Eight months. Nine countries. Countless bumpy bus rides. Enjoy…
| Category | Marc | Beth Ann |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite country | Argentina, Peru | It's hard to choose but I was surprised at how much I liked Bolivia, Brazil, and India - all countries I really didn't want to go to. |
| Favorite large city | Arequipa (Peru), Buenos Aires (Argentina) | Buenos Aires (Argentina), Arequipa (Peru) |
| Favorite small city | Itacare (Brazil), Vilcabamba (Ecuador) | Vicuna (Chile) |
| Least favorite place | Jaipur (India), Banos (Ecuador) | Manuas (Brazil), Banos (Ecuador) |
| Favorite hike | Plaza Francia (Aconcagua PP, Argentina), the 'W' (Torres del Paine NP, Chile) | The 'W' (Torres del Paine NP, Chile) |
| Favorite man made sight | Kuelap (Peru), Taj Mahal (India), Moai (Chile) | Kuelap (Peru), Moai (Chile) |
| Favorite natural sight | View from Annapurna Base Camp (Annapurna Sanctuary Trek, Nepal), Isla Magdelena (Chile), Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentina) | Madidi National Park (Bolivia), Iguazu Falls (Argentina), Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentina), View from Annapurna Base Camp (Nepal) |
| Favorite safari sight | Pink dolphin (Rio Negro, Brazil), Asian rhino (Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal) | Macaws (near Madidi National Park, Bolivia), Tucans dancing (Rio Negro, Brazil), Asian rhino (Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal) |
| Favorite new drink | Lassi (India), Caipiranha (Brazil) | Chai masala (India), Various vitaminas made with Amazonian fruits (Brazil) |
| Favorite new food | Alpaca (Peru), Piranha (Brazil) | Masala dosa (India) |
| Most surprising part of the trip | Amount of people who wanted to take our photo in India, Safety in Bolivia and Brazil | We didn't get robbed, injured or assaulted (knocking on wood right now). Before leaving on OW we watched the movies Taken and Transsiberian. We thought for sure something very bad would happen.; It IS possible to spend 30 hours on a bus.; It is easier to find wifi in South America than in India.; How much I would miss the US and would want to come home at the end. |
| Best part of the trip | Reaching the Beagle Channel in Ushuaia, Argentina; Crossing the Thorung La Pass | |
| Worst part of the trip | 30+ hour travel marathons, Getting bacterial diarrhea (more than once) | Being glared at in Nepal |
| What we are most looking forward at home | Cleanliness, Dunkin' Donuts, uninterrupted electricity, lack of pollution, lack of loud honking, lack of open sewers, seeing family and friends, not being stared at, microbrewed draft beer, a Crescent Ridge hot fudge sundae | Seeing family and friends, Stoneyfield's yogurt, a pint of cold beer, going to a movie, Crescent Ridge ice cream, clean air, clean tap water, lack of power outages, a bigger wardrobe, clean clothes, not looking like a slob and not having to pack my bag every couple of days |
| Most useful item we brought with us | Swiss army knife, netbook, earplugs, headlamp | Swiss army knife, bowl with attached cutting board (thanks, Jess), headlamp, zip lock bags |
| Least useful item we brought with us | Tripod, playing cards | Tripod |
| Something that we would have changed about the trip | Trip length (too long), Should have bought more souvenir t-shirts | Trip length (too long), should have bought more souvenirs, should have drank better wine in Chile and Argentina, should not have obsessed about meeting our daily budget |
| Next place we would like to travel to | Turkey, Indonesia, trans-Siberian railway | China, Mongolia, and Russia on the trans-Siberian railway |









