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It's been almost a full month since we got home from our epic, 3-month adventure/honeymoon through South America. Life is just about getting back to normal for us - the constant business travel for me; the overnight calls for Siau-Wei; the hot, humid weather of Singapore. And before we forget the details (already, the entire trip is starting to feel like a distant memory), we would like to share a few things that we've taken away from this trip:
Lesson 1: There are still good people in this world
One thing that quickly became apparent to us, even from very early on in our travels, were the many, genuinely nice people that we encountered throughout our trip. I'm not entirely sure what it was - whether it was us being the helpless, perpetually-looking-lost tourists from halfway around the world, or just plain luck for meeting the right people at the right time - but we were very, very fortunate to have met these people.
On the ferry from Rio to the paradise island of Isla Grande, we met an Italian-Brazilian couple who were really the most friendly and unassuming people. Because they've been to Ilha Grande like ten times (it's their favourite holiday destination), they knew which restaurants to dine in, which hikes to take, what activities to do. And without the slightest hesitation, they invited us along for nearly everything. Two delicious dinners and a full-day's hike later, Ferruccio and Cibele were like old friends. So much so that when we told them we were dropping by São Paulo (where they live) on our way back home, they offered us their place. No questions asked.
Making our way across the Brazil-Bolivia border was no easy task, especially with the language barrier and lack of information on the internet. We were trying to make our way to the city of Santa Cruz but had no idea how to go about it. That is, until we approached a Bolivian-American doctor couple, who also happened to be making their way to Santa Cruz. Jonathan and Sonya took us with them across the border, in the taxi to the train station and on the overnight train to Santa Cruz. They also gave us their contact number in case we needed help to get out of a sticky situation (which is not all that uncommon in Bolivia).
In Cusco, Peru, we had the privilege of staying with the nicest host family we could hope for. Raphael, Esther and their daughter Yesi treated us like family - always making sure we were well fed and having an overall good time in Cusco. Yesi also gave us free Spanish lessons and took us around the city a couple of times, even accompanying us to the bus station to make sure we got the right bus tickets. We can only hope to return the favour at some point if and when they decide to travel to this part of the world.
When we found out that the Galapagos cruise that we signed up for did not include a tour of the giant tortoise sanctuary, we were disappointed. No visit to the Galapagos is complete without seeing the Galapagos ("giant tortoise" in Spanish) themselves. So while still on the cruise, we went about looking for a way to fit that into our itinerary at the last minute. It wouldn't have been possible though if it wasn't for fellow guests Louis and wife Irene, who happened to work as guides on the Islands. A quick phone call by Irene sorted everything for us - and because of that, our Galapagos experience was complete.
Lesson 2: Nature is surprisingly beautiful
And I mean that quite literally. Each time when we thought we could not be more amazed, nature finds a way to surprise us again. And again. And we experienced this consistently throughout our trip.
In Rio, Brazil, there were the beautiful (if a little crowded) beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, as well as the more isolated but no less beautiful beaches of Ilha Grande. Then, there were the crystal-clear, aquarium-esque waters of Rio Prata in Bonito, and the intriguing jungle inhabitants of the Pantanal.
In Bolivia, it was the out-of-this-world highland deserts of the Andes - views that one can only appreciate from an altitude of over 4000 meters. And even that doesn't compare with the jaw-dropping sight of the Uyuni Salt Flats - the world's largest salt lake. It's an area so white and flat and huge, it allowed us to take some pretty whacky perspective pictures. And to top it off (pardon the pun), there was Lake Titicaca - the world's highest navigable body of water offering the somewhat unique blend of mountain ranges, islands and of course, water.
In Peru, there was the Inca Trail. Although the Inca Trail technically consists of thousands of kilometers of ancient stone trails created by the Incas, the "official" Inca Trail is a 40-km stretch of the most beautifully preserved trails found anywhere in the world. I've been on dozens of different hikes in my lifetime across the globe - Asia, Europe, North America, Australia - but this one really takes the cake.
