37 - Goodbye South America

I started my South American Adventure way back in the beginning of October. I really had no plan for the trip other than I would start out volunteering in Ecuador and I would see what opportunities came my way after that. The only other things I knew I wanted to do were walk the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, hike the glaciers in Patagonia, and see Iguazu falls in Argentina... none of which I did. And that's okay. Because this 8 month journey was the most incredible experience of my life. It's true that I didn't get to all the places I originally planned to see, but my ever-evolving itinerary brought me to more beautiful sights, more delicious food, and more amazing people than I could have ever planned for.




Here's a quick photo recap of some of my favorite memories in South America:

Ecuador







Colombia






Peru








Bolivia







Chile





Argentina







And here are some quick stats/favorites/opinions about the trip -

Number of days in South America: 238
Number of countries visited: 6
Number of cities/towns visited: 52
Number of hours on a plane: 4
Number of hours on a bus: 296
Number of times I had altitude sickness: 3
Number of times I stepped in dog poo: 4
Number of empanadas consumed: 78 (estimate)
Favorite tour: Salt Flats of Uyuni in Bolivia
Favorite activity: Hiking up and sliding down Volcan Villarica in Chile
Favorite beach: Montanita, Ecuador
Favorite sunset: Taganga, Colombia
Favorite sunrise: Lake Titicaca, Peru
Favorite city in each country: Ecuador - Montanita, Colombia - Taganga, Peru-Cusco, Bolivia - La Paz, Chile - Pucon, Argentina - Bariloche
Country with the cutest children: Peru
Country with the best empanadas: Argentina
Country with the kindest people: Colombia
Country with the best parties: Ecuador
Country most different from USA: Bolivia
Country with the best wine: Chile

I have to say that I was really worried about coming back to the United States. How could I go from doing something new and exciting every day back to the same old normal America? No one would understand the experiences I had gone through. This is a quick exert from my journal. I wrote this a few days before returning home:
"They won't understand what I've seen or who I met, the songs I heard, the dances I danced, the street food I ate, the kids I saw begging at 1:30 am, the men I saw passed out on the street at 1:30 pm, the stray dogs, the artesanos, the egg and avocado sandwiches, the hostel life, living out of a backpack, learning about the world, making new friends every single day, the markets, the fountains, the statues, the plazas, the parades, the protests, the meatsticks, the holes in the sidewalks, the beaches, the bikes, the hikes, the mountains, the volcanoes, 20 hour bus rides, speaking Spanish, discovering new cities, the search for the best empanada, bargaining with vendors, drinking with locals, futbol games, cat calls, being told I'm beautiful by all the men I meet, kissing on the cheek instead of shaking hands, pigs, llamas, sheep, alpaca, a constant fear of having my stuff stolen, converting prices, choclo con queso, ceviche, planning travels, blogging, skyping, sleeping in different places all the time, packing and unpacking and repacking, doing what I want when I want, being a foreigner, getting stared at, being outgoing, being brave, being independent, missing home."
And now that I'm home I realize that my fears were true. I'm not doing new and exciting things every day, and people don't know what I've been through. But that's okay because the life I have in this same old normal America is pretty great, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm surrounded by my family and friends that take the time to listen to my stories and try to understand my experience. So yes... it has been a tough transition coming back home. But being with my family and friends provides me with more happiness than backpacking the entire world ever could.

Thanks to everyone for reading this blog. It's good to be home.
Love,
Amanda