Be Brave, The Universe Always Got Your Back ;)

I was on a hitchhiking adventure in Argentina. After hitchhiking and traveling in the north and doing some Workaway in Córdoba, I decided to follow one of my biggest dreams: Patagonia. I wanted to hitchhike all the way from Bariloche to Ushuaia. I stayed with Couchsurfing hosts, beautiful and welcoming locals who opened their homes to me, showed me around, sometimes even hiked with me, and taught me a lot of Spanish. :)

It was a very hardcore experience. I never knew who would stop for me or when, and about 90% of the drivers were men, so I had to put a lot of trust in the process. But my soul was yearning for this journey, so I had to say yes.

In the middle of nowhere, I arrived at the home of a beautiful family who invited me for dinner. There, I met another Couchsurfer who was staying with them, "Hiro", from Japan. I was amazed to hear that Hiro was traveling by bicycle from Alaska to Ushuaia. Wow. And he has already been traveling the world with his bike for the last 8+ years! I was absolutely in awe of this person! So unique, brave, strong, and incredibly humble and kind. He tried to pack his bags and I didn’t let him, shooting one question after another at him.

Sadly, it was Hiro’s last night there. He had already rested for several days and needed to continue his journey, while I decided to take a rest day. We said goodbye and hoped we might meet again somewhere along the way (and I still had plenty of questions).

After my rest day, I went back to the road and waited a long time in the cold, windy Patagonian weather. Eventually, a truck stopped. I got in, even though I felt some hesitation. As we continued, I felt less and less comfortable. The way he looked at me, the energy, everything. It was getting late, and I realized I did not want to continue with this man into the dark. I also didn’t have a local SIM card because I wanted to be offline as much as possible.

So I listened to my intuition and asked him to drop me off in a tiny town we were passing through in the middle of nowhere, where, on the map, I saw there was a gas station. I gave up on reaching my original destination, where a Couchsurfing host was waiting for me, and chose my gut feeling instead. The driver was trying to convince me to stay, not happy to drop me off, and I was so relieved to get out.

I walked to this lonely gas station with no idea what to do. No Couchsurfing, no hostels, barely shops... the night was coming and I was feeling anxious. I walked outside… and there I saw Hiro. He was there, setting up his tent. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Joy and relief filled my body, along with complete amazement and shock at what was happening. From feeling completely lost to completely joyful and excited!

Unforgettable meeting at the gas station

From that moment, we became inseparable. He invited me to share his tent, which had enough space for both of us, and it was a cozy, warm, and funny night together. He invited me to join a couple he had met in their van on the way to El Chaltén the next day (since he wasn’t biking on the gravel roads).

We hiked together in El Chaltén, and we continued our journey to Ushuaia, apart and together in the heart - he on his bicycle and me hitchhiking. We met again in Ushuaia and celebrated the completion of our journey in this beautiful, special place. We even went on another hitchhiking trip together up to Puerto Madryn. Hiro left his bike in Ushuaia until I left the country, and then came back down to continue with it. We got to be hosted together at kind and generous locals' houses, and enjoy another part of the mesmerizing and incredibly potent Patagonia.

Hiro was, and still is, an amazing soul, dear, caring, and special friend with a huge heart, deep kindness and gentleness, and incredible determination. I learned so much from him.

Thank you, Hiro. Thank you, universe.

It was so funny because I was so focused on my own journey and not looking for any “Hero” outside of myself. And in that exact moment, the universe sent me one, or as I prefer to see it, an angel.

We always talked about how surprised both of us were that this encounter, and everything that followed, happened the way it did, and we came to the conclusion that it happened because each of us was so devoted to their own dream and journey.

The moral of this story is not about looking for heroes outside of you. It’s about a beautiful friendship between two adventurous souls. It’s about the sense of humor of the universe, and the way life supports us. When you look for your own strength and choose yourself, the universe will meet you there and support you in magical, unconditional, and unexpected ways.

Just go for it. Chase your wildest dreams and be surprised where and to whom they will lead you.

With much love, Avishag