Travel for Love

This time last year, actually one year ago today, I was on the plane on my way to Brazil for the first time. There were so many thoughts and emotions about finally seeing Roberto again, anticipating actually being there in Brazil, and seeing his hometown that they all just blended together into a surreal nervous anticipation.

I landed in Sao Paulo after an overnight flight on May 28, 2009. It was so foggy (smoggy?) that morning that I saw nothing of the city, and the captain announced that our 777 would be landing on auto-pilot. At that point I had to exit security and check back in on a different airline to fly to Floripa. It was tough for me to figure out where I needed to go and I was surprised to realize NO ONE spoke English! I had a pretty long layover, including waiting outside security until they opened the check-in for my flight and paying an overweight baggage fee.

Finally I landed in Floripa, which was gorgeous. Roberto was there waiting for me and, just like that, it was as if we’d never been apart. I’m happy to say it’s been that way every time we meet each other after several months apart; we just fall back in place together like normal. I think that’s because we talk so much every day but who knows. We spent one night there in Floripa in a cute little pousada before heading down to Criciuma the next afternoon.

When we finally got of BR-101 close Roberto’s parents’ house it was already dark. Their house is up on a hill, and the whole place was lit up when Roberto pointed it out to me as we approached. My first impression of Brazil was fairly inconclusive and I really didn’t know what to expect at this point. I was nervous!

Throughout the time Roberto was here I kept telling him I wanted to meet his family and see where he came from before we got really serious or decided to get married or something. He’d told me all about them, I’d seen pictures, and even talked to his mom on the phone, but I still had a need to see it all for myself. I had to make sure it was all not so completely different from where I came from. I needed to know if, if I had to, I could live there.

Maybe I expected all this to be crystal clear as soon as I showed up and that’s why I was so nervous. Like, if the house was clean enough, big enough, new enough I would suddenly be ok. Or if it was terribly disappointing then this whole trip would be ruined. It really was a lot of self-inflicted pressure for no reason!

We pulled up to the lit-up house and all sorts of extended family was there to greet me warmly and fuss over me. I walked in to a loud, fun Brazilian BBQ party. As I went in to the house surrounded by the warm welcome of a group of strangers who took me in as family, I felt silly for all the pressure I had put on this visit. For what? It was all so simple and natural – the common bond of people from all over the world was bigger than some quick assessment I could make of a place. How could I be nervous about that? Then again, part of me didn’t feel silly about the pressure because it was all ok. I knew.

Our family and friends thought we were crazy. My dad said we would be attacked by terrorists. We invited a friend who would not go because it would flag him as a security breach at his job. Others never even heard of Istanbul.

But that’s where we were headed. My mom and I. For both of our first trip outside North America and for my mom’s first trip needing a passport, we were flying to Istanbul, Turkey.

My mom and I had decided to go on a Mediterranean cruise in April 2008. We had many to choose from, but for some reason we were drawn to the more “off the beaten path” itineraries instead of a typical Western European cruise. The one we chose on Norwegian cruise lines went from Istanbul to Athens, including stops on several of the Greek Islands and in Alexandria Egypt with an opportunity to get down to Cairo. It was a pretty good deal and we thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of these places in a relatively stress-free and comfortable way on a cruise.

But, cruise or no cruise, we still had to start of the trip on our own with two nights in Istanbul. I guess we could have arranged everything through the cruise, with airport transfers and hotel stay, but we decided to be a little more independent. We found a boutique hotel, Hotel Mena, in the historic Sultanahmet area of the city and took a taxi in from the airport after surviving our first long haul flight ever.

I remember the first few things that struck me after arriving in a bit of a daze after an all night flight. One was that it didn’t seem all that strange or different or far away. Sure, the architecture was different and people spoke Turkish, but the sky was blue and the grass was green, and I didn’t feel far from home like I expected I would.

Since I really didn’t know what to expect of Turkey, I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable I felt there and about the lack of culture shock. Also, people had told us about how friendly and helpful the Turks were, but I was still surprised at how welcome I felt there.

When we first got to our hotel, we looked out the window to find a minaret with it’s speaker pointed right at our window. We knew we wouldn’t have to go far to hear the call to prayer, which was just as exotic and haunting as it sounds on Youtube. Especially when it’s echoing from several different mosques all over the city!

We took a little nap and then decided we felt well enough to go out for the evening. We asked the front desk where we could see some belly dancing, and the next thing we knew, we were being whisked off in a van through the narrow winding Istanbul streets. We went to a pretty generic, touristy belly dancing dinner show, but we had a great time there!

The place asked everyone’s nationalities when they sat down, and put their country’s flag on their tables so we could see where everyone was from. My mom and I sat next two a chain smoking Swedish mother and daughter pair on one side, and a table of rowdy Iraqi businessmen on the other. It was definitely an interesting night when the Iraqis started getting drunk and asking us why we hated their country. It was a little awkward. Later they had quite a fun night of dancing!

