Almost there

So far so good. I’m at Sao Paulo, waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires, which might be delayed until the early hours of the morning, creating problems for my Airbnb hostess.

The Atlantic crossing was effortless and smooth, even though I was sitting in the very back corner of the plane, gently being swayed back and forth. At some stage I opened the blind, looking down at the vast ocean, wondering what it would be like to be on a yacht down there.  That is a journey yet to happen…

The coastline of Brazil appeared, sending a thrill down my spine – nothing like seeing a new continent for the first time! I saw a river, many lakes or dams, with villages scattered over the hills among the trees. The beauty of the area surrounding Sao Paulo is in dramatic contrast with the high-rise apartments of the city that seem to stretch endlessly to the horizon. It looks as if someone has been playing with domino’s and has piled them up to start them tipping. Sao Paulo is, after all, the 11th biggest city in the world, with 12 million people, so it needs plenty of accommodation. Hopefully I will return to Brazil during this year, to have a closer look.


Going big

”Can’t you just go and live in one of these retirement villages here?” my son wanted to know. “Just sit in a room, start acting your age you know!” he teased. We were discussing my plans to travel to South America, which I had originally started making 2 years ago, but had repeatedly aborted for various reasons.

That was 3 weeks ago, and on Tuesday morning I board the plane for Buenos Aires, to start my big adventure. The plan is to spend a year exploring, living and learning, wherever or whatever comes my way. Of course I’m scared – who in their right mind wouldn’t be! Me, a 66yr old granny of 6, leaving the comfort and security of a home, family and friends, to venture into the unknown alone, with barely a few words of Spanish and very little money. Fear is not going to stop me though, I regularly break out of comfort zones and have become used to the accompanying palpitations and sweaty palms. So: Argentina, here I come!