After five years working in London, I decided it was time to move back to Los Angeles, but not before taking a year off to see the world. I gave up my great job with Lehman Brothers in Administration and a fantastic flat (and roommate) I’d lived in for over three years, packed up all my belongings into some 60 cubic feet of boxes and said farewell to the wonderful friends I made in London. Before setting off for Asia, I spent seven weeks in the States including a weekend getaway in Chicago with my best friends from high school, corrective eye surgery in Philadelphia, Aud and Rob’s wedding in Bermuda, 13 days in Israel on Birthright (with a side trip to Petra) and time in quiet Oak Park with my parents and sister. Then, on July 18, 2010 at 1am, with only 13 kilograms in my 50L backpack and a small shoulder bag, I boarded a flight to Singapore. The goal of my adventure is not one of self-discovery or mending a broken heart but a journey of true desire to explore the world, experience new cultures, taste various cuisines, explore beautiful wildernesses, meet local people, and maybe learn some Spanish along the way. What lies below are my stories (or more of a daily recount of events) from the road.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Back to Chile

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Nothing too exciting today.  Had a bit of a sleep in today as we didn’t need to leave El Calafate until 10am.  Since we are now 22 passengers, I made sure to be outside Peggy early to secure my seat.  It was a beautiful morning - so warm it felt like summer.  We made a stop near a Ruta 40 sign to get some photos alongside the famous route (it’s the Argentinean equivalent of Route 66 in the States).  After driving a couple hours we stopped at a gas station and ate lunch (mostly Christmas leftovers) as fresh goods cannot be brought into Chile.
Sarah and Me
The group (most of us anyway)
Border formalities went smoothly.  We checked out of Argentina, drove a few minutes then went through Chile border control and customs.  Ally had warned us that the officials can be harsh, but we managed to cross without hassle.

By 5pm we arrived in Puerto Natales, Chile, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park.  Ally took us on a quick walk through town to the supermarket, and by the time Kate, Sarah, Sameena and I had finished shopping and checked out (huge queues!) it was 6:30pm.  The four of us went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner – the food was excellent.  We shared the hummus with veggies and warm camembert with bread to start and I ordered the pumpkin and ginger soup as a main.  Another girlie night out.  Sarah and Sameena got dessert, but I was craving a hot chocolate from the famous place in town, so I popped out for a few minutes to get to the shop before it closed.  Perfect coco.

When we got back to the hotel, Sameena and I packed for the next three days of camping.  I spent some time getting my blog updated before our adventure into the wilderness.  More after Torres del Paine.
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