From the time I visited New York
with Les I was determined that I was going to celebrate my induction to the
realms of a pensioner in this amazing city. To stand in Times Square and
feel that buzz as the clock ticked over to 9:00am on the 11th April would be
beyond awesome. despite the fact that 9:00am on the 11th April in New
York would be some time after I would have celebrated in new Zealand it still
seemed like a grand idea.
And then I went to Iran. A trip that was beyond amazing and one that made me a better person, where I learned so much about humanity and propaganda, where I found that indeed the Iranian people were the friendliest I had ever met.
It wasn't much later that the American's elected Donald Trump as their president. A crazy man that has it in for all Muslim's and make moves to stop people from a number of countries, including Iran, from entering the US. That move also made it difficult for people like me, who had visited Iran, as they entered the US, even if just in transit. While I have never been afraid to visit a place where there is unrest and have always taken appropriate precautions, the unpredictable nature of this madman and his hatred of the Iranians made me re-think my dream.. To get there and not be allowed to enter the country (despite my visa) was a very real possibility. To be allowed in and then not be able to leave was a bigger fear.
So here I am getting ready to go to South America. Soon I will officially be grown-up; maybe in the number of years I have been on earth but certainly not in ‘age’. I hope that I can continue to love life like a kid even when I hit old age and beyond.
Last year's trip to Mexico whetted
my appetite for the Spanish language, the dancing in the streets, the amazing
food and the friendly happy people. Not quite New York but I know I am in
for a great adventure and look forward to extending my minimal knowledge of the
Spanish language, brushing up on my tango skills, trying all the morsels I will
confront, hanging with the locals and learning about the different
nationalities I will encounter. Bring it on!
I booked the airfares flying in and out of Buenos Aires, my only option for flying Air NZ and not go through the US. Right at the start I also booked a 9 day trip through the coffee plantations of Columbia. Same continent! In my ignorance I thought the two countries would be close, but the 7.5 hour flight from BA to Bogota started off looking like it would cost more than a one way crossing of the Pacific. Oh well, determined not to give up on the coffee plantations I then spent weeks sussing fares and eventually stumbled across some that were more palatable and still on decent airlines.
To give me a taste of some of the local stuff I also booked a two week stint volunteering in the state of Cordoba a few hours out of Buenos Aires. What I will be doing there I have no idea but it will be something within the community, possibly helping with the elderly or with the under-privileged in the village of Villa Allende about 30 minutes out of Cordoba city. I will be staying in the volunteer digs sharing with what will probably be a pile of youngsters, so should be a fun experience. We will have afternoons and weekends free to explore, do Spanish lessons or go to Tango classes. I can't wait.
I leave a few days after my first pension payment hits my bank account, so thanks you young new Zealanders for supporting me while I travel. It is much appreciated.
At this stage (44 days out) my plan is to arrive in Argentina and spend some time in Buenos Aires, cross over to Chile before flying to Colombia to do the coffee thing. From there I will spend a few days exploring the Amazon and checking out a bit of Ecuador. Back to Argentina for volunteering and checking out northern Argentina, the Iguazu Falls and a bit of Uruguay before I head home again. Too much to do in around 60 days, but I am not planning on coming this way again so may as well make the most of it and sample as much as I can while I am there.
The pull of Africa is tugging and I
think that will win over as soon as my pension payments have accumulated enough
for that trip.
Next step: getting organised.
Next blog: ready for take off.
