The final blog written from a foreign country in 2009.

I still cannot believe that I will be heading to the airport to catch my flight back home in one week from today. It has been an amazing adventure, a year of true luck, and I am sad that the travels will be ending (for now, at least).

A good end, a New Zealand Sunset

New Zealand has been the perfect place to end such a year of exciting new experiences, for it is the capital of adventure, with enough extreme activities to make you feel extreme, and enough breathtaking landscapes to make you feel like you have reached heaven on earth.

We have been moving fast, and now I understand why everyone was telling me, well, pleading really, that I should spend more than two weeks in this country.  Boy were they right!  There are so many lovely sites to sit back and enjoy the blinding beauty, so many hikes to be hiked and planes to jump out of, I really wish we had more time to do everything!

Lake Tekapo with Lindsey

That said, since I already jumped out of a plane back in 2002 over the Swiss Alps, that wasn’t on my “To Do in New Zealand” list.  I did have one thing on that list that won’t be checked off just yet, that is: bungy jumping.  Instead, I went “canyon swinging.”  I was convinced this was the better choice.  I am still not sure about that.

Basically, canyon swinging is bungy jumping without the bungy.  It is a free fall into the air, attached to a rope which swings across a deep canyon just before you hit the ground from your fall.  Raging rivers raging beneath, steep cliffs speeding by, and then finally, you stop falling, stop swinging, and realize you are still alive.

View from above Shotover River where I jumped out into the canyon. I think I stopped breathing after this self-portrait was taken.

…I nearly lost my insides.  My stomach jumped up into my throat.  I was so scared.  The memories of fear are coming back as I type this. I don’t think my stomach can even handle this! (“Mid air” pictures to be added later.)

One I was pulled up from the canyon and my feet returned to solid ground, I realized that bungy jumping may not be for me, and it is most definitely not going to be for me on this trip.  I wanted to do it, but I am still recovering from the “swing.”

Milford Sound. My happy place.

I have justified this decision by reminding myself that I have plenty more milestones to celebrate with a bungy jump (like turning 30, 40, or 50 and beyond!).  There will be numerous other times, when my mind and stomach forget the utter fear I felt whilst free falling in New Zealand, that I can try my diving skills at bungy jumping.

Just not on this trip.

Not yet.

Sounds reasonable, right?

Queenstown is not only the extreme sports capital of NZ, but also, the scenic capital. Or it should be in my opinion.

New Zealand has also provided a second chance to go glacier hiking this year. My first was in Argentina.  What a treat to get to do this more than once in a year, or in a lifetime for that matter!  Although, I must admit that my first time glacier hiking in Argentina, provide a more raw and exciting experience.  By that I mean, there were no pre-carved ice steps, no organization, no western safety constraints, no cold weather preparation… nada, nada, nada. Instead, I was handed my clamps and sent off to the glacier. It was a thrill. This second time, not so much. But it was still a treat. Just…same, same, but different.

Standing on top of Fox Glacier

Group picture on Fox Glacier

Full view of Fox Glacier. Yes, this is a real picture.

We have met some great people here in NZ, more Australians, Canadians, and another girl from San Diego! Who went to USC too! And misses Mexcian food as much as us!  It has been really fun swapping college stories and Trojan gossip. A little piece of home before coming home.

When I leave New Zealand, my sister will be heading up to South East Asia and traveling the route that I just completed.  I am jealous even though I just did it.  Now that the time has finally come to end my travels and return home, despite my nagging home sick pains, I now wish I wasn’t coming home quite yet.  Of course! That’s the way it goes, right?

View of Lake Ohau from inside a chapel

I wish I had more time to see everything in the world all in one trip! I wish I could extend 2009 for a little bit longer.  I wish I was younger and less inclined to “get my life back in order.”  Oh, I wish so many things…

My sister is going to be going to Israel, Turkey and Egypt in February. I might just have to prolong the dreaded job search and tag along….Wouldn’t that be nice?

We spent part of Halloween in the Minus 5 (degrees, that is) bar in Queenstown. I had to leave early, I was that cold.

I don’t have much to write about this time around, but I wanted to make sure I got in one more blog before I return home.  I plan to write a post about the north island of New Zealand, but I will most likely being doing that from home…or the airport.

Once back in my normal life and my normal routines, whatever they may be, I truly do hope that I continue writing this blog, even though I won’t be traveling.  I guess I will just have to make my daily life adventures as interesting and exciting as my travel life adventures.  That shouldn’t be too hard, should it? A good goal to have, if not for a blog, but for a life, don’t you think?

So here’s to one last lucky abroad post for 2009!

One last jump shot for the blog this year!

As they say in Argentina,

“Chau, chau!” (For now.)

And as they say in New Zealand…  This year has been,

“Sweet As!”

Little did I know that my life would be changed by that one event. Looking back, it was the fear of change that frightened me most. Now, I see that it was so clearly a blessing because of the change it guaranteed.

First views of the Australian Outback

During my travels, it is my own personal inside joke (or, run of bad luck?) that I never get to see a sunrise. I have woken up at 4:00 AM on numerous occasions, only to get to a special, sunrise location (Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat, to name a few) and not be able to see the sunrise because it is raining. Seriously. Every. Single. Time.

But Australia finally delivered me my long awaited sunrise! Ironically, it was the previous night’s sunset that was rained out. But I didn’t care. I have seen plenty of sunsets in my life. It is a sunrise, a foreign sunrise namely, that I have been waiting so patiently to see.

Sunrise at Ayers Rock

Ayers Rock (Uluru) was where I got to see my sunrise. It was the day before the first anniversary of being luckily laid off. The drive was spiritual to me because of this fact. Our tour guide loved music and so he played songs that made the entire experience seem like a movie montage in the movie of my life. As the sun slowly rose, the shadows caused by the bush and trees in Australia’s famous Outback looked like a bright painting in a children’s story: simplistic, colorful and calm. It was also like an award winning photography showcase: powerful, contrasting, and seeping with beauty that impacts the soul.

Sunrise in The Outback

Even surrounded by hundreds of other tourists herded together at the Uluru sunrise site, I felt alone and, as silly as it may sound, at one with nature. (I know, you can laugh at me.)

It was magical. I am thankful and fulfilled.

Picturesque, but oh so HOT.

The outback was exactly how I pictured Australia to look. Desert, hot weather, crawling reptiles, wild animals, “brumbies” (wild horses), Aboriginal cultures, rustic landscapes, and thick, Australian accents everywhere. I really loved it.

Very rare rain showers over Ayers Rock. Changed color from rust to silver. Spectacular.

