Home...concluding remarks on South American and GAP Adventures

I am now sitting in the airport in Rio finishing up my blog entries for this trip. It's Saturday night and my flight leaves in two hours at 10:30p. In reflection, my 22 days in South America have truly been a great experience. I enjoyed the new scenery, cuisines and people that I have gotten to know in a part of the world I have never experienced before. I also got to explore a new way to travel for me through GAP Adventures. While I have not had a chance to reflect and compare this trip with some past travel experiences that have also been amazing, this one has been very unique and satisfying.

Main Memories-
Buenos Aires/Argentina - beef, beef everywhere. The city is vibrant and comparable to those in Europe. It lacks somewhere in "attractions" and was enjoyable for
the time I spent there, but will not be something I crave to return to, other than a short layover.

Uruguay - more beef, flat but interesting drives, a bit haphazard. Cannot say I ever have a reason to return but I was glad I got to experience it for the four days or
so we were in the country.

Iguacu Falls (Argentina/Brazil) - stunning and one of the most memorable stops I have ever had. The falls are as immense and surreal as the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley. I'm
not sure anything can top Yosemite Valley to me personally, but Iguacu comes close.

Coastal Brazil near Rio - mountainous coastlines, amazing panoramas, wonderful beaches, juice!, contrast between Copacabana and the favelas living side-by-side, diverse Atlantic rainforests

As for GAP Adventures, I highly recommend this type of experience. GAP is not the only company that provides a similar experience, but I really loved the social element of the trip. There was little downtime and I never felt alone. I met people that I will share this experience with from around the world. We all hope to stay in touch and hopefully I will get to meet and visit with many of them in their home countries. And maybe, I'll even get to travel with one of them again. The wealth of travel that each of them has provides me a network that will be invaluable in the future.