Living in nature

Girmantas | Travel | April 29, 2011

Me and Marius have covered the van with it’s new red dress, laid down the carpet, set our orange camping chairs and took a deep breath of salt-rich air. Pacific ocean adventure has begun. We could finally rest with a cup of tea under the sky full of stars. First 800 km is behind us. Five times more to go. But that’s gonna happen just after we’ve camped in the best Baja California spots.

Even though, civilization is not that far away (it’s only a couple of kilometers to the town), daily routine while camping is very different. We do not have a comfy couch, to get lazy. We do not have electricity, to stare at ones computer all day long. We have only what we’ve brought with us in the van. Nevertheless, there’s no time to get lazy. Always one’s doing something. Let it be reading a book, or playing chess, doing yoga or helping out for a fellow hippie, who got stuck on sand. In terms of modern world – it sounds like a waste of time, irrational, illogical and awkward. How is it possible to live without any rush? No electricity? No fridge? TV? Check your email only every third day? It is very much possible and oh boy, how good does it feel.

This lifestyle has a lot to offer. And not only that you improve your fifth language by talking to some locals. As you live in the spot, you will be the first one to see, when the tide and waves are right to paddle out and surf. And you will for certain miss a lot of great sessions if you’re not there at the right time. Not to mention all the passing whales, playing dolphins or fishing sea eagles, that catch bigger fish than we do.

On the other hand, after some time spent in the desert, you start to appreciate everything differently. You appreciate the ability to start the engine and watch a good movie in the evening. Here, in the middle of nowhere, you hear and see details that you might have missed in your fast paced daily life. You enjoy every page of the book you read, every thought or detail in the evening cinema, every bite of your food. You enjoy it, because a sandstorm can turn everything upside down any moment. You enjoy every single moment of it, because you don’t need to hurry. You enjoy living here and now.