Fifty Days And Counting

            It’s been way too long since my last blog post, but with work and trip planning keeping me really busy, I’ve hardly had time to do anything else. With some free time today, though, here we go. The biggest news since my last post is that I’ve officially paid off my project costs for the ten weeks at the Bolivia Wildlife Sanctuary this summer.

            I returned home from last summer’s adventure in South Africa over eight months ago. As someone with a serious case of the travel bug, my feet are getting very itchy! Every time I see a calendar I find myself thinking about how many days until I fly out to Bolivia. The planning for this trip has been so different than the planning I was doing this time last year, and I think this adventure in South America will be very different than last summer in Africa. First off, I’ll be gone longer- last year I was off volunteering in South Africa for about nine weeks. This year I’ll be volunteering at the wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia from June first to August tenth, but that won’t be the entirety of the trip! When the volunteering fun ends, the backpacking fun will be just beginning! I’ll spend the rest of August and at least part of September backpacking my way along the western coast of South America, taking in all that beautiful area has to offer. After traveling solo in South Africa last summer without any problems, I decided that this summer I should try to see as much as I can of the South American coast while I’m down there. A few people have suggested that I sign up for a tour with a group, but honestly I really prefer to travel independently. A lot of people probably like those guided tours because they feel safer in groups and because some people want others to be in charge of the itinerary, but I’m pretty much the exact opposite. As I’ve mentioned before, traveling solo is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself, and one of the reasons for that is because when I travel alone, I’m in charge of my schedule.

            I remember last year, the last month or so leading up to my Africa trip just flew by in a flash, and it kind of feels like that’s happening again. With a combination of work and planning keeping me really busy, this next adventure seems to be coming up so fast! I still can hardly believe that in less than two months I’ll be the first person in my family to set foot on three continents. Here’s to another summer off exploring foreign lands!

            This post’s food for thought: “Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land, grew especially strong in spring.”- Vladimir Nabokov