梦如人生，人生如梦 7

凡人，果然是烦人啊 - 无趣的俗世。

前世极力守护的，今世就忘了吗?

究竟要多少世，才走得完我想走的路？ 因为我要走的路，很远......

寻之.空 20

 人生，不是追求什么，而是剩下什么。

梦如人生，人生如梦 6

No wonder this world can never be a better place.

· Kindnesses and considerations are rapidly fading and becoming exceptionally scarce on this earth.

· Action speaks louder than words, but I soon realized that the words I am hearing often remained only as phrases and speeches.

· The unrealistic standard of Asian beauty where everyone is expected to be as slim, as good-looking and as young forever like the 20 years old superstar, otherwise words of sarcasm never cease.

· Realistic people are vastly present, but true and sincere friends are nowhere to be found.

· Words of ridicule, derision, jealously and etc have also become the new norms.

So yea…it’s unfortunate that such is the reality.

如果我是外星人，我不会觉得地球是个好地方，因为有人类的存在，毕竟酸民太多......

寻之.空 19

神经病，果然比较自由。

寻之.空 18

何谓 “人生如戏，戏如人生”？

戏里的付出有成果，现实有吗？
戏里的伤悲有安慰，现实有吗？
戏里的情谊有道义，现实有吗？
戏里的感情有永恒，现实有吗？
戏里的迷茫有指引，现实有吗？
戏里的抑郁有共情，现实有吗？
戏里的真诚有回报，现实有吗?
戏里的结局有完美，现实有吗？

所以别天真了，人生他妈的连戏都不如啊!

Argentina, Chile, Bolivia - Dec 2018

The city that left a print in my dictionary for more than a decade. The city that came to my attention through a Taiwanese drama. The city that once stood 15,945km away from me. And this city of Buenos Aires is where I am standing right now. It feels surreal for me to step onto this ground since I never have imagined that I would travel this far to visit this city ever in my life. A trip that has been long planned and discussed has finally arrived!

I usually do not favour any trip longer than a week and therefore this 3 weeks’ journey was rather exceptional and “might be” my once in a lifetime experience. Other than imposing challenges on both my physical and mental strengths, this trip has also challenged the savings in my bank account. Due to the variety of items required for the four seasons in different altitudes and landscapes, the budget has eventually overshot by nearly 2 folds. That includes the foldable backpack, rucksack rain cover, sleeping bag liner, sport towels, power banks, toiletries, medicines and etc. We were further challenged to stuff everything into a rucksack with a limit of 15kg in order to comply with some strict domestic flight’s regulations.

Preparing for this trip wasn’t a walk in the park as there are certain medicines namely Diamox that could only be prescribed by a specialist (not even by my GP) in Finland. I was lucky to meet a doctor with great experiences and she was extremely cautious in scrutinizing every detail of my trip including the places I will be going, the dates and the altitude of each of the destinations. She even arranged for me to go through a blood test, lungs test, blood pressure and heart beat examinations just to ensure that I am in absolute good health to hop on the long and weighty journey. I have learned a lot about the signs and symptoms of certain illnesses, as well as the function of different medicines during the whole process after visiting her twice. 

09.12.2018 (Sunday)

Taking some deep breaths, I stepped on the 20 hours journey first from Helsinki to London Gatwick for a transit (I have to say I miss London!). It has been raining recently and to avoid any hassles, I decided to spend that extra bucks to book myself a taxi to the airport. However the beginning of the journey isn’t assuring and doesn’t prove to be a smooth one. I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before the departure time, however the main display board wasn’t showing my flight information despite the fact that I have been standing there for a lengthy duration and the boarding time is less than 2 hours now. After I have asked around and went to the Norwegian counter, the staff informs me that I need to print my own tag and no counter is serving in-person. However I have tried repeatedly for many times at the self-service machine but it just doesn’t recognize my passport, until a staff came and tried as many times to no avail, then only she directed me to the counter. After getting the tag printed, I was told to handover the bag to another counter but I waited there for a long time without seeing anyone in service and I have to frustratingly urge the staff again! The airport was quite packed with people but luckily the security queue wasn’t too long.

