The plan is to not have a plan
As I am writing this, I am sitting in a bus from Madrid to Torvizcón venturing out to new adventures. The trip started yesterday evening with my plane being an hour delayed and before that: My last working day at 3Shape.
Wait, what? You quit your job at 3Shape?
Yes. And am in the process of selling my apartment in Copenhagen as well.
It has been a process for some months now to get this started, and already I have had a number of Wows, Amazing, Wish it was me, and I admire your courage.
My journey to where I am right now actually begun some time back. I mean; the actual decision to quit my job was done late April, start May, but before that I had been contemplating a bit on my life, trying to figure out if I was where I wanted to be. And before that, of course, was my trip to South America which may be seen as the place where I got time to think those thoughts, or just a different reaction to the same desire (already there before the South American trip) – depending on how you view it. So where do you draw the actual line in the sand? I don’t know.
But as I said; it has been a work in progress for some time. Coming back from South America I had a number of dreams and projects that I would like to find time to do in my day to day life. I definitely wanted to do more acroyoga and also teach it – to share the joy that it has brought me. I also wanted to teach climbing again, and planned a fall training course that unfortunately did not fan out. Getting more and more pressed on time (and sleep) with all the things I wanted to do, I also realized that I had not moved out of Copenhagen as I had promised myself (multiple times).
Realizing all this, it became clear to me that if I did not move now, then I might never move, and that was a scary thought. So when people compliment me on the courage to break up, to me it is more a kind of lack of courage to stay1.
So my plans right now are quite slim. I am participating in the Partner Acrobatics Teacher Training here in Spain (hence the bus trip) and after that I am returning to Copenhagen to complete the sale of my apartment. From there on, I have no plans. I do have some vague ideas and hopes for opportunities to arise, perhaps travel a bit, and other “usual” stuff that free birds do. But actual planning…? No.
This, I think, will be the first time in my life where I do not have a plan for my (immediate) future – and that is also an adventure in itself 🙂
Food shopping for the hungry participants…
My morning view the next month’s time…
- Well, more or less. My perception of what is important and what is the driver behind my decisions change a bit over time. Part of the story is also that I have not managed to establish a family yet. While it is easy to focus on the negative side of that, I decided that I also need to focus on the positive side of that and take advantage of the freedom that comes with that situation. ↩
Hi Jørn,
I
m interested to learn more out the Ruta 25. Im planing to travel through Bolivia still this year and I plan to take Ruta 25 starting in Cochabamba towards LaPaz. Since it took you a few days, is that street really in such a bad shape? What about hotels and gas stations? My bike, a GS 800 Adv, can run up to 500 km but I wouldn’t´ want to test this on Ruta 25.I would be great to hear from what challenges you faced on this track.
Thanks in advance
Eric
Hi Eric,
Your mail address did not work, hence I am will post my answer here:
I think it is all about perspective when you ask if the road is in a bad shape. It is dirt road, but as far as dirt road goes, it is not in such a bad shape. It is just that it is long and winding. What I only recently discovered is, that Google actually measures it to be a few kilometres longer than the new paved road due to its windy nature. You may be able to drive a bit faster than I did if you are an experienced driver, but there is also local villages and traffic which you need to accommodate for.
There is no official gas stations that I remember, but if you ask around in the local villages, you are able to buy a bit of gas from local shops. The price will be higher than normal (of course) and be a bit attentive as one of the locals tries to short change me.
Accommodation… I slept a night in my tent, and another night in a communal house. There is not many places for tents out there, but if you speak a bit Spanish, things will work out for you – but don’t expect hotel standards 😉 Also, the app iOverlander may be a help for you – both regarding accommodation and gas.
Food. You can get food from markets or eat the local (cheap) completos, but if you need anything special or are pick with quality, you may want to bring what you need with you. I had a rule never to go anywhere without having backup food (canned or dried) for at least 24 hours. While I never really needed to use it, it was a good comforting thing for me to have.
Hope this helps. If you have other questions, feel free to write me again.
Have a great trip!
Jørn