Cycling alone as a woman sucks sometimes
The bike and the tent are there.. I'm not sure but I think it's going to rain soon but I'll use the time I have as I cook, well, as I prepare myself some dinner to explain today because I didn't really get much on video. Mainly because something shitty, quite shitty actually, happened and it's not the first time that it happened so that makes it even worse.. anyway, let's start with the good things um at some point today as I was cycling I it kind of hit me that I had made it to Guatemala I think yesterday I was so stressed with the border crossing and so on that I didn't see that as what it actually is like I have made it to Guatemala a new country I've cycled through Mexico there's just so much to celebrate so of course um first things first in the morning I got quite emotional about that then I got my SIM card for Guatemala and then I started cycling um what I thought was going to be a really really hard day but it was so beautiful and I was so excited that it actually wasn't even that bad um I really saw a difference between how I was perceived in Mexico and like how many people were waving and so on as I was cycling and here I mean I was waved by so many people people asked me um some guys actually stopped me to give me a gateway then we like chatted for a bit it was really cool and then yeah the bad thing happened and foreign [Music] Ted let's use this time to first show you how beautiful today was [Music] thank you [Music] okay as I was going to explain the bad thing that happened to me um the owner of the campground came and we chatted as I ate dinner which was actually super cool he knows so much about Guatemala and Mexico and even about Spain I don't know just really really interesting conversation but back to what I was trying to say before and bear with me because this makes me quite nervous to speak about these kind of things I'd rather speak about positive things all the time but I think it is important too speak about everything the good and the bad anyway um and mind you this is the third time that something like this happens to me so that's why I'm more hurt by it anyway I was cycling and I stopped by the side of the road just to drink some water and check them out when I see that there's a mom um just playing with his parts on the side of the road looking at me and actually he's singing me um so as I said this is the third time that this happens to me the first one I didn't know what to do it took me by surprise so I just first insulted him and then got super scared and realized that I was in a bike he was in the car and he could really like harm me further so I just cycled away and hoped nothing else would happen and then cried for a while the second time just made me super sad because I realized that this is probably something that is gonna happen like every so often and I started wondering how many more times will this happen before I make it to Patagonia which should be something to be collected like women should not be worried about how many men will do this to them anyway um and today it just made me so angry because I was so happy and just you know like waving at people and talking to people some for some reason I was breathing off and bold enough to you know get my phone and start recording him and I thought that would make him stop turns out he couldn't care less he actually continued until he was done um which I'm [ __ ] disgusting and again I hate talking about this kind of things but I do think it's important every time I tell this story to a woman most of them tell me same thing happened to me in this country in that country so like it's not even a matter of like where this has happened to me happens everywhere and happens all the time and I'm usually quite proud when people ask me oh wow like you're cycling from Vancouver to Patagonia as a woman all be yourself how do you do this and I'm quite proud usually to answer saying just as any man would you know but it's not true whatever man has to do to cycle from vaguar to Patagonia in terms of physical condition and mental strength and planning and so on women have to do plus there with the fact that they're women so things like this will happen every so often and yeah I thought I was calmer turns out it still shakes me and yeah when is it gonna happen next you know it is very infuriating and if anyone thinks me sharing is not right or me recording is not right I'd love to know what you would have done I'd love to know if you have a better answer to this or a better response or what do you think I should do um not travel or like travel with the Chevron like a man that comes with me so those things that won't happen I've even blamed myself for having like two um braids because maybe that is seen as sexy to some people like should I shave my head or what is this like what is the response to this um anyway I'm gonna take a breather and then we're gonna say the five things that I'm grateful for today because this is not what I want to be thinking about before going to bed okay so number one I'm in a new country I'm so excited to see everything that Guatemala has to offer and yeah I'm very grateful for that to today's scenery was I think maybe one of the best days of cycling in terms of scenery since I started my trip like well I was saying about Chiapas and that Still Remains but today's scenery was just insane green blue and white as Vivid and as beautiful as ever just perfect three um I really thought today was going to be really hard in terms of elevation but the climbing was okay in the end so it was almost 2 000 meters of climbing but but it wasn't too steep at any point it was just like quite gradual which was amazing um and also the temperature was perfect not too hot not too cold just perfect four apart from the Batman I've talked to so many people today the guy here at the campground um the ones who gave me the gate trade and like plenty of people I think I've never been with that so much like well in Asia when I was cycling in Asia that happened to me a lot but honestly today was waving hello and asking questions that was really really cool and five yeah the fact that even though I'm in a big city with an angle I found this Campground that is just like nature in the middle of a city and yeah it's gonna be calm and quiet only crickets um there's kind of like some people having dinner but they're gonna leave and it's gonna be all to myself so that's it it's in the night and they in a positive tone and yeah I'll see my sister in two days so I'm so excited anyway good night [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] it's time to accept that I won't make it to [Music] Guatemala so I'm gonna try to see if someone's gonna give me a ride me and my bike a ride I don't need to get there until tomorrow that's when my sister gets there but yeah somewhere closer so I'm trying to think where should I go where should I ask people to take me I'm doubting between because why not camping in a beautiful place I'm probably going to be doing more like hostels in the next two weeks so I really would like to come tonight and if I make it to a bigger city that means probably a hostel or something anyway when you're hitchhiking you cannot really choose so [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] okay so before I start reading and just call it a day let's do the five things for today as quickly as possible one I had a Wi-Fi this morning so I could call my parents and spend some time talking to them that was really really cool two um you were super nice again like waving at me saying hi asking questions just makes my cycling a lot more entertaining three the temperature after spending like some days in the coast of Oaxaca and really getting to hate the Heat this temperature here is just perfect not too hot not too cold just perfect four [Music] yeah finding someone who gave me a ride all the way to um Lake Atitlan um just amazing and five being able to come here which is supposed to be the most beautiful lake in the world not me saying it it is supposed to be that someone said that importantly if I'll see my sister I cannot I cannot believe that in 24 hours I'm so excited I don't think I'll sleep well tonight because I'm just so excited I keep imagining her here and us together doing things anyway let's stop this let's go read and try to think about other things 24 hours [Music] okay so everything's packed up.
I'm just having a coffee thank you Huge moon, pink sky, I'll see my sister tonight... it's gonna be a long day but it's going to be a wonderful one. I'm so excited [Music] [Music] thank you foreign [Music] people have been warning me not to cycle on lonely roads (carreteras solas) which are usually the kind of roads I look for to avoid cars but apparently that's where you get robbed so I am now I think in theory in a lonely road but I've seen some cars so I don't know foreign [Music] This roads are so sketchy because there's no shoulder and people drive super fast so I'm always kind of like sticking my arm out listening to cars and if I can I just get out of the road like now [Music] [Music] [Music]
2023-09-15 22:51