Planning is progressing in earnest for our planned six month backpacking trip in the biologically diverse and rich area of South America - only seven weeks to go, as we fly into Lima, Peru on the 3rd May. Peru's diversity is one of the richest in the world and we are looking forward to the new experience and a new continent in our travels. There is no fixed agenda for the trip but possible countries include Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, but we will take it a day at a time. Peru on its own could take up months of travel with great landscapes and experiences all over the country. Our plan is certainly to get some good trekking done, and get to see some of the dramatic landscapes of the continent.
Our big challenge currently is researching and deciding what gear we will actually take on our low cost backpacking trip. What items are necesaary, and what items are just going to add excessive weight to our backpacks. The information available in guide books and on the world wide web is overwhelming and a challenge to filter through it all and decide on the gear and experiences that suit us.
The feeling of heading off like this on a substantial trip is phenomenal and hard to explain. Having done this before, there is little fear and a lot of excitement. It is a great privelege to be able to do this, and get away from the frustration and stresses of big city life and work.