I'm still shocked by my decision to walk around the world as some of you may be.
When I crossed my personal finish-line through the isolated desert of Western Australia, I streamed a few tears along with laughter. The euphoria of finishing something I began that took an intense amount of physical, mental and emotional strength to accomplish made me feel a deep gratitude for life itself and the capabilities that human's have as a birth right. When I had to begin making a shade shelter at high noon because the heat was too stifling to walk in my mind fantasized about Nordic skiing in Bend, Oregon, a place I still consider home. I longed for the bitter cold of a January winter. The kind of snow storm that makes it impossible to drive in and difficult to fully warm every corner of the house. The sweltering heat inspired me to practice a memory game of making a list of some cold, luxurious drink or item I'd get when I reached a store. I usually got to eighteen items before I gave up on remembering item number three because the first two were always vanilla ice-cream. Yet, now that I've finished walking through just the first of a few deserts to come, I feel a sadness in my heart that longs for the tuscan-colored sand that made my skin look like a terra cotta pot, and fumbling with the zipper of my tent while I tried to hide from the sunset mozzies (or skeeters as my grandma called them), the dripping moisture that seeped into my sleeping bag when it rained, and the abominable flies that accompanied me across the entire continent. I miss it all. But I know all the frustrations and challenges of the road that I may be glorifying now will come again soon enough. As I write this now, I am sipping a cappuccino on a dairy farm in the southern region of Western Australia. I have all the luxuries I can think of. I have a soft bed, a fan to cool my face at night, an electric stove to cook on, cold drinks and even a pilates machine to help build a little strength before my next continent- ASIA. I am spending some time preparing Visa's, changing some of my gear after I've learned what works and what doesn't, and renewing my website. Time in the desert helped me gain clarity about my walk. It doesn't mean I can clearly articulate why I'm walking but my vision of how I present the walk is shifting. I have decided to change the name of my walk which I will share soon. My website will become much more simple and focus on the short stories of my personal encounters with nature, the culture and the people I meet. I am still a beginner writer but I promise to share the most vulnerable experiences I can. I'm not interested in creating another travel blog- I want you to feel that you're emotionally on this journey with me. I am still working on writing more stories of my walk through Western Australia. I hope to have something for you soon. Happy Holidays to you and thanks again for being with me on this adventure. Angela Here is a map of my route and some photos from the road. |
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