In Ecuador, it was the Galápagos Islands. From blue-footed boobies, to giant tortoises and marine iguanas - no where else in the world would you find such a unique collection of wildlife, many of which are endemic to the Islands. Its topography is pretty interesting too, consisting of rock formations made from millions of years of volcanic activity.
And last and certainly not least, there's Argentina. From the dramatic glaciers of Patagonia to the colossal waterfalls of Iguazu and the amazing aquatic life of Peninsula Valdez, it had enough to surprise us for nearly a month. And it's important to note that we were really just seeing the tip of the iceberg (so to speak) - given more time, nature would have found even more ways to surprise us.
Lesson 3: Conventional wisdom is not always...conventional
Human nature dictates that if we experience something enough times, we would start assuming that it's the norm. The sun rises in the east. We need three main meals a day. We flip a switch and the lights come on. Of course, with the advent of Google and the free flow of information that comes with it, we are made aware of certain exceptions to the rule. We don't always drive on the right side of the road. Or, it's not always hot and humid all year around. So we set off on our trip expecting some of these exceptions, and yet there were times when we were caught off guard.
A very simple example were the meals. And this varies from country to country. While we are used to having quite heavy meals for dinner back home, dinner is actually the lightest meal in Peru. In fact, most Peruvians would just have the leftovers from lunch or skip dinner altogether. After going hungry for a few nights though, we quickly learnt that lunch is the one main meal that Peruvians have per day. So we started eating a little more at lunch so that we are able to last for the rest of the day. In Argentina, dinner starts no earlier than 9 pm. Most restaurants don't even open for dinner until at least 8. While in El Calafate, we had to wait till 10.30 pm for our dinner after opting to join the asado (Argentinian barbecue) at the place we were staying. We nearly passed out from hunger while watching the mouth-watering meats slowly barbecuing in the fire.
Traveling in South America during the months of July - September meant we would be experiencing winter in the Southern Hemisphere. We were aware of this of course so we bought the necessary warm clothes, hats, gloves, etc. What we did not expect though was the intense sun that we would be subjected to. Enduring sub-zero temperatures and getting sun burnt at the same time did not quite compute for us. We learnt this the hard way. Explains the bad tan.
But the most telling example is the use of toilet paper. Or rather, what do we do with it once we've used it. Conventional wisdom says that you simply throw it down the toilet after use and flush. Not in South America. We are to throw used toilet paper into a bin. Yes, a bin. Sounds weird (and a little gross)? That's what we thought too. Apparently, the pipes in South America are not designed to take toilet paper and therefore, throwing toilet paper down the toilet will cause it to clog. True story.
Lesson 4: Your body can take more than you think
I wouldn't say that this was physically the toughest thing we've ever done. Yes, we did hike a lot (sometimes close to 20 km a day) and climbed up to high altitudes (over 4000 meters at times), but we have done similar things before. What was new to us though was doing all that back to back without allowing our bodies sufficient time to recover.
All in all, we did about ten hikes across the 5 countries - twice on Ilha Grande (Brazil), once on Isla del Sol (Bolivia), the 4-day Inca Trail (Peru), once in Quito (Ecuador), twice in El Chalten (Argentina), one short hike in Torres del Paine (Chile - I don't count Chile as one of the 5 countries we visited as it was only a day trip across the border) and once on the Perito Moreno glacier (Argentina). Doing these hikes in itself was no big deal, but having to deal with the elements as well was what made it interesting. In El Chalten for example, we endured crazily strong winds and a mini snow blizzard that actually forced us to turn back on one of our hikes because it was getting a little too dangerous.
