“Where are we going tomorrow?” We had no idea.
After 3 weeks of essentially vacation time (sunning, surfing, drinking, not much blogging) in Montanita, Ecuador, Mike and I were at a loss for what to do next.
Our original plan was to go on to Cuenca, a supposedly charming colonial city in the mountains, then backpack through Peru and Bolivia before reaching Argentina in around 2 months. This did not sound appealing. Our money and stamina were both running low and our to-do lists piling high. I wasn’t sure I could stomach two more months of backpacking right now.
So then, what else? We could fly to Buenos Aires, home of Mike’s family and the most loved city in South America. There we could set up house for a few months and establish some of the regularity we were so badly missing. The only issue- a big one: flights from ecuador to BA were $700+, not including the $140 immigration fee. That’s a lot of dough.
There was a possible loophole though: we could fly to Montevideo, Uruguay and take a ferry to BA, skipping the fee for flying into the country. But tickets to their were still 700+ (why does it cost so much to fly in South America? I have no idea but it’s very frustrating).
We explored our options closer to home. We could always go back to Banos, a town we’d loved, and search for a short term apartment there. That would be pleasant but it would mean going backwards instead of forwards. We could head to Peru with the hope that we’d find somewhere we liked to plant ourselves for awhile.
Ecuador, Peru, Argentina or Uruguay? What to do?
It was a really weird predicament to be in: I mean, how many people can say they don’t know what country their going to tomorrow? The transient nature of living on the road can be very weird, but only if you step back and think about it. After awhile it becomes natural to discover a new city every few days, to make your home out of a strange hostel room. But it’s really not that normal is it? And times like this, when we are at a total loss, really illuminate the oddity.
Finally after comparing flights, plans and stress, we decided: damn it all, we’re going to Argentina! Sure it was pricey but for some piece of mind, a sense of routine and a major chance to catch up on work (Plus- steak!) it was worth it for us right now. We bought a flight for the next afternoon.
All of this to say: Argentina here I come! Stay tuned for a plethora of posts on hot argentine men, hot argentine steak and… well whatever else is down there (I will find out)!
Have you ever made a really impulsive travel decision?
