I visited South America for seven months in the winter of 2010-2011. I originally thought I would circumnavigate the globe, but I found that I fell in love with South America, and there was no looking back.

 

 

From my first landing point in Macchu Pichu, and then on to Lake Titicaca and down through Bolivia, I was stunned by the beauty of the Andes, the ancient cultures, and the incredibly friendly people.                                                                          

I visited Antarctica, and rode in small zodiacs next to whales; hiked in Tierra Del Fuego and Torres Del Paine in Patagonia; took the Navimag Ferry up the fjords of Chile, danced tango in Bueno Aires, skydived in the outskirts of Santiago, went ice climbing on the Viedma Glacier in El Chalten in the Fitzroy Range, visited the Moai in Easter Island, and went scuba diving with hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos.

I came home to teach summer art camp, but I knew something in me had been reawakened, and I knew I would travel again the following winter!

On that first trip, I traveled to 8 countries, and 3 offshore islands/land masses (Antarctica, Easter Island and the Galapagos) – and chose my itinerary based on natural wonders, dance culture and safety.

 

You might notice that Venezuela is missing, that’s because I was concerned about traveling alone there.  However, many countries that people think are unsafe – like Columbia, or Uruguay- were actually very safe and easy to navigate for a woman traveling solo.