It has been an interesting couple of weeks in Lima. The parts I ordered have not arrived, I lost my bank card and now my front tire has developed a slow leak. Bank card issue has been resolved, I had a backup plan, parts can wait, not critical, tire is getting fixed today. I did manage to connect with a two other fellow travelers. One traveler I knew from Alaska and the other only by e-mail, nice to put a face to the name. We travelers share a unique bond, no need to exchange a lot of words, we just know. Similar experiences, similar reasons for taking a journey of this kind, we tell tall tales and share a beer.
“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
It is time to get back on the bike now, time to move, time to ride. Fix the tire today, forward the parts when they arrive, I am getting restless I need to move, there is not much for me here anymore. Unlike Robert Louis Stevenson I will travel to go somewhere. Machu Picchu, a two day ride from Lima, into the mountains, away from the big city, the change will be nice. I am going to buy a tent, do some camping and reconnect with nature. Time in Lima was both fun productive, new friends, nights out, sharing drinks and laughs with strangers and my new friends, reading, resting and some writing. Writing is calming, helps the mind focus.
“Who do you write for?” was a question asked to me, by a man I have come to respect a great deal. I have been pondering the question for weeks now. There is my blog, my private journal and some pieces that I have been working on, observations, thoughts under the helmet. Sometimes the blog is just for fun, I get a lot of hits posting pictures of models in their underwear, but this journey of mine is more than that. I see a future possibility, lingerie motorcycle tour. Many things are private. Sometimes the blog is for me, sometimes for someone in particular. The journal is for me, although I shared some of it recently, not sure if that was smart or not. A single sentence, one paragraph read without knowledge of the days before, my mood at the time, can be taken out of context. Not sure if it was, I will never know, but I promised to share, I was happy to share. A promise made must be kept.
Sharing. I think life is better shared. So many ways to share. My blog helps me share, share information, inspiration, encouragement, laughs the ups and downs of long distance travel. People have written to me for advice, told me I inspired them, I was surprised, but happy to share. I can share through my writing and the photos, but it is not the same as being there. Many times I had wished I could turn and say “can you believe what we are seeing”. It will happen, a different trip perhaps, another place. Many things cannot be shared from a distance, a meal, a touch, a look, a feeling. Sharing a smile, this is easy. I am a foreigner on a big bike, rode a long way, it gets attention. Let the little kid and the fat man sit on my bike, but not at the same time, what’s the harm, they always smile, the kids always find the horn, the fat man wants to know how fast it goes. The ability to make someone smile, I was told it was a gift. It’s an easy gift to share.
The tire worries me a bit, it is the front. I will have to keep a close eye on it. I have learned that things always seem to work out, just need to be patient and wait. I am getting better at waiting.The other parts are not critical and can be replaced down the road. “The great affair is to move” I want to get moving again, rested long enough, cleaned the entire bike, twice now, helped out at the garage, there is nothing left to do but pack. This is not my place, only so much I can do to keep busy. “Idle hands are the devils workshop” I have idle hands now; move, ride and stay one step ahead of the devil. Leaving in the morning.
