Funny Mishaps & Bloopers of a Solo Traveler

 

It was pouring in Buenos Aires last night as though the city was mirroring my feelings of having to say goodbye to such a beautiful country and continent with so much left to explore. As my trip draws to a close, I can´t help but laugh and look back fondly on all the mishaps I managed to get myself into along the way.

 

While I have spoken to the revelations and takeaways that solo traveling has gifted me; it is the moments that tested me that I now look back on and laugh about, knowing that in these moments I found true strength. From day one of being sent to find an unmarked storefront as I hilariously navigated the black market in an attempt to find a ¨”cave” with the unofficial exchange rate. To show up at the Iguazu airport dripping wet, each memory blends together like a kaleidoscope that already has me smiling with nostalgia.

 

There is the memory of leaving my hostel for the day with less than the equivalent of $25 USD (having never been one for math and even more inept when it comes to currency exchange). I quickly realized that while I had had enough to take me across town to the colorful, albeit unsafe, neighborhood of La Boca, that I did not have enough to get back to my hostel. This moment left me lost and penniless in Recoleta-having taken a cab as far as I could afford. I couldn´t help but laugh as I made the trek home, choosing to see it as an opportunity to wander the streets of Buenos Aires.

 

There is the memory of my ill-fated tattoo appointment. Having planned on getting a simple “to travel is to live” tattooed on my inner wrist, I had accounted for everything-the cost, the highly rated tattoo parlour, had carefully chosen the words and had even mentally prepared for the pain-but had not accounted for a teenage-looking, bad attitude having tattoo artist. I sat in the chair opposite my bleached blonde artist who was oozing annoyance at my small tattoo (which still felt too large to me). As the needle whirred to life and he took hold of my wrist, I took one look at the penned outline of his design knowing it was too big, had too much flourish and was exactly the opposite of what I had asked for. In a moment I went from badass traveler about to get inked abroad to bailing on my tattoo appointment, leaving my irritated tattoo artist in my wake and the pen ink outline still on my wrist.

 

There is the hilarity of my poorly timed boat ride to the Iguazu waterfalls that, while incredible, left me sopping wet and freezing! As I yanked my backpack from the dry bags provided, I shamelessly stripped down on the rocks, threw on semi-dry clothes and headed to the airport for my flight back to Buenos Aires-still wet.

 

There is the memory of my fifty-something French acquaintance that I met in my Buenos Aires hostel and who I went to a nearby cafe with for breakfast. As she shared stories of her one ill-fated love affair to a selfish Argentine man, I realized midway through the meal that she wasn´t eccentric-she was actually crazy. The next two days became a game of cat and mouse as she would wait for me in the common room of our hostel, hoping to share more sordid details of her love life.

 

The blooper reel of my trip plays out in my mind and makes me laugh as I imagine what other adventures and stories I would have if I could keep traveling. As I sit here scratching the smattering of bright red mosquito bites on my legs (compliments of Iguazu and not having had repellent), I know that a sense of humor has been one of my best tools this trip.

 

Anyone of these moments could have knocked me down, but rather than fall-I laughed, even if the humor came in retrospect. It is a lesson I need to remind myself of in New York where a missed subway or stolen cab can ruin a person´s day. Even yesterday as I arrived in Uruguay, I couldn´t help but laugh at how thoroughly unprepared I was to be entering another country. With no idea of where to go, of the currency exchange or what direction to walk to Colonia, I simply figured it out. That is the thing about life-no matter how much one worries about it or plans it out-it will always play out exactly as it should.