Thoughts on South America

First thing that comes to mind when I think about South America is its size: HUGE. In three and a half months we covered a lot of ground from Tierra del Fuego up to the equator. The majority of that time we were following just one magnificent mountain range: the Andes. The beautiful natural scenery inspired us to do lots of hiking and backpacking trips along the way, most of it at high altitude that literally took our breath away. We made some new friends throughout our journey and had the opportunity to travel with family again. Without a doubt, South America was an excellent finale to this year of travel.

So given that I prefer to let the pictures tell the story, I will leave you with my Top Twelve experiences (including highs and lows) in South America. My Top Ten just wasn't cutting it :o)

UNFORGETABLE EXPERIENCES (in no particular order, except #1)

1) Galapagos Islands:
Okay, so put this on your list of places to go before you die. If I had to pick one thing we did this year that absolutely blew my mind, this would be it. Snorkeling with sea lions, giant sea tortoises, sharks, penguins, marine iguanas, sting rays and colorful fish of every color, shape and size was indescribably cool. Observing how evolution just worked its magic even made me, someone who has very little knowledge of biology, feel inspired and awed. The best part of the experience is that the animals do not see you as a predator, so they could really care less that you are standing a few feet away. Incredible!

2) Parque Nacional Los Glaciares:
We managed to see only a small piece of Patagonia, and it most definitely left me wanting to return to explore the end of the earth even more. The highlight was one of the most dynamic and accessible ice fields in the world: Glaciar Perito Moreno. It measures 30km long, 5km wide and 60m high, but what makes it exceptional in the world of ice is its constant advance – up to 2m per day, causing building-sized icebergs to calve from its face.

3) Being a vegetarian in Argentina:
So this would have to count as one of the low points. In my travels I have never felt this strongly that I was missing out so thoroughly on a cultural experience by maintaining my vegetarianism. Beef lovers should definitely make a journey southwards. Fortunately, there are lots of Italians in Argentina, so pasta and pizza became my staple meal for 3 weeks.

4) Volunteering at an orphanage in Bolivia:
For three weeks, Francois and I volunteered with 25 children age 0 to 2 at an orphanage run by Catholic nuns. The babies were beautiful and of course we fell in love with them.

5) Iguazu Falls:
How amazing that we got to visit the largest waterfalls in the world crossing the Brazilian/Argentinean border! They are stunning and seemingly never ending. Hiking through the national park and seeing toucans fly through the air and orchids growing in the rainforest just made it all the more spectacular.

6) Falling off of a horse:
So I decided to live out my cowboy fantasies in southern Bolivia, a place that resembles the Southwest USA with its arid climate and dramatic rock formations. My 13-year-old guide just laughed when I told him I had no horseback riding experience and was not comfortable at the fact that my horse would randomly start galloping in certain sections of our trail. His smiling response: "The horse likes to run here". Very helpful, I would think. Ironically, it was actually during one of my horse's calmer moments that a little desert snake slithered by and spooked him. As the horse was freaking out and doing circles, I had another first: falling off of a horse :o)

7) Buenos Aires:
It feels like you are in Europe, although the sexy tango dancing in the streets does act as a helpful reminder that you are in fact in one of the coolest cities on earth. Attending the insane soccer match where the fans' incredible cursing made me blush, exploring the labyrinth that is the Recoleta cemetery and checking out the Feria de Matadores, an artisan's fair, street party and gaucho hoedown combined into one, were all great highlights from our visit.

8) Mendoza:
Imagine Napa valley without all the tourists and the Andes mountain range as its backdrop. That's Mendoza, the heart of Argentinean wine country. The famous Malbec is great even to a total beginner like me.

9) Southwest Circuit in Bolivia
Bolivia’s southwestern corner is an awe-inspiring­ collection of harsh, diverse landscapes ranging from the blinding white Salar de Uyuni salt flat (largest on the earth) to the geothermal hotbed of Los Lípez, one of the world’s harshest wilderness regions and an important refuge for many Andean wildlife species. The ground here literally boils with minerals, and the spectrum of colors produced is extraordinary. A four day circuit on rough roads passing by green lagunas filled with flamingos, geysers and volcanoes at elevations as high as 5900 meters (19,000 feet) made for an absolutely unforgettable experience.

10) Witnessing a terrible bus accident:
The terrible scenario that always played out in my mind on a bus ride where the driver sped and passed other traffic on curvy, narrow mountainous roads, came to fruition in Ecuador. We came upon a horrible bus accident minutes after it occurred. The brakes went out on the bus and they tipped over on a curve of the road, nearly tumbling over a cliff. Francois and I got out to help give basic first aid and wait with the injured passengers until an ambulance arrived 2 hours later. The driver died on impact and his body was just lying in front of the bus. We accompanied two tourists who didn't speak Spanish to offer support and translation at the hospital. Crazy and tragic day.

11) Machu Pichu and the Lares Valley Trek:
Beautiful scenery and total disbelief at what the Incas accomplished in such a short period of time. Still can't get my head wrapped around how they constructed these beautiful cities on top of the peaks in the Andes. Just hiking with a horse carrying our gear was exhausting. The cultural diversity and social solidarity of the indigenous communities we visited were incredible.

12) Zip-lining and the equator:
So it turns out that water does actually spin counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. And guess what it does precisely at the equator? Straight down! We have the videos to prove it :o) We just happened to go zip-lining in the rainforest the same day we visited the equator and it is my new favorite activity :o) It was our last day in South America and made for an incredible finale to our travels.


Truth be told, this list could go on and on, but I hope to have the opportunity to share some more of these stories with you in person. Cheers!