My first two stops in Bolivia were not so impressive. We started in the town of Santa Cruz. Our hostel was average but the town was not what I was expecting. We moved on to Potosi and were even less impressed. My laptop was stolen and to top it off we were residing at over 13,000 feet of elevation so we weren’t feeling the best. Potosi is one of the highest cities in the entire world. The people were not as lively or happy looking as other places in S. America that we had met along the way. The highlight of Potosi was the supposed to be the silver tour. We geared up in suits and hard hats to see how locals make a living. The conditions of the mine were not so enticing. It’s hard to imagine venturing down them every day to make a decent living. All in all, I wasn’t a big fan of Santa Cruz or Potosi. In my opinion, skip these stops as there are far more scenic destinations in South America with much more exciting activities.

When we arrived in Uyuni, we booked a three- day salt flat excursion. It far exceeded any of my expectations and I still can’t believe how much we saw along the way.  Our diver, along with Marge, Susanne, two other backpackers, and I, took off down to the border of Chile and Argentina for a 550-mile adventure.

The pictures detail out incredible journey as the visuals are hard to put into words. The journey took us through mountains, flamingo dotted red lakes, and what looked like the surface of mars. Along the way, we stayed in multiple salt hotels where everything from the walls to the bed frames was created with salt. I would HIGHLY recommend the three-day tour. Be sure to book with a reputable company as we heard many horror stories of local drunk drivers that would guide tourists though the not so safe terrain.

Be sure to pack warm as the temperature drops very low at night. Prepare for some altitude as at certain points of the trip we were almost to 16,000 feet of elevation.

EAT: Well, you’re probs going to be eating rice and beans. The organized, three day tour is a great way to try some new foods as all of the meals were provided.

STAY: Stay in a Salt Hotel, very unique and chilly experience.

PLAY: Don’t just do the day trip to the salt flats. Definitely book the three day tour as you see a such varied terrain on the three day tour.

^ What weeks of rice and beans will do to one’s GI tract

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With only two days in Iguazu, we had to make them count. On our first day we decided to plan two activities, the Bird Park and Iguazu Falls.

The bird park was wonderful. It is comprised of birds from all over the world. Over fifty percent of the birds on display were rescued from animal trafficking, poor ownership, and other inappropriate scenarios. The other forty-three percent were hatched on site. Reproduction in captivity is a great sign of success, so this bird park must be doing things right!

As we wandered through the jungle trails we enjoyed the calls and colors of thousands of birds. The displays were mostly large flight cages that were immaculately maintained. Having a minor in captive wild animal management, I always have a judgmental eye for animal care and I was very impressed with this bird park.

There were several large flight cages that visitors were allowed to walk through. This was great because we were able to get up close and personal with toucans, macaws, and dozens of other species. The most impressive flight cage was the macaw flight cage. It contained around 20 species of large parrots that comprised nearly 100 individuals in the half football field sized cage.

At the end of the visit, we were even allowed to hold a macaw. Unlike most animal interactions that are at the animal’s expense or annoyance, this interaction had around 10 birds and each bird received a break after being held by only two visitors.

Following the bird park, we hopped across the street to the most famous attraction in Iguazu- IGUAZU FALLS!

Iguazu Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world and is comprised of 275 smaller cascades spanning twice as wide as Niagara Falls. Sitting on the border of Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls has many awe inspiring viewpoints from both countries. We only were able to view the falls from the Brazilian side due to the reciprocity fee we would be forced to pay upon entering Argentina.

As we hiked along the trial closer to the devils throat, the views became even more jaw dropping. We walked out on the elevated pathway at the end of the foot path as a cool mist danced on our skin and white haze consumed the valley below the falls. As if one rainbow wasn’t impressive enough, we were lucky enough to see two in the misty confluence of several colossal cascades.

On our way out of the park, there was a food court overrun by coatimundis! After seeing an elderly couple become swarmed by them over a bag of chips, I had to get a bag of cookies to see how many I could get to follow me. Within a minute I had over a dozen following me like I was a mother duck.

During our second and last day in Iguazu Falls, Marge and I visited the Itaipu Dam. Itaipu is a hydroelectric dam that is the second largest in terms of electrical output in the world. The impressive structure supplies nearby Paraguay with 75% of the country’s electrical needs and 17% of Brazils.

The sheer magnitude of the 20 billion dollar dam was hard to fathom. It took 19 years to construct and still provides thousands of jobs for the surrounding towns.

Our time in Brazil was short, but it’s time to catch yet another flight…to BOLIVIA!

