Pia W

I’m now at the end of my South American adventure. It’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to this part of the world. I definitely could have gone on for another month or so.

I have had the time of my life. It’s exceeded all that I had envisaged the trip to be. Travelling alone is character building and even though I did spend a lot of my time with people, it was great to meet new travellers who share the same adventurous spirit. I learnt a lot about the history, culture and people of the countries I’ve been to. There is so much diversity in the food, accents, clothing and buildings.

Highlights were, in no particular order:

- Reaching the summit of Las Torres in Patagonia. That was SO HARD and I really had to push myself to complete the last part of the first 12km. The fact we completed the 24km in 9 hours was a huge achievement. Loved Ecocamp as well. Sunrises were so beautiful.

- Glacier trekking at Perito Moreno.

- Machu Picchu in the rain with the double rainbow in the background. There was hardly anyone walking around that afternoon and it made the whole experience so special, as opposed to the next morning when we went and it was full of tourists. I enjoyed spending time with Alistair and Alison. They are lovely people.

- The three day 4WD across Bolivia salt flats to get to San Pedro de Atacama was memorable. Not always enjoyable given how long the days were. But the scenery was epic and out of this world in a lot of places. Will never forget PK’s argument with Astrid in the car!

- Iguassu falls. Omg. So beautiful. The boatride was sooo much fun. Getting absolutely drenched. Then the scenery and walking right up to the falls on the Brasilian side was so much fun. It was rainbow heaven! 🌈 I enjoyed hanging out with the Asian boys too. They were fun and it was nice to have someone on the trip who spoke Canto!

- I love Rio. So picturesque. The football match was so much fun and will always remember that. The views from Sugarloaf mountain were spectacular. And loved going to the Ipanema and Copacaban beaches. One of those pinch me moments.

- Colombia. If it weren’t for meeting Rey, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed Bogotá as much. I really enjoyed the trip to the coffee plantation and will remember our conversation late at night with Christian, his wife, Yara and Aiko. Was hilarious. Medellín was fun and glad I went to that club if only for an hour! Going to the caribbean for the first time was unreal. Such beautiful water. Although I think the water in Belize was more spectacular if that’s possible! A great group during the Colombia trip.

- Loved snorkelling in Belize. Seeing a turtle for the first time and the dolphins was very special. The Mayan ruins were great but had enough after half a day. The sinkhole (Gran Cenote) was really cool to swim in, quite literally. Bree dropped our locker key, it got stuck in the tree and I had to go dive into the water and pick it up! Adrenaline rush! Relaxing on tje beach was also fun. The two girls from Brisbane, Jenna and Carly, grew on me and I laughed a lot with them around. Our last night in Mexico was a lot fun, at the club. Good to let go once in a while!

I have a feeling I’ll be back in this region sooner rather than later. I’ve made a point to myself to enjoy every moment and I have. I feel much more energised after the last 2.5 months and more relaxed.Read more