Intro Part I: Why Margaritaville?

For the longest time, the word “Margaritaville” held no meaning for me other than a glorified blender that specialized in mixing frozen cocktails. That changed last Christmas day, when I bounded down the stairs to find a copy of Tales from Margaritaville waiting in my stocking. Somehow Santa always seems to know what I need, even when I don't necessarily know it myself.

He knew that in early 2010, I would quit my job of 2.5 years in Austin, Texas to embark on a new chapter of my life. He knew that I would then spend a whirlwind three weeks backpacking through Central America, from Belize to Honduras. And he knew that in March, I would make my biggest move yet to Argentina, where I would spend the rest of the year. Beyond that? The timeframe is a bit hazy, but I think we both know that it will involve even more wandering (in both the literal and figurative sense).

The purpose of this blog is to share some of my memorable moments and experiences. In documenting this journey, I can think of no better inspiration than this collection of “restless dreamers, wild wanderers, and pure gypsy souls.” It is a motley crew of characters: Tully Mars, the Montana cowboy who yearns to smell the ocean; Romeo Fleming, the jet-setting bestseller who ends up coaching a high school football team in Heatwave, Alabama; at some point, we are joined by our storyteller himself. The recurring theme is the quest, that ongoing search for life's greatest intangibles (meaning, happiness, success, redemption, love...) that ultimately leads one to Margaritaville.

So where exactly is Margaritaville?

“It appears at different locations on the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico- west of Tortuga, south of Ship Island, or the middle of Perdido Bay. Somewhere and everywhere, Margaritaville has its origins.”

Hmm, a floating island paradise with hazy coordinates and seemingly supernatural properties? It sounds like a new wave of Lost conspiracy theories waiting to hit the online message boards. But it is also the inspiration for me to create this blog. What struck me most about the book was that the adventures were not in exotic locations, but rather in each character's own folk-colored backyard. It's the idea that shrimp-trawling in Key West or eating gumbo in the French Quarter can be just as glamorous and invigorating as ATVing through Mayan ruins or making love in the middle of a hurricane. It's the human element - that one can share an instantaneous, visceral connection with the waitress who served you grits in a Arkansas diner or the good-looking piano player who plays jazz at the local bistro (or in the case of Tully Mars, your pet horse!).

It is in this spirit that I hope to capture the beauty and the extraordinary in daily life. To encounter the quirky characters who so completely embody the color of a place. By immersing ourselves in these simple pleasures, perhaps we will be lucky enough to stumble upon that special, magical place between sobriety and the sublime. So in the words of my new hero Jimmy, I extend an invitation:

“So join me, if you will, on the real and unreal voyages to and from Margaritaville, wherever the hell that is.”