Moving toward a life unplanned

But a combination of keeping busy and not having a lot of photographs means that I haven't had much to say in the last month or so. Since finishing the Inca Trail, I traveled overland by bus through southern Peru, Northern Chile, and into Argentina before wrapping up my South American fall in Buenos Aires. From there, I flew to London where I've been visiting friends and exploring the UK for about 2 weeks now. I still have two months left to go, and I've got many options for where to go, but no decisions as to my next destination yet.

The high Andean desert outside San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Valparaiso, Chile

Climbing the pass toward the border crossing between Chile and Argentina in the Andes. The switchbacks were all numbered, "Turn 1" through "Turn 21"

Just past the Argentinian border

After leaving Cusco, Peru, I decided to try to take buses through Chile and Argentina, and I think it was one of the best decisions I've made this year. The rides are long, but I really got to see the countryside and the countryside of those countries in a way I would have been able to by flying. My first stop in Chile was San Pedro de Atacama, a small adventure sport-oriented town in the high Andean desert. It's high altitude, it's dry, it's hot, and it's a lot of fun. I was only there for about 4 days, but during that time I went hiking, mountain biking, sandboarding (like snowboarding, but down a sand dune and much hotter), and swimming in extra salty salt lagoons that felt were very reminiscent of the Dead Sea. If your idea of a fun vacation is going out to the American Southwest and getting sweaty, dusty, and thirsty, check out Atacama because you'll probably love it.

A mountain lake in Bariloche, Argentina

The Flor ("Flower") sculpture in downtown Buenos Aires. It's made from aircraft aluminum and is motorized to follow the path of the sun during the day

My next stop after Atacama was Valparaiso, a city with a great maritime history and laid back San Francisco-style vibe in central Chile. After a couple of days in Valparaiso, I took the long, long trip over the Andes and into Argentina, finally stopping in San Carlos de Bariloche. Bariloche is to Argentina as Aspen is to Colorado, or Switzerland is to central Europe; it's fashionable, surrounded by beautiful mountains, and the playground for the most of the country in both summer and winter. When I was there, the leaves had all changed for fall and the hikes were spectacular, which made me extra happy because I didn't really have a fall foliage season last year. Barioche was also my introduction to Argentine food and I was soon gorging myself on coffee with croissants in the morning, empanadas at lunch, and fantastic steaks every night for dinner, a trend I continued in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is an amazing city, full of great food, theater, museums, parks, and about anything else you could want - and if that wasn't enough, there are tango shows and lessons available every day.

One of my favorite views in London, from the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral

Inverness, Scotland and the River Ness

Lake District, England

A Lake District hike, on a rare sunny day

Finally, after over a week in Buenos Aires, it was time for me to make yet another continental jump, from South America to the United Kingdom. For the last two weeks, I've been catching up with friends in England, researching my next ports of call, and checking off all the food and drinks I've missed on the road over the last three months (dark beer, carrot cake, Indian food). I've also done a couple of side trips from London up to York, the English Lake District, and Inverness, Scotland - on the shores of Loch Ness (although I sadly didn't see any signs of the monster). England is beautiful in May, and I'm very grateful to have friends with a spare bedroom I can occupy while I appreciate it. As I said, I haven't worked out where I'll be going next (beyond a side trip to Spain for a week), but I think it's a good bet that where ever I decide will get the blog back on it's historic track of exotic locations and amazing animals. Stay tuned for the conclusion of our thrilling year abroad!

Here's my bottom-line message on the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu: Anyone can do it, and everyone should try it at some point in their life. The historic trail from Cusco Peru to Machu Picchu is absolutely beautiful, full of Incan ruins, and worth the time and effort to get to city of Machu Picchu under your own power at sunrise. It sounds pretty intimidating on paper; 30 miles over 4 days at elevations up to 13000 feet, but in reality, it's just a lot of putting one foot in front of the other....over and over and over and over again. There is more than enough time built into the schedule for even the slowest of hikers, and as long as you leave yourself a couple of days in Cusco before the hike to acclimate to the elevation, you should be fine. Throw in plentiful and hearty food prepared by the porters everyday and 8pm bedtimes and there are times on the hike that feel pretty relaxing -- not the hike up to 13000 feet, but other times. Other than the fact that the group I was in was a lot of fun and made the hard bits easier, I don't have much else to say about the hike that the pictures can't present better, except "The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - add it to your life list."