backpack Archives - In Search Of Umami

What you think about long- term travel & the reality of it. Those 12 little misunderstandings

When you think about an Around The World trip you think about all of those positives, all of the pretty pictures you see and inspirational stories you hear. But… it can be dirty, it can be boring, it can be frustrating. Maybe you will feel like coming back. We love our life on the road, really we do! But it’s not always as great as we imagined. Although it’s always worth it. Here are some little misunderstandings before you go on your journey of a lifetime.

Only millionaires can travel long term

Hell no! We met a guy who was travelling on 300 dollars for a few months through Central America. Ok, he was only eating rice, free pancakes and leftovers from other people and he was volunteering most of the time but it’s possible! It’s all a matter of choices and how much of your comfort you want to sacrifice.

All the locals will smile and wait for you to take a picture of them…

Not all the locals smile to you to begin with. Taking pictures of the locals is a business in many places. People wanna have National Geographic pictures so they pay and so locals see that they can earn money by looking poor and well… local. Not all of them but many so watch out.

… and then they will invite you home for tea

Not all the people want to get to know you, not all want to help you and not all will even respond to you “hello” even if you learn it in their language.

You won’t ever stink…

If only pictures could smell… You will stink soooo often. If you’re already lucky enough to find a laundry place, they will wash your clothes in a 15 min program in cold water. Let’s say I wouldn’t take any fancy clothes, they just won’t remain fancy…

You meet only amazing people

For every amazing, super interesting person we managed to get to know, we met probably 10 super boring or super idiots. The amount of people who travel only to “check” stuff from their list and get drunk afterwards is insane! And you wouldn’t believe how many boring people you will meet on your way! Many of your brain cells will die in those forced conversations.

Every day you see something mind-blowing and special

On a long-term journey you get more and more selective about the things you want to see. One Machu Picchu is cool but imagine you see the tenth ruin like that. Or another idyllic beach… Some stuff just seems more normal after some time. Besides not every day you will be able to see wonderful things sometimes you will be glued to the toilet or on a 24-hour bus.

You won’t ever be bored

You will, oooohhh you will. Long hours in a bus, long hours waiting, you meet people and you hear the same questions… Maybe you can start doing crochet just like I started:)

You will see everything you want

Even on a life-time- long travel you won’t see everything, it’s just impossible. You will always have to choose, what you want to see. And honestly it’s even more difficult than on a short trip just because you have an ocean of possibilities.

All the stuff you don’t have or gets broken you can get there

That’s what I read when I was leaving and guess what, in Argentina my panties got stolen (dirty!!). Ok they were new and pretty, stupid of me to even take things like that but still… I wanted to buy new ones and I couldn’t find anything okish… Only Bridget Jones or for the Red Light District, nothing in between. When it comes to electronics in Argentina it’s insanely expensive, the same with outdoor equipment so… if you can’t live without a specific thing, take it!!

You will always want to see and do more

No! Sometimes you will just feel like staying in bed for the whole day and watch Harry Potters. You won’t feel like packing and taking another bus or seeing another thing.

You will be happy and grateful every day of your trip

You will get frustrated, you will cry. You will sometimes feel like the locals only want your money and see you as a white cash machine. You will get food poisoning and you will regret you didn’t take a private room, sometimes you won’t even feel like saying “hi” to the people in your dorm or talking to them…

You will come back the same

You will see other lifestyles, you will see poverty but also simply joy. You will meet the most inspiring people in your life. They will become your friends. You will push your borders and learn about life, the world and yourself. You will see that you can make your dreams come true. That the world is full of possibilities and choices. You're the master of your own destiny. You will never be the same person. But that’s alright. Because guess what, this journey is going to prepare you for everything, revise your priorities and teach you humility. And the joy and appreciation you will get when you're back at home, eating your food and using a normal bathroom is incomparable to anything.

