I’ve spent a lot of the free time in my life traveling — through Europe, Australia, Egypt, India, the Caribbean, etc. — but South America always stuck out as one glaring to-do flag that just never was crossed off the list. And now, after 4.5 months through Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Colombia, I can’t believe our time in this continent is over. (For now! I’ll be back to conquer giant Brazil some day soon.)

We’ve seen such awe-inspiring lanscapes and done some pretty gutsy things (i.e. zip-lining on six consecutive cables in Peru, cliff-diving in Argentina). We ate a lot, A LOT of food (mostly steak and dulce de leche). We made friends who made strong, sometimes life-changing impressions on us, even though we may never see them again. (By the way, it’s really hard to keep perspective that what you’re doing is cool and interesting when you constantly meet other travelers who are doing even cooler and more interesting things.)

But I also learned a lot about my personality, as well as Eaman’s and how we travel together. It’s not easy to be together 24/7, but aside from the minor flare-ups, I’m proud to say we make it work. Our relationship gets stronger every day, and perhaps that’s because we’ve gone through so much — from grueling hikes and nights out until 7 a.m. to language barriers and food poisioning.

Zarate, Argentina. Look at how short Eaman’s hair was!!

I’m pretty impressed with how well I can understand even the fastest of Spanish speakers now, but my conversational skills are stagnant. I wish I had taken tango or salsa lessons, though that was more of a money issue. I wish I had volunteered. And wish I Couchsurfed in at least one place. Laziness accounts for the last two, and it’s unfortunate that only when something is ending that you realize just how lazy you’ve been.

But if anything, our time in South America was a good introduction to long-term travel, and we’ll keep the things we learned in mind as we move on to Asia later this year.

Colca Canyon, Peru:

We don’t want to end up like that, which is why living in an apartment in
Buenos Aires was so important and why living in Hawaii (again, hopefully!) will be the change of pace and lifestyle refresher we need.

But that isn’t the end of my dissertation on South America. In lieu of a superlative list — I find it way too hard to compare countries, as they’re all so different — I wanted to give you a rundown of South America by the numbers because everything — even 24-hour bus rides — sound fun in retrospect.

Number of hostels: 19

Largest number of roommates in one hostel room: 9

Number of “rustic” accommodations: 3 (one in the Peruvian jungle had a shower that was hooked up to the electric wires for heat, so we’d constantly get shocked when touching the faucets)

Number of inter-South America flights: 7

Number of times in Bogota’s airport (for layovers or landings): 3 (Archana) and 4 (Eaman)

Number of plazas visited named Plaza de Armas: 4

Number of nationalities met: 24 (mostly Germans)

Number of hikes/treks: 9

Number of personal belongings lost between the two of us: 7

Number of local dances learned: 4

Number of puppy friends made: 9

Number of new songs purchased on iTunes after hearing them in South America: 11

Number of times we ate at El Turko, a shawarma cafe, in Arequipa, Peru: 9

Number of days in hospital: 1

As always, I’m a little behind with the Photo of the Week section. But here is an amazing sunset in Arequipa, Peru on our last night before we left for Buenos Aires. Pollution may have had a helping hand in the creation of the beautiful colors, nevertheless, it was spectacular.

We’re now in Buenos Aires, enjoying the comforts of a big, cosmopolitan city and our very own apartment (details on that in the next post). But we would be remiss to move on from Peru without a little reflection.

I think Peru will always hold a special place in our wanderlust hearts because it was the first stop on this big, crazy adventure. We didn’t know much about the country beyond Machu Picchu, but we’ve learned so much.

The people are some of the warmest, most generous you’ll find. And the country itself is huge and varied with so much to do–whether it’s hitting the beach, going for a hike, soaking in hot springs, trekking through the jungle or tasting food in the rising gastronomic capital of Lima. (We sadly missed a major food festial by one week!!)

A friend in Buenos Aires told us that we did good by starting in
Peru because you expect and almost crave a big culture shock at the beginning of this kind of trip. Starting in Buenos Aires would’ve felt like going from one New York to the next. Peru was indeed a culture shock, but in the best way possible. No skyscrapers, no herds of people in a rush, no taking things for granted.

Peru was a quick lesson in appreciating the small things in life (i.e. hot water, electricity and something to eat after a long day hiking), not to mention natural beauty at its finest.

