Week #21
Saying goodbye to my parents in Bolivia and traveling to Argentina to spend a week with Mike in Salta.
October 15, 15:08
The most beautiful thing just happened. We were on a wine tour today with a group of other people, including a Mexican family of a mom and two daughters. During the ride back from the last Bodega to the city we started talking about their vacation and my travels. I told them that I had been away for already 8 months and that my parents were here to visit me, cause I still didn’t know when I would come home again. They responded in both admiration and worry. The mom told me she would pray for me, then she searched for something in her bag. It was a cute little bracelet. She told me she always takes one with her and gives it to the people that God tells her to give it to. Then she gave it to me. It has the words ‘believe in magic’ engraved in it. It’s just the most beautiful thing. And for it to happen on the last day here with my parents makes it even more special.
October 16, 15:49
It’s the last day in Bolivia. Tarija has become my favourite city here, next to Potosí maybe. It’s so nice to be in a city again where there are nice restaurants and cafés with terraces. And the people here are just so friendly! I absolutely love this place. When we were in Samaipata, our guide, from Tarija, told us that the culture is more comparable to Northern Argentina than the rest of Bolivia. And if that’s true I am gonna have a great time in Argentina. Tonight I am going to take the bus to Salta. And I am actually pretty excited to be sitting in a bus for the night, cause I have a single seat which can go down almost 180 degrees. So I can just chill, read, listen to music and cry a little. Cause the trip with my parents was over too fast and it was just so nice to have them here with me, that I am sad that it’s over.
October 17, 14:26
When I left Ecuador I made sure I had dollars left, cause every traveler who had been to Argentina told me that was the smart thing to do, so I did. So together with my 220 dollars, Mike and I went to an office to exchange the money. We got the good rate, cause I left with around 205.000 pesos. Whereas according to the official rate I would have gotten about 77.000 pesos. I am still confused at how all the different exchange rates work, but I’ll figure that out as I go.
October 18, 13:24
Salta is so pretty! We have a full week here in the city and we agreed to spend that time doing absolutely nothing. A little break between all the traveling. We’re taking a walk around the city and I just love these little mailboxes in the doors specifically designed for cards and letters. And then all the different colourful tiles on the houses in doorways. So pretty.
October 19, 21:03
Today Mike found out lamps with buttons on the floor exists.
I don’t really know what to tell you. We are really leaning into the doing of nothing here. I normally can’t really enjoy it - I like to do things, have stuff happening, but right now I actually feel at peace with doing nothing. To do it together is a big help tho. I don’t know if I were to be by myself, I would have enjoyed it as much. I would probably feel restless with a sense of pressure, all imagined by myself for myself. It doesn’t make any sense. So now that I can actually enjoy the nothing, I just go with it.
October 20, 22:42
It was date night! We went to a view point of the city with a fancy restaurant at the top. It was so weird to be there. And to think that I used to go to fancy restaurants all the time. It just doesn’t fit the vibe anymore. Although it was a lot of fun to experience with Mike, cause he never really goes to these things. And the food really was good and refreshingly surprising. Basically all the higher level restaurants in The Netherlands serve more or less the same thing. So it was pretty cool to see that they do something completely different here.
October 21, 08:15
Mike and I have been talking about me coming to The States to live there for a while. And that honestly excites me so much. I’m not usually the one to follow but this time is different. Mike needs some time to work, safe money and spend time with his family. But we also don’t want to stop seeing each other. So we decided that I am coming to the US as well! Since I am also getting a little tired of the traveling around, I would love to explore a new place from the comfort of a home base. Plus my dream of converting a van is within reach! In an ideal world I would find a small bus or big van that is already halfway converted. Stuff like insulation, flooring and sealing already done, and maybe something inside too. So I can do the rest myself, completely how I envision it. And while working on the van, I would find some remote work, cause I need money of course. Then when the van is done, I would rent it out whenever I am not using it. AND my mom and I could use my van when we’re gonna do our road trip in September and October of 2024. What a plan! And the plan is what I am going to hold onto cause Mike and I have to say goodbye to each other soon. I am flying to Buenos Aires in two days and he is traveling south on the bike. And then we won’t see each other for probably three months… after spending almost five months together.
