The Grand Finale

Hi faithful GWH readers! First off, I must apologize for my abrupt disappearance from bloggage at the tail end of the trip. My last entry mentioned a few factors that led to my total abandonment of what was once a well maintained chronicle of our journey, but those are no longer excuses here in the great US of A. The internet is free and plentiful and I certainly have the time. So, I felt the need to bring the Great White Hike to proper close after a month of being home. 

*Just to wrap up the last few weeks from the point where we left off: We left Buenos Aires, saw some waterfalls in Iguazu, got a ride into Paraguay while illegally/accidentally passing through two immigration points in two countries unchecked, flew to Rio, met up with my girlfriend who I hadn't seen in 3 months, sat on the beach, went to an island off the coast of Brazil which was pretty much paradise, finally got sick 95% of the way through the trip (not paradise), ate a lot of Acai on the beach, and then came home. Some pics:

(You can see the rest of the 2,500 pics HERE or for those with shorter attention spans, on Facebook)

Anyway, I've been home long enough to tell a lot of people my trip was "really good" as well as say "yes I am back" and "yes it really was 4 months" and "yes I am very glad I went". What I was not initially prepared for was the overwhelming number of people who immediately asked: "What was your favorite part?". I understand the need to just get the Cliff Notes version of the story and/or that those people may or may not even really care about the answer. However, the question is virtually impossible to answer as so many of the places really aren't comparable and all had their charms. I would expect the same reaction if I asked a parent which of their children were their favorite. Though tempted to name one, you just can't.

So, I have come up with a few "awards" for the best of the best, the worst of the worst... in an attempt to answer what my "favorite part" was. I now bring you the 2009 "Hikies" in no particular order:

Best Looking Women (2nd most popular question): Buenos Aires, Argentina

Best Restaurant: Wild Mango's, Belize

Worst Food: Machu Picchu Trek

Worst Food in an International Terminal: Lima International Airport

Biggest Meatball: The Guy at the Front Desk of our hostel in Salvador, Brazil

Best Sports Fans: Brazil (video)

Beverage Missed Most: Fountain Sodas and Ice

Best Celebration: Bus Removed from River After 12 Hours (video, Binder in black sweatshirt)

Best Animal on My Bed: Cat in Lima (video)

Best Animal on Zack's Head: Monkey in Peru (pic)... 2nd Place: His Beard

Best Beach: Tayrona National Park, Colombia (pic)

Best Beach Snack: Acai, Brazil

Scariest Moment: Scooter Taxi in Peru (video)

Best Natural Scenery: Torres del Paine, Chile (pic)

Country I'd Most Likely Go Back To: Brazil

Country That's Not As Dangerous as People Say: Colombia

Weirdest Country: Bolivia

Diamond in the Rough City: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Hugest and Boringest City: Santiago, Chile

Worst Attempt to Fight Gravity: Zack Falling Through a Roof, Ecuador (sorry no video)

Best One Man Dance Party: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (video)

Well folks... That just about does it.  I can't say this will be the last blog entry I ever write, but this concludes the I-just-decided-to-pick-up-and-go-to-South-America portion. I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog and will miss being able to share a great experience with such a wide group of people. It was nice to find out that such a broad audience avidly followed the blog, from people we met once at a bar, up through parents and siblings of friends of friends. So, thank you for all those who followed along and commented over the last four months and to those who joined and provided the material... it was a blast.

-Binder