Part 1: The Ambition:

As you climb the windy roads getting closer to the top, the air begins to get thinner. The whole country is set up high, you can taste the difference, but there’s something special as you approach 8,000ft. Throughout your life you hear the tales, the myths and the legends…there’s nothing to prepare you for the first sight of Macchu Picchu. The sun gleaming through the clouds, through that thin air, casting a shadow against the once lost ruins of the Inca, brings all the stories you were told to life.

This was my first introduction to adventure travel. Seeing one of the wonders of the world, lost art, and ancient legends will burn an ambition into your mind that can never be forgotten. At this point, unknowingly, I was cast like skipping stone onto the path of travel. My father always told me that the only road to take was the road less traveled, and it wasn’t until then that i understood why. It was with the vision of Peru and his advice in mind, that we continued to embark on our journey of rediscovery.

As time waits for no man, either did we. The next year, we began straight away gaining access to the untouched & unspoiled lands/waters of the Galapagos. Believing now i was an expeditionary leader, due to my vast experience, i had no remission in thinking i could do anything. Mother Nature & life it self seems to have a way of reminding you how small you are in this big world, the Galapagos held no quarter. I was quickly taught by the land of Darwin that one trip with your father certainly doesn’t make you an expert. The chain of Islands that make up the Galapagos are relatively small, and easy to explore, the waters on the other hand are a whole different beast.

We had been snorkeling quiet a few times on smaller family trips to Puerto Rico, & Antigua, but nothing like this. It was surreal to say the least. There is no real shore line or beaches in the Galapagos, not like the times we had been before. There you were guided around on what the locals call a “Panga”, meaning a small boat or a skiff, and whenever the guide saw something of interest or spot he had been before all he would say was “ok, you go”. That’s exactly what you would do, just go. We would don our gear, and splash off the side into the unusually cold water. It was magical. We were immediately immersed into a forgotten realm of the deep, a world of marine life very few people get to see let alone experience; endangered species of birds, Marine Iguanas that shoot salt out of their noses, and sea lions that have an attitude that could rival any 5 year old child.

I was swimming, looking and touching everything i could, minutes passed, even hours, i was on a hunt not even knowing what i was looking for. It was tremendous, exhilarating and quiet honestly overwhelming, in the most beautiful of ways…i had gotten lost in its mystery. When i finally had come to the surface to take a break and look around, making sense of the epic-ness i had just seen, i soon realized…i was alone. The Pacific Ocean is 64 million square miles, and home to over 228,000 different species of aquatic life; and then there was me, bobbing above the waterline scanning every horizon for something, anything that may have looked familiar. A few minutes passed in panic and disbelief before the panga came into view, a sight for sore eyes. As the boat came closer the panic subsided, and the daily lessons began to sink in; i really was a spec in the universe; how can something so small make a difference? Why try if there are so many obstacles in your way?

A moment of spiritual enlightenment and reflection, it felt good to have questions, even better not having the answers. The boat came close about 100ft away and i was waved to swim over, not realizing how tired i had become from treading water for hours, that was easier said than done. As i lazily paddled towards the boat, half submerged in the waves, i heard someone yelling, I couldn’t quiet make out what they were saying; it was in Spanish. Not knowing Spanish at this time I didn’t pay much attention. In between strokes, taking a breath, i still heard the yelling, but this time i saw my parents on top of the boat waving with a sense of haste. Thinking they were just tired from the day i picked up the pace, a little…. since they had left me alone in the ocean i had no real hurry, they could suffer another minute in the dying sun.

My father reached out his hand as i slipped my way onto the boat, it was rocking back & forth in the waves, of course it couldn’t just be easy; nothing worth while ever really is. Water logged and at this point exhausted i laid on the seat of the boat. Looking up at my dad i began to ask how it came to be that i was left alone in the ocean, but before i could, he began to speak. I couldn’t really make sense of what he was saying at first, could of swore i heard the word shark, i thought they must have seen some white tips along the way, they were everywhere and overall harmless. Then he spoke again, this time however; i heard what he was saying, “there was black tip reef shark”. I had never seen one before but i knew how much bigger and more aggresive they were, and i was definitely excited to hear more. That was until, “it was a pretty big one, maybe only 15ft behind you on your swim to the boat”, i was shook, half listening to the guide in his best English explain how black tips stalk their prey before they attack.

I had been close, i had touched the edge, i had been in the purgatory of life and didn’t even know it. Learning after the fact that at any moment could’ve been the last, the answers to those questions i had thought of just a short time ago came rushing into my head. We are here to survive and meant to be challenged in all the most extraordinary ways, to learn from what we have done in order to teach the ones who follow us next. I believe that’s what it is to be human, a learning experience, with a massive bell curve called life. In situations like those you inevitably have an option, you can always look back in pain and discomfort or..you can look back and say i survived. i won, and I’ve learned. The only difference in one reaction to the other is the confidence you have in yourself. With the right mental fortitude and knowledge that you absolutely can be the smallest fish in the sea, and not only survive but thrive, you can truly accomplish anything.

I wish i had time to write everything down and tell all the stories of the adventures since; come to think of it i do have time for one.