So, here we are back in our green and pleasant land! Having spent nine months on our travels, it feels a bit strange to be back and all a bit surreal at the moment. However, it’s lovely to see family and friends again and we’re looking forward to staying in one place for longer than a week!
We had a very enjoyable end to the trip in Playa del Carmen and did very little apart from a couple of dives. The dives were fun and I saw a few turtles, which was really cool but I don’t think it was as nice a place to dive as Utila, although I’d still quite like to go back and dive off Cozumel as that’s supposed to be really good.
The rest of our time was spent lazing around on the beach, on the balcony or in our room, just unwinding. It was quite difficult to adjust to not having to go off and see places but we managed it :0). Shopping also featured quite heavily, although luckily, all of our purchases fitted into our bags after we had thrown out all of our smelly clothes! Chris was very glad to say goodbye to his three pairs of pants that had lasted 9 months! (Chris – after getting a team photo of the boys! A word of caution to people buying unpriced items in Playa del Carmen. We were interested in a certain piece of jewellery and asked one guy how much it was and he quoted us $40 but we didn’t have the money on us so Sarah went back a couple of days later and asked a different bloke for the same piece by when the price had risen to $90! After informing him we’d previously been quoted $40 he said, yeah ok then, obviously still making a tidy profit.)
Time for a little reflection maybe…we had an excellent time and it was a fantastic experience for both of us. Although I didn’t think I’d changed while we were out there, having come home, I somehow feel a bit more mature and definitely more relaxed than when we left! (Chris – Not sure if I’ve changed much, wasn’t I perfect already? :0) Seriously though, it was something that ten years ago I wouldn’t have considered doing - I mean, how can you go nine months with four pairs of pants and two t-shirts? – but has been the most enjoyable, exciting and interesting experience of my life. A friend told me before we went that going travelling was the best thing he’d ever done, and never having been before, I couldn’t agree or disagree but having done it, I would definitely agree. Its amazing how much world there is out there and having been away it certainly gives you a new found appreciation for what we have and how lucky we are here in Britain.)
People often ask us about our highlights so here’s a few…
1) Iguazu falls – seen on our second week away, they were probably the most magnificent thing we saw. Words and photos just don’t do them justice – if you get the opportunity to go…GO! (Chris – I’d agree with this. I’d never heard of them before we went but they must be one of the wonders of the modern world.)
2) Uyuni salt lakes – absolutely beautiful. If you’re planning to go, definitely try to go in the wet season (around January/February but check for exact times!) as the reflection of the sky in the water is unbelievable. (Chris – Also brilliant value when visiting from Bolivia although the accommodation can be a bit…interesting.)
3) Diving – for me, anyway. Anyone thinking of doing it, I would definitely recommend it and if you’re in the Honduras area, Utila is one of the cheapest places in the world to dive and really beautiful. I’d recommend Gunter’s dive shop.
4) Perito Moreno glacier – being the first glacier either of us had seen, it definitely made an impression. Very impressive and beautiful.
5) Patagonian lakes and rivers – never have either of us seen water so clean and pure. If there was one place in Latin America we could happily live, it would be in Patagonia. (That may have something to do with the climate as well though as it felt quite homely with the cold and the rain while we were there!) (Chris – And the very warm welcome we received from Roberto and Silvia. And to think, we didn’t have Patagonia on our original travel route.)
6) Learning Spanish – we both felt a great sense of achievement doing this and were both proud of ourselves when we could hold a conversation with someone (as long as they didn’t speak too quickly). We got lots of compliments for it and it was a definite benefit for getting around and hopefully getting slightly less ripped off sometimes!
7) Torres del Paine – a beautiful spot and a great place to breathe the clean air and enjoy the scenery…even if the exercise nearly kills you!
8) People we met – we met some really lovely people while we were away, both travellers and locals and we hope that we will stay in contact with them for a long time to come. Special mention goes to the Monteserin family – Cecilia for her excellent teaching and general friendliness and Roberto and Silvia for taking us under their wing and showing us some of their beautiful homeland. Thank you all. Also to Rita at Aisicom for helping to sort us all out with our course, our Cordoban homes and her friendship.
Chris – I would just add that in general we preferred South America to Central America although a part of this was due to spending much more time in South America (7 months versus 2 months). Our favourite countries were Argentina first closely followed by Ecuador and even though we were only there 3 days, I would put Uruguay up there as well.
We would also like to thank the over 52,000 visitors to our site! We can’t get over how many people have taken an interest in our travels. (Chris – I’d like to say thank you to all our friends and family who have kept in touch while we’ve been away. Its amazing how much an email about humdrum life in the office at home can pick you up on a down day! Also, a very special thank you to Sarah who, I’m very pleased to say, I’m still speaking to after spending 9 months in each others pockets, and was the perfect travelling companion (most of the time!))
It was obviously a fantastic experience for us and we hope that all of those who have been following it have enjoyed it too and that maybe it has inspired some of you to go off on your own adventures…we would definitely recommend it. Watch this space, we may even be off again at some point!
So, on that note, we sign off for the final time for the moment. Thanks again, take care all and keep in touch!
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