Stepping once again onto the ground of London, my memory of this second home just flows endlessly. I miss the familiar language, the English books, the options in Boots pharmacy and the metropolitan lifestyle. But there is nothing I should murmur though since Finland is just as good in it’s own wonderful ways.

After boarding on the plane bound for Bueno Aires, I was lucky to have the whole row of 3 seats for myself and being greeted warmly by a cabin crew. Everything was well except being surrounded by 2 crying babies that almost ruined my sleep throughout the whole journey. Second time on Norwegian and this time with the new dreamliner, I do have high expectations. The overall experience was fine apart from the entertainment system that wasn’t very resourceful and the services provided were extremely minimal (blanket doesn’t come free).

10.12.2018 (Monday)

One could have spent weeks or even months preparing everything for a trip, but a mere careless handling of the baggage could ruin every bit of one’s effort in a split second. I just couldn’t believe that after all the hassles I have gone through with checking-in my luggage, my whole rucksack has now gone missing!!! Looks like the double fold of budget is still not leaving me alone and would now try to make it a triple fold. This is also the time I witness how unimportant I am as their customer and how my problem was not taken seriously by the airline crews. The unprofessional staff at the Norwegian service desk who was handling my lost baggage issue is still joking and laughing happily with another colleague despite that I was standing right infront of them overwhelmed with anxiety. The same goes to the airport staff, they will simply put it clear that they only speak Spanish and are completely reluctant to offer any sort of help. Even when the service crew assured to call or email with a status update on the next day, they never did what they promised. Thanks Norwegian for giving me an unforgettable experience by ruining my once in a lifetime trip and my longest and most expensive trip!

Usually, the consumer suffers so much more than what the airline company is willing to compensate. In my case:

• I have spent so much money on my sensitive skin and face all these years purchasing tons of quality skin care products, but the loss of luggage means I have to live without my skin care items for days which is definitely very bad for my skin.
• I have always avoid using the low quality shampoo in the hotel to protect my hair from damages and have purposely bought an extra moisturizing shampoo for this trip, but this stupid mistake caused me so much hair damage and I definitely have some bad hair days while waiting for my rucksack.
• Visiting Buenos Aires would probably be my once in a lifetime experience and I definitely would like to enjoy the city to the fullest in my best condition while taking many wonderful photos. But thanks to the incident, I have to live without my makeup and without a good-looking outfit throughout my stay.

I was lucky that the kind chauffeur still waited for me for almost an hour with the pla card, accompanied me while getting myself a local sim card (we waited a very long time as the computer system was down), and he tried his best to speak and communicate with me in English along the way.

This Hotel NH Crillon was rated as 4 stars on the web, however this is the first time I am experiencing (i) a sudden power shortage and blackouts in my room when I have not even started to use any of the sockets or electronics in the room. (ii) a door that can be easily opened without the access card! (Luckily they get this fixed after I return from my walk) (iii) a room that costs me RM550+ that comes without the shower cap, but only offers 3 bottles of very low quality shampoos. (iv) The phone in the room doesn’t work and I have to go to the reception desk personally to ask a question. The sound proofing was extremely bad especially with the wooden floor design where you could hear every movement from the neighbouring rooms. The hotel does not even take the effort in replying to my email albeit I have sent my queries twice, and they further demanded a USD$23 for an early check-in (ok fair enough but guess what? They have charged me twice on my credit card and I needed to sort this out with their customer service afterwards). 

Life is forever searching for the opportunity to whack you hard but despite all the adversities, I told myself to stay strong and all problems must be confronted with courage and sorted with calmness. I then wrapped-up all sorts of bitter emotions and started to explore Buenos Aires as planned. The first destination was to visit the El Ateneo Grand Splendid (The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. In 2019, it was named the "world's most beautiful bookstore" by the National Geographic), and then the Recoleta Cemetery. Every tomb looks magnificent and mysterious, having an underground chamber deeper than 6 foot below. I was really tempted to explore what lies beneath each of these tombstones as there seems to be something hidden, something mystical awaiting for the curious to unveil them (but of course this is not possible as those tombs are properties belonging to someone).

