Ola chicos! Hope you have your tissues handy, this could be a sad one.
You may remember that we left off after our arrival in Colonia, Uruguay. Colonia is a fairly sleepy, but beautiful, small town, where we didn{t expect to see much in the way of nightlife or party people. Oh, how wrong we were. After an afternoon wandering around town, we had begun to notice the main street being blocked off with chairs, signs, and police officers, setting up for a parade. We were overjoyed to learn that that night was Colonia Carnivale! We spent the entire night watching an amazing parade of dancers, bands, drummers, and random characters in wild costumes sashay down the street. Since neither of us will make to the infamous Rio Carnivale, this was a fantastic consolation prize.
The next day, we took a bus to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. We spent the rest of the day walking around the city and eating a great dinner of Chivito, a popular Uruguayan dish. Chivito consists of a massive plate of fries topped with: steak, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg, all in one towering stack. Strange, but also strangely delicious.
For our full day in Montevideo, we started with our own walking tour of the city beaches. The beaches are beautiful, but the heat eventually became unbearable so we joined a city bus tour. We saw the Old City, the government buildings, main plazas, etc. It turns out that Montevideo is really lovely, although probably underappreciated and ignored by most tourists in South America. It{s quite large, but it{s also charming, safe, and very friendly.
On Thursday, we took a bus to La Paloma, which is beach town a little further down the coast from Montevideo. The town has a very cool, relaxed vibe, which is great until you{re sitting a restaurant for hours, watching the waiters chat with one another, before anyone notices you still haven{t been served. I{m not bitter, but there is such a thing as being TOO laid back. Anyway, on our first day in La Paloma, Jess and I had what was, arguably, the best ice cream in the world. The mint chocolate chip was truly minty and the dulce de leche-banana had real banana. Just wonderful. After that excitement, we spent the rest of the day on the beach. A great thing about the beach in this town is that most people flock to one stretch because it appears to have a better swimming area. However, we discovered that the popular spot is actually full of jellyfish, and if you go a bit further down, the ocean is a bit rocky but there are virtually no people. It was incredibly beautiful and a perfect way to wind down the trip. We spent the following day at the beach and then our last morning there as well, before we returned for a final night in Colonia and a morning ferry back to Buenos Aires.
We arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday morning and headed over the apartment of one our friends from Bariloche. She generously offered to lend us her apartment for the night, so we met up with the two girls for an afternoon of eating, shopping, and getting in our last bit of Buenos Aires time. The city is absolutely sweltering hot, but I tried to appreciate it and remember the cold that I{m returning to in a matter of hours. In the evening, we made dinner on our friend{s terrace, went night swimming, then headed out to one of their friend{s birthday parties. We had a great time at the party, trying to understand what everyone around us was chattering about, but eventually calling it a night at a pathetic (by Argentinian standards) 4:30 am.
Right now, I{m mentally preparing myself for the mission back to Toronto. Obviously, this will be my final posting and I hope that someone will miss reading this blog as much as I will miss writing it. Perhaps I{ll pick it up again for my next adventure... It{s been a fantastic, unbelievable trip that has truly surpassed my expectations, but I am, without a doubt, feeling the excitement of returning home.
Ciao, gracias, y hasta luego!
Sarah
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hiking and Head-Banging
Ola amigos! It´s been a great final week in Argentina, featuring great food, great landscapes, and even better music...cryptic, I know, but read on.
From Mendoza, Jess and I took our best bus ride ever to Bariloche, down south. Best because, along with impeccable service, we played a rousing game of Andesemar Bus Bingo with the other passengers. It was a great way for me to practice my Spanish numbers and it was also just funny. But more importantly, Bariloche is a beautiful town. It sits on Lago (Lake) Nahuel Huapi, in Nahuel Huapi National Park and is surrounded by mountains. It feels a bit like Banff or a Swiss ski town or something like that. On our first afternoon, we explored the town and sampled the local chocolate, which is a big deal in Bariloche. The streets are lined with countless chocolate shops and it is truly amazing and delicious. For dinner that night, we went out with the two Argentinian girls who were sharing our hostel room and had a really great time.
The next day, we took a bus to the Campanario, which is a ski lift that goes up a mountain just outside the town. We decided to tough it out and hike up, which was not so bad, and the views at the top were truly incredible. Next, we took another bus a bit further away from the city to Llao Llao Municipal Park. We checked out the very posh Llao Llao hotel and got a drink and some dirty looks. But it was worth it for the beautiful views from the terrace overlooking the lake. After that, we did a short hike through the park before heading back into town. It was a wonderful and exhausting day, which ended perfectly with cooking dinner in the hostel.
