Bittersweet Developments
We have had two developments in our plans for this trip, in the past couple of weeks. We find them to be a bit bittersweet.
First, we´ve decided that we won´t be able to successfully complete the initial goal of this trip, to visit all seven continents. We found that we weren´t making any headway in finding an affordable, time-conserving way to get to Antartica. In the end, we were looking at a minimum of $9000 between the two of us for a nine day visit on a cruise to Antartica. In the spirit of this trip, where we felt that we have been most fortunate to have had the experiences that we have encountered, spending so much time and money simply to reach the shore of Antartica to snap a picture and say we´d been there just lost relevance. We have had a wonderful trip, and loved every moment of it, so it doesn´t feel so necessary to try to reach Antartica, unless some new development such as a fund to get us there (pretty please?) suddenly pops up.
Hence our decision not to go to Ushuaia. We´d planned a visit to try to bargain with travel companies and get a good deal, but when we realized that we weren´t so dedicated to getting to Antartica, the idea of a 12 hour bus ride from Punta Arenas to the end of the Americas seemed a little pointless. By not going there, we have allowed ourselves more time (and money) to enjoy Argentina and the rest of our South America segment more.
The other development is that we now no longer have an open-ended trip. We finally decided upon a return date, and now have in our possession two tickets from Lima, Peru to Charlotte, NC. We will arrive in the US on March 5. The trip will come to an end, and back to reality we´ll go.
Or will it?
Until next time, be safe.
