Every day, on our trip, we face the unfamiliar. A rather interesting state of affairs. And, oh my, the unknown, the new, the strange and the foreign draws out those emotions.

The full basket of them ….

Harry and I gravitate towards different sets of emotions. But, together, believe us, we haul them all out. Almost every day.

And now, our trip ends, where it begins. In Montevideo.

Our loop of 14,448 kilometers is complete. A week short of 4 months. We have no accidents, no nasty experiences. The bikes last, we last. And our adventure bellows within us! But our trip, expansive in the beginning, now narrows to a single point. And it feels ceremonial! Our last ferry. Our last petrol station. Our last helmet day. Bittersweet.

And here, we are left with only two emotions. Truckloads of Happiness but also a Twinge of Sadness. It is, after all, over.

 

But Montevideo prepares for CaRNaVaL! So, as we ready ourselves to leave, we get a glimpse of its beginnings …

And what a lesson in JOY.

South America suffers colonisers, slavery, genocide, liberators, dictators, social experiments, populists, fragile democracies and hyper-inflation. Too mention just a few. But once a year, everywhere, everybody parties. JOY, despite it all.

We marvel this! They find JOY, make JOY, do JOY.

Every year, for 400 years. With only 3 exceptions; the 1st and 2nd World Wars and the COVID pandemic.

It begins as a pre-Lent Catholic tradition in the 17th century. And it evolves into a massive, diverse, worldwide spectacle. Millions of tourists gravitate to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. To join locals in non-stop street parties, city-wide, country-wide. These carnivals vary in length, from 4 to 40 days! It’s intense, it’s wild, it’s a frenzy. A fusion of Indigenous, African and European delights. Extravagant costumes, elaborate masks. Feathers and sequins. Social, political and queer expressions. Trucks carry speakers and live bands. Streets answer with drums, bells and whistles. It’s hot; water and foam fights break out. Crowds explode. It spares nobody. Music, dancing, JOY.

It’s like our Kaapse Klopse! But continent-wide!

What is this JOY? It’s not happiness. That’s fleeting. A reaction to sometime external, like a gift. JOY, I read, originates from within. It’s a choice that persists despite difficulties.

Yes! That’s what Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama say in their ‘Book of Joy’ too. ‘Cultivate a joyful life, even in the face of suffering’.

And this is what South America does. And this is what South America teaches us.

Make JOY.

It’s not going to find us.

Thank YOU, South America for your JOY!

Montevideo sets up loads of neighbourhood stages to host all the hundred of acts during the CaRNaVaL.

We go to this one at the Plaza de Mayo. It’s one of the first, before the full scale roll-out of the CaRNaVaL for 2026!

So these guys are just warming up …..

We are seriously blown away by all the JOYous energy …

But we need all our energies for the next 2 days. We’ll be at the Port of Montevideo re-crating our bikes for shipment back to SA. It starts off early; retrieving Harry’s bike (with a switch for an ignition) from an empty property down the road, provided by our landlord.

This photo we took 4 months ago when our bikes arrived in Montevideo. Then we were welcomed fantastically by shipping agents, Barbara and Fernando, and the port warehouse manager, Alina. We arranged with them to safely store the pallet, crate and packaging for our return journey.

Here we are 4 months later with Alina, the manager at our shipping yard. She is our hero. Can you imagine, her allowing us to scurry around there for 2 days! Wonderfully and quietly supportive – she offers tools and helping hands ….

The petrol has been sucked out of tanks, front wheels off, windscreens off, pedals tucked in …. and then bikes are securely strapped down.

Everything else is wrapped up and tucked in and around the bikes.

Then we rebuild the framework for the sides and top and secure the whole lot with cardboard, straps and stretch wrap. Ready to be loaded onto a ship sometime in the next week.

We spend our last evening with BarBaRa, Fernando and Jose. BaRBaRa, our shipping agent, has caringly helped us from beginning to end. We are so grateful.

Here we share the most delicious ending ….

…. with new friends.

 

Utterly grateful to the Hundreds of people along the road, to my Harry and for our Home sweet Home.