Reflections of a Roving Doctor
Reflections: After Latin America
Once again, I found myself looking back at all the incredible memories I had made within such a short time…
Argentina:
Best: If I were to choose just one highlight, I guess it’d have to be the Vinciguerra Glacier trek. As much as I loved everything else the country had to offer, this was my first solo trek up a mountain – something that seemed to open a whole new world of possibilities to me. As I hiked and got lost and went wherever the hell I wanted, I felt a sense of freedom unlike any other. The Big Ice trek on Perito Moreno would win this competition if only I could have roamed freely as well!
Worst: I’m having quite a hard time thinking about bad times in my new favourite country. I guess it could be the hostel I was staying at in Puerto Iguazu. Yeah, that part definitely sucked.
Antarctica:
Best: Okay, okay, I know it’s not part of Latin America but I’m not gonna create another section just for a short paragraph, so please bear with me. Okay, where was I? Ah yes, right. How the hell could I choose one highlight when every single thing we saw was a highlight in and of itself? But, gun to my head, I guess it’d be the moment we spotted the leopard seal as we cruised around the icebergs on the Zodiacs. That was cool as hell.
Worst: Josh. Need I say more?
Chile:
Best: Hmm… I could either go with trekking in Patagonia once again – which, to me, had become somewhat of a safe haven (quite ironically given the harsh conditions of the region), or experiencing the Atacama Desert and salt flats – something I’d never seen before.
Worst: This time round, it’d be quite easy for me to choose a negative – a perfect tie between my sleep deprivation and having to face the end of my trip.
Eight and a half months of pure adventure and indelible memories. And so, without any further ado…
“Congratulations to the graduating backpacker class of 2022-2023!”
Just like that, I was on my way back to Malta. A six-hour flight to Bogota, a ten-hour flight to Madrid, and then a three-hour flight to end the trip. All along, I had been prophesying that the second I’d hear someone speak Maltese at the airport (which is inevitable given how damn loud we are), I’d immediately break down – the sudden realisation that I’d be going back home feeling like the final nail in the coffin.
But that never really happened. I think it’s the knowing that I had made the most of my time. I had truly pushed myself to do and see as much as I possibly could. I had done a really good job. I took a year off to explore and learn and that’s exactly what I had done. I was proud of myself. I was proud of my growth and all that I had achieved. And so, I wasn’t grieving or mourning the end of this chapter. I was okay with going back and excited about the future.
But the story doesn’t end at the airport gate just yet. I still had four months of my gap year left to burn – a final trimester of freedom before scrubs would become my permanent uniform once again. The big trek might have been over, but the intermission would be just as sweet. And so, with a full heart and an open road ahead, I turned the page.
Travel log:
- Days travelled: 252
- Countries visited: 11
- Total walked: 1734km
- Average walked per day: 7km/day
- Total travelled: 26886km
- Dives: 85 (3632min dive time)
- Books read: 19
- Pages written: 1181
- Words written: 294,784
- Kilogrammes lost: 12kg
- Photos taken: 28743
Tags :