Miami

Miami beach is so hot! Thankfully, I think other than maybe Ecuador this is the hottest it's gonna get. I'm already thinking in Celcius; its about 32° here and turns out it's only about 30 in India right now. Even so, sunscreen and cold drinks have been my best friends.

After a 14 hour train ride from Charleston I arrived at my hostel at 7:30pm last night. Immediately upon walking into my 4 person room I was greeted by Marie, a German traveller on her last stop of an American vacation before returning to Cologne for her law internship. We connected immediately and have gone basically everywhere together since. I really hope it's this easy to make friends everywhere else; it seems we haven't gotten tired of each other yet and it's so nice to have someone to walk around with and learn from. She reminded me of the importance of taking buses as opposed to ubers as it's a lot cheaper. We went into downtown Miami today and took some pictures in the Wynwood art district; street art on basically every wall. 10/10 travel friend.

Other than her there is a slightly older, shyer, but very friendly Dominican man and a fourth mystery guest that was only in the room between 3am and some time before we all woke up. It was so nice sleeping in a real bed and I slept in until 10 or 11 :) Miami is beautiful and full of culture and I'm so pleased every time I walk into a business and am greeted in Spanish before English. I've inadvertently given myself a great launching pad into my month or so in Central and South America. In speaking German with Marie and Spanish with several other people I'm reminded that the first few hours/days speaking a foreign language is always the hardest, and after that initial bump it becomes more natural.

Marie has also been to Bali! The treasure trove of firsthand travel advice she's given me not only makes me less anxious but also so much more excited to travel to Bali myself. I leave on friday to fly to Costa Rica for 3 weeks, Ecuador for 9 days (so excited to visit Mateo!) and then up to good ol' San Fransisco. After that and a week in Auckland I'm off to volunteer in Bali.

I love all the sweet texts and comments I've been getting- keep 'em coming. Remember to put your name in a comment unless you wanna be mysterious like that. That's cool too I suppose.

Peace!
Sweetly, Jonah

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2023 at 12:23 PM

    You are a true Adventure Lion 🔥🦁🤩 (-Dad)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isaiah SmithSeptember 12, 2023 at 12:28 PM

    best of luck Jonah!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dawn SpunzoSeptember 12, 2023 at 12:51 PM

    So very cool - you are off to a good start Jonah - Buen Suerte! I can't wait to hear about your travels to Ecuador. By the way - you will always find it easy to meet new people and find new friends - it's just the way you are!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2023 at 1:11 PM

    From Gramma M
    I’ve just realized I somehow missed all posts 🙄 prior to this one today. (another “senior moment”). Jonah, I’m so happy to be able to follow your travels! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I love you!
    Be Mindful 🌹

    ReplyDelete
  5. NedSeptember 12, 2023 at 4:22 PM

    what a fortunate series of events!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2023 at 5:50 PM

    What a wonderful summary of fortuitous encounters, a new friendship, and a real bed!!!! I bet Miami is hotter than hot. I am SOOOOOO happy to hear the reference to sunscreen. Great job. Your skin thanks you. Make sure you have plenty plenty plenty as you continue to go to hot places. :) It is the best thing to read your blog. Thanks for sharing and you are VERY missed. LOVE LOVE LOVE, mom

    ReplyDelete
  7. wednesdaySeptember 13, 2023 at 5:54 PM

    hope the rest of your trips goes as well as miami:)

    ReplyDelete

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