Time to Say Good-Bye ...

I can still remember writing my first Blog prior to the start of this 5 months trip. Just shortly after having spent Christmas up in the snowy Swiss mountains. Sitting on my sofa in the apartment I had just moved in 2 months earlier. The fire in the oven burning warm and cosy, an exciting time ahead of me ... And now those 5 months are almost over. While I write this last Blog I am sitting on the bed of my hotel room. In the middle of a big city.The sounds of New York coming into my room ... and I am thinking back to what lies between now and the train ride from Basel to London on January 1st. About the stories that lie inbetween, the people I have met along the way and the things I mostly remember ...

Which is the quiet Metro Station on a New Year's Day and the helpful people there. The cruise that took way too long (almost 4 weeks) and just didn't have enough stops inbetween! The storms in England and France in the beginning of the month that made us skip the Azores and head straight to Florida. And made me sick ... Heide from Germany who's company I was really grateful for during that cruise. I won't forget to come by in fall to pick up those knitted socks, my birthday present :) Our guide Bernardo from Chile who accompanied us safely through Rio de Janeiro. The Uruguayan games played at an Estancia on my birthday and my first asado. A Cafe Tour in Buenos Aires with a friend I had not seen for 12 years. The hot and humid weekend I spent in Rosario, Argentina. Thank you Adrian and Stevie (the dog) for the time, the food and the music you shared with me ;) The "magic spot" at the Estancia Rancho e Cuero that allowed you to just get a tiny signal in the middle of nowhere. Also Pedro, the Gaucho, and his wife. The Palma family (the ones I have met). And of course my own Black Beauty, Fernet. The long wait at the Chilean border (thanks again to the people who wanted to get some drugs accross ...). Another wait, this time at the only airport I was at and spent 3 hours waiting for a group that never came. Well, I eventually, after several calls - on a Sunday - to the travel agency people in Switzerland, met up with them. The swimming in Lago Todos los Santos up in Northern Patagonia with two Austrian girls. Which turned out to be a smart idea after all, as the lakes down South only got colder :) The bumpy dirt roads. The beautiful b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l nature of Patagonia that I am still longing for ... and more ... The absence of Starbucks in that part of South America and the fact that you will find it here in the US and especially here in New York just about around every corner. A Golden Cruise and the two princesses traveling on it to get from (the) South (America) to the North (America). The flower power pants we both shared. The green lizard on my head in Mexico :) The easy way into the US!! I still can't believe how fast that went this time and how little questions had been asked. Willi the walruss and Christmas songs sung by two little boys in a car in the middle of spring time. And one of these two little boys reminding me very strongly about my own little boy back home ... the opposite side of family life with two girls, one of them having grown into a teenager (constantly attached to her phone now), the other one being a fashionista and State Champion in gymnastics. The Western National Parks that gave us no break inbetween, no time to breathe and take in each of their stunningness for just a little while longer. Quad driving just outside of Arches NP with Joel the medicine student. The long roads. The heat in Tennessee, when I had thought it might be cooler there in spring than it was the last time in August. Well, you've deceived me. But I'll still come back to the "Music City" a-n-y-t-i-m-e!!! :) On contrary, the AC, a constant and unwanted companion here in the US. Especially annoying on the coldest train ride I have ever had!!! The Cafe in Juliette, Georgia, that serves the best fried green tomoatoes.

There's all of this and so much more that I am just not able to think of right now. Almost 5 months in a flash!!! There's just 2 more days left in New York. The city that never sleeps. Where you can shop till you drop. 24/7. Where you could see 10 Musicals a day for one week and would still not have seen them all. A place where you find out that maybe rowing a boat is not an ability I should pursue ;) Where you can sleep in a hotel just close enough to Times Square and Broadway that you can hear the people (or should I say, the women ;)) scream once James Franco (who is playing in "Of Mice and Men) has exited the theatre. A city where you get tired feed and blisters of walking it. Where at some point you wished the masses of poeple away. But also a city where street musicians come up to you and talk to you about their life. Where not yet famous singers have the chance to sing and show what they are capable of doing. Where you can cross the street on red and where it doesn't seem to matter if cars block the intersection. Where poeple are rememberd with white roses. And where you can imagine and dream.

