By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
In 2014 I had my first and only international experience, when I left my apartment in São Paulo, Brazil, to meet the lands of Argentina. More especifically Buenos Aires. The aprehension and anxiety due to the first time flying extraordinary heights soon gave place to a state of sleep, only for me to wake up and be graced with the argentinian morning sky light. Arriving in the new country, the plan was to visit the Lujan Zoo, which we carried out two days later. Before that, we explored the city view the best we could. Massive ships were stationed on the port. They were cargo ships, but they passed the impression of a magnificent power, maybe because I’ve never seen such display in the streets of Brazil. And the loud honks just attested my fantasies. Buenos Aires was in the middle of the garbagemen strike at that year, so the sidewalks were full of garbage bag piles, and the the weather was very, very hot, granting a fraction of claustrophoby. But that feeling went away soon as we got deeper inside the city, when the skyscrappers presented themselves. More rustic buildings from the early nineteens mixtured with the tecnological ones, in a singular Harmony. Lot of graffiti walls between shops and theaters, evoking the erudite and shaking hands with the pop and contemporary. Even the McDonald’s there had this fusion between classic and modern. At night, I walked alongside my pairs through the lights of the bohemian Argentina. Young and strong people jogging, restaurants with musicians inside and outside turning every dinner into a party. The Puerto Madero was outstanding, with it’s wooden ships from distant times and cannons from not so distant days. We ate a formidable stake served in front of this old naval imagery. The sunset was also a particular spectacle, with tons of pink merged with orange, presenting a powerful red wave of clouds. The day after was the day to meet the animals at the zoo, the main event. But the visit turned out way far from what we expected. The catch with the Lujan Zoo was to let the visitors interact with many animals, lions for example. An experience not seen too often around the occidental world. So, the shock was intense when we saw the state of various animals. Drugged animals, mistreated animals. A lone seal floating dead-like in a tank. A toothless bear living in a cubicle with dirt water. A tiger struggling to keep his head up after a ton of medicines. The dream had become a nightmare. We were devastated. Only the goats and ducks were fine. We spent the last day trying to catch up on the lost opportunities. We enjoyed Puerto Madero again, discovering new candy shops and libraries. The value of the trip resided on the unsought experience. Of course we wanted to dine on a fine restaurant, but it wasn’t the “prime directive”. So the merits of being in a foreign country, after all, is just that: to meet new places. Breath new air. Apart from the deception, it was a good memorie, finding joy in what I didn’t expected. Hope to repeat the achievement again someday.