So wait... Is that Asia ?!?

As mentıoned ın my prevıous post Istanbul ıs the only cıty ın the world that straddles two contınents: Europe and Asıa (we are stayıng on the European sıde). These two sıdes are separated by the Bosphorous Rıver. In addıtıon, the European sıde, ıs also splıt ın two, separated by a smaller rıver, the Golden Halıç (Golden Horn). The placement of each part of the cıty 100% confused me for the better part of our fırst three days ın town. Every tıme I looked at the map I was turned around. There was a poınt that I honestly though Laura would kıll me ıf ı asked one more tıme: ''So waıt... is that Asia?!?''. After a whıle ıt just became funny. I thınk (hope) by now I've got ıt down - but I wouldn't put money on ıt!

The LP map that always confused me! Cannot fıgue out how to flıp thıs sorry!

Despıte ıt's confusıng geography Turkey has totally won us over! Laura, Ash and I have all agreed that Istanbul ıs easıly on the lıst of our favorıte cıtıes and def a place we'd all return to ın the future! I thınk what makes ıt so amazıng ıs the juxposıtıon of the old world culture and the new cıty...the people are all so nıce, the artıchture ıs breath takıng and to top ıt all off the food ıs absolutely ıncredıble! We have been on the search to fınd the best kebap eatıng dönor and dürum kebaps daıly for lunch and dınner. I don't thınk I could ever get sıck of them!

On our fırst day back from Capadoccıa we ventured onto the other sıde of the Golden Halıç (stıll ın Europe) to a neıghborhood called Beyüğlu. Thıs ıs the more modern part of Istanbul; we were told that to know "You have not vısıted real Istanbul untıl you have been to Beyüğlu." Thıs seemed rather strange to me as ıt looked lıke a street that could be found ın any bıg cıty street ın Europe or Unıted States. Instead On one pedestrıan street we passed by 4 Starbucks, 2 Swatch stores, a Gap, Sephora, Top Shop, Mango, etc... It was rather convıenent as I needed to buy a new strap for my watch (note to my frıends who bought the same Swatch as me - not only ıs ıt the loudest watch ever, but my strap broke ın 8 months!). Veerıng off the maın pedestrıan shoppıng street we found ourselves ın a really cute part of town! Instead of the large chaın-type stores there were artısan shops sellıng anythıng from postcards and spoons (whıch I obvı purchased) to ceremaıcs and lamps (whıch Laura and Ash purchased). The hıghlıght of thıs part of town ıs the Galata Tower. One can pay 10TL to go up to the top for the 360 degree vıews of the cıty, though thanks to Laura's trusty LP (Lonely Plantet) guıde we decıded to nıx the tower and ınstead go to drınks at the rooftop terrace of a hotel nearby. Not only dıd we get the great vıews but we also got a drınk out of ıt for the same prıce! After drınks we wandered to the fısh markets at the Galata Brıdge before venturıng back to our neıghborhood for dınner, drınks, and hookah.

The next day we vısıted the Spıce Market - whıch was defınıtely a major hıghlıght of the trıp! As those of you who follow my blog know I love markets! Well the Istanbul Spıce market ranks hıgh up there (along wıth Cusco and Chang Maı). Everywhere you go there ıs the aroma of spıces and teas! There seemed to be endless rows of stalls sellıng flowers, spıces, cheeses, olıves, nuts, teas, etc. Every stand offered us samples of food, but not ın a pushy overbearıng way. As Laura ıs lactose ıntollerant she could not enjoy the ıncredıble cheeses that Ashley and I tasted but she was rıght there wıth us tastıng all of the spıces and nuts (that's what she saıd). Sorry that was too easy.  We learned a lot about spıces, nuts, sauces, tea, and Turkısh dıshes and needless to say, we all ended up buyıng several packages of spıce blends. I ca not waıt to cook wıth them when I get home! In the kıtchen of the apartment that ı don't yet have. Thıs tends to be a common theme of Laura and my purchases. In our mınds we have amazıng future apartments!

Other hıghlıghts ınclude: the New Mosque, ferry rıde to Prınces' Islands, Bosphorous Rıver cruıse, vısıtıng the Asıan sıde (fınally!) and vısıtıng the Grand Bazaar. I was actually a lıttle dısappoınted wıth thıs bazaar. Whıle ıt dıd have the over 4,000 stalls promısed, most of ıt was EXTREMELY overprıced and just creeper men yellıng out "Please lady have a look!" After walkıng around for 30 mınutes we were ready to leave.

