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South America had always been seen as a mysterious continent which needed to be explored. That was the feeling which was the catalyst for the journeys which Brian and Jan undertook. In the event it became two journeys, some ten years apart, and encompassed almost every Country on that continent. At the time of their first visit, in 1997, Peru seemed a more dangerous place because of terrorism which had been causing problems for tourists. In the event, although they had some scares, they had no problems of that sort, but they did have problems of a different type which caught them out.
They found interest and even excitement in each country they visited. The ancient ruins of Machu Pichu and the floating islands of Peru; the unusual train ride through the Andes in Ecuador; and the flight over the Angel falls in Venezuela, the highest water falls in the world. These and other places formed a compulsion to see and experience more, and especially to come back to South America, which they eventually achieved.
In their second visit in 2007, being ten years older. they had slowed down a little but still managed to find interest in five different countries. The highlights being the exuberant Brazilian Carnival celebrations in Recife and an exploration in the Amazon forest; an interesting visit to Chile, despite being robbed; a strange interlude in Uruguay; the discovery of a rarely visited country, Paraguay; and their favourite city of South America, Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Despite their advancing age they continue to be back-packing budget travellers and found they could, with resilience, overcome every difficulty they encountered.
