Signing Off

Well the adventure has at last drawn to a close. Last week I arrived safe and sound in JFK after an eye reddening 36 hour trip home that made even the worst South American bus look good. The last week has been a blur of re-acclimating, seeing family and friends, and of course indulging in some delicious American Cuisine (aka Wendy's). Being home is, in a word, bittersweet. I love seeing my family, friends, and places I've missed, but I sorely miss the adventure, excitement, and amazing experiences that accompanied my travels. However, we all must look forward and what better way to do that than to write my final blog entry. I'd like to take this last opportunity to share with you some of my thoughts on my trip, fun facts, and most importantly thank the countless people who have helped along the way.

Upon returning home, people always ask the understandable question of, "How was your trip to South America?". I always struggle to answer this question, as there seem to be a myriad of ways to describe my adventures.

Sometimes I think showing the entire map of where I went would be a good start:

Entire Trip Map!

Or perhaps giving the statistics of the trip would help:

Countries Visited: 5
Locations Visited: >20
Miles Traveled: 6,437
Time Traveled: 4 Months
Money Spent: Too Much

However, simple numbers fail to capture the breathtaking beauty and awe of what I saw on a daily basis while traveling. Perhaps then sharing some of my favorite photographs from the trip would do the trick:

Sunset over the Bolivian Salt Flats

Machu Picchu, Peru

Mt. Huascarán (Elevation 22,205ft). Tallest Peak in Peru.

Vineyard. Mendoza, Argentina

Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazilian Border

While those photographs are stunning, even they are not able to convey the true significance and power of a trip like this. Because the fact is that what affected me most on this trip wasn't the number of amazing sights I saw or exciting and eye-opening experiences I had. Rather, it was the people I met on a daily basis who opened their world and let me into their lives, even for just a moment. People like Johnny, my indigenous guide from Huaraz who taught me what it means to respect nature when we summited Mt. Pisco. My Ecuadorian family who opened their hearts and home to me. The miners from Potosi, Boliva, who taught me what real courage looks like by toiling away in hell just to put food on the table. Or people like Maria from Lake Titicaca who showed me the power of holding on to your heritage and culture. The list goes on and on, but it's people like this who really made the experience special.

The people you meet along the way

I guess in the end, it's the people, coupled with awe-inspiring places and experiences that made this the trip of a lifetime.

However, a trip like this would never have been able to happen if it weren't for a number of people who supported and inspired me throughout my travels. To my family, thank you for always supporting me in my crazy adventures (even if they give you a heart attack mom). To the people I've met along the way, thank you for opening my eyes and inspiring me in ways you can't imagine. To my friends, thank you for giving me such a strong base to jump off from. If I've been able to go far, it's only because I know exactly where it is I come from.

It is my sincere hope that you've enjoyed following my adventures in South America, and I hope that you've seen the benefits of looking beyond your comfort zone. If this trip has taught me anything it's that the best experiences in life occur when we put ourselves out there, embrace action, and really push ourselves. However, putting yourself out there doesn't need to take the form of hiking a high peak or careening down the deathroad in Bolivia. Rather, put yourself out there by really getting to know someone. Ask that strange looking person on the bus where they're from. Chances are you'll strike up an amazing conversation and be able to travel around the world without leaving the bus. The more I see of the world the more I realize how similar we all are. Never let superficial differences prevent you from seeing and appreciating the world and people around you.

It has been my pleasure to have you along for my South American adventure. Thank you so much for following. Until the next adventure!

Final Destination: Buenos Aires

For 3 months my life has been in a state of constant flux. Summiting mountains one day, seeing ancient ruins the next, and then packing my bags and catching a bus to wherever my next destination may be. In short, a lifestyle that is as tiring as it is exciting. While I have personally loved and thrived in this type of constant action, I will admit that at times I missed certain creature comforts like having a room (or even a bathroom) to call my own. Thus, it was definitely a nice change of pace when Elizabeth, Phil, Jessie, and I arrived in our last destination, Buenos Aires, where we rented an apartment for an entire month!

Click Here to see the whole trip map!

