In the afternoon we set sail to see Kicker Rock and enjoy the sunset. As we sailed Frigate birds soared over the ship drafting off the wind from the ship.

We took it easy and enjoyed the views and the all inclusive cocktails. Then went to bed relatively early because we had an early start the next day.

Dive 1: Kicker Rock

This dive was an amazing dive, we saw a large group of 30 or so hammerhead sharks swim by. The visibility wasn’t great but it was cool to see that many hammerheads.

Dive 2: Kicker Rock

On this dive there was a giant school of black striped salima, it was so big it blocked out much of the light when diving. We swam thru the school and watched sea lions and turtles do the same.

As we surfaced we heard dolphins but we couldn’t see them. We got in the boat and started to dry off when we saw a giant pod of maybe 100 dolphins swimming near by. We rushed over to jump in and snorkel with them.

After diving we went back to our hotel, got cleaned up and took a nap. I woke up with pain in my hip , I got DCS again, I guess waiting 2 months wasn’t enough. I went to the dive shop, they gave me oxygen and it went away and didn’t think I needed to ho to a chamber. When I get home I’m going to the doctor to get this figured out and got into a chamber.

Dive 1: Darwin Bay

This dive was a nice easy dive, we saw a couple rays and some star fish I hadn’t seen before.

Dive 2: Carawa Shipwreck

This was cool dive with a pretty big lobster, some sea lion action, scorpion fish, and more cool star fish.

After diving we went in search of lunch, Jacob decided he wanted to have scorpion fish for lunch and was very eager to eat all the parts.

After lunch we wandered around the downtown area checking out the sea lions and had a beer. Then we went to the dive shop to checkin and get our gear for diving the next day.

The rest of the night we took it easy and just enjoyed being in the Galapagos.

We then went into the covenant of Saint Francis to get a better view of the city and tour their art collection.

We then walked along the street of seven crosses to the Pre-Incan and Incan Museum.

After taking a break for lunch we drove up to the Mary Protector Statue that sit on the main hill of the city. We visited the museum inside the statue and then wandered around the surrounding park.

We got back to the hotel around diner time, so Jacob and I wandered to a pizza place that looked good near Hula. After pizza we stopped back in at Hula for another drink.

On the way to Quito we stopped at the equator and took some pics standing in different hemispheres. Triceraduck was briefly at the center of the world.

That night we went out for dinner and drinks at a cool restaurant/bar called Hula. We had a great time meeting the owners and enjoyed the creative and tasty drinks on the cocktail menu. We then took in the city at night as we headed back to our hotel.

With sore butts, we sat down and had lunch.

After lunch we went on a tour of the property to learn more about the history of the Hacienda and the cheese factory. One cool thing we learned was that two presidents of Ecuador lived in the Hacienda and we got to see the president office.

We then relaxed and enjoyed hanging out in the Hacienda until dinner.

We stopped for lunch at a local person’s home for lunch.

After we went to a local leather market but Jacob and I really aren’t shoppers, so we wandered around for a bit but didn’t buy anything. we then went back to the Hacienda and relaxed until having a late dinner.

After our visit to the Condors, I felt like a nap because I was still recovering from my cold. Jacob decided he wanted to go on a hike. he stopped some more fungi and then hurried back as it started raining.

We then spent the evening meeting the owner of the Hacienda and having dinner.

We got to the Hacienda in the afternoon and immediately sat down for lunch. After we went for a hike around the property with the Hacienda dog Tango.

After our hike we took sometime to relax in the property’s giant hot tub and did back and forth cold plunges.

Then we wandered the property some more and got ready for dinner.

Meanwhile Jacob was doing an epic hike up a volcano to 18,600ft. I would have died, so I’m glad he had fun. He said it was extremely hard and he struggled to breathe with each step, which you can see on his face in a couple of the photos.

We met back at the lodge for lunch then relaxed until our afternoon adventure in the Salar de Atacama, a large salt lake similar to the Dead Sea. It was really cool to be neutrally buoyant.

After our fun in the lake we went back to the lodge had some drinks and had a final dinner with our new friends before calling it an early night.

Meanwhile I got up and hung out by the pool. Jacob came back early and found me by the pool to get the key.

After lunch, Jacob convinced me to go on a hike thru slot canyon even though I was still feeling sick . We started the hike half way thru due to on coming rain. It was a beautiful hike and had epic landscapes.

After the hike we headed back to the lodge and a relaxing dinner.

After that hike I was feeling pretty wiped out, my cold wasn’t any better and I didn’t think I should go on the afternoon hike. Jacob went but got rerouted due to rain to the hike he did the day before.

We he got back, we had a drink together and watched the sunset from the lodge. and then had dinner with our new friends that we made in the lodge.

We arrive at the camp around lunch time, got checked into our room and had some lunch.

The camp was at about 9000ft in elevation and that combined with my cold made me feel pretty miserable so I took a nap while Jacob went on a short hike.

When Jacob got back we picked out some hikes for the next couple days, had dinner, and called it an early night.

I tried to rest as much as possible before we headed to the Atacama desert.

So we got up extra early for the hour drive to the ferry. The took the 45 min ferry ride to the trail head.

After a brief stop at the welcome center for a potty break, we were on our way. The hike was “Patagonian Flat” (rolling hills) for most of the hike until the last 3/4 of a mile to the summit with about 1200ft of elevation gain.

The way up was a grind and one of the people in a group turned back to wait at the valley camp before the summit. Jacob and I pressed forward and made it to the summit either the remaining group members.

At the summit was had lunch and then made our way back down. We had a bit of a time crunch and booked it back to the ferry arriving just in time to catch the first ferry back and avoid the 1.5 hour wait for the next/last ferry.

Once we got back to the camp we escorted to a room upgrade.. not sure why but can’t complain. It was a two yurt suite with sitting room and slightly better view. We then went to dinner and stayed up chatting late into the night with some other guests over cocktails.

After kayaking we had lunch and just chilled for the rest of the day trying to let our legs recover from yesterday’s hike. We had some relaxing time in the hot tub, enjoyed the views, and had some quality nap time.

We got up very early for the hike since it was a 1.5 hour drive to the trail head. We enjoyed watching the sunrise and getting to know our guides and hiking mates.

