Making Choices and Being Flexible

Art Model Covenant, Belize 2015

Its been almost two months since I've started out on this adventure. Month 2 has been one of a more slowed pace. Over the first month, I stayed in 9 different places moving through Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. In this second month, I've only been in two places. I moved from Antigua, Guatemala 3 hours west up into the mountain highlands of Quetzaltenango, more locally known as Xela (Shay'-la).

Art Model Covenant, Belize 2015

I stayed 3 weeks at Kasa Kamelot Hotel, even though I had it booked for 4. Then I found an ad on a Xela Facebook Group (Thanks, Lani!) for an apartment on the other side of the city. I went to see it and jumped on it. I'm not the greatest at shopping around for a good deal on certain things. It was the only one I looked at and I knew I wanted it, though I knew I could find something cheaper and closer to where I was. This deciding factor for me was the fact that it was on the outskirts of town and has an amazing panoramic view of an active volcano. That spelled good for my peace of mind. And right now, that's quite important.

Art Model Covenant on Little Corn Island 2015 

For the moment, things have been slow and that's just how I want it for now. I'm going to sit tight here and explore this place until June when I head back for two or three weeks for that Surface Book 2 and the Sigma 20mm 1.4. I'll use the time to just breathe, you know? I'm working on some "In My Bag" videos as well as some that explain WHY I chose to bring the tools I have. So namely camera gear of course, but also the periphery accessories like grips, lighting, extra chargers, etc. I'm also doing vids on why I travel, why I think its important, and maybe even I can give you some ideas on how it could benefit you in what you're doing EVEN if you won't do extended travel like myself. But of course NONE of these videos will get edited and done til I get that friggin' laptop. This will be new to me because I have NEVER edited ANYTHING on the road. But with a powered up laptop like the Surface Book 2, I don't think I'll have to deal with many of the hang-ups I have with doing edits on most laptops. (Got my eye on a drone as well, but we'll see.)

Art Model Covenant, 2015 traveling throughout Central America 

Speaking of Sigma...they just announced last week 9 new FE mount lenses for Sony, which means I won't need an adapter for my camera. In the meantime, I'm going to utilize the time til June to work on how I plan to do a restructure of my blog and website to reflect the work I'm doing while traveling. I'm making videos to accompany them but of course I can't edit them just yet. Over the course of this journey, these videos will document my travels, talk about photo technique and ideas, explain my processes, review products and talk about gear (of course), and overall keep you updated on this adventure.

Art Model Covenant, 2015 traveling throughout Central America 

I will also utilize this time to hone in on my whole purpose for being here as well as contemplating ideas and travel concepts. After talking to several people just since I've been on this journey, I've come to give heavy consideration to traveling abroad vs living abroad. There are benefits to both and I have to consider each of these concepts. I'm not saying to live permanently in one place. I've talked to expats that stayed two years in Costa Rica before moving to Vietnam for two years. People like this prefer that lifestyle over traveling through from place to place every few weeks. For me, I'm pretty sure its going to be a balance. Case in point, I just spent a month in 9 places, but right now, I'm renting an apt for 3 months. If an opportunity strikes me to stay put longer, I'll consider that. I may get to Colombia and stay there a year.

Art Model Covenant, Juayua, El Salvador 2015

Regardless, however I choose to roll, it's got to fit into my mission, objectives, and opportunities. Staying in Xela does just that and I think 3 months will be long enough. Where will I go from there? Not sure. I initially planned to head up into Mexico, come around the Yucatan, back down into Belize and start southwards again. But now, I'm thinking of heading straight to Colombia when I return from the States after my June visit. For now, I've got time to weigh all those options. I'm excited about it.