To give a brief introduction to Buenos Aires, it is the capital and largest city (by far) in Argentina. What makes this city so unique isn't the fact that it's extremely modern like Santiago or surrounded by incredible history like Cuzco. Rather it's the unique mixture of European and South American culture, fused together, to make a vibrant and colorful lifestyle that was like nothing I had ever seen before. This lifestyle ranges from dancing the elegant and encapsulating Tango to treating your taste buds to a famous Argentinean Barbecue with world class steak and wine. The next day when you're recovering from the copious amount of steak and wine you imbibed the night before (not to mention sleep deprivation caused by the fact that the nightlife doesn't start until about 2am), you can sip an espresso and eat croissants at one of the many cafes in Buenos Aires.

Due to this incredible culture we decided that Buenos Aires would be the perfect place to plant our feet for a little while and really get to know the city and its people. One of the frustrating things about traveling is that you often wish you had more time to spend in a certain place and really get to know it. By spending an entire month in Buenos Aires we hoped to avoid this and to be able to understand why everyone who has spent time in BA absolutely raves about it. 

After arriving from our wine adventures in Mendoza, we met up with our landlord and got the first glimpse of the apartment where we were set to live for the next month. It was with slight trepidation that we entered our apartment as we had set up everything via the internet so it was possible that it wouldn't live up to expectations. Fortunately though, the apartment was absolutely amazing. It had a beautiful common room, kitchen, and even a little patio! What's more, the location (I think that's important in real estate?) was perfect. We were in a great, centrally located neighborhood with parks in which Phil and I could play soccer and enough shops to keep the girls busy for days.

Jessie, Phil, and I in the apartment!

Click Here to see all of our pictures from Buenos Aires!

After settling into the apartment we went about planning just what it was we were going to do for the next month! Ideas ranged from everything to learning how to dance the tango and cook Argentinean food, to entering a soccer league and seeing a professional soccer game. Obviously, not quite all of the ideas came to fruition, but the majority of them did. Hang on tight, here's what we managed to pack into a month in Buenos Aires..

We hit the ground running as we thought the best place to start our adventures would be to do a little exploring around the city as see some of the more "touristy" sites. Thus, we visited a plethora of parks, monuments, historical buildings, and even an art museum. While perhaps a little touristy, this was a great way to explore the city and get our bearings as Buenos Aires, size wise, is a huge and sprawling city (we even had to rent bikes a few times to explore).

A gorgeous monument called "The Flower"

"La Casa Rosada", the Argentinean White House

After doing our fair share of exploring the city, we decided to change things up a bit. The first new thing up on our list: The Tango. Buenos Aires is the proud parent of one of the most difficult but enthralling dances in the world. To get to know know more about this dance, we headed to "La Boca" a colorful and vibrant neighborhood where the Tango is rumored to have been created. Apart from the colorful houses and delicious food in La Boca, we got to see the Tango being danced on what seemed like every corner. It was incredible to see in person, and even more incredible when we paired it with a nice steak and glass of wine. After seeing Tango being performed we had to give it a shot ourselves and we decided to take a Tango class. Thankfully I don't have any pictures though because I assure you they wouldn't be pretty!

The colorful neighborhood of La Boca

A couple dancing the Tango

Our taste of Argentinean culture didn't stop at the Tango though. We saw and did a whole host of other amazing things. These ranged from seeing an all percussion band play live inside an old warehouse to seeing (and losing money at) a famous horse track in Buenos Aires.

The all percussion band...yeah had to get the ears checked after that one

Phil winning at the horse track!!

After about 3 weeks in Buenos Aires we thought that it might be a good time to take a few days respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. Thus, we took a quick 3 day trip up to Iguazu Falls, a set of huge waterfalls  on the Brazilian-Argentina border. Iguazu Falls is as if you took Niagara Falls (think that same size) and then placed it in the middle of the Jungle. The waterfalls were awe inspiring to say the least. From the sheer enormity of the waterfalls to the rainbows scattered everywhere, it was one of the most magnificent natural things I had seen in my life. I assure you that the pictures below cannot even begin to do justice to just how powerful of a sight these falls really were. 

"The Devil's Throat", the largest fall at Iguazu

Another set of beautiful falls

One of the many rainbows that seemed to be everywhere

We eventually returned to Buenos Aires after our very successful sojourn in Iguazu. I've been talking a lot about the cool activities and sights we saw in Buenos Aires, but probably the most fun we had was more in our day to day lives. Things like playing in a soccer league or simply eating our "family dinners" together (Younger demographic: if you're confused what that is, there's probably a definition on Wikipedia). Additionally, being in the city for a long time allowed us to really make friends and do things like get invited to a tradition Argentinean Barbecue! While things like this might not show up in any guide books or be all that flashy, they were what we really came to love. 

