Brian left me tonight, back to the other New York, the one in wintertime. It was so lovely to have him here. I hadn't really connected how difficult solo travel would be for me. In general, I am a rather contendly solo person. I like living alone, some of my favorite Friday nights are ones I get to spend by myself. Not only have I never been a person who has trouble going to a movie or eating in a restaurant alone, I don't even really GET the trouble with it.
When I set out, and even now on the road, I get a lot of incredulous raised eyebrows at the fact that I am doing this travel "alone?!" when for me, there was never another way to do it. I am not married or in a relationship, I don't have any friends who wanted to chuck life completely for a chunk of a year - so when I decided to travel, it was a given that it would be alone. And I didn't think anything of it.
The problem is the personal space. I have no problem spending down time in front of a tv or a movie - that is what I love. But I don't get to spend my downtime like that, living hostel to hostel, so in essence, I don't get downtime. I spend a lot if time doing amazing things, but I spend a lot of it sort of killing time, too, until the stores or museums open or the bus leaves.
Traveling with someone else made the time go by faster, and it made it more pleasant along the way. I had someone to crack jokes with and eat with and to suggest things that he wanted to do, and it was overall more fun that way.
Plus, it helped that it was one of my best friends, the most ridiculously easygoing person ever, and someone I don't get to see that often since he lives on the other side of the country. Also, the Spanish skillz. So I was very sad to see him go.
I am back to killing time - I leave Buenos Aires in 2 days, and I don't have a lot on the agenda until then. Some laundry, a movie, what have you.
Safe travels, Bri. Thanks for coming down to visit. And I hope it is not too disorienting to wake up in Uruguay, spend the day in Buenos Aires, go to sleep, and wake up in Chicago. In order to go to New York.
I miss you.
4 comments:
I can only assume that you mean best friend after ME!
Solo travel is always a challenge, even when it's just a day or two, but I know you're still having fun with it. Besides, you won't be alone for long and then it won't exactly be hostels either for a while...
Hiya honey--
I know it seems hard, but I think what you have planned out is perfect. When I spent that month alone in Spain, before meeting up with you and Karen in Prague, I almost wanted to die by the end of it. Especially because I'm not as independent a person as you in many ways. But in the end I loved it, feel better for having done it, and would certainly do it again if given the chance.
Thanks for letting me tag along with you to Argentina and Uruguay.I loved being with you these past two weeks, and I wish I could meet up with you somewhere else along the way! But, alas, you have other friends and family to meet you, and I have my kidneys and colons and uteri to tend to. ;-)
Safe travels!
P.S.--pollo spiedo!!!
I just got back from a month-long trip to India and found company in audio books on my iPod. Specifically I listened to Rory Stewart's The Places in Between and LOVED it.
Beth Whitman
www.WanderlustAndLipstick.com
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