Trip of a Lifetime

While some of you out there think that Jenna and I are permanently on vacation while living abroad, that is certainly not the case. However, we have had the chance to take some amazing trips since we moved abroad. None of those trips compares to the trip we are about to begin though. In a few hours we are hopping on a plane to begin what has to be defined as the trip of our lifetimes thus far, and very probably for the rest of our lives. Here's an update on where we're headed and why you won't see any new blog posts here for a month and a half!

First we fly to Santiago, Chile where we are going to meet up with old friends Alex and Caitlin for a trip out to Easter Island: famous for it's huge Moai and the disaster of its deforested environment.
Then we head to Valparaiso on the coast of Chile to spend my birthday and Christmas on the beach by the Pacific Ocean. Next we head down to the lakes district in southern Chile to hike and enjoy some mountains. Then it's back to Santiago for New Years and visiting some vineyards to sample some great Chilean wine.

After Chile, we say goodbye to Alex and Caitlin and fly up to Lima, Peru. There we meet Jenna's dad and fly up to Cusco, capital city of the Incas, and meet with teachers Amy, Sara, Jac and her boyfriend Guillermo. Then we hike the Inca Trail for 4 days and arrive at Machu Picchu on the morning of the 4th day.
After this we head to Puno and Lake Titicaca, then a large canyon, and then back to Lima to leave Peru.

Next we fly up to Quito, Ecuador to reunite with Alex and Caitlin who live there. We're not exactly sure of everything that we're doing in Ecuador, Alex and Caitlin are our trip planners for that section, but we know a few things for sure. We will visit the equator, hike some of the mountains surrounding Quito, check out some great local craft shops, and hopefully visit the headwaters of the Amazon in eastern Ecuador.
All in all it should be a crazy month and an half, cost a lot of money, and leave us exhausted and in need of another vacation. It will also be the trip of a lifetime and we look forward to sharing stories and pictures from it with you when we return. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and well talk to you again in February!