Travel-mate Strengths

When leaving for an extended trip to Central America with a friend I had been in the presence of a grand total of three days in the past three years, I will not hesitate to admit I was a bit nervous. In her defense, of all my friends, I figured she was one of three, I could handle for this extended period of one-on-one time. Though, it was of importance, my travel companion could also handle me.

As anticipated throughout the trip we were inseparable. For 38 straight days--from bumpy, hot and long bus rides to sharing a twin size bed in a hostel overcapacity to beach runs to mealtime--we were together nonstop. Recapping (the trip) in the hammocks on one of our last nights to giddy goodbyes from the Juan Santamaría Interational Airport, and, now, after over a week at home to reflect, I can report I had nothing to worry about. My college friend, K.F.A. was a fantastic travel companion(!!!).

This is why:

1. The girl loves to read. Not only does she love to read, we enjoy similar books... and read at a similar pace. She was wrapping up Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy (at my encouraging) when we arrived. (The Hunger Games details a futuristic society that is a great, great, great... great grandchild of the United States. Stop reading this nonsense. Pick up the series now. If you dislike even one sentence bill me later.) Then both of us worked our way through the Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series throughout the trip. This, in and of itself, left us with five plus weeks material to discuss. To boot she has a passion for learning unlike any I have witnessed, internet permitting she informed me about current events.
2. She is an early riser. She was willing to get up at 4:30 am if it meant catching the first bus out of town, 6:00 am if it meant squeezing in a run before the sun began to beat down on the landscape, or 7:00 am if it meant enjoying the beach at low tide.  
3. At some point during the day, preferably early, securing a cup of black fuel was her priority. There was no schedule for our coffee rhythm--cup in the morning, two cups at breakfast because the coffee was so delicious, cup in the afternoon, a third cup because it comes on ice, an after dinner cup. Her enthusiasm for securing daily java time, brewed from its origins, exceeded my own. 
4. Like me, she is all about tracking down authentic gems. We would scour the block (or town) two and three times in search of the "most local" place. Bus stops. Bicycle rental shops. The front yard of a host country national. The park kiosk. Make that two plates of whatever it is you are serving. 
5. She runs. We are both better people when we run, keeping motivation 'vacation level' high. And she is on the Jillan Michaels' bandwagon... which lead to more than one mountain climber/plank jack/plie-squat-jump session on the beach.  
6. If this list was in order of importance, K.F.A.'s cooking each and every meal we ate in, which was the majority, would definitely find its place at the top. I do not cook, I scavenge, therefore, without her I would have starved. (I do wash dishes, if that counts for anything?) 
7. And she was willing to go vegetarian... for an extended period to time... when she probably could have been eating delicious fish. The ultimate friendship sacrifice. 
8. She values snacks. And was willing to dice each piece of tropical fruit, which, holy moly, is a ton of work when Mom is not around. 
9. At Costa Linda breakfast, or anytime really, she was willing to trade papaya for bananas. This was not overlooked. (I have a major character flaw: disliking papaya. It leaves a vomit aftertaste I cannot get over.) 
10. She is a hypochondriac. This could easily be misconstrued as a negative, for me--it is the comic relief I look for in a friend. A cut on her finger required a trip to the hospital for repair. True story. A sore throat was strep. True thought. (The "strep throat" lasted four days.) A fall off a moving truck required an ankle amputation. True thought. (The ankle healed, after one night out of commission.) Diarrhea is going to dehydrate her to an early death. True thought. (She lived.) 
11. We share the same sentiment on smoking: STOP(!!!) people of the world. It is 2012, why do people under 60 still smoke? It is gross. Like so gross. You are gross. Because you smoke. Like so gross. Do not puff that in my face. I carry weapons.   
12. Using her knowledge of four languages, without asking she recognizes where nearly every traveler reigns from. This was fun for eavesdropping when the Germans were fighting. Or for identifying unique languages, like Dutch. Impressive. Most importantly though is that she can communicate--exchange conversation with the Danish girls or translate Spanish to English for me, her super lazy, very forgetful travel-mate.
13. This girl knows how to share. She lent me her phone at my disposal for texting my mom, checking email, and fancying up pictures with Instagram. 
14. I do not want anyone telling me I am dirty while traveling. I might have ran, swam in the ocean, and spilled watermelon down my face during snack... but I am sleeping in a tree house tonight, and I plan on waking up to repeat the days events. I am not dirty, I am simply less clean. She too showers selectively... 
15. but encourages handwashing. My friends at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says handwashing is the best way to prevent illness and infection, and to keep from spreading germs to others. This is no joke in the developing world, when living or traveling--health is my priority. 
16. She has the best laugh in the world. And she laughs a lot. A LOT. 

This is my second list-y post this week. I am not into that, however, I value protecting the privacy of my travel-mate and friend. I share these details to give you a taste of our compatibility, thank her for tolerating my antics, and to acknowledge the fact I was not traveling alone. Now I can dive into the recounting, in which K.F.A. was there every second of the day--cannot iterate that enough, but please understand the opinions here are my own personal accounts and do not in any way reflect K.F.A.  From here on out when it comes to observations and opinions, in which I have many--it is "I" and "me."