El Ultimo Transmisión

......the return was easy, a short flight from Bariloche back to the vast blanket of light that is Buenos Aires. A city with an infectious spirit and charm all of its own. I landed with some nervousness knowing my iminent return to Dublin obscured my thinking. For four days I absorbed memories of the city, the Porteno lifestyle and juicy steaks. My mind twanged with insecurities and yearning and then the time came after an emotional farewell to board my flight back home, sitting among the French for 12 hours on the long way home. i'm back now and what better way to end this journey with some choice highlights from my trip, and an emotional farewell........
The Keitho's
best city ; Buenos Aires, amazing place with great people.
Thing of Beauty ; Semuc Champey, natural limestone bridge with two rivers running on top of each other. A little Eden.
Awestruck moment ; Tikal, jungle waking up, temples appearing and disappearing in the morning mist.
Best Steak ; Viejo Jacks, most of a cow on a plate, the best thing about Salta
Most fucked up thing ; Salar de Uyuni, landscape of the bizarre and surreal kind. Moonscape, marsscape, Dali scape.
Embarassing moment ; Of many, getting myself locked in a toilet in Huaraz, Peru. Not strange but I was in my boxers and the woman of the house had to break me out and then for the next hour explain what I did. Without letting me put my clothes on.
Sad time ; Poverty, everywhere. From the heat of Nicaragua to the plains of Argentina. Some bad vibes here. It wears you out and depresses you.
Gimp of the Trip ; American who asked if I understood satire and irony. An American? I ask you.
Drink ; Downing snake wine in Vilcabamba in great company. Drunk from the legs up anyone?
Big irritation ; Insect bites, from weeping sores to the traditional mozzy bite. I occasionally resembled a ebola victim.
Worst country ; Costa Mucha, gorgeous place but damned expensive.
People moment ; Being helped by a Costa Rican family to get to Monteverde. They offered me their floor to sleep on.
High point ; Everything was excellent. I don't want a repeat of the national debate when I returned from Oz and Asia and a certain national DJ said I hated it all. Spanner.
Low point; Getting onto that plane. But even that was mixed with excitement about going back to the flats and seeing the people I love.
Worst blog; This one.
Its been an emotional journey for me. From the great city of Mexico travelling south through Latin America seeing an unbelievable range of things, experiences I will never replicate. Along the way meeting amazing people who kept me company and travelled chicken buses, boats, rafts, planes, trains and mules. I will remember you all. And keep in contact with you. I'll need some cheap holidays. So this is farewell.
Goodbye to machistos, almuerzos and good steak. To strange club habits of the Americas, to raggaton and remakes of bad 80's music. To gauchos, muchachos and proud mis direction. To meeting people from all over the world. To seeing gratuitous nudity everywhere while women walk by breast feeding babies. to rabid dogs and fat cats and crazy financial schemes that ruin countries. A quirk, a nod to constant political upheaval. To no personal space on any bus and getting my face smacked by a portly womans sweating belly. goodbye, ciao, slan and after. I am at home now but will return.
But I must remember things now I am home. To look right and not left when crossing the road. To put the toilet paper in the bowl and not in a bin beside me. Not to gawk at women as if they are meat, (ah Latinos) to go to the bar and not wait for service, to say thank you and not gracias, to be cold and not hot.
So this is the final incoherant blog. It's been emotional.
I will be in HOGANS on Friday night. Come along and have a drink. It will be great to see you all. Heres my mobile number, 085 1490772, it is the same as before I went away.
For all that I met, you are welcome to come to Dublin and I'll show you my city.