My "Winter Away" is coming to an end. The Queen Mary 2 will once again bring me back to Europe. And I am glad once again - not just because I can avoid the flying part ;) - that I can take the slow return. And think again about the past months and maybe about the future plans ...

I hope you have enjoyed traveling these roads with me. And don't forget, that every end is somehow it's beginning!!!

 

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights.

It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.

 

- Miriam Beard -

Country Roads

Many roads traveled. And many Miles lie between here (Nashville) and Los Angeles, where we started our road trip. Almost 4'000 Miles to be exact. And it is going to be a few more to get to Atlanta. Almost coast to coast. Almost. And inbetween all those Miles lie adventures, encounters, deserts, snow, lots of sunshine, slow roads, fast roads, many of nature's and life's wonders. And stories ...

Once my new companion in crime had arrived in LA there was only one more day left in sunny California. And it seems that Melanie thought a trip to Venice Beach wouldn't be interesting enough if you have not made the acquaintance with the local police ... with that said, never block the intersection in LA. Or anyhwere else for that matter. Or you will have an illuminated American Xmas police car follow you!! As if LA traffic wasn't already crazy enough without it. Drama drama ... and welcome to the US Melanie ;) So one day in the City of Angels was definitely enough for one of the two of us and we left the Cali beaches behind and made our way to one more crazy city in the middle of the desert: Las Vegas. You will like it or you won't. But I think you should have at last experienced it once in your life. And you don't even have to spend your time there gambling. Or drinking. In my opinion it's fun enough to walk through Venice and Paris just looking and observing. And the next day you will still remember, and not have a wedding ring on your finger, not knowing who that guy next to you in your bed is. And just drive on ... Like we did. Because a big load of a-m-a-z-i-n-g things are waiting there!!! And it isn't even possible to describe what you see in the Grand Canyon. Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley. Antelope Canyon and Arches NP (and there is even more ...). It is so immane!! Stunning!! Incredible!!! I am missing the words here. Sadly there wasn't enough time to take it all in and reflect on it. There never is ... Because the next big thing was just around the corner. We did something different in every National Park to remember it by. Hiking the Angels Trail in Grand Canyon. Horseback riding in Bryce. A first for Melanie after many years, and in the end you could barely get her off that horse ;) I think she is already planning her next riding experice in her head. Marveling through Antelope Canyon. Unfortunately only on limited time!! Quad driving just outside of Arches NP. Soooooooo much fun!!! Thank you again to our guide Joel. A Jeep ride through parts of Monument Valley. Again, we could have stayed there for more than just a little while longer ....

But, as the West had kept us for half of the trip already it was time to head further East. More "normal" days were on the agenda now. Hopping from one State to the next. New Mexico (why again is this called "Land of Enchantment"??). Texas. Oklahoma. Arkansas. Tennessee. And still to come: Georgia. And always inbetween a quick encounter with the "Mother Road" of all roads here in the US: Route 66. There were so many changes of landscapes. From beaches to Canyons. From deserts. to lush green to snow to quiet and peaceful lakes and rivers. From cold winds to hot and humid airs. From "nothing and nowhere land" to Hot Springs (That we did not find ...) to cities and Music Festivals. From dusty roads to Highways. Extremes and contrasts. And many stories inbetween ...


Almost 3 weeks since we left Los Angeles. It seems like forever since! There are many roads traveled. Many beautiful and so diverse places seen. Many new memories made. But we are also a bit weiry and tired of being on the road ... after such a long way ... but nonetheless we are going to enjoy one more day in the "Music City". Then a stop at the Whistle Stop Cafe for some fried green tomatoes And then it's already good bye again and for me traveling on to the next and last part of this 5 months trip (Oh my gosh!! Only exactly 3 more weeks until I am back home!!). But for now another crazy and amazing place awaits: New York City. I hope you stay along!

