Santiago. September arrives and bring Spring with it.

It is a relief to return to Santiago. I realise I have not seen much of it as I’ve been using it as base.

That changes over the next few days – it is another whirlwind of bars, restaurants, club music, going out, and socialising, including being given a farewell dinner. I cannot believe how many different types of bars and restaurants there are, and it seems that Marcia knows them all and everyone who works in them.

One night we go to Liguria, a bar that looks like it might have been popular with the elite set of the late 1800s. It has marble floors, wrought iron balustrades for the staircases, and an impressive display of bottled wine that goes floor-to-ceiling against one wall. Waiters wear traditional garb. She orders typical Chilean food for me to try, wanting me to have a full Chilean experience before I leave.

The next night we go to a traditional restaurant with friends and its specialty is exemplifying food from different parts of Chile with a nod to the aboriginal races of the country, all served on wooden boards. It is unique and delicious, washed down with copious amounts of red wine. Later, we go to a club and listen to a local band belt out latino tunes that everyone in the audience knows the words to (except me) and they bounce away in standing-room only claustrophobia. It is an electric atmosphere made up of people at least half my age.

Finally,  there are tears, a farewell, and a long journey. I cannot believe my good fortune, both in knowing and meeting the people that I’ve met, and in doing and seeing so much that I wanted to achieve in South America.

It is four flights and 24 hours of travel to get me from Santiago, Chile to Buffalo, New York, my stepping off point for the next leg of my journey, Canada. Time waiting at the airports in transit gives me a moment to think about the logistics of this trip; maybe I am trying to do too much?

My plan is to travel to:

South America – Chile, Peru, and Bolivia = 3 ½ weeks

North America – Canada (east coast) = 9 days

Europe – Iceland, UK (London for a couple of days), Ireland, France (Paris for 10 days), Austria, Switzerland, Italy (north) , Malta, Spain (Mallorca), Greece = 2 months

Asia – Cambodia, Thailand = 3 weeks

Total = 4 months

Looking at it written down, it seems a bit ambitious. But I purposely wanted a taste of places I’d never been to so in this way it fulfills my dreams – of world-wide travel, of travel alone, of travel with friends/relatives, and all incorporating writing, photography, and languages.

Mind you I did not help myself in any way when preparing to leave. I was completing my Masters degree up until 5 days before I left. I house-sit and have no permanent home, so I had to work out what to put into storage as well as pack.  In those 5 days, apart from packing, I had to buy a new phone (don’t ask), a new tablet as my sturdy laptop would be too heavy to take, as well as finalise bill/mail collection, what to with my car, check up on visas if needed, pickup my tickets, visit relatives, visit the doctor, dentist, orthodontist etc – the list covered both sides of a piece of A4 paper.

At the start of this trip I was nervous about the travel but also trying to work out the idiosyncrasies of my new phone and laptop. I was worried how I would go with working out how to blog, having never done it before. Plus I have never travelled on my own for such an extended period before.

 

Now, after travelling for a month, and writing this blog for a few weeks, I feel much more confident and aware of my own needs, such as rest. Single travel is unreal in that I need not compromise on anything -I do what I want.

But at the same time it is quite stressful and very tiring, as you make all the decisions and carry all of the responsibility such as constantly checking bags/luggage, taking it with you to the toilet, worrying about it being overweight (especially packing for a round-the-world trip with varying seasons), watching your passport and other important necessities, changing money, booking flights/trains/buses/taxis/ferries, watching spending versus wanting to experience things, buying souvenirs keeping weight limit in mind, finding powerpoints to charge electronic things, finding internet (not as easy as I was expecting – especially as it’s my only way to communicate), stressing about and trying to manage the 12-14 hour time difference to call home, talking, talking, talking to people all the time, asking questions, finding your way, all the while thinking long-term and that I have to keep this or that for the Europe leg or the Asia leg of the trip, trying to stay fit and eat healthy, and hoping and trusting that things will happen the way you’d like them to/planned to or that they’ll somehow workout.

 

My head is throbbing as I board the last flight to Buffalo, despite anti-migraine medication. I have had major luggage dramas, stress and crying issues in Lima, Peru (because of their airline jurisdiction issues); security issues in landing in the US even though I was only transiting (because I’d come via Peru); flight issues  getting from Atlanta, Georgia (where my international flight landed) and transiting to a domestic flight to La Guardia in New York; delay issues on this flight leaving La Guardia to get to Buffalo; and all with only 5 hours sleep (Yay, a plus!! I cannot believe I slept on a plane. Exhaustion may have had something to do with it). Throughout though, all the airport staff I’ve dealt with  (ground and cabin crew) have been lovely, helpful, and polite. (Plug here for Delta Airlines!)

Rant over.

Next part of the adventure. A new continent awaits.