On our third day in Bariloche, we went to Nahuel Huapi National Park, where we did a few short hikes and saw some beautiful landscapes, lakes, and waterfalls. The best part of the day was seeing the Black Glacier and the glacial valleys, which were VERY cool and extremely impressive. It was a great final day in what is now one of my favourite spots in Argentina.
The next day, we took the bus back to Buenos Aires. This would not have been so bad, had there not been a traffic accident along the way, causing a 6 hour delay. After spending a whopping 25 hours on the bus, we finally returned the sweltering heat that is Buenos Aires. But we didn´t have long to complain because we had a big night ahead...at the Metallica concert. No, I´m not joking and no, I don´t listen to Metallica. But some old traveling friends were going and we thought it would be good for a laugh, so we decided to join them. The concert did not disappoint. Despite the fact that I couldn´t identify a single song, I was endlessly entertained by the head-banging, 90´s grunge-clad crowd. The only difficult part was finding a suitable metal-head outfit (failure: I ended up in a striped onesie) and avoiding the mosh pits in my flip flops (success: it involved running). It was definitely a unique experience and one that I won´t soon forget.
This morning, struggling to recover from last night´s festivities, we caught the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. We spent the afternoon walking around the charming, but tiny, city, which brings me to the present. Tomorrow, on to Montevideo.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
From Mendoza, Jess and I took our best bus ride ever to Bariloche, down south. Best because, along with impeccable service, we played a rousing game of Andesemar Bus Bingo with the other passengers. It was a great way for me to practice my Spanish numbers and it was also just funny. But more importantly, Bariloche is a beautiful town. It sits on Lago (Lake) Nahuel Huapi, in Nahuel Huapi National Park and is surrounded by mountains. It feels a bit like Banff or a Swiss ski town or something like that. On our first afternoon, we explored the town and sampled the local chocolate, which is a big deal in Bariloche. The streets are lined with countless chocolate shops and it is truly amazing and delicious. For dinner that night, we went out with the two Argentinian girls who were sharing our hostel room and had a really great time.
The next day, we took a bus to the Campanario, which is a ski lift that goes up a mountain just outside the town. We decided to tough it out and hike up, which was not so bad, and the views at the top were truly incredible. Next, we took another bus a bit further away from the city to Llao Llao Municipal Park. We checked out the very posh Llao Llao hotel and got a drink and some dirty looks. But it was worth it for the beautiful views from the terrace overlooking the lake. After that, we did a short hike through the park before heading back into town. It was a wonderful and exhausting day, which ended perfectly with cooking dinner in the hostel.
On our third day in Bariloche, we went to Nahuel Huapi National Park, where we did a few short hikes and saw some beautiful landscapes, lakes, and waterfalls. The best part of the day was seeing the Black Glacier and the glacial valleys, which were VERY cool and extremely impressive. It was a great final day in what is now one of my favourite spots in Argentina.
The next day, we took the bus back to Buenos Aires. This would not have been so bad, had there not been a traffic accident along the way, causing a 6 hour delay. After spending a whopping 25 hours on the bus, we finally returned the sweltering heat that is Buenos Aires. But we didn´t have long to complain because we had a big night ahead...at the Metallica concert. No, I´m not joking and no, I don´t listen to Metallica. But some old traveling friends were going and we thought it would be good for a laugh, so we decided to join them. The concert did not disappoint. Despite the fact that I couldn´t identify a single song, I was endlessly entertained by the head-banging, 90´s grunge-clad crowd. The only difficult part was finding a suitable metal-head outfit (failure: I ended up in a striped onesie) and avoiding the mosh pits in my flip flops (success: it involved running). It was definitely a unique experience and one that I won´t soon forget.
This morning, struggling to recover from last night´s festivities, we caught the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. We spent the afternoon walking around the charming, but tiny, city, which brings me to the present. Tomorrow, on to Montevideo.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Drink Local
Today´s posting will feature the co-blog stylings of Ms. Jessica Katz.
On our first day in Salta, Jess and I explored the city. It turned out to be much larger than we had expected, so we ended up sitting in the main plaza and just enjoying the atmosphere. Like most South American cities, Salta has a beautiful central plaza, with churches, cafes, and lots of interesting people to watch. After that, we went to an all-you-can-eat Asado (Argentinian Barbecue) at another hostel. There was great food, live music, and lots of travelers to talk to, so we had a really great time. Following dinner, we thought we would check out Salta´s nightlife. I was expecting a few bars and maybe some patios. What we found was a full-on nightclub district. Lines were around the block and the streets were absolutely packed with people. It turns out that Salta is quite a hotspot, who knew?