We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time

 

- T.S. Eliot -



Dani California Reloaded

How fast time flies when you are enjoying yourself. Didn't Dani California just arrive in Los Angeles?? And now another 2 weeks have passed and I am waiting for my friend Melanie to arrive here tomorrow. Just 2 more "Beach Days" and we are ready to hit the nature path. Grand Canyon, Bryce, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Route 66, Nashville. And these are gonna be just a few of the stops along the way to Atlanta. Getting curious already? ;) More about all that in my next Blog. This one is about more than a few relaxing days in sunny California ...

Nina and I started off with a "doing the most you can in LA in just 2 days". First it was an afternoon full of shopping. Joyyyyyyyy :) The next day we headed into downtown LA and enjoyed a view up at Griffith Observatory. From there it was just "a few" steps down to the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. Where we met Cat Woman (I could smell her perfume on me for the rest of that day :)), Spiderman and some other crazy creatures (Nina, did you parents never tell you not to talk to strangers ;))). But after some time we had enough of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and headed to Venice Beach. There it was exceptionally quiet. Maybe it was the season. Maybe it was the fresh air. But Venice Beach seemed to be a bit sleepy on this Wednesday afternoon. Shops closed. Not so many artists "producing" themselves. The muscle men at Muscle Beach must have been "on vacation" as well on this very day :) Still, Venice is always a place you should see. And the sunset was just amazing!!! Even though we were both freezing our a.... off :) But hey, what doesn't a photographer do to get a few good pictures :) And the last Good Bye came. After a French Toast for breakfast, which is actually breakfast, lunch and dinner all in one :), at the Yellow Vase (where I should return to again and again ...) it was time to say Good Bye to Nina and time for me to head to San Diego. Where I spent a few days with my sister's friend and her family. Astrid, Dave and their two boys Bryce and Nathan. The first shyness of Nate (the younger one) was gone soon and also Bryce gave me the long awaited smile in the end. I've spent a few cheery days in the city South of Los Angeles. Doing some sightseeing, pretty and colourful flower fields and a lighthouse (I looooove those!!!). Watching a soccer game of the 4 year old (and yay, he shot a goal). Singing christmas songs in spring (hey Rudy and oh jingelly Jingle Bells:)) and letter songs in the car. I still can't get Willie the walrus out of my head. But way too soon it was time to trade in the two boys for two girls who awaited me back in LA. And what a difference this is. I can tell you!!! No more running around playing soccer and baseball. No more Wrestling and so on. From now on it was shopping with THE 8 year old shopping fashionista Liana. I think you can quite possibly say that I've had a shopping overdose ;) Lots of Make Up. Pop Cakes and other sweet stuff in any shape and form. Gym Training of the State Champion of 2014 (Liana!!). Frozen and Frozen again. Which is a movie also the boys like a lot. Playing, singing and watching the cupsong. I believe Liana could watch that move Pitch Perfect every day. Seeing Mickey & Co at the happiest place on earth. Ice Cream. Beach and beach and beach. Family life to the fullest. Thank you again and over Teresa, Derek, Teri and Liana for always giving me a place to stay when I am here. I really do appreciate it!!! It's been a fun time. Reloaded fun time ;) And I await you guys in two years in Switerland :)

Dani California came. Dani California was. And maybe Dani California will be again someday. But for now, what I will remember is this ... the four year old wrestler who reminds me just a little bit of the boy back home that I miss so much. The bakery at the corner I could go to every day. An almost 9 year old who loves sweets and Make Up and shopping too. Her almost 14 year old sister who I had met for the first time, guess what, 14 years ago and who is now growing into a young woman. How time flies ... That here, in contrary to wild Patagonia in Chile / Argentina, you can find a Starbucks just about around every Corner. The places here that I used to roam in every day for 9 months ... That you can find the whole world (and chairs for the Cafe you plan to open) in just one store. You CAN eat cupkes e-v-e-r-y day :) You can also sing Christmas songs and have fun doing so even when it's 30 d C outside.

