How to explore the jungles of central america
How I did it: There is no end to adventure in this world. I will be exploring the Planet and discovering its wonders until my body returns to the Earth.
I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to explore some of the jungles in Central America in the early years of my youth :-)
In my twenty first year, in the academic halls of Stony Brook, I heard rumor of an archaeological expedition embarking for the Belize Valley. I signed myself up, got some malaria shots, and flew out of JFK. I lived in a hut in the jungle for almost a month. One of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I vowed, before I left, that I would return to the Jungle.
In my twenty third year, after I graduated from University, I honored my vow. I bought a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. I never planned to return to New York. I went by myself, and this was a great decision. As soon as that plane landed in San Jose, I felt truly free, for the first time in my life.
In venturing out on my own, I had freed myself of all those social conventions, the expectations, the mind-made "self" that I had built in New York... and became, for a while, ONE with my true self. As my meticulously constructed social identity dissolved, the fog of self-expectations cleared away. I was finally able to see clearly the human that LIVES behind the ego :-)
The only limitations on my freedom were now completely in my own mind. Fear kept me from doing some of the things that I wanted to do. I decided, at one point, to "Fuck my Fear!!!" and charge head-on into whatever I was afraid of. I climbed mountains naked. I dived off of fifty-foot cliffs. I swam out deep into the Pacific Ocean. I slept in the open Jungle (baaad idea). I went without a plan, to wherever the Universe happened to lead me.
I almost died a few times, but it was worth it. I LIVED. Every man dies, but not every man truly lives.
Lessons & tips: Your life is what you make it. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you are "free" in the way I was "free" in the jungle. You are the only one who can decide what you do with your life.
Resources: Go without a plan. Travel light; bring only the bare necessities. One or two articles of light clothing in a small & light backpack, enough cash to survive for a while, and the heart of an adventurer. Be prepared to get dirty :-)
