5 weeks left...

There's now only 5 weeks left to my trip. My return flight from Buenos Aires to Montreal is booked for Friday, May 10th, so I'll be back in town on Saturday, May 11th.

As far as the bike, after talking to a few people, I have changed my mind about shipping it back home and will most likely sell it in Punta Arenas, in south Chile. I've been in touch by email with another rider from Toronto who has done this a few weeks ago, and the process is fairly straight forward. I've given it some thought, and it just makes more sense at this point. If I sell the bike for, let's say 2500$, I will save 2300$ in shipping fees. For that kind of money, I can get the same motorcycle in Quebec with much less mileage on it. Plus, I think that until I find a new job, I could use more the money than the bike...haha.

This means that if I sell the DR as planned, the last 3000-something kilometers to Buenos Aires will be a loooooong bus ride for me. Not a glorious finish, but sometimes you have to compromise.

As far as returning back home... There's still a lot of riding left, and I'm trying not to think yet about the aftermath of this trip and to just enjoy the remaining few weeks on the road. However, I do have mixed feelings at this point. For one, after months of the road, I do miss my family, friends, and the city of Montreal. I also miss certain things from the everyday life, such as working out, having a personal space, not having to pack all my belongings on a daily basis, having a wardrobe, being able to communicate easily, and having real coffee every morning ;). 

On the other hand, life on the road is highly addictive... I have a feeling that once back home,  the urge to hit the road again will quickly re-emerge. I've been in touch with a few other motorcyclists whom we have met/traveled with at some stage of this trip, and who have recently returned home (thinking of Josh and Wim, here). They are already thinking about the next ride... For me, the sad thing is that another big trip (3 months +) is out of the question for at least the next 2 years, or until I save up enough dinero. For now, however, there will be plenty of smaller projects to keep busy: searching for a new job, traveling to Poland, continuing to learn Spanish, learning Salsa, and keep looking for a soulmate to make babies with...haha.