I am back in the US. Back for another 4 weeks. Some things have changed. Some things are still the same. The AC ist still as cold as ever. Everything here is supersized. You've got to get used to the different traffic system (yes, I can turn right, even when it's red :)). It's a certain that the check in the restaurant will be given to you before you have had your last bite. But I guess if you follow the advice from the ocean, you'll do just fine here in California :)

 

Advice from the Ocean:

 

Be Shore of Yourself.

Come Out of Your Shell.

Take Time to Coast.

Avoid Pier Pressure.

Sea Life's Beauty.

Don't Get Tide Down.

Make Waves!!


The dirty lifes of two princesses on a golden cruise

I remember writing the last Blog just a few weeks ago. Once again, that seems like a lifetime since … another world. Another season. Another time … But in reality just a little over 3 weeks lie inbetween. A night in a hotel room way down South in Argentina. A night alone again after 2 weeks of touring with a group through beautiful Patagonia. Somehow I was longing for those days in the Southern wild for quite some time after. I guess I still am … and it’s not that I am not looking back to all the other beautiful days and encounters that I have experienced since leaving home 3 months ago. Don’t ask me why. I can’t say why the longing for those days in particular is so big … but you cannot linger for too long, sometimes you have to move on. And so the bus took me back North. And after passing through Mendoza with a wink and a smile and a stop at Starbucks for a Caramel Frappuccino rather than a sip of wine, I returned to Santiago de Chile. It was time for some new adventures to begin …

On all the travels you do in your life, be it on foreign roads or just through familar grounds back home, you cross paths with strangers. Some you meet and greet, you spend some time together, you talk, you laugh. And then you go your separate ways. But then there are some that stay. Like Nina. We had met in summer 2011 on a tour through parts of Canada and Alaska. Then we met again for a short trip through the South of Sweden. I remember saying good bye at the train station of Copenhagen, Denmark on a day of early fall in 2012. And now, not even 2 years later it is time again for some roads to  travel. Another continent. Another city. Another season … Down at the funicular that brings  you up the Cerro San Cristóbal in Santiago de Chile was the starting point of  our time together.

The first few days were spent sightseeing, shopping (as I had not seen too many shops in the last few weeks out in the wild and Nina is always up for shopping ;)), eating delicious Chilean food and talking about all the traveling roads that each one of us had walked since the summer of 2012. After just two days we took the bus to Valparaíso. The colourful city just one hour from Santiago. We recided up in the hills in a charming Victorian-English-Breakfast-Witch House. In a teeny tiny room where we could barely fit all of our luggage (I mean, we onlyl had like 5 bags ... :)) and you had to watch out to not hit your head while taking a shower in the bathroom, that was actually almost as big as the room itself. The views up there were entchanting. The hills steep. The Cerros (the city is devided in several cerros) alegre (joyful). And Nina became a star. She was discovered up at Cerro Alegre for a short documentary about the city of Valparaíso. We will see, maybe in a few years she’ll be famous around the world :)

Then it was time to go aboard, and after just one night on the Golden Princess we had our first stop at La Serena, Chile. Which also marked the last day in Chile. Unfortunately the  guided tour organized by the ship was not so successful for us. Too many people in one group. The stops at the places too short. And too much time in the (oh yes, once again overly AC’d) bus. So we decided to cancel a few of the already booked tours and just get a guide ashore once getting there. This turned out to be the better choice. But still, I have to say, that for the future and for me, traveling through a country and not alongside it is the better choice as well. The stops are just too fleeting and unsatisfying for me. But that’s something everone has to decide for themselves …

Even though I wish I could have stayed in places like Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico a little while longer, it was still a fun and relaxing time aboard and ashore. I won’t forget the movies under the stars (and at the Lido Pool). The breathtaking and ever changing sunsets. The Piña Colada from the Pisco Distillery in Peru that we were allowed to take aboard, and the Dirty Bananas that were especially good when done by our very own bartender Narciso (see picture oft he day of March 27th). The colourful markets. The pretty horses in Peru. The seals at Islas Ballestas (especially the smell there) and all the other wildlife just passing by the ship. Like all the schools of dolphins playing alongside. Sea snakes. Turtles and so many more. And btw, our ship really does remind me of a hammerhead shark :) Then there was the crossing oft he Equator and kissing the fish. The tropical heat in Latin America. The volcano in Costa Rica we unfortunately did not see (it was just a white wall). Also the "pura vida" there. Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Where my lover unfortunately was not present and we had to find a Mexican lover (see picture of the day of March 30th). My first horseback ride at the beach with Apache. Going to sleep with the sound of the ocean as a constant partner, rocking you right to sleep. The singing people working on the ship. Our company at the dinner table. Doris, Detlef, Jo, Doreen and Christian. And who knows, maybe with one or the other the contact will remain …