Once we arrived at the trail head we got geared up and ready to hike. It was turning out to be a beautiful day and we were definitely over dressed. So we ended up stripping off several layers.

About half way up we started to encounter strong winds and struggled at points.

We ended up heading down into a valley before making the climb to the top. The valley was nice and sheltered by trees.

We came thru the forest and made the long slog up the boulders to the summit. When we got the to the summit there were strong winds and we put all our layers back on. After having lunch at the summit, we tools some time to take pictures and then started making our way back.

On the way down we had some fun running down the trail when possible, well at least for me. Jacob and the guide barreled down the trail even when I was sure I was going to twist an ankle, so I get left in the dust to hike down with another one of the hikers, Wilson.

After the hike went back to the hotel soaked in the hot tub and relaxed after the long hike.

We drove got several hours until we got to the border and went thru the customs process to leave Argentina and enter Chile.

After another 2 hours we arrived at Patagonia camp at the end of lunch. They gave us some welcome drinks, we took a quick pic of the view and sat down to have lunch. The camp is set up on a hill side with all the rooms being yurts.

Once we wrapped up lunch we decided to take advantage of the view and our private hot tub and relax.

After relaxing for a bit we met with the guides to pick our hike for tomorrow, we of course picked the hardest hike to the base of the towers. Then we finally called sandals and locked the wedding plans in for Jamaica. Once that was all squared away we went to have drinks and dinner while Jacob called his dad about the wedding.

We called it an early night after dinner since we picked the hardest hike.

When we got to the farm we then we’re loaded into vans for an hour long ride to a lookout and hopefully a hike. Unfortunately when we got to the lookout they decided it was too dangerous to hike due to poor visibility.

So we returned to the farm and had lunch then took a small tour of the farm and then loaded back onto the boat back to the mainland. Jacob decided to take a nap on the way back.

We then took the bus back to the hotel and then went looking for supplies in town. After we called it an early night since we needed to be up early for our transfer to Chilean Patagonia.

We board the boat and got great views leading up to the glacier.

Once on land near the glacier, we met our guides and got geared up for the glacier hike.

We finally got on the ice and did a 2 mile hike around the glacier. At the end of the hike they poured everyone a glass of whiskey and provided chocolates.

After the hike we took the boat back and met up with our guide. He took us to the view point on the other side of the park to checkout a different view of the glacier.

We got back to the hotel around diner time and decided to have diner at the hotel and an early night in.

After food we took the shuttle back and called it an early night.

We started the hike in a light rain and we were sheltered by forest. Until we popped out of the forest at our first stop along the hike at Laguna Azul. I expected it to be blue but not such a deep dark blue, it was cool to see.

The rain picked up as we continued to hike and the trail got pretty muddy. But we eventually came to a long stretch of open area with boulders and pouring rain that soaked us thru our rain gear but we pushed forward to the refuge.

When we got to the refuge we were shocked to find a cozy cabin that was staffed by the Explora team. It had a nice warm fire to dry off near as well as beer and wine to go with lunch. It was a welcome reprieve from the pouring rain and cold.

After a relaxing lunch we set back out on the trail. The guide offered for us to take the adventurous way back and of course we chose adventure.

And because I can’t help being clumsy the last couple hundred feet of the hike I snagged my foot on a root and twisted my knee. Luckily we were close to the trail end and we got our ride back to Explora where I iced it while enjoying a cocktail. Luckily another guest was a doctor and he examined my knee and said I most likely just sprained it and I need to rest it for a day or two.

After cocktails we had an incredible dinner, probably the best of the whole trip. Then we went to the bar where Jacob had an impromptu whiskey tasting of mostly South American whiskeys. We stayed up late because the next day was a travel day to El Calafate.

The weather at the beginning of the hike was clear and cool. As we hiked on it started to rain but it wasn’t a heavy downpour. As we hiked further up the trail the rain eventually turned to snow and we were relieved not to have to hike in the rain.

We got to the too quickly and stopped for a snack. While we were snacking several hawks came by to visit.

After another couple miles of hiking we stopped for lunch near a nice lake view point and had another visit with some birds.

We finished lunch and made our way down to El Chalten, the nearest city, to get picked up and taken back to Explora camp.

This hike was supposed to be a full day hike but we finished the hike at noon. So we got back to the camp, relaxed a bit and then decided to go on a short hike near the camp. The hike had lots of great looks outs, was a relatively easy 5 mile hike and Jacob had lots of opportunities to take pics of fungi.

After all the hiking, we got cleaned up the sat at the bar and played cribbage until dinner. Dinner was delicious and after we had a nightcap before heading to bed early in preparation for our hike the next day.

We arrive at Explora around 4pm, all the of hiking was done for the day. So we hung out at the bar to play cribbage and they provided us with a charcuterie board while we took in the amazing view.

We met with the guides to pick our hike for the next day and then went to diner around 8pm. Unfortunately we were a bit full from all the snacking and didn’t have enough room for the delicious asado.

After dinner we called it an early nice so we would be ready to hike!

After brunch we tooled around the city before heading to have a tango lesson and watch a tango show. We got to the tango place early and stopped for a beer across the street.

Then it was time for our lesson, let’s just say I am not very coordinated and stepped on Jacob several times and almost took him out when I lifted my leg to do the final tango pose.

After the lesson we sat down for dinner and the show. The tango show was nice and the charango player was very good.

The show ended with Evita (which is odd since it’s not an Argentinian song ) and we made our way back the hotel to pack and get some sleep before an early pickup to head to El Chalten.

As we were finishing up the walk the rain started pouring down in buckets and we were soaking wet within a few minutes.

Luckily we had plans to be soaking wet anyway. We headed to the speed boat tours of the falls where we boarded a bus that took us thru the jungle to the boat landing.

We climbed into the back of the boat on a somewhat elevated platform in front of the driver. The boat then took off down the river to the falls where we got close up and personal with the waterfalls.

After being plunged into the waterfalls the boat headed back to the dock and we made our way soggily back to the bus.

We got changed into some dry clothes and headed back to our hotel for a shower and lunch.

After lunch we relaxed by the pool, took a nap, and then had a lazy evening in.