Enjoying dinner at the apartment together!

With our friends eating a traditional Argentine Barbecue!

Unfortunately though, our time in Buenos Aires, like all other time on this trip, flew by in the blink of an eye and before we knew it we were packing up our bags and getting ready to leave. For me, this pack is even more difficult than usual though as Buenos Aires is indeed the final destination on this incredible trip. I'll be catching a (long) flight and heading home, the end of what was one of of the most amazing experiences of my life.  

I'll be posting one final post to wrap things up in a bit and let everyone know that I made it home safely! 

The Finer Things

Paved Roads. Fine Wine. A metro system. And even a Starbucks. These are just a sampling of some of the amazing things that I found and saw on the recent leg of my trip through Chile and Argentina. In short, I got to experience something that I had not seen in quite some time, a little thing called modernity.

After our time in Bolivia, Elizabeth and I crossed the Bolivian border and entered the next country on our journey, Chile. I think the best way to describe Chile is to compare it to a family. If the rest of Latin American Countries are the youngest sibling who is a little crazy, a lot of fun, and tends to have money problems on a regular basis; then Chile would be the smart, confident older sister who has her act together and knows it. Simply put, Chile is one of the most modern countries in South America and was a welcomed place to brush off the dust from Bolivia and enjoy some of the finer things in life.

Click Here to see where we are on the trip!

 Welcome to Chile!

To see all of my pictures from Chile and Mendoza Click Here!

The change between Bolivia and Chile was noticed immediately upon crossing the border. Whereas Bolivia has primarily dirt roads and traffic warnings that consist of the crosses lining the road, Chile has paved roads that makes one feel as though they are floating on air and even has guardrails on the highways (whaat?!?!).  After getting over the shock that such amenities existed in South America, we boarded a 24 hour bus ride to the capital of Chile, Santiago. After some restless sleep, playing the alphabet game about 50 times, and watching the Sorcerer’s Apprentice (yes, it’s even worse than the name sounds) not once, but two times we finally made it to Santiago.

Bird's eye view of Santiago

To give a brief intro to Santiago, it is probably one of the most up and coming cities in South America. It’s very wealth by South America standards and could even teach NYC something about effective public transportation. In fact, in recognition of Santiago’s (and on a broader scale, Chile’s) success in its transition from a third to a first world country, it was recently visited by Barack Obama on his tour of South America. Add to that capturing the world’s attention when 33 miners where saved here and you have a pretty good recipe for success.

While I was excited to see the city of Santiago, I was much more excited to visit my cousin Becca who is currently studying abroad here. Becca is a junior at Fordham University in New York and made the (obviously) smart decision to study abroad in South America. I’m definitely glad she made that decision as it was an incredible feeling to meet up with her. Apart from the obvious joy of seeing a family member, she was the first familiar face that Elizabeth and I had seen in over two months, a very welcome change of pace! Becca became our tour guide of sorts, showing the sites of the city and even introducing us to her host-family and friends (who of course immediately proceeded to tell in me detail why Chile is better than any other country I had visited in South America). It was great to get an insider perspective of the city and get to know her friends. We even watched one of her friends complete the Santiago marathon which was run when I was there.

Becca and I in Santiago!

The other very exciting thing that awaited us in Santiago was the arrival of our two remaining travel companions, Jessie and Phil! Jessie is my cousin (Becca’s sister) and Phil her boyfriend and my good friend. After a 24 hour trip which included losing their luggage and an unexpected layover in the jungle of Brazil, Jessie and Phil arrived safe and sound, if not a little bedraggled.

 From left: Jessie, Elizabeth, me, and Phil!

After a few days spent decompressing in Santiago, we all bid adieu to Becca and headed for our next destination, Argentina. Like Chile, Argentina is one of the wealthiest countries in South America, and due to early European immigration, has a very European feel to it. I’ve never been to Europe (a little too rich for my blood), but I’ve been told that Argentina is as if you took Europe and transplanted it in South America. Perhaps in part due to this influence, Argentina is world famous for its steak and wines. Two things I was absolutely going to have to liberally try before leaving.

Welcome to Argentina!

