And that's a wrap

So we come to the end. 70 days later, Louis and I are again sitting in Santiago's terminal, this time waiting to fly home. This’ll probably be my last substantive post so we’ve got the inevitably summary and thank yous to dish out.

A Country by Country Review: Rank, Best, Worst, Favourite City, Favourite Memory.

Ecuador:
Rank: 3.
Best: The tropical Galapagos Islands.
Worst: The internet - diabolical.
Favourite City: Quito.
Favourite memory: The football match (Honourable mention to Eyob throwing up on boat).

Colombia:
Rank: 5.
Best: Local architecture (I’m struggling here) - we didn't do much memorable there.
Worst: Louis flooding the hotel.
Favourite city: N/A - we only went to Bogota.
Favourite memory: Leaving.

Peru:
Rank: 1.
Best: Inca Trail + meeting the locals.
Worst: Getting sick there, twice.
Favourite City: Cusco.
Favourite Memory: (D) Standing atop the Andes on Inca Trail days 2 and 3 – I have videos will share when I get back.

Brazil:
Rank: 6
Best: Beating the Brazilians at beach football.
Worst: Getting robbed + the price of accommodation (we got robbed twice really).
Favourite City: N/A - we only went to Rio.
Favourite Memory: NYE fireworks.

Argentina:
Rank: 4.
Best: Patagonia.
Worst: BA – stands for Barely Average.
Favourite City: Bariloche.
Favourite Memory: Driving up Patagonia – long roads, no rules.

Chile:
Rank: 2.
Best: The bakeries here – nice empanadas.
Worst: The internet - again.
Favourite City: Puerto Natales.
Favourite Memory: Torres Del Paine park – great scenery.

And that’s our trip. I never really had any clear vision for this blog. Entertaining the folks back home, a diary for our experiences, a presumptuous 22-year-old’s review of an entire continent – take your pick. I don’t generally go for censorship or overly cautious speak – it just makes for meaningless writing I feel. Perhaps at times you’ve disagreed with something I wrote (I know I do, re-reading things I wrote only 2-3 years ago). Fair enough, I rely on the critical commentator to keep me honest.

I wouldn’t really take all this too seriously though. I never do. It’s just a story about a few 20-something guys trekking through South America; not really a demographic famed for their sophisticated thought. I’ve really enjoyed trying to condense all that’s happened into a series of nightly 300 word posts and have tried to give a full account as possible. Though some will stay with us haha.

Finally, thank you, the readers and subscribers, for sharing the trip with us – it’d be no fun talking to an empty room. I’ve read all your comments and look forward to showing you more when I get back.

I hear our boarding call, time to go.

Adios,
Dimitri

A few favourite pics: (1) The tortoise and the other tortoise (Galapagos, Ecuador); (2) McGregor v Mayweather round 2 (Quito, Ecuador); (3) All dressed up (Village, Peru); (4) Machu Picchu (Peru); (5) Fireworks (Rio, Brazil); (6) Glacier (Argentina).Read more