Round 2 on the Approach

A long time in coming for this blog. Between Christmas holiday in Idaho, then a bolt to the south, back up to Idaho, a jaunt to Montana, a country traverse to D.C. and then a short bus to the big apple and a final flight back home to Kansas City, our blog has been neglected. But now round 2 of our planned adventure is about to begin, so here I sit again, blogging.

Kansas City has been great; finally getting to see my family, home cooked meals, etc. We chose to take it easy and sometimes that seems like a great plan. While others, I think the lack of activity will drive me crazy. Luckily, I have an entertaining husband, two huge German Shepards, and a lot of books on Central/South America to keep me occupied, not to mention a lot of friends who want to play. We have actually managed to stay very busy. As my mom likes to say, we are social butterflies. I always liked the visual that saying posted in my head. Anyway, we have also been going to IBEX, the rock climbing gym, a lot. Ever since we went climbing outside in Montague, S. Africa we have both been very motivated to get back into the sport. So, Todd got a job at the gym, leading to almost free membership for the two of us. Best case scenario since we are going 3 to 4 times a week. I like to think I am improving. So I am going to stick by that idea.

For the last year, Todd and I have been talking about a motorcycle adventure from KC to Argentina. That motivated us to learn to ride in S. Africa, buy a bike, and take our 12 day motorcycle trip. Yet, after one nice luncheon with one of my dad's friends, we have decided to forgo the motorcycle adventure. It was a very persuasive luncheon. We realized we didn't have enough money, maintenance knowledge, or experience. One's known reality is one thing but to be faced by someone else who basically punches that reality into you creates a harsher moment of truth. Needless to say, we left the lunch deflated and tried to recover over a beer, but the obvious truth of the matter hung over us like a thunder cloud. Our motorcycle adventure down to Argentina was over before we could even begin.

Now, with the beautiful thought of hours on public transportation floating in my dreams, we have decided to leave after Easter on April 14th. First stop, Mexico City for a couple of days. I know there is a LOT of apprehension on the American front about the safety and stability of Mexico these days, but we were out of the country during the media hype. It is interesting to see what places receive media attention depending on where you are. Off on a tangent but...when we were in Paris and Africa the media focused on Asia, Africa, and Europe. With almost no coverage of South and Central America. Therefore, we had no idea how bad things had gotten in Mexico. After much persuasion, we decided to bypass the northern border and skip down to Mexico City. Compromise keeps the family happy (and it made a lot of sense.) From there we plan to weave our way through Central America, cross the canal (not really sure how, boat/plane/other), and then head down the west coast of S. America and make it to Argentina by December for holiday. That my friends, is about as specific as we get on travel plans. Rough time estimates and chosen highlights are our guiding light but mostly, if we like a place we will stay longer and explore, if we don't like the place, we leave.

I am getting excited. Now I have a better idea of what I should pack for a long trip. That part is nice. No linen pants this time around. I may even make a list before packing this time. At least I won't have to pack for 6 months in Paris and 6 months in Africa at the same time. The differences were just too big and left me a tad confused on the clothing front.

For now, time to finish reading all the books. It is nice to know the history of place.