I’m sitting in the business-class lounge at the Mexico City airport – making the best of a 5-hour layover on my way home.
It’s been so long since I’ve traveled internationally – and this trip was a biggie. I left on April 4 – whoops, make that April 5 (I was supposed to leave on the 4th, but missed my flight – which makes for a good story and an embarrassing blog …). Returning home today makes it a 17-day trip!
Many months ago, I’d been invited to an industry trade show on board a small cruise ship in Patagonia. When we weren’t off on excursions, sponsors from Latin American hotels and other tourism-related concerns would make presentations in short, one-on-one meetings with clients like me. I sent a tentative acceptance and marked it on my calendar. After all, I’d surely be finished with chemo by then and had no other conflicts on my calendar. I was hungry to travel again, having been grounded since last July. Patagonia has been on my “list” for a long time, and I’ve got customers clamoring for me to put a WOW! journey together.
Although I’m not finished with chemo, I’m on a once-a-month cycle now. I consulted with my doctor who was perfectly fine with my proposed plan and flexible about the scheduling.
So I managed to not miss my re-booked flight on April 5 – and had a short stay in Santiago before flying further south to Punta Arenas, near the tip of South America, where I boarded the Stella Australis for a 3-night cruise through the Straits of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. Those were places I’d learned about in 5th or 6th grade (history or geography?) and now – here I was!
It was great to be back in the game again – meeting and making friends with colleagues in the industry, discovering amazing new places and envisioning how these experiences will “wow” my customers one day. I’ve loved this part of my job from Day 1 and it’s good to know I’ve not lost my passion!
I saw glaciers and icebergs and dolphins. Penguins, I was told, had left a couple of weeks ago. I drank Pisco Sours and great Chilean wine. I ate – well, just about everything they put in front of me. I kept up with the “kids” on the hikes and excursions – even at the higher elevations in the Atacama Desert. My new boots and waterproof pants from REI were perfect – especially after I fell into the water while trying to climb on a big piece of ice for a photo op.
Scott met me in Punta Arenas when I disembarked, and we had nine nights together: three in Torres del Paine National Park (Patagonia), three in the Lake District and three in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. There were many flights and long drives. Our weather was nearly perfect; chilly but dry. It was a long time to be away from home and work . . . and I loved it. I had packed a wig but never bothered with it and I’ll be going wigless from now on despite the fact that my hair is growing in gray and curly. I’m happy to have hair, although my face seems fuzzier than I remember it!
I discovered a reasonably quick and easy way to do a slideshow in my Macbook’s Photos application and was able to create simple slideshows to share some of my best pictures. Enjoy!
This next slideshow captures the magnificent clouds and sunsets that I photographed. Although Montana claims to be “Big Sky” country – I think southern Chile has it beat!
In the central part of Chile (a country which is as long as the U.S. is wide!), the Lake District is particularly beautiful and peaceful, featuring magnificent volcanoes just to make it even more scenic!
And then we finished our journey in the remote Atacama Desert in northern Chile. I remember someone made a presentation to me many years ago, and it’s been on my bucket list ever since. And it didn’t disappoint. The only thing I didn’t experience – but will absolutely be accomplished on my next visit – is sand-boarding!
What’s next? In the immediate term, these are my priorities:
- Unpacking and laundry
- Reconnecting with family, friends, and kitties
- Enjoying the spring garden which was just coming into bloom when I left
- Shedding the obvious pounds I’ve gained
- Completing the second draft of my memoir
Looking a little further into the future, I’m excited about visiting friends in Jersey and Philadelphia in mid-May, plus a couple of nights in New York City. From there, I’ll fly down to Jacksonville to celebrate the high school graduation of my step-granddaughter, Rebecca.
June looks to be a quiet travel month when I’ll be in the office, in the throes of making final arrangments for my WOW! group to Croatia during the last two weeks of July. But the first week of July will find me onboard a Crystal cruise ship in Alaska for another travel industry event.
In between, I’ll be planning and promoting a WOW! Travel Club adventure to Patagonia (probably for late Nov/early December 2018). And I’m optimistic that I’ll soon be awarded the contract to handle all travel arrangements for my favorite philanthropic group, Dining for Women, so I’ll be researching extraordinary journeys to other wondrous places on our planet.
Not a day goes by that I don’t give thanks for this incredible life that I live!!
