Running Low

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I am sitting at the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu. It is 7:30pm on Tuesday, May 17th. I have thirty seven more days in South America. I am starting to run low. Low on energy. Low on plans. Low on cash. My bus to Tucumán leaves in an hour and a half. I barely even know where that is on a map. The guy at the counter had to point it out on a map for me.

Up until this point I have had a loose plan. Start in southern Chile, cross the border, and work my way up north. I have hit all my intended destinations in Argentina. I am know as far north as I can go in this country. Now what? I thought I might head to Bolivia to meet Julia and Loren. It sure would be nice to see some familiar faces. As of now I doubt that will happen.

I have way less money than I thought I would at this point. I have not held back in spending. I have done some amazing things this far (scuba diving, paragliding, Boca Juniors, etc) so it has certainly been worth the money. Unfortunantely I do not even know the exact amount in my account so I must be catious.

Today I dropped a healthy dose to see Iguazu Falls. This was worth it. It had been one of the major headliners on my to-do-list. I will not go into detail about the falls in this entry. The pictures can speak for themselves.

Back to my current situation...as I mentioned earlier I will probably not go to Bolivia. First off, it costs too much--to enter that is. They put Americans through a great difficulty to enter the country. Apparently I need a copy of my passport and 135 USD in exact change. I do not want to go through this hassle right now. If this were my only chance to visit the country I would put myself through the trouble. However, I am going will my parents in June. The second reason I am not going now is that I have no idea to the whereabouts of either Julia or Loern. I arrived back into town from the falls today to learn that the internt is down for the entire area. This made purchasing my buss ticket an ordeal. Apparently their system requires internet access. It took twenty minutes, several phone calls, and the use of cash, not credit card to get my ticket. Without internet I cannot use facebook or email to hopefully get hold of the girls. Last I heard they were going into the jungle for three days. Thus, even if I had internet access the chances that I would get an immediate response would be slim.

I am meeting my parents in Cusco, Peru on May 26th. To get there while avoiding Bolivia means going back into Chile. I feel frustrated and a little helpless currently. I need to formulate a plan. I think I will try to get to Peru as soon as possible. I will lay low there, saving as much money as possible.

It should be obvious now that this is a low point in the adventure. My lack of a plan does not help. At times it can be positive. It gives me the type of freedom I love. However, it alos causes stress. At least while I was in Chile I had a travel book. Here I have nothing. My internet access is infrequent. Often times I will make spontaneous travel decisions without knowing what I am doing. The bus rides are becoming less enjoyable. I have trouble sleeping at the correct times which leaves me tired during the day. The scenry is not as good as down south. Additionally the prices of the buses in Argentina are significantly more than in Chile.

I know I am a downer right now. In a way it is ironic, because all my friends at Chico State are in the middle of finals week as I write this entry. I am sure I will get past this low point before my trip is over. I think the lack of familarity is causing the majority of my difficulty. It has little to do with the language. I am capable enough to not be bothered by that. However, since I am constantly on the move I have nothing with which to relate. No place to call home. No familiar faces. Even Santiago would be conformting right now. I never was fond of the city, but at least I had a routine there. Ultimately routine is something I think we all look for in life. I always wanted to break from the routine and travel the world. I am doing so now. It has been full of lots of ups and downs. Although it is undeniably a fantastic experience I could not be on the move for months on end. I need to plant myself somewhere. It does not have to be Chico. It does not even have to be the US.

During the semester I was never once homesick. Now I am not exavtly homesick, but I am completely out of my norm. I have no computer , no mp3 player, no music, no friends, I rarely eat cooked meals, I am wearing the same dirty clothes day in and day out. I am growing tired of my current situation. For those of you who know me well consider this: I have not run in over a week. It is one of the simplest activities known to mankind. Not to mention that it is probably the number one thing that would make me feel right at home. Guess I will have to wait until home for my life to go completely back to normal.

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