Back home

I'm now back home in Cardiff, and it's difficult to believe that it's all over. It's been a great adventure - I've been to some amazing places, and met some fantastic people along the way. Was it a life-changing journey? Quite possibly, but time will tell to what extent.

My travels aren't over yet, because I'm flying out to Australia next week. However, I've decided not to continue the blog, mainly because as the title says, this is a blog about South America, and I'm happy to keep it as that. Obviously it wouldn't be too difficult for me to change the title, but I think it's time for me to relax and enjoy Australia and New Zealand without the burden of having to publish my experiences every few days.

One piece of housekeeping: I wrote in my very first blog post that when I returned I'd have the photo of me setting off on my trip retaken. I did that (thanks Dad), and you can see the photo below. The original photo is here for comparison (obviously it's taken from a slightly different angle). I don't think the differences are too earth-shattering.

Every travel blog I've ever read ends with some kind of summary of the journey, and I don't see any reason to break with tradition. I'm not going to give an overall favourite place or best moment, but I'll leave you with a few facts and figures about my South America trip:

Favourite countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru
Favourite cities: Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro
Favourite small towns: Baños, Jericoacoara
Best natural sight: Uyuni salt flats
Best outdoor activity: Canyoning in Baños
Best historical site: Machu Picchu
Most extreme experience: Roraima trek
Favourite foods: Peruvian ceviche, Peruvian pollo a la brasa
Worst moment: Becoming very ill on an overnight bus in Peru
Number of days spent in South America: 189
Number of blog posts written: 58
Number of countries visited: 10
Number of overnight bus journeys taken: 19
Number of jaguars seen in the wild: 1
Number of times fallen in love: 1
Money spent: Not a clue

Cardiff to Buenos Aires

So here it is, the first post in my South America blog, at the start of what I hope will be a six month trip around the continent. I've just arrived at my hostel in Buenos Aires after a mere 28 hour trip from the UK. I'm exhausted and in need of a shower, but I can't check into my room for another hour, so I'm taking the opportunity to start off my blog.

I'm staying for four nights at the Sandanzas Cultural Hostel, which is a friendly place in San Telmo, not far from the centre of Buenos Aires. I haven't even ventured outside yet, so I think I'll report back once I've seen a bit of the city. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the weather's great - blue skies and about 22C.

I thought I'd finish this post with a picture of me setting off from Cardiff Central station yesterday.

I'll try to recreate this photo in six months' time, in a before-and-after style, and see if anyone can tell the difference.