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After a day bus and spending the night in Puerto Montt, we caught a local bus to the nearby town of Puerto Varas. Puerto Varas is a larger town than Pucon and is also tucked away in the mountains with an immense volcano towering nearby. We stayed in one of the coziest hostels of the whole trip. Located at the top of the hill overlooking the town, our hostel had wood everything giving it a warm cabin ambiance. As if the wood theme wasn’t enough to make us feel like we were in a mountainous cabin, there was a sitting area wrapped around a wood burning furnace to keep everyone nice and toasty.

One of the highlights of the hostel was the movie nook. A comfy couch in front of a large flat screen TV preloaded with hundreds of new movies to choose. After our sprint through the first week of the trip, a few home cooked meals and movie time was a great way to relax in our down time in Puerto Varas.

Ever since my canyoning trip in Vietnam, I have wanted to do it again. I told Logan we had to do it before he went home. We tried booking it for day two in PV, but it unfortunately got canceled at the last minute. Luckily for us, we were able to go on our last day in Puerto Varas. With full body wet suites, we plunged into the ice cold mountainous waters and began to work our way down the valley. We slid down waterfalls, jumped off cliffs, and ended the excursion with a 115 foot abseil alongside a waterfall. I have to say, this trip definitely topped the canyoning excursion we did in Vietnam.

The following morning we caught a flight to the tip of the world, Punta Arenas so we could visit the famous Torres Del Paine National Park!

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Logan and I arrived in Santiago early in the morning. We caught a cab downtown to our friend Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth was a college roommate of our good friend Roze, and she graciously let us stay in her apartment. The apartment view was unreal looking out over a large section of downtown Santiago from the 21^st floor. I could have stayed and watched the city line all day but Logan and had to do some planning.

Our original plan for Chile was to head north towards the dessert since we were crunched for time. We decided that the south was calling our names. We did a some southern city research before heading out on foot to a lookout point above the city and before meeting up with Elizabeth and some of her friends for dinner party on the other side of town.

When we got to the dinner party, we were again greeted by an incredible view of Santiago from a high rise balcony. It was a very international gathering hosting people from England, America, and Chile. We spent the evening drinking wine and piscola. Pisco is a local liquor made from grapes and it is commonly served as a piscola (with coke) or even more popular pisco sour. Along with the drinks we were served several types of meats right off the grill. I couldn’t get over the view as the party continued and we even watched the moon rise. Just like a sunrise at dawn, the moon jetted up from the backside of the nearby mountain that towers over Santiago and illuminated the night’s sky. As the night continued, we made new friends and even made plans to head to Valparaiso with a local named Carlita the following morning. It was a night that I will not soon forget and one hell of a way to kick start the first night in Chile.

The next morning, we met up with Carlita and jumped on a bus to Valparaiso. Carlita can speak English, but not fluently. Logan speaks Spanish, but not fluently. As for me, my Spanish is comparable to a cave man making grunting noises. There was quite the language barrier between all of us, which was wonderful. Carlita was able to practice her English and Logan and I were able to practice our Spanish!

When we arrived in Valparaiso, we realized the city was much larger than we had thought. After a long walk up a steep incline heading away from the beach, we found our hostel. It was nothing too special, but was tucked away up on the hill in a very artsy area. After settling in for a bit we headed back down the hill to explore the coastal city. We got some road beers and meandered to the rocky shore to watch the sunset. With a beer in our hands, we practiced our foreign languages with one another. We then watched a group of seals fight over sleeping space on a concrete island right offshore just as the sun was lost over the horizon. When the fiery glow of the sun faded away, the city lights came to life behind us illuminating the ring of development around the bay.

The next morning we decided to head to a small town just outside Valparaiso, called Vina Del Mar. First thing we did was head to the beach but we had all of our luggage with us. We relaxed, got some sun, and tried to play Frisbee until all the stray dogs caught on and wanted in on the fun. Chile is FULL of stray dogs. They seem to be some type of communal pet. As you walk around town, one, or two, or five will join you on your journey and stick right by your side. On the beach we had three hanging out with us. After some beach time we decided to find some ice cream and relax in a park before we had to split ways with Carlita. Our time with Carlita was short, but it was wonderful to meet a local and visit another city together. Logan and I then grabbed some dinner and jumped on a night bus headed south to the city of Pucon.

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Hong Kong is the NYC on steroids of Asia. Housing several of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, the skyline is overwhelming day and night. Walking through the busy streets we found ourselves in a bit of a sensory overload with sights, smells, and sounds in all directions. Public transportation spider webbed to every corner of the city in a quick and efficient manner. It was a great place to end the Asian leg of our travels.

