A year of traveling...
The truth is, I hate traveling. I hate everything that should be good about it. I'm tired of meeting new poeple. The same process asking the same questions day after day. No privacy. Even just the thought of having to arrange accomodation every single day for yet another 3 months is more than unsettling. The varying standards of budget accomodation makes comfort an impossible target. I have learnt to stop worrying about such concerns; will it be clean? Will there be hot water in the morning? Boys snoring? Girls arguing? Could my matress be mistaken for a slab of stone? And then there´s the clothing situation. I hate my clothes - or lack of them. It´s difficult for me to let go of my appearance regardless of the environment. Whether I´m riding a horse through the Mongolian outback or drinking coffee at the local cafe in Sydney, I hate not looking my best. Appearance means a lot to me and I can´t stand loosing control. Bad hair cuts, lack of suitable toiletries, the list is endless. The long bus rides. The cramped trains that reek of bad odour. The dissapproving looks from locals that would prefer not to have you in their country. For them, watching travelers lazily stroll around their homeland is like rubbing salt in their wounds. I miss creature comforts. The warmth of a home with all the things that belong to me. I miss eating a drinking the things I like. Trying new food is fun and interesting but when you have nothing else to choose from, 6 weeks of noodle consumption gets a little too much. And socialising with good friends or the affection of a loved one has become a deprived luxury of the past.
So it would be fair to say that traveling, for me, is a huge sacrifice. There are however some redeeming factors which should be reflected upon to help explain why the hell I'm still traveling. As painful as it is, traveling has offered me such a valuable insight to the world we live in. Without this experience I couldn´t tell you the difference between Cambodia or Lao. The characteristics of Chinese vs Japanese. Why the coffee in Vietnam tastes much different than in Italy. Is any of this important? Maybe not. But I am proud to say that this big adventure has enriched my life beyond expectations and in so many ways. It's hard to believe that we've been traveling for over a year. We have done so much in such a short amount of time that I find it difficult to comprehend at times. I suppose it's a well known fact that the more you put into life the more fullfilling it is and we have definitely done a lot throughout the last 12 months. My relationship with Ali has suprisingly remained healthy despite the amount of time we have spent with each other and I honestly don't think I could have traveled with anyone else. We support each other in such a way that is both practical and fun. I look forward to the next part of our trip. South America...
After a few days in Santiago we are going to head south in Chile to a small town called Pucón where we will get our fix of adventurous activities (possibly white water rafting and the likes) before traveling to San Martin de los Andes just across the border in Argentina. From there we will head north to Buenos Aires. Next stop will be Puerto de Iguazu (to visit "the most incredible waterfalls in the world"). We will then cross the border back into Argentina and visit sassy little Santa Fe before drinking our way through the local wineries in Mendoza. This will conveniently bring us back to Santiago so we can visit for a second time before heading north to explore the moon-like landscapes of the Atacama desert. From San Pedro de Atacama we will then travel into Bolivia where our first highlight will be the salt plains around Uyuni. Next stop La Paz, followed by Copacabana to explore the infamous and magical Lake Titicaca. From Copacabana we'll head straight to Cuzco on the 17th May where we'll have just over two days to adjust to the altitude before embarking on our eagerly awaited Machu Picchu 3-day trek. Onwards from Cuzco to Nazca, Huacachina (for a bit of sand surfing) then continue north to Lima and beyond...a skip jump through Ecuador to explore Colombia then finally Venezuela. At least that's the plan right now. Who knows what the next three months have in store for us. I suggest you stay tuned!
