Leaving South America...by plane.

It's been an age since I posted. Summer has given way to autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, the days get shorter and the weather cooler, clouds roll in from the sea and I start to feel the chill at night. Piriapolis has thrown its last party, the Easter holiday weekend bought the crowds, the beach was packed and the little roadside shops were thronging with late season tourists. As if a switch has been thrown, today the white sandy beach is deserted, many of the shops and restaurants are closed and there is a quiet that has descended on the town. The milling crowds that come to spectate in the marina have dwindled to a trickle, the rest remain to fish for tiddlers in the murky water, perched on the concrete quays with maté and bait and long poles. This morning I bought a flight to the UK, to leave in a week's time. In which case I will wash and stow the sails and halyards and prepare to leave Aisling here for 6 months. I am ever so reticent to do so, she is my home and she is the craft that has shared my dream and my adventure. I am sorry to leave but I am welcome to meet again with family and friends. My mind is alive with the memories of my 6000 mile trip to South America. From clawing my way out of the Western Approaches to the sanguine becalment in Portugal, avoiding pirates off Africa, the crazy, beautiful experience of The Gambia, an Atlantic crossing spent in a permanent state of perspiration, deep blue tropical ocean, flying fish and squalls, oppressive Salvador, beautiful Porto Belo, the Southern outpost feel of Rio Grande, sailing accompanied to the wild stretch of La Paloma in Uruguay and finally to this little town of Piriapolis. The country I enjoyed the most was The Gambia and I know why; "developing" countries have a life and a pulse that is lost behind the veil of first world consumer culture, where it's all about "me and mine", when people forget to talk to each other and enjoy each other, the bonds, the strengths and the frailties. It makes me look forward to South east Asia and India. I plan to return to Uruguay in October, to ready for the next leg which I do believe will take me south to the Beagle channel and into the South Pacific. I will arrive with marmite and curry paste, lime pickle and some good books to pass the time. The adventure and the dream will continue, God willing. In the meantime it's back to Blighty where I will catch up with everyone and eat much curry and cheddar cheese on granary bread, divine!