Our first night in Hong Kong we decided to explore like we did in our Europe days: a beer in our hand as we wandered around town. We took the metro under the bay to catch the nightly laser show across the skyscrapers. My mouth literally dropped open when I turned the corner of a building and saw the city skyline across the bay. We arrived at the water’s edge just in time for the nightly laser show. It wasn’t the most exciting laser show I have ever seen, but I could have stared at across the bay at the mesmerizing skyline for days.

Following the laser show, we started to wander around and found a large projection of show times on the side of a building. As if the show was just for us, the second we walked up, it began. Music started blasting from behind us and the three walls surrounding us began to come alive with projections dancing to the beat of the songs. It was a great way to share a beer with Marge and kick off our time in Hong Kong.

The second day we started with a trip to Ikea because we stumbled across one, and what gay guy doesn’t like Ikea? Marge had never been, so we wandered through it and then grabbed lunch there. Hong Kong can be really pricy, so you have to find ways to save a bit and eating at Ikea is SUPER CHEAP. I got unlimited coffee, a cinnamon roll, a piece of pizza, and an ice cream cone for about $2.75. You can’t beat that price, especially in a big city. I’ll just say, that wasn’t my last meal at Ikea in Hong Kong.

Following Ikea, we took a ferry across the bay and jumped on an hour long harbor tour cruise. The boat cruised up and down both sides of the bay so we could check out the city sky line from an up close perspective. After the boat tour, we stopped in the science museum’s omnimax for a 3d video on “Flight” before heading to Temple Street. Temple Street is one of the main tourist markets. Sometimes I guess I have a mind of a mosquito because I am always attracted to bright lights. If you have ever been in my bedroom or spend much time around me, you know I always line my room with rope lights. I also have a really cool green laser pointer that looks like a light saber when I shine it across the sky. Well, when I saw a blue laser pointer that could light cigarettes, cut electrical tape, and light fireworks from 15 feet away, it was a must have. Marge and I went on a bit of a shopping spree on Temple Street especially because I was flying home and could drop all of our goodies off.

The next day we decided to get a Rickshaw sightseeing bus card. It went everywhere in the city and had an open top style seating for the ultimate viewing of the city. As we zipped around the city, we got an even up closer view of the enormous buildings that tower over the streets below. We rode around for a while before hitting Temple Street, again. This time, my bug eyes narrowed in on a set of LED rope lights that had a remote with 30 different color settings. I didn’t have a ton of Hong Kong dollars left, but I did have a walled full of many different currencies. If I was to exchange them I would get a pretty crappy exchange rate so I decided to barter with them. I ended up paying for the rope lights with 4 different currencies: Hong Kong Dollar, Taiwan Dollar, Pounds, and Euros. It was the best way to get rid of some small bills! I also got a new day backpack to use on my trip as well as a few small trinkets. Marge also scored a new hiking backpack, shoes, and trinkets.

Our last day in Hong Kong we decided to channel our inner child and go to the Hong Kong Disneyland!!!! I’ve been to Los Angeles’s Disneyland and heard great reviews of Disneyworld in Florida. I thought one of the biggest cities in the world would have an insane park. Let’s just say our Six Flags in STL is about 3 times bigger and contains about 12 rides larger than the biggest ride at the Hong Kong Disneyland. With that being said, Marge and I still had a blast on the little kid rides. I thought our tea cup was going to break because we were spinning so fast, we won a race against a couple 7 year olds on the car track, and by the end of the day road Space Mountain at least 4 times. It was a fun way to wrap up seven months with Marge.

Speaking of wrapping up seven months with Marge…

After seven months with Margie, I can’t be more thankful to her. Together we have covered 25 countries. We have done everything together from throwing tomatoes at La Tomitina, sitting on the top of Victoria Falls, SCUBA certification, taking each other to the hospital, motor biking along the coast of Vietnam, white water rafting and elephant riding in Thailand, lantern festivals in Taiwan, riding camels through the Sahara, and had enough laughs to put permanent wrinkles on our faces. There are very few people I can honestly say I could, or would ever want to do a year long trip with. Marge is the perfect travel partner. We have heard several stories on the road about how terrible things ended with the friends who were traveling long term with each other, and every time I look at Marge and think to myself “Ummm, one time when we were drunk we started to get in an argument, and then laughed about it because it was so stupid”. In seven months together, we have had the most minor differences. We have gotten along so well, and we both knew we would from day one.

