Final Post…
Saturday, November 6th, 2010Good news! The minivan arrived completely intact, even with 6 bottles of wine, 3 bottles of champagne, 5 bottles of Pisco Sour, one bottle of Pisco and one bottle of Fernet. Getting the minivan back is like an early Christmas present; we are delighted to open the bags of souvenirs that we bought in Chile and Argentina, as well as have our “old” stuff back.
Here are some factoids about the trip:
Travelled 7 months and 1 week
Visited 12 countries
Slept in 91 different places
Spent $68,000 (only $3,000 over budget)
Took 5 flights (Panama-Cartagena, Galapagos, Nazca Lines, Santiago-San Francisco)
Took 2 ferries with the car (La Paz to Mazatlan and Lake Ometepe, Nicaragua)
Here is an overview of the best and worst…
Best meat
Paul: Filet from finca in Argentina
Karen: Parrilla (grill) from finca in Argentina
Connor: Ostrich meat in Portillo, Chile
Quinn: Parrilla (grill) from finca in Argentina
Best seafood
Paul: Seviche and locos (abalone) La Serena, Chile
Connor and Quinn: Dad’s clams in Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja
Karen: Nothing
Best sweets
Paul: Alfajores from Termas de Rio Honda, Argentina
Karen and Quinn: Chocolate from Bariloche, Argentina
Connor: Nothing
Best wine
Paul and Karen: Malbec from Argentina
Best cold beverage
Paul: Tona (beer) from Nicaragua
Karen: Pisco sour from Chile
Connor and Quinn: Postobon soda from Columbia
Best hot beverage
Paul and Karen: Tinto (coffee) from Columbia
Connor: Coffee from plantation in Jinotega, Nicaragua
Quinn: Mate from Argentina
Best land adventure
Paul: Hiking Masaya volcano in Nicaragua
Karen and Quinn: Rappelling down a waterfall in Los Banos, Ecuador
Connor: Caving in San Gil, Columbia
Best water adventure
Paul: Snorkeling with the sharks in Galapagos, Ecuador
Karen: Snorkeling in Boca de Torres, Panama
Connor: Snorkeling with sea lions in Galapagos, Ecuador
Quinn: Kayaking in Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
Scariest adventure
Paul: Tipping the boat into shark infested waters in Boca de Torres, Panama
Karen and Connor: Swimming with the sharks in Galapagos, Ecuador
Quinn: River rafting in San Gil, Columbia
Best lake
Paul and Quinn: Laguna Coatepeque in El Salvador
Karen: Laguna de Apoyo in Nicaragua
Connor: Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
Best beach
Paul and Karen: San Patricio – Melaque, Mexico
Connor: Cartagena, Columbia
Quinn: Monterrico, Guatemala
Best modern attraction
Paul: Yoko Termales hot springs in Costa Rica
Karen and Quinn: Panama Canal
Connor: Botero exhibit at art museum in Medellin, Columbia
Best ancient attraction
All: Machu Pichu, Peru
Scariest place
Paul: Getting lost at the Guatemalan – Mexican border
Karen and Connor: Santa Ana, El Salvador
Quinn: No where – “I was never scared.”
Weirdest attraction
Paul: X2 at Magic Mountain, California
Karen: Mud baths in volcano in Columbia
Connor: Fried ants and ant statue in San Gil, Columbia
Quinn: Bidets in every bathroom in Argentina
Best resort
Paul, Karen and Quinn: Portillo, Chile
Quinn: Hotel Punto Condor in Bariloche, Argentina
Best hotel
Paul, Karen and Connor: Barcelo, Guatemala City
Quinn: Hotel no name at Ojo de Agua, Argentina (where we stayed on Quinn’s birthday)
Best campsite
Paul: Playa Azul, Mexico
Karen: Bahia de la Concepcion, Mexico
Connor: Bahia de Los Angeles, Mexico
Quinn: None
Best shopping
Paul: Lider supermercado in La Serena, Chile
Karen: Artisan markets in Cuzco, Peru
Connor: Shopping malls in Medellin, Columbia
Quinn: Gaucho pants and hat in Termas de Rio Honda, Argentina
Most beautiful women
All: Columbia
Most handsome men
Karen: Argentina
Friendliest people
Paul and Quinn: Argentina
Karen and Connor: Columbia
Best dueno (hotel owner)
Paul and Karen: Enrique from finca in Argentina
Connor: Hotel owner at Hotel Camino Real Turistica in Puno, Pero
Quinn: Marcelo at the no name hotel in Ojo de Agua, Argentina
Best host
All: Carlos from Medellin, Columbia
Best drivers
All: Chile
Worst drivers
Paul and Quinn: Guatemala
Karen: Ecuador
Connor: Costa Rica
Easiest border crossing
Paul, Karen and Quinn: Chile – Argentina
Connor: Ecuador – Peru
Worst border crossing
All: El Salvador to Honduras
Hasta luego a nuestra proxima adventura!
hwy1alltheway