Home.

The plane ride home was long. I took a few sleeping tablets before getting on the plane and was feeling pretty drowsy and I hardly slept the night before as well. As soon as I found my seat, I was asleep. However, half an hour after take off, they woke me up to ask if I wanted a drink.
"No thanks, I've got my water here."
And then I was awake. For 15.5 hours.
16 hours of a single TV screen shared with the entire plane, that had the image flickering with every movement. It was also on mute because nobody's head set deck was working. Among some b-grade movies, they showed Taken 2. (Bit of a kick in the face for anyone nervous about travelling. Hah!)
The food was dulce de leche (caramelised condensed milk) on bread, so I practically starved because I never want to eat that stuff again.
I did make friends with the guy sitting next to me, Franco. He is from Argentina but is moving to Sydney to do his doctorate at Newcastle Uni. He was very friendly and it made saying goodbye to the holiday a little bit harder. It was a reminder that I am not going to be meeting people every day anymore. Sydney people are just not interested. Everyone already has friends and they don't have room for more. And I think that's what I'm most upset about.
I think about the 2 months I had travelling alone, and about the copious amounts of people I met. And the fact that I had to go overseas in order to meet people. It shows me that there's absolutely nothing wrong with ME, because I can make friends very easily apparently!! And not just travelling friends either. I am still in touch with Gabby, Sofi, Mathilde, Anna and Paula via whatsapp and Facebook and we have every intention of staying in touch and catching up again if our paths end up crossing again later in life.

As the plane touched down in Sydney, my heart dropped a little as I realised how different life is going to be now.

The plane landed 15 mins early and I didn't wait for the captain to tell me I could turn my phone on before messaging Shane. It was 2:05pm and he hadn't left for the airport yet! I thought that maybe with security, baggage claim and customs, there would be a lot of waiting around and he would get away with it.

But no.
There were no lines for anything. I waited about 10 mins for my bag to meet me on the carousel but that was the extent of it. I walked out of the gates at about 2:40 and there was no sign of any familiar faces. At first, I thought that someone was going to jump out from a hiding place and surprise me.. But after waiting a bit too long, I resolved to think that I had been stood up by my husband because apparently two months wasn't long enough to be apart from each other.
Completely devastated, I fought back the tears while I ordered McDonalds because the hunger pains were really getting to me. Shane eventually came and met me (he was late because he couldn't navigate the new car park). As furious and upset as I was, all was forgiven when he hugged me. It was so good to see him, to smell him and breathe him in.

After being home almost 2 days, I've caught up with some family and Jana, the backbone of this trip. It's been so good to see everyone again. It already feels as though I've never left, but I keep seeing little changes that have happened since I've been away. My 18 month old niece, Scarlett is a little tentative towards me (before I left, she loved me the most) so that was a little heartbreaking. I guess it means that I'm not aloud to go anywhere again. (That is, until they move to Africa at the end of the year!)

When Jana and I caught up at the beach, there was a stronger bond and connection than before I left, because now we have both experienced the intricacies and the marvel of South America, and in particular, the Galápagos Islands and Iguazu Falls. It was ultra special because after going on about how incredible it was to see God's creations in their natural environment, we spotted a pod of about 20 dolphins swimming so close to shore. With our arms in the air and screaming for joy, we both felt so lucky to be in at moment together, at the same time cursing Sea World and other animal enclosures for not allowing them to be free in the wild.

Spoke to my mum and daddy on the phone today at 6:30am because I am jet-lagged and just assumed that my retired parents would be awake at 6am Adelaide time. Well they weren't... but they were so happy to finally hear my voice. I let the cat out of the bag and told them about two new tattoos I acquired while being away. (Thanks for not freaking out!) They are really quite beautiful and they have such cool stories behind them. The tattoo I got in Detroit, while staying with Nath and Kel, says hallelujah. Everyone I had encountered after getting the tattoo has asked me about it. I've even had people stop me in the street and ask me.. What is it? What does it mean? and Why is the word so important to me to have it tattooed on my body forever. Such a cool experience to think of my God every day while I explain to people from all over the world what hallelujah is and what it means to me, not to mention having a daily reminder to "praise The Lord", even on the days that it was hard to do.

So with the copious amounts of reunions and familiar faces and voices...being home isn't all that bad. There is just going to be a bit of post-travel blues from time to time.

The last leg of the trip..

