Post-Trip Thoughts
April 25th, 2007Sadly, my trip is over. I am now home after three weeks touring several countries in South America. Why I was slightly reluctant to go on this trip initially, I’ll never know, because I cannot wait to return and visit the rest of the continent one day.
Overall it was an awesome few weeks filled with new activities and great food, particularly beef (as well as lots of wine and scotch). Here are some brief thoughts on the countries I visited:
Argentina
An amazing country. Buenos Aires is an exciting and vibrant city with people partying until the early hours of the morning. In Patagonia region you’ll find excellent outdoor activities and beautiful scenery. Also, the large Italian influence gives this country a very European feel.
Uruguay
While I only visited Punta del Este, I feel it is a very modern country. I was impressed with the quality of the roads, buildings, and internet access. Unfortunately the young crowd there is a little…young. All the girls who were at the bars and clubswere well under 20 years old (which is why we referred to it as the Tanner Stage 2 part of our trip). All the guys here also tend to throw their sweaters over their shoulders — interesting style.
Chile
While I didn’t visit any major city — only the little Patagonian town of Puerte Natales — I got a slight glimpse of this country’s culture. First, the Spanish they speak is weird. I don’t speak Spanish, but I can definitely tell the version they speak is much different than any other dialect I’ve heard. Next, it’s an expensive country. It’s still cheaper than the US, but compared to the other South American countries, everything there costs more.
Overall I got to visit three new countries and one new continent…not too shabby. Even more exciting is the number of stamps my passport accumulated during this one trip!
