The Trip Approaches

On November 4th, I left my beloved New York for the great unknown. Unknown to me, at least. After a few days at home with my family in Baltimore, I will depart for South America on November 9th for three and a half months, after which I will be heading to Oceania. I don't know exactly what I'm doing, where I'm going, or what will come of this, and that is largely the point. I have the usual, somewhat cliched goals, I suppose: to write, to improve my Spanish, to meet new people and see extraordinary sights. But mostly, I hope to learn what happens when ever-so-structured, oh-so-OCD me flys by the seat of her pants for once.

That said, for those of you craving a more detailed agenda, either because you're excited or petrified for me-- and I appreciate both reactions, heartily-- I give you my best approximation of an itinerary:

Basically, I'm heading to Peru, bussing my way to Argentina by way of Chile, and then spending the holidays in Brazil. Then I'll be staying over in LA where my mom will join me for a few days, after which I will fly to New Zealand. From there, I'm just heading West until I run out of money. (Not completely, Grandma! Don't worry!) As I said, it is my intention to leave the rest of the trip largely unplanned, but were I to make a conjecture as to my potential route, at this point I would from New Zealand to Australia to Indonesia to Thailand to Laos to Cambodia to Vietnam then back to Thailand to catch a flight to somewhere in the Mediterranean, maybe Venice, from which I will meander down the coast through Croatia and Greece to Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and finally Egypt, from where I would fly home. But who knows if I'll last that long, and nothing's set after the land of the Kiwis, so we shall see what happens. 

If anyone has any tips, suggestions, recommendations, warnings, friends I should meet and/or stay with, WHATEVER, please feel free to share. Or if you'd like to meet up with me somewhere along the way, you are very much welcome.

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I will miss all of you, and I cherish all of your well-wishes. See you next year. Hope to hear from you sooner!