Thursday, January 17, 2013

The "Danielle doesn't have the coordination to ride a Motorcycle" Diaries

This isn't a tale of heroic feats, It's about two lives running parallel for a while, with common aspirations and similar dreams.

The plan: Exploring South America until our money runs out.

The method: improvisation.

The goal: to explore a continent we had only read about in books.  Or you know, on the internet.

The equipment: Two 60 litre backpacks, my camera, and our feet to guide us.

The pilot: Chloe. A recent Arts grad, Chloe isn't ready to settle into a permanent job in Edmonton, and tackling a continent seems like the best way to shake off the wanderlust.  She comes to South America with a permanent smile on her face and a enthusiastic ability to suss out anything and everything.

Chloe's dream: to visit all 13 countries in South America.

Copilot: me, Danielle. Estoy apprendieno español. Despite only spending 8 months in Edmonton after coming home from New Zealand, I feel like I've been sitting pretty at home for far too long.  I was bitten very hard by the travel bug, and this is my 4th extended trip abroad in 3 years.  Oh how wonderful it is.  

The route: A one way plane ticket to Santiago and travelling along the, ahem,  "rugged spine of the Andes to Machu Picchu" in June.

The final destination:  Your guess is as good as ours.

What we have in common: our restlessness, our impassioned spirits, and a love for the open road.

Dear Mom,

Edmonton is behind us.  Gone is "this wretched life", the uninspiring work days, the familiar daily trudge of a routine, and a dreary winter prairie landscape.  All of Latin America is ahead of us.  From now on, we only trust in ourselves.  And Che Guevara quotes.

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