Sometimes sun, sometimes rain. About travel fatigue.

„You looks tired” told me Aneta when we met on Skype. I see my miniature and I see that even bad Internet connection can’t hide my feeling. Even that I’m in apartment of my host on highest floor, and I have everything what I need, can’t change my situation. And I know that since few weeks that situation isn’t good. Because what can I say. I’m tired.

“But dude! You’re tired because of what? You visited great places, You met fantastic people and You had amazing adventure” I hear voices from Poland. Before my trip on travelers blogs I didn’t met relations from reaching peaks of tiredness. Now I think why. Maybe because other travelers don’t want to write about that? Or maybe something is wrong with me? When You are planning Your travel You know, that tiredness will come, but You don’t know from where and when, and how to fight with that. So I pushed away that thing. But now it’s time to do with that something. About what I’m tired after 11 months of lonely travelling through South America?

I’m tired because of lack of people

Those from Poland, friends, family. People with who I can talk on the same wave. I meet here many people every day, but we spend only few seconds, hours. I miss someone with who I can sat after whole day and drink beer. Or during day laugh together because of something. Sometime I miss someone to guard backpack, to organize something, to pull string (now I’m use foots like a hands). I don’t sleep in hostels so I can’t meet other travelers. Not so many times but sometimes I meet other few months travelers and than we can talk, argue or give advices. Finally we understand each other because common problem for us is to make laundry in sink in supermarket, and common happiness when someone will invite us to home. But real carnival is when I meet travelers from Poland. We say swearwords like machinegun. Because finally someone understand it.

I’m tired because I meet to much people

Sometimes I would do nothing. Close in home and watch TV, read book. Sometimes I’m tired because of that constantly explanation where are I’m, what I’m doing here, how many degrees is in Poland, how to prepare dumplings. All time same things. I’m thinking to prepare some ready shorts, print it and to give people. Something like “Poland in 5 minutes”. Those streets beaters who are all time asking “Taxi?”. Well dude if I want taxi I can ask You. Or other who want to change “Dollars?”. If You don’t want to give me that cash please piss off. Sometimes they will not give to eat calmly because they stare at me like at gold cow. I have ideas to paint on background colors and disappear.

I’m tired because of my problems in communication

Week by week I speak better and better in Spanish (and after 22:00 when someone will bring bottle I can speak about everything like real guy from here). I see (and hear) huge difference between time when I was in Rio and now in Peru. Everybody are asking me where I learned language. And can’t believe that in university of street. But I want to know more! I’m gaging and choking because I can’t fully express myself. Even we are talking about politic and economy everything is really flat. It’s really irritating when You can say exactly what You want because You brake Your tongue on constructions and times, and lose in gaps without words. It’s good when Your conversationalist have something more than air in head, and can guess from our word’s salad what we want to say. Worst is when he’s a truck driver without few teeth and part of brain. And You can’t understand him because he’s lisping in his strange trucks dialect. 2 weeks word gap in Tunisia is like adventure. 11 months without possibility of fully expression is like a drama.

I’m tired because of my house condition

I’m in rhythm of habits. I wake up morning, take my tent and go on road to catch cars. When sun is go down, I find place to camp and go sleep for 10-11 hours, because what to do when is dark. Worst is when I gonna recover from that state and I will realize in what situation I sleep. 95% of night I spend in tent. 3% is Couchsurfing. 2% are houses of people who I met on road.  My tent have 8 years and I ned to watch out for him. Also during my first night on border between Poland and Germany I broke part of him (what is funny I didn’t repaired it since now) so very often I camp with full construction. Almost during every night I stretch him by anchors lines. Good side of that solution, that it’s looks like bag and nobody can think that inside is some gringo. But always we need to think about minuses. I’m tired about searching places to camp. They need to be safe but also under roof to protect by rain (after rainy night I can make pond with fish inside tent). I need also shelter against wind which could mangle my home. Sure now I know that always and everywhere I can find place to camp, even in capital cities. But how much energy is necessity to do that only I know.

I’m tired because of cold

With some exceptions since Tierra del Fuego I go through cold zone. During last few months almost always above 4000m what makes that inside tent temperature went down to 5 degrees. There were also night when temperature went down under 0. One, two nights is like adventure. But few months of sleeping in socks, shoes, pants, t-shirt, hoodie, fleece top, jacket, cap and sleeping bag is annoying. Everyday you think that when sun will go down, You need to wear almost everything what have. And even that You gonna wake up around 3 am, and in morning You will put down hoarfrost. Annoying idea which make that I can’t sleep well. That’s why when I met Wojtek and Seweryn from “Świat w 2D” we talked a lot about Brazil and how warm should be on north.

I’m tired about my diet

Almost 3 months in Argentina and another 3 months in Chile I ate only pate and canned food. What was cheapest in that extremely expansive cities. I couldn’t ate anything cooked because that could destroy my budget. Results? I had lack of energy but I received problems with stomach. Conclusion? It’s impossible to eat during 6 months only canned food. But what can I eat if everything is so expansive?

Sometimes I’m just tired about body

I never was a huge man. When on 4000m guy need to walk another time on some mountain with backpack, is through out his lunges. And a lot of bad words.

And when we will cumulate all that small, like canned food, and big things like mountains, we will receive all things which clamped me and colored world on gray.

But now it’s a story. And it will never come back. I’m much lower where is much more oxygen. Temperatures are much more higher and prizes lower. I eat a lot (first time since I left my home in Poland I ate 3 dishes during day!). First time since 7 months mosquitos are eating me 😀 What a wonderful acupuncture! This travel is like from Bollywood’s movie. Sometimes sun, sometimes rain. But now I know that frm that mix of fire and water leave much more hardened.

I’m writing that under half camped tent. From one side road, from other construction side, but I didn’t wanted to search something different. And everything is ok 🙂 Crisis are, but with aim they can’t destroy people. And I have only one aim – Canada!