I realised a while ago that I’ve only really posted blog entries relating to motorcycle riding. Since it was my goal to familiarise myself with the art of motorcycle riding before going overseas, this was probably par for the course. But…if I don’t have a plan of where/when to go overseas, I might find myself stuck in South Africa in January without a ticket, a plan or a clue :)
Fortunately I have given my America plans much thought, but I’ve never written about them. The main reason was that I wanted to be able to convey my plan (to you) and then be able to stick to it. However, the more I think about my plans, the less I can decide on a (fairly) set itinerary. So much so that I feel like a women that has been given the task to buy a single pair of shoes in a large shopping mall (yes ladies, I know this is difficult :) ). Needless to say that my plans have changed a lot over the last couple of weeks.
The original plan: Fly to Buenos Aires in late December. New Year in B.A. Travel south to Patagonia (tip of South Am). Up though Chile to the lake district (Chile & Argentina). Via Chile to Peru. Cusco, Machupicchu, ancient ruins, etc. Bolivia. Back to Buenos Aires. Fly to the east coast of the USA. Make my way to San Francisco, California hopefully via parts of Route 66. Visit Conrad & Eugene. Vancouver. Visit April. See some much anticipated sites spread out over the USA. Fly back to Buenos Aires. If finances allow, travel some more.
There are some problems with this original plan. Since finances are the main limiting factor during my travels, lets start there. In order for me to buy both tickets (to South Am & North Am) I had to have an idea how long I would be staying in South Am and how much it would cost me (since I need cash for North Am). I was able to find rough estimates of how much it would cost me per day in each country. But…are these estimates correct? (they seem a bit off) What if I were to volunteer somewhere and want to stay for an extra month? If I did not like it, would I be able to change my flights?
The other problem was the way I want to travel. Yes I want to go see the touristy stuff, but this is not my main goal. I want to get to know the locals and do stuff with them. They are, after all, the core of a country and I have heard that people in South Am are a particular treat. As I have mentioned before, while I’m there I would like to help people in what ever way. Since I have a variety of experiences and a degree, I’m sure I would be able to help somewhere. I would not know way in advance where I would be helping out. This makes fixing the time frame VERY difficult.
The “current” plan: In light of all of the above, I decided not to pin myself down. This unfortunately means that I am not able to give my friends accurate dates, or any for that matter, of when I would be arriving (sorry Conrad, Eugene & April). This does take a lot of pressure off about finances and planning. Ok, so fly to Buenos Aires in the last half of January. Start by doing some volunteering, which I would probably organise before I go. Try to do a similar route as previously mentioned and see the sites. So when will I fly to North Am? Well, I will have to set a specific amount aside for North Am. When I have only these funds left, I would go to Buenos Aires and book a flight to the USA :) I might be lucky and strike a deal…I can only hope. Travel in North Am. until those funds run out. Then come home.
I know the current plan is very unstructured, but that is what I’ve got in mind at the moment…Live from day to day.
