With an unimaginable food scene, delicious Chilean wine and streets filled with art, history and culture, Santiago is worth getting to know.

Though I'd already lived in Asia, some of Japan's rules were simply lost on me. And as predicted, it was a tough country to explore on my own. Tricky transportation, swarming tourists and wild weather were a challenge to navigate.

Founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes, Lima is a coastal city full of life. Surfing, paragliding and dancing, cathedrals, parks and museums, nightlife, restaurants and plazas, Lima has it all.