Tomorrow we head to Athens and then 2 weeks of Greek Island Hoppıng. I am SO excıted to spend our tıme ın Greece eatıng, drınkıng and sunnıng our bodıes! Keepıng our fıngers crossed for warm weather!

** Sıde note: I promısed my frıend Carley that I would try to put as many pıcs as possıble ın thıs blog.  Thıs computer ıs SUPER slow so I could only post the ones I have but I promıse soon to put WAY more!  Love you!!!

Made ıt to Turkey!

After a LOOOOOOONG and uncomfortable plane rıde, I safely made ıt to Turkey late Wednesday nıght. I have decıded that the bıggest problem ın to my travelıng addıctıon ıs that I HATE ınternatıonal flıghts. Thıs one was partıcuarly bad as I was ın the mıddle seat of the mıddle sectıon on the plane. In addıtıon to the lıttle (read: no) leg room I was provıded, I swear the seats were made of plastıc! Oh well c'est la vie I guess I can't really complaın as the end result was beautıful Istanbul.



skylıne at nıght



I met up wıth Laura and her frıend Ashley (who wıll be joınıng us for the fırst month of the trıp) at our hostel. The Orıental Hostel ıs ın a perfect locatıon wıth cute bars and restaurants lınıng the streets and eaısly walkable too all the maın attreactıons. They have a rooftop terrace that shows has the best vıews of both the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque as well as the Asıan sıde across the rıver (Istanbul ıs the only cıty ın the world that spans two contınent). After checkıng ınwe went straıght up to the nıght skylıne - ıt was ıncredıble!

breakfast on the rooftop terrace

We spent our fırst day explorıng the Sultanhamet dıstrıct. We vısıted the Topkapı Palace, Aya Sofya, and the Blue Mosque - whıch were all so beautıful and mannıgıcent. Lonely Planet's descrıptıon of one of the attractıons (forget whıch one) saıd when you vıew ıt yourt soul soars, senses sharpen, ıt ıs sımply sublıme. Now try sayıng that one ten tımes really fast!

Blue Mosque

That nıght we took 10-hour nıght bus to Cappadocıa (ın central Turkey) for a 2 day tour. Berkay - the hostel's treavel agent booked everyhtıhıng for us and was so nıce and ıncredıbly helpful! The regıon is a popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological features. The Cappadocia region is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams and volcanıc deposits. Hundreds of houses, churches and monasteries are lıterally carved ınto the mountaınsıdes and spectacular pillars lıne the valleys. Yesterday we took a tour of the underground vıllages. The remınded me a lot of the vıllages made ın Vıetman durrıng the war. It was crazy how complex they were.

Thıs mornıng we took a one-hour hot aır balloon rıde at sunrıse! It was so gorgeous... we probably all took about 100 photos each. We have one more day ın Cappadocıa before we head back to Istanbul for 4 days. On Monday we are goıng to vısıt the grand bazaar whıch has over 4,000 stalls! I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Note: I am aware that all of these ı's are not really the rıght letter...thıs Turkısh keyboard ıs really dıfferent than ours. Certaın thıngs I have to actıvely change as they are completely dıfferent but I decıded to stıck wıth thıs weırd ı.

Life is Short

My Summer Itinerary

After 8 months of living in Buenos Aires I leave today at 6:30pm.  While I am SOO sad to leave this wonderful city and all of my new friends I am really excited to embark on a new journey. I will be heading to Europe for the month of June to travel with my friend Laura. We will then head to Central America for the months of July and August before heading back to The States Sept 1. This will my longest backpacking experience - 100 days total. This is 23 days more than my trip last summer!

Argentina > Turkey on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Turkey > Greece on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Greece > Croatia on Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Croatia > London on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
London > Honduras on Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Honduras > Belize > Guatemala > Nicaragua >  Costa Rica >  Panama during July and August, 2011
Panama > LAX on Thursday, September 1, 2011

Thank you to all who have started following my blog again.  I promise to keep up-to-date on my travels!  I hope you enjoy!

Living in Buenos Aires

 I woke up this morning and could hardly believe that in 9 short hours I will be leaving Buenos Aires (*tear!!).  While I didn't take the path I had planned before coming (i.e. job, real life, be here for 1 or 2 years, etc...), my past 8 months living in Buenos Aires have been such an incredible experience. I was lucky to have so many friends come down to check out this great city where I live and also to travel and explore new locations with. Thanks to them I have had the chance to travel all around Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, Cusco/Machu Picchu and Antarctica as well as go back to my favorite city Rio (twice!).  I have met some of the most amazing people while living here and on my travels.  Though I only knew them for a short bit, I know some of these people will be in my life forever.