Though the colourful La Boca was one of the famous attractions in Buenos Aires, but it comes with all sorts of bad remarks concerning the safety issues primarily concerning the tourists. I couldn’t risk my first day of the trip hence decided to forgo this spot to secure the smoothness of my next three weeks. Having read some articles advising not to carry the passport as this is the focus of theft, however please bring it along with you if you intend to use the money changer services or even your credit card. This makes the security tighter but also at the same time toughen the life of the travellers.

And guess what? I have again searched around for KFC and ordered a take-away for dinner in my hotel room.

11.12.2018 (Tuesday)

It was a showery morning but the taxi driver was on time. The airport was rather close and the check-in has been quick leaving me a longer waiting time at the boarding room. I called the Norwegian helpdesk in the morning and was told that they have found my bag and will be giving me a call and sending me an email to advise about the delivery schedule (but as usual, they never did).

Arriving El Calafate before everyone else, I proceeded to explore the city and this small southern village of Argentina looks exactly like the cowboy town in the movie only missing some rolling russian thistles. The Hotel Patagonia Rebelde was located close enough to the town but far enough from the crowd. The lobby has been cozy and finely decorated spreading the homey ambience. While strolling in town, I had a sudden crave for grilled meat and ended up with a huge portion of the Patagonian Classic Grill Lamb at Casimiro Biguá which left me bloated throughout the day.

In the evening I was finally meeting up with the gang from the UK and the first conversation we had was “hey, do you have some extra Pesos on hand to pay for the taxi and do you mind lending me some?”...lol. After a brief catch-up and preparation, we were ready for dinner. We were enjoying the foods, desserts and relaxing long chats at Alambrado.

12.12.2018 (Wednesday)

Rather than spending a relaxing day in the peaceful town, my day was again filled with frustrations. Due to the unreliable services of Norwegian, I called their customer center again checking on the status of my baggage and a guy who introduces himself from Norwegian said that the bag was now in the El Calafate airport ready for pick-up. I asked at least 3 times more just to be very sure and the answer is still positive. With delightness I hired a taxi and went straight to the airport. However, I have waited for 2 hours but there’s no sign that my rucksack has arrived. I tried asking around but the staff at the airport was not helpful at all and everyone was just trying to dodge handling my case. I was then asked to return and wait for further information. After returning to the hotel, my friend and I again made several calls to the Norwegian service center, but the conflicting information we received was really frustrating. The overall progress has depleted my patience despite that I have tried my best to stay calm and steady. Finally the hotel received a call from the airport saying that the rucksack has arrived. But again I needed to go to the airport while I already ran out of Pesos to hire the taxi. Luckily the hotel was kind enough to pay the bill on my behalf and allows me time to exchange for more Pesos in town. I was so glad to be reunited again with my rucksack and woohoo, the journey continues.

Note: At the end of the day when I try to file my claims with the Norwegian Airline, they are then putting the statement in the email as if they are kind enough to reimburse me the costs of the Taxi ride (despite that it has been entirely their mistakes and misinformation from their side), but they refused to reimburse the cost of the sim card stating that this is not covered in their policy (though they never return any call as promised and I needed to make several calls domestically and internationally). Seriously, the way Norwegian Airline handles lost baggage and the way their staff treats the customer was way below expectations and seriously unprofessional. As a paying customer, I was really disappointed with their services.

After the complete hassles of the day, we took a 15 minutes walk to the Restaurante Buenos Cruces which is 1.1km from the hotel for dinner. This restaurant has been highly recommended by the travelers, but indeed the stuffed squid with rice which I had was delicious.

