Lessons Learned – Week 1

None of us really knew what to expect with this awesome adventure, but here are some lessons that we learned right off the bat.

• Our bodies need to be broken in.  Our feet are transitioning into “summer feet” barefoot and flip flops are an adjustment.  Our skin is molting from the sun. We are getting used to our backpacks and inferior beds and pillows.
• Liam taught us this life lesson:  Loved these words of wisdom as I was playing in the ocean.  (He didn’t have any great words of advice to conquer the chilly water temp though.)

Here’s what you need to do.  I approach the waves like Shia does a dog.  If you walk up to it nice and calm, and let it come to you, it will be nice.  If you charge it, it will take you out!  You just have to be brave and calm.

• The kids are tough.  Starting off with 28 hours straight travel to get to La Paloma, on the first night they got bed bug bites and spent the next 5 nights sleeping on blankets on a tile floor. Next morning we swept up a scorpion off the floor, it was small but disturbing. Tack on to that numerous other bug bites, a lingering cold, smashing waves, 3 hr Spanish lessons, miles of walking, annoying failed attempts to get a Brazilian Visa, unfamiliar foods, and hauling big backpacks, they have not complained.  They make observations, but complain?  No.

• Banking is a challenge. The new chipped credit cards are hit and miss, some vendors can handle them, some can’t. They all try and sometimes it works and sometimes not, which makes it very frustrating. Also, two of our first four ATM withdrawals (from two different banks) were duplicated, meaning the bank charged us twice for each withdrawal. We were able to clear this up and it was a system issue and not a fraud issue, but still time consuming and frustrating.
• Uruguay should be a more prominent destination.  It was PERFECT for our first leg.  It gets overshadowed by its neighbors Argentina and Brazil, but we highly recommend it.  Here are some reasons why:
  • Beaches are endless and wonderful. (though the water is a bit chilly)
  • Food was great and affordable.
  • The tap water is safe in the whole country.  Salads, ice, refilling water bottles, etc.  Wonderful.
  • Buses to get from town to town are super comfortable and they all have wifi!
  • European influence is charming and romantic.
  • Incredibly friendly and patient people.

• We won’t have nearly as much downtime as we expected.  Our week at the beach was planned as immense downtime for us, but the logistics of life chew up a lot more time than we expected.  We felt busy organizing our stuff, our activities, the kids schooling, laundry, meals, etc.  Time flew by during the day.  So far, Heidi has barely found the time and the energy to read.  Maybe she has one, time or energy, but rarely both.

Don’t call it a dream, Call it a plan.

• I stumbled across that quote and it resonated with me.  We are so happy with how this unfolded.  When I saw this quote I realized that we never called this a dream until these last few months.  It was always a plan.  When it was locked in, plans were being made and the grandeur of it was in every little decision, I added the word dream to my thoughts.  Our dream was coming true.  A dream we shared for 15 years and planned for and saved for.  The kids are at the perfect age, it was awesome to leave right after Christmas with the celebrations as a send off, the calm in the office to tie up loose ends, etc.  Our joy is immense.

Now we are in Buenos Aires, Argentina – enjoying some immense luxury using Chad’s Hilton points.  This city is very cosmopolitan and the architecture is a feast for the eyes.  We are seeing a Tango Dinner Show tonight, and yesterday we visited the Argentine Google office.  The restaurant prices are about the same as Uruguay but the exchange rate is half so we are happy to have the complimentary robust hotel breakfast and the Google snack kitchen to stay on budget.  Tomorrow we fly south to Patagonia.