We didn’t get to share all the pictures we would’ve liked to with each post, so here, the stuff you didn’t see:

Yarn at a market in Cusco:

Dinner with new friends at organic restaurant Greens in Cusco:

Hiking in the ancient Inca town of Pisaq:

Amazing vegetarian lunch at Govinda in Lima. I haven’t seen tofu in a while

Abuela warming up empanadas in Pisaq:

Inca Kola, apparently made of lemongrass but tastes like bubblegum. The novelty wore off quickly:

Cusco by night:

Hike to Ollyantaytambo, another ancient Inca town:

We randomly saw a performance by The National Ballet of Georgia in Cusco…and it was awesome:

The nicest clothes we had (that also worked with the cold weather) to wear to the ballet:

There were always tiny puppies and kittens at the small basic hostels we stayed at during our treks:

Break during our jungle trek:

Riding on an abandoned Peru Rail train in the jungle:

Making good on a major craving in Arequipa:

Next up, a tour of our Buenos Aires digs!

We spent our last week in Peru hanging out in Arequipa, the second largest city, and as we found out, the perfect place to get a lovely mix of sightseeing, eating, partying and hiking.

The city’s most talked about sight is the Santa Catalina monastery, which covers more than 20,000 square meters and was built in 1580. It used to house hundreds of nuns but now only 30 live in the complex. Luckily for us, the remaining area is open to the public. It’s a wild combination of colors, history and intense silence.

And as most of you know, Eaman and I are obsessed with food–both eating it and daydreaming about it. No one mentioned that Arequipa had such a vibrant restaurant scene, but it didn’t take us long to find it out. True, we went to two restaurants in one day and found hair in both our meals–we promptly left the restaurants–but, in general, the food has been awesome. We’re particularly fond of El Turko, a fast food Turkish spot that we’ve already been to six times.

But, yes, we’ve been elsewhere. Here, some highlights:

The limonada, the fun green drink below, is ridiculous in Peru:

Instead, with some advice from friends who had done the trek independently, we headed out on our own. A lot of people do this classic trail themselves, but I’m not sure whether it’s because it’s the low season or because the canyon is so friggin’ big, but we barely saw anyone along the way. It was deafeningly silent; all we could hear was the swishing of the leaves. And all I could think of was Pocahantas and “The Colors of the Wind.”

Day One

3.5 hours of downhill
2 hours of ups and downs (couldn’t find a place to eat for lunch so we subsisted on granola bars and trail mix)
1.5 hours of uphill

Day Two
3.5 hours of uphill

Still smiling:

As soon as we spotted the pools from the top of the mountain, we were literally running downhill to get there asap. And when we did…oh boy, that was bliss.

Not that uphill was much easier. For some reason, the only thing that kept me going was singing Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ “Scar Tissue” and “Californication” in my head. The problem is, I know two lines from each song. So yeah, imagine singing those four lines over and over for 3.5 hours on day two.

But we did it. Up and climbing at 6 a.m., we were at the top by 9:20 a.m. And it was such a rush to finally be at the top. I was semi-delirious, hence the pose:

Chao for now!

Blogging has been a great way to keep track of all our stories, but for day to day notes and contact info, I’ve been toting around Graphic Image’s World Travel Journal, which the company so generously gifted to me before our trip.

I even brought it along to Machu Picchu last week!

The gilt-edged journal–valued at $55–isn’t just a notebook; it’s filled with maps, average temperatures, foreign embassy info, and weight and measurement coverters for every country imaginable. It truly lives up to its name, huh?

A winner will be picked at random and will be given the option to have his or her initials embossed on the journal. (Fancy!) All qualifying comments must be posted by October 17, 2011 at 8 p.m. EST.

In the meantime, the company is kindly offering a sitewide 20% discount when you use the code TRAVEL at Graphic Image. And for even more discounts, follow them on Twitter!

So put your daydreaming to good use, and tell us where you want to go! Good luck!

