See You Around – Travel Blog

Hi there,

I know that I promised to write more after the jungle experience but these two weeks…what can I say? So many beautiful people and adventures in so remote areas of Sulawesi that was impossible to keep you updated…

But it is already 2 weeks since I left Buton that I felt it was time for some stories and to introduce you someone… my partner in crime on this adventure in Sulawesi, Cayley.

On my last week at the florest in Buton I was requested by the manager Hannah to join the North Camp for the last week of the project that made me really happy because in only four weeks I had the chance to see three different camps, work with different teams and scientists, explore the different treks, and make new friends. That week was probably the funniest one of the project as the team was so amazing that it made my time in the north incredible. I found as well on that week how amazing I was on catching moths on butterfly surveys… lol basically on the butterfly surveys we were going for a transite decided by the scientist with the students and we were stopping every 300m for 10 minutes to catch butterflies. So the main point of the survey was counting numbers and different species of butterflies on a specific trek…and obviously not catching Moths….but for some reason every time I was sure I was going for a butterfly with my amazing skills, running into ratoon, trees and mud, here it was…a beautiful moth totally useless for the survey… Anyway I didn’t get butterflies, but I got a friend 🙂

I met Cayley on that last week, she was one of the butterfly scientists from America on the project and for some reason we got along really well and it almost felt like we were working together for longer time and not only for the last week… Anyway Cayley was going to Bali and I was thinking about going to Papua…and Guess what? Life is always full of surprises and everything can change so fast when you cross paths with different people… We just decided to change plans and that traveling together in Sulawesi was going to be fun. And here we are …

The past two weeks were really amazing, full of laughs, sharing smiles around Sulawesi, meeting so many  good people, learning how simple life can be, and how little you need to be happy… We are currently in Tentena, we are traveling from Manado to Makassar by land and sea exploring everything that surrounded us and giving space for the surprises that life has to offer us. Today was a day of decisions, Cayley was suppose to fly back home to Montana on the 25th of August and I was supposed to travel to Timor on the 27th… Guess what? we are both flying on the 24th to Borneo and we will have 5 more weeks of adventures together until the American says goodbye to the Portuguese… A funny combination don’t you think? In Sulawesi everybody thinks it is strange and we are always the first Portuguese and American that they ever met… I think it was meant to be, a Portuguese and an American exploring together and sharing happiness and kindness around…

Lets see what life will have stored for us on the next weeks… One think I am sure, no matter what… this friendship between a Portuguese and American will be full of funny stories, lots of laughs, sunset beers, selfies with locals, deep conversations and constant happiness (that one that you feel inside, you know?)

Until then…

See You Around

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