On Sunday, we walked to the Teleferico and took a gondola up to see some views of the city. After walking back down, we had lunch and then visited the artisan market. After some down time at the hostel, we went for another group dinner at another hostel and then called it a night.
Monday was our first day of real activity in Salta. We visited a number of small towns nearby and saw the Cerro de Siepte Colores, which is a really amazing, multicoloured mountain. We also visited the Tilcara archeological ruins, which are the remains of an Inca village. Basically, it was day of beautiful views and far too many churches.
The next day, we took a trip out to Cafayate, which is a wine producing region. We visited the Valle de los Conchas and the Gargantua del Diablo, both beautiful rock formations, before doing two winery tours. The landscape there was truly incredible because every mountain and rock is an amazing mixture of red, green, and even bluish layers of sediment.
For our final day in Salta, we didn´t have much time to do anything, so we decided to visit the food market. It was actually a lot of fun and we ate incredible empanadas at a very local, homestyle restaurant in the market. Later that afternoon, we got on the bus to Mendoza.
Jessica here, honoured to be featured as a guest blogger.. and hoping the fans of Cross Cultural Musings will enjoy some fresh perspective!
Taking off where Sarah left off.. the next morning we arrived in Mendoza and made our way to our hostal which we were delighted to find out had a swimming pool complete with lounge chairs, a bbq and lounge area, a bar and a classy dining establishment attached! Before we could check into the hostal we wandered around the city a bit and quickly came to love the feel of it; very much a beach town vibe.. minus the beach (odd.. we agree) with tons of great shops, restaurants and bars. After a nice long stroll, we retired to the pool for the evening.. the heat here makes a dip in the pool muey nessecito!
For our first full day in Mendoza we couldn´t think of a more appropraite outing than a wine tour via bicycles! So we arranged bike rentals and quickly set off to begin exploring the world´s 8th largest wine producing region. We were able to visit 2 wonderful wineries where we tasted some of Mendoza´s famous Malbec varieties amongst other tastey wines. We also managed to squeeze in a tour of an olive oil factory as well as a family estate which produces olive oil, liquors, chocolates, spreads and preserves and some other yummy treats.. they were very generous with the samples and we easily turned it into a free lunch! By the evening we were exhausted from the heat and cycling around on our *charming* bikes, so we headed back to the city where we had a BBQ awaiting at the hostel. The BBQ was typical Argentinian fair with no shortage of red meat, red wine and good company! We spent the evening relaxing and chatting with some new Argentinian friends and even sampling their cocktail concoction involving a full honeydew melon hollowed out and filled with sparkling wine.. delish and hillarious the drink!
The following day we were picked up bright and early from our hostel to see some of the region´s most picturesque areas. The drive was long but breath-taking and we were able to see some beautiful mountain scenery created by glacier activity as we made our way up to see Mount Aconcagua.. America´s highest peak! Along the way we stopped at a beautiful turquoise lake as well as Punta Del Inca; a natural bridge formed by the river gradually eroding part of the mountain. The bridge is a striking yellow colour because of the sulphur in the hot springs. We finally arrived at the Christ monument where we took in incredible views of the snow peaked Mt. Aconcagua... though we didn´t stay too long; because of the altitude we were freezing our buns off (we´re getting too used to South American weather). We returned in the evening for another BBQ with out newfound friends!
This morning we set off for another wine tour.. this time by bus (yes, this was our second winery tour in 3 days.. but as they say: When in Rome!). We visited a family run winery, an olive oil factory and another winery which produced some wonderful organic wines which we were able to taste.
Sadly, our time in Mendoza is coming to an end and we are about to head out for another long bus ride to Bariloche. As much as we loved Mendoza, we´re looking forward to some cooler weather and seeing for ourselves if Bariloche is indeed the country´s finest chocolate producer!
Until next time!
ciao ciao!!
J&S!
On our first day in Salta, Jess and I explored the city. It turned out to be much larger than we had expected, so we ended up sitting in the main plaza and just enjoying the atmosphere. Like most South American cities, Salta has a beautiful central plaza, with churches, cafes, and lots of interesting people to watch. After that, we went to an all-you-can-eat Asado (Argentinian Barbecue) at another hostel. There was great food, live music, and lots of travelers to talk to, so we had a really great time. Following dinner, we thought we would check out Salta´s nightlife. I was expecting a few bars and maybe some patios. What we found was a full-on nightclub district. Lines were around the block and the streets were absolutely packed with people. It turns out that Salta is quite a hotspot, who knew?
On Sunday, we walked to the Teleferico and took a gondola up to see some views of the city. After walking back down, we had lunch and then visited the artisan market. After some down time at the hostel, we went for another group dinner at another hostel and then called it a night.