There have been many great photo opportunities in Peru. From the cute babies, to the vibrant textiles to the beautiful nature that seems to be everywhere you open your eyes to the wise-looking abuelas(os) as pictured above. There has only been one catch – sometimes you gotta pay up for a nice picture opportunity. When trying to take the above pic, the abuela told me I have to pay up 1 sol (about $0.40) in order to take her shot. So I paid up thinking I can take as many photos as my heart desired. But not so fast. One sole apparently only buys you three pics. So in this shot, you can see the abuela yelling at me for taking a fourth pic (hence her raising four fingers). Lesson learned: I have since limited my shots per sol to three and understood that even a warm, fuzzy cardigan-wearing abuela can drive a hard bargain.

You might remember that Eaman and I had to cancel our four-day hiking trip to Machu Picchu (here on out abbreviated as MP) after we both got pretty sick, but we weren’t about to let a little salmonella get in the way of seeing one of the wonders of the world. So once we were feeling normal again, we signed up for a four-day Inca jungle trek that fellow backpackers at our hostel raved about.

We left last Monday for a trek that involved mountain biking, river rafting, hiking through the lush, fruit-filled jungle, zip-lining, some pretty rudimentary hostels and the big cahuna: MP.

Even though pictures never convey the true beauty, I feel it’s the best way to summarize the amazing adventure.

The biking was less intense than you’d think because it was all downhill. But still a rush to slide down those slippery, windy roads. (It’s rainy season people!) Here we are in our gigantic but top-notch ponchos before biking:

A stop on day two with our tour guide, Amoroso:

With our group, us and eight Israelis:

Fresh avocado that fell from the trees:

A spotted pig!

Day three, after we zip-lined on the tallest line in South America. There were six consecutive lines! Wheeeeee!

Pit-stop on day three:

And here she is, MP:

Hanging with llamas:

Faux touching a spiritual rock that is meant to reset your energy:

After a killer uphill hike to the top of Wayna Picchu. About 10 minutes after, it started pouring when we were precariously perched on the peak. Simultaneously scary and exhilirating:

Dangling:

We did it!

We landed in Cusco last Friday and have accomplished the following thus far:

1. Walked the local neighborhoods
2. Sampled local cuisine at the San Pedro market
3. Visited the Pisaq market and climbed to the mountain top there
4. Contracted gastrointestinal infections
5. Contracted salmonella poisoning (Eaman)
6. Spent a night at the Cusco clinic (both)
7. Missed our four-day trek to Macchu Pichu

Let us explain…

Everyone–friends, guidebooks and all–warned us that Cusco was nothing but a tourist trap. Once we began to explore, we thought they couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a vibrant, bustling mountain city with enough hometown charm to prove any Lonely Planet wrong. The locals are warm, the babies are beyond squeezable, and the food at the market? Out of this world! I mean, rice, eggs and beans–all delicious–for $1. Hello!

With our friends Brandee (left) and Natalie (center):

Trying to hold it together:

Pisaq market:

We did our best to fight it, but with our Macchu Pichu trek looming in two days, we didn’t want to risk anything. And so we called a doctor (through a clinic our hostel works with), who came to our hostel within 45 minutes. After examining us both, he determined we both had GI infections. Unfortunately, Eaman’s had caught up with him a little sooner than mine had.

The antibiotics were supposed to be enough, and for me, they were. But for Eaman, not so much. The next day his body was totally rejecting the meds a.k.a. he was vomiting. That meant he needed the meds through an IV. And that, my friends, was how we got to our first hospital abroad within a week of traveling. It looks like we may have gotten ill from the traditional Peruvian drink known as the Pisco Sour, which uses raw egg whites for its foam. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but EVERY tourist drinks them. I guess it was luck of the draw. Or perhaps it was the unpasteurized cheese from the San Pedro market, which WE DIDN’T KNOW was unpasteurized. Ugh, no more sampling.

Here’s Eaman at the clinic. In my defense, he told me to take this picture:

The stay at the clinic obviously meant Eaman was out of the Macchu Pichu trek. According to the doctor, I was actually well enough to go, but I wasn’t about to leave Eaman alone. To be honest, my stomach wasn’t feeling 100% anyway. It was oddly fun to be cooped up in the room with our friends, HBO and Cinemax. Don’t judge; we felt like crap.