The bus trip from Iguazu to Buenos Aires was long. Although I was in cama suite (a step up from the lsst first class bus trip- these seats actually go down to 180° and you get your own personal TV), there was a lady next to me sharing a seat with her 2 year old son, who just wanted to touch/destroy everything and scream the whole time. The two year old girl behind me kept tapping on my chair and the volume for the TV didn't work until I actually wanted to sleep. The volume was kind of essential because the films we were watching were in English. They had Spanish subtitles which was convenient for every other passenger watching it on mute.

Anyway, 20 hours later, I got back to Buenos Aires, back in Ayres Porteños, my hostel in San Telmo. They didn't remember me, despite staying over 2 weeks last time and leaving half of my luggage in their storage.

It was around 8:30am when I rocked up on their doorstep. I had made plans to catch up with Mathilde and Anna, the Danish girls I met in Uruguay. I was going to show them around the markets (because I conveniently arrived on a Sunday). They told me that they went to the markets but that it was pretty small and not very good. While they assured me it was in Plaza Dorrego, I was not convinced we were talking about the same market (if you remember, these are the markets that stretch as far as the eye can see and I claimed them to be probably the best I had ever seen). Sure enough, it was a new experience for them (phewf!) and they showed me a tiny portion of the market that they DID encounter before. (And if you're not into antiques, I guess that small portion of the markets WOULD be a tiny bit boring. But i have no idea how they missed the rest of the market!!)
So we spent more or less 7 hours parading the streets of Plaza Dorrego and Defensa, salivating at every stall.

It was so so nice to experience the markets with people. We had a wonderful day, catching up on each others lives for the past couple of weeks, dreaming of being a true local in a foreign country, meeting stall holders and learning their stories, mixed feelings about going home and Lo and belhold, we spotted ladies walking around selling lemon meringue pie. I just had to have some. And the girls got in on the action to. "Is this something you have in Australia?"
"Yes! It's my favourite thing to make!!"
"It looks strange. What is it?"
"You haven't seen this before?!"
"No! It tastes good though!"

So amazing to think that a humble lemon meringue pie could not be heard of in Denmark. But so so stoked that I got to introduce them to it!!

I can't believe that I only have 2 sleeps before I leave for Australia. I'm nervous, excited, sad... There are just too many emotions.

What I need to remember is, how incredible this whole experience was. Not only travelling overseas, but to do it alone, to do it with my husband, to come back with countless stories... Blah blah blah. This is so trite. How many times have people come back from overseas saying how amazing it was.

Well it is. It really is. But as much as I urge you to go and do the same, there is no saying that you will burst into tears at the sight of a thousand sea lions on the Galápagos Islands. You couldn't possibly have the same encounters as I did with the many people I met from all over the globe.
I think it would actually be hard for anyone else to get lost the same way more than twice.
My best girlfriend is better than yours so you won't have the same letters to open on specific dates of your journey (Even if you cheat a couple of times and open the letters a day early).
I dare you to try and find 25 strangers to sing happy birthday to you in Spanish at the stroke of midnight and surprise you with cake.

And the times that I wasn't alone were so precious because I was with my man. When we were in New York, I voiced to Shane that I would actually love to just travel the world with him for a year, or even more. To encounter new things every day, get lost together, go somewhere completely different every week or so... We were having so much fun that I really didn't want it to end!
Shane replied with "I'd need a better pillow."

I reckon when I get home, my pillow will be just as foreign to me as any other hostel pillow.

...So I should sleep just fine.

Puerto Iguaçu

It's been raining pretty hard since I arrived in Iguazu. Lucky my hostel is only 1 block away from the bus terminal, so my luggage didn't get too wet. The hostel is actually quite nice! There is a beautiful pool that looks good enough to jump into if it weren't for the rain. I've met a couple of nice people who had left before I got a chance to really get to know them or even have a decent conversation. But I am only here for a couple of days so I'm feeling a bit lazy in the "meeting new people" department. I am also very very tired. I would hate to meet some new people when I am in a bit of a grumpy state. Best to stick to myself and enjoy some moments of solitude colouring in or reading Peter Pan.

Today I ventured to the falls. THE falls. The Iguazu Falls. The day consisted of being wet for the entire duration of the day. It started out pleasant and exciting, but I am soaked to the bone and shivering in the only shelter I could find: air conditioned canteen area.

