15. From West to East United States!

On October 1st, I hopped on an AirAsia flight to Honolulu. It was hands down the cheapest long-haul ticket I’ve ever booked: 100 euros for an 8-hour flight!

The endless Monday in Hawaii: Flying from Japan to Hawaii is literally time travel. I departed late Monday night and arrived Monday noon. It was the longest Monday of my life, staying awake for about 36 hours. The vibe hits you immediately at the airport: flower-painted buses, staff wearing leis, and Hawaiian shirts everywhere. The weather was intense: humid and over 30°C. Since I only had two days, I stuck to the essentials: a sunset beer at Waikiki Beach and a hike up Diamond Head for the spectacular views. Hawaii is incredibly expensive (even more than Japan), so a short stay was the right call.

San Francisco, beauty and contrast: On October 3rd, I flew to San Francisco. With only two nights, I booked a central hostel and joined a walking tour to learn the city’s history. San Francisco might be my new favourite US city, but it is a place of contrasts. I was shocked by the number of homeless people downtown, I counted 30 people sleeping on a single block, something I haven’t seen even in developing countries. Yet, the city is undeniably beautiful. I spent my time walking endlessly, enjoying views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

New York: a birthday homecoming. For my birthday, I flew six hours to New York, my former home when I was 23. I stayed with Omar, an Argentinian friend (and fellow River Plate fan) I met during my time at the Google NYC office. He took the day off to celebrate with me, and we even caught a River Plate match on TV. I also headed to Brooklyn to reconnect with Alex, my “NYC hero” and closest friend from my two years living there.

After a quick stop in Florida, it’s time to say goodbye to the US and head south to a new country!