I just met the strangest man. I had some lunch at the restaurant in the bus station when a guy sitting at the table next to me asked me if I spoke English. He wanted me to translate something from Spanish so I had to tell him that I didn't know any Spanish. He told me that we were in the same position, he didn't speak Spanish either even though he'd been living here in Punta del Este for a few years. I don't get why you wouldn't try to learn the language of the country you're living in, but that's his business so I didn't ask him why he didn't bother trying to learn Spanish. Or maybe he tried and failed?

He ordered a scotch and started telling me about his life. We live in two different worlds. He's a business man, a rich and successful business man. He told me about some amazing deals he has done through the years, that he has been working with Hendrix and that he has got a soon to be wife and quite a few girlfriends. He showed me pictures of his penthouse and went on about how high the taxes were in Uruguay and that you couldn't make any money here.

All of his stories sounded... spectacular, but I got the feeling he wasn't as happy with his life as he wanted me to believe. He told me about his 93 year old mom, who he hasn't seen in many years and that misses him so much. I'm guessing he misses her more. He told me about how he helps backpackers, local business men and less fortunate women. I guess he feels kind of bad that he has all the money in the world and some don't even get the chance to live through their first year due to poverty.

I told him that we live in different worlds, that I work in elderly care, that I love my job, that I have everything that I could ever dream about including amazing friends and family and I told him that I would never ever want to trade lives with him. He answered that as long as you're happy with your life, as long as you love what you do, that is what really matters. I agree with him on that, but I also think that we all have a responsibility to make sure that we let others succeed as well. Everybody deserves a rich life, he does too.

All of this made me realize something. I'm the riches woman on earth! I don't have a lot of money but the experiences that I've had is worth far more! I have jumped from a plane at 13000 feet above ground. I've been diving at a depth of 18 meters in the Great Barrier Reef. I have climbed a mountain. I've been walking on an active volcano, a glacier and on golden sand beaches. I've been swimming in the ocean, in clear blue pools and in hot springs. I've been exploring cities and nature in eight different countries in the last 1,5 years, and I'm still counting! I have met all kinds of people, rich and poor, happy and sad, lost and spiritual, all of them wonderful in their own ways. And best of all I have a home, a loving family and amazing friends waiting for me when I decide to come back to my native country.

So thank you rich-man-with-no-name for making me realize that I'm the richest woman on earth.