Anyway, I paid to go on a tour that started with an open truck ride through the rainforest, where I was lucky enough to see some of the 1000s species of butterfly native to the area. Also got to see some spiders (eek!!) that are about the size of my fist and are not poisonous. They only told me this after they purposefully stalled the truck so that a spider in its web was dangling 30cm away from my head. I was not the calmest person on board.. But of course it was raining too hard for me to whip my camera out. The spiders in Iguazu are quite amazing. Their "thread" is used in some extra fine fabrics and is the latest technology in bullet-proof vests for military. Very lightweight but ultra strong. They call their web "rope" because of the weight it can hold. Pretty amazing stuff. But I would appreciate them more from a distance, not DANGLING within arms reach of my face.

Argentina and Brazil both claim to have the best views of the waterfalls and I reckon Argentina have it in the bag. Part of my tour was going in a speed boat around the waterfalls and going right up under them!! Wow! I couldn't have been more wet, even if I jumped off the boat. So much water everywhere! But more importantly, what an experience! After we went right up and under the first waterfall, I kept thinking "man, I need to do this again!" And the boat turned around and did it again!! Then at the bigger waterfalls, we went in twice as well!!! I could barely keep my eyes open through the fine mist. How amazing that was. I met a girl while lining up for the boat (solitude didn't last long, eh!), Suzette from London. And we spent a fair bit of time exploring the rainforest together once the boat ride was finished. It was on this trek that we witnessed some of the most amazing views you will ever see. My camera made it out of my backpack in a plastic bag eventually because it was too beautiful not to take photos. But at the same time, my dear little Neptune Frost just doesn't do this place justice. The lens kept fogging up and the nifty fifty lens was just too zoomy and not enough wide angle or panoramic. Photography and travelling is hard like that. My backpack was heavy enough as it was with camera, water, bug spray, wallet etc. if you add any other lenses or attachments, you may as well bring your kitchen sink with you. I really wish I had an awesome camera that just did it all. But then I guess, if it were that easy, there wouldn't be such professions as photographers. And that's really what I'm whining about. That I'm not a photographer. Should have pursued it after high school. Anyway, i was talking about the falls...

Once again I stand in awe with nothing but goosebumps to show for my expression at the marvel of my God. 9 hours at the national park, gawking at waterfalls from every direction.. Pretty spectacular day.

The wall at Rupestre

Soy las ganas de vivir
Las ganas de cruzar
Las ganas de conocer
Lo que hay despues del mar

These are lyrics by a Latin American band. Translated to English is:

I am the desire to live
The desire to cross
The desire to know
What lies beyond the ocean

I finished painting the text at 4:30 of the morning of my departure, which left no time to doodle around it as first planned.

As always, I'm a bit disappointed in the finished product but everyone who has seen it has gone crazy over it, telling me how good it looks. More than anything, I am so stoked that I got to leave a part of myself in Cordoba. This part of Argentina will always have a piece of my heart. So many reasons to love this place.

To feel bitter-sweet.

Yesterday I said goodbye to Becky (USA), Helen (Norway) and said a hello to my new roommates, Meijhe (-sp?) (Holland), Andy and Emma (New Zealand), Clint (USA) and four teenage boys from the UK that I have forgotten their names after being reminded too many times.
Andy and Emma are so chilled out and we get along really well. They had just started their 5 month trip around the world and they plan on living in Europe for a couple of years at the end of their trip. They sold their house in New Zealand just yesterday! It was so cool to hang out with them and take them to the market (another slice of that lemon meringue pie for me!) but at the same time, I was so jealous that they were travelling for so long together and had such exciting plans for life abroad. We actually had a really chilling experience together in the evening- after walking back from the markets, we passed a building that was attached to this massive cathedral. The cathedral itself is stunning and has a cool story shot it being incomplete. In the building next to it, we could hear a couple of people singing. And we peeped in the windows to hear more. We didn't need to because the feint warm-up singing turned into a massive choir rehearsal that echoed into the streets. The harmonies were to die for. I stood transfixed to the spot with goosebumps all over my hot and sweaty body. It was all in Spanish, so i have NO idea what they were singing about. But the faces I saw were about my age and were singing with such intense passion. Who cares what they were singing about. It was beautiful. What a moment. What perfect timing it was to walk past that building next to the incomplete cathedral.

Today marks only 9 sleeps until I am back in boring old Sydney. Don't get me wrong- I am SO so excited to see Shane, family, friends etc. but the sudden realisation that I will no longer be on holidays...the fact that my boring routine life of Uni, responsibilities, and everyday hassles of living in the ghetto is just 9 days away, but mainly, the whole prospect of travelling will be over and I don't think I am ready for that.