After visiting the birds we headed to Iguazu Falls park to see the waterfalls. The tour is ona walkway that runs parallel to a large number of falls before jutting out into the middle of the some of the falls. Also with all the water in the air it seemed like there was a rainbow every couple of feet.

After our walking tour of the falls we had lunch at the restaurant overlooking the falls and had some tasty caipirinhas.

After lunch we headed back to our hotel to relax by the pool and enjoy the scenery.

We had a lazy night in and ordered room service and watched a movie.

After we loaded on to a bus to the airport and spent a good part of the morning waiting for the plane to arrive.

Once we arrive in Buenos Aires we met up with Ivan and Jasmin would join us later. We started our evening at the Verne Cocktail bar which was super nice and cozy. They had an amazing cardamom cocktail which I immediately chose.

After a couple drinks and a literal ton of cheese at Verne, we wondered to Boticario, a floral gin bar. Jasmin arrive just after the complementary shot that came in a test tube. We stayed at Boticario for several drinks and had more snacks before deciding to “have one last drink”.

So we headed to Isabel to have that “one last drink” however we decided to get bottle service . We got a full bottle of Hendrix and stayed out late into the morning. We also spent a good amount of time discussing the extremely confusing bathroom that was so full of mirrors it was actually hard to find the stall and the door out when you were done.

Also Jasmin took the Hendrix bottle home for her bamboo .

I eventually started feeling better once we got to the dock and went to check out the map that was posted of our journey.

We had one last dinner with Brian and Paul and stayed up late playing cards and drinking.

Jacob then went and got a tour of the bridge deck (I continued to wallow in motion sickness).

I finally was feeling well enough around dinner to make my way to the top deck to try to see some whales that were passing by the ship.

We unfortunately didn’t meet up with Brian and Paul tonight because Brian was feeling just as unwell as I was.

After our landing the ship moved to False Bay for one last cruising before making the journey back across the Drake Passage. Jacob and I got lucky and drawn again to kayak as our last excursion from the ship. This time we loaded into our kayaks from the zodiac.

We returning from kayaking late and took sometime to warm up before meeting Paul and Brian for dinner and seeing a beautiful sunset. After dinner we made our way to the bar played cards and stay up late because there was nothing to do the next day while crossing the Drake Passage.

After lunch we got ready for our afternoon landing and chance to do the polar plunge. The landing was at Danco Island (64°44′S 62°37′W) and we hiked up to the lookout before waiting to do our polar plunge. During the hike up it started snowing and we got to watch penguin scurry up and down the hill to and from their nests to the ocean.

After the hike we came back to the beach to wait to do the polar plunge. An iceberg had recently broken off a chunk and caused ice to clog the beach. The excursion team wanted much of it to pass before trying to enter the water. While we waited we got to watch the penguins waddle by.

After waiting about 45mins, they finally let us go in for the polar plunge. It was cold as expected but neither of us expected the ice in the water to be sharp enough to make little cuts on our legs as we bumped into them.

Once back on the ship, Jacob went direct to the sauna to warm up while I took a hot shower. We then joined Brian and Paul for dinner. We then stayed in the bar until well after closing before wandering outside to watch the stars and see how the ship navigates at night.

After our hike and lunch we decided to spend sometime in the hot tub on the top deck and do a coke plunge with the pool next to it.

Once we were good and relaxed we got ready for our next excursion off the ship. For the afternoon we did some cruising around Port Lockroy (64°49′S 63°30′W).

After cruising we met Paul and Brian for dinner and then continued to the bar to learn a new card game called contract rummy.

After our landing we sat on deck enjoying the views roll by and then had dinner with Brian and Paul followed by cards in the bar.

After the landing we got back into the zodiacs and cruised around the bay near the Ukrainian Station, since it’s an active station we couldn’t go tour it.

After crushing the ship started traveling to our next location for tomorrow and Jacob and I took in the views from the top deck.

We then went to the gym and had dinner and then met with Brian and Paul to play more Euchre in the bar as we watch the scenery.

After the cruising, Jacob and I did some laps on the top deck, had lunch, took a nap, and then went to the gym before dinner. We again met up with Brian and Paul for dinner and watched an incredible sunset.

After dinner we played Euchre and were the last ones in the bar at midnight.

Then we loaded into the zodiacs to go to the landing for the launching the kayaks into the bay near Red Rock Ridge. At the landing there were a couple penguins and seals lazing around.

We then spent the next hour kayaking around the bay checking out the wildlife and views. A couple time penguins came very close to the kayaks as the jumped in and out of the water.

We finished kayaking by landing next to some seals on the beach.

After we got all our gear on shore squared away we loaded back into the zodiacs and went to the ship. Once on board we hurried to take off the rest of our gear and get changed into clothes for our landing at Red Rock Ridge, our only continental landing on Antarctica for the trip. Within 15 minutes we were ready to go and back in the tender pit waiting to board a zodiac again. Then we sped away to Red Rock Ridge and unloaded in front of a large penguin colony. Then we immediately hiked to the top of the lookout to see what we could see, the views were great!

After the landing, we relaxed on the ship and drank the free bottle of champagne from our room in the bar as the ship sales to the next destination.

We ran into Brian and Paul at dinner and joined them for dinner and then decided to switch it up tonight and play Euchre in the bar.

On the zodiac we did plankton collection using a 20 micron net that we dragged behind the boat for 10 minutes. Then we tried to perform the Secchi disc test to see how clear the water was but it requires relatively calm/still waters and we weren’t able to perform the test.

After the science boat we had lunch on the ship and relaxed while the ship repositioned for the afternoon landing at Stonington Island (68°11′S 67°00′W). Stonington Island was the home of East Base for the United States.

After our landing we met up with Brian and Paul for dinner. As we ate dinner we noticed some cool icebergs and went to check them out.

After iceberg watching we continued our cribbage rivalry and Jacob and Paul won .

This island is home to historical Station Y, an old British research station from the 1950s. There weren’t many penguins to be seen here, but most of the rocks on the island had green streaks of malachite. Once off the boat we hiked up a hill to see the view.

After taking in the views of the island we got in line to enter Station Y, only 12 people were allowed in at a time. 

After the landing I was feeling a bit unwell of it so I decided to skip the afternoon cruising and lay down, but Jacob went and took a few pictures. He said I didn’t miss much on the cruise.

