A year ago I sat in Thailand on Koh Tao, in the resort’s open air restaurant and sipping a banana smoothy. I had just returned from a dive trip on a boat that took us for two dives to a reef and a bay east of the island. Who would have thought at that time that only a year later I would depart for a journey that takes me to a completely different place in the world? I wouldn’t.
But so it is – in less than 36 hours I will be sitting in a plane to Paris and from there to Bogotá, Colombia. 34 years of age and I had only been to some European countries, the USA and Canada. And then, within just a year, two more continents: Asia (well, at least a bit) and South America (again, at least a bit).
I admit it, I am already a bit nervous, excited anyway. This journey will be different from travelling to Asia for sure: for cultural reasons, for language (and communication) reasons and for purpose. Without Matt marrying his beloved Andrea I would not have thought of travelling to South America (so quickly). And without Peter and Fanny living in Peru in the meantime, I might have reconsidered the whole thing more often than I actually did.
Now the planning for the journey has finished, everything is organised and I only need to gear up. And just in time as it seems, given the winter coming in March now instead of December.
Just to give you a short outlook what will happen in the next 3.5 weeks and what you can expect to read about, if you follow this blog:
- Wednesday, 21st March: I will head to Bogotá, via Paris, and be there just in time to take part in Matt?s pub party (in his own pub, of course)
- 22nd – 25th March: the party moves on to Cartagena de las Indias at the Caribbean coast, where the actual wedding itself will take place ? and various pre- and post-wedding festivities 😎
- 25th March: I will continue to Lima in Peru, to see Fanny & Peter and to start three wonderful weeks of exploration.
- 26th – 31st March: Exploration of northern Peru: Trujillo, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas in the fog forests will be the highlights
- 1st April: No joke – Marlon and Babsi will join me and together we will spend a few days with Fanny & Peter before we continue our common journey.
- 3rd – 13th April: Las touristas! We take the south tour, the one, that all the people take who come to Peru: Pisco, Nazca, Islas Ballestas, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, Cuzco, Maccu Picchu and back to Cuzco.
- 14th April: Marlon and Babsi head from Cuzco into the jungle at Puerto Maldonado, while I travel already back to Lima and get ready for my return to Europe.
- 15th April: Goodbye and travel day: 6.10 in the morning and I will leave Lima, heading for Bogotá and from there via Paris again to Vienna.
As of now I can’t promise snakes, tigers or sharks again, and maybe I won’t even be able to update as regularly as in Asia, but I will give my best to keep you updated. Happy reading!