Somebody to share this with...

I was not sure if I should do this alone or take somebody with me. But thinking intensely about it made me decide that it would be better not doing this alone. As South America is not the safest place, it is reasonable not to be alone. Furthermore it's more intense if you can share your experiences and insights with somebody.

The tricky thing was to find someone I knew I could spend 4 to 6 weeks, 24 hours a day with - without having to worry about what to talk about or not knowing if I could rely on or trust him. The only person I know, who meets all those requirements, is Chris.

Chris is a very dear friend I met back in 2007. Along the years our friendship grew stronger and now I think I can say he is one of the most trustful guys I know. Conversation is so easy and often we don't even need to talk to understand what the other wants to say - the perfect person to take with me to Peru.

One month ago I decided to ask him what he thought about the whole thing. I sent him a text message saying that I needed to talk to him briefly describing that I wanted to go backpacking a country for 4 to 6 weeks. I did not mention Peru and I did not say anything about me planning to take him with me. The only answer I got from him via text message was: "Ok, I'm coming with you. Where are we going?" This was crazy...and it showed me that my choice was right. Since he is going on a backpack-tour in a few days, I'm very excited about what he has to tell afterwards. Maybe it will give us the chance to improve my planning and preparation.

However - I am very happy that I can share this experience with Chris and I'm really excited about all the things we will be able to tell you after this trip!