Homecoming...

Lisa's Concluding Thoughts

Homecoming...

How to articulate an around the world adventure. It was the best year of my life; a long-awaited dream. I return home with a sense of wonder and appreciation. We were continually humbled by the people we met along the way; humbled by living and working conditions, natural beauty and wonders, and by the generosity, support, encouragement and hope. Although it wasn't always easy, I return home feeling complete.

The real challenge now comes with keeping the experiences alive and fresh in our memories; of not letting everyday routines and the media overpower or dull our experiences of joy and harmony.

I return home in awe of my husband. Of his character, compassion and generosity. I continue to learn from him and be honored to be married to such an incredible person. Thank you Ari.

Thank you also to everyone who opened their hearts, homes, and kitchens along the way- the Julians, Matt and Amy, Susannah and Eli, the Randalls, and the Kristos to name only a few. Thank you to our family, friends, community, and neighbors for your support and encouragement, you were all a part of our journey.

Ari's Concluding Thoughts

On some level, it feels like a blur, whirlwind, and distant memory. Did we really walk on the Great Wall, cycle across New Zealand, play and camp on Croatian beaches, take a cruise in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam, walk 500 miles across Spain, backpack and explore Patagonia...? While I have trouble comprehending all that we did, experienced, and felt in 2007, I can also easily remember with acute precision what we felt and experienced while eating at the night market in a central Thailand city, walking through the Angkor Wat ruins of Cambodia, or sipping gourd after gourd of kava in Fiji...I get goose bumps remembering and reflecting on the uncountable number of adventures of which we partook and the incredible people we befriended (without the people we met and saw, the trip would have been just a list of places we visited). It was a dream year, an epic year, a year beyond either of our expectations.

But the year was so much more than the people, places, and things we saw in the 12 countries we visited. It was an interpersonal journey as individuals and even more so as a couple. We were challenged in ways we may never be challenged again. We hit lows (as individuals and as a couple) that we queried whether we were were able to dig out of. But, we did, and we are now stronger for it. I think the true strength of our relationship and love will evidence itself as we embark on the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may entail. I am so thankful to Lisa for being the impetus behind this dream year. Without her vision, discipline, it would not have happened. Her patience, insight, and strong sense of self never cease to amaze me.

On an interpersonal level, this trip was about being and becoming better, more peaceful people and true citizens of the world, not just of a town, state, or country. This is not something we could accomplish in one short, quick year, but something we will continue to nurture and explore, whether in Bend, Olympia, or some tiny village in Southern France...

Thank you to all of you, family and friends...you were with us throughout our journey and will be as we continue down our "Camino..."

Chile and Argentina Photos

Vilches National Park in Chile...


Volcano outside Curacuatin in Chile

Volcano outside Pucon, Chile (note: smoke is coming out of the crater)...
Valdivia, Chile Fish Market (notice the sea lion waiting for fish scraps)

Chiloe, Chile...
Petrohue, Chile...
Refugio Frey, outside Bariloche, Argentina...
Penguins outside southern Chilean Patagonia


Famous Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile...

Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentinian Patagonia)...

Christmas BBQ in Mendoza, Argentina...

Argentinian Long Haul (double decker) Buses. At one point we spent 3 out of 4 nights on such buses...
El Chalten/Fitzroy National Park in Argentinian Patagonia...

Camino de Santiago Photos and more

Just before starting the Camino, we met up with our friends Jon and Shana in the Loire Valley, which is the home of wine and Chateaus...

Camino Photos

The route across northern Spain (in blue)...

The Pyrenees...
Rough translation: Three necessary things in the life of a pilgrim are: good legs, good food, and at the time for drinking, a cup of wine in place of water...The wine fountain...
Patricia and Stefan from Switzerland walked from Switzerland to Santiago, over 1300 miles...
Marjean, from Baltimore, was 73 and walked as fast if not faster than us...
Al and Dale from Thunder Bay Canada. Dale (on right) had a heart transplant. They definitely walked faster than us...
Sheep and cow herder...
Frank (middle) is from France and is blind. He did the Camino with his wife, who helped lead him along the way...
We made it...The beautiful church in Santiago.

