The people who made everything worth it

Was just thinking about how many interesting people Ive met in this trip so far.....

I guess Ive always had this doubt in my mind whether travel is about meeting people or seeing places.. I guess its a bit of both.... I remember people more than places and I remember places because of the people I met there...

So.... a big thanks to all these people for making my journey worth it....

Italian gay artist in a China town bus in New York

A music lover and wonderful human being (who incidentally is my sisters educational Godfather) in Madison

3 Tam Bram Engineering Boys living the typical American Grad student life in Madison

Sociologist Mom in Sao Paulo

The 17 year old on a metro who was carrying a cake for his girlfriends birthday in Sao Paulo

Amelie Poulain look alike and kickass samba dancer in Sao Paulo

Drama queen cum Capoeirista who loves to wear roman sandals in Sao Paulo

Brazilian capoeirist couple who ideally should have been a bollywood dancing couple in Sao Paulo

Brazilian born middle eastern obsessed Foodie in Sao Paulo

The only Brazilian guy who doesnt like the sun and coffee in Rio De Janeiro

His girlfriend who is as Brazilian as it gets in Rio De Janeiro too

A Chilean artist who has made one of the most romantic and moving art staircase Ive ever seen in my life in Rio De Janeiro

A Slovakian Anthropoligist living in Bahia in Rio De Janeiro

A social worker from Portugal, working with children in Rio De Janeiro

A professor from Petropolis who is learning English in his 50s in Rio De Janeiro

An Australian from England, overstaying her visa in Brazil to learn Capoeira in Rio De Janeiro

2 Brothers named Washington and Wellington in Ouro Preto

An arrogant American who asked unbelievably idiotic questions about India in Ouro Preto

A Polish guy who was locked outside the hostel in Sao Paulo

His English friend who kept ringing the bell in the wrong house in Sao Paulo

The Canadian couple who were fussing about 5 dollar meals but spent 100 dollars on REM in
Buenos Aires.. whatever rocks their boat...

The 3 loud girls who wore lycra and went out only at 10 pm and returned at 6 am in Buenos Aires

The pinstriped shirt banker gathering in a Halloween meetup in Buenos Aires

The Peruvian Women Shahrukh Khan Fan Club in the hostel in Cusco

The Swedish (overenthuasiastic engineer sent to Peru to work on some technology project) who escaped work for a weekend trip in Machu Picchu

The Colombian couple Lina and Mauro who I cannot describe in one sentence.... They are my family and I love them to death... Met them in Peru and landed up traveling in Bolivia with them.. Check out what I have to say about them in my post Un-Boliviable

French couple in the hostel in Puno, who were doing the exact reverse of my trip from East to West giving me invaluable advice about Bolivia and Chile

Brazilian 40 year old who looked nothing over 30 in the boat in Lake Titicaca .. Landed up going and staying with her Salvador after a few months

The Mexican sisters in the boat in Lake Titicaca who were dying to go sand boarding

The Australian exchange students in the bus ride from Lake Titicaca to Lapaz, with whom I spent an afternoon drinking beer and bitching about cricket

Bolivian biologist who hosted me in Lapaz and who is now tripping around India.. I truly managed to convince her to visit my country

Another wonderful Bolivian girl with a Swiss boyfriend (who worked in an organisation with priests.. so he really coudlnt admit he had a girlfriend)

The large Bolivian family who made me feel so welcome I was afraid I would leave Bolivia with Montana as my surname

Menta, the most beautiful blind dog Ive met in my life.. I wish she couuld see how beautiful she was

A Colombian 21 year old gastronomical student who is moving to Australia to become a chef... who danced with me under the stars and taught me how to love Spanish music.. I traveled with
him in Bolivia and fell in love with his spirit... I cant wait for the day I get to travel with him again

A German geologist, without whom I would have never understood the real natural beauty of the Bolivian salt plains...

A French couple.... the guy talking all the time and the girl sitting quietly.... Kinda reminded me of Roy and me (opposite though)

An Israeli gang who sang Bob Marley all the time... something about the whole wild outlook of
the group made me fall in love with Israel... I just have to go there

The perfect boyfriend anyone can ask for... the colombian boyfriend of my Indian friend in Santiago, Chile... he is adorable

Peruvian single mother to a baby who looks like a J&J baby in Santiago... a fantastic strong woman

Monicas mother - Energetic mother, shopper, tour guide cum Ambassador of Santiago

Capoerist professor (friend of neeshas from the US) who I think looks really hot

Spunky theatre artist cum dancer addicted to Yoga and wearing Indian clothes all the time in Santiago

Colombian Chica Loca (Crazy in Cordoba Argentina... there is an entire blog post dedicated to her..

James Dean look alike Argentinian guy who just returned from Canada in Cordoba

Greek god who dances like he was born to dance in Buenos Aires

A cartoonist cum beedi smoker who loves to bicycle in Buenos Aires

An Armenian Australian chiropractor in Buenos Aires

A Colombian guitarist who was spending time learning music in Buenos Aires

A Brazilian student in Argentina, missing home

An American round the world traveler with whom I shared 3 wonderful days in Iguazu

A ping pong expert and business woman from Singapore (she is in her 30s and already a MD of a company) in Iguazu

A lost little boy from Singapore who wanted to travel all around South America in 25 days in Iguazu

A Californian couple who run a fitness club with more positive energy than anyone else Ive met

A Brazilian family (who have adopted me as their daughter) in Curitiba

An American firefighter (wonderful dancer but he will deny it, patient listener considering how much of my non stop banter he has put up with and someone who I am addicted to in many ways now) and his friend (who Ill always remember as the guy who lost his camera on New years in Rio and tried to report it to the cops....)

A talented Brazilian musician who needs a third hand (to hold the beer as he strums the guitar) in Vitoria and then in Belo Horizonte

His father, who makes the best breakfast in Brazil

His fathers friend, who I can fall in love with had he been about 20 years younger

An American woman who lives in Salvador Bahia setting up an NGO for the homeless, who incidentally spent many of years of her life as a professional dancer, grew up in Hollywood (knows Brad Pitt), has 20 year old sons (when you see her, you wont believe it) and a heart of gold

An American guy who moved to Salvador 18 years ago and celebrated the 18th birthday of his move with my Indian dinner

An American girl who decided to visit Salvador for 3 months and is paying for everything with her credit card, hoping to get a job to pay back those bills when she heads back

A British girl, whose aunt paid for her rount the world trip, discovering herself

A Spanish guy, who can make you laugh even when everything around you makes you want to scream and cry

An American guy who does some virtual techy job (computer software stuff) who lives in a different country every year... Im freaking jealous

A Brazilian guy who was obsessed about doing handstands and kissing the British girl in Chapada Diamantina

A Brazilian lady who moved to live in Hawaii and named her son after Narayan, the Indian God as she is obsessed with Hare Rama Hare Krishna stuff in Chapada Diamantina

A Brazilian guy from Belo Horizonte who volunteers with children in a Favela teaching them Capoeira and Afro dance

A 5 year old Brazilian girl who taught me how to dance to Shakira on a 24 hour bus journey from Salvador to Belo Horizonte

A house full of girls who throow weekly international theme parties and monthly costume parties in Belo Horizonte

A girl wearing a pink dress and putting up balloons at a music show in Belo Horizonte

A whole bunch of musicians who make the world seem like a more beautiful place in Belo Horizonte.......

..... and I still have 3 more months to go.....