Monday was our first day of real activity in Salta. We visited a number of small towns nearby and saw the Cerro de Siepte Colores, which is a really amazing, multicoloured mountain. We also visited the Tilcara archeological ruins, which are the remains of an Inca village. Basically, it was day of beautiful views and far too many churches.
The next day, we took a trip out to Cafayate, which is a wine producing region. We visited the Valle de los Conchas and the Gargantua del Diablo, both beautiful rock formations, before doing two winery tours. The landscape there was truly incredible because every mountain and rock is an amazing mixture of red, green, and even bluish layers of sediment.
For our final day in Salta, we didn´t have much time to do anything, so we decided to visit the food market. It was actually a lot of fun and we ate incredible empanadas at a very local, homestyle restaurant in the market. Later that afternoon, we got on the bus to Mendoza.
Jessica here, honoured to be featured as a guest blogger.. and hoping the fans of Cross Cultural Musings will enjoy some fresh perspective!
Taking off where Sarah left off.. the next morning we arrived in Mendoza and made our way to our hostal which we were delighted to find out had a swimming pool complete with lounge chairs, a bbq and lounge area, a bar and a classy dining establishment attached! Before we could check into the hostal we wandered around the city a bit and quickly came to love the feel of it; very much a beach town vibe.. minus the beach (odd.. we agree) with tons of great shops, restaurants and bars. After a nice long stroll, we retired to the pool for the evening.. the heat here makes a dip in the pool muey nessecito!
For our first full day in Mendoza we couldn´t think of a more appropraite outing than a wine tour via bicycles! So we arranged bike rentals and quickly set off to begin exploring the world´s 8th largest wine producing region. We were able to visit 2 wonderful wineries where we tasted some of Mendoza´s famous Malbec varieties amongst other tastey wines. We also managed to squeeze in a tour of an olive oil factory as well as a family estate which produces olive oil, liquors, chocolates, spreads and preserves and some other yummy treats.. they were very generous with the samples and we easily turned it into a free lunch! By the evening we were exhausted from the heat and cycling around on our *charming* bikes, so we headed back to the city where we had a BBQ awaiting at the hostel. The BBQ was typical Argentinian fair with no shortage of red meat, red wine and good company! We spent the evening relaxing and chatting with some new Argentinian friends and even sampling their cocktail concoction involving a full honeydew melon hollowed out and filled with sparkling wine.. delish and hillarious the drink!
The following day we were picked up bright and early from our hostel to see some of the region´s most picturesque areas. The drive was long but breath-taking and we were able to see some beautiful mountain scenery created by glacier activity as we made our way up to see Mount Aconcagua.. America´s highest peak! Along the way we stopped at a beautiful turquoise lake as well as Punta Del Inca; a natural bridge formed by the river gradually eroding part of the mountain. The bridge is a striking yellow colour because of the sulphur in the hot springs. We finally arrived at the Christ monument where we took in incredible views of the snow peaked Mt. Aconcagua... though we didn´t stay too long; because of the altitude we were freezing our buns off (we´re getting too used to South American weather). We returned in the evening for another BBQ with out newfound friends!
This morning we set off for another wine tour.. this time by bus (yes, this was our second winery tour in 3 days.. but as they say: When in Rome!). We visited a family run winery, an olive oil factory and another winery which produced some wonderful organic wines which we were able to taste.
Sadly, our time in Mendoza is coming to an end and we are about to head out for another long bus ride to Bariloche. As much as we loved Mendoza, we´re looking forward to some cooler weather and seeing for ourselves if Bariloche is indeed the country´s finest chocolate producer!
Until next time!
ciao ciao!!
J&S!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Argentina: The Red Meat Diaries
I haven't posted in awhile because I have been in a steak-induced food coma for the past week or so. But the meat-sweats have recently subsided and I'm ready to roll.
After a wonderful, family-fun filled week in Mexico (with guest appearances by Prince Izzy), I went to great lengths to return to South America. After a bag search in Dallas, a nearly-missed flight in Santiago, a lost bag en route, and a scamming cab driver in Buenos Aires, I made it my hostel. It was quite a mission, but Buenos Aires is such a fantastic city, I decided that it was all worthwhile. I spent my first day in B.A. searching for my bag, which I eventually recovered after a trip back to the airport, but things really picked up after that.
The next day, I went for a long walk around the city. Having already been to B.A., I wasn't dying to see many sights, but the city has such a great atmosphere that it's nice just to wander. So I did the same thing the next day. I also ate a lot of steak and managed to catch an amazing, low-budget tango show at a small restaurant near my hostel.