After the Camino and before heading to South America, we spent a week meditating at Thich Nhat Hanh's monastery near Bordeaux, France. Below is a photo taken during walking meditation...

Calzar???

Three days ago we concluded another of our epic overland journeys from central Argentina to Southern Argentina. This time we did it by bus from Bariloche to Rio Gallegos, Argentina. Argentina is reportedly the eighth largest country in the world, so this was not a short journey. It was 27 hours to be precise. A trip similar to lets say Bend to Tijuana. Not something we would consider under normal conditions. But something that seems okay, expected even, during a long-term travel adventure.

Armed with two plastic bags full of food provisions, we set off. We boarded at about 5:15 p.m. to the upper level of a shiny new double-decker bus. Flat screen TVs hung from the ceilings, proudly playing video hits of the 70s and 80s. This seemed to be a universal choice, as tourists of all nations, quickly joined in and could be heard quietly singing along. At one point Lisa caught Ari gently bopping his head from left to right to the beat of ¨Girls just want to have fun¨by Cindi Lauper.

We opted for ¨coche cama¨which allegedly came with nearly fully reclining seats. This was actually true, but still Ari could not fully extend his legs. We thought the perks ended there, but no there were others...

Dinner Service
At about 9:30 p.m., we crossed some sort of checkpoint. The music videos were placed on mute. The Argentine police boarded and checked passports. The asked Ari and I if we spoke Spanish. We replied yes, and they asked us to ask the group behind us to please be quiet, as people were trying to rest. We agreed. One half hour later, loud beats from the 80s bands again began to blare from the T.V.
At 11 p.m., dinner service was to begin, complete with complementary wine and beer. But one exception; no one was to be served unless everyone put on their shoes. This was a hard message for the bus attendant to convey to the passengers. A verb sounding like ¨calzar¨was used. One that none of us had heard before, a verb that left us stumped. We tried to convey to the attendant that we did not know what this verb meant, but this resulted in repetition rather than clarification of the word. Finally a bilingual Chilean passenger interpreted for the rest of the passengers, and shoes were placed on all feet and dinner was served.

Movie Service
One loud, embarrassingly violent American movie was played after dinner.

Breakfast
One hard candy each.

At six a.m., we switched out buses for the final 12 hour journey. This bus did not offer coche cama, but the step down version of semi-cama. This meant reclining seats with less room, no music, two violent movies, and no meal service. Instead you were offered all the Tang and sweetened instant coffee you desired. We arrived that evening, slightly worn out, and happy to be able to stand up and walk.

We would like to say that it will be our last overland journey of this proportion, but unless our budget will miraculously change (not going to happen), we will probably have to repeat it in reverse in a couple of weeks.

A Day in the Life-Chile

Micros
An interesting phenomenon has taken place in the bus culture of Chile. The drivers of the buses, often called micros, have decided that instead of gazing out the windows at the jaw dropping scenery of the Andes, that the average tourist would rather watch a movie. On one occasion, Ari and Lisa were the only two passengers on the bus. The driver shortly pulled over and put in a DVD about WWII. He played it on volume 20 (of 20) and since we were (un)luckily only 2 seats away from the screen, none of the gruesome war scenes and bullet sounds were missed. On the way back, the war scenes were replaced with Chilean ¨pop¨music videos, with Chilean women gyrating to the beat in sequenced crop tops and mini skirts.
On busier rural buses, the driver often takes on a role similar to that of a local bartender. The passengers enter always with a polite greeting and often offer a handshake. The next ten minutes or so are spent with the passenger leaning against the railing next to the driver catching up on the latest news until the next stop, when a new passenger enters and repeats the process.

Short Buildings and Tall Gringos
We decided early on to try and stay in home stays in Chile rather than hostels to have more opportunities to practice speaking Spanish and to learn more about he culture. Although we found this to overall be an amazing experience, we quickly realized that Ari was too tall for the average Chilean household. His head often touches kitchen ceilings, hits doorways and his feet often hang off the edge of the bed. Going out into the community also presents other risks. The ceiling at a local bar hovered merely one inch above his head (This quickly brought a smile to the bar owner when pointed out by Lisa).