The last week was a rushed visit back to Argentina, starting with the quite fun border crossing from Bolivia. Interestingly there is only a small barrier between the two countries that people seem to stroll through, so quite why we were in line waiting to be served I really done know! Sophia decided to go and spend the last few Bolivianos buying finger puppets while I waited patiently.
Eventually we got through and made our way to the bus station where we returned to the quaint town of Salta. The bus was comfortable enough and we decided to stay with the same hostel as before, La Mendez. Two days quickly passed and we were definitely gearing up for our trip back to London, amazing that we had done so much in the past 6 months, yet it feels like it flew by in no time at all.
An overnight bus to Buenos Aires, and a single night spent recovering from the 24 hour marathon journey, left us with only one day to go and visit Cecilias grandfather, 'Nono'. We got up early in the morning and after two long buses ended in a place south of BA called La Plata. We dumped our bags in a nice little hotel (our final treat) and walked to Nono's place.
After several knocks and almost entering the wrong house, we were greeted by Nono and his sister Leontina. We were treated to a lovely lunch, spoke a mixture of Spanish and English and had a truly special time. We were also pleased to see a picture of Cecilia on the mantle-piece confirming we were at the right house. It was amazing to see a different culture, language and mannerisms, and it was all quite emotional, especially saying goodbye. We took pictures and etched the event in our memory to remember forever. The world is so big yet made so small by travel.
The following day we boarded the plane, and after 13 hours arrived at Heathrow. On the plane I sat wondering where all the time had gone, and decided to close my eyes and mentally go through all the places we had seen over the last 6 months. After 20 minutes I finally ended at Buenos Aires. That left a definite feeling of achievement and satisfaction, and taught me that if we forget the things we have done, then life truly does fly by.
We were greeted by our family and friends, and some banners too which was touching. It was great to finally see the people we have missed so much.
In summary, it has been the best thing we have ever done, it has brought us closer together and whatever the future holds, no one can ever take away the experience we have had. It has been deeply educational, humbling, and entertaining all rolled into one. Our aim is to repeat the exact trip one day in the future, maybe 30 years from now and compare our notes. I hope some countries never change, and hope that others change drastically.
We have thoroughly 'Explored, Dreamed and Discovered', and thank life for making this possible. We would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read our blogs as it has meant a lot to us.
I guess our final message is a quote that only travel makes possible - 'Live every day as if it's your last and learn as if you're going to live forever'.