On Wednesday, Jessica arrived from Toronto, which made for a very joyous reunion. She will be featured as a guest blogger in the upcoming weeks. Jess and I spent the afternoon attempting to make travel plans before we gave up, went for steaks, and then back to our hostel for a party.
The next day, after an embarrassingly slow start, we walked to the neighbourhood of Palermo, accidentally wandering through Jew Town on the way. Once in Palermo, we spent the afternoon enjoying the shops, cafes, and trendy folk. After an empanada dinner, we spent the evening hanging out at our hostel. It's not as dorky as it sounds, we were staying at a pretty hopping spot.
On Friday, we gave up on making our own plans and turned to a travel agent, who helped us plan a great trip around Argentina. After spending a few hours walking around San Telmo, which is a kind of artsy, funky area in B.A., we caught an overnight bus to Salta, where we are now. I have to mention the bus, because it was incredible. We were both a bit nervous about the 18-hour bus ride, but it turned out that the bus had: fully-reclining, first-class sized seats and leg rests; blankets and pillows; tvs; horrible, Spanish ballads blasting over the speakers; and a "bus-attendent", who brought us dinner (with wine), after-dinner drinks, snacks, breakfast, and snacks again. Quite an experience.
We arrived in Salta around mid-day today and have been getting settled in our hostel. We have a few excursions planned for the next few days before we move on to Mendoza.
Hasta luego!
Sarah (and Jess!)
After a wonderful, family-fun filled week in Mexico (with guest appearances by Prince Izzy), I went to great lengths to return to South America. After a bag search in Dallas, a nearly-missed flight in Santiago, a lost bag en route, and a scamming cab driver in Buenos Aires, I made it my hostel. It was quite a mission, but Buenos Aires is such a fantastic city, I decided that it was all worthwhile. I spent my first day in B.A. searching for my bag, which I eventually recovered after a trip back to the airport, but things really picked up after that.
The next day, I went for a long walk around the city. Having already been to B.A., I wasn't dying to see many sights, but the city has such a great atmosphere that it's nice just to wander. So I did the same thing the next day. I also ate a lot of steak and managed to catch an amazing, low-budget tango show at a small restaurant near my hostel.
On Wednesday, Jessica arrived from Toronto, which made for a very joyous reunion. She will be featured as a guest blogger in the upcoming weeks. Jess and I spent the afternoon attempting to make travel plans before we gave up, went for steaks, and then back to our hostel for a party.
The next day, after an embarrassingly slow start, we walked to the neighbourhood of Palermo, accidentally wandering through Jew Town on the way. Once in Palermo, we spent the afternoon enjoying the shops, cafes, and trendy folk. After an empanada dinner, we spent the evening hanging out at our hostel. It's not as dorky as it sounds, we were staying at a pretty hopping spot.
On Friday, we gave up on making our own plans and turned to a travel agent, who helped us plan a great trip around Argentina. After spending a few hours walking around San Telmo, which is a kind of artsy, funky area in B.A., we caught an overnight bus to Salta, where we are now. I have to mention the bus, because it was incredible. We were both a bit nervous about the 18-hour bus ride, but it turned out that the bus had: fully-reclining, first-class sized seats and leg rests; blankets and pillows; tvs; horrible, Spanish ballads blasting over the speakers; and a "bus-attendent", who brought us dinner (with wine), after-dinner drinks, snacks, breakfast, and snacks again. Quite an experience.
We arrived in Salta around mid-day today and have been getting settled in our hostel. We have a few excursions planned for the next few days before we move on to Mendoza.
Hasta luego!
Sarah (and Jess!)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Adventures in Plate Tectonics
From San Pedro de Atacama, I made my way to Santiago to meet my lovely mother. More or less immediately upon our arrival, in true Peltz-family fashion, we passed on the opportunity to relax and instead jumped right on a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Although Leigh fell asleep for the better part of the tour, it was a great way to get oriented and to see some of the city.
The next day, we did a day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, small coastal cities about an hour outside of Santiago. I really liked Valparaiso because the houses are all painted different, vibrant colours and the city is built into a hillside. However, we were there on the day of the Chilean presidential elections, so a lot of stuff was closed. Vina del Mar was nice for walking by the water, but it did remind me a bit too much of Miami.
The next day, we flew to Pucon, which is in Chile's Lake District. The area was incredibly beautiful, with volcanos and mountains forming a striking backdrop for the lakes. Our hotel is really special because of the amazing gardens around it. It's built into a hillside and there are winding paths down to the lake and through the gardens, where they grow vegetables that are served in the hotel restaurant. It was an incredible spot, definitely one of my favourites so far.