After crossing the Argentina – Chile border, our first stop was Mendoza. Now if that name seems familiar it’s probably not because you’re exceptionally good at South American geography, but more likely due the fact that Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina (think Napa Valley in South America). Specifically for all you future sommeliers out there, Mendoza specializes in Malbec and Torrentes, both phenomenal grape varietals.

After getting ourselves oriented in Mendoza we decided to change things up a bit and do some horseback riding to get a better view of the nature surrounding nature. Seeing as how I had already traveled by plane, bus, train, and boat, thus the only mode of transport I was missing was horse. The horseback riding was a blast, and apart from the beautiful views we ended the day with a traditional Argentine barbeque accompanied with some guitar paying!

 Phil finding his inner cowboy

Sun Setting over the mountains near Mendoza

Unfortunately for me though, upon arriving in Mendoza I came down with a rather nasty stomach bug. The type of bug that feels like someone sucker punched you in the gut and then proceeded to put a cork-screw in your stomach. This made me keep things pretty low key for a couple of days, and eventually I let Elizabeth convince stubborn me to take an antibiotic which miraculously helped out quite a bit (who would’ve thought). After recuperating from that bit of unpleasantness we of course had to celebrate, and what better way to do that than a wine tour around the wine country of Mendoza!

 One of the many beautiful wineries we visited

Rather than being wimps and hopping in a car to do this (which probably wouldn’t have been the best decision on a wine tour), we decided to rent bikes and visit the Mendozan wineries in that fashion. It was an absolute blast, and Phil and I even decided to get a little crazy and rent a tandem bike, which did tend to elicit some odd stares from the locals. The combination of phenomenal wine, beautiful views, and good friends made for an absolutely great day. Although, riding the bikes did seem to get progressively more difficult as the day went on..

 Phil and I looking good on the tandem bike

 Sun setting over the vineyards

The next day after working off the effects from a successful wine tour, we headed off to the final destination for my trip, Buenos Aires, where we are going to rent an apartment for a month together. Hard to believe the trip in come into its final stages! More to come from Buenos Aires soon!

Wild Wild (South)West!

If Peru is the Jennifer Aniston of South America; nice, well put together, and attractive in a girl-next-door kind of way, then Boliva is the Angelia Jolie; a little trashy, rough around the edges, but definitely not boring. My time recently spent in Bolivia was some of the wildest, most fun times I've had in South America thus far. Hold on tight..

Just to give everyone a brief intro to Boliva, in addition to my poorly attempted celebrity metaphors, Bolivia is one of the few land-locked countries in South America (sorry beach lovers) and also the poorest with over 20% of the population living below the poverty line. For that reason, Bolvia is not really a touristy country and often lacks things like internet faster than dial-up or hot showers, but for those who are willing to go off the beaten path it will give you an unforgettable experience.

Click Here to see where we are on the trip!

The adventure started when we left Lake Titicaca and headed for the capital of Bolivia, La Paz. La Paz is an interesting city in its own right, but the real attraction for me laid far outside the city limits. About 50 miles North of La Paz is perhaps the most notorious and infamous road in the world. This dirt road, aptly named "The Death Road" winds its way through the Bolivian mountains and is lined with sheer cliffs on its side, giving views that are equally beautiful and deadly. In 2007 it was named by the World Development Bank the most dangerous road in the world due to an average of 27 vehicles per year plunging over the edges and into the abyss below. Needless to say, I had to see this for myself and take the wild ride down the road.

Click Here to see all my photos from Bolivia!

The Death Road

One of the many sheer cliffs on the road

To that end, I rented a mountain bike so I could ride down the death road for myself (Elizabeth decided to sit this one out) and see why it gets its name. I assure you the road lived up to its hype, nothing quite gets the blood pumping like looking to your left and seeing a 400ft cliff and knowing that if you make a mistake, that's all she wrote. If you can get over the nerves though it's an incredible ride with gorgeous views. Although I will admit that its a very disconcerting feeling to pass a cross on the side of the road every 20 meters, the Bolivian version of a traffic warning.

On the death road

Thankfully though (you can breath easy now mom), I survived the ride and can say that I conquered one of the most dangerous roads in the world. After getting my adrenaline fix, we continued the adventure by traveling South to our next destination, Potosi, a old mining town that is home to a number of cooperative mines. Back in the day, Potosi was mined by the Spanish for silver and was so productive that the joke used to be that the Spanish could have built a silver bridge from South America to Spain with all the silver from Potosi (ok so humor wasn't their strong point). Unfortunately though the silver ultimately ran out and now Potosi is now mined for iron ore and other materials.

