Every journey makes you a better person - Argentina, Turkey, Lithuania and going back home

When we got to Buenos Aires again, I’ve already started to feel like coming back. I also felt like coming home, this enormous metropolis didn’t scare me so much as at the beginning. I knew how to behave in that society, how people act, I got used to eat dinner at 11 pm and going out at 2 or 3 am. I got used to that no matter that I started using argentinean forms of some words, it was still obvious I am from another place in the word. I met some people on my road and even if we shared just a few minutes of our journey together, it’s like you feel connected with another travelers, you do the same, and you don’t have to explain anything to them. I got used to public transport in Buenos Aires, where nobody cares about timetables and you just have to relax. In Cracow I’m getting annoyed if the bus is 5 minutes late, but there I really didn’t mind waiting 20 or 30 minutes for the bus.

Botanical garden in Buenos Aires

Our last days in Buenos Aires were really calm. We were buying some souvenirs, walking a lot around Palermo district, found Botanic Garden and drinking a lot of wine. And we had our last experience with exchanging money there. Because that’s a special thing there.

Of course you can exchange your money in the bank, but the rate is worse than in the street. Nowadays it’s not such a difference, but still 1 or 1,5 peso. So you go to particular street, and some people just shout „cambio, cambio!” which means exchange. They’re everywhere, even if police is just around the corner. You come to them, ask about the rate, if you’re satisfied and want to exchange the money, they take you to some weird places, which are usually some flats in the nearby buildings. The whole process looked for me as if I had been buying drugs, but I don’t think you have to worry about anything doing that ;)

On Tuesday we had our departure back to Europe at 11 pm. We left home around 5 pm coz the ride to the airport was about 3 hours (even though it’s just 26 km away from the city!).

The flight was quite good, and I loved that they give so delicious food at Turkish Airlines and you can drink as much alcohol as you want. We had another layover in Istanbul, this time we didn’t get free hotel, because our layover was 9 hrs 45 minutes long (just 15 minutes left to the free hotel) but we met my friend who I met on the students exchange in Germany in my high school. We went to some bar for shisha and drank some turkish coffee, went to his house to take a shower and in the morning we had to go to the airport.

Next stop – Vilnius, Lithuania.

It wasn’t easy to find a couch in Vilnius. They say Lithuanian people don’t like Polish people and I started thinking it’s true, coz I have never got so many negative replies. Fortunately I found Spanish guy living in Vilnius who hosted us. The first day we arrived in Vilnius at 10 am but had to wander around the city with our backpacks (and after so many hours without sleep) until almost 6 pm when he finished his work. But the weather was amazing, so it wasn’t so bad. We visited a lot of places, and my friend left the next day but I decided to visit a bit more and leave on Saturday(1 day more). Actually Vilnius didn’t attract me so much. It’s similar to Poland, just with the language I don’t understand. The whole main touristic attractions you can see in 3 or 4 hours. But it’s really cheap there, you can have lunch and drink in the city center for less or more 5€, which I think is really good price.

Vilnius, Lithuania

I left on Saturday and went by Lux Express (bus company) to Cracow. Their buses are really comfortable, and on Saturday evening I was already home. It felt weird to come back home again. Our journey lasted almost 3 weeks and cost me less than 700 €. I saw many beautiful places, and every country I went to was the new one for me.

Vilnius, Lithuania

I met amazing people, had some break down moments, but mostly happy ones. I felt lost my first day of journey in Paris, but didn’t feel lost since our first day in South America. Like I always knew it’s all gonna be alright. My travels are mostly about people and culture, and not about seeing places. If we talk about places , I’m definetely fan of beaches, sea and the ocean, but not even the best beach in the world will impress you without a good company. I fall in love with cultures and I love this way of travelling so much, but sure there are some disadvantages – in each place I leave the piece of my heart. I start to feel in new places like at home faster than I should, and it’s amazing feeling when you know your home is a world, but on the other hand you feel lost in your hometown.

view from the Gediminas Tower. Vilnius, Lithuania.

But every journey makes you a different, but a better person. I remember the moment when I was wondering if I should buy these tickets to Argentina, and I would regret it so much if I hadn’t done that.