The 16 days at sea and land have come to an end now. After two weeks of calm sea it has become a little rougher (memories of the cruise in January coming up, but just slightly …). The seats in the shadow at the Lido Pool have become empty. People are craving the space in the sun again. That means no more fighting for chairs, no more getting up early and reserving seats to actually get a chair at all. The hot and humid days have passed. Who would have thought that we would be chilly by the end of the cruise, when just a few days earlier we were complaining of the heat in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. But that’s how it is. The only constant is change. I have eperienced that a lot during the last 3 months. But isn’t that the exciting part about life? That nothing is the same. And that the things unplanned and surprising are the most wonderful!

I am back in Los Angeles, the "City of Angels", now. A familiar place to me. Having lived there for 9 months a few years back (or is it more than just a few years …). And having come back again in 2003, 2009 and 2011 to visit friends and places again. 3 weeks of hopefully sunny, relaxing days in SoCal lie ahead. I am looking forward to meet my sister’s friend and her family in San Diego. A few more people up in the LA area. And especially Liana, a girl that is not a child any longer, but has grown into a young and beautiful lady. And of course the rest of the Del Rosario bunch!

Dani California is back. I hope you are still traveling alongside :)

 

 

"Eat, drink and be merry, and tomorrow we diet."

 

- Goofy -

Patagonia Wilderness

I wanted nature. And I got it. Loads of it!! And sometimes nothing else before it, behind it, next to it or inbetween :) But let's begin where the Patagonia Overland Tour started. In Puerto Montt, Chile. Well, for me that is. Everyone else had already met up in Santiago the day before. But hey, easy peasy to meet up with a group in a tiny airport when you know the arrival time of a flight and when there's only like one exit for the passengers. No problem, right?? The problem only starts when the guide and the group you are supposed to meet think you are an elderly and confused woman, who was supposed to meet up with everyone in Santiago already. But long made short: After 3 hours at the airport of Puerto Montt and a few calls (on a Sunday!!) back home to my help desk group at the Swiss Travel Agency we finally met up and the tour could begin for me as well :)

A tour of 2 weeks with 11 strangers (German, Austrian and Swiss) and one guide which took us from the middle to the most Southern town of Chile. We started off with a boat ride and a hike next to a few impressive volcanos (and there are supposedly over 1000 of those in Chile). Then we were wise enough to take a swim in the Lago Todos los Santos. How nice was that. And we were so happy we did it in the beginning. Thinking that the waters down South would only get colder. And we were proven right. I would not have wished to go swim in the Lago Argentino or any other of the many lakes we passed and walked by after. Besides all of those lakes and volcanos we saw so many different animals. Sheep, deer and foxes of course. But what was more interesting for me were the guanacos, the condors and the penguins. Animals I don't see back home.

