Month Three

Three months in South America.  This month consisted of two new countries, three border crossings, fulfilling my number one travel dream, and lots of quality time with our extended travel family. 

We crossed into Chile from Bolivia on the first day of month three and spent two nights in San Pedro de Atacama.  After almost a month in Bolivia we were very pleased to have good food, real cheese, and WiFi.  We gazed at the stars, the moon, the planets, and the Milky Way through ten telescopes in San Pedro, one of the best places to see stars in the entire world, and one of my travel dreams. 

After only two days in Chile, we crossed into Argentina to meet 20 members of our extended travel family for what is sure to forever hold the title of the most untraditional Christmas of my life. 

In short, this Christmas can be summed up by lots of injuries and flies, dancing on tables, the return of Drinead, volleyball, Call Me Maybe, Feliz Cumpleanos Jesus and Feliz Navidad Bitchez tshirts, Christmas headbands and leg warmers, wine o'clock in a very messy dorm room, All I Want for Christmas is Jews, Monique and facepaint. 

Though Christmas wasn't the same without my family, I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to celebrate with.  Sinead, Mona, and I exchanged gifts under the tree and I can promise you that no one has ever been as excited to receive a pumice stone, bottle of nail polish, and pair of sunglasses as I was that day. 

We were happily surprised with a white Christmas as hail the size of acorns began to fall from the sky as we sat down for Christmas dinner.

Mona and I spent 50+ hours on buses in 3 days to see the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls - one of the seven natural wonders of the world - and got soaked as our boat sped directly into Garganta del Diablo - the largest of the waterfalls.

We reunited with the travel family again for ten days in Buenos Aires where we visited the grave of Evita, drank lots of cheap Malbec, ate midnight dinners and a million empanadas, saw a phenomenal drum show at La Bomba de Tiempo, celebrated Mona's 20th birthday, ate amazing Argentinian steak, visited the port, went to a Tango show and learned a few steps in a Tango class, picnic-ed in the park, and danced past sunrise in clubs with no windows.  We celebrated the New Year outside with a countdown at the Obelisk (a structure that looks identical to the Washington Monument) and a Do-It-Yourself amateur fireworks show. 
Mona, Sinead, and I said our final goodbyes to many members of the family who were returning home to countries across the globe after the holidays and headed down to the bottom of the world with five Israelis.  We spent three days in Argentinian Patagonia visiting Laguna Nimez and Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the most spectacular sites I've ever seen. 

We crossed back into Chile, and spent a day in Puerto Natales preparing to hike the Torres del Paine. We backpacked for five days and 50+ miles with our tents, food, cooking stoves and utensils on our backs and completed the W Trek on the last day of my third month.  I was not one bit disappointed with the mountains that have haunted my dreams for the last four years, but astounded by their all-encompassing beauty as I finally admired them with my own eyes instead of through a computer screen.

In month 3 I slept in 19 beds, took one plane ride and spent 70 hours in buses, bringing the total to 63 beds, 6 planes and 246 hours in buses.

This month I saw the sun set over the valley of the Moon in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, and I saw the sun rise too many mornings in Buenos Aires, Argentina after letting time slip away from us over cheap Malbec and lots of laughter. 

I saw the most spectacular color pallets paint the sky as I watched the sun set at 11pm in Patagonian towns both in Argentina and Chile, and I saw the sun illuminate the towers of the Torres del Paine as they were set on fire by the first light of day. 

In the past month I've been left speechless by incredible scenery and unbelievable 360 degree panoramic views.  I've laughed until my stomach muscles ached and tears poured out of my eyes, continuously entertained and surrounded by amazing people.  I've accomplished goals that I set years ago when I wasn't sure whether or not I was strong enough to fulfill them.  I've said goodbye to amazing people that have inspired me in countless ways and will forever be immortalized as the  traveler versions of themselves in both my heart and memory. 

As I move into month four, it is bittersweet.  Though I don't yet have a flight back to the United States, I am officially more than half way through my trip.  This month I will have to say goodbye to both Sinead, as she sets out for New Zealand on the next leg of her Around the World trip, and Mona as she heads back home to Germany after eight months traveling in Central and South America.  I dread this day more than I could ever begin to explain.

I will begin to make my way North with an unofficial plan to spend a few weeks in Ecuador both traveling and taking Spanish courses and finally finish my trip by reuniting with a friend and spending my last few weeks in Colombia before returning home.

Photos:
#1 Photo of the moon from our star tour in San Pedro
#2 Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama
#3 First light of day illuminating the towers of the Torres del Paine
#4 Iguazu Falls
#5 Travel family ladies in our Christmas best 
#6 The Obelisk at midnight on New Years, Buenos Aires
#7 Sinead and I, Puerto Natales, Chile
#8  Me hiking the Torres del Paine
#9 A white Christmas...Argentinian snow (hail)
#10 In front of "my mountain," Torres del Paine
#11 An Argentinian dinner. Mona's birthday, Buenos Aires
#12 Me at Glacier Perito Moreno