the end has come (almost)...

10 months, 11 countries, 74 hostels, and endless amounts of stories and experiences that continually excite and entertain us.

In 2 days we leave Buenos Aires, Latin America, and our attempts to butcher the beautiful Spanish language, behind us.  We've had so much fun on this adventure, and we are starting to feel a bit sad and overwhelmed with what lies ahead.

Before I fill you in on what we've got planned for the next few months; let me take a moment to reflect on our highlights of Latin America. (I was going to let you know our individual highlights, but as it turns out they are the same!) So here we go, in chronological order:

The People

Ok, so this sounds so generic and stereotypical to list the people as one of our highlights... but it is so incredibly true.  (Almost) all of the latinos we have met have been so welcoming, patient with our Spanish, and incredibly friendly (Iguazu, Puerto Varas, and Uyuni - you let down the team!).  We feel so honoured to see how people live on this side of the world, as well as meeting some pretty awesome travellers.

Central America's Beaches

Some of the clearest water and stunning scenery we have ever seen.  A few of our favorite spots include Troncones, Tulum, Montezuma and Bocas del Torro.

San Cristobal de las Casas

In March we stayed in stayed in San Cristobal, in the highlands of Mexico, for a month.  It was the first place in Latin America that we totally fell in love with, and promised ourselves to return one day.  We met some really cool people there, and we started learning Spanish more seriously.

Learning Spanish

At times its been really easy, at times it been tough, and sometimes we have locked ourselves in our room and not wanted to hear another word in Spanish.  But overall, it has been really, really fun. We've really enjoyed learning Spanish, and it is definitely something we are going to miss when we leave here. While we're pretty confident these days, we still get stuck in strange little situations when someone says something to us that we totally can't understand. It adds a little fun and excitement to the day!

Cuba

When we were in Cuba we were so unsettled and on edge, that we didn't enjoy it as much as we could have at the time.  Looking back, it was a really amazing experience.  Cuba is so different to the rest of Latin America that we visited, with its awesome cars and island vibe. The people were also incredibly different, being so cut off from the rest of the world.  A place full of history and culture, that you just have to see to understand.

Volcan Pacaya

Climbing, sleeping on the side of, and cooking marshmallows in the lava stream of an active volcano in Guatemala is one of the coolest things we've ever done. Spending the first night of the rainy season drying drenched clothes beside a massive stream of lava while a crazy lightening storm surrounded us -- certainly something we won't forget too quickly!

Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca

Machu Picchu is one of the key places we had wanted to visit right from the start, but seeing it was way better than what we had imagined.  The setting is absolutely beautiful, and made even better after the dramas of car accidents and Peruvian transport blockades on our trek there. The dizzying climb up Wayna Picchu (the mountain in the background of every Machu Picchu photo) really topped everything off.

It was fun staying with locals on Lake Titicaca, on the floating reed islands and on Amantani.  Very peaceful, traditional people groups, and such an insight into a different way of living.  It was extremely eye opening to how we live in western society.

Bolivian Salt Flats and Atacama Desert

Our 3 day tour of the salt flats was made even more memorable because of our awesome tour group.  In 2 4wd's we drove across landscapes from a seemingly different world, and saw a heap of unique sights in the world's driest desert.

Ushuaia

Our week in Ushuaia (the southernmost non-Antarctic town) was packed full of activities; from cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, dog sledding, four-wheel-driving, chasing woodpeckers through a forest, to eating awesome chori-pan cooked by a real Argentino!  All this topped off by bitterly cold wind and constant snow falls.  Our idea of perfect!

Our list of highlights could just go on and on; it already feels like so long ago since we were in Mexico.  I feel like we could return there for a holiday already! We have loved our time in Latin America. Not once have we regretted taking a year out of our lives to do this.  Hopefully it won't be too long until we can return...

So what's next for us?

In 2 days we fly out of Buenos Aires to the United Kingdom.  From there we will tour England, Ireland, Scotland, Paris, and Belgium, before meeting up with my parents in Holland for Christmas.  Shortly after Christmas we will return to Australia.

At this stage it seems pretty settled that we will be returning to Melbourne, currently we are waiting to hear back from our university applications, and are beginning to look for employment and rental options.  We are super keen to see our dog Lily again, there are so many little white dogs in Buenos Aires like her that we think of her every day!

Internet connections in Latin America have been surprisingly good, even better and more available than in Australia.  I guess this is just a warning that we may not update this blog again until we are home after Christmas (unless something REALLY exciting happens of course!)

See you in the new year, thanks for following our adventure
love Nyall and Mez.