Al final, por ahora...

Life on the road certainly takes a toll on the mind and the body, but it is a fatigue like any other, where the initial down is a necessary sacrifice in order to achieve the overall improvement that will be provided in the long run. I feel this way often while I’m traveling, perhaps like I’m exercising my soul, a tiresome exercise that heightens my perspective and expands my self-awareness; an exercise in wisdom and worldliness.

It would be hard to say I’ve been traveling over the last while, as I’ve been situated in the same place for about two months. But today traveling describes a lifestyle and a state of being rather than necessarily the physical act itself. It describes the state of being in a new and different place, and experiencing new and different things; it describes a disposition of open mindedness. By that definition of travel, it is something I intend to continue with for the rest of my life.

My stay in El Salvador was exactly how I wanted to finish this leg of my ever lasting journey. It was my third time coming back to this special land, and as I arrived two months ago on a bus from Honduras I immediately felt settled and at home.

I stayed with a family that I have come to know very well here in El Salvador, so much so that I call the lady of the home “Madre” or mother. Such is the nature of things in El Salvador where close friends are treated like family and strangers like friends.

Christmas, for a second year in a row, was signaled once again by a pumping swell bearing epic gifts of huge drop-ins and perfect faces. We frolicked in the water for hours catching wave after wave, like children back home playing in the snow.

New Years was passed on the beach with many drinks raised in the air and many songs danced to, all of this shared with special people from different corners of the globe.

I’m on my way back to Canada now, undoubtedly a changed person from the one I was so long ago when I first hit the road, and with the excited anticipation of the many more changes that will surely unfold before and within me.

I’m sure I’ll be back to Central America sooner than later, and it will always hold a special place inside me. This leg of my life long journey is now over though, and as such so too will end my postings on this page. Sharing my thoughts and experiences has been incredible in itself, and I thank everyone who took the time and patience to follow me. Just as I hope for my writings to inspire, I am equally inspired by those who read them. I maintain my conviction that travel is a powerful force of balance in this often antagonistic world, and that the more people that travel, the more people there are to spread the positive message of harmony, solidarity, and peace.

Gracias a todo que he conocido en el camino, soy un parte de cada uno de ustedes.

Anthony William Persaud

2010-02-26