How did I end up here? It is an inevitable question that enters most traveler´s minds at some point. In South America I have had a few experiences that have sparked this thought: when I found myself sleeping in some random Chilean lady´s backyard, when the bus stopped driving because a (peaceful) protest blocked the route—in this instance I was fortunate enough to be sitting with an outgoing Bolivian woman who explained to me what was happening. Sometimes the journey leads to the most interesting places, and the best thing to do, especially when you have no idea what is going on, is to sit back and enjoy it.
I am currently traveling solo for a couple of weeks. It seems that every day is a new adventure, and I am hardly ever alone. About a week ago I wished my traveling counterpart, Chris, well as he went to pursue a short term career on a farm. My own future was much less defined; without any real plan I was heading north. After reviewing the map of Argentina I decided to purchase a ticket to Tucuman because the name sounded funny, and so began another leg of the journey.
Upon waiting for my bus to my mysterious destination I encountered a familiar face, a friendly guy from California that I had met over a month ago in Chile. We filled eachother in on a months worth of travel because meeting a familiar face on the road is like meeting an old friend from home. A young British guy who was enjoying a year of travel before starting University (known as gap year in Engand) joined the conversation. He happened to be meeting his friend who was traveling Argentina by horse. A few hours later while we waited for our respective buses, I had learned a new card game, shared some empanadas, and exchanged emails with my friends. I did not realize that getting on my bus meant leaving my happy gringo trail behind.
It turns out that Tucuman really isn´t that funny, or anything special for that matter, but it led me in the right direction. From Tucuman to Tafi de Valle, Tafi de Valle to Amaicha, Amaicha to Cafayate, I am now on a different trail. I am traveling with an Argentinean guy who could easily fall under the hippie classification, and three Uruguayan girls who turn heads when they walk down the street. Our time is spent drinking yerba mate, the conversations are in spanish, and I am now sleeping in a tent that a Argentinean has given me on loan. My vagabonding status has reached a new level. However I ended up here, es una buena onda…
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
long term travel
In a recent conversation with my new found friend on the road, Robbie, we discussed the nature of long term backpacking. He explained that “what we see in one week is often a person's trip of a lifetime, but we are fortunate to continue to have many trips of a lifetime during the journey.” Due to the fast paced nature of the past four weeks I have not paid much attention to the documentation of my experiences on the road, but I have definitely had a handful of trips of a lifetime.
If I am going to make any attempt to catch up I will have to take the lazy approach with bullet points. The past few weeks have included the following:
-Mapuche Farm: Camping at a Native American Mapuche farm with Chris and Robbie. In order to reach the farm we had to ring a bell on a tree for the Mapuche member to climb in a row boat and retrieve us from the shore of a lake. On the other side of the lake cows, sheep, roosters, chickens and horses roamed freely
-Camping in a Taxi Drivers yard: During a boisterous festival in the small town of Junin there was nowhere to sleep, not even vacancy in the campground. A kind man driving a cab allowed Chris, Robbie and me to set our tents up in his yard and spend the night.
-Fly Fishing: I grew an appreciation for fly fishing while spending a few weeks in the Lake District with avid fly fishers, Chris and Robbie.
-Iguazu Falls: In the northeast corner of Argentina the impressive waterfalls known as Iguazu draw in crowds of visitors from around the world. It is easy to spend a full day in the National Park which is what Chris, Simon (Chris’s friend from home) and I did. While viewing the “Devils Throat” the spray is so powerful that it is impossible to stay dry.
Carnaval: On a very big whim coming from Iguazu, we stopped over in a sleepy town called San Ignacio. The town came alive on Saturday evening with hundreds of beautiful women adorned in elaborate costumes, mostly lacking coverage in areas with curves. Chris and Simon died and gone to heaven as steams of women passed by prancing in their thongs. We were fully immersed in Carnaval without any warning.
Bikes and Wine: Arriving in Mendoza means entering wine country. No visit is complete without biking around the various vineyards. Mr. Hugo provided our small group of wine enthusiasts with bikes and copious amounts of wine. A beautiful sunny day riding along roads covered in tree canopies and surrounded by mountains: it was practically a perfect day.
Wine Festival: We conveniently planned to spend time in Mendoza during their annual wine festival. The streets were filled with Argentines while floats from the parade with people throwing grapes passed by.
Mount Aconcagua: It was essential to pay a visit to the worlds highest mountain in the western hemisphere. Chris, our new friend named Guy, and I camped a few days in a small Andean town to get a closer look at the massive mountain.
The next few weeks will be spent in the Northwest region of Argentina to begin a new chapter of the journey…
If I am going to make any attempt to catch up I will have to take the lazy approach with bullet points. The past few weeks have included the following:
-Mapuche Farm: Camping at a Native American Mapuche farm with Chris and Robbie. In order to reach the farm we had to ring a bell on a tree for the Mapuche member to climb in a row boat and retrieve us from the shore of a lake. On the other side of the lake cows, sheep, roosters, chickens and horses roamed freely
-Camping in a Taxi Drivers yard: During a boisterous festival in the small town of Junin there was nowhere to sleep, not even vacancy in the campground. A kind man driving a cab allowed Chris, Robbie and me to set our tents up in his yard and spend the night.
-Fly Fishing: I grew an appreciation for fly fishing while spending a few weeks in the Lake District with avid fly fishers, Chris and Robbie.
-Iguazu Falls: In the northeast corner of Argentina the impressive waterfalls known as Iguazu draw in crowds of visitors from around the world. It is easy to spend a full day in the National Park which is what Chris, Simon (Chris’s friend from home) and I did. While viewing the “Devils Throat” the spray is so powerful that it is impossible to stay dry.
Carnaval: On a very big whim coming from Iguazu, we stopped over in a sleepy town called San Ignacio. The town came alive on Saturday evening with hundreds of beautiful women adorned in elaborate costumes, mostly lacking coverage in areas with curves. Chris and Simon died and gone to heaven as steams of women passed by prancing in their thongs. We were fully immersed in Carnaval without any warning.
Bikes and Wine: Arriving in Mendoza means entering wine country. No visit is complete without biking around the various vineyards. Mr. Hugo provided our small group of wine enthusiasts with bikes and copious amounts of wine. A beautiful sunny day riding along roads covered in tree canopies and surrounded by mountains: it was practically a perfect day.
Wine Festival: We conveniently planned to spend time in Mendoza during their annual wine festival. The streets were filled with Argentines while floats from the parade with people throwing grapes passed by.
Mount Aconcagua: It was essential to pay a visit to the worlds highest mountain in the western hemisphere. Chris, our new friend named Guy, and I camped a few days in a small Andean town to get a closer look at the massive mountain.
The next few weeks will be spent in the Northwest region of Argentina to begin a new chapter of the journey…
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