13.12.2018 (Thursday)

Getting up early at 6am, we prepared ourselves for the tough day ahead - the Big Ice Trekking at Perito Moreno. After a long bus ride to the park and enjoying some views from the platform’s deck, we were splitted into groups and preparing for the selected activities. Hiking more than 6 hours on the iceberg with the heavy crampons was killing me. But despite the exhaustion, the spectacular view of the glacier, the sounds of the iceberg cracking, and wandering on the white wilderness is still worth the efforts. The view is rather bizarre but amazing having mountains of greenery on the left vs. the frozen kingdom in white on the right. It is like a picture painted in great contrast.

After some intense hiking, we booked our spot beside a meltwater stream and had our sandwiches. Consuming the fresh water from the iceberg was refreshing but chilling to the spine. I finally feel my legs again once I take off the crampons but what lies ahead is still a few hours' hike before we are back to the meeting point. We were being rewarded with a glass of whiskey on the boat that sent us back to our bus.

14.12.2019 (Friday)

Our next destination is the port city of Puerto Natales. While passing by Santa Cruz along the way to the border of Chile, I started to ponder and couldn't imagine how my life would have been living in such a small village. Enough of indulging in the world of my own mind, we arrived at the border control and began going through the tedious process of entering Chile. As usual everyone has to get off the bus and have the passport stamped for exiting Argentina. Then, everyone has to collect all baggage, fill a declaration form and get the passport stamped for entering Chile. Then after receiving a paper, one would then need to have their baggage scanned.

After checking into the hostel, we have our late lunch around 3.30pm at La Picada de Carlitos. Being an absolute seafood lover and without hesitation, I ordered the King Crab Salad and Mixed Seafood Soup. 

15.12.2018 (Saturday)

Spending 2 days in Erratic Rock gives us sufficient time to grab some necessities before the 5 days hike begins. It’s been years since I last stayed in a dorm room and this comes with 2 bunk beds for 4. It is again depressing to find the very slow water flow in the bathroom and the usage of the shower is limited to 5-10 minutes per person. Coming to Chile, we soon get used to the sign where no toilet papers are allowed to be flushed down the toilet. Guess their sewerage system wasn’t capable of screening out such waste as compared to the modern cities.

The morning kicked-start with a sip of coffee in a small coffee house - Holaste following with lunch at Espacio Nandu. This time I have ordered the baked Scallop with Cheese. This is also the day where everyone will be gathering under one roof where we welcome another 2 mates from Asia. Now the team of 6 is complete and we are ready to go.

16.12.2018 (Sunday)

I have never heard of Torres Del Paine but here I am for the W trek. The bus brought us to Laguna Amarga (Torres del Paine National Park) and a mini bus took over our journey halfway and brought us to the Torres campsite. Buying the original Patagonia down jacket in Patagonia cost me a fortune, however it is better to be ready than to be sorry since I have started to feel uneasy and colder than usual.

Since we were taking the west-to-east trail, the Torres Del Paine was the first in the program. I have been cursing myself a billion times along the way and asking myself why the hell would I pay that much amount of money and sign up for this W trek. 26.8km and 319 floors per day, this almost cost me my limbs. One lesson learned - never trust any hikers along the way when they tell you that you are almost there reaching the peak, because that might be still hours and many kilometers away, haha! But thanks to these kind strangers who encouraged us while we were struggling to make our way to the tip while they were already on their return journey.

But hey, albeit the gruelling journey, I have made it! I have made it to the peak of Torres del Paine! I am never a fan of physical workouts and have been a couch potato for years, but I am really glad that I still make it this time. Given a few more years, I might not have the energy anymore for such kind of activity. Despite the tough trail, there were still many memorable pit-stops along the way such as having our lunch at the river bank, walking on the edge of the narrow paths along the cliff, and taking photos with many stunning backgrounds surrounded by nature.

