What should an exploring Argentina story include? Well, how about everything? Penguins, glaciers, waterfalls, a trip to the end of the world, hiking and hitchhiking, camping and actually even more.
The whole month of September, I will share 30 stories with you. One story each day. You will find out how I travelled, what countries I called home and how many times I repeated a travel in the same place. But most importantly, you will get to know my comfort zone stories. Would you share yours?
I didn’t know it at the time but it was one of the safest countries I’ve travelled to in South America. And Argentinians were so warm and kind, full of life and the best cooks making me feel at home no matter where I was. I mean, I got so many cousins while there. Hahahaa. It was during the two-three months in Argentina that I started actually speaking Spanish. Later in my trip, I was often mistaken for an Argentinian because of my accent. Haha, I took it as the biggest compliment.
We all know the famous Madonna song, “Don’t cry for me Argentina”, right? It’s ironic since I cried quite a few times travelling through the big South American country. Watching Perito Moreno Glacier made me feel so powerless. I felt overwhelmed by how impressive and fragile nature is with everything it has to offer. The insane hikes I went on made my soul happy for months and months and I, honestly, sometimes look through my own pictures and can’t believe I was there. And I still remember the sweet little victories like making it first at an incredible spot only because I decided to understand who I am and not be obsessed with anyone else. Here’s a snippet written during that hike:
No matter how much I love hiking, I’m a slow hiker. It used to bother me because I was always comparing myself to others. I learned, however, I should not rush, nor should I compete with anyone else than myself. I managed to the first one at the lagoon just because I started way earlier in the morning. Those were in the top precious 15 minutes I had for myself.
January 2018
I have been in Argentina in November and December of 2017 and then from January to March 2018, but not continuously. As my visas show, I went a lot back and forth, mostly because of combining it a lot with Chile, but also Paraguay.
Hitchhiking through Argentina was something else. Especially the 4-day trip in the same truck with the kindest truck driver or volunteering for 2 weeks at a B&B in exchange for accommodation in Ushuaia, a smart decision budget-wise. Camping when all other accommodations were fully booked made me appreciate my travels in a different way. I missed completely the Bariloche area and hopefully one day I will return to enjoy what I have missed.
It was in Argentina where I saw penguins for the first time in their own habitat and half of my heart is still there with the baby penguins. So damn cute! I can’t even. During the same trip, I put my life in danger on a very muddy hike that I was not fully prepared for. But I also made it to Mendoza and tried some of the famous wines. Or explored the Salta region and enjoyed other hikes on the way. And this is how I have Argentina kept in my memories: full of life, colour and flavours.
Is Argentina on your list? What region would you love the most? Let me know in the comments below.
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