An Unexpected Adventure

Our wonderful trip to South America for three weeks in February became more of an adventure than we anticipated.

Our first glimpse of the majestic Andes came from 40,000 feet as the sun rose over Peru. What a magnificent spectacle as we soared through the clouds! These imposing mountains became omnipresent throughout our stay in Chile, forming a backdrop for our sightseeing and an imposing physical barrier between Chile and Argentina.

While on a three-week cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires, we explored cities, towns, nature reserves, and national parks that showcased the cultures of Chile, Argentina, the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas for our Argentinian friends), and Uruguay. The scenery was pristine, and meeting the people and learning about the cultures was enlightening.

On our journey we met lovely, interesting people from all over the world: Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, and a number of other countries. Many planned to stay on board for nine weeks, as they sailed from and back to Florida. We discovered that seventeen days aboard a ship fulfilled our need to be at sea.

We returned home tired but excited about the places we’d seen and the people we met. Two days after our return, my husband and I became very ill. Five days later we spent the day in our local hospital’s ER receiving IV fluids and being diagnosed with E. coli. We have since recovered from the initial bout, but we tire easily and require more rest than usual.

And that, my friends, is why I have not posted or written my blog since prior to my departure.

This illness made me realize how fragile life is and how we must treasure every moment.

Wishing you all good health and lives filled with small treasures.