a medicine bag

A week or so before we left Costa Rica, we met Victor. He pulled up to our cabin one afternoon to ask us if he could borrow our surfboard. Since the board had some cracks in it, he was willing to repair those in return for a few days of using it. We quickly agreed, and while the board was being repaired, we were able to learn Victor's story.

He is on a journey from Michigan to the southern tip of Argentina on his motorcycle. He travels alone except when his brother flies down to meet up with him for a few weeks. He left without knowing any Spanish, but after spending some time in Mexico he's fluent. He carries a knife for protection, several wallets for when he's robbed, and a bag of medical supplies to earn his keep at various clinics and hospitals throughout the different coutries. He is a medical student taking a break from school, and he has been volunteering his time and knowledge in order to have a place to sleep and eat.

I visited with him for several hours one afternoon, and he told me all kinds of crazy stories. He's been robbed at gun point by dirty cops in Mexico, taken to jail in Belize for wearing a bandana on his head, and has come face to face with a jaguar in Guatemala (I think that's where it was). He has been on the road for about 10 months now, and he gets a bit homesick sometimes, but he is absolutely happy in life. He loves the excitement of discovering the unknown. He loves meeting people and seeing the genuine kindness that almost everyone he has encountered portrays. And he loves having the freedom to do whatever he wants to do on his motorcycle. He is certainly an interesting and inspiring person.

His website is www.dondeestavictor.com , and I think there is an online community somewhere that follows him. This is one way he makes contacts in different countries and knows where to go and even who to stay with.