We got out yesterday and these past few days have been such a blur. A part of us just wants to get the hell out of Cusco. It’s left a sour taste in our mouths, and that’s not just because our antibiotic has a tendency to leave us with a none-too-delectable metal flavor on our tongues. We feel defeated that this happened so early. And I hate to say it, I had a moment–during extreme gastrointestinal pain–when I just wanted to be back in the U.S. I just wanted a friggin’ bowl of Cheerios.

But we’re trying to stay positive. Our insurance was wonderful and will hopefully reimburse our whole Macchu Picchu trek. So instead of doing a taxing four-day hike, we are leaving this coming Monday for the Inca jungle trail, which includes hiking, mountain biking and ziplining. (We’re assuming we’ll be back to normal by then. Fingers crossed.)

I believe that everything happens for a reason, and there was some reason we weren’t supposed to go the classic route. Plus, we have a whole year for adventure. Such is the beauty of long-term travel.

For now, our goal is to just grt better. And now that I’m absolutely frightened to eat anything unfamiliar, we’ve sadly been eaing pizza and McDonald’s 24/7. Sigh. I feel like such a sell-out. But it does give me peace of mind that Mickey D’s was the first meal that I could successfully eat since getting sick. Chicken sandwich, French fries and Sprite FTW!

We just didn’t think we’d have to learn that lesson so soon!

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Because our time is free flowing and cost efficiency is key, our first flight out included a nine-hour layover in Bogota, Colombia. Unfortunately, it was from 9pm to 6am, which meant all we could really do was sleep–on cold wooden benches. It was less painful than it sounds, but at 3:30am, when we couldn’t toss and turn any longer and I was hungry from the measly airplane meaI, I grabbed an egg McMuffin at McDonalds and split a cheese croissant with Eaman. (“Solomento huevos” and “solomento queso” apparently meant nothing; both came with meat, which we just picked out.)

With food finally in my stomach, we moved on to security at about 4am, and that was when I started feeling sick.

Eaman and I have a running joke about how sensitive I am…to anything. So when my stomach started hurting at the Xray machines, I didn’t want to fuss. I figured it was my usual general discomfort due, this time, to lack of sleep and new surroundings. But pretty soon, the pain was unbearable. I went from feeling ice cold to sweating bullets and that was also when the dizziness hit me.

The next thing I knew, I was beginning to faint. Luckily, Eaman was behind me and caught me before I fell. I probably blacked out for two seconds, but the airport workers brought me a chair and called the airport doctor, who after asking some questions, deduced that I had probably suffered a bout of altitude sickness, common in those parts, especially for someone coming from Flatlands, USA.

True, I had already started feeling better once I was in the chair–it must’ve just been a sudden shock to my system. But lesson learned: Don’t dismiss even the smallest of physical pains.

But anyway, moving on to less serious matters!

We arrived in Lima wednesday morning, bleary-eyed but very much in the mood to explore, so we wandered around Miraflores, a safe neighborhood known for its restaurants and shopping.

Breakfast at the hostel on our first morning:

The other, less welcome, aspect of Lima was the weather. We had been so sure that everywhere on our itinerary would be warm, but Lima’s winter is, we read up on later, May through November…and we basically only packed tees and shorts.

Thanks to a tip from one of our roommates in our eight-person dorm, we supplemented our wardrobe with relatively cheap sweatshirts at La 5uinta, a less glossy version of TJ Maxx. The roommate, Brandee from San Francisco, is just rounding out a year of travel, so talking to her was like seeing into the future with all her fascinating tips and stories. Also in our room was her friend Natalie, a Brit archaeology student who we saw for a total of five minutes in 24 hours and two friends from the Faroe Islands, which I had never even heard of but is located northwest of Scotland.

After a day of settling in (and napping), we explored the heart of central Lima. Though famous for its Spanish colonial architecture, we had much more of a blast wandering through Chinatown–yes, they have one–and the more off-the-beaten path streets. Again, total score that we look like locals. It was there that we had our first dose of street food–cooked, of course! We were hooked and had to keep turning away from the vendors to not get tempted.

Old Lima:

Cute kid near Plaza des Armas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

First street food for me! Plate of hard-boiled eggs, potatoes and steamed Peruvian corn:

Cute kid eating pineapple:

Plus, Brandee and Natalie, who’ll be there at he same time, are trying to set up a meeting with a shaman for some spiritual cleansing and we’ve already told them we want in on that.