1 month on the road came and went faster than we could believe. We had been so busy with traveling into Bolivia then 2 days in Chile and on to Argentina, that we suddenly realized the big day was upon us! (We've also included a few silly pictures of us.)

We celebrated by having dinner on a Saturday night at La Casona del Molina in Salta and thought about many of the things we've noticed along the way.

1. Traveling brings out the best and the worst in you. Tired, hungry, generally stressed all add up to two cranky people. We've both had to take a step back a few times to remind ourselves that the slower portion of travel was upon us.

2. Toilet paper has become our version of gold. To have a nice clean roll in our backpacks is a piece of mind I never knew I needed. With missing toilet seats, uncertainty over where to actually go, constantly asking how much it costs to use the bathroom, it's really the simplicity of just having a roll that makes the whole process so much better.

3. Sometimes you just need to eat something familiar. While I'm proud to say we've not eaten a true fast food meal, I did finally cave when we were at a Salta mall looking for a better zoom lens and there was a Mickey Dees. I definitely grabbed a fry and it tasted so good. Eating traditional food in each country is great but after 4 weeks on the road, it's nice to find one thing you aren't worried will cause food poisoning.

4. 3 days in a city is enough to understand how most things work. By day 3, these basic things are mostly understood: layout of the city, process of getting a cab/public transportation, where to find a supermarket, bus terminal, ATM, etc. We start to feel like locals after 3 days in one place.

5. Traveling is so different from vacation. Vacation you plan ahead and everything is set for your arrival. Traveling is more like work, with constant planning for the next step, trying to maintain a budget, finding safe places to stay, and still keep in touch with each other and those at home. We've really had to focus on spending days not planning for the next step and just enjoying the moment.

Best Meal: Pacena la Saltena-one of our cheapest meals was also our best. La Paz didn't offer us much to be excited about but the saltenas seriously have us considering a yearly fly in-fly out just for these delicious stuffed dough balls.

Toughest Border Crossing: Chile to Argentina. I would never have guessed Chile to Argentina would be more challenging than Peru to Bolivia but it was. Disorganized and challenging to understand, the step-by-step of Bolivia was quicker and easy as long as your were prepared with the proper paper work. Chile to Argentina was a time-consuming cluster that left even the most kind-hearted Germans in line behind us saying Cambodia was an easier entry.

Best cocktail: Passion de Muna from Belmond Monestario.

Biggest disagreement: 4 weeks of nonstop travel doesn't a trip make according to Brian. However, I have been fine with our pace. When Brian hit the wall, I was still ready to keep rocking. Stopping in Salta for 5 days helped to even us both and prepared us for our next month.

Things we miss: We've talked about this a lot over the last week.

-We miss our family and friends and Nashville. Lindsay misses snuggling on Nashboy a lot.

-We mostly miss food. We miss a good Greek salad, white queso and chips and Brian's homemade margs.

-Lindsay misses using a good Reidel wine glass and enjoying it from her own couch.

-Missing out on babies-Lindsay's best friend Sarah just had a baby girl, Sadie and we have many other friends who've just given birth or are about too.

-Brian misses good BBQ and real craft beer-none of this so-called craft beer.

-Having private space-public parks and community space are great, but it would be nice to have your own sofa or back porch to relax on.

-Consistently solid data and wifi-We have data and texting everywhere we go, but sometimes it's so slow we want to throw our phones out the bus window.

-We miss the opportunity to go to church on Sundays. We keep searching for a Protestant church but South America is mainly Catholic or LDS. Also, every service being in Spanish doesn't help either.

Things we've loved:

-Being able to really talk and listen to one another for the first time in a long time, discussing new dreams and ideas and goals.

-Asking why not when an opportunity presents itself and seeking out new things to try and do.

-Not missing our jobs at all-we miss the people, but not the day-to-day grind.

-Not missing our community commitments-we miss involvement but not feeling the burden to always say yes.

-Slow travel! There is something so freeing in knowing you don't really need to move quickly but can add and subtract days as you feel best.

