Looks like my last update was way back at the Bolivia-Chile border. From there, we were back into fast-forward mode right up through the return flight. I'm currently sitting in the airport in Atlanta, awaiting the final flight to KC. It is really good to be back in the US: easy communication, easy lines (we're no longer in the long, "foreigner" lines), easy to drink water...
So, since the last post, we enjoyed the quality highways of Chile and Argentina...
...crossed the high-but-not-as-scary-as-reputed Los Libertadores pass into Argentina...
...returned to that crossing the next day for our TVIPs (temporary vehicle importation permits)...
...savored Malbec in M
Mendoza...
...packed and shipped the motorcycles...
...flew to the End of the World...
...and ceased being southbounders.
There are a lot of mixed emotions during this homecoming. Having been out of the country for 3.5 months (with the exception of about a week in Alaska and 3 days in the conterminous US), it's great to be home. I find that my mind is still in "Spanish mode" when interacting with officials, store personnel, random people around me, etc. I also find myself still in travel mode.
This trip was such a blazing fast trip: each day, we were packing, thinking about a destination and accommodation for that night and/or the next day, driving, unpacking, and prepping to do it all over again. Again, with just a few exceptions, we were on the move daily. And during those exceptions, we were working on how to get unstuck and back on the move. It was a pretty grueling schedule for 100 days. And, as Nick pointed out in Ushuaia, the ending is bittersweet. Very glad to get to Ushuaia, but sad that the bikes didn't join us there. Even so, it was clearly the best decision when the time came.
Many thanks to those who've followed along. Considering the haste of our journey, it was really difficult to keep up with the blog. With that in mind, I expect to keep going with blog entries as I re-hash, explore, and unpack memories in the weeks to come .Would love to continue to get your feedback!
Adventure on!