Then there's the altitude. Most of the places we visited were actually part of the Andes mountain range. In fact, we spent more than a month at altitudes of over 3000 meters, reaching a maximum height of 5000 meters. The toughest part for us was when we were doing the 4-day Uyuni Salt Flats tour. Although we spent most of our time in a 4x4, we had just entered high altitude and our bodies were struggling to adapt to the thin air. So much so that simply turning over in bed left us breathless. Not to mention the perpetual pounding headache and nausea we were experiencing. There was even a point when I literally almost blacked out. Fortunately, the body adapts quite quickly. By the fourth day, we were feeling a lot better. And even though we remained in high altitude for the next few weeks, there were no more headaches or nausea.
For Siau-Wei, one big challenge was going for a few days without shower. This happened twice on our trip - once during the Uyuni tour and another time when we were doing the Inca Trail. Both times we had to go three days without showering. This was more of a mental barrier - the sooner we accepted the fact, the less we think about it and the more we could enjoy whatever we were doing.
We also had to deal with the extreme temperatures. The humid, 30 Celcius climate of the Pantanal and Galápagos Islands felt more like home, but not so much the sub-zero temperatures of the Andean highlands. Again, using the Uyuni and Inca Trail as examples, we somehow survived -10 Celcius nights with little more than our sleeping bags, jackets, gloves, protective head gear and and a tent / makeshift roof over our heads. There was no electricity nor gas heating to shield us from the cold.
Apart from all that, there were also other minor inconveniences. For example, the mosquitoes of the Pantanal that completely ignored the layers of insect repellent we applied on ourselves and were biting us through our clothes. Or the feeling of sea-sickness on the Galaxy cruise as it rocked back and forth in the choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean. But whatever it was - we made it through all of that more or less unscathed. We were surprised at how much punishment our bodies could take.
Lesson 5: It's OK to just go with the flow sometimes
This trip was a departure from the usual vacations we've been on in the past. Other than the fact that we were going away for longer than all the holidays we've been on in the last 3 years combined, it was also the first time we were going without having every accommodation, flight and (sometimes) attraction booked well in advance. When we boarded our flight in Singapore to São Paulo, the only thing we were assured of was our accommodation for the next two nights and some of the intra-continental flights. We didn't really have an idea of where we were going to stay after that, what we were going to see, who we were going to meet, what we were going to eat. Yes, we were a little worried at first, but we quickly realized it actually added to the experience.
So we sometimes ended up staying in questionable places in a dodgy part of town - like the time we just turned up at a run-down hostel in Buenos Aires at almost midnight after our flight was cancelled. Or we would sometimes eat at street-side stalls/markets where maintaining proper hygiene was not a top priority - like the time we randomly walked into a hole in the wall in Quito and had no idea what we had just ordered but ate it anyway because it was cheap and tasty. Or we would sometimes jump on to an overnight bus/train with all our belongings hoping that we'd arrive at our destination in one piece - like the time we took the bus from Sucre to Tupiza, all the while knowing that buses in Bolivia tend to get into accidents (often fatal) due to drunk drivers.
But despite not having all the information at hand and going with our instincts for most of the time, it all found a way to turn out well in the end. The most amazing thing - we did not get mugged, poisoned or injured in any way throughout the three months.
Thank You
These three months have been an amazing and life-changing experience for us. And even though we burnt a significant hole in our pockets doing it, given the chance (and the finances), we would do it again in a second. True, the money could have been used for a lot of other things - like paying half the tuition fees of an MBA or buying a new car - but we both believe that the experience and the time spent together is worth a whole lot more than that.
Finances aside, it would not have been possible if it was not for the support and love from our families and close friends. It's really not just about this trip, but the journey that got us here in the first place. And the journey we are about to go on together. For those who know us well, you know what we mean. It's really the final lesson from these last three months - that we are truly blessed to have people like you in our lives. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
And to everyone else who have been following us on our travels, we hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog as much as we have enjoyed sharing our experiences. We hope you won't have to wait too long to read about our next adventure.
Love,
Kell Jay and Siau-Wei
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