On our first day in Pucon, we decided to do a hike in Huerquehue National Park. It turned out to be a fairly challenging, three hour walk up a mountain, but the three pristine lakes at the end were definitely worth the effort. The water was clear and green and each lake was surrounded by rocky cliffs and gigantic trees.
The next day, I ditched mom to climb up Volcan Villarrica. When I say "climb", I do mean climb...ice-picks were involved. The hike was about four hours one way, through the snow, until we reached the crater. The crater was incredible, massive and smoking and bubbling. Instead of walking back down, the thing to do is to slide on your butt. This was a lot of fun until I lost control on a steep part of the volcano. I ended up tumbling down part of the mountain, all the while thinking, "would it be worse to hit a rock or to impale myself on my ice-pick?", until two men on my tour managed to form a sort of human shield to stop me. A bit of an adventure, but definitely a lot of fun.
For our last day in Pucon, we decided to do something a bit more low-key and so went horseback riding in the mountains. We had a fantastic guide named Rodolfo, an authentic Chilean gaucho, who runs a riding school in the area. He took us to his farm where we had breakfast and met his family and then he took us riding around the area. The scenery was stunning and peaceful and we had a really great time. After the ride, we spent the rest of the day relaxing at our hotel.
The next day, we flew back to Santiago. We spent the following day walking around the city before mom had to go back home, which was very sad because we had had such a great time together. The next day, I checked out of our real-person hotel and moved to a dirty-traveler-person hostel, which is much more my style right now. I have the next few days to explore more of Santiago, before I make "the great schlep" to Mexico to be with the family.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
The next day, we did a day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, small coastal cities about an hour outside of Santiago. I really liked Valparaiso because the houses are all painted different, vibrant colours and the city is built into a hillside. However, we were there on the day of the Chilean presidential elections, so a lot of stuff was closed. Vina del Mar was nice for walking by the water, but it did remind me a bit too much of Miami.
The next day, we flew to Pucon, which is in Chile's Lake District. The area was incredibly beautiful, with volcanos and mountains forming a striking backdrop for the lakes. Our hotel is really special because of the amazing gardens around it. It's built into a hillside and there are winding paths down to the lake and through the gardens, where they grow vegetables that are served in the hotel restaurant. It was an incredible spot, definitely one of my favourites so far.
On our first day in Pucon, we decided to do a hike in Huerquehue National Park. It turned out to be a fairly challenging, three hour walk up a mountain, but the three pristine lakes at the end were definitely worth the effort. The water was clear and green and each lake was surrounded by rocky cliffs and gigantic trees.
The next day, I ditched mom to climb up Volcan Villarrica. When I say "climb", I do mean climb...ice-picks were involved. The hike was about four hours one way, through the snow, until we reached the crater. The crater was incredible, massive and smoking and bubbling. Instead of walking back down, the thing to do is to slide on your butt. This was a lot of fun until I lost control on a steep part of the volcano. I ended up tumbling down part of the mountain, all the while thinking, "would it be worse to hit a rock or to impale myself on my ice-pick?", until two men on my tour managed to form a sort of human shield to stop me. A bit of an adventure, but definitely a lot of fun.
For our last day in Pucon, we decided to do something a bit more low-key and so went horseback riding in the mountains. We had a fantastic guide named Rodolfo, an authentic Chilean gaucho, who runs a riding school in the area. He took us to his farm where we had breakfast and met his family and then he took us riding around the area. The scenery was stunning and peaceful and we had a really great time. After the ride, we spent the rest of the day relaxing at our hotel.
The next day, we flew back to Santiago. We spent the following day walking around the city before mom had to go back home, which was very sad because we had had such a great time together. The next day, I checked out of our real-person hotel and moved to a dirty-traveler-person hostel, which is much more my style right now. I have the next few days to explore more of Santiago, before I make "the great schlep" to Mexico to be with the family.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
Friday, December 11, 2009
Bolivia Abridged
When we arrived in La Paz, the city was in a state of chaos in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections. The current Bolivian president (Evo Morales) is indigenous, so most indigenous citizens wanted to vote to keep in him office. Since most indigenous Bolivians live in the country and the voting takes place in La Paz, the city becomes completely overrun with people rushing in to vote. The traffic was unbelievable and I don´t think I have ever seen so many people in one place. Additionally, for some reason, La Paz officially goes alcohol-free for election weekends, which caused an uproar amongst some of my traveling companions. Luckily, they soon figured out that is possible to buy contraband rum in anti-freeze containers from certain variety stores.
