Before I left home for Argentina on September 30th, my “Countries I have Visited” count was at 47.
Ten weeks later, my country count is still at 47.
In the months of October, November, and half of December, I visited Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia, four countries I had already visited in the past.
But this time was different. I made prior commitments to spend the entire month of October in Argentina and Chile. I was free in November, and I knew I wanted to celebrate my birthday on Saturday December 10th in Cartagena, Colombia. These were my two constraints, and while I did not increase my country count in these last two and half months, I had some of the top thrilling experiences I’ve ever had.
The Birthday Boat Party – Cartagena, Colombia
Let’s start with the end of the trip. The exclamation point of the ten week travel was 100% my birthday boat party on a 30-person catamaran. I dedicated a solo podcast episode to talk more about all on YouTube and Spotify.
My birthday was going to be a Saturday this year, and I knew I had to take advantage.
Special Shoutout to Friends Who Came Out of Town for this Party
Jay – My first digital nomad friend that I made in Mexico five years ago.
Wilson (Numero Dos) – One of my first friends that I made when I lived in San Francisco.
Nick – First friend I made while I was in Puerto Escondido.
And for the rest of the Squad… We Randomly Met in Cartagena and Now we are Great Friends
This group represented eleven different countries. Thank you so much for attending my birthday and making the day special for me and for all of us.
Mafer (Venezuela), Caio (Brazil), Julio (Brazil), Cielo (Mexico), Natalia (Colombia), Key (Colombia), Tom (Canada), Jose (Costa Rica), Victoria (Brazil), Andres (Brazil), Miranda (Australia), Nicole (Australia), Kayin (USA), Alicia (Sweden), Daniela (Colombia), Ana Lucia (Panama), Adalberto (Panama), Azella (Panama), Aleksander (Brazil), Mathias (Brazil), Juliana (Colombia), Agnieszka (Poland), Liz (Brazil), Simona (USA), Genevieve (Canada), Lucas (Canada)
These were the people that made the experience incredible. People are already making plans to visit each other around the world. Many people from the boat have gone on to become friends with others – and that is extremely fulfilling to me and serves as a reminder of why I love traveling the world.
The Other Nine Weeks Were Spent in…
Argentina – Buenos Aires: Two Weeks
Buenos Aires was an interesting experience. I went to Argentina in 2019 and didn’t remember the Blue Dollar rate that I experienced in October 2022. If you pay with credit card, you get 147 ARS for $1 USD. If you pay with cash via Western Union wire, you get 308 ARS for $1 USD – this is more than double the value if you pay with cash.
PS – Don Julio has the best steaks. And I waited in line for 30 min while they served free champagne.
Patagonia – El Calafate (El Chaten) / Puerto Natales (Torres del Paine): One Week
Patagonia on the Argentinian side was an incredible experience. This is the first time I made it down on that side of the border. Major highlights: El Chaten including Mount Fitz Roy, and the Ice Glaciers near El Calafate.
The Chilean side offered incredible views of Torres del Paine national park. I did the W-Trek in 2017 and this time I did a one day tour of the national park, which was clearly a different experience.
Chile – Santiago with one weekend in Valparaiso: Two Weeks
After I crossed the border to Puerto Natales on the Chilean side, I flew to Santiago after two days.
Peru – Lima: Two Weeks
I spent nearly two weeks in the capital of Peru, mainly to prepare for my transition to a smaller town during Thanksgiving week. During one weekend, I took a day trip to Huacachina and Ica.
Peru – Mancora: One Week
Mancora was my favorite place I went to in the month of November. I wrote a separate blog post about it because it was such a pleasant surprise.
Colombia – Cartagena: Two Weeks
The Catamaran boat party was the highlight and the exclamation point to the end of a ten-week trip around South America. I spent the majority of the time working and organizing the birthday boat party that I barely got to “know” Cartagena. The focal point of my Cartagena trip was making friends.
Places I Heavily Considered that I Didn’t go to…
Nicaragua and Uruguay. I originally planned to visit these two countries, but because of work, inflated flight prices, and distance, I made the pivot to go back to Peru on a shorter flight from Santiago. I ended up spending Thanksgiving week in the coastal city of Mancora. I really wanted to surf, and Lima and Mancora were the places that I chose as great alternatives.
What’s Next?
I’m looking forward to going back home after ten weeks on the road. I’ll make it to Jackson Hole to celebrate my birthday party part 2, recharge quickly, and head to Asia to see family over Christmas and New Years.
Here’s to another round of adventures. Until next time.
