It is an early November morning in Alice Springs airport. A day that will be the longest day on this little cycling trip of mine. Eventually I will be crossing the dateline out there in the Pacific Ocean. It is also the end of my time in Australia. I ended up staying wayyy longer than expected, but why rush? I’m thinking about all the amazing people I have met here, both locals and new friends from all over the world. You made it special.
As I was checking in on my flight to Sydney I was very surprised to see some of my friends I had just been thinking about. I thought they had already left Alice Springs, but to my surprise Rogier from Holland was on the same flight as my to Sydney. This is one of the things I liked about Alice Springs, that you would run into someone you knew everywhere. What a nice way to end my time in town, with a coffee with good friends.
In Sydney I was very happy when Aerolineas Argentinas accepted my bicycle without any questions or fees asked. This is what makes a good airline in my opinion, and not so much if the airplane is the newest or the food the best.
And so I felt like I could relax a bit after the quite stressful last days trying to get everything ready for the trip.
The 14 hour flight went by much faster than I would have expected. Perhaps thanks to the nice Australian girl in the next seat. Unfortunately she was continuing towards Chile…
In Buenos Aires I had been in contact with the local radio amateurs, and on the other side of customs Fabian LU1AEE was waiting for me – a first sign that amateur radio friendship is as strong in Argentina as I have seen it anywhere else. We went to the apartment of Fernando where I was invited to stay. Even though it was now getting late, and for me it had been Thursday for two days straight, we went for a quick drive into the Buenos Aires city center. At midnight the city was bustling with life – welcome to the latino world!
When I finally went to bed I was super tired but super excited to be in Argentina!