Our first day in La Paz, I just walked around the city. We visited San Pedro Prison, one of the most notorious prisons in the world, where prisoners allegedly have to pay for their own cells and in which the vast majority of Bolivia´s cocaine is produced. Prisoners in San Pedro used to be able to give prison tours to tourists, but apparently those have been shut down recently. So we couldn´t get into the prison, but it was interesting to see. It is right in the middle of the city, just beside a lovely plaza, and it surrounded by police who try to prevent tourists from taking photos of it. While loitering outside, we met a South African woman who was visiting her husband who was jailed for drug trafficking. Interesting place.
We also visited the Witch´s Market, which sells some very weird stuff. For example, you can buy llama fetuses, which are supposed to be buried outside your home to keep out evil. It´s disgusting really, but worth seeing.
The next day definitely a trip highlight. We went mountain biking down Death Road, so named because it is, literally, the most dangerous road in the world. You bike for about 60km downhill on a winding, one-lane, gravel road. On one side, there is a mountain and on the other, there is a sheer drop. It is very scary and VERY fun. But don´t worry, nobody has died in a few years.
On our last day in La Paz, everything was closed for the election, so I did nothing of consequence. The next morning, we drove to a bushcamp for the night and then on to Uyuni the next morning.
When we arrived in Uyuni, it was time for me to leave the Oasis truck. Although I definitely miss the group, it was really nice to get out on my own and have a bit more freedom. From Uyuni, I joined a three day tour of the Salt Flats. On our first day, we visited the Isla de Pescado, which is a coral island in the middle of the flats and the Salar de Uyuni. The Salar is amazing, it´s the biggest salt flat in the world and it looks like an endless plain of pure white. That evening, we stayed in a small town called San Juan.
The next day, we visited a series of lagoons and volcanoes and saw flamingos. The lagoons are really cool because they contain sulfur and various other minerals, which makes them look very colourful. Laguna Colorada is bright red it looks spectacular against the backdrop of mountains and salt plains. We then drove through the Siloli desert at stayed at a small hostel for the night.
On my final day of the Salt Flats tour, we woke up at 4 30 am to drive to the Sol de Manana geysers. It was really an amazing sight, with steam shooting up from the ground and mud bubbling up everywhere. It makes for a very eerie sight, because the steam is so thick. Next, we drove through the Desierto de Dali, named for the unusual, Dali-esque rock formations, to Laguna Verde. There are no flamingos there because there is so much arsenic in the water, but it looks incredible, bright green water crusted with white salt. After that, we drove the Chilean border where I got on a bus to San Pedro de Atacama.
I am currently in San Pedro, enjoying the town and the surrounding desert and tomorrow, it´s upward and onward to Santiago.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
Our first day in La Paz, I just walked around the city. We visited San Pedro Prison, one of the most notorious prisons in the world, where prisoners allegedly have to pay for their own cells and in which the vast majority of Bolivia´s cocaine is produced. Prisoners in San Pedro used to be able to give prison tours to tourists, but apparently those have been shut down recently. So we couldn´t get into the prison, but it was interesting to see. It is right in the middle of the city, just beside a lovely plaza, and it surrounded by police who try to prevent tourists from taking photos of it. While loitering outside, we met a South African woman who was visiting her husband who was jailed for drug trafficking. Interesting place.
We also visited the Witch´s Market, which sells some very weird stuff. For example, you can buy llama fetuses, which are supposed to be buried outside your home to keep out evil. It´s disgusting really, but worth seeing.
The next day definitely a trip highlight. We went mountain biking down Death Road, so named because it is, literally, the most dangerous road in the world. You bike for about 60km downhill on a winding, one-lane, gravel road. On one side, there is a mountain and on the other, there is a sheer drop. It is very scary and VERY fun. But don´t worry, nobody has died in a few years.
On our last day in La Paz, everything was closed for the election, so I did nothing of consequence. The next morning, we drove to a bushcamp for the night and then on to Uyuni the next morning.
When we arrived in Uyuni, it was time for me to leave the Oasis truck. Although I definitely miss the group, it was really nice to get out on my own and have a bit more freedom. From Uyuni, I joined a three day tour of the Salt Flats. On our first day, we visited the Isla de Pescado, which is a coral island in the middle of the flats and the Salar de Uyuni. The Salar is amazing, it´s the biggest salt flat in the world and it looks like an endless plain of pure white. That evening, we stayed in a small town called San Juan.
The next day, we visited a series of lagoons and volcanoes and saw flamingos. The lagoons are really cool because they contain sulfur and various other minerals, which makes them look very colourful. Laguna Colorada is bright red it looks spectacular against the backdrop of mountains and salt plains. We then drove through the Siloli desert at stayed at a small hostel for the night.