It was quite the contrast to our Melbourne visit, where we were shown around by our local friends and treated like royalty. Artsy, refined, and modern, Melbourne is a city comparable to San Francisco for size and New York for the cultured scene. We were lucky enough to be taken to the country side where we saw the peninsula, the vineyards, the lavender fields, and the farm lands of Australia’s southern coastal state. And we learned more local lingo too! Always a fun bonus.

Brunchie with our friend Jackie in Melbourne

Another thing the outback made me grateful for was my own ability to get out of my comfort zone and survive! I am not a camper. I don’t go camping and I didn’t think I ever really would. In Australia, we have been on so many camping trips I finally get what the fuss is about! I loved sleeping under the stars, hiking every day, not showering for three days, eating out of dirty dishes, using the bush as a loo, and bonding with people who smell just as bad as you. Okay, a few of those things are still not on the top of my list for things I want to do tomorrow, BUT, I survived, loved it, and will be happy to sleep under the stars again.

Midway through our 3 hour hike in Kings Canyon. Talk about a workout!

On all of our camping trips, we have been surrounded by people from every country other than our own. It has been fantastic (most of the time). It has been wonderful to meet people from all over the world. That is one of the treasures I am taking away with me from this trip. And it has definitely ignited the fire in me to learn a second language as well as my fellow foreign travelers…pronto!

Riding an Australian camel with our friend Gareth

The one and only complaint I have about Australia, and I really hope I don’t regret writing this, is the people we have encountered whom work in the tourism industry. Our theory is, because Australians don’t tip and thus, don‘t get tipped, the employees of this industry don’t have the drive or care to be courteous to their customers. In addition, because this country is overloaded with fellow backpackers, they just don‘t have the patience for another stupid question. To them, you are just another backpacker/tourist/foreigner in a long line of other backpackers/tourists/whatevers.

Our friend Tom took us down to his parent's home in Mornington Peninsula, just outside of Melbourne

The complaints I have heard about Americans are common and constant by foreigners. Frustrating, but true in some cases. The most common are: Americans don’t travel (I think that is because we don’t get enough vacation time, while other countries get five weeks or more per year!); Americans tip too much (debatable); Americans tax too much (Australia includes tax in prices – a great idea in my opinion); Americans are loud (I think others are too, we are just understood by everyone!); Americans are like the people in all the bad TV shows and movies watched overseas (They choose ridiculous stories from America to cover on the news and hire embarrassing American correspondents over here!); and well, I am sure there are many more.

I guess I am writing this as a defense, a response, and to point out that every country and culture has its pros and cons. What I really want, what I hope, is that one day, the foreign opinion of America changes for the good.

Fingers crossed.

My favorite camel, Phantom

Today we arrived in New Zealand. We start a tour in two days and are very excited to be taken care of and not have to plan where to stay every night and how to get around. We are also very excited to travel with our new future friends for more than a day or two at a time. That is a sad thing about traveling, you meet wonderful people and you have no idea when you will see them again, if ever. Hopefully you will, but you never know. At least on this tour, we will get two weeks with these future friends. And, we will have more people to add to the “who we can visit in this city” list for our future travels.

New Zealand from the plane

As my trip comes to an end, I am constantly reflecting on the past and anxiously anticipating the future. Hundreds of questions fill my mind each day as I think about how I am going to assimilate back into my life at home after a year away.

Where will I be in one month? In one year? What will I do now that I have to “start over?” Where will I live? What will I do for work? Will my life go back to “normal?” What will my new “normal” be? How will my change or will it be the same?

When I chose to leave my comfort zone and travel alone, it took a lot of strength and constant internal reminders of, “I can do this.” I hope I am able to replicate that self-encouragement and use it towards “chasing my dreams” as I return to the “rat race” of our society.

Melbourne

The question that haunts me most, over “where will I live” and “when will my career take off” is, “WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO TRAVEL AGAIN????”

My favorite view of Ayers Rock, the Gorilla

I am so afraid that once I sign on to my next full time job, I will thus be signing off to the opportunity of ever traveling like this again. The fear engulfs me. It is not that traveling for months at a time and living out of a backpack is so great. It’s not. It has it’s ups and downs, as I have expressed in previous entries.

What is so great about this “long-term travel” is the freedom it provides. The sense of limitless and privilege and liberation, constantly running throughout my body is unique and inspiring. I don’t want to lose those feelings.

Road to the Outback

As I write this blog, my heart is racing, my throat feels dry, my neck is tired. I am scared. I have a lot of work to do. My year of luck is ending. I must appreciate every minute during these next few weeks in New Zealand before they end.

A Lavender farm just outside of Melbourne

I must remember how fun it was to camp under the stars in a swag in the Australian Outback…even though there were no toilets and a dust storm sprinkled over our heads and into our eyes as we slept. I must remind myself that it is not everyday you are surrounded by people from different countries, speaking other languages, and teaching you new things. I must remember to be happy, to find happiness, even while working in a potential ‘just to pay the bills‘ job. I must remind myself that work leads to an income, which hopefully leads to more freedom and, doubly hopefully, much more travel in the years to come.

The Valley of the Winds

As my sister and I departed from Australia, from the outback we loved, the cities that excited us, the oceans so blue and colorful, and the slang that became our own, we both wondered, “when will we be back again?” That is the tragic flaw of traveling; you meet wonderful people, see wonderful places, but you never know when you can or will be back again.

I hope soon.

I hope so.

For another sunrise.

This lingo keeps me happy…as I am very sad to admit that I still can’t get the Australian accent down when trying to mimic the locals. (I’ll have to study their dialect when I get home. How ironic is that?)

A day at the CHEEKY Australia Zoo

In the past three weeks, my sister and I have been very busy traveling down the east coast of Australia. We are moving so fast you would think traveling is going out of style! But that is what we Meriwether girls do when we travel together. The same was true in South America. We like to see as much as we can because we know that traveling opportunities can be few and far between.

The Sydney Opera House

So please take a deep breathe with me, for I am about to spout off the many places we have visited and things we have done since entering the land down under…

*BIG INHALE*

We have traveled to Cairns, Cape Tribulation, and enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef. We bussed to Airlie Beach, sailed the Whitsunday Islands, landed in Rainbow Beach, and 4×4′d our way through Fraser Island. Next was Brisbane for the Australia Zoo (we saw Bindi and Bob Irwin…Crikey!), Byron Bay for the surfing, Sydney for the sights, the Blue Mountains for the eucalyptus tree views, and now Melbourne for the good food and friends. Next up is Alice Springs to hike our way to Ayers Rock and then New Zealand, where we may or may not do some extreme sports. (We’ll see…)

White Haven Beach

We have gone on two, two night boat trips: one for snorkeling, one for sailing. Then there was one, two night camping trip, three overnight bus trips, two daytime bus trips, one plane ride, and there is so much more to come!

