Global Goryls: Trip Overview

Five months passes quickly, almost unfairly so, when every day presents a new backdrop, a cultural challenge, or some sort of edible vegetable you’ve never heard of on your plate. Since touching down in Auckland to saying “adios” to Buenos Aires some 143 days and 4 continents later, we enjoyed an exciting mix of cultures and people along the way. At the risk of using such cliché, this trip was a dream come true for us, and it provided sights, sounds, smells -- oh my, the smells -- and stories that we’ll be laughing about for the rest of our lives. We’re certainly couldn’t have done it alone, and we didn’t. We thank everyone that supported this unconventional approach to our first year of marriage, including our families, friends and fellow travelers who supplied invaluable advice on everything from spreading out precious hotel points to making the most of the very limited space in our bags. Although the list of places we’d like to travel to somehow grew during the trip, we are excited about returning Home to the best country of all, the USA.

If you followed us at all during our travels, we’d love to hear from you (scott.goryl@gmail.com, kristagoryl@gmail.com). And please don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever want to give this kind of trip a whirl, or if you just want some suggestions on places we have been. We’d love to share! Thanks.

Some Global Goryl Facts and Figures:

• Air Miles flown: 43,103 miles (nearly twice around the equator; 18% of the way to the moon)
• Longest Flight: Los Angeles to Aukland, NZ (6,510 miles)
• # of airlines flown: 16
• # of flights: 25
  
• # of accommodations booked: 60
• Total # of countries visited: 16
• Most time spent: Argentina
• Foreign language most often spoken: Spanish (6 weeks)

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Top Destinations (in no particular order):

South Island (New Zealand), Perth (Australia), Koh Samui (Thailand), Santorini (Greece), Patagonia (Argentina)

Out of places you visited, where could you live?

Perth, Australia. Low-key, clean and manageable city with awesome beaches, great people and the Margaret River region just a few hours away.

What foods did you miss most? And where did you enjoy the food most?

Burritos and reliable sushi. India and Thailand were hands-down the best food spots.

Where do you wish you went on this trip but weren’t able to?

Krista - South Africa, Norway/Sweden/Finland, and Costa Rica.

Scott - Ahhh, lots of places, but to name a few we were close to: Malaysia, Vietnam and Turkey. Also, we had to pull Peru (flooding) and Chile (earthquake) off the itinerary.

“Most Wanted” locations to visit next:

Alaska, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Tulum (Mexico), South Africa, and we desperately want to go back to Fiji.

Argentina and Uruguay in a Nutshell

Argentina and Uruguay Fun Facts:
- $1 US = 3.85 AR Pesos
- $1 US = 19.65 UR Pesos
- Argentina’s population is 40.48 million
- Uruguay’s population is 3.33 million
- Argentina is the world’s 8th largest country. It is as tall as the US is wide.
- Uruguay is about the size of North Dakota, and is South America’s second smallest country (after Suriname)
- Argentina’s independence (from Spain) was declared on July 9, 1816

Argentina and Uruguay Superlatives:

Best authentic Argentina/Uruguay experience:
Krista - Tango dancing at a Milonga in Palermo
Scott - Hiking Cerro Colorado outside San Martin de los Andes.

Best blatant tourist trap:
Krista - Iguazu Falls site (Iguazu National)
Scott - Florida Street in Buenos Aires

Favorite dish in either country:
Krista - Chocolate in Bariloche. I think I ate enough of it to be considered a meal.
Scott - I liked trying different kinds of tasty empanadas in Argentina; juicy steak at La Cabrera in Palermo

Favorite Spanish word or phrase:
Krista - Ciao Ciao!
Scott - De Nada. I over and mis-used this regularly

Biggest surprise in Argentina or Uruguay:
Krista - how much they love jamon y queso sandwiches (ham and cheese) and matte tea.
Scott - Buenos Aires grew on me, but didn’t meet my high expectations.

Most likely to never win a Tango contest: Scott

At least one helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to these countries:
Krista - Bring really good hiking shoes and try the Malbec wine.
Scott - Go with Krista - she’s a good Spanish-to-English translator!

Argentina: San Martin de los Andes (Patagonia)

North some 3 or 4 hours from Bariloche is a smaller, equally pleasant town called San Martin de los Andes. Situated just miles from the Chilean border and on the shores of Lago (lake) Lacar, San Martin de los Andes is nestled in a valley between two forested mountains. A postcard-worthy kind of place, most of the town’s buildings look like ski lodges, and the mountains reflect off the lake. A popular ski town in the winter, San Martin de los Andes becomes a much sleepier destination in the summer, offering a great place to hike and canoe on the lake. With Springtime in full swing, we enjoyed a few sunny days exploring the town and the surrounding area.

