#throwback: Latin America
Here's us looking back at some of our favourites
Favourite city we visited
Ayesha
''For me it has to be Medellin, Columbia. Maybe it was the friendliness of people or its year round spring weather or purely for sentimental reasons as it was the first city in our travels we spent the longest time in, Medellin will always have a special place in my heart.''
Munis
''Medellin definitely in terms of experience, we spent a lot of time there and were able to experience and develop an impression of the different areas of the city. I feel we missed an opportunity in Buenos Aires due to illness and various reasons.''
Favourite local food restaurant
Ayesha
''Mi Chola in Bolivia was such an amazing experience, I loved the fusion dishes and the imaginative presentation of the food.''
Munis
''For me it was Brisas del Titicaca Asociación Cultural in Lima, Peru. The BBQ lamb was exquisite and probably was one of the best cooked grilled meats I have had to date. Mi Chola was a very nice high-end offering but it was definitely a close second.''
Favourite western-styled restaurant
Ayesha
''Mistral in Bogota. The eggs were cooked to perfection, the pastries some of the best I have had and the coffee, second to none.''
Munis
''A tie between the broaster chicken shop in Sucre near the bus station and Mistral in Bogota that we had on Valentine’s day.''
Favourite tour we took
Munis
''Discounting the big ticket tours I liked the tour of the Contemporary Art Museum in La Paz, which provided a critical re-reading of the art from an indigenous lens.''
Ayesha
''I will have to second you on this one. The big tours were all amazing but considering the smaller ones the tour of the museum was pretty remarkable.''
Favourite accommodation
Ayesha
''We stayed at a lot of good hotels/hostels/Airbnbs during our stay. In terms of comfort and complete experience, I would say the Mashaquipe lodges of the Bolivian Amazon were pretty spectacular especially given the location.''
Munis
''Mashaquippe lodges were indeed the best accommodation we have stayed at. The facilities and comfort were top notch.''
Country with the best street food
Ayesha
''It's a close call between Mexico and Peru but I will have to go with Mexico on this one. The tamarind micheladas and the mango slices with a spicy tajin sauce were so refreshing in the heat and tasted delicious.''
Munis
''Mexico definitely, the food we had near the bus station in Cancun was quite nice and similarly the food from various street vendors across Yucatan was delicious.''
Favourite natural attraction
Munis
''Amazon by a long shot. Being in the rainforest was a dream of mine and finally getting there was surreal. Standing in the dark in the Amazon jungle was the closest to feeling magic. Whilst there can be no direct comparison between Amazon and Iguazu, Iguazu showcased the sheer power of mother earth and it was very much in your face whilst Amazon was much more subtle.''
Ayesha
''For me it has to be the Iguazu waterfalls, in Argentina. It forces you to stop, be present, and is awe-inspiringly beautiful.''
Favourite museum
Munis
''The Ore/Gold Museum in Bogota, it was amazing to see Maya artefacts and mythology. The Shaman section was of great interest to me.''
Ayesha
''Museo del Tesoro, the gemstone museum in Sucre because it was so unexpected, owing to the brilliant guide at the museum. I have no interest in gemstones but left with a new-found appreciation, the Contemporary Art Museum in La Paz, was also incredible.''
Most surprising experience
Ayesha
''The salt flats of Uyuni, mainly because of the absence of emotional reaction it evoked in me which was both puzzling and unsettling. The desolateness of the planes is not something you can gather from pictures.''
Munis
''Salt flats definitely, it was like a video game glitch, a place which defied laws of physics, land of flying mountains, weird rocks and colour vegetation.''
Favourite coffee place
Ayesha
''It was hard to find a bad cup of coffee in Columbia and unsurprisingly the worst one we had was at the airport in Bogota. The best I would have to say was in Salento, at the coffee tour we did. I would also rate Tostao's coffee up there with it because we had it almost everyday.''
Munis
''Agreed, Tostao's coffee was really good. I looked forward to having it every day.''
Favourite hike/trek
Ayesha
''This is a difficult one, because we have done so many amazing hikes on this trip but I would say the Salkantay trek to Macchu Pichhu. Given the amount of days we walked was a first for us especially because I was so skeptical at the start and the way the landscapes changed day by day was quite memorable. I was very proud of us for completing the hike unguided.''
Munis
''Just as a hike I would say Mount Fitzroy because in a single day the scenery changed all the time and it was incredibly beautiful. Reaching the base of Mt Fitzroy and looking at the majestic lakes was the cherry on top. The shadows, location, geography made the whole scene ethereal and I was absolutely mesmerised. Salkantay Trek was for me a different kind of trek and was the lead up to amazing Machu Picchu.''
Most memorable moment
Munis
''Standing in pitch black Amazon with deafening animal/insect sounds looking at glowing leaves.''
Ayesha
''The soothing symphony of sounds of birds, animals, insects and rain in the Amazonian rainforest.''
