Adios South America!

Whew. After more than 7 months of blog posts I am finally concluding my coverage of South America. Next week I’ll have lots of Fiji stories to share with you. But first, a look back:

Colombia

Colombia was the first country we visited and it remained my favorite of the entire journey. I spent six weeks in Bogota, soaking up the cities culture and vainly trying to adjust to the attitude. Our trip then took us up to the Carribbean coast before sweeping back down through Medellin, the coffee country and finally down to the Ecuadorian boarder, eeking by the day before my visa was due to expire.

I would count Colombia among the top 5 most interesting countries I’ve ever visited. It’s so diverse and the people are some of the nicest I’ve met anywhere, ever. Despite it’s nasty reputation (which I like to think is changing), we never once felt threatened or unsafe. To sum up: Go to Colombia!

All Colombia Articles:

Bogota: First Impressions

Monserrate: High Above the City

The Weird World of Colombian Sports

Zipaquirá: the Underground Salt Cathedral

Move Less, See More

Street Art of Bogota: A Photo Essay

Six Steps to Bliss at Tayrona National Park

A Tale of Two Cities: Cartagena and Medellin

Southern Colombia in Photos

Colombia: The Best and Worst

Ecuador

By the time we reached Ecuador we were ready to slow down a bit. We spent over a week in Quito and got to experience the lively Quito Festival the spent a week in gorgeous blue skyed Banos before settling in beachy Montañita for three weeks over the holidays.

Mike and I were split on our opinions of Ecuador. He was very put off by the weird, unsafe vibe of Quito whereas my overwhelming love for the town of Banos overshadowed everything else. I would absolutely go back to Ecuador, if only to visit the Galapagos!

All Ecuador Articles

Me Versus the Volcano: 16,000 Feet in the Air

The Problem with Quito

I Jumped Off a Bridge! And Other Adventures

A Pyrotechnic Ecuadorian New Years

Montañita: A Party Town Without the Guilt

Ecuador: The Best and Worst

Argentina

This is where the bulk of my seven months ended up playing out. On basically a whim we flew to Buenos Aires and rented an apartment for three months. I took Spanish lessons, wrote a lot and explored Argentine culture as best I could. At the end of our stay we traveled overland to Chile via Rosario, Cordoba and Mendoza.

I did like Argentina a lot, although I’m not sure I would live there again. Next time I go though it will be to visit Patagonia.

All Argentina Articles

So What’s Buenos Aires Like?

The Rules of Mate

El Ateneo: The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World

Don’t Go to the Zoo When It’s Hot

City of the Dead: La Recoleta

Behind the Closed Door: Buenos Aires’ Secret Restaurants

La Boca: The Fakest Spot in Buenos Aires

Jueves A La Mesa: A Real Secret Restaurant

The Mighty Alfajore: A Taste Test

The Real Story of Evita

Buenos Aires like a Local

Dangit, I Should Have Lived in Rosario

Totally Obvious Things I Didn’t Know about Wine

Argentina: The Best and Worst

Uruguay

We went to Uruguay on an actual vacation from travel blogging and it was lovely. We worked our way up the coast visit Colonia, Montevideo, Punta del Este and more.

Uruguay is a gorgeous country, one of the nicest and cleanest I’ve seen. It’s also incredibly expensive.

 All Uruguay Articles:

Things You Didn’t Know about Uruguay

Cabo Polonio: Sand Lover’s Paradise

The Agony and Ecstasy of Laptop Detox

Uruguay: The Best and Worst

Chile

Last on the list was Chile, where we spent ten days in Santiago before flying home. Although I felt like I didn’t really take advantage of our time there, I did like Chile and I now have even MORE places on my list to return to!

All Chile Articles

Sorry Santiago

Street Art of Valparaíso: A Photo Essay