On the doorstep of Parque Nacional Lanin, Argentina’s third largest national park and home to 35 lakes and an extinct volcano, the region around San Martin de los Andes offers some exceptional hiking. We enjoyed walking to some nearby lookouts over the lakes and town, but eventually asked around about a more substantial hike. With a hand-drawn (not-at-all-to-scale) map in tow, we set out enthusiastically to scale the mighty Cerro Colorado, some 13kms out of town. An intimidating 1,778 meters high, which translates to over a mile up into the clouds, the mountain’s trail is beautiful but extremely STEEP, providing a natural Stairmaster for our several hour hike. We passed only a handful of people all day long as we climbed through shaded forest, navigated around thick shrubs and eventually scrambled over dusty rocks; it felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. Alas, willed by fresh air and the stunning scenery surrounding us, we made it to the summit after a nearly 3-hour climb. With no one anywhere in the vicinity to snap our “we made it” photo, we were compelled to engage in a goofy self-timed photo shoot. Some snapshots of this session can be found below, for better or worse.

Once our shaking legs reached the bottom of mighty Cerro Colorado, our epic day of hiking continued for another 3 hours (no cabs way out there…!). We walked all the way back to town through a thickly-forested lakeside trail, which included encounters with a random assortment of animals and ran alongside a friendly, indigenous Mapuche community. Back in quaint San Martin de los Andes, we closed down an unforgettable day by stocking up on wine and groceries, knowing full well we wouldn’t be able to move our weary legs that following day.

Argentina: San Carlos de Bariloche (Patagonia)

From Iguazu we flew to Buenos Aires , where we sadly said “adios” to Cousin Nicole, our savvy travel companion for the last two weeks, who was headed back to the States. The two of us then caught a flight connection onward to Bariloche, some 1,005 miles southwest of Argentina’s capital city. Set in a dramatically beautiful area of the Patagonia region, with rugged plains, snowy peaks and glistening lakes abound, Bariloche is a beautiful place. A ski town-vibe with rustic charm, Bariloche hugs the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, offering awesome opportunities to explore the nearby nature surroundings, be it hiking, biking, camping, skiing, etc.

Bariloche is our kind of place. We extended our stay twice, and found several awesome walks and hikes during out time in town, not to mention some particularly tasty chocolates. (Those of you who know Krista recognize this last particular element of town as a very big deal.) Aside from being an outdoor activities hub, Bariloche is know for its chocolate, which stems from Swiss immigrants who settled nearby and saw potential for great chocolate with all the healthy cows in the area. Interestingly enough, much of the architecture in town is also influenced by Swiss, German and English immigrants. It can at times feel like you’re somewhere in Europe. Although we could’ve stayed put in Bariloche for ages, we diligently pressed on to the north to see more of Patagonia.

Argentina: More Iguazu Falls

We returned to Iguazu National Park the following day for additional gawking at the immense panarama of waterfalls. This time around, we walked the park’s mile-and-a-half Lower Circuit, which offered even better views, slightly less other tourists, and provided a significantly wetter, up-close experience. Given the scorching temperatures, the mist from the cascading water was just what the doctor ordered.

Later in the day, we found a much less-traveled 4-km Jungle Trail that led deep into the forest. It was a nice and relaxing walk until we came upon a long stretch of huge spiders in webs just above the trail. Huge. Ducking our way along the dirt path for several anxious minutes through this “Corridor of Death,“ our bravery was eventually rewarded when we came upon a beautiful natural pool with a tall waterfall. Here, we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the middle of the jungle -- definitely a highlight of our stop in Argentina’s Northeast.

On our final day in Puerto Iguazu, we joined an adventurous Iguazu Forest tour that paraded us down some of South America’s dustiest roads and deep into the elements. Upon arriving in the middle of nowhere and receiving instructions in something that resembled English, we took turns fearlessly rappelling down a waterfall’s rock face. And as if that wasn’t awesome enough, we followed this up with a dramatic zipline over the lush jungle canopy. Fortunately, we survived the day’s thrilling activities with nary a scratch, and set off to celebrate this feat with some cold, Argentinean beer and tasty empanadas.