This was never an easy journey even going downhill. Two of the mates with their injured knees needed some strong painkillers in order to move further. I could not even remember when was the last time I went to bed without showering and brushing my teeth. Despite the 6 layers I wrapped around myself (long johns, fleece, down jacket, shell x 2, sleeping bag liner and sleeping bag), I was still freezing to death and starting to be feverish, but luckily I have my warm packs with me which helps a lot. Going to the bathroom at night requires very much courage and efforts due to the cold, darkness and distance. We needed to get dressed, literally crawl out of the tent and take a small step at a time with the torch. But looking up to the sky, we see a starry heaven which makes us thankful that we made it thus far. 

17.12.2018 (Monday)

My illness is worsening and extending from fever to cold, I dare not risk continuing the journey otherwise I would not be able to survive if it happens to rain along the way. I have to forfeit the remaining 4 days journey which cost me a few hundreds USD and return to Puerto Natales on my own. Though I have to again spend a fortune to look for a last minute accommodation, but at least I could proudly pronounce that I have completed the toughest part of the W trek. Looks like this is going to be my first and my last outdoor camping trip. You could label me as a spoiled or pampered urban chic, but it is how it is and at least I took the courage and tried something diverse to eventually discover my likings. Moreover, there’s still another 2 weeks journey ahead of me and I couldn’t risk ruining the subsequent voyages.

Getting a hot shower in a proper hotel makes me feel reborn again. I am thankful to have taken this decision and allowing my body the time to recover. During the return of the rented equipment to Erratic Rock, there is a lady at the counter who exhibit the typical after-sales-attitude where almost every question comes with an impatient “I don’t know” without any attempt to help. This is so much different compared to any other staff in the hostel who tried to help in any possible way before or during our stay.

18.12.2018 - 19.12.2018 (Tuesday - Wednesday)

My days in Hotel Hallef are none other than sleep and rest. I have even returned to La Picada de Carlitos for the second time without wanting to spend more energy looking for another restaurant. Nonetheless, I started to wonder if they have any common standard in preparing the dishes because for the same meal that I have ordered, it turns out to be so different in standard this time and doesn’t taste as good as previously (or maybe because my taste bud wasn’t performing as it should? But at least the amount of ingredients need to look the same!) . 

Almost every hotel in the small town requires you to leave the key at the reception and not bring them along when you leave the building. For this reason, they usually use a very large and heavy keychain to ensure that you will not attempt to bring it out.

20.12.2018 (Thursday)

After resting for a few days, I am recovering well and feeling much better now, hence I am prepared to shift over to another hotel since the rest of the team is scheduled to be back by today. Arriving at Hostel America which is just a few streets away, there is this very kind-hearted lady who allows me for an early check-in at 11am instead of 2pm without any extra cost. The gang arrived around evening but I am still lacking the appetite to join them for dinner hence hiding myself in the blanket and taking an early rest for the night.

21.12.2018 (Friday)

Early in the morning with the backpack on our shoulders, we walked towards the bus terminal for our next long ride to Punta Arenas. From the bus terminal and with 2 ubers, we arrived at our Airbnb. This is a very big house with 4 rooms, 2 living rooms, a kitchen and a garden. The first thing that everyone did was to search the network and connect to the internet since it has been days they were living in the wild and disconnected with the outside world. We have had a relaxing dinner in a restaurant downtown and I somehow crave for some sushi and tempura this time.

22.12.2018 (Saturday)

This is a very non-productive day doing nothing other than queuing. The check-in counter at the Punta Arenas airport has a very long queue and we waited for at least 1.5 hours. The transit in Santiago somehow requires us to collect and re-check-in our luggage also comes with an extremely long line. Shockingly there were also some lengthy queues at McD and the ordering process was in a mess. I usually try to be patient in waiting, however the preparation of my food has taken too long and thanks to one of the testy mates who helped me to urge the kitchen since they have mixed up my order with another customer which causes the delays.

It was almost 10.00pm when we landed in Calama. The moon was bright and lit our ways to the Quechua Hotel whilst the roads were uneven and bumpy, and there were very limited streetlights. After unloading our baggage, we hit the town looking for a late dinner and got ourselves some carbon drinks for the next day.

