So, this is it. I am sitting in an internet cafe in Santiago killing some time until a plane takes me to LA...the first part of my loooong journey to New Zealand.
It feels like it's been more than three months since I arrived in Lima to start my exploration of this continent. And so much has happened. I traveled through Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay (only about 5 hours though...), Argentina and Chile. Since I had been to Columbia and Venezuela in the summer there are really not many countries left down here. But still so much to see. I wish I had had more time because I really feel that I need to spend more time in Brazil, Chile and Bolivia.
I have met tons of wonderful people here, both travelers and locals. The language barrier was a problem though. Of course you can get along with just a little or even with no Spanish but it would have made the experience so much better if I could have been able to communicate with the locals more. But I fear I am repeating myself...
So I have hiked a lot, been on a billion buses for about 200 hours in total, have visited 4 football games, read 13 books, have collected plenty of stamps in my passport and have seen some amazing things, both man made and natural wonders.
The continent has been good to me. People were nice (as mentioned before), transportation and accommodation were never a problem and even the weather was nice - especially in Patagonia. Oh well, I remember some rain in Rio but that was about it.
So now it is half time for me. The end is closer now than the beginning. Have the three previous months changed me in any way? I don't know. I have definitely realized that I should take more advantage of me living in Europe when it comes to travelling. I have a different perspective of distances now and everything in Europe seems so close. But besides that I am not going to get philosophical now. I think I have grown from all the experiences down here but I have not had a life altering sensation. I just feel like my horizon has broadened.
And here is a list in chronological order of things lost/broken/stolen:
- 1 towel
- 1 digital camera (Digital Ixus 430)
- 1 cell phone (HTC Diamond Touch II)
- my temper (only once)
- my hand
- 4 cans of beer
- 3 slices of pizza
- 1 wallet including about 50 Euro in different currencies, my German ID and a Visa card
- 1 Flashlight (Fenix E20)
- 1 empanada
- 1/2 pack of tomato sauce
- 1/2 pack of toast
- 1 bottle of red wine
- 1 chapstick
Oh, and here is the list of the books I've read recently (don't judge me by the selection):
- "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Wonderful book! Must read!!!)
- "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon
- "The Black Echo" by Michael Connelly
- "Tannöd" by Andrea Maria Schenkel
Now all there is left to do for me is to wish everybody here a great year 2010! That reminds me: I haven't told you about New Year's eve here in Valpo. To make it short, the streets were packed with thousands of partying people. There was a great vibe in the air. Lots of singing and guitar playing....and the fireworks were great as well. I do have some nice pictures of Valparaiso which I will upload later. I do not want the memory with my precious pictures get close to this virus infected computer here.
Next time I post I will be on a different continent. Cya!
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