Things we hate:

-Overnight bus travel-I don't care how nice the bus is, traveling overnight is miserable. Thank goodness most hostels let you check in early.

-Worrying about eating something uncooked, like salad or fruit. We really want to eat these things, but 9/10 times it's just a question mark. If we are staying for several nights in a place, we usually risk it, but if we are moving on quickly, we avoid anything uncooked.

Traveling this way has really opened our eyes to a lot of new things and new attitudes and we've loved our journey so far.

We didn't do much while in San Pedro, slept in and tried to plan our time in Salta.

The only thing we had planned was going on a stargazing tour, which are supposed to be spectacular. Unfortunately, San Pedro had had a week of very heavy storms, one so bad that it ripped parts of the roof off our hostel just a few days before our arrival. This caused our tour to be cancelled each night.

While we were disappointed, we knew San Pedro was just a stop over for us, so we enjoyed the tourist town before heading over the Andes to Salta.

Our bus to Salta left at 9:30 am and the bus station is only 2 blocks from our hostel, so we didn't feel super rushed. But, by the time we both had showered and finished packing, we were rushing out the door. We also realized we hadn't paid yet.

Of course, the computer system isn't turned on and the CC machine isn't working. Finally, the card went through, but the receipt didn't print fully. Brian snapped a picture as we hustled out the door to get to the station by 9:20.

Turns out there should have been no rush at all. No bus at the station. No one at the closed office. So we all waited. Finally, the office opened and I went to talk to the woman, who had to make a phone call to get someone to arrive. 15 minutes she said.

The bus finally showed up, and by the time we packed up, we were an hour late.

The good thing is the drive out of Chile and into Argentina is a beautiful one. We drove through snow covered mountains to the customs station in the desert.

This is when the process went south. After experiencing Bolivian customs, we were sure customs between the two most developed countries in South America would be much easy. Ha!

Upon arrival, we waited outside the "compound" for 30 minutes before the bus could enter. Once we entered, we were allowed to get off to use the bathroom, but not line up. We were finally allowed to line up to be stamped out of Chile, but only 2-3 people were permitted entry at a time.

We finally realized once we got into the building that all the agents stay the same, but they do an exit cycle and then an entry cycle.

We got stamped out of Chile and then got back in line to wait for the agents to change to entry windows. We realized our bus guide hadn't given us any paperwork for entry, he just didn't make it to the top of the bus to pass out the papers. Great. We hurriedly filled out our papers before making it the window.

Then it was back outside to grab our bags that had just been dumped out of the bus onto the pavement to drag back inside and have Xrayed. Put your bags on the belt and they just tumble out the other side, all on top of each other. There was an old woman in front of us with 6 bags, most of them heavy and Brian had to help her put them on the belt.

We grabbed our bags and took them back out to the bus which had now been permitted to cross into Argentina. Loading all the bags back on turned out to be a Tetris mission no one could figure out. Nearly 3 hours later, we were finally back on the road to finish our 6 hour drive.

The redeeming factor of the drive is the stunning scenery. It in incredible to see the mountains and their colors. They look like technicolor mountains rising along side the muddy waters of the Rio Grande. We drove down into the valley, with the bus making hairpin turns for at least an hour.

Once we finally arrived in Salta, we were beat and the process of getting our luggage wasn't the easiest, as they tried to pull out people's luggage as they yelled for it. Finally retrieving ours, we went in search of a money exchange or an ATM. No luck. When we finally found one, our card wouldn't work. Luckily, the almighty dollar always works and when we told our taxi driver we didn't have pesos only dollars, his face lit up with a smile and said, "Es MEJOR!"

Our hostel was an old house and Pilar met us at the gate around 10 pm and showed us around. It was in a prime location - only two blocks from Plaza 9 de Julio. Starving, we dropped our stuff and headed back out for a Friday evening in Salta.

I have a confession to make... I'm not as a good a driver as I present myself to be. This hill in Valparaiso, Chile proved that.

The truth is, I stalled our rental car in one of the most embarrassing, hilarious situations I've ever experienced.

