Thursday, May 22, 2014

Day 291: Adios South America

Punta del Este, Paraguay glimmering in the background

                                             

Nearly two years ago, we stood on the salt flats in Bolivia and took a photo of Erin waving at two countries that were new to us at the time. Those countries were Argentina and Chile. As if to bookend our explorations this year in South America, our time here re-encapsulated that moment. On our last day of our South America leg, we walked to the 3 Corners of Iguazu, and stood and waved at two new countries to explore: Brazil and Paraguay. When we'll return is not known at this time, but it's always exciting to leave with the knowledge that there's more to come back to.

We shared melancholic sunset drinks looking out over the river, reminiscing over our time on the continent. We'd been here just shy of four months and would be leaving from the same place we arrived. To complete a full circle on our continental tour, we'd fly the next day out of Buenos Aires, onwards to Central America. The fact that Nicaragua would be our last country of the trip made this evening especially sad.



South America gave us some truly exceptional memories. We enjoyed the ease with which you can travel, and the comfort of first class buses, lush accommodations, and the joy of cooking and eating raw fruits and vegetables without worry. We ate parilla, marvelled at milongas, meandered through picturesque towns, and observed wildlife. South America gave us the gateway to explore onwards to the trip of a lifetime, Antarctica. But it's time to move on and see somewhere new, and it's almost time to return home.



As a way of sharing our best experiences with you, we'll leave you with our South American video. Compiled by Craig, it is set to an appropriate tune, Apertura by Gustavo Santaolalla from the Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack, a movie about the early life of Che Guevara. We hope you enjoy it and that it inspires you to explore the world.



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