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Hi guys,
Well this is it... The final posting in my blog. It's taken a while for me to get round to completing, I guess I've been putting it off as it means that my trip is well and truly over.
Since my last blog, I spent a month in Ecuador with a homestay family, which I realy enjoyed. I made some really good friends with the other volunteers who were staying with me. In addition I made some good friends with some of the locals in Quito who went to the university that I did football training with. I wasn't the best but I enjoyed the training, although I don't think I did myself any favours by buying some really flashy, standout boots....!
After Ecuador, I bid farewell to my Ecuadorian family, and my friends, and headed back to Colombia. I had the pleasure of crossing the border for the third time, so I was quite familiar with it, although it was dark again when I crossed. To mix things up a bit I got a so called taxi on the Colombian side with an old guy in his own car. It was only once we set off that I realised he had no lights on his car. By this point I was used to most things so it didn't worry me so much!
I managed to get a bus later that night to Bogota. This was probably my worst bus journey, I used to enjoy them but think I got so sick of them so I was glad to finally get to Bogota. It wasn't all smooth sailing after that as it took ages to find my hostel, but I was glad to shower and then sleep.
The next day I just walked round Bogota and then made my way to the airport to catch my flight to New York, which I was super excited about. I wasn't too upset I couldn't stay in Bogota longer, as it was no where near as nice as Cali or Medellin, and I didn't feel altogether safe there like I did in other parts of Colombia.
At the airport I had my bags searched a number of times, as I was going from Colombia to the US. The flight wasn't the best but it was my own fault for swapping seats with a girl so she could sit next to her friend, only to find I had given up an exit seat, and therefore a lot of leg space. To compound matters, my entertainment system wasn't working either so I regretted the decision to be nice for once!
Arriving in the US, I expected to be thoroughly questioned and checked, but after queuing for ages, I had a really nice, smiling guy in immigration who let me pass quickly. I was shocked and expected customs to make up for this, but they too waved me through. I then got the subway and made my way to Manhattan during rush hour. It wasn't fun, and I got off at the wrong station, which was a master stroke as I got a much quieter train. It took me 3 hours to get to my hostel from landing, so it was nice to shower. I met my friend Meaghan and we had a walk round before going for a classic American lunch of McDonalds.....
We walked through Central Park and past the Plaza where Macauly Culkin stayed in, in Home Alone 2. I also saw the big piano that Tom Hanks plays in Big. It was great, and New York had already amazed me so much. It's like London but everything is so much bigger. I found myself like a proper tourist, taking pictures of everything. That evening we went to a comedy club and then went to the top of the Empire State Building which was amazing.
The next day we went to the Statue of Liberty, and although it was a bit disappointing to see she's not that tall, it was great to see something I had seen so many times in pictures and on TV. We also crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and went out in Brooklyn with our friend Adam, who we met in Santiago.
I got the chance to meet up with other friends I had made along the way while in New York which was great. Deanna, who I met during the trek n the Inca Trail showed me where she was from, and also took me to some bars, Jen who I met in Medellin, took me to some interesting and quite different bars, my favourite being one where the bar maid shushes everyone if the volume gets too loud, and Emin who I met in Buenos Aires, was kind enough to let me stay at his house in the Bronx when I needed a place to stay. The Bronx, I must say, is actually really nice!
Other things I saw in NYC, were Times Square, Madison Square Garden, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, the Rockerfella Centre, Wall Street complete with protesters and the bull behind bars, and also the memorial at the World Trade Center. I really enjoyed my week in New York, it was amazing to finally see everything I had grown up seeing everywhere but never having the chance to see them in real life. I found the people to be really friendly too. However after a week I was looking forward to going somewhere new and so was looking forward to getting to Barcelona where I would meet up with family and friends.
My journey wasn't a simple one. In order to get a cheap flight I sacrificed speed. I flew with Iceland Express and my journey required me to fly from New York to Reykjavik, Iceland, have an hour stop over, and then take another flight to London Gatwick. I was surprised at how rowdy the Icelandics were, they were drinking loads, and these were people int heir 30-40s!
It was weird being back home, but as I never left the airport I wasn't overly depressed! I then had a 5 hour wait until my flight to Barcelona, during which time I bought some noise reducing headphones and 2 bottles of Johnny Walker whiskey, which I somehow stuffed into my rucksack. My flight to Barcelona was fine, as I had managed to get an exit seat and it didn't take too long to get to the curry house where I was meeting everyone. Instead of getting a loud welcome, I walked into a really nice curry place, I must have stood out carrying so many bags, and managed to walk right to back, put my bags down, sit down and start eating before anyone of the 15 people there realised I was there!!
