Plans Change

My Hometown, Ontario, Canada

After our stay in Puerto Lopez, Mac and I headed to the beach town of Salinas. From there we went to Machala, a small-ish city just an hour away from the Peruvian border. With my friend E’s arrival only 10 days away, we needed to hurry down to southern Peru. We were all set to cross the border the next day.

Except we didn’t.

My mom called early in the morning of our scheduled border crossing day with the news that my 92 year old Poppa had passed away. One day later I found myself on a flight home so that I could be with my family and attend the visitation and funeral.

My Poppa’s death was not unexpected. He had been in failing health for a little while, but that fact didn’t make it any less sad. I’m so happy I was able to come home to give my Nana a giant hug as well as be present for his burial. The internment was held at a beautiful, old cemetery. The day was sunny and warm, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and it was a really lovely setting to celebrate his exceptionally long & wonderful life.

It was amazing how quickly our priorities changed in a matter of hours. Suddenly, looking up the bus schedule to Peru didn’t seem so important. Mac and I decided that I would go home by myself while he continued on our rushed journey down Peru where he’ll end up meeting E and I. Saying goodbye to him at the bus station was actually really hard. We spent everyday for the past 4 months together, so travelling solo was new (and slightly scary) territory.

In total, I was home for 7 days. I managed to squeeze in as much time with family & friends as I could. I also took care of some “trip business”: replacing our lost water bottles, stocking up on snacks for our upcoming Machu Picchu trek, backing up all of my pictures (16.8GB worth!), and replacing that awful bright neon pink t-shirt with something a little more subdued in colour.

I was quite surprised at how quickly I adjusted to life back home. Driving didn’t seem totally foreign and was really just like riding a bike. The weirdest thing for me was the toilet paper. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this on the blog before, but in Central & South America, all toilet paper gets thrown in a bin rather than down the toilet. Getting used to that change took a bit of adjusting! Also unexpected were the long daylight hours! So far where we’ve travelled, there’s usually a constant 12 hours of daylight, ranging from ~6am to 6pm. Everyday. Imagine my pleasant surprise when my parents and I ate dinner outside on the deck at 8pm while it was still light out!!

Along with the sadness that came with my Poppa’s passing, there were also many moments of happiness. Spending the day after the funeral with my Nana in one of her many gardens; finally getting back into a proper kitchen and cooking & baking the day away; seeing friends and sharing lots of laughs; hanging out with my parents in the evenings and just enjoying each other’s company. And of course, getting in some kitty snuggle time with my cat who now seems to prefer my mom over me. Humph.

Even though I was only home 7 days, it gave me just enough time to refresh and reset for the next leg of our journey. Travelling is something that I wholeheartedly enjoy, and I’m so grateful that I’ve be able to do so for the past four months. I’m going to miss some of the comforts of home (seriously, a kitchen with a can opener and pans that have handles is a rarity in some of the hostels we’ve stayed), but I’m so stoked to get back into the travelling lifestyle that I share with Mac.