Two sisters without their third at the Three Sisters rock formation in the Blue Mountains

McDonalds has become our home away from home as they are the only establishment we can find in each city that has free wifi. And, well, McDonalds is very cheap. So it’s been pretty perfect.

Scary view for the top of the Indian Head cliffs on Fraser Island

We eat Big Macs (so sad), chips (fries), loads of ice cream, fish (‘n chips), banana bread, but no Kangaroo burgers (yet). We buy fruit, cereal and whole milk (yuck), and love to make peanut butter and banana sandwiches when on the road. We drink little alcohol (we‘re always too tired to go out and drink! I know, so sad), diet soda, coffee, tea, biscuits, and carry massive bottles of water wherever we go.

Crocodile spotting on the road to Cape Tribulation

Hostel kitchens always sounds like a good idea for cooking dinner, but we tend to get lazy or want to get out. So we spend loads of $$$ on food in this insanely expensive country. (Note to self: from now on, stick to the cheap, developing countries when you decide to go backpacking for three and a half months!)

Finally made it to the famous Bondi Beach

We take the subways, the buses, and the local trains. We walk, I run (trying to in every city), and we love hop-on-hop-off buses, but have only been on one. We like day tours, except when it rains, we are sick of boats, but know we will miss them in a week. We aren’t done with camping (even though I wish we were) and we stay in twin rooms at hostels because that is the one thing I need to keep from feeling completely uncomfortable amidst the shared bathrooms and public toilets.

Night view of Harbor Bridge from the Sydney Opera House

Kangaroos and koalas have been pet and held, crocodiles have been spotted and captured on camera, and colorful fish galore have given us great decorating ideas for our future homes. No snakes or spiders (thank God), one whale sighting, a few stingrays, but no sharks (double thank God). Jellyfish, attacked us. Didgeridoos, not played yet. Cute surfers…well…that’s us! (Since our “REALLY SICK” session in Byron Bay, that is. Surfing in Australia is all that I have heard it to be: beautiful long waves, easy to ride.

Attempting to pet a Kangaroo -who would rather be eating

Although we consider ourselves friendly girls who like to be social, we are having a bit of trouble making new friends at the hostels. By “trouble” I really mean, we aren’t even trying! (Too tired!) BUT, we have met many like-minded travelers (and a few other sister-sister traveling teams) on our boats and bus tours. We met up with some in Sydney, some now in Melbourne, and one couple seems to be following us wherever we go! (If only they were two eligible bachelors… A single girl can dream, can‘t she?)

Camping crew on Fraser Island - post our 4x4 driving on sand dunes and visits to mirror lakes

Today is our “day off.” By that I mean, we are not on a tour or out tourist-ing the local sights. Instead, we are spending the day doing our laundry on hostel machines that don’t work. We are hunting down free wifi spots to write our blogs. We want to go to the movies because it is raining, but need to plan our tours for the next few days first. We have to find a market, a city information center, a post office, and a drug store. Luckily, there is free brekky in the morning…one less thing to worry about on our day off!

White Haven Beach

There has been some expected, normal sister fights. But many more expected, normal sister laughing sessions. At times, we agree to disagree, but we always agree on what matters. I think I speak for us both when I say we love to travel together. Despite the bickering and the screaming matches in the middle of the street (shameful, I know), we are good travel companions. I know I am very thankful to no longer be alone, to be with family, and to always have great memories of our sister trip to Australia together.

*AND, EXHALE*

Trying to jump with the same enthusiasm as the late Steve Irwin

Yes, the reality is as tiring as it sounds written out. But it’s worth it! Exhausting, but worth it. Worth the early stages of crows feet around my eyes. Worth the scabbed knees from tripping in every city. Worth the belly fat I am collecting to bring home with me. And even worth the homesick pains I feel gnawing at the pit of my stomach. Yes, I do miss home. …A lot. I hate admitting it, but it’s true.

Since being back in a western culture, I am reminded of home a lot and therefore I miss home even more because of the familiarity I encounter daily. I am also starting to get rather drained as I enter my final month of travel. I have been on the road and living out of a backpack for two and half months now! (Who’d have ever thought I could do it?! Not me.) And I definitely miss the creature comforts of home. Like my bed. Oh how I miss my big, wonderful bed!

Our beachside campsite on Fraser Island -NOT as comfortable as my bed at home

One day, a few months down the road, I know I will be sitting in traffic and wondering why I was ever homesick at all! I guess you can’t always have the best of both worlds…

For now, I will continue to remind myself to appreciate and enjoy every moment, everyday.

Because really, Australia is HEAPS of fun…it’s “TOPS!”

Cheers!

Jumping for joy over the beauty of White Haven Beach

***I am still having trouble finding enough free internet time to upload my pictures. Check back in a day or two. For now, click here and you can view the pictures I already have up.

Of course, for me and the younger generation of locals, we can only imagine what those thoughts are from movies we have seen, stories we have heard, and books we have read. For although we all carry the burdens our forefathers created, we thankfully came into this world with a clean slate. And now, we gratefully reap the benefits that were sewn for us so few years ago.

View of Cambodia's countryside. Stunning, isn't it?

For me, my benefit is that I am able to travel to these beautiful countries. Cambodia and Vietnam, that is. For them, they get to live in happy times, eager to watch their country develop and flourish. My tour guide asked me to tell other Americans to travel to Vietnam. I said I would. You should.

Today, as an American, I am welcomed with opened arms. (Or rather, open hands that ask for “one dollar please” to buy their cultural goods or drink their bottled water. …More on that later.) Today, as an American, at times I must hear about the “devils of America” who killed their families in Vietnam, filling my stomach with pains of guilt, responsible or not. Today, as an American, I am able to learn more about what my parents and their peers must have felt as they realized, as have I now, that some beliefs, some wars, some fights, some…so many things…are just not worth the tragedies.

Our greeters at Angkor Wat

I could go on an on about this, as it is fresh in my mind and weighing down on my heart. But I know you can all imagine what it must be like to visit the killing fields of Cambodia, the Cu Chi tunnels of Vietnam, or to have a tour guide say, “well you are an American,” implying that you would not understand the tragedy of American bombs being dropped on their sacred My Son temples. So I will stop before I upset anyone reading this blog.

I know and feel very blessed to safely visit this part of the world, like any part of the world. I am happy to be here and see these “developing countries” before they are overdeveloped. And so with that…

On to the fun stuff!

(A quick change in tone reminding me that I am lucky to live where I live, in the time that I live, and travel the world writing this blog!)

My first fish feet massage

I AM WITH PEOPLE AGAIN! YIPPY!

I can’t believe I ever doubted the fact that going on an organized tour would be a bad idea. I can’t believe I ever feared that I would look weak by joining a tour rather than remaining a true solo backpacker. I can’t believe I thought that everyone might be lame and totally unlike my “cool” self. PUH-LEEAASE. Get. Over. Yourself. Allison!