When I am thinking back to those two weeks, the Patagonia Overland tour for me was: loads of dirt roads. No need to spend money on a Massage :) Long rides in the bus, but also walks through this stunningly beautiful nature. Be it at the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina or at the Torres del Paine NP in Chile. Or just through an "Enchanted Forest" where you can sense the little gnomes and fairies hiding behind the trees and be taken to another world. The whole trip felt like being in another world at times. Especially as it was the end of the season already, when at some places the roads were empty but worn out from all the tourists that had passed during the summer. The little towns, where downtown was as big as a shoe box, made me forget that there exist bigger places like Santiago or Buenos Aires. And then you are taken aback when suddenly you have to watch out for cars again and there's more than just 5 people walking on the streets. I will also not forget the "Terror gadflies"!! Oh man, I have never quite seen such annoying and agressive beasts as those we've met here in Chile. They were not as big as the known to me horse flies, but oh boy, they were mean, attacking us constantly. But then again, everything's bigger and better here in Chile, right Eric ;) Well, maybe not the Chilean deer. Those seem to be extremely small and to me look like a pig :) Sometimes, the so called "technical stops" weren't an easy task. For example when there's no bush around to hide behind. Or when you see bushes and think you walk over green grass to get there and it turns out to be a marsh you are walking through. Very funny!! ;) And then, just after, you finally find a bush and this one turns out to be full of thorns. I tell you, leaving a "Pipicacasee" can be an adventure in Chile :) It's easier to cross the Neverland inbetween the Chilean and the Argentine border ...

During all this time we were so lucky with the weather. Sunshine almost all the way through. And when there wasn't, the rain was fittingly perfect, like in el bosque encantado. Or the wind just a friend, like in Torres del Paine. And if at places there were just cabañas y nada más (log houses and nothing else), it felt perfectly right as well!!

I may not have found the so desired Starbucks along the way ;) But I think I have seen and encountered far better things!! New friends from Austria (las chicas superpoderosas :)). A beautiful Poncho in El Calafate. Guido (or was it Diego, Renate?? ;)), the bus driver who brought us safely to "the almost end of the world". A guide that is super impressive with all the knowledge he shared and with the passion he shared it with, and who turned out to become my husband so fast ;)) We even have names for our three children already :) And above all the magnificent still wild nature of Patagonia. Even though that it would be more comfortable and faster for tourists to travel on if there was asphalt all the way through, let's hope that the rutas, caminos y senderos of Patagonia stay just this wild for a little while longer and keep it's charm that way ...

Now that I have been from winter to summer and seen and felt the first glimpses of fall down here in South Patagonia, it is time for me to head back into summer (cause aren't I intending to spend "the winter away" :)). Back North. Where weirdly it is warmer than in the South. Oh, and Iv'e heard it is pretty warm back home. So probably even warmer than where I am right now. I have crossed back into Argentina today. And back in the city (Rio Gallegos) you have to watch out for the honking Argentine cars who don't give a damn about pedestrians ... Two more bus rides until I get to Santiago de Chile. And just one more week until another world opens to me. Cruising once again. This time over Latin America to Los Angeles, California. Who can't wait to see Dani California again :) So, this is it, the last Blog from South America. Ive had a great time here and I hope that some time, a path will lead me back here ...

 

 

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust -

Los soñadores diurnos

It’s been only close to 2 weeks that I have left Buenos Aires, but many roads have been traveled inbetween. And there have been roads, no flying included. My way of getting further has up till now been the buses in Argentina. And don't forget the horse. But more about that later.

My first trip by bus lead me away from Buenos Aires to Rosario. A city in the area of Santa Fe, about 4 hours up North. And on this bus ride I tasted my first Empanada. With many more to come after that. Buenos Aires waved good bye as it had greeted me. With lots of rain and thunder and lightning. Seems to be it’s way with me. But just a few hours later I arrived in hot and humid Rosario. And spent a lovely weekend there. With my own personal city guide: Adrian. He’s a friend of a friend back home and took the time to show me "his City". Late dinners (well normal time dinners for Argentina). Strolls along the river beach with ice cream of course (which melted away before you’ve had your first lick). More ice cream at Yomo’s (I have been told that this is THE place to go for ice cream in Rosario, and it was quite worth it!!). Calzon made by the city guide himself (d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!). And – the best of it all – a private concert for me. And Stevie (Adrian’s dog) :) Just beautiful!!! Muchas gracias again Adrian, for having taken all this time to show me around. I have truly enjoyed and appreciated a lot!! And I’m sure I’ll see you again someday. In Argentina, Switzerland or wherever else ...

