Hola, Chau. Bueno Aires
And in a blink of an eye, a month passed in Buenos Aires. We arrived at the tail end of summer, catching the last bits of the hot summer months. Today, waiting for our flight to Rio, autumn has certainly set in with scarves, puffies and coats coming out. After spending nearly 3 months in small towns and cities, it was a breath of fresh air (or dog poop?) to spend some time in this massive city. Another welcome experience was having some familiarity from home with visits from friends and reconnecting with old friends in the city.
Here’s a quick recap of the past 7 months:
Lima - Lauren and I landed in Lima and spent 1.5 months in the city taking Spanish classes.
Cusco & Arequipa - Our friend Kendra came and travelled around the South of Peru. Highlights included seeing Machu Picchu and hiking in the Colca Canyon
Rapa Nui (Isla De Pascua, Easter Island) - Still one of the most memorable places I’ve gone to and would highly recommend visiting if you’re ever in Chile!
Bariloche & the Nahuel Huapi Traverse - One of the only times I thought I was going to skid down the side of the mountain. The start of our trip down Patagonia.
Chilean & Argentinan Patagonia - Our two month journey down through Patagonia, seeing all the major stops. Getting to the end of the world in Ushuaia (brr).
What can I say about Buenos Aires? I loved it. We stayed in the older district of San Telmo where the narrow streets are lined with colonial buildings, cobblestone, coffee shops and bakeries on every block. It was exciting to experience the best parts of city life: late night concerts, bars, amazing restaurants, coffee and people watching. The city has the familiarity of other global cities I’ve been to - New York, Paris, Barcelona - but all set in the context of Latin America. The history of the city is fascinating, as is wandering down the endless streets. I will miss the beautiful architecture, the buzz of the busy streets, buskers on the metro, empanadas galore, one of the coolest drum shows and the amazing wine. I won’t miss having to dodge dog poop on every street block, being sandwiched in the sweaty metro, or flung like a rag doll on the bus.
Life on the road is exciting and it has been a joy to travel around Latin America. The hardest part has been the disconnection from my community back home. The people I’ve met and friendships I’ve created are almost always temporary. This is something I’ve grown to know about travelling after these past years. Being away from Vancouver has me thinking more about the communities I’m a part of and friendships I have back home. Learning about the many ways Latins connect makes may excited to see what practices I can create in my own life and communities.
Things like staying out until ungodly hours, afternoon siestas, long weekend lunches and of course, the parilla (Argentine barbecue). Other ways to become more active in my community come to mind, like finding more long term volunteer opportunities, becoming more civically engaged and getting to know more people in the film community. Having our friends come visit over the month was a reminder of just how important my relationships are.