The mountain where one of the mines are located

What's makes Potosi unique is the fact that people can visit the mines and see the grueling and dangerous conditions in which the miners are forced to work. We spent about 2 hours walking, crawling, and climbing through the mine seeing the various parts and taking time to stop and talk to the miners. It was an incredibly humbling experience. To say that they work in hell would be an understatement. The temperature in the mines can reach up to 90 degrees, apart from the tiny head lamps the workers have everything is pitch black, and the spaces are cramped enough to make anyone claustrophobic.

Miners transporting their materials

In fact, the average lifespan of a miner is 15 years after the start working in mines as a result of the noxious fumes amongst many other dangers. Some of these miners start working at 15 years old...you do the math on that one. Because of these impossible conditions, the miners have adopted a number of very interesting customs and beliefs. Probably the most interesting being that while working in the mine, they worship a devil like figure, the Pachatierra, who they believe will protect them in the mines. As they describe it, the mines are like hell, and God can't help them in hell. As our guide told us, "Leave your religion at the entrance, it has no place down here."

The pachatierra idol that the miners offer gifts to for protection

After showering off the stench of sulfur and sweat from the mines, we packed up and headed to our final destination in Bolivia, the southwest antiplano, the section of Bolivia about the size of Pennsylvania that contains a staggering diversity of nature and sights; ranging from canyons and vistas reminiscent of Yosemite to huge salt flats unlike anything I had seen before. To visit this awe inspiring section we did a four day Jeep tour that allowed to go off the beaten track and really see everything. 

View of one of the biggest canyons in Bolivia

What was so interesting about this section of Bolivia is that it has a very arid, desert type environment, but the altitude is about 12,000ft so there are still snow capped peaks and beautiful small lakes juxtaposed in this harsh environment. 

Desert with snow capped peaks in the distance

Crystal clear lake with a perfect reflection of the mountain in the background

As if those views weren't enough, we also passed by spewing geysers and lagoons that had water as red as the flamingos living the lagoon. 

The Laguna Colorado, with flamingos in the background

Spewing Geyers

However, the tour definitely saved the best for the last as we visited the largest salt flat in the world near a city called Uyuni. Essentially, millions of years ago the salt flats used to be huge lakes which have since dried up and left huge salt deposits in their stead. The views in these salt flats are incredible and I have no doubt they will haunt my day dreams for years to come. They are so large that in every direction you look all you see is a sprawling white ground. What's more, in this time of year the salt flats have just a little bit of water in them which reflects the sky perfectly and makes it seem as though your standing on one huge mirror. 

Due to this reflection, the sunset that we saw in the salt flat was probably one of the most impressive sunsets I've seen in my life. 

Sunset over the salt flat

At the end of the day, sometimes all you can do is stand back and soak it all in.

Watching the sunset

Lake Titicaca

When one first mentions Lake Titicaca, it usually evokes giggles resulting from its rather unfortunate name. However, as we found in our most recent adventures, Lake Titicaca offers far more than cheap laughs. Lake Titicaca gains its fame from being the world's highest navigable lake at an elevation of 12,500ft and is large enough to stretch between Peru and Bolivia, allowing both countries to have a piece of the fame. Apart from hosting beautiful views, Lake Titicaca also is home to some of the world's most singular, unique cultures that trace their ancestry back the this lake. In fact, according to Inca legend, the sun, moon,a nd man were created in this very lake (take that Great Lakes). To get a better look at both the lake and the people who call it home, Elizabeth and I decided to setup a series of home-stays which would allow us to live with the people and really get to know them and their culture.

Thus, we left our last adventures in Cuzco and headed to Lake Titicaca! Click Here to see where we are on our trip!

Click here to see all of our pictures from Lake Titicaca!

Our first stop in at Lake Titicaca was a small city called Puno, which would be our jumping off point for visiting some of the isolated villages located around the lake and on some of the islands in the lake. After getting situated in Puno, we did some digging to see if we could arrange a host-stay with some local, indigenous peoples. Sure enough, we found a nice couple, Emelio and his wife Yonny, who was willing to take in a couple of gringos for a few nights. Emelio and Yonny live in a small village (and by small i mean 70 people live there) located about 2 hours from Puno. It was great being able to stay with Emelio and Yonny and learning all about their way of life. Emelio and Yonny have never left their small village (and have no plans to) for as they told us, they have everything they could ever need. This includes growing and raising their own food and even using medicinal plants grown around their house for everything from painkillers to even birth control! It's quite humbling to see how an entire family can live on so little and yet be so content with what they have. Perhaps makes you take pause when you get upset that your cable goes out.