On my final day of the Salt Flats tour, we woke up at 4 30 am to drive to the Sol de Manana geysers. It was really an amazing sight, with steam shooting up from the ground and mud bubbling up everywhere. It makes for a very eerie sight, because the steam is so thick. Next, we drove through the Desierto de Dali, named for the unusual, Dali-esque rock formations, to Laguna Verde. There are no flamingos there because there is so much arsenic in the water, but it looks incredible, bright green water crusted with white salt. After that, we drove the Chilean border where I got on a bus to San Pedro de Atacama.
I am currently in San Pedro, enjoying the town and the surrounding desert and tomorrow, it´s upward and onward to Santiago.
Hasta luego!
Sarah
The ¨PachaMama¨ Machu Picchu Four-Day
I realize that I´m behind on this blog thing, but there is much to say so please forgive me and read on.
From Puno (you may remember Puno from waaayyy back in November), we headed to Cusco, the Inca capital. After a day of Inca Trail prep, we began our four day trek to Machu Picchu. I will break it down:
Day 1 - Walked....and walked...until we reached an altitude of 3000m and camped at Wayllabamba.
Day 2 - This was the most challenging day. We walked straight uphill for most of the day, walking right through the clouds and stopping at a few Inca ruins along the way. We reached our highest point at Dead Woman´s Pass (4200 m) and then had to walk all the way down to camp at Paqaymayu, which is at 3500 m.
Day 3 - This was also pretty tough because it was all downhill. This may sound easy, but they don´t call it ¨The Gringo Killer¨for nothing. We visited a series of massive stone terraces, which were amazing, and camped at Winay Wayna.
Day 4 - After a 4 am wake up, we walked to the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu from above. It´s a really incredible sight and definitely makes the walk seem worth it. From there, we hiked down to Machu Picchu proper and had a tour inside. Lucky for us, despite it being the rainy season, we were blessed with a perfect, clear day. It was just beautiful and amazing...Machu Picchu is going on my list of spots that have completely lived up to my expectations, along with Petra and the Taj Mahal. After our tour of the ancient city, we took a train back to Cusco to celebrate and recover.
The entire experience was really wonderful. The porters and guides who walked with us were amazing and helpful and the food was unbelievable (obviously of the utmost importance to me). Everyone in my group had a great attitude and made the experience, although challenging, consistently fun and entertaining. Returning to Cusco felt like a great accomplishment at the end and we all celebrated with a big night out and the culmination of the 24 hour challenge. Pretty self-explanatory...we stayed up until 4 am the next night, could not tell you why.
After a day of doing nothing in Cusco, we headed out for La Paz with a bushcamp night along the way. That night, we ended up sleeping in the lobby of an Inca museum, definitely one of our more unusual campsites and the next day, we arrived in La Paz, Bolivia.
From Puno (you may remember Puno from waaayyy back in November), we headed to Cusco, the Inca capital. After a day of Inca Trail prep, we began our four day trek to Machu Picchu. I will break it down:
Day 1 - Walked....and walked...until we reached an altitude of 3000m and camped at Wayllabamba.
Day 2 - This was the most challenging day. We walked straight uphill for most of the day, walking right through the clouds and stopping at a few Inca ruins along the way. We reached our highest point at Dead Woman´s Pass (4200 m) and then had to walk all the way down to camp at Paqaymayu, which is at 3500 m.
Day 3 - This was also pretty tough because it was all downhill. This may sound easy, but they don´t call it ¨The Gringo Killer¨for nothing. We visited a series of massive stone terraces, which were amazing, and camped at Winay Wayna.
Day 4 - After a 4 am wake up, we walked to the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu from above. It´s a really incredible sight and definitely makes the walk seem worth it. From there, we hiked down to Machu Picchu proper and had a tour inside. Lucky for us, despite it being the rainy season, we were blessed with a perfect, clear day. It was just beautiful and amazing...Machu Picchu is going on my list of spots that have completely lived up to my expectations, along with Petra and the Taj Mahal. After our tour of the ancient city, we took a train back to Cusco to celebrate and recover.
The entire experience was really wonderful. The porters and guides who walked with us were amazing and helpful and the food was unbelievable (obviously of the utmost importance to me). Everyone in my group had a great attitude and made the experience, although challenging, consistently fun and entertaining. Returning to Cusco felt like a great accomplishment at the end and we all celebrated with a big night out and the culmination of the 24 hour challenge. Pretty self-explanatory...we stayed up until 4 am the next night, could not tell you why.
After a day of doing nothing in Cusco, we headed out for La Paz with a bushcamp night along the way. That night, we ended up sleeping in the lobby of an Inca museum, definitely one of our more unusual campsites and the next day, we arrived in La Paz, Bolivia.
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