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I cannot comprehend that it has been over a month. Time begins to merge together when you move around to so many destinations in such a short period. 

A fellow traveller told me that after a while of travelling, you become desensitised to the environments you were once amazed by, but I believe that is a choice and not a certainty. I am in awe of everything. Only God could create such beauty that I have seen and I haven’t even covered a small fraction of what is still out there. 

Everything is so much more intense when you are taken away from a comfortable environment. Senses are heightened and I want to remember every feeling - even the not so great ones. It’s almost as if I am not living in the real world. And then I realise that this is the real world that has been hiding from us. We feel like we know what’s out there because now we can see it from behind a screen in a matter of seconds. Nothing can compare to the 10 minute sunset that you spent hours on trains, buses and lugging 30% of your body weight to arrive there. Because in those minutes, a flood of elation is flushed through your body. Zero distractions. As I sat on the beach in Portugal with an endless sea in front, it got me thinking deeply. What do I want from life? Could this be long term or is it just a temporary travel experience? Why are we not creating more opportunities for these type of ventures? Why are we so hesitant to go into these settings? 

You are forced to centre your thoughts on certain things. In normal daily life, like many, I have a tendency to live at 100mph always rushing to the next thing. It leaves you with a cycle of feeling unsatisfied. It’s easy to want to check something of the list and then move on. I enjoy being busy and in action, so the real lesson has been in slowing down to enjoy each and every activity that I participate in. That’s why I love the adrenaline activities, as to protect yourself, your mind is made to focus on one thing. Some moments I have doubted the views in front, as if my eyes had been deceiving me. I am finishing this blog post after a parasailing trip in Alicante yesterday. Whilst in the air my smile was wide with joy and my mind was narrowed; it forced my usually chaotic brain to feel calm amongst the adrenaline and wind. I understood how fortunate I was to be able to experience the views and excitement of being pulled into the sky and then being allowed time to sit in those feeling on the amazing boat trip back. Although I can’t say my mum feels a similar peace when I tell her some of the activities that I have done or plan on doing! 

On the way to Portugal I watched through the window as passengers stepped off into the arms of their loved ones and into an outpouring of smiles and greetings. I felt as if I too had been absorbed into each moment, taking on the emotion from a distance. There is a unique clarity produced from focusing on a small moment in time or paying attention to the perfect formation of the clouds that blanket the mountains along the train journey. Such a view can make you feel empowered, and yet cause a sense of vulnerability at how small you are compared to this huge world. It’s a sensation that could easily be missed when looking down at a phone. 

When waiting at each bus stop and train station, I usually scan around me and find that everyone from young to old is attached to a device. On the long scenic train routes, that many would pay to be on and catch a glimpse of the outstanding mountains, passengers heads are angled down towards their tech. It upsets me that we are pulled away from these experiences for a temporary feeling and it’s become the norm - stares are now directed at the people who sit and look around them in the present. Places are now plagued with everyone attempting to take pictures and videos with a goal of capturing the perfect shot. It’s as if we now need evidence to prove we visited an amazing location or did a certain activity. Don’t get me wrong I love a good picture of the view and a quick selfie for the memories, but real photographers capture the moment and you can’t allow it to take away from sitting in the moment. 

I think technology is a privilege (google maps has been a particular favourite on my trip) and if used right we can communicate and create. However, during the blackout I was in Seville. The electricity went down and yet, the city has never been lit up as it did on that Monday. Chaos was likely caused for many, such as the emergency services who I do not envy, although many benefitted from the increased interactions. Oblivious to the blackout, I failed at booking trains and after some investigating, found out that all the power was down in more than the area. Due to the lack of internet, none of the hostel guests could identify the cause and we were forced to speak to one another and share information and tips. With no other plans, a guy from Mexico joined me in exploring the city. We went to the tourist office for a map and observed as others talked and walked, crossed roads when traffic officers signalled and searched for places with cash only. Then back at the hostel a group from the Netherlands (on their ‘study trip’) invited me for a card game and we lit up the bench on the terrace, with a phone torch with a cup of beer on top, as our lantern. Later in the evening the absence of a light source was causing some issues in the cave of our dorm room and I turned on my head torch to help me and these 2 French guys avoid any hazards. It will probably be the first and last time I get to use that camping head torch, due to my overpacking tendencies, nevertheless it worked and that day was made even more memorable. It has continued to ignite interactions with other travellers as I move to other locations. 

I never set out for this trip to be comfortable because then it wouldn’t be an adventure. 

It’s certainly removed any ounce of materialism: wearing the same outfits over and over again, styling shorts with banana mashed on them to create an unintentional pattern, eating from cans of Fabada and microwave rice a few nights in a row (one of them tasted and looked like a replica of the pouches I give my dog for dinner at home), running on little sleep after waking up to the symphony of snoring in the cheaper 16 bed mixed dorm with my head next to the crashing door and springs attempting to mould my back. I wouldn’t change a thing, because it means I truly feel the greatest moments and see the good in even the rough. You then see the food and activities as a luxury that you want to spend every second soaking in. Backpacking is a privilege and no all inclusive holiday could give back so much. 

The best thing is, no phone can help take an image that will help you see the bigger picture, you have to live it to feel it. 

I have never been more grateful for where I am right at this moment; I know how much of a privilege it is to experience each tiny occurrence that continues to build into this adventure. I wish more people took a leap into their own journeys because these produce the most rewards. Unlike what society has taught us, the lasting rewards are intangible and marked by the people and places you meet. I didn’t realise until now that I was seeing and feeling life through one lens. Just one month of solo backpacking has given me a new perspective that captures all aspects in a new light and exposes the beauty behind the usual understanding of life, allowing me to frame the intense ups and downs in a different way than I could have ever imagined.  

Rosie over and out :)