Intrepid tour was the second best decision I ever made – first being, Habitat for Humanity, of course. Everything is taken care of for me: from hotels to transportation, tours to activities, free time to drink time. This is a huge breathe of fresh air, as I was aging quite rapidly having to spend every other day on the internet planning for the next stop on my trip.

Outside Angkor Wat (Please excuse the rolled up pants, it was raining)

The people are nice, like-minded (please), and great to be around. There are 12 of us: Five 20-somethings from Melbourne, Australia (only two of which came together), 4 Brits (one pair of lawyers in their 20‘s and one pair in their 40‘s), a 19-year old Japanese girl who barely speaks English (can you believe it?!), and a couple from New Zealand. Now that I have met so many Australians, I am thrilled to have a gang of people to meet up with when I finally get down under in 10 days!

I even figured out that this tour is costing me less than if I were alone. This is especially important right now, as I am running through my funds faster than you can say “Happy House.” (The Cambodian and Vietnam term for “toilet.”) Anyone know of any paid travel blog-writing gigs?

The infamous SEAsian phrase

Another thing that I am loving about this tour is that I am doing things I would never do on my own. I often read about things in my Lonely Planet “South East Asia on a Budget” book and think, “that sounds fun.” But then I never actually follow through with DOING the said “things.” But on this tour, I am DOING those things! For instance….

RIDING ON THE BACK OF A SPEEDING MOTORBIKE, RACING TO THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN TO SEE A VIETNAMESE SUNSET!!!

Before the Motorbike Race

Some other highlights have been: crossing the Thai border by bus and literally walking across to Cambodia; riding down the Mekong Delta from Cambodian to Vietnam; enjoying the majestic leafy green landscapes while watching a man ride his motorbike with three haystacks high worth of fruit tied to his back; enjoying the serene and deserted beaches along Vietnam’s heavenly coasts; and of course, learning about the culture from (and teaching my own to) our local guides.

The sites are amazing and somehow seem more exotic than anywhere I have ever been. Even the children seem cuter! Everywhere in Cambodia, small little children try to sell goods for “one dollar please.” Like I said earlier, my emotions constantly teeter totter back and forth on this subject. On one hand, it offers an opportunity to engage with the children and marvel at how educated and fluent in English they are. On the other hand, I wish I could give them all the money in my wallet, in hopes that they will use it to stop begging. Maybe someday soon things will change…

My new Cambodian friend who LOVED Michael Jackson

Today, I am in the middle of my Vietnam trip and I am loving the country so far. I imagine this place to be even more developed with tourism in the next 10 years. Especially on the gorgeous beaches! (To all the investors out there: get your checkbooks ready!) For now, the streets still flood with every hard rain, the “Happy Houses” still look like filthy bowls in the ground, and I’m sure the motorbikes will still drive on the sidewalks when the traffic gets too intense, regardless of proper traffic control.

Vietnamese women at work

I feel alive on this trip. I am constantly enjoying my usual, “I could be sitting behind a desk all day instead of sitting here,” mental image moment. I use that mental image a lot, both when having a good time (to cherish the moment and smile about what was, and what is now true of my life) and when I am not (to remind myself to be in the present and enjoy the “now. “) I am traveling around the world for goodness sake!

This trip feels long at times and not long enough at others. I hope I am able to continue my love for traveling when I return to normalcy, return to the desk, return to responsibilities. For now that I have seen so much, I cannot imagine a year of my life going by without seeing MORE.

Early morning drive in Vietnam

And with that, I must thank God that I live in the land of the free where this wish can come true with hard work and perseverance. I know our country has made some poor decisions and ended up causing more harm than good. But I also know that we have it pretty darn good and work hard to make it that way. I know that many troubles in our country are a work in progress, and like Cambodia and Vietnam, we have a long way to go. But like them, we have come so far. Can’t we just sit back and be happy for ourselves everyone once in a while???

This morning I sat in a car full of Brits and Australians who were bashing American TV shows, American foods, American everything. And as I listened for the umpteen-millionth time, I finally had to stop them and point out that never would you find a group of Americans sitting around criticizing other countries and cultures (well, at least not to their face!). We may be a lot of things, but on the whole, we are pretty enlightened, accepting, and grateful for the differences others have to offer.

Cu Chi Tunnels (smiling out of pain, not happy in these small passageways)

My hope is that we will continue to become more enlightened, more accepting, and more thankful with every year, decade and generation.

Okay, it is finally time for me to step down from this soapbox of a blog and go enjoy my Vietnamese cooking class.

It would be rude not to….

*Check back in a few days for pictures of the beachy views and city streets. See my “pictures” link on the ride side of this page.

One of the reasons I bring up this is to explain why I have been neglectful of my blog and void of any vlogs. I simply have not had the time nor energy. I am in and out of cities so fast, I don’t want to spend my hours sitting in front of a computer, babysitting it as I wait for pictures to upload. Unfortunately, plenty of time is still spent on this hypnotizer, as I have logged many hours prepping for each next step on this long journey.

And so with that…

Koh Phi Phi Sunset

Here is my regional rundown of where I’ve been the last two weeks since I left Habitat and Phuket, Thailand:

Koh Phi Phi

A tiny village, on a tiny island, with thousands of tourists, mostly young, packed into the narrow, car-free streets, lined with market stands, selling touristy goods to all the touristy people.

Take away those stands, the smell of rotten eggs on every other corner, the many skinny stray cats, and you get paradise. I was spoiled with my summer vacations to Hawaii as an adolescent, and I always feel like nothing compares. So please pardon my opinion if you feel differently.

That said, nothing compares to the views: the waters are warm and clear, iridescent green in color and mood enhancing with one glance. The people are friendly and welcoming, despite the masses of tourists taking over there streets. And the sand is so soft you can spend the afternoon giving yourself a nice foot massage as you stroll down the beach.

The pop-up islands of Thailand

In addition, there are caves, cliffs, and small surrounding islands that seem to go up rather then out. Standing tall and narrow, like mini mountains in the middle of the ocean. Nothing compares to those beautiful sights, nor zooming past them in a small, wooden, motorboat, and jumping off to snorkel with vibrantly colorful fish swimming all around.

Motorboats on The Beach

One fish wanted to have a “face off” with me. When I looked at it directly in the eye, through my goofy goggles (surely looking somewhat ostentatious to him), rather then swim away, the fish took a few fins backwards, and then started swimming towards me as if it was gaining enough speed to crack my goggles. It reminded me of our little Lhasa Apso dog that would bark with such might, thinking it was actually big enough to do any harm to a dog triple its size.