That night we had dinner with our new friends Brian and Paul and then played cribbage together in the lounge.

We got ready at a leisurely pace and were ready to go when they called the crabeater seals. The ride to the landing point took a bit of time due to the waves and challenges unloading people out of the boat in surging waves.

It was eventually our turn and we got out of the boat on to land efficiently as possible but Jacob got a wet foot (“a soaker”, as the Canadians would say) when the waves surged as we were climbing out.

Once off the Zodiac, we walked up the beach to a very large Adélie penguin colony. We also saw some of the circle of life by finding a dead seal carcass while walking the rocky beach

Soon after our landing, we loaded back in to a zodiac to go on our afternoon cruising around the bay near Bongrain Point. During the cruising we only saw two lazy crabeater seals.

One of the downsides of a cruise ship so large is that they have a lottery for all excursions off the boat that aren’t standard landings or cruising. Today we were lucky enough to get drawn in the lottery for a photo landing with only 5 people coming to the landing so we could be closer to the wildlife. After the cruising we rushed to meet the photo landing group and got back on the zodiacs. We got to the landing and immediately saw a lone penguin wandering along the beach and a large fur seal lounging on the rocks.

We then wandered towards the penguin colony and had some very close encounters with penguins returning to their nests from the ocean. Also during our photo landing Jacob met some other Canadians and they took a picture together showing some Canada pride .

Once back on the boat we were a bit tired, so we had a relaxed dinner, played some cribbage at the bed and headed to bed early.

Since it was raining and freezing cold we thought it would be better to take in the views from the sauna.

After the sauna, we went back on deck to catch more views and celebrate crossing the Antarctic Circle with the ship’s crew “baptizing” us with ice water and a shot of Aquavit (it was a very rough shot).

After our passing into the Antarctic Circle, we got our first site of land around Detaille Island but the poor weather conditions didn’t allow us to do our planned landing. After waiting for the weather to improve they finally announce we would do our planned cruising around Crystal Sound (66°23′S 66°30′W). So we rushed off to get dressed for our first outing, it took about 15mins to get layers, rain pants, boots, jackets, hats, buffs, and life vests on. Then we headed to the tender pit to get loaded into the zodiacs for cruising.

There wasn’t much wildlife to be seen but we enjoyed the views and got to our first Adelie penguin, there was a lone penguin hanging out on a rocky outcropping.

After cruising around for about an hour we headed back to the ship and got warmed up and dried off. We then worked out in the gym on board and had a relaxing dinner. then we to bed early because our group was the first landing group in the morning.

However, I started feeling even worse on our second day across the passage and took more Dramamine. Unfortunately taking another dose 8 hours early resulted in me being unable to stay awake. When I finally woke up in the afternoon, we took in more sights, had dinner, watched, the evening briefing for the next day, and went to the bar for drinks.

Feeling as bad as I did, I eventually ended up back in bed and slept much of the day away and the ship rocked violently back and forth. Jacob hung out on deck and enjoyed the endless views of landless ocean.

I eventually felt well enough to crawl out of bed and have dinner with Jacob after avoiding all food up to this point. After we watched the sunset together and picked up our group badges, we are in the crabeater seal group. The ship’s crew call us to activities using our group names. We then headed back to our room so I could land down to help reduce my sickness.

We landed in Ushuaia, waited for our bags, and then boarded yet another bus . They took us to downtown Ushuaia to wander around for a couple hours before boarding the boat. We started by walking to the waterfront and get our picture with the giant Ushuaia sign. we also grabbed a pic of the boat in the distance and Jacob needed to pinch it out of the water.

We walked back thru downtown and get Jacob a giant crab for lunch. It was a very spiked crab and Jacob came away with lunch war wounds.

After the crab feast we walked around more and then headed back to the bus at the appointed time. Luckily everyone was punctual and we quickly left for the pier to board the boat. Once on board we picked up our souvenir explorer jackets, went to our room, and checked out the view from our balcony.

We then stopped by a champagne reception and had a snack as the ship set sail towards the Drake passage.

We then spent the rest of the day exploring the ship. I also started experiencing some motion sickness and took some Dramamine. We had a long day getting up at 2am and went to bed fairly early.

After we grabbed dinner at a burger place, the burgers were really good and then walked the couple miles back to our hotel to see more of the city. We then go things packed and ready to go for the cruise ship porter pickup at 8pm and went to bed for our early wake up.

Around midnight Jasmine left us for a girls night out and we continued on with Ivan. We tried to get into several bars but needed reservations or didn’t meet the dress code. We then made our way to the Hole – Alcatraz and were ushered into a mug shot and given our drinks thru a commissary window. There was also 1940’s Chevy in the entry way that was perfect for the duck.

The bar was pretty crowded so we decided to wander to another bar and found ourselves at J.W. Bradley which had a cool street car entrance.

We had several drinks here until we realized it was 4:30am and we needed some food. We wandered across the street from the bar to a small empanada shop. We devoured several empanadas and wished Ivan a good night as we all headed off to our beds.

After lunch we made plans to meet up with Ivan and Gonzo for a night of drinking. Jacob and I then wandered around Buenos Aires before our dinner reservation at Floria Atlantico, a speakeasy hidden in a flower shop.

After dinner we caught up with Ivan and Gonzo and hopped from bar to bar enjoying the city.

Gonzo unfortunately didn’t make it to our 5am McDonald’s stop as he had a young baby at home but Jacob, Ivan, and I did. So in our first day we checked Jacob’s McDonald’s goal off the list before cabbing back to our hotel around 6am.

During our time home, my cold blew up into full scale bronchitis and I ended up in urgent care with asthmatic exacerbation due to all the coughing but I got a treatment and was sent home to rest. As I recovered we got to work on our check list and played some board games, William got Frost Haven finally so we played that as much as possible before we got back on the road.

But time flew by and we were heading back to the airport at 10pm for our flight to Buenos Aires on Feb 2 at 1am.

We landed in Buenos Aires around 9pm and got to our hotel exhausted. Had some late night empanadas and went to bed so we could try to get on a reasonable schedule.

