- Heading to the World Cup Final in Rio
- Heartbreak at the World Cup Final
- A Week in Rio de Janeiro
- Ilha Grande, Paradise with Good Company
- A Quick Stop at Paraty, Brazil
- Sao Paulo, And an Amazing Hostel
- Curitiba, Brazil
- Serra Verde Express – Morretes to Curitiba
- Energetic and Hectic Salvador, Brazil
- The Amazing Chapada Diamantina in Brazil
- Absent-mindedness and Kind Strangers
- Rainy Days on The Beaches of Boipeba
- Lazy Days in Jericoacoara
- Manaus, At The Heart of The Amazon
- Crossing The Brazil-Venezuela Border
- In Review: 61 Days of Backpacking in Brazil
Having grown up in Argentina, I’m a huge football/soccer fan. For any hardcore one, seeing Argentina in a World Cup final is the ultimate dream. There was a time when I was willing to trade away 4 years of my life for a chance to see them win a World Cup. When they got knocked out in the first round in 2002, I felt depressed for almost a whole month afterwards.
I’m not that fanatical (and nonsensical?) anymore. I have toned it down a bit but seeing them in a final is still way on top of my bucket list, mainly because it’s not something that is only a matter a money or willpower from my part. It’s been 24 years since the last time they reached a final. I was only 13 years old then. This is how rare an event like this could be.
I had originally intended to attend the World Cup from the very beginning, but when I didn’t get any tickets through the lottery system, I pretty much gave up on the idea of going. The truth is that going to only one first round game didn’t really appeal to me that much given how expensive the trip while cost. If I had to only attend one game, I wanted it to be the final. I knew the final would be very expensive, and I chose to save me money if case they got there.
When Argentina booked their ticket to the final on Wednesday, I started right away to look for tickets online. Both game ticket and flights were ridiculous. Tickets were 20 times their face value, and many flights were 10 times more expensive than usual. Luckily I have a friend who knew some people, and after an arduous search he was going able to find me a ticket at the relatively reasonable price (it is still an insane amount). For now it’ll be just me going, but I’m really hoping he can find two additional tickets and flights to join me there with his dad.
Now I need to go pack because my flight leaves in about 12 hours. The flight leaves from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, and then there’s a long 12-hour layover there before a short flight to Rio de Janeiro arriving at 7am on the day of the match.
I’m beyond excited. I don’t think I’ve ever been this anxious my entire life. I’m still in disbelief.
