My lasting memories, photos and videos of my year abroad

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It took awhile, but here are some of my favorite pictures, a few memories I will never forget, my top ten list of places visited and an assortment of videos taken along the way. Looking back I chose not necessarily the best moments, but the ones which come to mind most often when reflecting on my trip. Hope you enjoyed my tales throughout the year and even more that I will soon be off on the road again.

Top Fifteen Memories

Listed by order of occurrence
1. Arriving in the São Paulo airport and realizing I understood nothing of Portuguese.

2. Trekking for two days over deserted beaches with the Italians. Bahia: beautiful beaches, great food and a naked italian.

3. Almost getting robbed by two teenagers in Brazil. Meat, beer and a little bit of street crime.

4. Watching the sunrise over Brazil from the Pico da Bandeira. Pico da Bandeira: fury theives, freezing temps and an ambulance ride.

5. Hiking through the jungle on Ilha Grande. Trekking Through the Jungle of Ilha Grande

6. Watching the fireworks explode over Copacabana Beach during the new years festival in Rio De Janeiro. Goodbye 2007, Hello Rio!

7. Hearing the roar and feeling the mist of Iguazu Falls. Me and the Foz

8. Looking down a terribly exposed steep rocky incline when backpacking in Bariloche and realizing that
there is only one way out and that is down. Lost in Bariloche...well sort of.

9. Traversing the Fitz Roy River in Patagonia while trying to get to Glacier Torre. Wind whipped in El Chaltén

10. Watching the sunrise over the Beagle Channel after illegally camping on a very exposed ridge. Ushuaia: Welcome to the end of the World.

11. Gambling with African gangsters at a Casino in Uruguay. By bus, by boat, by car to Uruguay we go!

12. Feeling my strength drain out of me while suffering from a bad case of altitude sickness. Getting High in Mendoza

13. Watching the fish swim around my legs at the natural pools in Trinidad. Paraty: Home of my future island.

14. Dancing on a table at the Festa Junina in Sao Paulo. What a Festa Junina it was!!!

15. Pushing an SUV on a muddy incline with all my might trying to get over to the other side of Ilhabela. My last adventure in Brazil

Top Ten Places Visited

1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina Me and the Foz

2. Trinidad/Paraty, Brazil Paraty: Home of my future island.

3. El Chaltén, Argentina Wind whipped in El Chaltén

4. Ilha Grande, Brazil Trekking Through the Jungle of Ilha Grande

5. Bariloche, Argentina Lost in Bariloche...well sort of.

6. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Goodbye 2007, Hello Rio!

7. Ilhabela, Brazil My last adventure in Brazil

8. Misiones, Paraguay Where exactly is Paraguay?

9. Mendoza, Argentina Getting High in Mendoza

10. Buenos Aires, Argentina The life and style of Buenos Aires

Videos

Here are some videos of the journey that I posted on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=mrmorg37


I added some really cool panoramas to previous blogs that are worth a quick look.

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Photos

Looking Back at Torres Del Paine
Looking back toward the Torres after a seven day trek I was amazed by towers of rock that make up the mountains.

Ushuaia
Hiking down off route on Cerro Guanaco in Ushuaia after camping the night atop a small ridge.

Ilha Grande
This is a famous palm tree on the Island known as Ilha Grande off the Coast of the state of Rio De Janeiro

Crossing the Rio Fitz Roy
Crossing into treacherous territory in El Chalten.

New Years in Rio
A festivals of festivals the new years celebration on Rio's famed Copacabana beach was a new years to remember if only for the headache the following day.

Small Favela in Itacare
Minutes away from the tourist drag the reality of Brazil's poverty is ever apparent.

Nightime in Paraty
As if the years had never passed Paraty still retains its rich colonial heritage through its streets and buildings.

Atop the Pico Da Bandeira
Alone on top of the the Pico Da Bandeira I was amazed by the shadow cast over Minas Gerais by Brazil's third highest peak

Looking back to Argentina
Partially inundated by dam waters the small town of Encarnacion looks across at its more prosperous neighbor Posadas in Argentina.

Jusuit Ruins
A well preserved old church sits as a reminder of Paraguay's Jesuit influence.

Ridge top in Ushuaia
Camping illegally on Cerro Guanaco we questioned our decision as we battled fierce winds while setting the tent up.

Piscina Natural
The Natural Pools of Trinidad located in the southern part of the state of Rio De Janeiro .

Erie Fog
These horses invaded our campground and as did the surrounding fog.

Beach in Bahia
One of the many deserted beaches in between Trancoso and Caraiva.

Sao Paulo
A common view into any direction in the massive city.

Perito Moreno
Looking across the face of the Perito Moreno glacier it was hard to grasp how massive it really was even knowing its icy walls reached hundreds of feet high

Sunrise on Ilhabela
Dawn displayed a amazing show of colors on this amazingly well preserved Island just hours from the city of Sao Paulo

Iguazu Falls
Just another amazing view from one of the many waterfalls of Iguazu.

The Fitz Roy
Sunset over the famed Cerro Fitz Roy in El Chalten

Colors in Valparaiso
Graffiti in the port town of Valparaiso on the Chilean coast.

Comments

[Joe]

that's it
I'm quitting my job and traveling. well, you make me want to anyway!

[Daniel]

What's next? Uganda?

[Jen]

I am glad you put this together! WoW!!!!

[corbin]

man..so sweet
just speechless! i wish i could have been there.

[Crystal]

Thank you
Your blog was very interesting and extremely helpful. I am leaving for Brazil in less than 2 weeks and because of your blog I am back to square one in regards to planning! :) Kidding but I did add a couple more stops to my trip! Ilhabella here I come! Thanks again!