23.12.2018 (Sunday)

San Pedro de Atacama is also another unrecognized name to me. I consider this town as very unique given that everywhere you go, it is covered with extensive sand and dust. We roamed around town and booked a tour to the Salt Stones and Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). 

Walking in the dessert with ordinary running shoes was absolutely a bad idea. I have the wrong impression that I am growing taller while walking from one end to another, but in fact it was the thick layers of sand in my shoe that has been cushioning my extra height! We climbed the salt hill and loiter at the Moon Valley waiting for the sunset. The unearthly landscape was stunning and beyond words.

Coming back to town in search of a good restaurant but being exhausted from the heat and without much appetite, I opted to have the shrimp salad for dinner before heading back to the hotel for a good night's rest.

24.12.2018 (Monday)

It’s almost Christmas and we decided to spend our Christmas Eve dating with the horses in the dessert. A full day horse riding adventure to the moon valley was one of the best adventures in our trip. Our guide Juan was a very experienced and knowledgeable guy who could interact with the horses through his whistles and controls them extremely well. The horse I have been given a ride is named Tormenla. Everyone commented that it behaves like an auto-cruise because it will just follow the other horses tightly without the need of much control. This allows me to take some memorable pictures along the way. After the few hours ride, we rewarded our dear horses with apples and they loved their treats very much. We were also given the chance to bathe our horses and bring them back into their stable.

It is time to toss and cheer for Christmas and we have made a fancy dinner reservation at Baltinache at USD$70 per person. The delicate dishes tasted really good and we have had a great time around the table for the rest of the night. 

25.12.2018 (Tuesday)

We were lucky that some tour agencies still operate on Christmas day itself. We have been cautious with our selection knowing that everyone goes on party the night before and most probably returns to work the next morning in a zombie-like state after the hangover. Our day tour to Río Grande was relaxing where we got to stop at a few places to enjoy the scenery and nature. The Volcano Licancabur is always within our sight and along the way we saw many enormous Cardon Cactuses. We also made some random stops at some fields with many wild Guanaco. The guide we have hired speaks good English and we get to listen to many local cultural stories, customs and traditions such as the Wiphala (a square emblem commonly used as a flag to represent some native peoples of the Andes that include today's Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia), Animitas (roadside shrines to commemorate the dead) and Apacheta (a little pile of rocks built along the trail in the high mountains as a sign of the passage which might also include some necessities for any voyager who might be in need of them).

26.12.2018 (Wednesday)

The Chile-Bolivia border is set in the middle of the wilderness without any barricade. We even wonder if it would be easy enough for one to climb over the mountain getting into the other country. The border control in Chile is a single building with Overhead Rolling Doors, and it only allows very few vehicles to enter at a time. After queuing for a long time, it is finally our turn to enter the building and cross the “gate”. Before arriving at the Bolivian Border Control and while seeing a vicuña wandering at the field between the borders, I pointed at it and exclaimed “hey, no passport!” and caused the driver to laugh.

Getting across to Bolivia wasn’t effortless. We have to queue under the scorching sun and in the strong wind while waiting for our turn to submit all the required documents and fees before we could get a stamp on our passports. We were considered lucky because our guide is very familiar with the process and he quickly arranged our documents and moved us forward. Our Bolivian guide - Bryan was already waiting and ready for the relay.

What awaits us is an immediate hike to the elevation of 4,700m above sea level. I started to experience some severe headaches as this has been the common body reaction in such a high altitude. We were considered lucky to have spent a few days in Atacama where the height was at least half of this and we have the chance to soothe our body and in getting used to the elevation. When the coca candy doesn’t help, I surprisingly figured that imitating the chewing action by moving the jaw actually does some tricks to reduce the level of migraine.

After visiting a few of the attractions, we stopped by a house in a very remote area to have our lunch. We were being served with some home cooked grilled chicken and dishes, with some fresh vegetables and soft drinks. Surprisingly using their toilet cost us 2 Boliviano each, but looking at the poverty level I guess this is one of their ways to make a living.