How often do you meet new people when you are just going about your daily life? When is the next time I am going to be splitting the grocery bill with 7 strangers? What is "work" and why do I need it again? Why doesn't Australia implement siestas like Cordoba? What age do I have to turn to have strangers singing to me in Spanish on the rooftop at midnight again? And can I bring all of my new found friends home with me?!

Last night, dinner was a communal asado (massive slow cooking barbeque) And it was superb! But I was so tired! After we finished eating (around 2am), Paula and everyone else was peer pressuring me to go dancing at the night club that Paula works at. It was 2am!! But that's how nightlife works in Argentina- you eat late and go out around 2am. The only reason I went was because I would be able to spend a little bit more time with Paula, and it seemed really important to her that I come along. Well the nightclub was unlike any "club" I've ever experienced (not that I've been to more than 5 in my life). The music was a band of about 15 people, each with their own quality hand-made drums. Oh my goodness- it was SO COOL!!! I would have been more than content to just stand and watch them the whole night. But of course, Paula, the beautiful free spirit, grabs my hand at every opportunity and literally forces me to dance. I don't know what it is about me, but I just can't dance on command. I find that I am really awkward and stiff.. And honestly, I am more of an observer when it comes to dancing. I am more happy when I'm not taking part. So I found a seat and really got into the atmosphere of the drums, the outrageous dancing and the many different types of people that were around. 80 year old men were there in their best clothes and having the TIME OF THEIR LIVES! I loved that. There were hippies, there were young people, there were girls showing a lot of skin and girls dressed really modestly. There were just so many different types if people coming together and enjoying this incredible experience. While observing this in my seat, I started to get quite emotional. I am having the best experiences! And they are each so personal and wonderful in so many different ways. Praise God for blessing and protecting me every single day. I am so lucky to have so many incredible stories and happy memories of this time away from reality as I know it. Oh. I got home at 6am. CRAZY! And yet another illustration of what will NOT be happening once back at home (although, I am not going to miss the late nights/early mornings)!

Paula and I call each other sister, because of this intense connection and because the tattoo that we have that's similar, is something that she shares with her sisters as well. And we now both have nose rings and a trenza (cotton attachment for the hair). To think about saying goodbye to her has been the most heartbreaking yet. Will I ever get back to Cordoba? Will she ever make it to Australia?

And then on the other hand, only 9 sleeps until I see my man. Such a strong divide in my current disposition.

Cordoba on a Saturday

Yesterday (Saturday) I went for a walk into the city. There were so many shops! But almost EVERYTHING was shut. It was like a ghost town. I was with Alexander and Jo from the hostel and because all of the shops were shut, we decided to go inside all of the many churches that are in and around town. I'm not usually one for big cathedrals or temples or anything. But they were amazing buildings. More so inside than out.. But beautiful. It was actually really cool to go to a church in another country. No one spoke English but I understood what they were doing there.

My McDonalds experience of Cordoba was on Saturday too. I ordered in Spanish (and pretty good if you ask me!) a large Sprite and a small fries. Well I got my large Sprite... But instead of fries, I was given a cheeseburger. As it was handed to me in a bag, I didn't notice until I was almost back home. Oh well. How they got "hamburguesa con queso" mixed up with "pequeño papas fritas", I have no idea.

Saturday and Sunday, the hippies have their artisanal markets with all sorts of handmade goodies. Although I would have been perfectly happy to go alone, it was nice to have the company of Charlie (Argentina), Helen (Norway), Alexander (France) and Jo (Switzerland). Haha what a mixed bunch! We were stopped in the street many times, people asking the boys where they were from (I didn't get asked more than once. Mustn't look much like a tourist anymore!) but it was so much fun to say "Norway, France, Switzerland, Argentina, Australia" when we were asked as a group.

I scored myself a piece of lemon meringue pie the size of my head for only 5pesos (US$1). And the stalls were just beautiful. If the items weren't handmade, they were antiques or plants. And the markets stretched for 4 blocks or so. There was so much food, music, people getting dreadlocks (maybe I got a couple..) and friendly people in every direction.

A really cool day to enjoy the sights and culture of a smaller Argentinian town! Hope you get a glimpse of beautiful Cordoba from the few photos I managed to take..