moving day

I've decided to move my blog to a new site. Boots n' All is a great website with lots of good travel info. I started reading some of the travel blogs and decided to move mine. I'll be blogging there from now on. Please visit!!!

see, i'm not the only one!

A Map for Saturday is a documentary about the long-term, "backpacking" style of travel.

this is how i roll

I can't figure out how to embed a video, so I included this link. This has nothing to do with travel - I just think it's a cool video.

La Tierra de Sol y Buen Vino

Mendoza, Argentina.........the Land of Sun and Good Wine. Yep, right up my alley! This is the area of Argentina known for great Malbec (a type of grape, and one of my favorite varietals!). Those who know me know I can't pass up a good wine tasting!

I did some research on the area and it's much more than just wine. Although, in my mind, the wine alone is reason enough to go! But, the Aconcagua (highest mountain in the western world) is only a few hours away, and also close by is Ishchigualasto, which has some pretty amazing rock formations. So, this area will certainly be a stop on my South American tour.

I'm beginning to think I may spend more time in the Americas than I originally planned. It's cheaper than Europe and there is so much to experience there. I've been putting together a tentative itinerary (in my mind), which I will post soon.

By they way, I figured out how to insert links, so you can click on the underlined words if you want more info on any of the places I write about.

to belize or not to belize

Corny, I know. I'm almost embarrassed I wrote that - although not enough to delete it! In this case, I think it's "not to Belize." As much I would love to go - the pictures look amazing and the diving is supposed to be phenomenal (oh, btw, have I mentioned I'm going to get certified to dive before I leave?) - I think I have to cut it if I'm going to manage Central and South America in 1.5 months. Besides, I'm sure Costa Rica and Panama are just as beautiful. I'm also on the fence about Chile, although Brazil and Argentina (sorry Susan) are definites. We had an exchange student, Carem, from Brazil who lived with us when I was in high school. She and her husband live in Sao Paulo and I can't be that close and not visit! Although, if my math is right, my timing may coincide with the birth of her twins..........possibly not the best time for a visit. And Argentina, because it's there and it just makes sense! :) And there seem to be good flights from Buenos Aires to London or Madrid.

In the next few weeks, I'll post much more about my planning details - gear, clothes, how I'm going to manage to pack for six months in one bag when I typically pack four pairs of shoes for a two day trip! Stay tuned!

Alaska or bust

I booked a "little" trip before my TRIP today. My mom and I are going to Alaska at the end of May! We just booked today, so it's all official. We're beyond excited! We're taking a cruise through the Inside Passage and are going to spend a couple of days in Denali National Park beforehand. The cruise ship only accommodates 78 passengers, so this is not your typical cruise. No Vegas style show after dinner, no shuffleboard on the Lito deck in the afternoon - just us, the other 76 passengers and lots of glaciers, whales, bears and other wildlife.

This is a trip Mom and I have talked about for several years and I'm thrilled that we're going! I can think of worse ways to pass the time before I leave for my six month(ish) journey. For those of you trying to keep track ( me included!), here's a little timeline of the major upcoming events:

late March - half marathon in Atlanta (yeah, on top of planning the trip of a lifetime and wrapping up my job, I decided to train for another half marathon)
early April - quit job (YAY!)
late April - babysit Mary Claire (my wonderful niece) in Dallas, TX
late May - glaciers, ice and more cold fun in Alaska
mid June - my roommate, Kristen, gets married in Atlanta!
July - Beaver Creek, CO with my family
late July - begin my TRIP in Belize

Of course, this is all subject to change on a whim! I promise to keep you all posted.

Decision Time

Ok, I know it's been a while since my first post. I promise to be better about that! But, just because I haven't posted anything doesn't mean I haven't done any research or planning. The toughest part about planning this adventure so far has been deciding where to start. That and narrowing down my "wish list" into something manageable and organized. I'm having no problem whatsoever deciding where I want to go - that list seems endless and gets longer every day! Every time I hear or read about a new location, my first response is, "I have to go there, how can I fit that into my trip?"

Well, I think I've finally made the first decision. I'm going to start in Belize or Costa Rica, then venture to Panama, Peru, Brazil and Argentina........ and maybe Bolivia and Chile. I've always wanted to go to Patagonia - maybe that has something to do with the fact that Patagonia was the most popular clothing brand when I was in college (brand name recognition at its best!). See what I mean about narrowing down? From there, I plan to fly to Europe - hopefully around mid September. So, the question is, can I do everything I want to in Central and South America in a month and a half? I guess we'll see.

One thing I have to try not to do is to plan on so many destinations that I don't truly enjoy and absorb the culture of each destination. I recently came across a quote that sums up my view of this trip - "The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."-Daniel J. Boorstin