Just before Christmas, I´d discovered that the 2009 World Social Forum(http://www.fsm2009amazonia.org.br) would be held in Brazil in January, and got very excited about the possibility of going. Each day through the Christmas/New year period Colette and I debated whether or not it´d be feasible for us to go. Yes, the forum would be in Brazil, and yes, it was in January, and yes, it´s unlikely we´d ever have the opportunity to attend a World Social Forum in South America again. But, Belem is on the North East coast of Brazil, and Brazil is immense, taking up half the South American continent (about the size of the continental USA).
And, of course, we didn´t have the option of flying!! The distance is 4461.3 km!!!
The only possible route overland would be a 4461 km epic requiring 5 days/nights on buses solid back through Venezuela 5 days on a river boat on the mighty Amazon from Manaus to Belem. This would be a monster journey, a diversion that would take us way off track as we were meant to be heading South to Ecuador to begin a project in January.
We battled with this decision for days on end, until it became stupidly frustrating. In the end, we decided to go for it. Even though we were dying to get stuck into some projects, we hoped that attending the forum would renew our motivation, inspiration and hope. To be an activist, you need to be an optimist. But when the world´s troubles are so immense and complex, it´s easy to become overwhelmed and occasionally that hope wavers.
Every now and then you need to be surrounded by other people who share your views, and your hunger for change. You need to be reminded that around the world, tens of thousands of people are fighting for a better world and that there is still hope.
After returning from amazing gatherings such as Climate Camp (www.climatecamp.org.uk), I´ve always been invigorated and energised from witnessing the creativity, love and determination that people have for creating positive change. Its infectious and empowering, and if channeled correctly, can really inspire great things.
Maybe we´d find out about some amazing projects/organisations which are doing amazing things in South America, which we could then get involved in later in the trip? Maybe going to the World Social Forum would actually define the rest of our trip?
And this of course is the beauty of travelling without a rigid plan. If something comes up, you have the freedom to drop everything and head in the opposite direction.
And so, with excitement and a new sense of purpose, we headed to the Cartagena bus station, to begin our long journey to Brazil for the 9th World Social Forum.
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