Well, I’m not going to lie. This is going to be a bit tricky to explain to all of you. Last you all heard from me, I was in Panama City, writing to you from a Lebanese restaurant down the street from my hostel. Now…well, now I’m in Switzerland.
I stayed in Panama City for nearly two weeks, during which time I searched in vain for a ship to carry me to Colombia. Yachts, container ships, nothing. My enthusiasm quickly waned as I grew to hate the new corporate bank state that is Panama post-1999.
Then the worst news came. Perhaps not all of you are aware, but the primary purpose of this adventure was to carry me to Argentina where I would start medical school. I made an appointment with the the Consul at the Argentine Embassy in Panama and over an exquisite cup of espresso, was told that while I could study for free in Argentina, the state hadn’t opened up any spaces for foreigners to study medicine in the last two years, being a rather expensive education. I would learn if there was a chance in October.
Hopes somewhat dashed, I looked for new options. I have travelled fairly extensively in South America already, and going to Argentina, a country I have already seen, has less of a point if I have no real reason to be there, so I decided somewhat impulsively to head to Europe, a continent I have not yet explored. So I mailed the bike home and flew to Budapest with only a backpack. From there a bus to Munich, dutifully avoiding Oktoberfest, then hitchhiking to Stuttgart, Zurich, and finally here to Lugano, Switzerland.
I’ve got a few months left before it’s heading home, and I’ve got a lot of European and Near East nations to traverse, and lots of exciting people to meet by hitchhiking. After seven rides, I’ve already met some fantastic and interesting people, including an Angolan living in Switzerland, a German-hating German ex-expat formerly living in Spain, a German film actor, and a couple of less interesting folks. Wild!