The show and dancing were excellent, and we were very impressed with the skills of the ladies. They also had a great MC who spoke so many languages it made my head spin. It was alot of fun seeing other audience members from all over the world. Yes, it was a very touristy insulated experience, but it was perfect for our first night out in Istanbul.

The next day we wandered around Sultanahmet on a beautiful sunny spring day. We were lucky enough to be in Istanbul during the annual tulip festival, and there were millions of gorgeous tulips of all colors all over the city. Despite being warned by every person and guidebook, we let ourselves get latched on to by a carpet store representative. He did show us all around the historic district and take our pictures everywhere before taking us to his carpet store. It really wasn’t a bad experience and my mom wanted to buy a rug anyway (she did!) and we did enjoy ourselves in the shop drinking apple tea and watching the salesman throw the rugs around. They really are spectacular! We were fortunate to end up in a shop we’d heard of and knew as reputable.

That evening we ended up having a blast out in the Taksim area of Istanbul, where they have a pedestrian street full of shopping and lots of bars and restaurants. We enjoyed talking with the young owner of a bar down one of the side streets in Taksim and spent the rest of the night upstairs in the bar listening to a live two man band play traditional Turkish music. We were the only foreigners in the place and it was really a wonderful way to experience a night out in Turkey. We ended up staying out until 3 am drinking Raki and enjoying the music.

The next day, we had just enough time to wander around the spice market and snap a few final photos before our ship sailed. We had definitely fallen in love with Istanbul and were very sorry to have to leave. There are still so many things I want to do there that we didn’t get to: a Turkish bath, Topkapi palace, Hagia Sofia, and just spending more time wandering around this beautiful city.

I think I learned a lot from this trip. It certainly made me want to continue to travel and see places off the beaten path. I’m really glad we got out of our comfort zone and took a risk on a destination that was “questionable” to some. I really loved how friendly and fun the Turks we met were, and enjoyed their sense of humor. Also, I did learn the ropes of the squat toilet there – that’s definitely come in handy since!

For anyone thinking of visiting Istanbul, do not hesitate! I felt very safe there, and the city is perfectly modern and developed. Many things are still a good bargain since Turkey is not on the Euro, and there are endless things to see and do. The history of Istanbul and the surrounding region is just fascinating, and the different empires that Istanbul has been under have left their marks on the city.

Where was your first trip abroad? Which destinations weren’t what you expected?

As I mentioned in my Buenos Aires post, Roberto and I took the overnight bus to Mendoza as a side trip from the capital city. Originally we planned on staying just one night – two full days – in the city. Upon seeing the incredible snow-capped mountains rising from the desert as we approached Mendoza, we decided to stay an extra day. We changed our bus reservation at the madhouse of a bus station, and set off to find a rental car.

Disclaimer: This was not a well-researched trip. As I mentioned here, we were hoping to visit Patagonia on this trip. Unfortunately, we found out the gringo prices on Argentinas Airlines were around twice as much as indicated on the website, and flights there would cost around $400 per person.

We found a campground in the San Martin park on the edge of central Mendoza. It seemed that the campground and some other amenities in this park were built in the 70s when Mendoza hosted the World Cup. The campground was very… concrete, with identical campsites. It was more than adequate though, and we enjoyed our night there. They even had wi-fi.

We enjoyed a nice dinner near the park, in a fairly touristy area. Roberto came back from the restaurant men’s room with this photo:

Right. So…

The next day we waned to drive to the mountains. The guy at the campground told us to take the road to Chile to see Aconcagua. I had never heard of this place but apparently it’s the tallest mountain in South America. And the Southern Hemisphere. And the Western Hemisphere. Actually, the tallest mountain outside of Asia! It’s 22840 feet, with Everest being 29002. Mount McKinley is 20,320. So yea, we had to check that out.

We set out on a beautiful dessert blue sky day, on a breathtaking drive into the mountains. First we climbed grassy foothills, which gradually gave way to rockier hills covered in cacti. As we climbed higher and higher, the mountains got more and more rugged. We marveled at how each one had a unique color, as we caught glimpses of snowy peaks beyond the hills. We couldn’t get enough of the beautiful scenery.

As we drove up into higher elevations, the scenery continued to be spectacular. We had a nice lunch at a mountain restaurant, and noticed a couple ski resorts (closed for the summer of course). We also noticed quite a few campgrounds, and decided to stay in the mountains that evening at one of them. We also saw countless groups of Argentines having picnics and cookouts.

We continued up the mountains to Puente de Inca, a strange rock formation and old building.

Just a couple miles up the road was Aconcagua national park. We parked and decided to hike the 3km loop trail in the beautiful valley below the peak. As we got a bit further up the trail we realized we could hike much further than the 3km loop, taking the mule path used by the mountain climbers. We did see several herds of mules, driven by Andean cowboys, carrying supplies to the base camp.

Interestingly when I got out of the car and started hiking, I felt kinda funny. As if I was coming down with something, or hungover… just off. Then, I realized it was due to the high elevation. It made the hike a little more difficult.