The wandered around sight seeing some more and doing some exploring in markets before heading back for a nap before the evening activities. We then went out for BBQ and got more soda chan which was becoming my favorite drink of the trip.

After we headed downtown to see the festivities and celebrate the year of the cat. Then head to a house party and see the fireworks from the balcony of one of Rick’s friends. There was also a pretty cool drone show.

After the hike we stopped at a local restaurant and had some very delicious spring rolls for lunch.

After the hike we took a nap and relaxed before grabbing dinner and then heading out to night club for dancing. Rick and Phuong reserved us a table with bottle service and we danced the night away.

After we headed out to wander around local areas and markets. We also stopped to have some street snack and take pictures and popular “romantic” picture spots.

After a couple of hours of seeing the sites, we stopped for coffee before the group that joined us had to head back to their cruise ship.

After heading back to the house for a nap and a shower, we headed out with Rick to meet his friend Mikey for dinner and to explore the local speakeasies.

We then headed back for a nap and shower before heading out to diner with Rick and Phuong’s friends who were in town from a cruise.

After dinner we went out to explore some speakeasies with Rick and Phuong. We eventually called it a night around 2am but had a great night out enjoying some great cocktails.

We landed in Saigon around 4pm and made our way to the visa on arrival processing area where we waited for about 45mins to get out visas.

After getting our bags we took a Grab to Rick and Phoung’s. We quickly got settled and tour of their place then headed out for dinner and beers with their friends.

We went until late into the night, shutting down 3 bars and finally calling it quits when Jacob and I had passed the 24hr mark of being awake by a good margin. I was a great first night in Saigon.

But because of all the excitement of having DCS we missed the deadline for applying for the visa to Vietnam which required a lot of money and hoops to jump thru to get a visa on arrival on a Saturday. So we spent our last day in Cairns doing laundry and getting visa photos. After we got our passport photos we headed to the airport to go to Brisbane for the night before heading to Ho Chi Minh.

Once we got to Brisbane, I was finally feeling well enough that we went out to some speakeasies in Brisbane.

Dive 1 – Twin Peaks at Saxon Reef

This was a cool dive, we found a cuttlefish that just hung out and let me get close enough to take pictures. Also my regulator was still leaking .

In between the dives we just chilled in our room and relaxed, but the dives on this live aboard felt really back to back.

Dive 2 – Twin Peaks at Saxon Reef

This dive was the same site at dive 1 we just went in a new direction. We spotted a pipe fish on this dive, as well as some rays and a big clam.

Unfortunately about an hour after this dive, I started having pain in my hip and then I got weakness in my left shoulder. Jacob and I went to the dive team immediately and they put me on oxygen right away. It seems I had decompression sickness or the bends. After an hour my symptoms lessened and they transferred us to the day boat to go back to the mainland and the hospital to get checked out. I was on oxygen for the next 2 hours during our trip back to the mainland. This of course ended our dive trip .

Once back in Cairns, I was checked out by doctors and they said I had DCS and I needed to rest. Jacob found us a nice hotel to stay in and we went there for me to rest… I was exhausted.

Dive 1 – Clippers

This was a nice first dive, Jacob and I took our time and got use to diving without a guide. My regulator had issues and was hard to breathe out of and I needed to switch to my backup.

Dive 2 – Troppos

This was a nice dive but there wasn’t much to see other than a turtle a too far away. During the surface interval they changed out my regulator, unfortunately they changed it out for a leaky one.

After the second dive we had lunch and hung out until the day boat met with the main live aboard Ocean Quest. We transferred to the Ocean Quest and got settled in our room.

Dive 3 – Coral Garden

Good dive but again not much to see and I somehow got yet another regulator that was leaking .

Dive 4 – Floro Night Dive at Coral Garden

I was feeling tired but decided to do this dive because the dive master said the snorkel with sharks would be crowded. It was a cool dive, we dove with UV flashlights and looked at the coral.

After the last dive we had dinner and two beers. I was exhausted and fell straight asleep. In the middle of the night I had some hip pain that I thought was a bad dream, cause when I woke up I didn’t have any pain.

The good news is Jacob’s anxiety disappeared quickly and we had a ton of fun zip lining thru the tree and gliding along in different orientations.

After our zip lining adventure we walked back to Queenstown to grab the car and head to the airport. We spent the rest of the day flying to Brisbane and then onto Cairns.

This was a nice hike thru a mossy wood with a couple bridges and marshy areas to pass thru. It was a relaxing hike and we took our time enjoying the views.

After the hike we made the king drive back to Queenstown but made a stop to stretch and take some last picture of the beautiful views.

Once back in Queenstown, we checked into our hotel and ventured out to find food before our spa appointment.

We went back to the Onsen in Queenstown for a couples soak and massage package. It was relaxing and romantic .

After we headed back to the hotel, so we could get up bright and early to get some zip lining in before our flight to Australia.

After his hike he came back to the Airbnb to pick me up and head off to Milford Sound. The views on the way to Milford Sound were incredible. Along the way to Milford Sound we picked up 3 hitch hikers on their way to the port for a similar boat tour we were planning to take and got them there just in time.

We walked to the boat landing area and got our ticket to board our tour boat. After a bit of a wait we boarded the boat and found a place to sit at the back of the boat and we’re on our way. We got to see dolphins and seals along with the multitude of waterfalls.

After the boat tour we headed to town for dinner and had a lazy night.

Next we drove down to the coast to see the penguin nesting area. There were 14 active nesting pairs of yellow eyed penguins and another 30 nesting pairs of blue penguins. We could see the little penguins in their nests but it was hard to take any pictures of the chicks in their hidey boxes.

After walking around on the ridge area where most of the nests were, we walked down to the beach area where there were trenches for observing the penguins.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any penguins near by and only observed a chick and parent thru binoculars. So after waiting 20-30 mins to see penguins we journeyed back to sanctuary and headed out. I found this cool flower, so I took a random pic.

From the sanctuary we drove to Allan’s Beach to go on a walk and see the seals. It didn’t disappoint and we saw several seals as well as a pair that were doing the dirty. There was a group of people enjoying the show so it was hard to miss.

After our walk we got back in the car for the long drive to Te Anau. We ate dinner on the road and got to our Airbnb late.