Meet up in Vigo

Vigo… definitely not a top tourist attraction. No fancy cafeterias (well not many), not an extraordinary archit
ecture (nothing you wouldn’t see in Santiago or other Galician towns), not even any breathtaking museums but... it’s just authentic. Cheerful people, great food
everywhere, superb wine and rain:) and all of that stretched on many hills, all up and down, up and down… Probably to give opportunity of burning some calories gained in many homie restaurants. Vigo is also a gate to paradise- Islas Cies, very picturesque islands that look just like the ones in the Caribbean just with less garbage and ice water.

Although Vigo has a lot to offer we came here to meet up with my very good friend. I met Marta years ago when I was studying with her in Santiago. I was a foreigner, she wanted to be a foreigner in Poland. Both with tendency to be unrealistically optimistic and full of dreams of adventure and travel. Obviously we became friends. The four of us, The Martas and our down-to-earth boyfriends hit the road to see the beauty surrounding Vigo. Marta wanted to show us everything but the day only had 24hrs so we saw only the best of the best. And there is nothing better than a beer in charming town with stone houses like Pontevedra. All of the restaurants and cafeterias outside were adding
to the atmosphere and they were pleasantly busy, not too little people to feel it’s deserted but not too many to get mad that there was no place. And things got even better with laughs and food in Marcos home village, Poio. The octopus, the wine, the chicken… mmmm all delicious. The desserts were to die for. We also passed through Combarro, which is considered the most beautiful village in Galicia… Well for me it’s one of those places where I think, “glad I saw it, wouldn’t kill myself to see it again”. Pretty little town but very touristic. Which I still can’t say about La Toja. This charming tiny island is so breathtaking with its church totally covered in Saint Jacobs shells. And still there is not a single soul to see it (expect for the 4 of us), just like those years ago when I studied in Galicia. Nice to see some things never change.

Lazy days in the Colombian Caribbean

Caribbean coast greeted us with unbearable heat and it didn't leave us even for a second. Sweating we started our trip in Cartagena, probably the most popular city in Colombia among all the travelers. And I really mean all even among old people dressed as if they were going for a Mount Everest expedition but with their balconies in front of them I don't think they go any further then the border of the old city. There is not even a need to go any further then that because the old town and the hip Getsemani neighborhood are all there is to see. But I have to admit that the old town is really gorgeous, charming, colorful, playful with its street art and actually quite big so it was not difficult to get lost there for a few hours.

Especially that there are some beautiful shops with clothes, accessories and everything a person would (not) need. So we have done some window shopping as well:) Outside of the touristic places Cartagena is a city literally drowned in garbage and poverty. Many people live in ruins and the middle- class neighborhood where we stayed did not look middle- class even by polish standards. No wonder we were not sad to leave Cartagena to go to start our trek to the Lost City (that hike deserved a separate post so ...).
The trek was absolutely spectacular and worth the effort. To rest and chill out we went to Palomino, a small village with one paved road. The village itself was nothing great but strolling on its beaches and chilling was really great. Especially knowing that there was nothing in particular to see also not underwater as the currents are too strong to even enter the sea.

To rest from resting we went to Minca. It's pretty much known as THE coffee town. But honestly it missed the vibrant green surroundings of the town's in the coffee region, that I am not going to mention the architecture that they missed. The town looked pretty much built 20 years ago from cheap bricks and metal for the roofs. The views from the mountains around Minca were pretty nice but we felt a bit disappointed.

Luckily we also visited an amazing local farm specialized in avocado, cacao and coffee (La Candaleria). Beautifully situated on top of a mountain (definitely worth the walk) and super crowded with all sorts of gorgeous birds. Unfortunately way too fast for me to take a picture of most of them. Thankfully there was a lazy hummingbird going back and forth to the same flower and a beautiful toucan. And not only the birds were nice but also the family running the farm. They were really warm and excited about their farm and their cacao and coffee. And so were we:) a highlight of our trip to Minca for sure.