We're Not Quitters: My 7 Links

When Stephanie, The Travel Chica invited us to participate in My 7 Links, I skeptically wondered if this was some sort of chain mail crap. We don’t like to be bothered with such nonsense. This was legit, though. When we understood that it was simply looking back at our past blog posts and choosing the one that most represents each of 7 categories, we were very excited. A reason to relive our trek through South America while we melt in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes, please!

It’s not just the reminiscing that’s got me interested in this challenge. You see, I’ve had a few blogs, but I’ve never been able to keep up on any of them for any length of time. I’m proud of myself for staying committed to this for 10 months now. While blogging may seem like an easy “gig”, it certainly takes some effort. We’ve both learned tons about photography, videography, writing code and story-telling. This is a chance to look back at our “work” and self-evaluate.

Here goes:

Most Beautiful Post: Salty

The photos we took at the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia were by far our favorites of the whole trip. The combination of colors, the strange and unique landscape and the fun with depth perception made the post and photos our vote for most beautiful. It’s going to take something insane to top that experience.

Most Popular Post: Bartending, the Authorities and Thanksgiving

This post about my bartending gig in Salinas, Ecuador was the most popular because it had the most hits. I find that strange because it it didn’t receive any comments. I wonder if all of those hits were just us rereading the story over and over. Since it is a journal of sorts, we do go back and read our entries to reminisce. Our trip seems like a blur now.

Most Controversial Post: Oh Happy Day!

I’m not really sure we have a controversial post which means I need to step up my insults or something. Nevertheless, I chose this one because it was controversial for us. Just after snapping this photo of Quito, Ecuador, I was bit by a dog which then led to bleeding, stitches, rabies shots and a giant fear of reporting it all to my mother. We went back and forth about whether to post about the events of that day. I wanted to because I thought it was all quite incredible, but we also didn’t want to scare anyone. I also didn’t want to hear any I-told-you-so’s or serves-you-right’s. Rabies shots in the stomach don’t exactly promote the backpacking lifestyle.

Most Helpful Post: Machu Picchu…We Can Do It Ourselves!

I think our most exciting posts are of shenanigans and great photos. Hence, the how-to post about Machu Picchu was not winning any excitement awards. I do think it is the most helpful post, though. Machu Picchu is a beast. There is a ton of confusing info out there. Hopefully, my attempt at explaining the layout of the ruins will or has helped someone out there.

Post Whose Success Surprised Us: Salchicha Pizza

The post we chose as our most surprising was the one about our worst food experience while visiting Mendoza, Argentina. I thought it was a short silly post. I had no idea it would get the reaction it got and still gets to this day. We’ve heard from other travel bloggers that food posts bring tons of hits. We believe them now that we’ve seen how people got so up in arms about this nasty, disgusting, shameful attempt at pizza.

Post We Feel Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved: Let’s Get Ready to Rumble, Cholita!

I was shocked. I seriously thought, “I CANNOT wait until everyone sees this!” And then this post got no love. Perhaps not everyone is as interested in WWE style wrestling performed by heavy set, traditionally dressed Bolivian women. Or, perhaps some experiences don’t always translate into great posts. Or, maybe it’s the fact that there was only a video and no photos. Whatever it is, please tell us because we’re here to entertain. Dance, monkeys, dance!

Post that We Are Most Proud Of: And I Owe It to Iguazú-u-u-u-u….

We had a tough time choosing for this category. We’re not really head over heals for any of our posts. I think there’s always room for improvement. When it came down to it though, we chose this post because we feel it shows we are actually learning something. While the video is by no means professionally done, we did notice that there were improvements over our previous video attempts. We noticed how we felt more comfortable speaking into the camera, the editing process was easier this time around and I was generally pleased with how the music fit with the footage. We’re not winning any awards, for sure. But, feeling like you are improving feels good. You feel me?

We Nominate You

We met these people during our travels and really enjoyed their company. We nominate them to post about their 7 links. Check them out:

Postcard Valet: Alaskans, Arlo and Oksana, currently traveling the world

Steph and Stephen Take Chile: expats living in Santiago, Chile

On To The Next

We just want to thank all the people that compliment (or critique) us on our posts and photos. It encourages us to get up and explore even more and that’s just what we have planned for the future. Thank you for reading!