The Rum Diary Question #19 ~ Off to the Caribbean

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

Hunter left New York for parts unknown in the Caribbean at the age of 21 to work for a start up newspaper. Would you, did you, could you, will you, do you, wish you had done the same thing at that age?

[Buster]

I was a bit younger when I went to India to study music. It proved to be a very positive, life-changing decision. I no longer play Karnatic music, but the experiences I had helped make me who I am today.
As far as I'm concerned, a life isn't complete without risk and adventure.

[nebraska]

I never was (and to this day still am not) a risk taker. It has really limited my choices and my life has been a very mundane old fashioned straight and narrow kind because of it. Do I wish things had been different? Of course! But there is little point in dwelling on it now. I do try to move out of my comfort zone a little more often these days, but at this point in my life I am not as worried about it as I was when I was younger.

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

Buster, that sounds like fascinating thing to do! Even if you didn't keep up with the music, I'm sure it was an exceptional experience.

nebraska, I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to picking up and leaving for good. I like to travel and I have lived abroad for a short time but it was related to employment, not something I just up and did on me onsies.

[ladylinn]

At my age there is a wish that I had been more adventuresome when I was young. Married at a young age (20) so my life seemed to just fall into place. Altho I am happy with my life there is alot of life and the world that I have missed. Not brave enough to venture out alone when I was young. I admire those like you Buster who had the courage to have that experience.

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

It's never too late, ladylinn! At least that is what I tell myself.

[deppaura]

Is this type adventure a little easier for men?? Traveling alone. Females little risky. Even the lone woman in a restaurant can wind up at the table near the kitchen. I think it requires a special woman to take on this challenge. If the travel is associated with work or a passion it might be easier. Is it Jane Goodman with the love of the chimps? I get her mixed up with the other unfortunate woman who loved gorillas and, did, in fact, lose her life. I can hear all the cries of protest from the females who managed this successfully. I know they are out there and I applaud them. I just had a flash on DeadMan! Now, there was a poor unfortunate gentle soul!

[Liz]

Caribbean no. Does going away to college count? That was big, considering how sheltered I was.

Then I lived close to home (Oakland) but in the rebellious part….Berkeley.

After that I moved a little further away.

Then 10 years later I move a little bit further away.

At this rate, I’ll never get to the Caribbean, luv.

At age 21 I was just not that adventurous. At that age I was afraid of a lot of things. As the years passed I became more adventurous. And now, at the ripe age of 54, I don’t scare so easy. Now I just have responsibilities getting in the way.

But if I could do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would have gone for it.

Buster, I think we all move on to different interests. At least you can say you had that experience. I don’t even know what Karnatic music is.

[Liz]

Is this type adventure a little easier for men?? Traveling alone. Females little risky. Even the lone woman in a restaurant can wind up at the table near the kitchen. I think it requires a special woman to take on this challenge. If the travel is associated with work or a passion it might be easier. Is it Jane Goodman with the love of the chimps? I get her mixed up with the other unfortunate woman who loved gorillas and, did, in fact, lose her life. I can hear all the cries of protest from the females who managed this successfully. I know they are out there and I applaud them. I just had a flash on DeadMan! Now, there was a poor unfortunate gentle soul!

It is chimps. But it is Goodall. Who is the woman with the gorillas? I can't remember.

[yangyang]

At my age there is a wish that I had been more adventuresome when I was young. Married at a young age (20) so my life seemed to just fall into place. Altho I am happy with my life there is alot of life and the world that I have missed. Not brave enough to venture out alone when I was young. I admire those like you Buster who had the courage to have that experience.

I'm only 19,and it seems that I should live a more adventuresome life.But it's difficult to decide to take risks.I just don't know what my future will be so I'm a little fear about taking risks......

[Buster]

DeppInTheHeartOfTexas:

It's never too late,

and I'd add that adventure doesn't have to happen "far away". Granted, I am a bit of a risk-taker when it comes to new experiences, but many of the most intriguing things that have happened to me have been within 1000 miles of home (wherever home happened to be at the time.)
One of the things that struck me in The Rum Diary was how the foreigners all hung out with each other. I think if they had had more genuine daily contact with the locals that things might have unfolded quite differently.
I guess there are many different ways to travel, but I've always preferred back roads and local food. Guess I'd rather see what it is like to really live somewhere, as opposed to what "attractions" are available.

[Liz]

Yangyang, to ONBC!

I understand, since it was hard for me to take risks at that age.

Buster, you make a very good point that adventures can happen close to home. Most definitely!

Your other points are well taken too. They did stick together. But I can totally see why that would be. It’s safe, as it were.

And thanks for reminding me about my one experience in the Caribbean which was more adventurous than anything I've ever done.

We went to Jamaica. But we didn’t do the all-in-one experience. We stayed at 3 different hotels on different parts of the island and ate many dinners at the local restaurants. The restaurants had wonderful food. One night we hired a cab driver to take us to some local club. Actually, I thought about that while I was reading the chapter on the St. Thomas party. It was very cool, but not sure if it would have been if I had started stripping. And another day on the opposite side of the island in a more rural area we gave a local guy a ride. We had a drink with the guy and it was quite enjoyable. Driving in itself is an adventure in Jamaica. Jamaican drivers are crazy. Plus we had to drive on the opposite side of the road. It was an experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. But I never would have had the courage to do it by my onesies.

[Buster]

Liz wrote:

But I never would have had the courage to do it by my onesies.

Well, even the pirates went around in crews - but they definitely got to know the locals!

[stroch]

At 23 I went off alone for several months -- but to the British Isles, where I could understand the language! I also moved alone to the wilds of the Ozarks and lived there in the woods for a number of years. Most of the time when I travel, I go alone -- to Mexico, to France, to Canada, here in the States --nothing very exotic. You meet many more people when you travel alone, because with others you form a social group and don't have to make contact.

You are right about expatriates and travellers hanging out together and staying separate from the locals. It seems to happen everywhere. I think that the language barrier is part of it, but another factor is that local people have to work and live their everyday lives, and temporary visitors are looking for adventures and experiences. I trek off to 12 hour workdays while my houseguests visit museums and historical sites and go to festivals and listen to music during the day, and explore the nightlife while I sleep (all the things I do when I travel.)

It's too late for me to laze in the Caribbean -- the bathing suit problem looms large at my age.

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

I did venture out one me onsies a few years ago to a Johnny premiere where I met up with a group Zoners that I didn't know and had only met on the internet. That was a big step out of my comfort zone but it sure paid off in some wonderful friendships! Of course we did all speak the same language...