Great Expectations

It's almost GO time as Nancy and I get set to depart on our journey to South America. Thanks to those who have encouraged us to stay in touch and share our experiences. The distances to be covered reflect the scope of what this special part of the world has to offer. Choosing what to include in our itinerary hasn't been easy!

The main challenge, initially, will be to hit the ground running after our arrival in Santiago. Daytime highs are likely to be 30-35 degrees. We'll spend as much time as we can tolerate exploring the city in the mornings and evenings for four days before heading north to San Pedro. 

Travel along a mostly north-south axis is different than east-west because the changes in latitude often result in wider variations in temperature. The humidity will range from extreme desert conditions to muggy tropical rainforest, the elevations from sea level to nearly 15,000 feet! Packing has therefore had to be very strategic as we try to stick to the essentials with just a few luxuries. Binoculars...or leg gaiters for the muddy trails?       

Nancy and I have been working on our Spanish for a few months now. How much of it we'll be able to use remains to be seen. The Chileans are known to talk incredibly fast and their dialect is so unique that even people from other Spanish speaking countries can struggle to understand it. Argentinians are said to sound guttural. All we can do is give it the old college try! 

Highlights? The landscapes of Patagonia are famous. Chile has 40 national parks and 46 national reserves. Roughly 20% of the country is protected! Argentina will also have plenty of gorgeous scenery. The opportunity to observe new species of flora and fauna in the wild is always a thrill. Argentinian culture certainly has its icons. We hope to rub elbows with a few tango dancers, gauchos and rabid soccer fans along the way! Our stops in Bolivia and Brazil, although brief, promise to be memorable. But the measure of such an undertaking is often greater than the sum of its parts. The prospect of real adventure looms large! 

Best of luck to all of you in 2019.