9. Super Solo Mar Del Plata

on wednesday i woke up in the morning and realized i had two free days to go on a trip wherever I wanted. i thought either Uruguay for the day of mar del playa which is a coastal city. it was the best feeling to be able to wake up and think I could either go to a new country or fly to go surf. when you’re used to working 9-5 monday – friday for the past 6 years, this is a very freeing feeling. since uruguay could be done in a day later on in the trip, i decided to hop on a plane and fly to mar del playa to go surfing. i bought a plane ticket for 3 PM and went to go get a cab on the main street near the house. i flagged down a cab and as the cab pulled up, my friend marcelo was the passenger. with the huge size of buenos aires and knowing only a maximum of 10 people, this was such a huge coincidence. we both started laughing and couldn’t believe the serendipity. just the night before, we had been talking about signs and making sure to notice them. this definitely seemed like a sign I was in the right direction going to mar del plata. mercelo is very generous, thoughtful person and he secretly paid for the cab while I was putting my bag in the cab.

argentina already seemed like a solo trip but when i arrived i knew dasha would be there. it definitely was very scary and thrilling to be getting on a plane where i didn’t know anyone, i had zero plan, didn’t have a hotel booked and the only direction was a recommendation of a good surf shop. when I got off of the plane there was an old bus waiting and i decided just to get on it and see where it went. luckily it did go right to the center of the city. my spanish once again felt very broken and it was hard to communicate with the bus driver. a group of about five people were trying to help me with directions and to get me off in the right spot. the constant struggle with spanish proved to be the most humbling experience.

the city there was smaller than buenos aires and it was beautiful flying in to see the countryside of argentina. when i got into town it felt like a very big city and so chaotic. i flagged down the cab and asked for the surf shop. it was one of those moments realizing zero people know me in this town and what if this guy is a bad guy and takes me somewhere weird. in those moments, i went back to my first thoughts in puerto rico about trusting my gut, trusting myself in myself and trusting that in the moment.

turns out he didn’t bring me anywhere weird – he brought me to the beach and promised me if it was the right surf shop. it wasn’t the right beach shop but i was relieved by the sound of the ocean. looking back, i laugh at myself getting out of the cab in a foreign country in a foreign city with just a rolling suitcase, bringing in on to the sand to talk with the local surf people. in that moment, my spanish again felt so limited trying to explain what the heck i was doing with the rolling suitcase as an american by myself in the middle of argentina. they were very welcoming though and said i could come back the next day to surf or paddleboard. my guess is they also were laughing at me in their head and definitely thinking what is this girl doing. in that same conversation explaining that i got off the plane and bus by myself from buenos aires to surf and i don’t know anyone, i also admitted i needed a recommendation for a good hostle. the look on their faces had a hint of laughter but one guy gave a recommendation. a fatherly man offered to give me a ride to the hostel. again it was that moment as we got into his big white van where it crossed my mind this could be a really bad idea….but I felt comfortable and trusted my gut. he said he had sons my age and in my broken spanish and his broken english we chatted as he drove me to the hostel. we pulled up to this so-called hostel and it was a house with barred windows and looked so scary. we were also out of the city and i knew if he left me there I wouldn’t be able to find a cab. i tried to explain that i didn’t feel safe as a girl staying there because there was no sign indicating it was actually a hostel. i quickly googled a hostel and went with the first one that appeared. he generously drove me there and quickly became protective of me.

the girl in the hostel was extremely nice and spoke english- kindness, smiles and english was starting to be home to me. she had such an upbeat attitude and immediately made me feel comfortable. i have lost many games of never have i ever- my one good never-have-i-ever was never having stayed in a hostel- today I was going to lose this line in that game. yes, 29 and 1st time staying in a hostel.

the mar del plata dad stood there and gave me his number in case I needed anything while visiting. i unfortunately lost that piece of paper and still wish I could reassure him i survived that trip. maybe someday he’ll read this.it is truly amazing how strangers can be so generous and care about taking care of a foreigner. i believe people like him come into our lives to remind us of the goodness of people and that we are taken care of in this life.

my little sister is a total badass and just went to europe for three months- she stayed in hostels all over germany and surrounding countries. she had shared rooms, shared bathrooms and was in countries where she didn’t know the language. as i paid for my first hostel, trying to be as brave as she was, i admit i got a private room and private bathroom because for my first time staying at a hostel i couldn’t quite imagine sharing a room. i love that my little sister is braver than i am and a role model to me.

i dropped my things in my room which looked like it was from a horror movie. it was quite a change from ale’s beautiful home in buenos aires. it did feel scary but in those moments I reminded myself why I was there. i know that i could choose sleeping in a room like that over my little italy condo any day in order to have the freedom of exploring and not being locked in a cubicle all day long.

i headed to the ocean to have a glass of wine to celebrate i had made it on my first complete solo mission. it’s interesting how quickly a place can feel like home and i immediately noticed myself missing dasha and buenos aires. the sky in the ocean that night was absolutely beautiful. i wish i had better words to describe sites on this earth like that. sitting by myself, completely away from anyone and anything was an incredible experience.

that evening i found a salad place where i became friends with the waiter. as much as i love traveling with other people and friends, i noticed when i was by myself i made stronger connections with people like waiters, taxi drivers, people in cafes. he had a welcoming smile and after a day of struggling with language and getting myself to the ocean, this was the most comforting gesture.

after dinner i found an adorable wine bar where i could sit in their garden patio and start to write blog entries. i realized how quickly time goes and how i would need to keep up with the blog posts. the two owners were welcoming and the garden area was calming. one of the owners was passionate about paragliding and we had a fun conversation about the power of flight- all in broken spanish.

i surprisingly slept well that night in the hostel and headed to surf the next day. i was able to find the surf shop my friend recommended and it was in the nicer area called playa grande. it was a hub of pro argentina surfers and them training younger kids for nationals. i drank my first macha tea while I waited to surf. this post is already so long so more on this in the next blog post- where health truths hit me hard.