Under the Sea - Clear waters of Koh Phi Phi

I went to Koh Phi Phi with friends I met through Habitat. We stayed at a nice hotel for the price of a cheap hotel back home. It was a great time of relaxing, eating, drinking, and laughing together. We acted like college kids (or high school? Our fellow tourists all seemed very young.) and danced on the beach at night with fire-lit jump ropes surrounding the crowds. It was a thrill. A special Thai experience I will never forget.

Out in Koh Phi Phi with Habitat Friends

Chiang Mai

View Larger Map

A small city in Northern Thailand, surrounded by green, lush jungle forests, and containing a thriving artists society that is a treat to see.

I have three highlights of Chiang Mai. The first was the Thai Cookery class I took where I learned how to make about five traditional Thai dishes. A true accomplishment for me. The only things I can cook are chicken and brownies. Okay, okay, I am also an expert in cooking the Trader Joe’s frozen-but-prepare-for-yourself-by-simply-microwaving-or-baking the meal.

Behind the stove at my Thai cooking class

The second was the Sunday Nigh Market. Every Sunday, the main street shuts down and local artist set up their booths to sell their work. I got suckered into buying, not one but, two elephant paintings by this local artist with amazing dreadlocks. I even convinced myself that it was worth the cost to ship them home. I think I’ll end up pleased, especially since everything is cheap, cheap in Thailand.

The last was the Elephant Nature Park I visited. What a hidden treasure!! I went to a travel agency to find out about taking a trip to see the Golden Triangle (where Laos, Thailand and Cambodia borders meet), and left feeling skeptical about the elephant excursion I paid for in cash. From my experience riding elephants in Phuket (similar to riding horses in other countries) I felt very uneasy about my choice. I don’t like riding these animals because I feel so bad for them. But the travel agent assured me there was no riding involved.

Brushing Baby Elephant

Boy was she right. This “park” is really a sanctuary for elephants. A Thai woman started buying elephants that had been harmed by their owners. She then set up this park where the elephants can pretty much roam freely. Except for at night when they have to sleep in stalls so they don’t get stolen. I got to spend the day among the elephants, feeding, washing, brushing, and watching them play together.. I have an amazing video of the two baby elephants chasing one another and giving themselves a mud bath. It is priceless and I will post as soon as I can. If you are ever in Chiang Mai, you HAVE to go to this park.

Getting a kiss from Hero the Elephant

Bangkok

To me: dirty, smelly, and void of the rich culture present in other parts of Thailand. That said, the Grand Palace was amazing and worth dealing with the heat, the traffic, and the smell. I really don’t have anything else to say. Except….

The Grand Palace

Okay, I do have one story: I paid for a tour of the Grand Palace, which really meant a ride to and from, with an added stop at the local “Gem Factory.” I had to waste an hour of my life being followed around by a man trying to sell me jewelry. His job was to follow me, so he said. Then when I jumped on the complainers bandwagon (there were quite a few in my group) he decided to yell at me. ME! Out of a car full of people, his eyes were only on me. Visions of being carted off to a Thai prison and living the rest of my life like a bad, but impressionable, Claire Danes movie flashed before my eyes. I apologized, smiled, and kept my eyes down the rest of the drive back to my hotel.

Singapore

View Larger Map

The opposite of Bangkok: Clean, lush with perfectly manicured greenery, smell-free, organized, and safe. The utopia of cities everywhere.

Singapore

What can I say, this city was seemingly perfect. The streets had little traffic (due to the road toll fees – this is the governments effort to encourage public transportation over personal car use – Yeah!). Beautiful trees and lovely plants lined every road. The subway stations were immaculately clean (not one speck of dirt or graffiti!). There are even glass doors that divide the passenger platforms from the rails, so there is no chance of falling – or jumping. And the shopping opportunities are endless. Forget Starbucks, there is a shopping mall on every corner containing every store imaginable.

Efficient Metro in Singapore

This city was a breath of fresh air. Yes, I know that they pay high taxes and have a great deal of government control, but in all honesty, it seems worth it to me. I will have to do more research on the opinions of locals, but to me, everyone seemed happy and everything ran smoothly. I wish LA would follow their lead and make public transportation a more accessible option for the public.

Bali

View Larger Map

I have only been here a few days, and so far I have been reminded that surfing is NOT like riding a bike. You do forget. After a two year hiatus, I can no longer stand up or even catch the white wash waves. My lesson has been learned, after spending a week in Costa Rica working hard on those surfing skills, it was entirely stupid for me to stop surfing because the water is too cold in California. LAME excuse. I regret it wholeheartedly.

First Bali sunset

I met a French guy who let me join in on his drive to Ubud in the center of Bali. It is the place where Eat, Pray, Love’s author, Elizabeth Gilbert spent her Bali days in the book. To me, the highlight of this area was the grand rice fields everywhere. My pictures won’t do it justice because, as always is the case with me when I have a day to see something cool, it was raining. (I knew I should have bought that Olympus weather proof camera,!)

The funniest quote on my trip happen on this drive to Ubud. The car driver asked me where I was from, and when he heard California, his first question wasn’t “Do you see movie stars?” or “Do you like ’The Terminator’?” – both of which I have been asked a number of times. But his question was priceless: “Have you been to Neverland?” Followed by, “Do you know Michael?” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

This driver even had the best music playing: The Dental Office Hit List. Every cheesy song from the 90’s, Kenny G, Whitney, Eternal Flame, and more. That is always the thing that makes me laugh most when driving in a car as a tourist. The drivers ALWAYS think you would rather here The Dental Office Hit List as opposed to some local tunes.

View from hotel in Bali

So as you can see, I’ve been running all over this region. Next up, I circle back up to Cambodia and Vietnam. I know I did it backwards, but timing is everything when you travel, and being alone is a bore. I’ve decided to take my chances and join an Intrepid Travel group in hopes that I get to sit back and enjoy the journey, rather than spend my days planning the next step. The travel company was recommended by a very reliable source, so hopefully it will be fun and I don’t end up wishing I was alone again and spending all my days booking the next flight.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

*Pictures are up! Click “Pictures” on the upper, right side of the screen.

(And sorry for the long entry. So much to tell! But I will try to post more often and more brief in the upcoming weeks.)

One of the reasons this program is so rewarding is because it is not a “hand out,” but rather it is a “hand up” as the families have to pay their own mortgages. We are just their to help them build the home of their dreams.

Women of the Habitat Family

If the following sounds like an advertisement paid for by the organization, it is not. (…But maybe it should be???) I hope this entry encourages you to look into a Global Village Habitat for Humanity project and consider a different type of trip for your next vacation.

