As the first part of our journey ended and we returned home, Brendan and I had time to reflect on our travels through Central and South America. In our experience the places we visited in Central America were more primitive than where we were in South America. For example, it was most likely that you would not have a hot shower in Central America where it was more of the norm in South America in comparable accommodations. We went through seven different types of currency with the seven countries we visited. I felt that Belize, Panama, and Costa Rica were the most expensive. Peru was cheap, but the worse as far as the tourist hustle. As far as our budget we planned on $50 a day per person to cover all expense (travel, accommodation, food, and activities). Most days we came in under the $50 mark however, after factoring in plane tickets and more expensive activities it averaged out to be right at goal. Brendan preferred the small towns over the big cities. I can’t say that I have a preference as each place comes with its own unique charm, but I was thoroughly impressed with some of the big cities we visited (Buenos Aires, Santiago and Lima – Buenos Aires being my favorite). Neither of us could narrow down our most favorite place or activity but we have a list of highlights.
(Ranked in chronological order as it’s difficult to choose favorites)
- Acatenango – Climbing this volcano in Guatemala to watch the neighboring Volcano Fuego erupt was magnificent. Also, the personal accomplishment of summiting in the morning and pushing our physical limits further than ever before, was something we will never forget.
- Scuba Diving – We got our PADI open water certificates in Panama and it was very awesome. Diving opens up a whole new world and both Brendan and I couldn’t believe we waited this long in our lives before doing it. We are very excited to have many future diving opportunities across the world on our travels.
- Patagonia – Brendan loved the small backpacker towns in this region. Hiking the W-trek on our own was awesome and a totally new experience of being self-sufficient, carrying all of our own food and camping gear. The scenery was totally awesome!
- Machu Picchu – A wonder of the world, and rightfully so. Our trek on the Salkantay Trail felt magical and ended in Machu Picchu.
- One more highlight on my list that wasn’t necessarily on Brendan’s was climbing my first pyramid in Belize. We learned a lot about both the Mayan and Inca civilizations on this trip which was really cool.
My epic fail of the trip was not learning Spanish as I had hoped. I thought that when I returned home, I would be fluent in Spanish, but that was not the case. I was sad to leave Spanish speaking countries without a better grasp of the language. This is something I will continue to pursue on my own back at home. Taylor and Brendan did better. Taylor had several earlier years of Spanish in school and Brendan was enrolled in an online Spanish class. Maybe I don’t have the knack for language, but I will definitely keep trying. It was so impressive when my brother returned home fluent in Spanish after only a short time in Ecuador. Looking back, I realize how much I relied on people speaking English as well. Most of the time was spent speaking English with other tourists.
In such a short time I feel we have already seen and had many once-in-a lifetime experiences. Looking back to the time before we made the decision to take a break from our jobs and travel, thinking of all the risks and fears we had, I can’t imagine our regret if we had decided not to go. I am very grateful we made the decision and just DID IT. We are excited to be home and visit our families while looking forward to the next leg of our adventure and where it might take us!