Leaving South America. This is tough.

View from the tram.

I just watched the Rio de Janeiro sky line disappear out of sight as my plane soared into the clouds.  It’s official, I have no more time in South America and I’m really, really sad.

The fact of the matter is, the past few days have been tough too.  Unlike a week ago when I thought I was ready to move on to the next phase of my trip, this weekend I started getting really melancholy thinking about all of the great times I’ve had throughout this amazing continent and have been wishing I had extra time to experience even more.  

Today was a great final day in South America.  After breakfast, Nicki and I went to Santa Teresa to take the open-sided tram through parts of the city that we either hadn’t seen (Santa Teresa) and others we had only seen at night (Lapa.)  The tram went over the Aqueducts of Lapa and then twisted through the hilly neighborhood of Santa Teresa.  A woman on the tram warned us that a guy who had been hanging from the side of the tram had just attempted to get in her bag, so Nicki and I both put our bags on our laps and clenched onto them, being reminded that even though we had become so comfortable in Rio, it was still a major city with a fair amount of crime.

Some graffiti in Lapa that we couldn't see at night.

After the tram ride was over and we returned back to the hotel, we decided that it was time for one last trip to Copacabana Beach.  Sadly, when we got there, it was partly cloudy with a breeze and there were only 2 people in the water.  We knew we’d freeze if we went in so instead, we both laid down in the sand thinking about, well, I don’t know what Nicki was thinking about, but I thought about the past 9 weeks, the people I’d met, the things I’d done, and the amazing fact that I was even on this trip.

Goodbye Copacabana Beach :(

I said goodbye to the beach and we walked back to the hotel.  Nicki went out to get some last minute shopping done and I started the task of packing once again.  I don’t know if it was because, for the first time since D.C., I took EVERYTHING out of my pack before repacking, or if it was because I really didn’t want to leave Rio, but it took me about 2 hours to get everything packed and set.  Nicki ordered us a pizza so we could pack and eat at the same time, and I couldn’t put back more than two pieces.  My emotions are tied to my stomach, and when I’m anxious, I find it hard to eat much (not that I was upset about that... I still feel guilty for all of the eating in Argentina.)

Nicki packed some of the things that I would no longer need into her suitcase: a pair of heavier pants, the sweater I bought in Cusco, the hat and gloves I bought at Lake Titicaca, the pair of converse and 2 long sleeve shirts I bought in La Paz, my Northface jacket that had kept me warm in the salt flats, the purple pair of Havaniana flip flops I bought today that I didn’t really need, and my bible, my friend, the big South American guide book that I had craned over many many times both before the trip had started and during.

Tonight, as Nicki and I got in the taxi that was taking us to the airport, I rolled down the windows to feel Rio’s warm air and when I looked up, there he was, Christo, looking down at me.  Nicki asked him to keep us safe on our flights.  It was perfect to have that major symbol of Rio looking down at us as we left one of the cities I have enjoyed so much.

And so now here I am in the air on a plane.  Nicki should be taking off in about 10 minutes and apparently my plane is going to stop in Sao Paulo before we take off for London.  FYI, Sao Paulo is south and I’m trying to go north.  Cool.  Goodbye South America, hello 15 hour flight!