One city lead me to the next: Córdoba. Actually just a stop inbetween for me on my way further West. But it was a nice day. Sunny and warm. And more Empanadas on my plate :) After just one day there it was time to head to Mendoza. A place where it supposedly never rains. "Nunca lluvia in Mendoza." It never rains in Mendoza. That’s what the taxi driver told me. And not just him, everyone else as well, like the lady in the hotel. The people doing the Bodega tour. And later on, of course the people at the Estancia. But guess what, of course it rained in Mendoza while I was there. And not little if I might add! But oh well, you can still sip some wine even when it rains. And sipping, that’s the only thing I did while visiting three Bodegas in the Mendoza area. For someone who actually does not drink wine, that’s a lot already. But like they say, while in Rome, do it like the Romans do. So I did :)

Since arriving in Buenos Aires 3 weeks ago it’s been city after city. So I was in desperate need for some nature. Mendoza brought me a little closer to it (already seeing the mountains when entering the city), but what really got me the full nature program were 5 day on the Estancia Rancho 'e Cuero. Unbelievable, but it only takes a 2 hour ride in a 4-wheel car (can you even call that thing a car, it was so hugeeeeeee), up a road into the Andes. And the drive itself being an adventure. I have a 4-wheel drive car, but I don’t think I would manage to get up there with it. So after just short of 2 hours you arrive in a completely different world: at Rancho 'e Cuero. A  piece of a jewel out in nature’s best. No Wifi, no signal on my cell (only in that one small "magic spot" which allowed me to send some bday texts). No connection to the outside world. But what a treat this can be! Instead you get loads of quiet and piece. You actually hear nature. The sounds of the streams, the wind whistling. The horse making its way up the mountain for you to enjoy a spectacular view after. It were a great few days. Even though in the beginning the rain was still present. But what I’ll remember of those few days is the lovely family Palma (unfortunately I did not get to meet everyone, not hard, if there are 6 children and 6 grandchildren, 1 more on the way). Pedro, the Gaucho, and his singing on the horse or elsewhere. The food Roxana, Pedros wife (how lucky is he!!) made for us every day. How am I going to manage now without it? Camel, the dog, who gets kind of depressed when he can’t be at the Estancia. Fernet, my Black Beauty during the time there (and no, he does not drink alcohol :)). All the wild animals whe saw: Condors, Guanacos, deer, rabbits and many more. The Siesta times after lunch which I did not spend for a nap but rather reading in front of the fire place. Watching a Swiss music festival on TV (yep, even out in nowhere land you can watch TV). The drive further up on my mom’s birthday to get a better signal and being able to call her. The hot-water bottle to keep me warm over night. And so many more things. I would like to add a few words someone oft he Park Hyatt Magazine in Zurich wrote after having visited Rancho 'e Cuero:

"Our experience was like visiting close family, with a sincerity from the heart felt in the smallest details, whether the rooms, the wonderful, home-cooked meals or Pedro, the proud gaucho! A visit close to the sky at Rancho 'e Cuero is much more than just a trip. Here, time stands still and, afterwards, you are ready for everyday life again! Pure relaxation …

Now I am purely relaxed. Ready for some new adventures. And the first one just started today: The bus drive from Mendoza to Santiago de Chile. Spectacular ride through the Andes but a long wait at Chilean customs (5 h!!). It looks like someone tried to smuggle drugs over the boarder. So a big thank yo to them for the long wait … I hope it will be faster in 2 ½ weeks, when I have to cross again! Oh, and I got another stamp in my new passport :) More to come …

But for now I am looking forward to one day (no worries, I’ll come back for another) in Santiago and 2 weeks of Patagonia Wilderness. More nature to explore and daydream about …

 

"Aquellos que sueñan durante la noche en los polvorientos recodos de su mente despiertan durante el día para darse cuenta de que todo ha sido vanidad, pero los soñadores diurnos son peligrosos porque pueden vivir su sueño con los ojos abiertos a fin de hacerlo posible."

