EVERYTHING in LIFE ~ HAS a PURPOSE

Each morning when I awaken, I remind myself...why this Monday morning did I recall a journey I took to South America
when my son was a boy ~ just turned 4 years old!

My husband, Ricardo (Richard), Chilean born, urged me to visit his families in Equador, Chile and Aargentina. With a 2-month 'leave of absence' from teaching, I flew from Toronto early January.
As a 'comfort companion' my son carried Eeyore, his favourite stuffed animal..everywhere he went.

'Twas a cold winter day ~ yet summer in Quayaquil, Ecuador

to visit Mike and Alice and their baby girl.
(this city is also known as The Pearl of the Pacific)

Walking the streets of this coastal city, Alice strongly advised me to hold onto my son's hand ~
(there are would-be-possessors who capture young children to SELL for monies obtained!)

Being the country's capital city, we flew to Quito for a long weekend.
And there, my blue weekend suitcase did not arrive!!!
It was stolen! And I failed to see it again, until my return home in late February!
Most of its contents had been stolen from my locked suitcase between Quayaquil and Quito.

(Time was not on my agenda to visit the Galapagos Islands...perhaps next time!)

The four of us and baby, flew to Santiago, Chile
where my husband's sister, Alice, and he were born.

How spectacular it was to was to view the Atacama Desert (along the Peruvian coast) prior to our descent into Chile's capital city along the Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean.
Upon arrival, my son gave to his 5-year old cousin, Jimmy,
a toy replica of a real fire-engine that spouted water as in real life situations.
We spent 5 glorious summer months in Chile, prior to our flight to Buenos Aires.

One can never express the thrill of flying over the rugged

and on higher Andes' snow capped mountains in the midst of summer weather.

So Spectacular ~ our closest comparison would be Canada's Rocky Muountains!

In Buenos Aires, we spent 5 days with Jean and Jack, missionary friends
from Hamilton, Ontario, What a cultural city it was ~ bordering the Atlantic Ocean.

They also had young children with whom my son could play.
And as I recall, desert land bordered the western edge of this vast Capital City.

Our final stop was Rio de Janeiro, with Bill and Joan...first cousins of Ricardo.
How delightful they were, both with business jobs.

Joan, taking a week off from work, she entertained us royally.

One day, with a company car and driver, and a business friend from her workplace

they took us to an inland forested nature reserve park.
Being a hot, humid day, they and I lunched at the cafe...leaving my son with the car driver who was a mutual friend of theirs. Our view from the cafe was a spacious fenced woodland across the road which housed wild flowers, birds and other animal life. Near the fence...and looking into the trees, I saw a long blackish-brown snake winding its way ever so slowly... around and over limbs to search for prey,

As small boys will do, my son wandered near some grassland...saw a colourful snake...deciding to pick it up...however, our driver noticed...and shouted NO! NO! NO! It was a poisonous coral snake!

Returning to my Grade 8 students, so pleased was I to illustrate my colour slides of South American countries, from which I had just returned ~ since the Geography Study was to be South America ~ its physical features and contribution to world's economy. What an agenda for me!

Throughout my several travel destinations, it is an amazing opportunity to get away from home. You will meet people from all backgrounds...and immune yourself in completely different cultures.

To travel is to take a journey into yourself...I once heard.

I agree with St. Augustine who stated:The world is a book ~ and those who do not travel ~ read only one page.

Although, I've previously read these quote,s ~ they still hve much relevance to me:All journeys have secret destinations ~ of which the traveller is unaware.

The real voyage of discovery consists in NOT seeking new landscapes

but in having new eyes! (Marcel Proust)

Composed by Merle Baird-Kerr...March 30, 2020

Comments appreciated: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Addendem to Galapagos Islands: Almost 1,000 kilometres off the coast from Guayaquil, lay these volcanic islands in Pacific waters...an isolated terrain of plant and animal species...including birds, sea lions, turtles and penguins. It is also significant that Charles Darwin visited these islands in in 1835 ~ which later inspired his theory of evolution!