Well, last biddle update told about my trials and tribulations crossing mountain passes and cycling down scary roads…since then its been sun, sea, food, and parties!!! Mas relajado!! I flew back into Buenos Aires after peru and and had one day to cram all the Dulce de leche i could stomach into my body before I took to the skys again for a trip to Hawaii with Estefy, my official Buenos Aires host!!!
We had a two night stop over in LA which was amazing, spent the nights in Americas version of Travel lodge which had a pool, a diner outside serving the best smoothies and largest breakfasts in the world! Visited Vence beach and Santa Monica pier before flying off to Maui for some well needed tropical weather!!! The ‘condo’ we booked was right on the ocean and the lady who ran it spent a good deal of time telling us that quiet time was every second and smoking could only be done until 9.30 in one specific corner of the complex!!! It was clear that we had left the relaxed attitude of South America but this old lady had a charm all of her own so we went with the flow and obeyed all the rules!!! Every morning a view of the sea, every night the sunsets and the waves in our ears….perfect!!! We had 8 nights on Maui and with the trusty ‘Dodge’ as our chauffeur we covered almost the whole island. The beaches were not clogged with people, the snorkelling was amazing and until we heard about the occurrence of shark attacks at certain spots where we had been snorkelling we didn't have a care in the world!!! Dont worry, its safe to swim most places in Mauii but I have to say we were a bit more vigilant when we met a former Mauii resident diving instructor who gave us lots of advice about how not to tempt a shark towards us!!!
Spent one of the days driving the ‘road to hana’ which is a famous drive for tourists on Mauii taking most of the day , stopping at waterfalls and other sights on a winding road on the east of the island. I have always wanted to plunge into a blue water fall and that we did! Fantastic. Food was amazing, my coeliac travel companion couldn't believe it when we were handed a whole menu of gluten free options!! (In Argentina they are a bit slow on the uptake with food for all!! There is something to be said for the American culture of we will sue you if you you dont treat us fairly…ha ha!!) Another day we took an adventure option and did zip lining up in the middle of the Island. 8 lines over 300 to 500 meters each, really fun!!! Couldn't get enough of the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful surroundings on Maui, definitely a must visit…especially if you want to swim with turtles (How many did you spot Estefy?! I wouldn't have noticed one….really biddle, open your eyes, the water is full of them!!) Anyway, all good things have to end at some point and so we said good bye to the best car in the world and headed back south!
The remaining 3 weeks of my trip I decided to spend in Buenos Aires, and what a lovely 3 weeks it has been! I passed my birthday here which was spent being a tourist in the city, pic nic in th park and a great surprise party courtesy of Estefy which I never guessed! Thank you to the Lopez family and friends for looking after this gringo so well. I got a cake, pizza, and lovely presents, all made for a fantastic entry to hmm, my 34th year on earth!!! Then easter which is marked here with, yes you guessed….massive amounts of food! Saw the biggest bbq i have ever seen in my life!!!
The rest of the time has been spent generally having an amazing time in the city that stole my heart and I am really going to be sad to leave. But there is always time to come back hey!!! I also signed up for a few more Spanish lessons so I can get to grips with how to speak in the past tense…otherwise how am i going to bore the rest of the Spanish speaking population with all my travel stories when i get home!!!???
So, on my last week now and making the most of the time I have left before launching myself back to work, the UK, having a commitment in a day! Really had such a fantastic trip and just love South America. Thank you all the Biddettes who have followed me and thank you to all the people I have met out here, particularly you Buenos Aires types, what a lovely friendly welcoming place to be!!!
Going to go now before i start to sound like a tit!!! Every one should either travel or do something new at home this year, it might surprise you!!!!
Love to all xxxxx