When you are friends with someone over 13 years, you know them pretty well. You know when they need space, a shoulder to lean on, some sleep, 4^th meal, and a street beer. We work better than ketchup and mustard, Burt and Ernie, and everyone knows I am her gay BFF forever. I can’t tell you how many times we have helped each other when it comes to correcting a wrong turn, a walk home from a bar, advice, comparing stools (you know what I mean if you have been to Asia), loaning money, or sharing food. She was there to pick me up after I was drug behind a scooter in Bali just as I walked her to the sketchy hospital in Spain when she looked like a Dalmatian covered in pink spots. We keep joking that we are morphing into one human being and sometimes I think it’s really happening. We are always on the same page. When I wake up after not sleeping in a hostel, Marge will say she hasn’t slept either. When I have had ice blowouts (from unfiltered ice) chances are Marge did too.

Marge: I love you more than you can understand and I can’t imagine this trip with anyone else. These 5 weeks apart while I visit home and travel Chile until we meet in Uruguay will sure be an adjustment without you. The last 7 months have been incredible, magnificent, the adventure of a lifetime. You are an incredible woman inside and out. You are smart, compassionate, one bad ass mofo, and the funniest person I know. I can’t wait to see what “Around The World Tom and Marge Part II” has in store for us! I’ll see your ass in Uruguay and you can bet your butt I’ll have two cold ones in hand to celebrate our reunion!

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With our crazy night of drinking with locals the night before, we got a late start on our bike trip. We sent our bags in a van and hoped on our motor bike to head down the coast to Hoi An. Through towns, gravel roads, dirt roads, potholes, and pavement, we zipped down some of the most scenic roads imaginable. After several hours on the road we made a pit stop at Elephant Falls. Fifty cents gave us access to a clear, cool, blue-river that tumbles down a valley with large natural pools along its path. Lining the waterway was thatched roofs, mats and hammocks for lounging, and food vendors. It was a very local place as we only saw two other westerners there. It’s a strange feeling having everyone’s eyes on you. We definitely stood out, but in a good way. Everyone was eager to say hi and practice a little English. I climbed a rock to jump into the pool below and saw a group of 10 or so early twenty year olds. They invited me over and immediately gave me a beer and offered me a full meal. I looked over at Marge across the pool to invite her over and noticed she was already had a beer in her hand and was chatting with someone. I had a fun talk with the group even thought it was a lot of broken English. They sure laughed at me a lot. I’m sure they were making fun of me, but I know it was all in good fun. I wish people back home were this friendly. If I just walked up to strangers like I do when I’m on the road, I know it wouldn’t be the same. After visiting with the group for a little bit, it was time to hit the road again.

It was getting dark and we still weren’t to Hoi An yet. The last big city on our route was the town of DaNang. It was a large city with a stunning night skyline that glowed neon from every bridge, building, and tower. Even though it was such a beautiful city, my family has a sad history with DaNang. In 1970 my uncle, Thomas Walter Goszewski passed away at a hospital in DaNang as a result of the injuries he sustained during the Vietnam War. If you couldn’t guess, that’s who I am named after. I couldn’t help but to get a little emotional on the back of the scooter as we cruised through the city thinking how opposite uncle Tommy and my experiences were in Vietnam. I am falling in love with a beautiful country full of some of the most accommodating and friendly people I have met on my trip, and it is also the place my uncle lost his life fighting for our country. It is truly amazing how time fixes things and how fortunate I am to be visiting Vietnam for fun rather than for war.

Before uncle Tommy left for the war he left Dad a gas powered plane and said “You fly this plane before I come home from Vietnam and I’m gonna kick your ass”. Dad never flew the plane and to this day it still sits on a shelf in our basement. I have no idea if it will still fly, or if it can be tuned up to fly again. But I thought since little Tommy is coming home from Vietnam, it’s time for Dad to finally fly the plane. Instead of Dad flying the plane with his brother Tommy, he can fly it with his son Tommy 45 years later.

We finally arrived in Hoi An around 9 pm and checked into our hotel. After our long day on the bike we had a little rest and relaxation the next day. Our German friends, Katie and Alex, were also in town so we decided to do a beach day for out last day in Hoi An. It was a gorgeous day for the beach, just warm enough, but with a nice breeze. After relaxing on the beach all day we grabbed some dinner. I’m not sure if I mentioned “Pho” before, but it is amazing. It’s a noodle soup with veggies and pork that is to die for. We ate it nearly every day in Vietnam. Its pronounced “Fah” so we make a lot of jokes of how “Pho”cking good it is and how we could get “Pho”ed up on it. Following some Pho, we walked around the town and got pulled into a bar by a worker. I don’t know how they make any money because I got a mojito, a beer, and a hookah for $1. ONE DOLLAR, that’s how cheap things can be in Vietnam. It’s a backpacker’s dreamland. After the dollar bar, everything started to close up so we had to part ways with the Germans and say goodbye once again.

Time for a 17 hour bus ride to Hanoi in the North!

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