Well…at least all that we were going to see in South America;)
As we move forward into Central America I can’t help but be so grateful for all the places and people that we met along the way that even if for a short moment, helped, gave us company, advised, or simply went out of their way for us. God really has blessed our trail and has kept us out of dangers sight and instead, either kept us home or put us in good company. So before I move forward I want to look back and give my due thanks.
I truly could name so many things…probably one in each country but to keep it simple….here we go:
▪The cab driver in Río de Janeiro, Brazil
We refrained from telling our folks cause we didn’t want them to worry but when we arrived at our very 1st stop on this trip we were EXTREMELY lost. Every book and blog that we read warned us of the dangers of being an “obvious” backpacker. You know…all the rules. Don’t walk around after dark in this area, don’t have your valuables on you, know where your going, blah blahblah blah BLAH….and right off the plane here we are, breaking EVERY. RULE…like seriously…all of them. Our bus into Rio took way longer than we thought….we speak like virtually 3% Portuguese so we got off what looked like only blocks from where we needed to be, all our stuff on our backs with the sun setting. We spent the next 2hrs frantically going up and down blocks and blocks walking up to person after person asking for help with directions buuuuuuut when you speak like no Portuguese that was no help, seaching for that FREE WIFI spot that we just KNEW would be everywhere so that we could figure this out but to no avail, stopping taxi after taxi asking “Will you take us here?” (pointing on a map) only to have them tell us “No” then drive off. Then, as we are walking what looked like the same block for the 4th time now in complete darkness with all our crap on our backs…it happens. It starts to rain. ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEE!?! Seriously…our earlier “mall walker” pace now turned to a slight sprint to…..well we didn’t know where to….but we just knew it needed to be fast.
*Have you ever seen Amazing Race? We were the 2 lost dummies just running back in forth….soaking wet.
In a final “I give up moment” we walk/run shameless into this apparently nicer restaurant completely wet. Lol…We seriously looked like 2 homeless street dogs looking for food on those commercials promoting pet shelters. This was Stage 5 Newbie Traveler Crisis. So we are guided to a table (in the waaaaay back) with every waitstaff staring at us and we just sit down…and just look at each other. We have no wifi, we have no phone, we have no car, and we have no idea where we are and why taxis are refusing to give us a ride. What we do have is enough money to buy us a meal, a small map in the book, and 2 extremely smart, capable brains. After eating, we regroup and make a plan, I’m gonna figure out where in God’s name we are, and he’s gonna try and find a payphone to call our hostel for directions. 15 mins later BAM! I found where we were on this ridiculously small map and he called and got directions to the hostel……noooooow all we gotta do is find us a cabbie to take us there;)
{Insert our livesaver Cabbie}
Turns out…our hostel is pretty hard to find but this cabbie didn’t just kick us out…he stopped and asked 3 different people and a cop for directions and drove us right to the door. He went waaaaay outta his way when we kept getting resistance from everyone else.
THANK YOU CABBIE IN RÍO…We really appreciated all the help in a time where we were still so green in this trip.
***We later realized we were telling the other taxis to take us to the Christ the Redeemer statue instead of the neighborhood…Doh!
▪The lady on the bus in Mendoza, Argentina
I’m thankful for the lady in Mendoza, who looked like she could’ve been either of our grandmother, for letting us swipe her bus pass twice in exchange for pesos when we hopped on the city bus, again with all our crap attached to our backs, and didn’t know that the only way to pay was with a bus card that you load with money. As we stood there, the bus already moving, and the busdriver insisting us to pay and both us very confused, she stood up and let us pay our fares with her card. We gratefully gave her our thanks and the cost of our fares. Once again…saved by another person;)
▪For our new friend Miko
I’m thankful to have met new friends like our new friend Miko who made us feel alittle more like home. When you travel sometimes it can feel like your not in the crowd but more observing what’s going on….and for a wine filled night…we were a part of Mendoza with a friend…talking about how all our moms worried about us traveling the same way;) Miko…my friend, I hope your mom is well and “God is still great!”
▪For Unplanned Days
When so much of what we are doing is well planned….like 3 weeks in the future planned, I’m thankful for unplanned days that completely interrupted our plans but allowed us moments of rest. This day…it just rained, screwing up all the plans for that day. So we opened up the windows listened to the storm and read, listened to music, and finished a bottle of Argentina’s Malbec. It was a rest we obviously needed;)
▪For the ability to try new things
I’m thankful for the freedom to try new things. This sole thing has the ability to change ones life big and small forever. One small change in my life going forward…Cactus fruit or sometimes called Tuna. I had never tried this fruit before and when crossing the Peruvian border I saw a lady peeling tons of these and tossing them into baggies I asked Jorgie “What are those?” He jumped at the opportunity to learn me a little something about these delicious little balls from heaven! They come in a variety of colors but I liked the bright pink ones the best….but don’t let me fool you…we downed a bag of 5 multi colored ones in a matter of minutes;)
▪My Co Pilot
I’m thankful for Jorgie. We didn’t take on an easy task…it has been filled with moments of panic, hours of prep work, and even more moments of gut holding laughter. While we have had our moments,
(Everyone understands the “What do you want to eat” “I don’t care, you choose” “No wait…I don’t want that.” battle right?!? Yeah…try having that when your options are between a foodstand selling something that resembles meat on a stick with a potato on the end OR Doña Chencha’s fine dining where your waiter wears a tank top and flip flops while his son is sprawled across a rocking chair watching cartoons and eating something out of a bag while a street dog lays at your feet. It’s a lose lose situation….but I truly can’t imagine experiencing all of this with anyone else. Thank you Jorgie for filming my breakdowns, going on countless helado searches for the perfect cone, introducing me to so many new things, and even more, for being my co pilot on all of my wild requests for adventure…
valarieivester
A Conscience Journey 