new friends and new feelings

for everyone thats wondering, my toe will be fine. i put some of that orange brazilian goo on it and taped it up with multiple batman bandages and so far so good. i bleed through the bandages a lot throughout the day but i think the flap is mending itself back on my toe so really... i will end up with one whole toe in the end... (or am i in serious denial??)

on another completely different note,
i´ve decided that i will never have a job... or, rather a career. all of my siblings have a family. either they are married and have great jobs or they have kids or both. and then, there is me.....
its just interesting...
because, at points, i almost envy them for leading such a stable life. but most of the time, i cant see myself following that path. I would rather save the little money i make working seasonal and or temporary jobs to have enough for a plane ticket to a foreign country. i dont want to settle down... ever, i dont think. there is too much in this huge world to explore, adventure and to soak in. i want to see every culture. i want to experience every piece of land and the affects they have on me as a soul seeker and an individual. i want to find my place in the world and i think that is by just... well, wandering the world.

Places i NEED to go to:
1. Nazca, Peru
2. Parque Tayrona, Colombia
3. El Bolson, Argentina
4. Salar de Uyuni
5. Machu Pichu
6. The Grand Canyon
7. Merida, Venezuela
8. this list will never end.....

And thats the point really... I learn by doing. I want to know the world but in order for a person like me to know it, i need to experience it. And if that means having nothing but what is in my small pack and just enough money to eat and get by... thats okay with me. I want to learn. I want to find whats most important and I know for sure that money is not it. And i know for sure that money isnt worth revolving my entire life around. Someone once said to me, ´ashley, you need money. you need to have a job and pay for stuff.` and i thought about it. yah... i mean, if i wanted fancy clothes and a fancy car and an expensive cell phone, i would need money. but i have none of that. i have few clothes, a car with no insurance that i gave to someone else and no cell phone. what do i need money for? i can work by doing something that i love, like being outside and showing people my backyard during the alaskan summers and then with the little money i make and save, move onto another country. a new place. a new adventure. THIS, my friends, is how IIII want to live my life. not in one single place. in many places.

you can join me if you want to.



i met this guy at the bar today who only spoke portuese and very very little spanish and he lives on the beach making and selling jewelry to just get by. he made me an ankle bracelet out of wire that says ashley and 4 rings in exchange for 1 beer. i thought that was a smart trade on my part. :)




tomorrow, i am headed up to Arraial D´Ajudo and I will be couchsurfing with someone that lives in Illeús. I´ve been in Vitória for almost 9 days now and i think its about time to leave this place. I am becoming a bit detached from nature and the city is starting to drive me nuts.