What the hell are we doing and why?

Dear reader,

Now that you know a little more about our lovely selves, allow me to let you in on the Plan.

Our journey will take 6 months. We will be backpacking, in other words carrying as little as is possible to survive. We will be staying in hostels. Taking buses. Perhaps even hitchhiking. We start in Cancun because it is remarkably inexpensive to fly there, and work our way down to South America, making a counter-clockwise loop. Around the continent. We will visit beaches, volcanoes, ancient burial grounds, temples, museums, restaurants, markets, witch-doctors, rain forests, and more. We set out October 21st, 2009.

So many people don't travel because it is "expensive". Yes, it certainly can be. And it doesn't have to be. Sarah and I will be traveling on $20 a day. Take your lives into your hands. It is possible to see the world, if that is what is important to you. This is our plan. We are going to demonstrate the possible, and write about it as we go. We are both writers, and I am also a photographer. As technology permits you'll see our experiences as you read them.

Sarah and I are a very entertaining couple. We constantly make friends, conversation, and jokes. People around us tend to smile at the conversations they overhear on the subway. Stay with us. We will take you on our adventure and share our triumphs and pitfalls.

We have been preparing for a couple of months. Researching where to go, what to see, how we get there, what we need there. We are steadily storing up our inventory of pocket knives, flexible bowls, moisture-wicking clothing, safety pins, and books.

What do you know about traveling in Central and South America? We need all the advice we can get.

Love as always, Laura