Te Amo Latinoamerica

I’ve been reflecting on everything I’ve learned and discovered here. Somethings I expected, a lot of things I didn’t. My Spanish didn’t come as fast as I’d have liked, but it did get to a point where I don’t feel totally lost. 

The people here are wonderful and friendly. The place is huge, not just geographically, but in population, diversity, culture and politics too. 

While many the countries here have had or are having political problems, the people just want to get on with their lives. Bolivia’s fake coup was almost comical to hear about from the locals. Within an hour, while the soldiers were still marching in the streets, and before CNN got its chyron typed up, the locals were passing the word that this was just the president creating a fake coup to distract from the economy.

I loved hearing about the history of Colombia from our guide each night at camp in the jungle. I fell in love with a street drummer one night while eating at a restaurant in Santa Marta. I’m amazed my guide in Central America navigated 15 of us through half a dozen land borders, and nobody got detained!

I was blown away by the beauty of Peru, the biodiversity of Costa Rica, I was captivated by the efforts of a deaf school in Nicaragua. I was stunned by the view of the Andes in Santiago, and adored the beautiful beaches in Aruba.

I swum in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Panama and watched baby turtles being released into the ocean in Nicaragua, I even swum with sea turtles and sharks in the Galápagos Islands! I almost climbed a mountain in Bolivia, and succeeded in a gruelling hike through the jungle.

I visited wonders of the world — Machu Picchu, Iguazú Falls, Christ the Redeemer, and the Amazon Jungle. 

I slept in rainforests, in jungles, in deserts, I slept in tents and houses made of salt. Once I even slept in a 4 star hotel! 

Rio was somehow exactly like I’d imagine it would be, it was its own stereotype, right down to the guys walking around wearing just a banana hammock. 

I made many friends along the way, some we spent only a brief few hours together, some I travelled with for weeks.   

The country that captivated me most, and that I will definitely return to, is Bolivia. Maybe it was the low oxygen in the air, maybe I was drinking too much coca tea, but that country really grabbed me. Te Amo Bolivia, and Te Amo South America.