Closing this chapter
Life isn't always fair.
Some people are born into better environments.
Some people have better genetics.
Some are at the right place at the right time.
If you're trying to change your life, all of this is irrelevant.
All that matters is that you accept where you are,
figure out where you want to be,
and then do what you can,
today and every day,
to hold your head high and keep moving forward.
- Lori Deschene
What to do when the circumstances around you do not change for the better as you have been expecting, but rather the opposite and drastically?
In my case, I have seen days, weeks and months go by waiting to reach a full recovery, that day when I can finally walk without crutches and pedal my bike again. In the same way, I kept alive the hope that the countries around me such as Singapore and Malaysia would open their borders in case I could continue my tour, but until now they remain closed.
As all of us have been waiting for life to be regularized even if it is coexisting with the effects of the pandemic, this third wave confirms that it has not yet been achieved.
And so, little by little I have already spent more than 2 years living in Indonesia, hoping that the situation will change for the better.
This long wait had a great financial cost for me, it drained my finances from day to day without stopping while I remained without any possibility of being able to work. I have been physically and legally unable to generate an income to compensate my finances since February 2020.
In September 2020 it occurred to me to open an account on Patreon where friends, family and strangers have been supporting me with financial contributions for my support and an eventual continuation of the tour. I am immensely grateful to all of them because their support has been of great help to keep me fed and healthy, but the reality is that those donations are not enough for everything else.
Recently my fortune took an unexpected and unfortunate turn. On the morning of Monday, August 9, I saw with concern that the few resources that I had as a reserve disappeared, thus marking the collapse of my financial state.
And now what do I do? I asked myself.
I analyzed my situation from many points of view and could only come to one conclusion. The most sensible thing is to return home, to my people, to my country, go back to Mexico,
I face this new challenge, yes. But it is just one more of many that I have been able to sort throughout my life. These ups and downs have been an integral and constant part of my existence, of this great adventure which is living. I do not know why, but quite often I had to live a life on the edge, I have always been attracted to testing my limits, to see how far I can go. Many might judge me as a person who likes to live a life of risk.
The most dangerous risk of all,
it is the risk of letting your life go by without doing what you want,
thinking you will have time to do it later.
- Randy Komisar
Fate forces me to close this chapter and start a new one. It takes me back to my homeland, the place that I said goodbye in 1994 and was able to visit in 2007.
This is a request for help, a call for solidarity. I am especially addressing those dreamers, those of us who like adventure, those of us who like to travel, those of us who live life despite the risks, and obviously those who have had good fortune and are able to help.
The message is simple and I leave it below in case you want to share it with your acquaintances by copying and pasting it on your social networks. I even invite you to personalize it by changing the beginning where it says "There is a man" for whatever connection you and I have, for example: My childhood friend, My cousin, A person whom I highly esteem, A member of our church, or Someone I met during his tour around the world.
***
There is a man of Mexican origin who in 2017 said goodbye to everything and everyone and began a nomadic life to travel the world on his bicycle. A foot surgery and the outbreak of the pandemic with the respective closure of borders forced him to remain in Indonesia until today.
In an unfortunate reversal of fortune, his financial situation ended up collapsing on Monday, August 9. A fact that has truncated all his plans to continue the tour and he decided to abort his personal mission to travel the world on 2 wheels.
He now he faces an uncertain future. He is at risk of being stranded in Indonesia with no money. He needs help. He requires financial support in order to be repatriated to Mexico before his visa expires on September 22. If he does not leave, he will face financial sanctions of $ 70 dollars for each day that he remains in the country, further aggravating his situation.
This is a call for empathy. Today I'm here for you, tomorrow you will be there for me.
On our adventures, on our travels, on our outings, we know that risks are always there. Some of us returned home unharmed, others experienced some kind of unforeseen event, there is an enormous diversity of setbacks to which we are exposed, but the day is always saved by those who offered to help you in your misfortune.
If you would like to help this traveler in distress and cooperate so that he returns to his country, here is the place where you can leave your support: PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/WT2W)
You can be sure that he will be immensely grateful to you with the assurance that God, life, the universe and karma will repay you in spades.