- T.E. Lawrence –

 

City of Fair Winds

The ship spit us out in Rio de Janeiro. And let us back on. And we survived that day! After all the horrid stories of what could happen there that I have been hearing, we actually survived. Maybe it was because of our personal guide for the day - Bernardo from Chile - but maybe it also was because I was wearing the "lucky seed" necklace that I had bought in Barbados. In any case, we were quite lucky that day!! The weather  (no, I am not complaining about the heat) and the luck were on our side that day. Sunshine all day long. On the way up to Corcovado Mountain to have the same view that lucky guy called Christ the Redeemer has 365 days a year. On the way back down and past Sugarloaf Mountain. Along Copacabana and Ipanema Beach (but where did that girl hide :)). And also in the evening Samba Show. So a day full of success. After that, what was left of the cruise was spent 2 more days at sea (which we've had more than enough off) and in Uruguay at the Estancia La Rábida. A wonderful place and day, filled with Mate Tea, a carriage ride to the beach, the famous asado (my first time) and some cow milking and Uruguayan games. I liked it so much there that I decided to book a few days on an Estancia in Argentina. You'll be hearing about that in the next Blog.

The day to get off Queen Victoria after almost 4 weeks came quite fast after that. Birthday dinner on board and then it was Good Bye sea days the next morning. And Hola Buenos Aires. The city greeted us with rain. So I spent the morning in my very nice Hotel Loi Suites Arenales (very recommendable if anyone ever comes to Buenos Aires), uploading the daily pictures of the last days, which would have taken me hours to upload on the ship. I love free and fast Wifi :) But faster than I thought the sun came out again and it was time to start exploring the city. And there's so much to explore, see, feel and live here: colourful and vivid areas like La Boca. Artsy places like San Telmo (especially on a Sunday when the market is going on), reminding me of Montmarte in Paris. Modern and chic Palermo. Or overcrowded streets like Florida. The street where you can change money after every few meters. Cambio cambio. Change. Money change. By now, after one week, I can't hear it anymore. No, thank you, but I don't want to change money. Talking about money, the used Argentine Pesos look like they've gone through laundry machine after laundry machine. People, how are you treating your money ;))

To get around in Buenos Aires you can easily take buses, taxis or the underground, which is called subte here. Which I have never done up till now. Walking seems to be my thing here. Not that I am such a sporty girl. But, like the main character in the book that I am reading right now is saying: "It was exquisite to use my legs after so many stagnant months at sea." Not that I have been at sea for several months, though it might have seemed that way at some time. But I still felt like I needed to walk. That feeling has decreased a little now after one week, though I am still walking :) And you can walk through Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, even though you are not actually there. You can also walk in streets where you have to walk in slalom. I am telling you, I have found "Shit Street" here!!! Or here they call it just simply República de la India, and it goes just along the Buenos Aires Zoo. I don't think the animals there are throwing their stuff over at night when no one is watching ;)

The thing I can't quite get over is, how empty and deserted everything is around here over the weekend. And I don't think it is because we've had a rainy weekend when I was here. It's not like I could check again over the next weekend, cause I will be gone by then ... but it seems that people are escaping the city life over weekends. Also, where I did not find an answer to yet (maybe someone can help?), why are they selling city cups of Rosario (a city of 4 hours North, where I am actually going next) at Starbucks here, and not of Buenos Aires? And one more unsolved riddle: even though it is not raining, there are splashes of water coming down from above. From heaven? Buildings? My friend Mari just told me yesterday that it is the AC. So maybe not so unsolved anymore. I guess that might be my answer to the last riddle. Just thinking about the leaking AC on the ship. And yeah, they are very much American here in Buenos Aires as on the ship. Outside freaking hot. Inside freezing cold. I don't seem to be able to escape this "problem" on this journey. I certainly think this won't change once I arrive in Los Angeles ...

One more day left now in the City of Fair Winds before heading on. I will take many memories with me in my "luggage of mind". Especially the meetings with Mari, whom I had last seen 12 years ago. And also one place, one Cafe, that always drew me back there. There's always places like that when you travel, or even back home. Places you feel at home at. Siempre se vuelve a Buenos Aires. That's what it says in this Tango song. I hope it's true!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhnrlqqWBsM

 

"For those who are lost, there will always be cities that  feel like home."

 

- Simon Van Booy -