to a chinese food buffet, where my brother and I played “Iron Chef Buffet” in which we try to outdo each other making our plates of food look all gourmet and fancy.
Afterwards, it was a final farewell to my friends around here, including my friends that flew up from Miami for the weekend. I could definitely feel that it has all begun to sink in their minds, and perhaps it is contagious because I feel it too. It’s almost like I have homesickness already.
Not to worry! From what I heard from a guy I know who is currently doing a similar trip through South America as I am for three months, there will be plenty of downtime in which I’ll veg out in an internet cafe and chat with people back home. So, it’s not so much a goodbye in the virtual world at least.
Post comments as I update the blog everyday with a picture-of-the-day. Drop a hello, inform me of news back home or what’s going on on the latest reality show (Did somebody say “The Next Joe Millionaire?”), send me on missions, etc. And forward the blog to all your friends; I want it to be a “travel the world without leaving your computer” thing and really want to develop a cult following — you know, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, only without Tim Curry in women’s clothes or a time warp. Then again, who knows who or what I may meet along the way?
Special Thanks to Brian, Stephen, Tita Bien, John, Tita Nene, Ria, Michael, Tito Manny, Tita Merci, Tita Lisa, Brittany and Stephanie for their contributions and gifts! Expect some postcards!
Extra Special Thanks to Risa Cantimbuhan for her thoughtful gifts: a homemade beanbag to prop my camera on uneven surfaces and a calling card! Guess that means you’ll get some phone calls as well as postcards!
Next entry: The Ups and Downs of Air Travel
Previous entry: Missing: One Drunken Monkey
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Comments for “Sinking In Like The Titanic”
Farewell and good luck with your travels!
“May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may [the gods] hold you in the palm[s] of [their] hand[s].”Posted by mark on 10/19 at 07:11 PM
Hey Erik,
too bad we never got together in NYC. Have a fabulous time on your trip - i’ll be reading your blog regularly…
Posted by Sarah on 10/20 at 05:11 AM
bon voyage rik!! really wish i couldve been there on friday, but u know.. looks like u guys had a ball though.. be careful, take care.. i’ll be living vicariously through you, so make it good k? haha i’m sure u will..
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/20 at 05:33 AM
are you there yet?!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/20 at 03:57 PM
ok, i know this sounds silly, but i was wondering if you can do me a favor and keep a page of all the countries that you will be at and what can a single u.s. dollar get in each country. just curious on how much a dollar means to people in these countries, while we are constantly pissing away money on stupid things here. i know sally struthers probably told us a billion times, but you can’t trust a person who is eating all the cheezy poofs. thanx.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/21 at 06:19 AM
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This blog post is one of over 500 travel dispatches from the trip blog, "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World (Or Until Money Runs Out, Whichever Comes First)," originally hosted by BootsnAll.com. It chronicled a trip around the world from October 2003 to March 2005, which encompassed travel through thirty-seven countries in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was this blog that "started it all," where Erik evolved and honed his style of travel blogging — it starts to come into focus around the time he arrives in Africa.
Praised and recommended by USA Today, RickSteves.com, and readers of BootsnAll and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, The Global Trip blog was selected by the editors of PC Magazine for the "Top 100 Sites You Didn't Know You Couldn't Live Without" (in the travel category) in 2005.
Next entry:
The Ups and Downs of Air Travel
Previous entry:
Missing: One Drunken Monkey
THE GLOBAL TRIP GLOSSARY
Confused at some of the jargon that's developed with this blog and its readers over the years? Here's what they mean:
BFFN: acronym for "Best Friend For Now"; a friend made on the road, who will share travel experiences for the time being, only to part ways and lose touch withThe Big Trip: the original sixteen month around-the-world trip that started it all, spanning 37 countries in 5 continents over 503 days (October 2003–March 2005)
NIZ: acronym for "No Internet Zone"; a place where there is little to no Internet access, thus preventing dispatches from being posted.
SBR: acronym for "Silent Blog Reader"; a person who has regularly followed The Global Trip blog for years without ever commenting or making his/her presence known to the rest of the reading community. (Breaking this silence by commenting is encouraged.)
Stupid o'clock: any time of the early morning that you have to wake up to catch a train, bus, plane, or tour. Usually any time before 6 a.m. is automatically “stupid o’clock.”
The Trinidad Show: a nickname of The Global Trip blog, used particularly by travelers that have been written about, who are self-aware that they have become "characters" in a long-running story — like characters in the Jim Carrey movie, The Truman Show.
WHMMR: acronym for "Western Hemisphere Monday Morning Rush"; an unofficial deadline to get new content up by a Monday morning, in time for readers in the western hemisphere (i.e. the majority North American audience) heading back to their computers.
1981ers: people born after 1981. Originally, this was to designate groups of young backpackers fresh out of school, many of which were loud, boorish and/or annoying. However, time has passed and 1981ers have matured and have been quite pleasant to travel with. The term still refers to young annoying backpackers, regardless of year — I guess you could call them "1991ers" in 2013 — young, entitled millennials on the road these days, essentially.
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