Treating ourselves to a mini-vacation, my coworkers and I spent this past Saturday at the infamous Iguana Perdida hostel in Santa Cruz, a small Mayan town on Lake Atitlan. Santa Cruz is a charming town with a welcoming atmosphere and a stunning view of the lake and bordering volcanoes. However, the town’s real tourist draw is the Iguana. Located right on the edge of the lake, the hostel is the quintessential backpacker hotspot. Not only does it possess bohemian dormitories tucked into the jungle of banana, avocado, and palm trees, but the Iguana also provides diving lessons and certifications, a Mayan sauna, hammocks, Spanish classes, weaving instruction, pool tables, guided hikes, kayaks, a library, and a lounge complete with a fireplace and a huge flat screen, cable TV.
Every night, the hostel provides an all-you-can-eat, family-style dinner, in which hostel guests all sit at long dinner table and swap stories of their travels. My friends and I were fortunate to be at the hostel not only for BBQ night (I had been missing BBQ so much!), but also for the hostel’s notorious cross-dressing party that occurs each Saturday. Raiding the Iguana’s costume closet (yes the hostel has a costume closet), we quickly made friends with the other guests as we all helped each other to select the most ridiculous outfits possible. For example, while I sported a fuchsia business coat and a one piece floral jumper that could have possibly once been a bathing suit or maybe an adult diaper, Hudson donned a pink terry cloth dress, cowboy boots, and a sunhat. Lawyers and business men in the United States, thirty-year-old heterosexual men wore outdated prom dresses and sundresses, while two pairs of newlyweds sported tacky makeup and MC Hammer pants. By and large, the evening was a classy affair.
With all of us decked out in the “fancy dress” required for dinner, we ate our BBQ and tried to take each other seriously as we discussed travelling, life, and work. Following the meal, everyone began dancing and playing games like musical chairs, limbo, and other games commonly found at 4th grade birthday parties. The fun lasted well past midnight, until everyone went to bed, fearful of the blackmail photos that were sure to emerge from the earlier festivities.
For me, the evening at the Iguana perfectly embodied one of the reasons for my love of travelling. Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have backpacked in many countries, including the Dominican Republic, the majority of Western Europe, and Germany for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. I have most often travelled alone, but no matter the destination, I have always met fellow backpackers and have left the place with new friends and memories. Innumerable people have shared a similar experience. In hostels, it is very common and almost expected for strangers to meet and immediately make plans to grab dinner or go to a local bar. Somehow, making new friends is just easier when you are travelling.
I believe that these quickly established friendships are not just random phenomena or trivial occurrences, but that they are in fact the most magical parts of the backpacking experience and should not be underestimated or overlooked. Last Saturday, I helped strangers to cross-dress. I cannot say their favorite stores, their political opinions, or what cars they drive, but I can say that we now share a bond, a common memory that we will cherish for years to come. And thus is the magic of travelling. When you meet another backpacker in transit, the superficial facts about his life cease to matter. You both occupy a liminal space, that is to say that you both are living in transit and out of your comfort zones, and this mutual liminality creates profound bonds based on shared experiences rather than common interests or opinions. While the bonds between backpackers are in no way better than the friendships established at home, these connections are special and magical both in their depth and in the speed with which they are forged.
Perhaps the power of liminality applies to even more than friendships. Perhaps, not in the routines of daily life, but instead in the breaks from these routines can a person can best strengthen his self awareness and world perspectives. I do not know if this idea is true or not, however I do hope that everyone can and will seize the opportunity to travel and experience the magic of life outside of their comfort zones.
Peace
Ginny Savage
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