My Walkabout

In Australia it is a custom among Aboriginal men to break of from the daily grind and walk in solitude across desert and bush country on a spiritual quest. The distance covered on a walkabout may exceed 1000 miles, done without aid of compass or radio. The walker finds his way, it is believed, under the guidance of a spiritual power... (REF: http://www.november.org/razorwire/rzold/03/0313.html)

... The walker finds his way under the guidance of a spiritual power... The walker finds his way under the guidance of a spiritual power... The walker finds his way under the guidance of a spiritual power...

Before leaving Amsterdam I believed, hoped and prayed to find my way during this journey. I was right. I am finding my way under the guidance of a spiritual power... I'm so lucky to have and have taken the possibility to undertake my Walkabout.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. It will be a long story but I feel like telling it:

The view from Buenos Aires to Bariloche.

Bloodhounds (01-11-2010)

'Can I see your passports please?' asked the guy who stopped our bus on its way to Bariloche. After seeing we were Dutch he also asked us if his colleague could look inside our hand luggage. The woman started with my bag and of course she didn't find anything... When she started on Dennis his bag she suddenly stopped and looked at her boss with big eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Did she find anything I started asking myself... Was there something to find? No, because the reason for the big eyes was a package of Smoking Blue. 'What do you smoke?' barked the guy at Dennis. 'Everything'.

2 minutes later Dennis and I where taking all our stuff out of the bus so the dogs could smell them. The Gendarmeria ended up taring our backpacks apart along with everything in it but didn't find anything. It was a strange experience, because even though I knew we didn't have anything on us I started doubting myself and actually being afraid of having to end our world trip in an Argentinian cell.

Cerro Otto (01-11-2010)

The view from Cerro Otto

Arriving in Bariloche meant dropping of our bags at my aunts, picking up Juaquín from school and hiking up Cerro Otto (1200m) to stretch our legs from the bus ride. It was the wonderful beginning of what was yet to come... Bariloche is a city that has Andes written on her forehead. The whole population of the city has this special connection to the mountains surrounding it. For some it means trout fishing, for others it means mountain biking, skiing, rafting, climbing, hiking or horse riding...

Auch-Wauw-Auch (03-11-2010)

Yes, Auch-Wauw-Auch that was all we could say during our 35km bike ride in the mountains of Bariloche. On a cold and rainy day Dennis and I decided to rent mountain bikes and do 'El Cirquito Chico'. It was exhausting but Amazing. One great view after an other. We went up and down the hills. You can compare the circuit with life itself; after a bump or a hill always comes the excitement of the way down the hill. Dennis got to know an other part of me that day. He got to know the Lua that races down the hill without fear with a speed up to 60 km an hour. Our buts heart after being on the bike the whole day, but it was worth it!


Relampago & Gringo (04-11-2010)
The weather in Bariloche looks a lot like the weather in the Netherlands. It's cold in the winter and oké in the summer. It's also very humid... But if you drive only 10 km north of town you'll find yourself in a dray landscape where the vegetation is a whole lot different. You're in the Argentinian Steppe.

We went horseback riding in the Steppe and I found myself having a lot of memories of when I was a little girl going horseback riding in the French Dordogne.

I don't have enough words to describe what I saw...

After we got back from the amazing ride I jumped behind the computer, put on Skype and I was live in the aula of my old high school getting my theatre results. I got my diploma with a great 7,9 and talked to everybody in my acting class. I missed them... I was homesick for the first time.


Date night (07-11-2010)

We wanted a good old date, you know just like you have in the very beginning of your relationship when you spend hours dressing up and go walking, talking, drinking, eating and end up having great sex in the end...

I dressed up and amazingly Dennis did too. We went out and hitchhiked for the first time in our lives. We had cocktails, got to know a great bartender and went out to dinner in 'El boliche de Alberto'. This is the best parillada in town. For only 50 euros we got 750 gr of entrecôte, a salad, fries, bottle of wine, cola, bread and even a dessert! I don't know how, but we ate it all! We really, truly had a great night together.


Conquering the Andes (08-11-2010 & 09-11-2010)
It's great to have the feeling life can't get any better and it does. Well life for us on the world trip gets better by the day.

One of those days life couldn't get any better and it did was when we went up 'El Campanario' to stay a night in 'Refugio Frey' at an altitude of 1700 meter. In the mountains there are small houses of stone, or wood where you can rest, eat and take a shower after a good hike. Refugio Frey is one of those amazing places on earth. The walk was set for 4 hours but it took us 6 because we were like the Chinese taking pictures of EVERYTHING.

There were small streams every few steps. The sound of water was everywhere. It was truly amazing. We past waterfalls, big rivers and we crossed all of them on different types of bridges.

The last part of the hike we had to cross an avalanche of snow and after that we had to walk by the side of a frozen lake to get to Refugio Frey. The last hour was the hardest. I realised that you really need to believe you are going to make it, because the power of the mind is all you have left.

The best feeling ever is opening the door to the Refugio and realising that you made it, you conquerred the mountain!

El Bolson and my tree of life (11-11-2010/17-11-2010)

There is a myth that says that if you get to know El Bolson you never leave... Well so far it's true... We were planning on leaving past Monday and we haven't been able to do so. Bolson is to great. It has this vibe, you can feel it everywhere. In the people you pas on the streets, in the birds, the statues on the main square, in the dreams I've been having every night and even in the new tree of my life on my back.

We won't be leaving soon... Tonight we're going to a psy-party and Sunday we're concurring the Andes for a period of 6 days. Going from Refugio to Refugio...

Epiphany (17-11-2010)

We made some true friends here in Bolson. Wednesday we had a wonderful day together. We went walking down the 'rio Azul' and we visited this group of people living the new way of life. Living in peace and harmony, growing their own food, making music, chocolate, yam etc..

After swimming and making a zen garden we ate some pizza, made music and I had my first epiphany.

Here is what I wrote down in my little notebook:

'I should live more conscious. What does dreaming, sleeping, waking up mean for our soul? Be more in touch with your soul and learn to use it. Learn to remember.

Life is so beautiful. Do, learn, make the best of it! Have no regrets. Live your dreams. Learn how to make music, learn how to grow your own plants. Make a list of what you want to do and do it! Find your connection back with nature, with the earth, with our mother Gaia, with the universe. Live!

Dare to be yourself. We are all doing our best in a world without any real answers.

Don't want to be things, but be them.
Don't want to do things, but do them.
Don't want to learn stuff, but learn them.

Put the time and effort it deserves in things.

There are different levels you have to pass to get to enlightenment.

It doesn't matter if you don't know everything, what matters is that you want to learn.'



Love, peace and happiness to all of you!