We left Santiago after two days there and drove westward to Valparaiso with a pit stop in the wine country of Casablanca Valley. Upon entering the city, I navigated some busy streets and followed the GPS instructions toward our hotel, the RC Art Deco. The hotel is located mid-way up the Cerro Bellavista hill. Valparaiso is a city of hundreds of steep hills, each constituting a unique neighborhood.

Once you get past the flat boulevards of the commercial district, all the hill roads become one lane, rumbling paths of intimidation. The locals have adapted to this by driving incomprehensibly fast. However, I happened to be behind the most cautious Chilean that day. As I turned up the hill, they gingerly edged up the incline. About 30 meters later, I felt a suspect strain from the engine. Imagine a toddler trying to compete in the "world's strongest man" contest where they pull a truck with their teeth. That was the equivalent of our pathetic rental Citroen trying to lug four adults and all their luggage up this hill. Suddenly, my fears culminated with a sad sputter and a stalled engine. I started her back up a few times and tried to get first gear to catch, but each time it ended with a failure that challenged my manhood. On top of this, I had a cabby stuck behind me angrily cursing my incompetence in Spanish and a well-intentioned woman on the sidewalk encouraging me to punch the gas harder. I asked everyone to get out of the car to reduce weight. My dad took this as a sign of surrender and commanded me out of the driver's seat. On the first try, he cranked it and zoomed the Citroen up the hill, leaving us behind with the kind bystander and cranky cabby. He didn't stop at the next cross street but took the car all the way up to the top of the neighborhood where the hotel was located. Lindsay, my mom, and I had to walk 10 minutes up there, myself with the humiliation of a man conquered by gravitational forces. The kicker was that my dad had the GPS and the three of us had no idea where the hotel was. We had to muddle our way through asking directions from an old woman sweeping the sidewalk.

A few minutes thereafter, we found the hotel just in time to help unload our luggage and out of the sight of the people who witnessed my vehicular shortcoming. Now I understand why the Chileans drive so stupidly fast up the hills. It's all about inertia.

When in America, vineyards are happy to offer tastings upon arrival.  Only the nicest tastings and tours require a reservation.  Not in Chile.  Chilean government permits very little wine to be imported, so the domestic wine is taken very seriously.  

We, of course, had a very American mindset of simply stopping by for a quick tasting at a few vineyards on our way to and from Valpo.  Time and again, we were proved wrong.  

On our way to Valpo, we finally got lucky at Vina Casa del Bosque and landed an impromptu lunch reservation!  What an incredible vineyard with an amazing ceviche and the best caramelized onion jelly.  You could spend a lot of time here just relaxing on their cabanas on the lawn.
  

Knowing better on the way back from Valpo, we made a reservation at Vina Loma Larga, which is tucked away in Casablanca's countryside.  Alejandra gave us a superb tasting of their Malbec in the predominantly Sauvignon Blanc region.  Due to the location of the hills surrounding the vineyard, they are the only vineyard able to produce Malbecs in the region.  She gave us a great history of Valpo throughout the tasting.  

Alejandra was also kind enough to make us a reservation for lunch at Macerado, with an exceptional seafood stew.  

When traveling to Chilean wine country, you won't be disappointed, as long as you make a reservation.
  

"Valpo" came highly recommended by a family friend and in some ways I can understand, but it's also a bit of an "up and comer", to be polite.  Valparaiso is the sister city to San Francisco, CA and you can easily see why.  The port town is very hilly, colorful and still retains its edge. 

On our way to Valparaiso, we attempted to stop in a few vineyards, but were denied due to not having a reservation.  Apparently you always need a reservation unlike at US vineyards where you walk right in for a tasting.  Vina Casa del Bosque took pity on us and sat us for lunch.  We will post separately on Chilean wine country. 

We stayed at the RC Art Deco hotel, which is an old house turned hotel. Very unique, but very noisy due to the stairs and open, high ceilings.  It has a spectacular view when the sun is setting as seen in our "About Us" cover photo.  