They took us to the winery village and got us geared up for the ride with helmets, reflective jackets, and maps. We were then quickly on our way to our first stop at Forest Winery.

After having a cheese board, tasting 7 wines, and buying a bottle, we were off again to the next winery, Framingham. The service was very slow at this winery and we spent a bit too much time at this winery. The wines were okay, we didn’t buy a bootle here, but the music and the vibe of the winery was cool.

Next up was a small couple owned winery, Gibson Bridge Winery. They focused on Pinot Gris and some small lots of Gewürtztraminer and Pinot Noir. The wine was good and we bought 2 bottles. Jacob also left his backpack here, but luckily the bike company drives by and picks up the wine and grabbed his backpack.

After Gibson we tried to go to a couple other wineries, only to find their tastings fully booked or the winery closed. We finally ended up at Allan Scott Winery for lunch and a tasting. The tasting was more freeform and you could taste the wines using a machine that dispensed the wine.

After our late lunch we had time for one more stop, so we went to Nautilus Winery. We tasted 8 more wines here and bought our 4th bottle. We started to worry we might not be able to finish all the wine before we left New Zealand.

We then rode back to the bike drop off spot and picked up the backpack and wine. Once all the other bikers arrived back we got in the van back to our hotel.

Unfortunately we stayed a bit too long at the pools, so we needed to rush a bit. we jogged about two miles of the trail to get back on schedule for meeting the bus that would take us back to our rental car.

Our hustle helped a bunch and we were second to arrive at meeting point and sat down for a pizza and a sparkling water. Once everyone arrived at the meeting point we loaded on to the bus and went on the short ride to our rental car. We then spent a couple hours driving to Blenheim, checking into our hotel, and doing our laundry. Once the laundry was done, we decided to take it easy for the night and relax.

The hike is broke into 3, 2-ish hour segments of hiking between the different bays along the trail. After the 3-ish hours we arrived at Bark Bay to have lunch and go for a swim. We had to dodge birds trying to grab our lunch from our hands but eventually found a spot to eat lunch in peace.

After the lunch and a swim we made our way to the Torrent Bay Lodge.

We got to the Lodge around 2:30pm and went for a quick swim to cool off. We got cleaned up, took a bit of a nap and then joined the other hikers for drinks and snacks. We were hoping for fireworks around mid-night but the wind picked up and we all celebrated the New Year’s with wine at midnight.

Once off the boat, we got started on our way to the first lodge for the night. The first day is a short hike because of the late start and we had to hurry to beat the tide before it covered part of the trail.

As we got close to the lodge, it was high tide and we needed to wait for a boat to transfer us to the beach near the lodge and then walk the rest of the way to the lodge.

After getting to the lodge we had a shower and sat down for drinks and watched the sunset over the bay at low tide.

After dinner we stayed up a bit to chat with other hiker then retired to bed early for our 8am start tomorrow.

It was a beautiful hike with great views of the ocean and lots of seals and their babies.

We then drove further north towards Abel Tasman and stopped to do a hike on the Cape Campbell Track.

By the end of this hike we were ready to be done with hiking, grab dinner, and head to our Airbnb near Abel Tasman.

After the ATV tour we grabbed a quick lunch and came back for rafting. After getting geared up we set out on rafting down the river which was a class 2 river with few rapids. But there was a place we could jump into the river.

After rafting we took a jet boat back up the river to the boat inlet.

Once back, we got dried off and set out on our drive to Kaikoura. We arrived in Kaikoura checked into our hotel and dealt with our leaking cooler. We then went for dinner, some drinks, and walked downtown Kaikoura before calling it a night.

After our spa day, we had a late lunch and finished our drive to Hanmer Springs. We arrived at our Bed and Breakfast at Aumri Estate Vineyard, where we were greeted with a cheese platter and bottle of wine. We spent the rest of the night in relaxing and enjoying wine and cheese.

After a short briefing of how to walk to and enter the helicopter, we got into the helicopter and took off towards the glacier.

Once we landed on the glacier, we put on our crampons and harnesses.

We then got our glacier hike underway, walking along crevices and stopping for a drinking from the free flowing glacier water.

We took the helicopter back down the mountain and walked back to the Airbnb to relax before dinner. After dinner we had a night in and watch Netflix and drank more wine.

Our first stop on the way was the blue pools. After a quick 2 mile walk we were at the blue pools of crystal clear water, but it was a bit too chilly and drizzly to take a dip.

We then kept driving north and stopped to check out several waterfalls along the way.

We then stopped at a beach with a dunes hike that was somewhat thru a bush area and eventually opted to just walk along the beach to avoid the terrible biting sand flies. When we got back to the car, I accidentally trapped a ton of sand flies in the car and hilarity ensued as we tried to get them out of the car without getting covered in bites.

The rest of the drive was beautiful and ran parallel to the coast for a long stretch. We got out to stretch our legs, switch drivers, and enjoy the views.

We finally arrived in Franz Josef around 4pm and got started on making Christmas dinner. I made a pre-dinner cheese plate and Jacob made the stuffing and mash potatoes to go along with out chicken pot pies. A couple hours later we sat down for a delicious Christmas dinner.

After dinner we did some laundry and snuggled up to watch some Netflix and drink wine.

After a short drive out to the trail head, we got a short briefing and then got geared up, adjusted our bikes, and ready to go.

The bike ride out to the first winery was very scenic and we crossed several bridges on the way. Jacob also threw together an impromptu play list that we listen to together as we biked along.

Our first stop was Chard Farm, it was shell of way out to Chard Farm with lots of hills and we were very glad we had e-bikes. It was a nice winery with a large tasting of 8 wines with heavy pours and they only ask for a donation to a local charity for the tasting.

Next stop on our bike tour was Gibston Valley Winery. It had a nice patio area to relax and enjoy our tasting.

After Gibston Valley, we stopped by the Gibston Tavern for lunch. It had a nice outdoor space with picnic tables and lots of dogs running around. Then we headed out to the next and last winery Mt. Rosa, we got there just in time and missed getting soaked in the rain. We would have gone to another winery but there was so much rain we decided to hang out there and get some cheese and drink another glass of wine after the tasting.

As the bike pick up showed up, the rain broke and we were able to load the bikes without getting wet.

