"Bests" of South America and Other Reflections
Best Food: Sushi and Ceviche in Lima, Peru. Steak in Buenos Aires. In general, I was very underwhelmed by the food in South America. However, I was an adventurous eater. I tried caman and capybara in Brazil and cuy in Peru.
Best Drinking: Mendoza, Argentina Wineries
Best Shopping: Hippie Fair in Rio de Janeiro and Otavalo Saturday Market in Otavalo, Ecuador.
Best Wildlife: Pantanal, Bolivia. A mecca for bird-lovers. I saw birds that I only see in zoos or on the front of Fruit Loops cereal. I have heard that you see more wildlife in Pantanal than in the Amazon. Besides the wildlife, it was the most serene and peaceful place I visited.
Best Scenery: Puerta Varas, Chile; W Trek Torres del Paine Patagonia, Chile. Just jaw-dropping natural beauty.
Best Natural Wonder: Iguazu Falls, Brazil & Argentina. I have been fortunate enough to see several natural wonders such as The Alps, The Grand Canyon, and The Grand Tetons. In my opinion they can't quite compare to the might of Iguazu Falls. It was powerful, humbling, and mesmerizing. You experienced the falls with all your senses.
Best Hiking: Lençóis, Brazil; Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro; W Trek Torres del Paine Patagonia, Chile
Best City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It seemed to have everything - beautiful and kind people, stunning scenery, nice beaches, party atmosphere, a rain forest, enthusiastic futebol (i.e. soccer) fans, loads of culture. There was just so much to do there. One drawback was I never felt completely at ease with my safety.
Country I felt most comfortable in: Chile. Culturally most like my own. Didn't feel as concerned about safety. Generally, it has good infrastructure and a better sense of customer service and business transparency. Great fruit too!
Lowest Point: Belo Horizonte, Brazil. I found Belo Horizonte to be rather dirty. I arrived in the pouring rain, hungry and homesick. The town was deserted because of a long holiday. I felt incredibly lonely.
Best Super-Fun Experience: El Calafate, Argentina. 35 minutes in an ice bar - all you can drink - with my buddies Tom and Tony. Everything made of ice including the shot glasses, the bar, and the furniture. Just a very cool experience.
Best Once in a lifetime Experience: Walking with penguins in their natural habitat.
Strangest Sighting: On a bus in Ecuador, a woman holding a live chicken while a blind guy played a trumpet. Not off-the-charts strange. I saw more unusual stuff in Asia and central America.
Easiest Place to Understand Spanish: Lima, Peru. The Spanish is "neutral" and they speak slower and more clearly. Conversely, I hardly understood anyone in Chile or Buenos Aires. Chileans admit they speak horrible Spanish and Portaños (i.e. people from Buenos Aires) have so much Italian influence, you wonder if they are speaking Spanish or Italian.
Most Rewarding Experience: Volunteering for a month in Ibrarra, Ecuador in the field of Micro-finance. Saw first hand how a small loan with business mentoring can mean a hand-up not a hand-out.
Biggest surprise: Places that I had huge expectations for let me down and others I had no expectations of delighted me. I guess this is how it always happens. Was disappointed with Argentina in general (both Buenos Aires and Mendoza) and Uruguay but really liked Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru.
Finally, during my time in South America I reached the following conclusions.
South America Facts of Life
1. Family is most important
2. Religion is omnipresent
3. Governments are corrupt
4. Gringos pay more
5. You eventually figure it out
Thanks for reading my blog and joining me on my adventure!
¡Muchos abrazos! Christina












