Newsletter 6/09 Panamerican Tour

Thanks to Dario Battini, Kathy Gill and Sergio la Sala for donating me 175 Euros!

discover the other 97 donators HERE

Hi Traveler!

This is the fifth Newsletter of 2009 and you are receiving it as a brief tale of what happened in my last traveling month. Let get down to it!

Beginning Panamerican Tour: 22/1/2009

Since last month: 22/6/2009 – 22/7/2009

From: Calama, Chile

To: Guanay, Bolivia

Km totally ridden: 140000 (word in progress)

Km ridden so far: 20000 (which 6000 on dirt)

Km ridden this month: 2578 (which 500 on dirt)

Countries coressd: Chile, Bolivia

Bike problems: fuel consumption, rear tire pinched, all camping gear lost, rear tire pinched, broken radiator, broken radiator fan, broken plastics, broken air filter, tank bag ripped

Money spent so far: 2178 euro (1118 for fuel and bike, 1000 for food)

Money spent this month: 315 euro (115 for fuel, 200 for food)

Main meals: brekfast, lunch and dinner coocked with Paola

Nights in Hotel: 5 (Patacamaya, Lo Alto, Tocacoma, Marpiri, Guanay)

Nights in tent: 1

Nights with CS: 0

Nights at local people: 25 (Paola)

Nights at camping site: 0

Nights at free camp site: 0

Alternative vehicle: none

Donations received this month: 485 Euro (Ivano Parisi, Michal Kadera, Patrizia Alioto, Arash Palizban, Filippo Zanoni, Dario Battini, Kathy Gill, Sergio la Sala)

There’s difference between pass by and get into, isn’t there?

There is difference between hearing and listening. Between watching and looking. Between speaking and communicating. Between tasting and feeling.

There is difference between an acquaintance and a friend. Between a lover and a beloved.

There is difference between a communist and a fascist. Between nazi and socialist.

There is difference between a religious persona and an atheists. Between a Buddhists and a Shintoists. Between a catholic and a protestant.

There is difference bewteen liric music and tecno. Between rock and samba. Between jazz and disco 80.

Difference within religions, politics, tastes and relationships exist because we created them. We needed them to identify ourselves and let us express for what we think, believe, like and appreciate.

On a motorcycle forum dedicated to Bmw users, I read this critic towards myself:

i quote the user tricheco, I don’t like distinctions and judgments, some sterile elucubrations about the differences between traveler and tourist, his very own way of not calling himself a motorcyclist, all this bunch of mental crap and his presumption about wanting to make distintions and judgments

This post refeers to the quote I recently published on my website home page:

The Traveler is at the tourist, as a man who seduce a woman is at a man who pays a prostitute.

After reading the critic, I’ve relized that a person who thinks the same way I do about Traveling, wouldn’t probably criticize a quote like mine. Instead a tourist could feel certainly offended by it. It’s normal I guess.

Every time a position towards something is taken, somebody is goign to feel hurt!

As I was mentioning at the beginning, we create the categories we best fit in and we feel we belong to. I have chosen to belong to a category called Traveler, other shell put themselves in another one, if they wish.

Some vote a president and some other vote Berlusconi.

Some get a full head shave a go hunting for immigrants to assoult in the name of the svatica and some other simply respect the others no matter what country they are from.

We take decisions, with our way of behaving, with the music we buy, with the books we read, with the friends we desire to call so and with the invitations we deny to those people that simply don’t click with us.

We make a choise when we buy a Fiat instead of a Mercedes, when we ride a Honda instead of a Bmw, when we flirt the girl at the supermarket cashier instead of looking for a cheap fuck at night, in a night club.

The choices we make, the categories we decide to belong to, speak for us as much as the categories and choices we decide not to belong to and to take part of.

So that’s why I am not woried about saying that I hate tourists and I also hate the result of tourism. I also feel free like saying that behind a simple decision as leave for a journey there is a personal philospphy and a list of reasons that include values and ideals.

The funny thing about this topic is that there is no best category to belong to, unless one of them try to prevail on others with violence.

In this last month of traveling I have often question myself about the position I want to take towards my readers. On my website, more than following my journey, there is always a chance to argue.

It doesn’t bother me, actually…

If someone says something I don’t agree with, instead of making him happy as the philosophy “the customer is always right”, I simply defend myself.

If a reader compliment himself with me, instead of saying thanks, I ask him way he says so.

If a reader criticize me, before I ever consider important what he says, I need to know more about the person who is expressing himself against me. If I can’t, I simply forget about it. I’ve got better things to do.

But what is this stuff I have to do?

Simple. I want to get into the hearth of Bolivia. I want to listen to the stories people here have to tell. I want to see the beauty within this country. I want to communicate what is inspired to me by this experience and I want to enrich myself with awareness.

You please try to listen to your best friend confession, while sitting in fron of a computer.

If I was that friend of yours, I would, seeing you sitting there in front of a monitor, I would surely leave with the promise of deleting your number from my phone.

I am this kind of person.

Maybe the majourity of the poeople wouldn’t like me for this, but few others would.

And those are the one I want as frinds!

Hugs

Gionata Nencini
www.Partireper.it