Once back in Queenstown, we walked to the local grocery store and got stuff for Christmas dinner tomorrow. They take their holidays seriously in New Zealand and nothing was going to be open on Christmas day.

By the time he got back I was feeling better. So we grabbed some lunch and headed to our Onsen appointment which our friends Eric and Athena arranged for my birthday. It was relaxing and the views were beautiful.

After the onsen, we enjoyed a gin tasting at the Gin Garden next door to the onsen. The gin was good and we had a delicious meal with the tasting.

We then headed back to Queenstown to explore the some hidden bars in the area.

We landed to the sight of picturesque mountains after a quick two hour flight.

From the airport we made our way to our hotel, the Jucy Snooze, and dropped off our bags because we couldn’t check in until 3pm. We were both hungry so we headed to the lake shore and got lunch and incredible views.

After we wandered around Queenstowns checking out the shops and small downtown area. It’s very similar to downtown Truckee. As we wandered we noticed an escape room place and decided to play a game. We did okay but we lost a piece in the room and needed to get external help to finish the room.

When we finished it was finally time to check into our room. After getting settled into our tiny private hostel room, we set out for a nice dinner at a local Italian place. The food was good and celebrated my birthday again with some dessert. After we made our way to one of the many ice bars in Queenstown.

We called it a night early because we had hiking plans in the morning.

After wine tasting we had dinner and then met Wilson and Danielle at the local movie theater to see Wankanda Forever. It was pretty good, but we learned popcorn at the movies isn’t a thing in New Zealand. Jacob was heartbroken. After we grabbed a night cap and then called it a night.

Then we made our way to the Weta Workshop, to see the behind the scene of their movie magic. The tour was a nice little tour of their office but they didn’t allow many photos.

After the tour, we started my birthday speakeasy crawl. Our first stop was bar Ascot. Nice bar with good cocktails, but not an extensive or unique cocktail menu so we had 2 cocktails there and headed out.

After we wandered to Havana Bar where we had some great drinks (so many rum based drinks!, my favorite) and baked brie. The drinks were interesting and they had a long and interesting cocktail list.

We then headed to Mr. Go’s to meet up with the guides from our canoe trip (Danielle and Wilson). They happened to be in Wellington for Wilson’s birthday and they were really fun to hang with. We had a bunch of shared plates and lots of creative looking drinks in very cute glassware.

After dinner we checked out several other bars that all blur together except for one where we sat in an old camper trailer. We finally called it a night around 2am. It was overall a great birthday.

Got checked into our hotel room, started some laundry (it was an all in one dryer washer), and went to find some cool bars. Both of us were still a bit tired from the canoe trip so we didn’t stay out too late.

Once the gear was in the canoes, we headed down river and made a 4-5 hour trip in about 1.5 hours due to the current. At the landing dock we had a lot of work to do unloading the canoes and loading the trailers and vans.

Then we got on a bus and headed back to Ohakune to get changed and dried off before our 2 hour drive to Palmerston.

Our stop in Palmerston was mainly to break up the drive to Wellington and recover from the canoe trip. Once at our hotel we got dinner and called it an early night.

Once the boats were loaded, we had a hard paddle up stream to get to the landing point for the bridge to nowhere. The bridge was built as part of an effort to create a road the would run east to west across New Zealand, however that road was never built and so the bridge goes nowhere now. It was a 40min walk to the bridge thru an area that was land granted to returning war veterans to farm. But it turns out that area is not great for farming, so no farms exist there today.

After the walk back to the boats we headed towards camp. On route it started raining hard and our guides made the call to skip landing for lunch and push on to the camp site so we could have lunch under shelter at the camp site and get to the bar earlier. This campsite has a lodge near by with a fully stocked bar and a flushing toilet.

After hauling all the gear up a very muddy hill, we made our way to the bunks in the hut that we had booked for the night. With the pouring rain we were very happy to have a dry bed to sleep in and have a place to hang our wet clothes up.

After getting cleaned up in some outdoor showers and putting on some blissfully dry clothes we walked to the lodges for drinks, the flush toilet, and the epic views.

After enjoying the lodge fully, we made our way back to camp for dinner and then bed in a dry bunk.

After paddling for a couple hours we stopped for lunch.

Just down the river from our lunch spot was a nice little canyon that we explored before paddling on for several more hours before reaching camp.

We got to camp and set up our tent and then went for a swim to cool off, the sun had come out and we were roasting a bit. Then we sat down to play cribbage, drink beer, and try to avoid the vicious sand flys.

After dinner we played for a bit more but the sand flys became too much and we retreated to our tent.

After learning the basics of canoeing and deciding that Jacob would be the rudder, we set out on our adventure. Luckily it wasn’t raining on the river.

After a couple hours of paddling we stopped for lunch and to stretch our legs. After we got back on the river and made our way to camp for the night.

Once at the camp site, we got our tent set up and went for a swim to cool off. Then started playing cribbage, drinking beer, and chatting with the other people on the tour.

The first couple miles of the trail was full of gently rolling hills and beautiful views.

As we started climbing up into the hills the weather started to get worse and worse. It started as a drizzle and a bit of a fog but then turned into pouring rain and complete whiteout hiding all the views.

Hiking thru the rain was not very enjoyable to say the least and the hike was fairly hard, part of the track to the top was called the “Devil’s Staircase”. When we got to the top, I may have been a bit exhausted, cranky, and was having asthma issues. So, jokingly, I demanded Jacob profess his undying love to me after making the arduous climb to the top. He said okay and proposed.

After celebrating and having a quick lunch we made our way down the mountain.

Once down the mountain, we were soaking wet and change at the car in the light rain. Then we made the long drive to Ohakune where we needed to meet for our canoe trip in the morning. We got to our Airbnb and tried to figure out how to dry out most of our clothes. We then checked in for the canoe trip and picked up our barrels for clothes for the trip. Then we had dinner and went to bed early.

We then tried to go on a walk but we got 2 miles in when it started to pour rain and we got completely soaked thru.

After this we realized that we needed some better rain gear and headed to the store to get day pack covers and a rain pants. We had dinner and got to drying our stuff.

The guide took a cool shot of us out in the bush as well.