All Play, No Work

Even though Habitat is a program in which you literally build a house, it doesn’t feel at all like work. It feels more like playing “construction workers” at summer camp with all of your new friends. A typical day goes something like this:

7am: Wake up for breakfast.
7:30am: See all your friends at breakfast and laugh about last night’s rambunctious happenings.
8am: Drive to work site. (Listen to ipod…unless you are like me and forgot it on a 4 month trip!!)
9am: Arrive at work site and take pictures of progress. Say hello to host family, play with host family’s kids, and wake up to “work.”
9:15am: Begin work day: Shovel dirt, mix cement, lay cement bricks, build a wall, shovel more dirt, make more cement….you catch my drift.
12pm: Lunch time: Authentic [Thai] cuisine made by host family. AND a chance to be adventurous and try a squiggly green worm they call “dessert.”
1pm: Back to work: Shovel rocks with host mom, clear pathway for motorbikes, build another wall, clean trash from work site, shovel more dirt, talk to host family (with help of translator), laugh at the thought of people from home seeing you right now (minus the blow-dried hair, jewelry, and cute shoes…but instead covered in cement and dirt), listen to bad music (or their idea of good English music).
4pm: Head back to hotel to swim and shower. Again, sans ipod. Sad face.
6pm: Dinner with friends laughing about day’s mishaps. (Or at ourselves: My only injury was not when I stood on unsteady cement blocks to reach up high when building a wall (Thai‘s don‘t believe in “safety regulations“). Nor was it when my back throbbed with pain while shoveling rocks. Of course, my only injury was when I tripped over my own shoelace. And scarred my knee. So smooth, Allison.)
8pm: Drinks with friends or Cultural site seeing with local Habitat representative. (Details upon request.)

Begining stages of Habitat House

The walls up - House almost complete

Big Fun

Every other day, the local Habitat team would take us somewhere to see something amazing. One day it was hiking through the jungle to pick fruit, another day it was visiting the local school to play with kids, a third day it was getting a free Muay Thai boxing lesson, and one evening it was visiting a temple with a view of the ocean to watch the sunset. On the weekend, we were taken on a full day boat trip to visit surrounding islands, kayak, and again, act like a kid at summer camp with your new best friends.

All of these activities were planned and hosted by the local Habitat team. This was an added bonus because it gave us all a chance to interact with locals and ask as many questions as we wanted about the country we were visiting.

My first Wall

The People

Although Habitat is a Christian organization, it is open to everyone, no matter your religion. My team leaders were two 25 year old girls who went to Wellesley together. The other members included: Three duos of mother/teenage son, father/teenage daughter, and father/son; five college students; 6 professional (ages 26 – 44); 5 local volunteers; and me.

What was really cool about this group is that everyone came independently (other than the parent/child duos). This especially impressed me with the college students. I don’t think I would have had the courage to travel alone in my early twenties. (Hence the reason I waited until I was an oldy-timey, late twenties granny to do the whole “solo backpacker” thing.)

Night out with Habitat Friends

All Habitat teams are made up of people of different ages and backgrounds. We happen to be a mostly independent team, but many other teams consist of husband/wife/partners, friends, families, large groups, etc. Yes, that means there is no excuse not to look into this organization. And trips can be 1 week or 2, or you can even volunteer for a day or two locally.

Baby Girl of Habitat Family

Sawadee Kah

As you can imagine, it was very horizon broadening to meet people from all different walks of life. Before embarking on this trip, I couldn’t imagine liking anything as much as my time in Buenos Aires earlier this year. Well, I was proven wrong. I wouldn’t say I liked either experience more or less than the other. As the Thai people would say, they were: “Same, Same, But Different”

Final Day - Group and Family

I cannot recommend this program enough. Yes you “pay to volunteer.” However, the rewarding experiences, the personal cultural encounters with locals, and the friends you make are all priceless.

Thanks for reading. Pictures and an entry on my post-Habitat Thailand experience to come soon!

Kop Khun Kah!

My last weeks in Buenos Aires were spent with my parents who came to see my little life there. (Click here to view pics.)  It was great to show them where I had spent such a special time.   I especially loved being their translator, and watching them fall in love with the city too!

When I returned  home, although I loved coming back to the life I had left, I was very sad to leave the South American culture behind.  My lifestyle there was exciting and adventurous, very different from the monotonous reality of living with my parents.  I wanted nothing more than to get back on the road to traveling again.  (And my poor mother heard enough complaints on that subject to last her a lifetime.)

The irony of all this is I am now sitting in a hotel in Phuket, Thailand, about to start my first two weeks of travel with a Habitat for Humanity volunteer project, and all I can think about is home.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to be here and to have this amazing opportunity with like-minded people.  I just find it so ironic how quickly our mindsets can change.  While I am back in “like-mindedness” with fellow travelers today, just two days ago, I was feeling a “like-mindedness” with my friends and family back at home.  Enjoying all that home has to offer, and not feeling the need to go anywhere at all.

I know this is mainly my nerves talking.  It is a very scary thing to go traveling abroad alone.  But of course, that is what makes it so thrilling.  This is very similar to my life as an actress.   All the fears of stepping onto a stage are outweighed by the sheer adrenaline rush of feeling the energy from the audience, leaving you with the high of your life at the end of the show.

So far the trip has been good. Long, but good. I left LAX at 1am and got into Taipei at 4pm (California time), then switched my clock to Bangkok time, and arrived in Phuket at the hotel at 7pm.  Over 24 hours of travel!  Long, hard, and stressful.  Yuck.

Luckily I have already met my Habitat for Humanity team and everyone seems to be great!  A good mix of people of all ages, mostly 20′s – 30′s, from all over the US. It’s like camp for adults!  Which is really what all backpacking is like… and I love it!

Once I get over this jet lag, I think I will settle back into the like-minded attitude of backpackers everywhere who choose adventure over comforts, learning new cultures over staying safe in their own. and living life to the fullest no matter how scary it can be at times.

On this trip, I plan to travel through South East Asia, down through Bali, then to Australia and New Zealand.  If you have any travel suggestions, please email them to me!  They will be greatly appreciated!!

I will write more after my first day “on the job.” For those of you who don’t know, through Habitat for Humanity, we build houses.  I had to buy work gloves!  Yeah, me…wearing work gloves…I know!  I barely know how to use a hammer! 

Please:  Wish. Me. Luck!

*To get my blogs as an emailto your inbox or to view my pictures, click on the links on the top right side of the screen.

We do.

Boot: A term the Australian and New Zealander use when referring to the trunk of the car.

Loot in the Boot: A term I coined to compare to our great phrase, ¨Junk in the Trunk¨

I know this is a totally inappropraite way to start my blog. But I need to change things up readers!

…Sorry Grandma.

