discovery of self
Southern Africa, 2004
My father was born and raised on a ranch in Namibia, and as explain;oring beyond the ranch on horseback was difficult and dangerous, he waited to do so until after his retirement from a job that took him all over the rest of the world. For about a month, we journeyed through Botswana’s Okavango Delta and then all around Namibia in a truck rental with rooftop tent lodging. It was the trip of a lifetime, and Africa will always have a piece of my heart.
The Big Drive, 2016
In 2016 I decided to become an expat. I wasn’t born in the USA and I didn’t want to die there. I wished for freedom that felt more real, cultural diversity that was truly cherished, for more a more international flair for a person who considered themselves a citizen of the planet. Prior to politics, there were no borders, just zones of transition. I also sought more direct connection to biological diversity, and thus embarked on a move to Costa Rica, which I had then been visiting for architectural and festival consulting projects for over ten years. As it was all being done on a shoe string, shipping all the gear I wanted to take, like books, office supplies, tools, and camping gear, etc along with my truck was going to be quite expensive. My smart as usual father suggested I packed my truck with what was needed, and drove there instead. It struck me as a great plan and an excellent adventure all in one. The humorous part for me was the amount of people filled with fear about Mexico and how dangerous it was supposed to be. The media is a devil in disguise. But alas, I believe there are far more people in the world that want to hug each other than to hurt each other, so if you keep your wits around your safety and keep an upbeat vibration with all the people you meet along the way, there should not be any problems. However, as my Spanish was crappy, I did choose to pay for a fluent Spanish speaker named Miguel to share the journey and handle all borders for personal, vehicle, and dog paperwork and any emergencies. I’m glad I did. These are a few of the things that caught my eye along the very long drive, a 5 week journey…
