“A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a far away place. A traveler on that plane sees the farm and dreams of home.”
Over the past few weeks we have had two different wonderful warmshowers experiences, as well as one from couchsurfing, which all deserve to be explained since homestays such as these are what keeps us going. Though these were our first “arranged” homestays (meaning through couchsurfing or warmshowers) we have had many wonderful homestays throughout our trip from strangers who have taken us in. Read about some of our favorites here!
Miguel and Alejandra live in Bariloche and beside their own house, they have built a separate little house for cyclists with includes a bathroom, kitchen, and bed (aka everything you could ever dream of). They have chosen to host cyclists this way as it gives them more freedom to move about their own lives, and because it lets us cyclists have a sometimes much needed break. We too would love to someday have a separate house or hut for cyclists because we feel like it gives both parties the best of both worlds; a chance to socialize without being too imposing. We really enjoyed our time in Bariloche, especially because Miguel is a bike-fanatic who has welded over 150 bikes, and currently rides over thirty, some of which date back to the 1940s. The thing we love most about warmshowers is that it connects us with local cyclists in the area, meaning that no matter what, everyone already has one important thing in common.
We like to cook dinner for our host. This time we did a pizza, and stuffed peppers.
Before our second warmshowers experience we did a quick stay with a couchsurfer, something we hadn’t done before but enjoyed as well. We then spent two nights with a family of four in Chile, where we played with the kids, and hung out with their two full-time nannies/maids. It was the first time on our trip where we have been in what would be considered a normal household in the USA, a household where both parents work full-time. It was interesting to experience because we now realize how accustomed we have become to a more “eastern” family lifestyle, rather than the western one we were both raised in. We really enjoyed meeting the parents, who have each cycle toured and are preparing to do so again with their two small kids one day in the future, as well as the two nannies who were happy to let me practice my Spanish with them. As a bonus, we also got to wash all of our laundry in a washing machine which made cycling afterwards so much more enjoyable!
Us and one of the nannies.
For a photo of the day and other updates follow me on facebook here, and for some awkwardly cropped photos from our journey, follow us on Instagram @awanderingphoto!
