Hermanas are the Best to Travel With

This is dedicated to my sister Michele Catarina Tracy Chavarriaga for her birthday

Gritting your teeth while sitting in the car during a long road trip, you would yell, “déjame en paz!” This was normal for you when we were young since I was usually the annoying one trying to bother you. You couldn’t sit still, loved shaking and moving in your seat…which we would find out was because you were holding your pee because Papi would get mad at us if we needed to use the restroom too many times.

We would play the road trip game “I spy with my little eye”, and sing “Cielito Lindo” or “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” in order to avoid annoying our parents with the constant restless question of “Are we there yet?” We would listen to Carlos Vives, Gypsy Kings, Gloria Estefan, Maná, all kinds of Classical music, and much more on the vehicle’s stereo system.

Despite all of the fights, the long drives, and the cranky attitudes, one of the best parts of growing up was traveling with my hermanita. There isn’t anyone else that has experienced the world almost the exact same way as me growing up. We both had the privilege of having humble parents that valued experiences and education rather than material things. I am so grateful for them.

Our trips were either to the park in our community, or to go visit familia in South America. We also moved all over the USA, lived in northern México, and visited our family in Colombia together. Every family trip was made together up until our college years. We were quite literally THE traveling hermanas.

Following are some of our most fond memorias I have explorando with you

Where visiting our Colombian family every couple of years was always a big deal:

Living in Texas for almost 7 years meant exploring the U.S. Southwest:

Corpus Christi, Texas with Papi and Grandma in 1993

Angel Fire, New México with Mami in 1996

Living in México for 2 years meant exploring a lot of this gorgeous country and receiving lots of visitors:

Chipinque, Nuevo Léon, México in 1998 with Mami (in black), sister (in green), and I (in fucsia).

The Tracy-Chavarriaga family in Guanajuato, México in 1999

The Kurth-Tovar visiting us when we lived in México in 1998. Here we are in Monterrey, Nuevo Léon.

Barranca del Cobre, Chihuahua, México in 1997

Teotihuacán, México visit with Grandma in 1998

Moving up North to Michigan meant traveling became less frequent, but the few trips we did take became more extreme:

On the road leaving Oglala Lakota Sioux Indian Reservation, South Dakota in 2003

Back from our trip to Oglala Lakota Sioux Indian Reservation, South Dakota in 2003

Zip-lining somewhere outside of San José, Costa Rica with Mami

Moving away from home means meeting up to explore together:

Together at Chichén Itza, Quintana Roo, México in 2006

At the top of Monserrate in Bogotá, Colombia in 2012

Before Michele moved to California, she visited me in living in San Diego in 2013

In New Orleans, Louisiana for our prima Gabi’s bachelorette

Michele, I truly hope we never stop adventuring together. When and where will our next trip together be? TE AMO MUCHO!

Anyone else LOVE traveling with their sister or siblings? Send us stories, photos, comments, etc!