The Soundtrack

Like most other events in my life, I have thought about the songs which have popped into my head during those times. In the last three months, I have experienced a myriad of emotions both good and bad. Through those experiences and people I've met, I came up with ten songs which span the duration of this trip. Some have deep personal meaning and others just popped in there. A few others I will also mention, but won't be added to the official list.

The South America Soundtrack:
1. Air - La Femme d'Argent. This song comes from the album Moon Safari which is by far Air's best work. The song is the standard background music for any hip loungy bar or restaurant. I'm still surprised when I hear it even ten years after the album was released. Actually, I could have used any of the first four song from that album for this soundtrack.

2. Amy Winehouse - Any friggin' song from that damn album. Our first hostel in BA played that entire album 24 X 7.

3. New Order- Crystal. In BA, there was a girl from San Fran in Jane's Spanish class named Crystal. She was a typical laid back hippster who reminded me of my cousin June. I also watched a VH1 live performance by New Order that week.

4. The Shins- Saint Simon. The video for this song is so crazy beautiful. The lyrics have nothing to do with Iguazu, but I kept on singing this song (to myself of course) as I was walking through the park. The falls were amazing and dare I say crazy beautiful. It became the default song when I would go to a place that was jaw dropping gorgeous.

5. The Replacements- When It Began. Like all cities in South America, there seems to be a ton of stray dogs running around. The song comes from the album "All Shook Down" which has my favorite album cover of all time. The dogs on the streets of Valparaiso reminded me of the album and the song popped into my head.

6. The Stone Roses - This Is The One. The Salar de Uyuni was one of the highlights of my enitre trip. Both the scenery and the people I met on that trip were unforgettable. Sometimes you meet people only for a moment, but you immediately have a connection. I do plan on seeing Molly B, Jon, and Heather again in the future. There is some deeper personal meaning for me on this one folks.

7. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers- Californication. This should be the gringo national anthem. Every gringo bar played this song. It didn't matter which country. It was like a beacon to summon all gringos to some place familiar and cool. I could have easily put Coldplay or Jack Johnson here, but Californication was so ubiquitous, that it had to be on this list.

8. Vetiver- El Rio. This was the perfect song to listen to while floating along the river watching fresh water dolphins swimming beside you. Rurrenabaque was a nice break from the cold of the mountains.

9. The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow. The song was on repeat in my head as we were flying over the Nazca lines.

10. Nico - Fairest of The Seasons. I've always loved this song. The opening bars definitely expresses the joys and regrets I've felt during my time here. It is an excellent song to close out this part of my South American adventure. This one also has a deeper personal meaning.

Honerable mention>
Portishead - One of Justine's favorite bands.
Righeira - Vamos A La Playa. This song was huge when we were in Bolivia.