Leo's Lemonade (New Years Edition)

Postcard 24

Leo Ariel

Jan 01, 2023

Greetings from Argentina!

Happy New Year 🎊

Recap of the Year

In September, I left my software job to travel the world. My goal was “12 Months, 12 Countries”. So far I’ve stayed in 4 countries, and I will stay in 8 more. Here’s an updated map:

Visited: Indonesia, Portugal, Vietnam, South Africa, Argentina
Upcoming: Colombia, Australia, Japan, India, Israel, Turkey, Switzerland
As I tell people, I’m a traveler, not a tourist. And of course I intend to have this “New Year, New Me” story outlive my annum.

Recap of the Week

5 days in Zimbabwe + Zambia. Besides elephants, giraffes, and Victoria Falls, I visited Dambwa Market, the second-largest marketplace in Livingstone, Zambia, where locals go to shop. This was personally my favorite place. I just love seeing how different people live.

Families from nearby villages would travel to this market to sell their goods. They’d sit at their stalls until they sold everything, which can take 1-2 months. Rain or shine.

Maize is the crop du jour here. You can mash it up to make flour and bread. On a tour, our guide told us to bribe a villager with a package of maize. I say bribe tongue-in-cheek, since it’s a part of the custom. Worth it!

What I’m Reading

I know what you’re thinking, every book I read is my “new favorite”, but The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is wickedly good. It’s about two dueling architects with opposing styles. One is a competitive schmoozer and the other is an innovative outcast. Highly recommend!

As always, I love hearing your replies.

See you in 2023,

Leo A