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.
No comments:
Post a Comment