5/06/2002: Somewhere over the Atlantic

Fuel bottle & nozel confiscated- don't argue with an officious Chilean. I forgot what long plane trips were about.

5/07/2002: ????? north; Colorado, USA

Return to states has not really sunk in yet. Mail, bills, work, weekend activities- pace of life is different. Nothing really seams strange, just different. Even sleeping in my own bed (perhaps I will lay my sleeping bag out back for a few nights). Different perspective- how do I hold on to it and use it? It is so much easier to leave the trip behind and let complacency roll you back into your old life, rather than taking the trip with you and using the lessons learned. Won't be packing up the bike to head somewhere new; know where I am going & when I will be there. No uncertainty = no adventure. Watched "Cast Away" for the first time the afternoon that I got back- what a movie to watch upon returning from a long trip! Can I come back to the life I left? do I want to? What do I want to keep, and what do I want to leave behind?

Advice to travelers: get "out there"; plan in advance but be flexible; be open and friendly; look for "little nowhere's". Hike, Bike, hitchike- but do not take the bus (bus on carratera austral would be pointless). Go slowly, smell the flowers, take in the vistas, meet the people and take the time to truely experience life. Perhaps not life as the locals live, but not your own life either. Something different and new- a bit on the wild side.