That's all Folks!

Surprise, it's been just over 10 months and I've decided to pull the plug. That is, my trip is finished and this blog posting is coming to you from the comfort of my parents home in Toronto. Im a huge fan of Seinfeld, not just the show but also the guy. One thing ive always admired about Jerry was his decision to cancel the show after years of being the top comedy on TV. I guess he sensed it was starting to slip so he ended it. "It's better to go out on top then fade away". A few days ago i made the same decision with regards to my trip. The last couple of months have been absolutely amazing: the unreal beauties of the antarctic, my most amazing trekking experiences in patagonia, livin "the life" in my favorite city in the world and finally experiencing carnival with my long time buddy. And although central america would have it's own share of highlights, I realized that this was the moment to go out on top. What is interesting is that there were two events that were the tipping points in my thought process:
1) While on top of Volcan Baru, my camera decided to call it quits.
2) Stubbed my toes, loosing a couple toe nails. There is a great and lengthy story behind how this happened but ill save it for a good travel tale over beer.
Of course this meant no hiking for the next few weeks and of course no photography. In addition, I read through Lonely Planet Central america and there absolutely nothing i was dying to see or experience...everything i had dreamed about for so long, i had already achieved. Add to this the joy of returning to family after a long time apart made this one of the simplest decisions of my life (literaly was made in 2 minutes).

I hope you've enjoyed following me around for the last little while, reading my tales and soaking up the pics. Seems strange, but today is the happiest ive ever been. Maybe it's the feeling of accomplishing a dream, or the memories of experiences or the prospect of things to come. The feeling is similar to the day you graduate university...minus all the built up stress.

Finally, let me answer the question everyone keeps asking me "What was your favorite place?". It's very complex since ones enjoyment of a particular place heavily depends on many factors: your interests, weather, what languages you speak and most importantly the people you meet. That said, below is a list of my fav places broken up by the two legs of my trip:

Europe Leg
Amsterdam (it's amsterdam!)
Prague (best over-touristed town)
Sarajevo (best non-touristed town)
Granada (ultimate Andalusian experience)
Munich (feels like an amazing city to live in)
Poland (huge bias here)
Alps - French & Swiss (best hiking)
Morocco (most interesting culture)

South America Leg
Bolivia (undiscovered natural beauty, friendliest people)
Argentina (country that captured my heart)
Buenos Aires (in Argentina, but so amazing it's worthy of another note)
Cuzco (backpacker heaven)
Patagonia (best hiking)

Of course, if you got a bit of excess cash, then the antarctic is not to be missed!


Hasta la vista!