It's Sunday August 24th, and in 6 days time, Niamh and I are flying to Madrid for a stopover on our way to Rio de Janeiro, where the trip of a lifetime begins!
For almost the entire month of September we'll be traveling from Rio to Sao Paulo, then on to the awsome Iguazu Falls (definitely going to be a highlight!) After that we head up to Asuncion in Paraguay to catch a flight to Cochabamba in Bolivia, where we'll start to acclimatise to the altitude. Then it's up up up to 4,000 meters and the salt flats of Bolivia for a 4 days excursion in a land cruiser, seeing volcanoes, multi-coloured lagoons, giant cacti and, well, salt! Then it's up to La Paz to meet up with Tom and Tadhg, followed by a catamaran crossing of Lake Titicaca which brings us into Puno, Peru. A few days later we begin the 4 day trek of the Inca Trail, ending in the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. No doubt after an exhausting hike, we'll be living it up in luxury in Lime before returning to the emerald isle.
I'm not sure what to expect. Everyone who's been to South America tells me I'm definitely going to experience a culture shock. Tijuana is probably as latin as I've ever been, so that's what's running around my head. But I'm sure it's going to be great. What's been on my mind for a while is mosquitos. And sand flies. I hate insects, really hate them. And there will be no shortage of them where we're going. We have the DEET and the nets so I'm sure we'll be ok, but it's when you hear of outbreaks of Dengue Fever in Asuncion and Rio that you're kinda worried. Saying that, if you only think about that kinda stuff you won't end up enjoying yourself. It's just nerves I guess. South America is a long way away but it's one of those places I have always been fascinated about and have always wanted to go to, so rather than thinking about the down sides, I'm just gonna enjoy every minute of it, and make sure I have the best trip of my life.
Wow, I wrote a lot more than I though I would. I'll probably add bits and pieces over the next week to get into the habit of updating this blog. So until next time!
2 comments:
Don't forget the burrowing flesh worms or whatever they're called, you guys were trying to freak me out with youtube videos of that horrible little critter the last time.
See you in La Paz!
T :)
Have a great trip Colin - looking forward to the updates!
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