Inspiring Travel Stories
Inspiring travel stories from all around the world. Here we share some of the most adventurous, brave and kind-hearted adventurous you will ever meet!
Photo: nature.desktopnexus.com I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, the concrete jungle of Argentina. It was a good life, I was living it well. A job, money, women and party. Every weekend party. Don`t get me wrong, life wasn`t always easy for me. I was only 17 when I became a father of a wonderful daughter. A huge responsibility. I bought a car and started working as a taxi driver. As many shifts as I could. I drove through every street of this Latin city. I drove through it so many times that I started to know this city better than myself. This city had no more secrets for me. Every corner, every café, restaurant, hotel, address, you name it and I drove you there. For 10 long years I thought I was happy. My job brought food on the table, a house above my head the ability to support my daughter and the freedom to party. One day I got a call from a friend. That motherfucker had traded his motherland Argentina for the tropical Brazil. “Ale, you motherfucker, you should come here! I found this island and it`s amazing here. Come here and we`ll start a good life.” He said through the phone and started to tell me about this amazing place: Morro de Sao Paulo. And so I left Argentina, as a true believer I made it to the Promised Land.
Once I set foot on the island, I knew my friend had not told me a word of lie. This was truly a special place. It was nothing like it is now. Now it`s called the Ibiza of Brazil and for good reason. Especially in the weekends you can party here 24/7. It never stops. People go to the beach, get tanned, work-out, dress up at night, find themselves a pretty lady or good looking bloke and start all over again the next day. When I set foot on this island 18 years ago, there was almost nothing. Just a couple of houses, a hotel or two, some houses that cooked food and called it a restaurant and dirt roads. There were good parties though, but everything more exciting than alcohol and weed was too expensive, which was good. Now I would at least keep my hands off that shit, if you know what I mean. Portuguese is really close to Spanish, so it was very easy for me to learn. I took every kind of job I could find. My main income was handicrafts, which I still do up this day. Once tourism started to boom, I bought a property on the island and made a Pousada, a small bed & breakfast. The tourists improved my English and I started picking up other languages as well, like French, Italian, Hebrew and German. It was nice working with them. Meeting people from all over the world, but it was also very stressful. Always working, always answering questions, making sure everything was ok. My life completely changed when I bought my first horse. He never complained, he never asked for more. All he wanted from me is to be a leader and give him food. He gave me so much for it in return. In Argentina I already had learned to ride and handle horses, but this was totally different. Having to take care of such an elegant animal every day, creates such a strong bond, it goes above and beyond. I started to take even more care of my horse than of my wife and the guests. Every morning I woke up and the first thing I would do is feeding my loyal friend. We went on long rides together, exploring every trail on the island. I discovered some gorgeous viewing points. On clear days we could even see all the way up to Salvador. I knew we had discovered something unique here. We had to share this with more people and so I decided to buy more horses. Now I could show the tourist this untouched part of the island. Now we have a family, me, my wife and my horses. It`s an indescribable feeling that they give to me. Every love that I give to them, I receive twice as much loyalty in return. They give me so much freedom. When my wife and I are in an argument I saddle one of my four-legged friends and gallop to the furthest viewing point of the island. Relationships have never been my strongest point you know. For me it`s like a shoe, when I grow and it gets too tight, I change the shoe. Well this shoe I don`t want to change. Sometimes there`s a stone in it that I need to shake out, but that`s all. When that happens I ride to the highest point of the mountain. Nobody else comes there. It`s our spot. Even before I arrive, I`m already more calm. The wind blowing against my body while I feel the massive muscles moving underneath me. They`re almost like a machine. It`s mind blowing how much power they have. Once we make it to the top, we both rest. Sometimes I talk with the horse about what is bothering me. I don`t think he has a clue what I`m saying, but at the same time he understands. They comfort me in a way nobody else can. Together with the island they make me so calm, so balanced in life. The Bed & Breakfast was going good, I had my horses, my wife and I still made handicrafts, but it was all too much for me. Especially the B&B. Always people around, always taking care of everybody, all the paperwork and for what? I figured out that I did it just for the money and it was not making me happy. Of course I was less concerned about the future as I had financial security, but nobody knows what might happen tomorrow. I decided to quit with this bullshit, it was enough. I live today and tomorrow I will see what comes on my way. With just my horses I make enough to be alive and take care of them. The bed & breakfast I closed. Now I might be on the financial lowest point, I`ve ever been, but I`m richer than ever. Ale has lived for 18 years in Morro de Sao Paulo. A small town on the island Tinharè. If you want to join him and his wonderful horses on a ride to the viewing point, you can contact him via whatsapp +55 75 9277 2266 or email faroale@yahoo.com.br
1 Comment
Leave a Reply. |
Want to be featured?We`re curious what stories you have to share. Are you, or do you know somebody with an inspirational story, let us know! And who knows you'll be featured in the next inspirational story of Dutchess Travel Diary. Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
Also Read:
How does she do it? How I travel full time for nearly 3 years now.
Everything you need to know about hitchhiking.
Galapagos on a tight budget!
|