“I’ve always got time for the things I love, but I ain’t got time for excuses” these are the words I sometimes think of when I sense procrastination creeping in while, blank screen in front of me, trying to write this blog. These are the words of my friend Ricardo, who a year ago was emphasizing his dismay at trying to propel a music project forward but kept receiving excuses from a collaborator. These are words inspired by unremitting passion. Passion has many forms but in whichever appearance it takes, it is almost always true that nothing can hold a person back if they are truly passionate. Sometimes not even good judgement can stand in the way. This was the case the day I decided to put all my belongings and my life into the hands (or should I say thumbs) of two Chilean guys I had met a mere 3 weeks earlier. I had already bought my bus ticket from Chile to Argentina but when–the day before my departure–I was offered the chance to hitchhike over the Andean mountains with two local guys who worked in the hostel, my passion for the unknown kicked in and not even common sense could stop me. So I tossed the bus ticket (and caution) in the bin, deleted the fact that I was in South America from my brain, strapped all my gear to my back, practiced a few hitching poses in the mirror and headed out.
I’ll spare you the hours of monotony spent curb-side thumbs pointed skyward unsure of whether they were being used as signals or as sundials. Eventually a Big Rig piloted by a friendly and shirtless Brazilian took us on board. As we were climbing Los Caracoles Pass (aptly named for the snail-like trail and pace needed to summit the Andes) I began to talk with my travel companion, Ricardo, about why he was making this trip. He told me how he had always been inspired by music and poetry and was seeking his own “free-wheeling” adventure similar to those of Bolaño, Kerouac or Dylan as a means to stir his own creative spirit. A writer and musician himself, he didn’t feel that stagnating behind some desk in the hot Santiago summer was the path to realizing his passions. Crossing the apex of the mountains, we now had to go through border control and enter Argentina–but where was border control? Having crossed borders in Asia, The Middle East and The U.S.A, I was astonished to see no patrol, no immediate buildings and no fence. In fact, if one wants to enter Argentina illegally, all you have to do is climb over the mountains, walk across and you’re in. We decided to take the legal route and found the building for border control, got “hassled” a little by the Argentinian officers for being Chilean (even myself with a Canadian passport) and then had to ask them for our passport stamps.
I would like to tell you that some big/crazy/scary/strange/drug & gang related thing happened to me while I was hitch-hiking but I honestly can’t say that. The truth is everyone I came across was helpful, kind and a character worth remembering. We even got to stay the night in a picturesque little hotel in the Argentine countryside that once hosted Brad Pitt. There the group of us spent the evening drinking cool beers on the patio and steeping our lungs in the humid valley air. We arrived in Mendoza the following day in the carriage of different trucker, this time a Chilean, the boys with hunger in their bellies and me with a proposition for marriage if I ever wanted a Chilean trucker husband. I pondered a lot about why these men spend weeks if not months away from home, risking their lives to transport goods for others. For some it may be out of necessity but I believe for most it’s the love of the road, of man and machine and for the love of meeting random travellers from other lands like us. What they drive isn’t what drives them–their passion is; for if you are passionate about something months will seem like days because then, time is irrelevant.
Since hitching, Ricardo has become a dear friend of mine and he is the perfect example of being a passion pioneer. After spending may years writing, creating and playing music on his own, he sought out others who share his hunger for creativity. He now works in Digital Media Marketing where he gets to write quirky content and make fun videos for brands all across Chile. He is also a part of the band Perfectos Extraños. I had a talk with Ricardo recently about the budding success of his band, so be sure to read next week to find out why we should all be paying attention to the music scene in Chile right now.
The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as “An intense desire or enthusiasm for something: A thing arousing great interest and enthusiasm” but we all know it is more personal than that. What we all share is that passion is something you are willing to labor for and probably willing to suffer for. After handing me one excuse or another why they cannot, people often comment about how lucky I’ve been to travel. They always wonder how I’ve managed to have had time to see 30 counties in only 30 years of life. The answer isn’t luck. I work my ass off every year, budget, save and plan so I can go and see this world. I go because I have to; because I love it; because I live for it. After all, I’ve always got time for the things I love, but I ain’t got time for excuses.
Kean on Culture 