I thought the “mountain climbing” vibe was really cool. We talked with some of the climbers returning from summit attempts, which was interesting. I had not expected to see that sort of thing! We ended up hiking for most of the day, only turning back when we knew we’d run out of daylight. It was not a difficult hike, but between the elevation, the dust and rocks, and the hot sun yet cold wind, it was grueling.

Hiking in Aconcagua national park made me want to climb a mountain sometime. Not that one… too advanced for me! But I can definitely see the appeal. A mountain like that just inspires the urge to get closer and closer to the top. This was my first experience with really big mountains, and I definitely think I will seek more out in the future.

We finished the day off with a drive up a crazy road to Christo Redentor on the Chilean border.

It was COLD up there, but very pretty!

We crashed at a nice little campground in one of the gorgeous mountain valleys. It was only 10 pesos per person, less than $3! I was surprised at how many hiking backpackers and mountain bikers were camping there, but we didn’t really get to know anyone that night. We slept very well after our long day, and I have never seen so many stars.

And I thought Mendoza was all about wineries.

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites are a list of sites around the world that have a physical or cultural significance. I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the World Heritage Sites I have visited. Hopefully I’ll be able to add to this list soon!

Africa
Historic Cairo in Egypt

Memphis and the Acropolis (including Giza Pyramids) in Egypt

Americas
Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves in Brazil
Iguazu National Park in Brazil
Area de Conservacion Guanacaste in Costa Rica
Everglades National Park in the US

Great Smokey Mountains National Park in the US
Mesa Verde National Park in the US
Montecello and the University of Virginia in the US
Statue of Liberty in the US
Yellowstone National Park in the US

Europe
La Grand Place in Belgium

Historic Centre of Bruges in Belgium
Cathedral of Notre Dame in France
Banks of the Seine in France

Acropolis, Athens in Greece
Old Town of Corfu in Greece

Historic Areas of Istanbul in Turkey

So far I’ve been to 18 of the 890 sites. I have a (literal and figurative) long way to go.

Round the World (RTW) trips, gap years, walkabouts, vagabonding, whatever you call them, the concept of extended travel has been around for ages. Maybe they are most popular with Europeans and Australians, but people from all walks of life often go on these trips. Many Americans take off the summer after college and backpack through Europe, some people quit their jobs for dream trips around the world before settling down, and some entire families live on the road for extended periods of time. With the internet and technology on the road it’s now very easy for travelers to blog on the road, sharing their experiences with the world. This affords us blog readers the opportunity to see what it’s really like on this kind of travel.

I read several blogs of people just like us who saved a bunch of money, spent months preparing, and quit their jobs to travel around the world for a year or two. Two of my favorites are Lives of Wander, who are “home” now, and Two Backpackers who are just beginning their journey. The website Briefcase to Backpack also did a round-up of “career breakers” with a list of RTW backpackers’ blogs here.

I love the concept of dropping everything to travel around the world. I think it would be a blast to visit all kinds of great places, meet interesting locals and fellow travelers, and not have to cram it into 15 days a year. I’m sure this is the kind of experience that changes people forever.

But, I have some reservations which prevent me from seriously considering doing the same. Maybe not the normal worries about getting sick, missing home, or giving up security and steady income, but other things bother me about considering a RTW trip. One big issue is that the trip is temporary. With rare exception, this type of lifestyle doesn’t seem to be sustainable. After dreaming, and planning, and executing, you have to come back to a “normal” life. Sure, you come back with amazing memories and I’m sure people that do this grow as individuals throughout their travels, and maybe can pursue new opportunities during their trips. But theoretically after your savings run out, you have to come back to the life you left.

That leads me to my second reservation. Unless you set yourself up with a really good system, you are taking a year out of your life away from pursuing other life dreams. I know my goals don’t culminate with a trip around the world, so it doesn’t seem very sensible to take a whole year or two away from pursuing and working towards those goals. Fulfilling the dream to be free and travel might come at the expense of realizing other, more important dreams.

Some say this type of travel is escapism. You’re not satisfied with your current life so you run away from everything, no clue what you want, just knowing it’s not this. RTW travelers get criticized for trying to escape from reality, but will surely argue that they are out there chasing their dreams and becoming better people because of it.

So what’s my conclusion? I don’t know. I really don’t think it’s healthy to think that everything will be better if only you can escape from the normal life and backpack around the world. This is just another symptom of living for the future – “once I get here/do this/experience that I’ll be happy.” To really be happy we have to work on a combination being happy with what we have and fulfilling our goals to build the lifestyle we want, don’t we?

It seems like some of the happiest people are those that not only took that initial “leap,” but also didn’t stop there. And that leap doesn’t have to be travel, but whatever they’ve always wanted to do. They continued to work on building their life their way so they could continue to reach their goals. And they have the courage to create the lifestyle that works best for them rather than what society thinks is supposed to work. I really admire that courage in people.