—

Now for the real blog:

—
Bariloche

Bariloche was amazing! I know many of you don´t know where Bariloche is located. I didn´t until I got to Argentina, so don´t feel bad. A friend said it best, ¨you’ve been to all these places I didn’t even know existed!¨ For your reference:

Bariloches is the Lake Tahoe of Argentina. But there isn´t just one lake, there are millions. They are clear and clean, with mirror-like reflections of gorgeous mountains and colorful trees, filled with bright yellow, red and orange fall leafs. Stunning to say the least.

The first tour I took in Bariloche (yes, I am a tour junky), was what my sister and I had been fearing when we were traveling together. I got onto the bus and soon realized I was the only person under the age of 60! Surely we would be stopping at other hostels for more twenty-something tour junkies? Nope. As we drove past other hostels and out of town, I knew it was going to be a long day.

Then as we drove, my sister and my second fear came to life: the tour guide started speaking in Spanish. Only Spanish. I had a fever of panic burn through my body. What was I going to do all day?! I knew I had to speak up, so I garnered all my strength and shyly rose my hand.
The conversation went something like this:

Me: Perdon?
Tour Guide: Si?
Me: This will be in English too, right?
Tour Guide: Blank stare
Me: Por favor, habla en ingles tambien.
Tour Guide: No hablo ingles.
Me: Shock stare
Friendly old woman sitting next to me: (Screaming as if I was deaf) SHE NO SPEAK ENGLISH
Me: Seriously?
Tour Guide: Shrugs her shoulders and smiles.
Me: Please. Don’t. Cry.

We pulled to the side of the road to see if there were any English tours on the same route. There weren´t. I had two choices: take a taxi back to the city, or sit back and enjoy the tour while working on my Spanish listening skills. I chose the latter. Although my intial instinct was to start crying, I quickly remembered that these were the type of stories that made travel blogs more interesting and funny! (Ha.) So all I could do was laugh it off and enjoy the views.

And so my first 60+, all Spanish tour began. It ended up being a great day! My surrogate parents took good care of me, translating what they could (this was also my first tour where NOBODY else spoke English). However, rather than calmly translating important facts, for some reason, these 60+ers thought my hearing was as poor as my spanish, and they spent the day screaming things like: LAKE! TREE! WATER! As if those were the words coming out of the tour guide´s mouth which I couldn´t understand. Bless their hearts, they were so eager and friendly. I felt loved on that tour…

Luckily the gears changed shortly thereafter when my friend Liv arrived. She is quite the social butterfly (and party girl) so the rest of my week in Bariloche was spent doing what a backpacker should be doing: drinking, eating, NOT going on tours, and sleeping in! As I said earlier, we met an Aussie and a Kiwi who brought much humor to our Bariloche trip. In addition to making us laugh, they are professional chefs, so they were kind enough to make us dinners, breakfast, and take us to some really cool restaurants. (As they say in fùtbol: GOAL!)

At the end of the week, the four of us rented a car and drove around a few different lake districts in the area, stopping to pick fresh mushrooms and berries along the way. I guess that is what chefs do on roadtrips???

My stomach thanks them.

—
El Calafate

El Calafate was cold. If you have spent any amount of time with me, then you know that my hands and feet get painfully cold due to a lack of blood circulation. No, I didn´t make this up. A doctor confirmed this when she tried to extract blood from my finger once, but couldn´t since there was NO BLOOD THERE. Point is, I get colder a lot faster than the average person. And El Calafate was a true test to my coldness pain threshold.

Despite the cold…I went hiking on a glacier!! One of the coolest things I have ever done. You wear these clamps over your shoes with huge spikes sticking out. And then you get to stomp around like a child throwing a temper tamtrum to make sure the spikes stick into the ice. It is AWESOME to say the least! Only bad thing was, like Machu Picchu, it was raining all the day, so the pictures won´t do the views justice.

The best way I can describe the experience is if you imagine being the size of an ant, marching in a line with other ants, across a giant block of ice. There are crevices where the glacier has cracked, holes filled with clear, blue water you can drink, and the guides walk in front to hammer out ¨stairs¨ to hike on. They reminded me of Snow White´s dworfs, whistling while they worked.

—
Ushuaia

I am now in the southernmost city in the world! I arrived to a snowy storm. My bag arrived ripped (and minus a few important items!). But I have no time to grieve, for tomorrow I go on a Train to the End of the World!!! Then, I will hopefully see some large colonies of penguins and sea lions the next day. It is worth my feet freezing off!

I am loving life as a traveler and really wonder how I can make a career out of this. I´ve been meeting awesome people from all over the world, most of whom have quit their jobs to travel for an entire year! This makes my three months seem pretty pathetic. But it also inspires me to hurry up and plan my next adventure to Australia and beyond! And the offer still stands: if anyone wants to drop everything and join me for a week (or month:) to travel, I would LOVE adventure companions!

—

Chau for now.

Next time I write, I will have a great amount of loot to put in the boot of these blogs. (In case that was too much of a stretch, I mean ¨loot¨ as in pictures and vlogs, and ¨boot¨ as in the tail end of my Argentina blogging days.)

Besos!

My sister arrived in Buenos Aires to help distract me from the fact that I was moving out of my darling studio apartment and leaving all my valuables behind to live out of a tiny backpack for one month. After the distraction faded, we sat on an overnight bus* to Salta, Argentina to see the Salinas.

*Overnight buses are not bad at all. They are actually like flying business class. You get limitless movies to watch, free meals to eat, and a nice cama (a chair that folds back into a bed) to sleep in and enjoy the ride.

The salinas were spectacular. You can look up the history if you are interested, but basically it is like a big dessert with snowy ground for miles and miles, only it´s not snow, it´s salt. When you walk on it, it sounds just like you´re walking on snow. But when you grab a handful and let it run through your fingers, it´s just like dinner salt!

After Salta, we went to Peru to visit the famous Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world!

What can I say, Peru was amazing! I can´t decide if I should go on and on about the little details that made it amazing (like the people who spend their lives living on the floating islands of Uros or the majestic views from the hidden Inka city of Machu Picchu, built with stones they rolled up the high mountain tops!).

If you´re like me, this long blog, with tons of paragraphs and no pictures, would seem rather daunting to read. I might even catalog it in my ¨need to read¨ label on gmail and forget about it completely.

Well, if you´re like me, you can skip down to the end. But if you´ve come this far, and you want to keep reading, let me tell you quickly why Peru was so amaing and why you should add it to your ¨must see in this lifetime¨ list. Two reasons: The food and the culture.

Seriously, the food was sooooo good in Peru! Fresh, organic, homemade, perfect food! They have the best avocados. Yes, better than my hometown of Fallbrook (known as the ¨Avocado Capital of the World¨)! They have the freshest tasting fish. Again, yes, better than wonderful Southern California´s salmon (yes, all you salmon haters…salmon is good! But they have trout…Yummy trout!). And last, they have the best presentation for serving their food. Peruvian music, dancing, and ambience that is unique and culturally charged. (Have you ever been on a floating island about the size of a quarter of a football field where 10 families live in harmony?) Totally worth a trip to Peru!

