It’s 2.30 in the morning and I can’t sleep. That might be due to the astronomical quantity of melted cheese – Swiss speciality – that I ingested for dinner, or perhaps my nervosity related to my departure for South America. Probably both. I still have extremely much to get done, among which writing this post, which I hope will be the first of a series of storytelling of my wanderings in the hispanic continent.

Much to do, how so? The bag is one, and not the least. It’s been a few months that I’ve been preparing it mentally, purchasing or collecting little by little what seems necessary. Once spread over my bed, these little things put together appear way too numerous to be contained within a single backpack (well, actually I have two)! Especially when the latter is supposed to be as light and empty as possible, in order not to disturb me while on the road.

Here’s (above) what a 6-months worth of bag stuff looks like. The general idea is to limit to the max the amount of clothing (always possible to buy on the spot, easier than to throw away additional stuff), and then there’s a lot of useful details: mosquito net, just-in-case medicines, Swiss chocolate for Colombian hosts, a continent’s map, photo camera and external hard drive, cotton bag to wrap yourself in if a hostel bed looks suspicious… Much to think about!

To conclude this “ante scriptum” post (because it gives you only a before-taste of my adventures these coming months), here are the answers to the few questions I heard a lot recently, a short summary that gives you an idea about my program:

• When? – I’m leaving on Thursday 6th of October at 7.20am (my plane flies off to a stop in Madrid and then I land in Bogotá around 3.30pm local time)
• Where? – The trip starts in Colombia and ends in Brasil, moreover I’ll be in Bolivia around New Year because Emanuele comes to see me. That’s what’s for sure. Meanwhile, I intend on going to these countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile (down to Patagonia), Argentina, Uruguay, Brasil. That’s a very optimistic version of the program (I’m not sure to really spend much time in Ecuador or Uruguay, but who knows!), which remains flexible depending on my budget and time… No matter where I’ll go, I’ll follow my desires
• What will you do there? – I won’t work, at least that’s not my main goal. I worked a lot and saved money these last months to be able to go bagpacking without further obligations. I didn’t book any flight nor hotel room, I actually don’t even know what exactly I’ll do when I’ll arrive in Colombia. But I have a to-do list of things to see for each country, suggested by friends who come from there, live or lived or traveled there, or simply by internet inspirations. When I land in Bogotá, I sleep at a girl’s whom I met when I arrived in Zurich 6 years ago, and I’ll also see some friends met in Jakarta, as well as some indirect acquaintances. To sum it up, I have a few contacts (or more) for each country I’m intending on traveling in. I’ll make sure to, at least, always know which areas to avoid, at best, to find a reliable stay thanks to them.
• How long? – 5,5 months, from 6 October 2016 to 17 March 2017, I already bought my return ticket!
• Do you speak Spanish, actually? – I took a Spanish class for 2 years at uni, in order to get prepared, and I’m able to manage things out, hold a conversation and defend some ideas… I also go to better master this beautiful language
• But… are you leaving alone? – Yes
• Aren’t you afraid? – There was a time where people around me managed to instil some anxiety in me. And then, I realised that all those who feared for me… never left for a bagpacking adventure (or not this far)! I understood that these were their fears, not mine. As for myself, I know that I must be careful, but I also know that fear makes you stay within your comfort zone, and it’s what’s lies outside of it that I wanna explore! That’s where you learn. By the way, the people who lived in the countries I wanna see or those who visited them told me that our European views of the continent are at best not very up-to-date, at worst quite off (huge generalisations, etc). But I promise I’ll take care of myself.
• And then? – I’ll go back to Geneva, where I live with Emanuele since August, and I’ll look for a job, serious life and lalalah… let’s not anticipate too much!

About this blog: I’ll try and come every now and then to tell you my stories, take you on the trip with me a little. Photos, text, I’ll do what I can with whatever means available (not taking my computer with and depending on the quality of the internet connections I’ll find). I’ll post each article on facebook and I’ll also send an email, so that each can be informed about it in their preferred manner. If you haven’t received an email and wish to “subscribe”, there’s a “keep updated about fresh posts” field in the bottom of the page. For those who know and use RSS feeds there’s a dedicated button at the same place. It should be possible to comment articles without registering beforehand, just by filling out your name. You can also like the posts through facebook (wink to my coetaneous), or even print them (wink to my grandparents). As usual, you can contact me per mail, whatsapp, telegram, facebook… I’ll make sure to be reachable (when the wifi allows).

Thereupon, dear family, dear friends, I say goodbye. Next time I’ll write I suppose I’ll be 7 hours ahead of you (colombian time zone).

¡Hasta luego!

PS: if you’ve got a friend or cousin in one of the countries I mentioned, please don’t hesitate to write to me so that I contact them and go say hi or share a coffee!