Piet's South America Top Five

Trip Start Dec 02, 2007
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Trip End Sep 01, 2008


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Flag of Chile  ,
Monday, February 4, 2008

In many ways, South America has been completely different to how we imagined: sitting at home in London visualising the trip, I pictured jungles, the ancient Inca culture and carnivals, all to the constant sound of samba music. As it turns out, our itinerary has kept us away from much of this side of South American life, to be saved for another trip - after all we have seen less than half of the continent! What we have seen however has totally surpassed our expectations. As such, picking a top five is not something that comes easily. However, here's my attempt, which I'm sure could be different on any give day. The following is in no particular order:

1. Trekking in El Chalten, Argentina  First impressions of this frontier-esque village hours from anywhere could not prepare us for the quality of the trekking, or for the views that followed. If you had told me during our seven hour hike to Laguna Torre that it would eventually be in my top five experiences of the continent, I would have assumed you had been drinking a lot of something very strong. However, battling through the hardship was part of the fun, and the views were unbelievable. The fact that we paused half way to have a little kip, and rounded things off with a great meal only adds to the memories for me.

2. Two nights out in Mendoza, Argentina  I couldn't think of a better way to finish in our last stop in South America: an amazing asado containing copious amounts of meat and red wine, with some great people, followed by a trip to the Superclasico, Boca Juniors v River Plate. This was a big relief to me - I really thought we would leave without seeing any football at all!

3. Relaxing in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay  This was an oasis of calm after experiencing Rio. The cabin was such a great place to relax and get our bearings two weeks into the trip, finished off with cheap wine and seafood bought straight from the boat.

4. Torres del Paine, Chile  In a continent that contains some spectacular scenery, this was the highlight for me. The high Alpine vistas, combined with turquoise lakes made for picture-perfect views, and a great spot for practicing my photography. The experience was completed by a crazy tour group, who were supremely entertaining.

5. Easter Island, Chile  I will be forever grateful to the agent in Trailfinders who booked our RTW tickets, for suggesting this add-on. Easter Island was a beguiling mix of ancient Rapa Nui culture, European and South American immigration and island life in one of the most isolated places on the planet. The Moai are one of those things around the world  that photographs cannot quite do justice.

Others that nearly made the list include Perito Merino glacier, the Navimag and Buenos Aires. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to improve my limited knowledge of Spanish among people who appreciate the effort, eat some fantastic food (especially the Argentinian steaks) and drink a lot of very good wine. Argentina in particular has been an amazing experience, and one that we hope to repeat in the future. However, I will certainly not miss the long bus journeys and the hassle that comes with the Chile/Argentina border crossings that it feels like we have been through hundreds of times!

New Zealand comes next, and I am looking forward to some 'easy' travel for a few weeks. I can't quite believe it's only been two months since we left - afraid there will be far more entries to read before we get home!
 
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