fresh eyes and bad planning

Yesterday was spent traveling on three different buses from 5:00 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. When I wasn't sleeping I was talking with other travelers or yelling at crooks that were trying to take advantage of the foreigners at the border crossing. quick bit of advice - if anyone ever tries to "help you out" at a border crossing by expediting the stamping of your passport by any other means than waiting in the same line that everyone else is waiting in to get theirs stamped, don't let them do it. If fact you should probably give them a dirty look and a choice word or two about their dirty business practices. I settled for giving the dirty look. Unfortunately I didn't move fast enough to warn another traveler that was getting bamboozled at that same moment. She got scammed out of an extra four dollars. It might only be 4 bucks but it is the principle of the thing - that and 4 bucks will buy an amazing lunch down here.

So about this traveler. I got to chat with her for a good while after the fiasco at the border crossing. She had a glimmer in her eye that you almost only see once in a traveler. It is that look that says "wow, this yellow dog bus with no ac going through the jungle is amazing, the street food is so different, the people are so interesting, ...sensory overload at every turn" it was the eyes of someone who is taking their first trip abroad. After having assumed that by only looking at her face I asked "how many times have you been down this way before" and she confirmed my suspicions by saying "I have traveled extensively in the US, but this is my first time to go abroad." Traveling is always exciting and even if you go to the same destination a million times it is always different but the first is always a wonder/ADD producing experience.

On a bad planning note. I saw once again yesterday how fortunate I am to have an American passport. There was a couple from the far east yesterday that was crossing into beliz on the same bus with us. They had no trouble leaving Mexico but when they went to cross into beliz they were informed that they had to apply for a visa in advance and that it was going to cost them 2 to 3 thousand US dollars to obtain that visa. I felt two things in that moment; the first was anger and I said out loud "if they have the money then just let them in the country, they want to travel freely just like the rest of us", and I felt fortunate and privileged to come from a country that has so very few travel restrictions placed on it.