Getting Out

Like the rest of the world, I've felt a bit confined over the past two years.  Yes, I was fortunate to get out and explore some of my own country that I had not yet seen, but I have been itching for a reason to use my passport.  I am not oblivious to the fact that COVID still exists, but as I'm vaccinated, and boosted, I feel it is now something I must just come to terms with as a part of life.  And so, I am eager to get out and explore the world once again.

So, where to?  My travel partner, Jessica (whom I'm beyond grateful for), and I discussed some possibilities in the late fall as we began to think about the summer.  We could throw a dart at the globe and be excited about that destination, so, we decided to choose two very different places in the world, research them, and then, come spring, look at the state of the world and choose which place would be best.  We chose to research Scandinavia and South America (a broad spectrum, I realize).  

I purchased two travel books and began planning.  Rick Steves is an idol of mine.  If you've not yet had the pleasure of reading a Rick Steves travel book from cover to cover, you are missing out.  His writing is full of whit, history, humor and delectable details.  Since he only writes about Europe, naturally, I started with his book.  I feel in love with tiny islands in Denmark where bikes are the only transportation.  There were cliffs that needed climbing in Norway, a squatterville in Copenhagen, fjords to cruise down, and lovely fishing villages in Sweden.  I was set, and my mind was made up that this was to be our next adventure.

Then, I picked up the book on South America.  The book, although it is full of information, is no where near as lyrical nor enjoyable to read as Rick Steves, but the wonder of the places quickly overwhelmed me.  Although I have a great desire to get to Chile and Argentina, our summer is a less than ideal time to visit.  Brazil was high on our list, but the vast expanse of the country meant having to narrow down exactly what we wanted to see.  Plus, travel from place to place, as we learned was not easy.  So, we began putting more and more research into Peru and Bolivia.  I read about the Salt Flats where flamingos prance about, Lake Titicaca where the Incan believe the sun was born, the jungles of southern Peru where jaguars live and colorful birds fill the trees, and climbing the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu.

So, I called Jess and told her I was leaning toward South America.  She knew that was coming, she had heard it in my voice as I had told her about new things I had learned.  I told her that I had no idea where life would take us in the next few years.  It seemed equally likely that either of us could be raising a young one or dealing with a broken hip, so we might as well take the more adventurous trip while we could.  Thankfully, Jess is always up for an adventure!

So, next Monday, we leave for Peru and Bolivia, the countries that will hopefully become #42 and #43 on my quest to 50 countries by the time I'm 50.  This also is a whole new continent for us both, and we couldn't be more thrilled to experience something so new and different (and add some more color to our scratch off maps).

As with anything new and different, there is always a sense of excitement mixed with anxious uncertainty.  But, having pushed the limits of my comfort levels before, I know that these often turn into the most rewarding experiences.  If nothing else, they turn into fantastic stories.

Thank you for reading along.  I hope I can share some of these great stories with you in the coming weeks.  And also, if you need any travel tips for Scandinavia, I've got a great list for you! :)