As cliche as it may sound, it all started daydreaming while on a soul-searching backpacking trip through Central America, many many moons ago.
At the time I was living in Canada, following my career in finance, having a very comfortable life in the bustling city, known as "the little apple". No matter how many praises I was getting from my bosses and how promising my career path started to look like, I was feeling increasingly unhappy and unsettled in all the certainty around me. Life was feeling rather dull and after years of following what once was my dream, I have decided that it might be time for another dramatic change, same as the one I took when I chose immigrating to Canada. Having accumulated six weeks of vacation, I made up my mind to embark on this soul-searching adventure through Central America, alone.
With just a small backpack, my camera, an open mind and no plans I have arrived in a small village in El Salvador, called Conception de Ataco, which I chose as the starting point of my little adventure. It didn't take more than two days to realize that I couldn't speak any Spanish nor that I could communicate with anyone and that I need a plan if I want for all this to be as enjoyable as possible. Luckily, I found an old Lonely Planet guide book, tossed away by some bored traveller and there, I learned about some good Spanish language schools in bordering Guatemala.
The next day I was on a bus to the city of
Quetzaltenango, to start a week long class at Escuela de Espanol Utatlan. To my own surprise after just five days of intensive Spanish conversation and exploration of the volcanoes surrounding the city, I was fluent enough to get by and communicate with ease everything I wanted. No need to start feeling jealous, as my colleagues did, this happened because of my Romanian background, Romanian language being one of the oldest Romance / Latin languages.
Being able to speak Spanish opened up a new world, that ironically lies hidden in plain sight. Talking with the locals and due to the mutual curiosity, I was getting tips and directions to charming places where I was the only foreigner around. My camera was filling up fast with colourful pictures and my mind couldn't stop dreaming.
Arriving in the ancient city of Tikal, buried deep in the immensity of Peten rainforest, even if filled with swarms of tourists, the magic of the place was prevalent and with my imagination running wild, I was planning to have this place just for myself for a short while. And so, sleeping in a hammock at the edge of the forest, I woke up at 4:00 AM and walked to the entrance of the park. Realizing that there was no way I could sneak in, as it was heavily protected by guards with guns, I opted for bribing one of them to let me in, to see the sunrise from atop the tallest pyramid. He wasn't really hard to convince and even offered to walk me all the way to Plaza Mayor, the location of the two great temple-pyramids of Tikal. And there I was, alone on top of the Temple of the Great Jaguar, aloft the jungle's canopy bathing in darkness, smiling at the stars above and waiting for a magical sunrise. The greatest Mayan city, "the place of whispers" in the Maya language, was all mine, one of the most surreal and peculiar experience I have ever had.
Even if I was facing east, it wasn't much of a sunrise, as you can see. However, while the jungle below was waking up, I knew that this is what I would love to do next, to create and offer to other people experiences that no one else is offering them, to be a tour guide of my own enterprise. There was only one problem, I had no official experience and expertise in the travel industry.
Upon my return back home to Canada, I was a different man, with strange ideas, of leaving behind my career that I have studied and worked so much to get where I was, for a foolish dream of becoming a tour guide.
For a while there was a ceaseless fight in my mind. There was that part telling me to not give up my dreams, but to do whatever needed to achieve them. And there was that part, a more pragmatic one, telling me to sit still in my comfortable life, where there were no risks involved, where the unknown and the uncertainty where out of the equation. And so I continued my life resisting change, and living my dreams only in my imagination. Yet, I was still hearing the Mayan gods whispering to follow my heart.
The following year I planned an adventure through Ecuador, and everything became clear to me. There was no other way then to follow my heart, there was no other option no matter what the unknown might bring. It was now or it will never happen, as life flows in only one direction.
Upon my return back home to Canada, I was the same man, only that now there was no fight in my mind, only determination to make it happen.
Searching on the internet the best adventure travel companies out there, I set my eyes on Explora. They aren't just one of the best companies in the field, they are also very professional and have one the best schools for new guides. It seemed to be the perfect setup to learn all the skills needed to become a professional adventure/nature tour guide and to get closer to achieving this foolish dream of mine. Fast forward a few more months, in 2015, passing through Explora's rigorous selection process, I was presenting my resignation, giving up the comfort and the certainty of my life in Toronto, starting the guiding school in Chile and my guiding career in Patagonia.
From now onward most of you know how the story goes, as it was in Patagonia where I met almost all of you, while on the picturesque trails of Torres del Paine National Park, sharing life and stories, memories that I will forever hold dear.
After being with Explora for three years, learning everything I could and honing my skills as a nature guide, I have decided to diversify my techniques, accumulating a slightly different experience while working with Awasi and as a freelance guide. Every company that I worked for helped me widening and improving my skills as a guide, becoming more professional and versatile in my abilities to create unique and enchanting experiences for my guests. While Explora focuses on group experiences, Awasi is offering a private and personalized service, hence I preferred using them as inspiration in conceiving and creating Journey Elsewhere.
I have learned many new things and many things I have unlearned. Moving from one world into another world, realizing once more the importance of being flexible and adaptive to the ever changing conditions all around us, keeping an open mind, good intentions and a heart filled with compassion, quietly and diligently I was making small steps towards my dream.
At the time, little did I know that looking for knowledge and searching for a new meaning in my life, all the way at the end of the world, will bring me back to the place I was born. However, meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world, all seasoned travellers, I have realized that just a handful visited Romania. With that in mind, everything seemed to start falling in its place.
It goes without saying that Patagonia seized control over my entire being, as you know, it is a place like no other. It took me more than five years of wondering through its wonderful and unforgiving wilderness, until I finally manage to brake away from its charming spells and thus Journey Elsewhere is emerging. Denis-Alain Zaharia
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