Cuz i had to
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2009
1
24
Trip End
Dec 09, 2009
Lima, Peru
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
dear readers,
tomorrow we head back to the states after 5 weeks of our peruvian adventure. since i havent written an entry on the blog the entire trip, i am obligated, and somewhat forced to do so... I consider myself a poor writer, and therefore do not enjoy it, and i am certainly no brett crompton, so bare with me as i fulfill my obligatory duty.
first i would like to start off by stating that my feet arent as bad as described in previous entries. I admit that they dont smell of roses, but whose feet would after biking all day, wearing the same socks for 5 weeks? I feel that the descriptions have been embellished thats all.
I think brett and sell have both done a great job with the entries on the blog. brian has been excellent at writting entries, even on the terrible days, which impressed me, because there were multiple days on the trip were all i wanted to do was eat and then sleep, sometimes, just sleep. Yet brian somehow found the energy to write an entry for the day, and depending on where we were, find an internet cafe, to post the entry, along with pictures. I know the worried family members appreciated this more than anyone.
brett also did a great job of describing what we went through, giving his personal thoughts and feelings, which a lot of the time matched mine. He is also able to add a good deal of humor to his entries, making them very entertaining to read, especially for brian and i, who lived it, and then get to read his perspective. I appreciate both of them for keeping up with the blog, because if it was up to me to keep it updated, there would be zero entries, and maybe a couple pictures...maybe.
I thought about doing my best/worst moments on the trip as an entry, but feel that brett did such a good job talking about those, that it is unneccesssary, and would just be repeating what he said. so i think ill focus my short entry on time, which was affected by best/worst moments. the three of us have all talked about and agree that time has been weird on this trip. the first 7 days for me felt like 3 weeks. I loved the first week. It was a little stressful at times, and still very much a culture shock. but the riding was great. it was all pavement, lots of good downhills, flats with tailwinds, and beautiful scenary. yet every day seemed to last forever. i think it had to do with waking up way earlier than i am used to. there would be nights where i would think back on what we had done that day, and the morning portion of the day felt as though it happened the day before, and i would be confused for a moment trying to figure out which day is which. As we headed into the mountains the days got more painful, and so they got even longer. by the time we reached the mountains of the national park, where brett and i spent a couple days suffering from altitude sickness, it felt as though we had been in peru for months riding, when in reality it had only been a couple weeks. i remember thinking while under the influence of altitude, that i had been in peru forever, and that i still had forever to go. Later, once out of the mountians, with a clear mind, we looked at the map to figure out what we had left to ride, and it seemed as though we were nearly done, and that we had just started. Its difficult to describe, but time was hard to grasp while on this trip, time was slow during good times, slow during bad times, yet when we looked at the big picture, it seemed to have flown by. we all would talk about how it felt like we had been in peru for a really long time, and yet at the same time, felt like we just got here. The strangest part for me was arriving back to lima after our epic 85 mile day. walking back into the hostal where we had begun our journey three and a half weeks prior felt somewhat unreal. I knew i had felt like i had been riding forever, while riding, but being back at the hostal made me feel as though i had just been there. i was just here, putting my bike together, and trying to prepare myself for the unknown experience ahead of me. yet there i was standing in the room breaking down my bike, with the biking portion of the trip finished. It didnt seem right, it was an unsettling feeling. A handful of days in the mountains i would never have thought i would be sad to finsish the tour, but i was, and as i write this, all packed to fly home, still am. its a bitter-sweet feeling. Happy to be home, eat food im used to, fit in a bed, have hot water, and be able to understand and speak the language around me (soooo thankful for brett and his abiltiy to speak to the locals, sell did well too. i cant understand or speak anything, brett saved us everyday), but sad knowing its over and all that waits is reality. Although i remember the bad days (i dont think they could be fogotten) the good days seem to somewhat erase the pain i experienced, and i can only really focus on the positive experiences. I am able to look back on the tough times and days and smile knowing i survived and that i have a good memory and story to share. I know the three of us will be able to reminice in the future about this trip and smile remembering the amazing downhills, seemingly unreal scenary that surrounded us nearly everyday, unique culture, the long, long climbs, the affects of altitude, and so on. Even the bad times will be good memories to us, because it will be a time were we were free, together biking through a foreign country, experiencing things for the first time, and growing/learning through them. I will miss the time spent on my bike in this crazy country with my two great friends. As our cycling caps say "somos libres, seamoslo siempre"
peace, love, and great memories
Comments
Stephen, you are a great writer. Please don't ever feel like you don't have it in you to share your words on paper (or a blog) I loved reading your entry as much as all the rest. You and Brett have come a long way from the Deerfoot days. Thanks to your Dad for introducing Brett to the early wilderness life!! Your reflection on the passing or not passing of time, with no consistency or reason was interesting. You are a Selfless Gentleman. Selfless like your beautiful mother, Shelly, putting others first and humbly taking no credit . Brett will always remember the kind act of waiting; wordlessly supporting him through the most difficult of days. You are a Gentleman like your father, Bart. Quiet, observing, a strong supporter of those you love. I am so proud of all three of you. Steve's statement about family members needing this blog couldn't be more true!! The beautiful pictures, daily summary, and humorous accounts of the most basic human needs and observations certainly helped me to stay sane.
Can't wait to see you tomorrow night
Love, Mrs. C
Boys, I am thankful you are almost home...it was interesting reading about your adventure. Steven, I loved your quiet vision of the trip, don't be afraid to write in the future as you underestimate your writing ability. Brian, you are a surprising individual as you grew to be a leader of men. I can honestly say I did not predict, when you were that red haired little boy, what a leader and adventurer you would grow into. Brett, I enjoyed your somewhat wordy and always hilarious review of events as you saw them. I hung on every word. I am grateful that my son, Shawn, has such great and interesting friends. I look forward to seeing all of you.
Love, Mom Romig