Move Over Peter Pan.....

One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting other travelers and hearing about their adventures.

We met a woman yesterday. She was sitting alone in a cafe that Greg, Jeff, and I were in. She was eating a dessert that was shaped like a penguin- and we were wondering what it was filled with. As she bit off the head of the penguin, we all leaned over to try to get a glimpse of the mysterious dessert- thinking it might be filled with dulce de leche.... Her face looked pained as she took the bite, and she noticed the three of us staring at her. We had too many beers to remember the social rule of not staring- and we could not turn away as we wanted to know what the penguin was filled with.

Unable to see, we finally asked her- in Spanish- what was inside of the penguin. She looked confused- because she was British and only spoke English..... always funny in a foreign country- deciding which language to use. She was a bit upset at biting the head off the penguin shaped dessert- explaining the look on her face prior.

So we invited her to join us- and she happily did. We spoke for almost two hours about her travels and learned more about her story. She is about to turn 60. She had a brain tumor about five years ago, and she recovered. Ever since, she leaves her husband at home, packs up her back pack, and spends October- December traveling. She was about to embark on an adventure to Antarctica, which is why she was down in Ushuaia. She abandoned the thought of saving money a few years ago- now anxious to spend it, as she realized that we never know when our last day will arrive. She said she worked so many long days for so many years- and she was only now really beginning to live her life. Her husband was not up for traveling out of a back pack and staying in hostels- so she said it is better to leave him. Her kids- my and Greg's age- think she has gone off the deep end.

I loved this woman for so many reasons.... her sense of adventure, her idea of what a woman her age can and cannot do, her new found appreciation for the beauty of life in all forms. But most of all, while Greg and I have had our doubts about our decision to come down here- as all of our friends are getting married, having children, moving up in their careers, etc...- it reaffirmed our decision and our beliefs about "what we want to do when we grow up". There is an amazing world to see, and you just cannot see it in 2 week vacations once a year. So while at times we have visions of settling down, I am not sure either one of us will end up settled in the traditional way. We are searching for alternatives- and things are looking good... we are meeting the right people at the right time to make our vision of life come true. We are holding onto the idea of Never Never Land- where you stay young and can do and get whatever you put your mind to. While many people laugh and tell us we are crazy...... I think we are just taking the road less traveled.
and that will make all the difference......