After the buggy ride we learned to shoot at clays and it turns out Jacob is a natural and hit everyone, but I am a faster shot. He started hitting the clays right away but when we competed to shoot the same one I always got it first.

We then made our way to Hell’s Gate geothermal reserve and spa. We started our experience by going on a 40-ish minute walk around the geothermal reserve which had many signs reminding us how hot and dangerous the area was.

After our walk we checked into the spa for our mud bath. We both have some mixed feeling about the bath largely because it smelled terrible and was clear out swimsuits would never smell good again. Both of us felt a lot better once we showered off and got into the cold plunge pool.

After the spa we hit the road and made our way to Taupo so we could do the Tongariro crossing. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do the rafting before our scheduled forces us to leave the area.

When we got to Taupo we got started on laundry and relaxed for a bit. Unfortunately we didn’t realize everything closed early in the area. So after walking to a place for dinner and finding out only the bar was open we walked back to our hotel and made a “charcuterie” plate with only the best lunch meat and sliced cheese.

After we went for a hike around outside of the caves we tubed thru. Jacob was very excited by the moss and stopped to pet it.

We then headed for our hotel and went to the local hot tubs to relax and have a few drinks.

After the relaxing soak we went to the redwood forest for the sky tree walk. The forest was lit with LEDs and lanterns as we walked thru the trees on swing bridges.

Once we got the rental car and constantly reminded ourselves to stay on the left. Also got over the fact that all the controls are backwards.. Jacob kept signaling with the windshield wipers. We headed for Middle Earth and the Shire. Wandering around Hobbiton was enjoyable.

After Hobitton, we drove to our hotel in Hamilton and got some essentials for the next month, a small cooler, some beach towels, garbage and plastic bags, and snacks. Then we grabbed dinner at a local BBQ place. We got a giant platter and it was good.

Since there isn’t much going on in Hamilton we decided to do an escape room. It was a lot of fun but we didn’t do the greatest since the room had some bugs.

When we got there our guide let us know that the other people who were supposed to be on our trip missed the ferry. So he was going to take us to a winery in the meantime while he waited for them. The first stop was Mud Brick winery and the wines were good and the pours were very heavy. Our guide kind of abandoned us, so we decided to grab some food, I was already a little tipsy after tasting 6 wines. We got a cheese plate and enjoyed the view.

The rest is a bit of a blur, after the second winery I was feeling pretty good and didn’t take too many pictures.

After the day of tasting, I was a done and we went back to the hotel for a nap and a night in.

After our wandering we went to the Sky Tower in Auckland for dinner and the beautiful views of the city. I also got my first little birthday cake of the month.

We then turned in early so we could get up bright and early for wine tasting.

After the bridge climb we went back to our hotel got cleaned up a bit more and checked our bags at the front desk so we could explore one of Sydney’s speakeasies before our flight to Auckland.

After a couple drinks and a snack we picked up our bags and headed back to the Sydney airport. After a flight delay, we landed in Auckland around 3am.

We then headed to the airport for our overnight flight to Sydney.

After the rice fields we headed for Pura Tirtha Empul temple, we a very cool spring billows up with a black cloud into clear water. Many people come to bathe in the waters for purification.

It seems no tour in Bali is complete without having civet poop coffee, we went for another tasting. This time we got to see a bit more in the production, the harvesting, and roasting processes.

As the last stop of the tour, we went and had lunch near the local active volcano, Mount Batur, with a beautiful view of Lake Batur.

Then we headed back to hotel and figured out where to get our laundry done and having a few drinks in town before our candle light dinner on our room balcony.

After our dinner, we made our way back to town and had some drinks and found a cool speakeasy style bar above honey & smoke that was air conditioned, so nice.

After enjoying our luxurious breakfast we went back to the room to change and shower for our visit to the monkey forest. Although we learned that Jacob is not so good at putting on sunscreen , pretty ugly burn. After taking care of the burn a bit we walked to the scared monkey forest which was a lot of fun and where we got a monkey selfie.

After the sacred monkey forest we went to the ubud palace, after wandering thru the local art market and checking out other shopping streets.

We then wandered back to our hotel for afternoon tea, Jacob was pinkies out.

After we went back out to have drinks and then had an evening couple massage and flower bath at the hotel.

After the 2 hour ride to the hotel we finally could relax. Except I booked a room package with all the things it turns out and we had to schedule them all at check-in. Which meant we couldn’t sleep in the next day because we had a floating breakfast in the morning. Also since it was so late and nothing was open they sent complimentary dinner to our room. We understood why when we got to the room, I guess they thought we were on our honeymoon? So we are our sandwich and decided to head to bed after our exhausting airport day and no bars were open.

Dive 1 – Sus Bomb Wreck

Turns out the visibility was pretty poor but he had a good time and I’m glad I slept in. He also took some nice pictures too.

After diving to went on a trek to an island with a crystal clear pool that was refreshingly cold to swim in the heat of the day.

After the trek we chilled on the boat for the rest of the night and hung out drinking with the other divers late into the night.

Dive 1 – Blue Magic

Uneventful dive, only took a few pictures of nudibranches.

Dive 2 – Sarden Reef

Not much to see on this dive and only took a couple pictures.

Dive 3 – Freewen

Bit of an eventful dive, the visibility was extremely poor and we lost Jacob. We were close to surfacing when he reappeared with another group.

That night we had a BBQ on a small uninhabited island. Jacob performed a couple songs after dinner.

Dive 1 – Manta Sandy

Hoping to see lots of mantas on this dive but only saw one briefly. Also found a turtle having a snack.

Dive 2 – Arborek Jetty

Found several octopuses on this dive and hung around waiting for one to crawl out of its hidey hole. It also changed colors several times and was very cool to watch.

Dive 3 – Manta Ridge

This was such an incredible dive, so many mantas that were so close. The briefing for this dive was serious, there was a strong current and we would be hooked in to the reef. Mistakes would have serious consequences as the current was a down current that would sweep you down to 100+ft very quickly and end in death. They even drew a skull and crossbones on the dive briefing board to make sure we heard the message load and clear.

Dive 4 – Arborek Jetty

We went back to the jetty for the night dive, my anxiety was high given the panic attack on the last dive. I did okay until the end of the dive when Jacob grabbed my fin to get my attention and sent me spiraling into a panic attack.