Here’s a breakdown of the timeline above. This is only conceptual and should not be taken literally – whatever you do, don’t book a flight to come see us based on this! It will give you an idea of the direction we plan to go and some of the things on our bucket list.
September 2011 – March 2012
- Start in Ecuador. Take Spanish lessons for a few weeks (we have zero knowledge of the language – wouldn’t it be awesome if we became conversationally proficient in the language!). Must do: Galapagos Islands. Maybe go diving (I’m newly certified and a little nervous and I know this may not be the best place to begin our diving career).
- Travel down the coast of South America – Peru, Bolivia, Chile – possibly towards Ushuaia to embark on an Antarctica Cruise (big maybe – its very expensive so will depend on the budget). Want to spend some time in the Sacred Valley in Peru (we just passed through there on our last trip and I vowed to go back to explore more fully one day), the salt flats of Bolivia fascinate me, and the vineyards of Chile are beckoning.
- Spend some time in Argentina and Brazil. Iguazu Falls are a must see. Would love to spend a month in Buenos Aires. Can’t miss Rio de Janiero – who knows we may even time it right for Carnivale week, although that is a “nice to do”, not a “must do”.
March 2012 – August 2012
- Take a transatlantic cruise from Brazil to somewhere in Europe (Barcelona and Venice are current possibilities based on the options we’re looking at).
- Meander through South Western Europe April/May (stay where it’s warm). Italy, France and Spain come to mind. Practice my French! Practice our Spanish!
- Do the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in May/June timeframe. This is a 780 km hike from St Jean Pied de Port (France) to Santiago (Spain) – should take about a month to complete.
- Head towards Eastern Europe, through Turkey, and make our way towards Egypt.
- Have relatives in Germany who we’d like to visit during this time.
September/October 2012
- Egypt – definitely want to see the pyramids.
- Head towards Kenya to hike Kilimanjaro, and to do a safari. Visit Masai Mara National Reserve and maybe (if we’re lucky) witness the great migration across the Serengeti plains during this time.
November 2012 – January 2013
- Make our way to Australia and New Zealand in time for their spring/summer season. Maybe take a detour through India en route to Australia.
- Would love to be in Sydney, Australia on December 31st to see first hand their fireworks that ring in the New Year. I was so impressed by their show in the year 2000 (saw it on TV); I vowed that one day I would be there in person for New Year ’s Eve.
- Plan to do lots of hiking in New Zealand. Dive the Great Barrier Reef.
February 2013 – June 2013
- Still so much to see. Focus will be on Indonesia, South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc.).
- Want to spend some time in India if we didn’t do this already.
- Nepal – trek the Annapurna circuit in Nepal.
July 2013 – August 2013
- China. Definitely want to hike part of the Great Wall.