It’s a new year, and there has never been a better time for Leah and me to explore our world. We are always up for a challenge, so we’ve decided to begin 2024 with our most ambitious adventure yet. Not satisfied with returning to some of our favorite destinations–not that there’s anything wrong with familiar places—we booked a bucket list trip over a year ago that would literally take us out of our comfort zone.

We filled the waiting time by visiting friends and family across America (and a speck of Canada)–only some of which I memorialized during the past year in this blog. In fact, a large part of last year’s travels never made it past my unpublished thoughts and unprocessed SD cards, including: a trip to Israel (months before the October 7th massacre);

a Central American cruise to Costa Rica,

Panama City,

and Cartagena, Columbia;

as well as a relaxing siesta on the Riviera Maya in Mexico;

a flash visit to Victoria, BC;

and a southwestern tour of America in our silver bullet–

all worthy of sharing sooner than later.

But until then, I must fast forward to our most recent trip to Chile’s Atacama Desert before embarking aboard Viking’s Octantis to Patagonia and Antarctica–in search of whales, penguins and extraordinary landscapes.

We overnighted in Santiago, Chile,

followed by a morning flight to Copiapó, the region’s capital incorporating San Pedro de Atacama.

And set out to explore the highest, driest ecosystem on planet Earth.

Stay tuned for more of the southern hemisphere…