Seeds for a Home

Ride by ride by ride I made my way to Belize and back in less than a week, getting bit by a thousand mosquitoes and getting just a very small peak of that small English-speaking nation that borders Mexico. I really would need to spend a lot more time to formulate a real opinion about it, and right now I'm more interested on writing about something else, but I did meet a wonderful Russian family there with big hearts and strong determination who shared their wonderful home and farm with me.

When I came back to Guatemala I got my last ride of the day in Melchor Mencos by a truck driver and his whole family and I got to ride in the back with all the children and the candy, with the lateral door opened wide away and our legs hanging by the road! Another beautiful Central American sunset and... Arrived once again to San Benito.

Somehow the firemen there convinced me of going to Tikal. I try to avoid touristy places, but Tikal was quite worth it for many different reasons. The animals walk around the paths with the visitors and for me, the biggest joy was to find thousands or Ojoche trees, also known as Ramon, the seed I got a chance to try in Ometepe with the Lnuks, and which was believed to be the base of the Mayan diet. 

I spent a fair amount of time walking around the ruins collecting some seeds to cook them later and I also found a couple that were sprouting. 

It was a really beautiful day that reminded me to take my time to enjoy the things around me instead of just rushing clumsily to the next unknown destination. The Peten lake's sunset was my view in my pick-up ride back to the San Benito Fire Station, and I had time to reflect about the last few months and really, the last year, since I started hitchhiking and discovering the many different layers that the word freedom has in my life.

The next morning I left San Benito pretty early and hitchhiked down La Libertad road towards Cobán, to try to find the Rainbow Gathering I had been hearing so much about since I started traveling in the USA at the beginning of the year.

An ex-truck driver took me to the spot I had written down in my notebook for the gathering directions and there I was... next to a beautiful blue river, surrounded by nature and with no sound except the birds and the wind.

I wasn't sure I was in the right spot because right above the rainbow drawing at the entrance of the road there was a big sign that said "Private property, don't go in," but I went ahead down the path hoping not to get shot.

I was very relived when I saw the first tents and then, under a big blue tarp, a bunch of people who greeted me yelling "Welcome Home!"

Some of them went ahead and hugged me and I was pretty happy to see Jordan, who I had met before in Vipassana.

I had no idea how true those first words I heard were... I was, for real, just arriving home...

Meditating, singing, cooking, playing, swimming, face painting, teaching, working, and of course, being in nature are just some of the few things I have gotten to do so far in this seed camp.
I realized after a few days of truly loving these wonderful strangers that I finally felt home for the first time in a very long, long time.
This gorgeous place mixes the incredible wealth of the Guatemalan landscapes and cultures with the border-free, label-free effort of the people that come together for this encounter of love and sharing.
We are building a temporary village over here! And it's hard work! Pulling corn from the fields and cutting wood and making trails and constructing stuff! And all this just with the purpose of making that home that we had been dreaming of coming back to... Travelers, creators, farmers, spiritual seekers of all forms, from all places, coming in buses or boats or planes or by foot, all coming together for this... the new beginning that we are hoping for humanity.

Our neighbors from the Quechi communities came to visit a couple of times so far and I found it very inspiring to share with this people who come from such a different culture and traditions our love for nature and earth, these parents that sustain us with love and patience. Gabriel, the guardian from the land, was very pleased to get some of the Ojoche seeds and was excited to plant them and see of the majestic Ramon trees would grow in that colder land.

I was planning on leaving next week to go back to Mexico, but now that I found home, I don't think I will be leaving any time soon. I'm exactly where I need to be right now.