Santiago, Chile [Post #20, Day 317]

I am here at the airport in Santiago as I wrap up my adventures in South America. I started in Brazil visiting São Paulo, Paraty, Ilha Grande, and Rio de Janeiro. I had originally planned to explore other parts of Brazil, like Chapada Diamantina and Foz do Iguaçu, but the country is huge! And takes time and considerable cost to get from place to place. I had a great team of Brazilian friends back in Perth who helped me plan my trip with fun things to do and see, and delicious foods to eat! Thanks Juliano, Aline, Francisco, Júlia, and André! My first introduction to the vibrant energy of Brazil was visiting Avenida Paulista in São Paulo. I went there on Sunday when the street is closed to traffic and filled with food stalls and shops, live music, and other activities. There was so much vibrant and happy energy, with food, drinks, all kinds of music including rock bands with full drum set and everything set up in the street, electronic music, traditional Brazilian music, and lots of dancing!

From São Paulo I made my way to Paraty and Paraty Mirim. This is where I started my nature and hiking experience and one thing became very clear to me – Brazil is amazingly green! I stayed in one of the most unique hostels of my whole world trip in Paraty Mirim – Remo’s Hostel which was a treehouse! Everyone was very welcoming and kind there and I made some great friends and hiking buddies, including Arielle from Florida and Beate from Munich, who I ended up meeting again later in Rio!

Remo's Hostel, a treehouse hostel in the Brazilian jungle, and hiking fun with Arielle and Beate.

After Paraty and Paraty Mirim I was on to the island of Ilha Grande. There I did more hiking, including hiking up Pico de Papagaio, the second highest peak on the island. I made some friends from Denmark along the way and we hiked up together. They had a drone and we got some super cool footage at the peak. After enjoying nature in Ilha Grande I was on my way to Rio. Beate had made her way there earlier and so we met up and explored around, we did some more fun hikes, including up to the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. Since Aline is a Carioca (born and raised in Rio) she made me an awesome list of things to do while in Rio and foods to try, thanks Aline! I also had the great chance to meet up with Aline’s cousin Luiza who I had first met when she visited Aline in Perth. It was great to be reunited in Rio and to meet with her and her boyfriend Matheus! We took the cable car ride up to Sugarloaf Mountain which gave great views over Rio in all directions. Rio is amazing in how it’s built in amongst the natural landscape.

Drone shot from Pico do Papagaio with my Danish hiking buddies. See all that green!

After Rio, I made my way to Argentina, first stopping in Buenos Aires. I really liked Buenos Aires and it felt quite European to me. Buenos Aires was then my launching point south into Patagonia. I worked my way sequentially south, starting in Bariloche, then going to El Bolsón, then El Chaltén, El Calafate, then across the border into Chile, visiting Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park. Patagonia was incredible. One of my goals was to wear my Patagonia jacket in Patagonia, so I can tick that box! This was also the first time I saw glaciers, I saw two, Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate, and Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine National Park. They were incredible to see and I felt like they held immense power and were like living creatures with the ice cracking and popping sounds they made.

Fitz Roy mountain as we approach El Chaltén, the range that the Patagonia logo is based on.

Perito Moreno Glacier

Glacier Grey

From Puerto Natales I then made my way back north to here in Santiago. As I was nearing the end of my trip in Patagonia and preparing to head to Santiago I was feeling increasingly burned out and quite worn down physically and mentally. I had originally planned to spend just a night in Santiago then continue on my way through the Atacama Desert into Bolivia, visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats and La Paz, then Peru where I had planned to hike to Machu Picchu, all before heading back to the States just before Christmas. Rather than feeling excited for these destinations, I felt exhausted, I was experiencing travel burnout. As Quinn who I had met in my hostel in Puerto Natales said – “you have been cured of the travel bug!”, and it’s true, well temporarily at least! So I made the decision to save the additional adventures in Bolivia and Peru for a future time and booked my flight back to New Jersey at an earlier date. And today is that date! I’m heading back to New Jersey this evening and I can’t wait to get back and spend time with my family in the lead up to Christmas. It will be so great to unpack my bags and have the same bed again for weeks straight!

I don’t really see this as the end of my world travels, it’s just the next stage as I transition from backpacking travel to my next adventure. I’m very excited to be with family and reflect on all these incredible experiences I’ve had in the past 317 days! And as I was from the beginning, I am so deeply thankful for the opportunity to do this trip. Now is the time to rest, process, and reflect. I will likely write another future post or two as I reflect on my experiences and all the things I’ve learned.

I’m sitting in California Pizza Kitchen here in Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport awaiting my flight, and the song I decided on many months ago as the theme song for my trip has just come on – What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. Now tell me that’s not a coincidence. My eyes just got watery as they usually do when I listen to this song. What a Wonderful World – after going on this trip I can confirm it truly is!