Surpriseeeee!

It started after my friends left Mexico and went back to Norway. I am not sure what happened, but I felt more restless and started feeling a need to slow down. As I have written before, that is what I did. It definitely helped, and I enjoyed both Guatemala and Honduras fully. The consequence was that I would not get to see Nicaragua and Costa Rica this time around, but considering the amount of wanderlust this heart of mine has, I knew I would see them one day. 

After I caught chikungunya, I felt it again. This lack of peace in my mind. Not so strange you might think, since I was bed bound for almost a week. And all of those who know me or have been around me for a few days, know I am not a big fan of doing nothing. Even now with meditation slowing down my internal desire to constantly do something, I do like to move and be active. As soon as I was feeling a bit better, I decided to discover every street and path I could on my way. For two weeks I was extremely active. Lots of walking, lots of running, lots of hiking, lots of swimming and lots of kayaking. It was amazing! I also decided another thing though. It was time to head home. It has been on my mind on and off for the last month. I was about to change my ticket several times. I did not know for sure though. Where to go? How long to stay? I literately did not know what I was going to do more than a day ahead. I would wake up in the morning thinking «hmmm where to go to tomorrow?». Most often I would not have an answer before the evening before. But I trusted the process. I knew I was going to get where I was suppose to be, in time. So it happened. One day I was ready and I changed my tickets to Europe from 9th of July to 30th of June. I was «done» with sightseeing, humidity and tortillas this time around. Understand me correctly, I love this lifestyle, I really do, but 10 days were not going to change my life profoundly, and I really really wanted 1) to surprise my mum 2) to get to the gym (yea I know two somewhat different reasons). 

I always miss Croatia when summer is around the corner. Every year ever since I was a little girl the same thing happens. I start missing the smell of the ocean, the smell of the pine trees and the smell of grilled fish. It is funny, but there has not been a year in my life where I have not felt this. No matter where I am, no matter who I am with, I always miss it and want it. I have been to quite a few places in my life, but nothing can replace the view of Dalmatia and the Adriatic sea in summer…nothing!!!

It is part of the story that Neos who I was flying with from Cancun to Italy, managed to change my tickets to the wrong date. They of course did this while I was in the area with the worst internet reception in the whole of Guatemala, but again I trusted the process. I could not do much else, and it would for sure not help me in any way to stress around. Luckily at the end, they got the dates and destination right. I had two weeks left of my trip as backpacker this time around! A bit weird, but it felt right. 

I decided to head to Tikal and from there to Belize for a few days of diving in San Pedro, before heading for Tulum for a few days of cave diving and then flying to Milan from Cancun. This is probably the first time in two months that I had made specific plans about where to be and when, and of course none of the plans worked out. I got stuck in El Remate and Bacalar with a huge food poisoning, for the first time on my whole trip (except for a few minor cases before in Cambodia and Mexico). I spent my last three days in Tulum recovering, going to the beach, running and going to the gym. 

So although I did not get to dive in Belize nor Tulum, I did get to Cancun in time for my flight at least. It is also part of the story that I did not manage to get there with all my stuff. I managed to leave my wing at Zero Gravity! Even after going there twice in one day to get my gear, I still left something behind. The first time around I forgot my (steel) back plate, three regs and fins. I only discovered it after getting back to Tulum and opening my bag, luckily in time to go back before leaving for the airport. I still have no clue how this is even possible to do – those things way 10 kg all together and not once did it occur to me that my bag might be a bit too light (well I was actually happy with it being so light, but never suspicious enough to actually open it up and check its content while at Zero Gravity). Hopefully the wing can make its way to Europe and me this summer! 

Anyway, I am back in Europe after 10 months, actually I am on my way to Ancona where I will be taking a ferry over to Split tonight. There my uncle will be waiting for me and drive me to Vodice. I cannot post this before I actually get there, since I do not want to ruin the surprise. This post will be up tomorrow morning, by which time I should be having breakfast with my family infront of my house in Vodice. I am very much excited, although it did feel somewhat sad to leave the hostel in Milan this morning knowing it was my last one in a while. Seminormal life here I come!