Emelio, Yonny, and I!

Unfortunately after bidding adieu to Emelip and Yonny, illness decided to strike and both Elizabeth and I came down with what, in retrospect, I think was strep-throat. This holed us up in our hostel for a day, but after purchasing an antibiotic (here you just need to walk into a pharmacy and ask for one) we were up and running just a little while later.

After recovering from our bought of illness, we set off for our next destination, Taquille, a remote island on Lake Titicaca that a culture known as Taquillenos calls home. What makes this location so unique is that due to its isolation, the culture of the Taquillenos has remained relatively unchanged over time. Thus, visiting Taquille gives one a rare chance to quite literally step back in time and experience this unique and singular culture. What's even better, on Taquille, families take turns allowing tourists to live in the homes which not allow allows us to get a glimpse into their culture, but also the Taquillenos to benifit from the tourism visiting their small island.

The beautiful coast of Taquille

View on the way to Taquille

Thus, we hopped on a (excruciatingly slow) boat and set off to the Island of Taquille. Upon stepping off the boat, the islanders told Elizabeth and I which family we would be staying with. We learned that we would be staying with a Taquillena Maria and her two sons, Abdon and Saul. After getting settled in their house, Maria set off to make some dinner, and we got to hang out with Abdon and Saul which was a blast! Being in Latin America, we obviously played soccer...Abdon and Elizabeth vs. Saul and I. Unfortunately, after a poorly timed run up the middle by yours truly, the goal was left wide up and Saul and I lost!

From left: Abdon, Maria, and Saul!

Saul and I after the soccer game

After getting our full share of exercise, Saul and Abdon, become our tour guides of sorts and gave us a tour of the island. Apart from the natural beauty of the island, we also got to see Taquilenos in their traditional dress, which for them is a big part of their culture. One of the most interesting parts of their dress is the traditional hats that the boys and men wear. All the the boys and single men wear a hat with a strip of white color on it which signifies that they aren't married. Upon marriage, they have to change their hat that is fully red. 

Saul and Abdon (in his traditional dress) playing music for us

Not only did we get to see the traditional dress, but Maria also allowed us to view her working at the traditional loom she uses to create the clothing for her family. It was very interesting to be able to see first hand the culture and customs like that of a completely differnt culture. 

Maria using her loom to create a traditional Taquille belt for Abdon

That night, we got to enjoy some delicious Taquilleno food and see stars that seemed like we reach out and touch them. After saying good bye, we hopped on a boat and headed back to the mainland to plan our next excursion in Lake Titicaca. 

That next excursion came in the form of heading to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca to visit the famous Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun), the island that according to Incan Legend, gave birth to the sun and as one might imagine is famous for its natural beauty and views. Thus we had the immense pleasure of dealing with Bolvian customs as we crossed the border to head to the Island of the Sun. Presently, the Bolivan government forces American citizens (and only American citizens) to pay $135.00 to enter Bolivia as reciprocity due to the difficulty in entering the United States. I'll try not to get out my soap box, but I believe that to be an absolutely absurd policy. Not only is it wrong to single out a single nationality in my opinion, but that policy only serves to alienate the type of US Citizens (ie travelers) that would actually be likely to support Bolivian interests. But I digress..

The sign that cost us $135.00 to get passed

So after forking over my $135.00, we hopped on a boat and set off for the beautiful Island of the Sun. The island lived up to its reputation for beauty and then some. Not only were the views reminiscent of the beauty one usually associates with the Mediterranean, but in the distance we could also see the snow capped Bolvian Andes. Elizabeth and I decided to grab a bottle of wine, climb up to a great lookout, and watch the sun set. It was absolutely breathtaking, and it was one of the those moments that you just know your going to remember for the rest of your life. As has happed countless times in my trip, words seem to come up short in describing the views so I'll just let the pictures below do the talking. 

The view from a hill atop the Island of the Sun

View with the Bolivian Andes in the background

The sun setting over the island

After spending the night on the Island of the Sun, we headed back to the mainland and got ready for our next adventure, Bolivia! More to come soon!