It was good to see everyone again, but after 5 mins it started to feel like I'd never been away. We partied that night and the next day walked around and then went to watch Barcelona play. The weekend involved a lot of drinking, which was hard work without much sleep. I had stupidly booked a 6.30am flight to Mallorca, so going out on Sunday wasn't a great idea. I had drank so much but as 4am arrived I decided it was best to leave the bar and get to the airport. I was still saying my goodbyes at 4.30am, so had to rush home, get my bags and head to the airport, where I discovered that I had no money, so had to leave my big bag with the driver and find an ATM, while hoping I didn't lose my big bag after having travelled 14 months with it. Thankfully he was still there when I returned some time later.
I managed to check in, and queue up, and got an exit seat, and promptly fell asleep for the first time ever on a plane. I was awoken soon after and told I had to get off the plane. I panicked, wondering if it was because I stunk of whiskey, but then noticed that the plane was empty. I nervously asked if we had arrived and the steward said yes. I was amazed, that I had slept through it all, although it only took 30 mins.
I got my bags and was finally reunited with my mum, sister and brother in law. I was still really drunk so the morning is very blurry. It was only until I had slept later that day that I felt better. My time in Mallorca was fun and relaxing. We went round the island, and then had some drinks and chilled in the hot tub, that my brother in laws parents had.
The plane home wasn't much fun and it was depressing to land back in England and grey, drissly weather, and depressed looking people! It took me a while to get used to being home but it was nice to see my family and friends again.
It's been almost 4 weeks since I got home. I think I was ready to come home just to relax and stay in one place for a bit, and have my own bed back, but I'm definitely missing being on the road. People have been asking me the same questions, like do I miss it, am I happy to be home, what was my favourite place, etc.
Well my answers are, yeah I definitely miss it. It's weird not meeting new people all the time, and although I enjoy how comfortable my bed is, I have found myself on some occassions lying in my room wishing I was away again or thinking of where to go next. I am happy to be home, but Derby is such a small place and quiet, when compared to the rest of the world. I love it here but having experienced a lot of other places it's difficult to stay content here for too long, but I'm sure I'll be fine!
As for my favourite place, there wasn't anywhere I didn't like but Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Fiji, Vietnam and Indonesia were definitely my favourite places.
Has this trip changed me? Definitely! I would say I'm even calmer than I used to be. I don't get annoyed about things that I used to before, and I learnt a lot about myself, such as what I can do, which I've learnt is pretty much anything. Contrary to what my some of my cousins say, I have found that I'm not unapproachable lol, and that I can endure living like locals, and can make friends with people from all over the world. I've also began walking a lot more since returning and I have realised that I don't need so many personal possessions anymore.
There are too many highlights to list, but I was adamant I would sky dive and bunjee jump before I left, which I did, and I learnt how to scuba dive which I never thought I would do.
I definitely have caught the travel bug, and I'm already planning where to go next. Before I left everyone asked if I was scared to go on my own, but I loved it, and I'm glad I did it on my own, as I met a lot more people than I would have if I had gone with someone else.
If someone asks me whether they should go travelling, my immediate answer would be definitely. It's one of those things that you'll get so much from, and that will stay wth you forever. It doesn't matter where you go or for how long, anything is better than nothing, and even if you come home early you've at least given it a go, which is a lot better than those people who talk about travelling but never take that jump and actually set off.
Quitting my job and not having anything to come back to was obviously a risk but I wouldn't change anything. I've made friends for life, and seen and experienced some of the best things you'll ever see or do. The world is there to be seen, and I hope that those who have read this blog have been inspired to either try something new, or give this backpacking business a go. If you do, you definitely won't regret it!
Right it looks like this blog has reached it's end. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading nearly as much as I enjoyed seeing these things and writing about them.
Thank you all for your support, it would definitely be a lot more difficult if I didn't have my family and friends. Right I'm off to plan my next trip, so until then, I'm signing off.
Take care,
Sanj
- comments
novieta wibowo Dear Sanj, You're so inspiring... I love to travel too, and dreamed of around the world travel. I really hope I could do that one day. I would find moment to contact you and ask you for more hints from your travelling. I've been in London once, so I can can imagine your feeling about the greyness, also I've stayed long time in Germany too, so I understand your comparison. Btw, I am an Indonesian, thank you for your high compliment for my country. Warmest no hottest Regards, Novie