We started in Bariloche, drove to Villa La Angostura, crossed the Andes mountains into Chile, stopped in Valdivia and Villarrica, crossed back into Argentina and into San Martín de los Andes and finished it off back in Bariloche — all in seven days and in a little Nissan Versa which somehow made it back in one piece. We drank submarinos, a type of hot chocolate that just melts in your mouth; Chilean empanadas made by Olivia, a woman who took us in after a long hike in the middle of nowhere; and salami sandwiches on the side of the road when there was nowhere else to go. We were stopped by cows, horses and sheep. We fought giant flying spiders and weird worms in our shower. We were freezing and sweating.

Never had we ever seen water so blue, so brilliant and so refreshing. The greens were greener, the reds were redder, the yellows were yellower, the whites were sharp and the blacks were so soft. The number of experiences on this journey were overwhelming, but it was nonetheless one of the most beautiful feelings I’ve ever felt.

Thanks to my friends and fellow NYU Students, Bianca Peña and Isabela Acenas, for venturing the world with me.

Email Ana Marazi at [email protected].