And then, you are there.

It takes time...
Getting somewhere and realising that you are really there are two different things. This is one of the reasons I like spending more time in one place. Just a few days ago I was described as couch potato (or more accurate, the German word "Stubenhocker") and adventurer in one person. That might be true, but I am still trying to figure that out. I like the feeling of belonging somewhere. I like the routine, where you just know that apples at that certain little market are cheaper than the one close to home. I like the little chitchat with the guy from the newspaper stand. And most of all, I like to prepare my coffee in the morning and sitting in the kitchen for a few minutes waking up and not think about the process of making it.

My journey through South America still feels like a dream and for the first few days I didn't even realise I was there. Everything was exciting and different and new, kind of surreal. It felt like a visit to Disney Land, where you are amazed by everything and enjoy it, but still know, that this is just a make-believe world. I was interacting normally, looking at sites, trying the food, KNOWING I was in South America, but in my head I was not processing.

It took me about two weeks to finally arrive. We were constantly on the move and I was trying my best to catch up. Then we arrived in Valizas, a tourist town in summer, it was deserted by the time we finally got there. It was basically a couple of little houses rented out in summer, quite an alternative scene with some hippies left in this quiet beach village. A beer in the hand and Bam Bam, the stray dog, who followed and protected us, at our side. We sat at the Beach Guards' house and looked into the sky. No other person around, just the ocean and the stars. We could spot the Southern Cross star constellation and at that moment I arrived. This warm feeling that this is the reality, how amazing it might be. I might even say that the journey lost a bit of its surreal charme, but instead I was rewarded by the ease of knowing this place. I learned so much more and saw unbelievable sites after that, but I finally knew that this was the place I was supposed to be.