I made reservations during our trip for two nice dinners, and one was in Valpo at Espiritu Santo for the night of our arrival.  It had received rave reviews and didn't disappoint.  Conveniently, it was about 10 feet from our hotel.  Laura, the owner, was a divine hostess and the food was exceptional!  Lamb, Beef Ravioli, Lemon Conger Eel.  All of it was amazing.  Brian was treated to the house signature cocktail recipe and gave Laura his famous Minted Man recipe in return.  

The next morning we visited the house called La Sebastiana of famed Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda.  The views are lovely and the interior is just so weird.  He was an avid collector and had a love for naming things-like his armchair was called "The Cloud."  

We took the 612 bus (300 pesos/person) to San Luis and wandered to Paseo Yugoslavo.  We had a fabulous lunch at El Peral; the Pastel de Jaiba was one of the best things any of us at the table had ever eaten.  It's a traditional Chilean dish of crab, parmesan cheese, wine, and cream. 
 

After visiting the Museo Bellas Artes, we walked down to Plaza Sotomayor and the shipyard.  Valpo's waterfront is very industrial with many containers and cranes.  It was fun to watch the people and wander through the port market before taking the oldest funicular (or ascensor) to Concepcion.  

It's amazing to think at one point in time there were 26 working funiculars.  Now they are down to just 8.  It certainly is the very best way to get up and down the hilly city for a fair price of 100 pesos/person (about 16 cents).
   

Valpo is very colorful and trying to make a comeback via art.  Wandering the streets of the city is a treat for the eye, as everywhere you look is street art.  It was nice to see a city regaining its identity but still maintaining some grit.  Brian and I agree that it will be incredible to come back in 20 years and see how much has changed.
  

You are reading the first of what will be many, many blog posts about the Wayfaring Seels! We are currently relaxing on the rooftop terrace of our hotel in Valparaiso and catching up on our frenetic 96 hours of travel so far.

Our flight arrived in Santiago very late at night, and between changing money and trying to find my bag, our arrival at the hotel was delayed until 2:30 AM.

After sleeping in a generous amount, we explored Santaigo's central core. A short walk led us to Cerro Santa Lucia, one of the two main hills in the valley that encompasses the city. Take the time to meander through the park's many pathways. You'll find a wide variety of flora, from succulents, jacaranda, and geraniums to cacti and aloe plants. The park contains colonial arches, gardens, rocky outcrops and a lookout perch at the summit. The 360-degree views of skyscrapers and mountains make the climb worth it.

For lunch, we had the obligatory "Italiano" and "Completa" hot dogs - riddled with avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise (the Completa adds sauerkraut). The restaurant Elkika has great German-style beer and decor to match. If it weren't for the flurry of Spanish conversation, you might think you were in Düsseldorf.

In the late afternoon we wandered over to the Mercado Central, which stupefied us with their collection of odorous fish. I expected the market to have a spectrum of produce and products, but it is primarily a fish market. The stalls displayed many species of indigenous fish with nary a bed of ice to be seen. By the time we arrived around 5 PM, I'd doubt the freshness of that stuff.

I'd heard of a lively bar caddy-corner from the Mercado called La Piojera. As per my typical ways, I forgot to write down the name of the bar, so I was unable to remember anything other than the color of the building - orange - and that the name started with a "P". Luckily, Lindsay kept pushing forward when I was about to give up after nearly walking the whole neighborhood, and we found the place. I'm darn glad we did.

La Piojera was the highlight of Santiago. The joint was packed with locals slugging down a drink called El Terremoto (the earthquake). Composed of pineapple sorbet, chicha, and fernet branca or grenadine, it'll knock you over for sure. With very little convincing, I got the manager to let me behind the bar to try my hand at making some. I wasn't nearly quick enough, but the crowd ate it up. (Especially when I knocked one over!)

With a solid buzz and tired legs, we grabbed dinner at the Liguria restaurant next to our hotel. The food was decent, especially my conger eel stew (paila de congria). Thus ended our 24 hour breeze through Santiago.

For a city about which I'd heard mixed reviews, I found it to be safe, welcoming, and lots of fun.