The Code

A fellow traveler, Shane from Aussie-land, and I were talking about something that I don't like talking about. No, not genital herpes, we were talking about getting jaded from traveling. Specifically with people. One of the many reasons to travel is to meet different people. And it's cool. Really. It's refreshing to get new perspectives on old ideas and such. But the deal is that after so much travel, one tends to take human contact for granted. You have 1 day friends, travel friends, regional friends. Time share friends. It sounds crappy to say, but it's not in practice. There're friends I don't keep in contact with at all, but randomly seeing them again in a hostel in Byron Bay, or on a ferry in the Baltic and it's like we never parted. But after a while, you stop trading email addresses and mobile numbers with people. You just meet so many people that it's impossible to keep up with them all. Some people you don't wanna keep in contact with. And I find myself defining friendships: fair weather friends, genuine friends, work friends, surf/snow friends, etc. I dunno. It sounds crappy, but it's the truth. After a lot of travel, you get tired of people. That's probably why I moved to Kauai and lived in a van for 8 months back in '02. Until I was ready to rejoin society. (That and to score juicy waves.) And I still don't party or go to bars. It's weird. I'm over people, yet I truly value my friends and enjoy their company. They're my extended family. Always willing to offer a sofa for the night, or a ride to the airport. And I do the same for them. Always. It's the traveler code.

Speaking of herps, here's another gem a la Catherine. And I mean the comic above, to clear up any confusion (AJoy).