We continued the journey into the wilderness and we deeply appreciate the driving skill of Bryan bringing us from one place to another crossing some unpaved alleys and sharp corners. We were amazed by his ability to identify the directions accurately despite that all we see was nothing but a desolate wilderness or desert without any landmarks. Along the way we were all excited about Vicuña, Alpaca, Guanaco, Llama, Flamingo, Maned Wolf and Viscacha. Guess Bryan would have been chucking in his heart for leading a team of weird folks from a far way metropolitan.

The Tayka de Sal Hotel is situated in the middle of nowhere and right in the middle of the desert. There is only limited satellite internet access and limited hot water for showers. Our dinner has been included in the package and we dined together with Bryan who then told us that he actually will be resting in a smaller house beside our hotel together with other drivers and they are required to leave that place at around 5am the next morning. Life in an impoverished country really wasn’t easy for one to make a living.

27.12.2018 (Thursday)

The simple breakfast has been served at the same dining hall we have had dinner the night before, but the daylight now reveals to us the splendid view of the vast plain which added some additional savour of amazement to our breakfast.

Bryan was smart enough to take us the reverse way avoiding the common crowd. The day has been filled with the view of flamingo, colourful lagoons and wildlifes. We get to take many amazing pictures using our eyes, phones and cameras. Our last stop was the Train Cemetery and it started to drizzle before we checked in to Hotel de Sal Cristal Samaña. This is another sight that left us dumbfounded. Almost the entire hotel was made out of salt and including some furniture. The comfortable salt bed even comes with a controllable heating feature.

We made our first attempt at the salt lake but it was almost entirely dry. We have to patiently wait for the rain and there are few groups of people already prepared with the stools to take the iconic photos. Time flies and the sky is getting darker where we decided to call it a day and went back to the hotel for dinner. We actually did book a stargazing tour however considering the cloudy sky and the low chances of sighting anything, we released Bryan from his duty so that he could drive home for a rest. We teased ourselves for being in absolute conflict wanting the rain for the mirror effect on the salt lake but at the same time wanted some star gazing.

28.12.2018 (Friday)

After getting around places full of sand, salt and mud, we were surprised to find the SUV clean again in the morning. Apparently Byran had cleaned the car the night before when he returned home though it was already quite late into the night. And he surprised us with some pairs of booths so that our shoes wouldn’t get soaked by the high level of water after the rain.

Driving at the speed of 20km/h took us almost 3 hours to reach the Cactus Island as it is not possible to speed on the salt lake for safety reasons. Bryan found a great pavilion and started setting-up the table for our lunch. He even folded the table towel neatly and nicely for us to have the best dining experience overlooking the salt lake on one side and a mountain of cacti on the other. However he refused to dine with us but insisted that he will only have his lunch after we finished our meal and moved ahead to explore the island. I have brought with me a knitted octopus and am anticipating to take a few nice pictures with it, however it has fallen in love with the island and decided to settle down in a place I could not locate.

The wonderful moments have ended too soon before we realized that it is time for us to end the tour and move to a hotel downtown. Bryan sent us straight to the Tonito Hotel putting a full stop to our salar de uyuni trip. Despite that it was drizzling, each and everyone of us waited in the rain until Bryan had finished unloading our baggage and cleared the SUV and we all gave him a hug and gave him some significant amount of gratuity in return for his sincere and excellent services for the 3 days. We were all grateful to have Bryan as our driver and guide (though he doesn’t speak English and is responsible only to drive us around, but he has tried his best explaining in simple Spanish so that the French mate could easily understand and translate to the rest of us).

If you ever hire a driver or a full-time guide in your tour, please do treat them as your friend. Share with them some snacks or even candies from your country which they might not have seen or tasted before. They will appreciate all these small gestures of kindness while the good relationship and journey you have had will turnout to be a great memory.

It started to pour after we set-in to our rooms hence we decided to have a pizza feast in the hotel’s restaurant. Looks like we have made the right choice as they serve one of the best pizzas in town!

