Last day Friday fives.

"So what was your favorite part?"

I suspect I will get this question a lot so I put some thought into it on the plane from BA-Houston. I don't have a favorite "part" or "place" or "country." There was too much! What I do have are favorite moments and favorite days.

Top five moments in the order experienced:

• kayaking around Melchior Islands on a gorgeous Antarctic day, listening to nothing but our paddles dip and the glaciers calf around us

(somewhere in there are teeny tiny kayakers)

• watching dolphins porpoise under my feet one night as we sailed under a bed of a gazillion Galapagos stars
• enjoying the last night on the Inca Trail where it was finally warm enough to sit outside, frogs were croaking, the clouds settled into the mountain but the stars and moon were still visible, and we had a great hike earlier that day

(somewhere in there are lots of clouds - the light is from the dinner tent)

• the jaguar sighting in Manu Biosphere Reserve (duh!)

(photo courtesy Tammy Palmer - I was too busy gawking to get my camera out)

• being stunned into silence by Gargantua del Diable Falls at Iguazu

Runner up: sitting at the top of Argentina, looking out across Paraguay and Brasil, wearing a shirt I bought in Ecuador and a bracelet I got in Peru, thinking about our upcoming trip to Uruguay.

(Paraguay to the left, Brasil to the right)

And the top five days in the order I experienced them:

• our first day in the Falkland Islands where the sun was shining, the penguins were totally goofy, the albatross colony was ginormous and we took a nice walk around the hills of Steeple Jason

(gentoos running madly around the beach)

(rockhopper posing angrily)

(albatross colony of about 150,000)

(Steeple Jason hike - just gorgeous)

• our third day in South Georgia where the skies were gray and the cold hurt at times, where we walked along Shackleton's last few miles of his famous trek and stood around his grave at the end of the day to drink a toast to "the Boss"

(Shackleton hike)

(cheers!)

• Bellavista Lodge and the Mindo butterfly sanctuary outside of Quito

(my first entry into the cloud forest)

(hummingbirds galore)

(Mindo butterfly sanctuary)

• hiking at Parque Nacional El Cajas near Cuenca

• the second day at Manu where we sat peacefully in the rain for hours waiting for macaws and saw everything but, then the skies clearing for a sea otter family viewing, a peaceful oxbow lake tour and a lovely sunset

(I'm sure I have the name of this bird somewhere... chances are high it's a flycatcher)

(sea otters playing and drifting by)

Runner up day would be the continental landing when we all turned into 10-year olds, having snowball fights and glissading down the hillside.

(somewhere at the top right is a teeny tiny person - great perspective on how enormous the ice is)

See? I can't even narrow it down to five of each of them. It was an amazing trip. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Chau, Buenos Aires. For the last time.

The "best pizza in Buenos Aires" turned out to be "just OK" but maybe that was just our gringo taste buds talking. (No pepperoni?? Snobs.) The place was worth seeing though - full of locals and animated waiters. A fun evening. The taxi rides to and from, not so fun for me... my knuckles were white the whole time.

Tuesday I felt a lot better so after breakfast I went to the Reserva Ecológica Costenera Sur along the shore. It was the one place I hadn't been able to visit when I was first in BA and it was probably for the best - I am so glad I went in the fall instead of the hot, humid summer. And I am so glad I went in general. Getting there involved crossing many busy intersections so it was good (although a bit nerve-wracking) to put myself back into the crazy BA streets, but once I was there I got nature's mental reset which I desperately needed.

In the reserve there is a big loop path that goes through pretty marshland and overlooks the city. After about a mile I unexpectedly came to a small beach and sat there for a while enjoying the scenery.

The reserve houses all kinds of birds and at one point I looked around and noticed that about eight different species of birds were pecking the ground around me, and a handful of other sea birds were gliding above. No cars, no other people... just me, the birds and the waves. Chevere.


Heading back to meet Kim for lunch I went through the mall and up Florida Avenue for old times' sake (and to use the mall bathroom - when in need/doubt, hit the mall or McDonalds). What a madhouse of consumerism.

We had a great last BA lunch at a San Telmo trattoria and wandered the antique shops for a bit, then headed to the airport.

(ricotta vegetable crepes with pesto sauce for me...)

(...steak and sweet potato fries for Kim)

Surreal to think the trip is over. I saw too many truly spectacular things to list, I met some very nice people (locals and travelers) and I shared some good times with good friends.

I didn't "figure it all out" but I didn't expect to... However, I did get some great perspective on myself and on the world that I hope to put to use in my next endeavor(s). One point I don't want to lose sight of: how very fortunate we are in the US, for so many reasons. None of which involve TV, flavored coffee or name brand clothing.

So. Entonces. We now return you to my regularly scheduled programming. Not sure what that means. The 2010 Adventure is to be continued... As with Part One, I don't really know what to expect from Part Two other than lots of options and exciting times ahead.

And continued roaming, of course.

Photo of the day, 6/1/2010: if only.

much to my dismay, it was merely a restaurant