This brings me to my second reason why Peru was amazing to visit. Peru is rich with history (mostly stemming from their Inka heritage) that in my opinion, gives the Amish quite a run for their money! Everywhere you go, there is a Peruvian woman wearing a tall hat, a large fluffy, coloful skirt, and carrying a bulge of crop tied to her back. You will see her herding sheep in the mountains, spinning wool as she walks down a busy street, or picking vegtables from her farmland under a deep blue sky filled with big, puffy white clouds.

You´ll see what I mean when I post some pictures. Promise.

My sister and I ended up being great travel companions. Not that I doubted we would be; I knew we were similar enough that the trip would be fun and memorable. That said, there is always a slight air of fear when sisters spend too much time together. (If you have a sister, you know what I mean!) One can´t help but worry that things could easily go sour, where less time is spent laughing and more time is spent having screaming matches. Screaming matches so bad, that they could easily lead to kicking and scratching matchings like when we were kids.

Don´t worry, we both walked away injury free. We even hugged when we said goodbye…TWICE!

And now I am on my own. My friend Liv from Buenos Aires joins me tomorrow in Bariloche. We spend a week here, and then I head down to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia! I have a week there by myself….unless you want to be spontaneous and join me? I can give you my hostel address and flight information??? …Please????

After my travels, I am thrilled that I get to have one more week in Buenos Aires when my parents come to visit. Then, I´ll be back in Cali for June…or the summer….who knows! But, like Biggie says, I´m goin´, goin´, back, back, to Cali, Cali…. Can´t wait!

Thanks for patiently waiting to read this blog. And then reading it! I will write more later when I have the time. (Yes, there will be more to write!) But since I do not have my own computer, there will be nothing other than text blogs for the next few weeks. Hopefully entertaining text blogs, but let´s be honest, nothing compares to the charming pictures and hilarious vlogs I stream throughout this site. I will be posting a backlog of exceptionally brilliant vlogs when I have my computer again. So, STAY TUNED!

Chau! Chau!

PS: ¨Allison Meriwell¨ is the name a taxi driver gave me in Peru. He had written it on a sign he held when picking us up from the train station. My sister Lindsey and I got a kick out of it…Maybe we were just tired from traveling the world…

A cannon guarding the old town of Colonia

I only have one more week left in Buenos Aires and I am repeatedly asking myself, why can’t I just live here forever? To answer my own question, mainly because I don’t speak Spanish well enough to get a job here. (And I spend my time writing these blogs, rather than opening that dusty spanish/english dictionary to learn more vocabulary words!) That said, I have met many “expats” who live here and are not fluent in Spanish, but have jobs working via the internet in some capacity. Which brings up another question I have for myself, why did I study theatre in college and not computer science?

As my profesora says, “that’s dummy!”

With fellow GIC language school students out having drinks

For the past two weeks since I last wrote, I have been happily becoming less of a tourist and more of a resident of Buenos Aires. With the exception of two very tourista weekend getaways to Uruguay (Colonia and Punta del Este) and Iguazu Falls (see my vlog and picasa web albums for highlights), my life here is filled with mundane daily errands, that are so not mundane because they occur in Buenos Aires. I go to the lavandoría (to get my clothes washed), the Disco Supermercado (to buy my food), I ride colectivos (public buses), and I am tarde a la escuela mucho (due to my bad oversleeping habits, I do a fun little walk-fast, jog-every-ten-steps maneuver to make it to class on time.)

Luckily, due to the fact that the Arentines are muy tranquilos, I often arrive at school only to find that the teacher with the keys to unlock the door is running late as well.

I have to laugh at their culture here in comparison to mine in the states. Everything is run inefficiently. From the banks only being open from 10am-3pm, to the subtes (subways) that stop running at 10pm, to the busses only accepting coins as payment when there is a shortage of coins in the country! Back at home, it takes me 5-10 minutes (15 tops) to check out of a grocery store when there is a LONG line. Here, it never takes under 20 minutes, and usually it takes longer. And that is when I am in the “express” line!

I really don’t mean to imply that any of these things are all that bad. It’s just different. And I don’t really mind it…except when I’m at the grocery store. That is when I just want to scream at the top of my lungs: “Can we PLEASE all just move a little FASTER and get the heck out of here!”

A theatre we found while walking the cobblestone streets of Colonia, Uruguay.

My little sister will be coming to Buenos Aires next Friday. I am really excited to see her and to travel, but very sad to leave my life here, especially since I feel like I’m just getting started. I spoke with my parents last night, and my father said that this can be a city I call my own, returning to it as many times as I want in my future. But as I know from my previous abroad experiences, there are just too many places to see in this world. Returning to a city you have already visited, no matter how much you like it, is sometimes very hard to do.

We are going to travel for two weeks together, and then after my sister leaves, I will have three weeks of travel on my own. Although I am nervous about my safety, feeling lonely, and not knowing spanish well enough to talk myself out of a tricky situation (being the chica muy peligrosa that I am), I am really looking forward to navigating through this continent on my own.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a “people person” and love being social, but I find I love my alone time almost equally as much as of late. I live in my own studio apartment here, and it is the BEST little slice of heaven. I spend my free time walking around Buenos Aires aimlessly, people watching and window shopping (two of my favorite pastimes.) Yes, this city suits me well.

Some friends I met in Punta del Este

Last week, I said goodbye to a few of the great friends I have met in school. Everyone has the option of starting at different times, so there is a steady flow of new students arriving and old students leaving. I was fortunate to start classes at the same time as a handful of good people. There is Olivia, 24 years old, from Berkley, who is traveling before she starts grad school this fall; Nick, 41, from South Africa, who is taking an 8 month sabbatical to travel the world (and left his wife at home to work!); Billy, 32, from North Carolina, who was sick of looking for work and thus decided to return to BA to visit friends he met while living here after college years ago (he ironically knows a friend of mine from Fallbrook who lives here now!); Kim, from Canada, who is taking time off before starting a new job next month; and Alexandra, 22, from Santa Cruz, who is a world traveler, living here with a friend for 6 months.

We are like-minded people in that we all recognize and value the importance of travel and living abroad. The other day, Olivia summed up our life here with one simple question, “It’s Monday?”

St. Patrick's Day with Nick, Olivia, and Kim

I can’t believe I have already been in Buenos Aires for a month, and I only have six weeks left before I return home to California. This last week will be bittersweet, but I am so grateful to be surfing these waves of life right now.

To waste time being sad about leaving is just like my profesora says, “dummy.”

—

Here is my third vlog installment of my travels to Uruguay and Iguazu Falls this past month: