05/12/2012 - 06/12/2012 - The long journey home

Everything squeezed into the backpack, and off we go - still smiling as we've only done the first leg...

Tony's best Forrest Gump
impression...

So the end was finally nigh – after 3 and a half months harking back our backpacking days, that was it. Before we could get to the welcoming sub-zero climes of home, we had to get in a taxi, hop on a ferry, jump on a bus, catch a flight, wait around for a delayed onward flight, and then put the icing on the cake with a coach back to Torbados (Torquay, for those not in the know). A good way to reminisce over this leg of our amazing year, where we came up with the following top fives in no particular order:

For the observant amongst
you, Tony lost his Oz hat earlier,
and decided to replace it with
a sombrero. This one was a bit
too excessive though...

Wildlife Highlights

 - Encountering our first Eagle Rays at Caye Caulker

This one was a bit too shiny...

 - Watching our step amongst the marine iguanas across the Galapagos Islands

 - Spying the spider monkeys hanging around the Tikal ruins

 - Playing with sealions in the Galapagos

 - Watching baby turtles take their first difficult steps to water at Flor nature reserve

Architecture Highlights

 - Machu Picchu – no explanation required

 - Avoiding hairdressers in the streets of Granada

 - Mingling with the Portenos and soaking up the colours and street art of Valparaiso

This one a bit too small...

 - The white volcanic rock buildings, dwarfed by the surrounding volcanoes of Antigua

 - The welcoming Caribbean lifestyle at Cartagena

Perrrrrrrrrrrfect!

Natural Scenery Highlights

 - The Galapagos. Impossible to narrow down…

 - The different sides to the jungle on the trek to La Cuidad Perdida

 - Fun and games amongst the salt flats in Bolivia

 - From snow capped peaks to mountain cloud forest on the adrenaline bike ride in the outskirts of La Paz

 - The otherworldly Cenotes of Tulum

By no means an exhaustive list – what a  great experience. Too many journeys to count and an embarrassing number of photos taken over 244 days. 136 entries later we're hanging up our blogging boots for a good while... Thanks to anyone out there who's been checking up on our movements - til the next time!