This is my last post from the road. It feels really weird to say that, because it hadn't occurred to me as I was writing my previous post that it would be my last major post before getting home. But I've since finished making my final plans for Galapagos. On Monday, I'll get on another sail cruise, at the end of which they'll take me straight to the airport for my flight home (with a brief layover in Guayaquil). Because, of course, the boat doesn't have internet, this means that my next post will be from New York--or at least, it will be posted from New York.
I have to say, I'm very excited to go home. I've had a lot of people ask me if I'm ready, and I would say "ready" is an understatement. This trip has been truly amazing--undoubtedly the experience of a lifetime. But traveling on your own for so long gets exhausting sometimes. There's always another logistical hurdle to jump, or a choice to be made between spending time on your own and battling through a perfunctory round of small-talk to make a new friend. I enjoy meeting people, and am always happy to have conversation, but I've definitely found myself receding into books a bit more as the social fatigue has increased. This is absolutely not anything against the excellent people I've met throughout this trip. But it does speak to my readiness to move on.
At any rate, I'm really looking forward to getting back to my family, my friends, and my dog. I'll miss the friendly sea lions who've filled my days here and sneezed on me, but I think the trade-off is a worthwhile one. I've also decided that my plan for my first meal back is a bowl of matzoh ball soup, a slice of real New York pizza, and a plate of chicken with garlic sauce--all three major cuisines I've missed in one fell swoop. It will also be nice to have the same home for more than three weeks at a time. This is particularly salient when I think back to a 10 day stretch in Patagonia during which I slept in 10 different places. I'm really looking forward to a bit of stability before I move to the other side of the coast to start something new.
But, of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. Starting on Monday, I have one last adventure ahead of me, which should take me to the nesting sites of frigatebirds and red-footed boobies, among others. I should also mention that all of my pictures from aboard the Cachalote (thought none of the videos) are now up. The relevant albums are linked from my previous post.
So, with that, I just want to say that it's been a great time, and it's been cool getting the opportunity to share my thoughts on everything as its happened through the magic of this here internet, and I think all of you for reading, whether you're my family or one of the surprising people who's read this blog from Hong Kong or Pakistan. I'm planning to write one more post once I get back stateside just to sum things up, so this isn't yet goodbye. So, for now let's just say I'll see you on the other side.
Saludos,
Seth
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| Galapagos - Santa Cruz |
Oh, that's a dangerous game, to start thinking of all the food you'll eat when you get home. If I tried to do it all at once I'd pop. Mine is a little different, though, involving things like Japanese soup full of leafy greens. Ah, leafy greens. Anyway, I've really enjoyed your blog, Seth, and look forward to more pictures of slightly absurd creatures.
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