As we head off to New Zealand, I am reflecting on the past month in South America. I have been thinking about the highlights of the trip, what I’ve learned about the cultures, about myself and about travelling.  In an effort to keep this short and to the point, I’ve narrowed down my thoughts to “the top 5 things…”

I Love About South America:

1. Wide open spaces! – indeed, the Dixie Chick’s song was in my head a good part of the time. Chile, in particular allows you the opportunity to truly feel in the middle of nowhere and witness nature’s majesty
2. In Chile they serve this salsa stuff called Chancho en Piedra with nearly every meal and each place seemed to have their own unique spin – sometimes like salsa, sometimes more like bruschetta – served with bread – so yummy!
3. Gaucho culture- complete with matte and horseback riding- is everywhere
4. The Chilean people – so friendly and welcoming
5. Buenos Aires – perhaps my favorite city of all time… so far 🙂

I miss about home:

1. Family and friends – seriously, I really miss you guys
2. Dogs  – sadly, Raj and I have taken to impersonating our dogs. it’s really frightening…
3. Cooking for myself – the food has been great, but sometimes you just want to do it yourself
4. Big salads for meals – there is only so much meat a newly converted vegetarian can handle – why don’t other countries (exception Greece) have this as an option?
5. Easy access to the things we take for granted and knowing where I’m sleeping at night

I’ve been inspired to do:

1. Plant a BIG vegetable garden
2. Own horses and land to gallop through – seriously, I may have to move OTP now
3. Learn Spanish fluently (would have been helpful before this trip, but better late than never)
4. Make furniture – weird because I NEVER considered it before, but ever since we passed that property on horseback and i saw those trees that looked like driftwood, I can’t stop thinking about how I’d like to make something from it
5. Come back to Chile and Argentine with friends and family. there is nothing that i have seen or done that I wouldn’t want to do again and there is still so much more to do. Plus, I have to make good use of #3

I’m glad I packed (for those of you who read my first blog posting):

1. Burt’s Bees Res-Q Ointment (thank you Auntie Nancy!) and the miracle stuff we bought in India – since we spent quite a lot of time on horses, we both experienced the joys of saddle sores at one point or another – lovely things…not
2. Netbook and converter/adapter set – although we contemplated “getting away from it all” in a more complete way, it has been absolutely terrific to be able to stay more connected and to be able to Skype and write the blog and do research as we go. In actuality, we feel more free having it than we would have felt if we left it behind.
3. The hair thingy mom gave me – very versatile – works when it’s cold as an ear protector or when I just need to cover up my hair
4. Horseback riding boots, cold weather boots and hiking boots – i debated and debated about bringing all three – seemed excessive and heavy. but all three have been essential
5. 3-in-1 Clinique products – it downsizes packing and makes everything faster

There are several things I have that I haven’t needed too and other things I wish I had (especially when we were in BA and everyone else had snazzy clothes). Ultimately, we both seem to have packed really well. 

All in all, our first continent could not have been any better: we had great weather, fantastic experiences and met new friends.