29.12.2018 (Saturday)

Doing our shopping in the morning market of Uyuni was quite a pleasant experience. We visited most of the stores looking for our own souvenirs. Since none of us speaks their language, the best communication tool is none other than a calculator and luckily we all have the same understanding of numbers. But the day isn’t peaceful for some of us, because we have mostly booked our next flight separately heading to different destinations. It is always good to reserve some buffer time during a long haul journey because you can never guess what surprises await you. And this time we received a shocking gift from Kiwi and are left dumbfounded because they fail to book three of us into a flight to Bueno Aires as agreed. Another mate bound for Peru was stranded at the airport because the flight she booked via Kiwi has ceased to operate since weeks ago due to a safety issue but surprisingly no one informs her until the very last minute. So the night for the French was spent in much anger and frustration trying to call their inefficient service center demanding for a reasonable resolution.

30.12.2018 (Sunday)

In the morning, a few of us flew to La Paz separately while another departed to Peru. The four of us who got together in La Paz took the chance to tour around the town while waiting for the next flight. We spent the time visiting Mercado de las Brujas (The Witches' Market) and this place truly fascinates me with all the pre-mixed spell potions, dried animal carcasses, native herbs, amulets and etc. I wish I had more time to visit each and every store and hoping to discover something mystical and extraordinary.

We took a ride on the Mi Teleférico (an aerial cable car urban transit system serving the La Paz–El Alto metropolitan area in Bolivia) and the view is truly spectacular. Vast necropolis and slums can be seen from the top and the view is stunning. This is also the first time ever that we “walked” to the airport since it is so close to the center of the town.

Instead of flying to Bueno Aires as originally planned, we were now booked onto a flight landing in Santa Cruz de la Sierra where Kiwi settled us in 3 rooms at the Radisson Hotel Santa Cruz while waiting for the next transit. Though the hotel looks amazing, but we arrived right at midnight and needed to depart already in a few hour’s time and therefore we got no chance to enjoy anything else except a very decent shower and breakfast.

31.12.2018 (Monday)

After all the twists and turns, we have finally made it to Bueno Aires with relief! I have booked myself a different hotel than the couple but remained on the same street, and here is where I received the worst ever customer service from Castelar Hotel & Spa. Despite that I have sent an email to inform the hotel about my late arrival, they never care to respond. During the check-in, there was this guy who doesn’t speak English and after failing to find my reservation details, he just ignored me and started to serve other groups of customers who came after me. I need to resend the reservation details and before he could get me a room, I have wasted my one whole hour standing in front of the reception desk waiting for nothing.

Since it was New Year Eve and we did not have any clue which restaurant would be open and what we could have for dinner, we roamed around town and even approached the police officers to ask for any possible information. At last we ended up with a fine dine at El Federal Buenos Aires which costs us USD$100 each.

01.01.2019 (Tuesday)

After a long haul flight flying from one region to another, it is time to part with the Londoners at Heathrow while I continue my journey alone to Helsinki and spend my first day of 2019 in the plane.

Every journey has its own unique lessons and experiences. And every adversity made me stronger each time even before I realized it. Participating in other people’s dreams and lifestyle could open up new pathways to different explorations and novel experiences. If it wasn’t the dream of my best friend, I wouldn’t have stamped such wonderful episodes into my life. Despite that there were times where I feel rather uncomfortable and offended by some tactless speeches of some mates along the journey, but at the end of the day I have to convince myself to accept that everyone has different personalities and temperament hence I could only adjust my emotions rather than to wreck the harmony considering the bigger picture.

Life is probably a process of trial and error where you have got to try out everything to decide if you would eventually like it or not. Certainly this costs a fortune at times but this allows you to discover more about your inner self and preferences. A three week’s travel journal is definitely not easy but thanks to one of my 2018 resolutions of going cloud and making it way much easier in recording each and every detail of this trip.

寻之.空 17

异类的个体，必须伪装潜入正常的群体。

When you think someone cares, in fact no one cared.