South America - Summarised

Hi all, no doubt you`re all looking forward to the B/H weekend and the good weather that is forecast! As you know we fly to New Zealand tomorrow, we are soooo looking forward to it even though we lose a day of our trip and don't sleep for 2 days!! The last few days we have been walking the length and breadth of Buenos Aires, we know the place intimately now. We went to the BA zoo on Tuesday, you may have seen the pics. I`m not sure how I feel about zoo`s to be honest, on one hand the animals are safe from extinction and well looked after and kept, but on the other hand it`s not a natural environment for the animals to live in. Most of the animals we saw were hunters so the thought of them being hand fed everyday is a bit strange. Anyway that`s just me having to much time to think ;-)

So I'm not going to write a long blog today, instead we have put some numbers together regarding our time in Sth America which I hope you enjoy. I have posted extensively about Sth America since we have been here and it is difficult to summarise the place up and put it into words. I can honestly say it has been the most exhilarating experience of my life, and if I never travel again (highly unlikely) then I am just glad that we chose Sth America to spend the majority of our trip. It is an experience I will NEVER forget. So rather than go on anymore I will post the facts and a summary of words that spring to mind when we think about Sth America.

Time spent in South America from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile to Argentina was: 90 days

Hostels stayed in: 32 (1 dorm)

Buses travelled on: 29
The time spent on buses was 190 hrs which equates to 7.9 days.
Longest bus journey was 26 hrs, Buenos Aires to Iquazu.
Shortest bus journey 2 hrs, Quito to Otavalo.

Planes travelled on: 3
Boats: 4
4 x 4 wheel drives: 2

Geographical Highlights
Ecuador - Jungle, Andes, The lush green landscapes
Peru - Maccu Piccu
Bolivia - Salt Flats, Uyuni, Andes, The remoteness of the country
Argentina - Buenos Aires

Lowlights
Bolivian Roads, Poverty, Altitude

Highlights
Hospitality, Argentinian Wine, Scenery and diverse landscape, Culture, Value

South America - The Summary
Diversity, Poverty, Resourceful, Friendly, Colourful, Cold, Fruit, Handicrafts, Rawness, Dog Muck(!) Stray Dogs, Altitude, Value, Currency, Politics, Indigenous, Markets, Animals, Injustice, Happiness, Hectic, Noisy, Pollution, Police, Taxis, Sweets, Vegetables, Finger puppets, Buses, Diarrhoea, Protests, Culture, Landscapes, Climate, Winter, Incas, Silver, Desert, Spanish, Borders, Remoteness, Snow, Architecture, Llama, Amazon, Equator, Volcanoes, Religion, Coca, Pisco Sour, Passport, Government, Pacific, Beer, Costumes, Dust, Derelict, Anguish, Hospitality, Transport, Punctures, Tradition, Farming, Love, Improvisation, Cultivation, Basic, Injustice, Happy Children, Football, Road Blocks, Hope.

It`s difficult to chose a favourite place or country here but mine is Bolivia. Everyday life is a chore, the majority of Bolivian families living in poverty, transport networks are also the most difficult in South America, yet they take it all on the chin and always with a smile. It is such a heart warming place to visit and it has been a truly life changing experience for me.