Writing history with legs and handles

At one of my favorite movie, Into the wild [2007] directed by Sean Penn that adapt to the big screen one of my favourite history, the life and early death of Christopher McCandless. If you want to know more about I highly recommend not only watching to this movie, but also reading the book writen by John Krakauer that was the base for it. Chris wrote nearly his death "happiness is only real when shared".

No doubt that there's nothing better than a partner. It can be a friend, boy/girl-friend, female, male, someone you know since kindergarden or just got to know. The important is that mutual respect, talking in the same frequency, someone to share thoughts and good moments. To share happiness.

How to share happiness when traveling alone? (my case).

Of course you meet people on the road and have great time with them, but they won't go all the way along with you. How about those moments when you are on the move by yourself and you want so much to share ideas, impressions, jokes and expectations?

Well, for this "problem" I figured out a solution, I found a partner to go with me. It's a girl, a lady, madame. We started our relationship 2 years ago, the first time we met it was kind of love at first sight. I looked at her and she looked to me. I took a look to the other options at that place, but when love hits our heart we knew it is. And that's how I knew she was the one for me. Our first year was really nice and intense, I would say the best year of my life. A lot of good moments, adventures, problems we got into and we got out together. Shares stories that only me and her know. Shared happiness.

On the second year everything came back down to earth and we decided to get some time off.

Then came the third year, I knew that sooner or later we were going to meet again, live lots of adventures, fun and troubles together. She is the one that will travel with me to Europe this year.

Her name is Antonela and below is her picture :)

 

Yes, that is Antonela, she is German and the only girl I carry only back. Yes, very romantic.

Talking seriously. Why Antonela?

I think that it is a beautiful female name. On my first trip to Europe 2 years ago I fondly nicknamed my backpack as Tonelada in  Portuguese, Ton in English, because of her weight over my shoulders. Dear Tonelada became Ton, then TonTon... which is the short for Antonela.

Why Antonela is SHE, not IT or HE?

I dorespect diversity, though I only carry a girl on my back. That is why you won't see me carrying around Tonhão (Big Anthony), Zulu King or a wardrobe like Rocky Balboa did. She is, not 'it is' because that's a matter of respect. And we do respect those we love.

History

A bit of history about myself. Two years ago (2008) I finally managed to make a dream come true. For the first time I was going to travel to the so dreamed Europe. Scandinavia to be precise. Since I’m small I am used to travel during school’s vacation with me, my sister and my parents all packed inside a car and heading somewhere inside Brazil, my huge home country. Though I never really liked traveling, also didn’t have the feeling to go somewhere new. I was quite happy and confortable with my lifestyle, all that hours inside a car under a melting sun of around 40ºC wasn’t fun, at least for me. 14 hours inside a car? Too exhausting.



Traveling wasn’t something on my favorite list, BUT there was a curiosity about Scandinavia. Reading to newspapers and watching the TV news I was already tired of listening that Scandinavian countries are the most developed countries in the world. The most human developed region. I got the curiosity and dream to go to these places (Sweden and Finland mainly) to see how far in development human could reach. Thousands years of human history and according to some index there in Scandinavia was what best human has got until now. A region so developed where in the kinder garden boys learn to knit, a society where woman isn’t only treated equally as a man, but behave as equal not being the fragile sex and get the same opportunities. Facts, reality, not some kind of hypocrite policy to we create an illusion to ourselves. No corruption, extremely low unemployment, no poverty. Doesn’t it sound like a paradise on Earth? Well for me it did and for at least 6~7 years I dreamed with the day I could go and see all this wonderland with my own eyes.


In 2008 I graduated on Business Administration, the ceremony day I guess it was March 29th, it was a Saturday. On April 1st, Tuesday, lie day in Brazil, I was unbelievably in the airport taking my first flight to Europe, it was the first time I was traveling by myself. The plan: spend 3 months in northern Europe, base myself at Tallinn, capital of Estonia and from there go to Finland and Sweden. Reality: I early faced that Finland and Sweden wasn’t enough as 3 months to explore Europe. So it ended as a 5 months trip visiting 17 countries (Germany, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Italy, Vatican, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Czech, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Lithuania, France, Belgium and the Netherlands).


Two years later, 2010, here I am again. I went to college July 21nd, Wednesday, to pick up my BA diploma. July 25th, Sunday, day to take another plane to the old continent. Plan: 2 weeks traveling with company to London (UK), Paris (France), crossing Switzerland and finally getting to Rome. Then fly back to Paris and start a month solo backpack trip around France (Marseille and Nancy), Luxembourg, Germany (Hambourg, Dortmund, Bochum and Frankfurt) and the Netherlands (Maastricht, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Den Haag). Try to get in touch with people, try to see a mix of lifestyles, cultures, food, architecture.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107272636940197248840.00048b74352863cea8bbe&t=h&z=5



Reality: I will try to keep this weblog update as frequent and fast as I can. Keep checking it. Changes in my plan? Who knows. Past is history, present is a gift and tomorrow a mistery.


In 2008 I discovered the joy of traveling and exploring the unknown. Facing new and unexpected situations. My dream now is a round the world trip. My curiosity? So many, but things like, how is life in the far Eastern? What about the less comprehended Middle East? And crossing all over Africa would it make me more aware about this forgotten continent? How would it be to travel over Marco Polo’s track connecting Europe and Asia? Is a round the world trip enough? Why not cross it without a penny as Ramon did [www.letmestayforaday.com]? Why not cross it with a bicycle as Danilo is doing [www.homemlivre.com]? And how about a round the world sailing?


Traveling means to discover how big this world is and how small we are.
So, travel Antonela!


If you want to know more about my 2008 trip here is the website (only in Portuguese): http://ruyhirano.blogspot.com/

Philosophy, thoughts, theories!

"A man needs to travel by his own means, not by stories, images, books or TV. He needs to do it on his own, with his eyes and feet, to understand what he is. So, some day he can plant his own trees and give them value. So he can know the cold and enjoy the heat. So he can feel the distance and the lack of shelter to be under his own ceiling. A man needs to travel to places he doesn't know to break this arrogance that makes us see the world as we imagine it, and not simply as it is or may be. The arrogance that makes us teachers and doctors of what we have never seen, when we should just be learners, and simply go see it".

Amyr Klink

 Travel has been part of human life since early days. Before human could create and control fire, before human could farm seeding the land and wait it grow, before animals was domesticated. Before it all human being had to go out and hunt to survive. Move and keeping moving around. That wasn't for fun and leisure, but for survival.

Many and many years living like that. If it is scientifically proved that we heritage from our parents theirs characteristics (behaviors, psychological characters, not only physical characters), surely this "lifestyle" to go out and explore has become part of who we (human being) are.

Like a bird, it has wings to fly. Fly away, to this whole big world, wave its wings to the unknown, not to stay inside a cage, not to stay with his feet root in the land.

Years passed, human started to settle down, then people kept moving around, but now not for survival, but as a lifestyle. Sharing, buying and selling what you have and what you don't, international trade. Making history very short and simple traveling became a way of living and a leisure.

So the theory is: traveling along human being history has become part of our genes, part of our lifestyle. There is in our genes something that tell us to go out.

Travel is freedom! Antonela is my wing!