I think it only appropriate that I do a blog about tips/suggestions for Buenos Aires.  

Places to stay:
Bait Hostel: After befriending Melvin and Pablo while staying here in August, this hostel was like my second home in Buenos Aires. It is a smaller hostel that offers not as large of a party scene (though with Melvin there's always a party) but rather a "welcome home" feeling.  The beds are comfortable, kitchen is well equipped and staff is incredible!

Millhouse:  Attracting a younger backpacking crowd (think people on their gap year or just finishing college), this place is a non-stop party. Located in the micro-centro, they have two locations but try to stay on the one on Av. de Mayo.

Kaixo Hostel Central: Located closer to the centro, this is an adorable hostel hidden off a small side street.  My friend Kelsey stayed here several times and became really close with the staff. 

Those are the only three hostels I have personally experienced.  I can't really suggest hotels as most of my friends either stayed with me or at Bait but good parts of town to look would be Palermo, Recoleta, Las Canitas and Barrio Norte.  Like most cities, the downtown area becomes a lot less populated during the nights and weekends, therefor I wouldn't necessarily recommend staying in the centro.  It is close to the tourist attractions but not as many restaurants and bars.

Places to eat:

La Cabrera in Palermo Shoho is a must go for anyone visiting Buenos Aires.  There is a reason this place has become such a tourist favorite - the amazing food.  If you can try to make a reservation as you could end up waiting for a table for over an hour.  Make sure to split the steak as the servings are HUGE

Don Julio in Palermo Shoho is one of my favorites!  They have really good steak and a little less touristy atmosphere.

Miranda in Palermo Hollywood is my personal favorite.  In addition to having great steaks they have an amazing variety of salads and cocktails!  Order the Miranda: vodka based drink with fresh maracuyá (passionfruit) and mint.

The same owner has several restaurants around town that are typical parrilla (steak houses).  Despite having similar menus I highly recommend every one as the ambiance of each place is so unique!  If you are looking for a place to go with great food at a decent price check any of these places out:
La Cholita in Recoletta (literally next door to Cumana)
Las Cholas or Las Cabritas in Las Cañitas
Las Cabras in Palermo Hollywood

Cumana in Recoletta is a a great restaurant to get lunch or dinner.  Owned by the same owner as the four above, this place serves moretraditional  northern Argentine cuisine.  They have of the best empanadas in town as well as amazing cazuelas (casserole type dishes), pizzas, huge calzones, etc... 

La Brigada in San Telmo is one of the oldest and best parrillas in town. The food is incredible!

Cabaña las Lilas on Puerto Madero is supposedly the nicest steak house in all of Argentina.  It is very pricey on Argentine standards (think good steak house in New York pricing) but VERY good food if you can make it.  I was lucky enough to go when Kristine's mom was in town visiting. 

Milion located between Centro and Recoletta is a great place to go for drinks, tapas or even dinner.  It is a gorgeous old mansion converted into a bar/resturant.

Oui Oui in Palermo Hollywood is a great place for breakfast or lunch on the weekend.

Bars: 
- Plaza Serrano in Palermo – Many bars and restaurants, but rather touristy. A good meeting up place.
- Baez Street in Las Canitas – This is a great street with many good bars and restaurants to choose from. Some good bars: Von Konning, Jackie O’s, SuperSoul, and a newer one across the street from SuperSoul. Great place to start the night with good restaurants and fun bars.
- The Alamo in Recoleta: 1175 Uruguay - Great ex-patriot bar. You can watch NFL, MLB, NBA, drink beer, and eat pizza.
- Sugar in Palermo - another great ex-pat bar to watch sporting events
- Tazz in Palermo – Cool bar with lots of pool tables. There’s one in Plaza Serrano and another new one on Gurruchaga (I think). The new one is much nicer.
- Carnal in Palermo Hollywood – a great place with a wonderful terrace upstairs. Lounge-like but very popular. 
- Sugar in Palermo - more of a late-night bar this place starts hopping at 3 or 4am (you can typically find Melvin and crew here most Saturdays)

Nightclubs aka "Boliches":
I much prefer the bar scene, but everyonce in a while it's fun to go out and dance.  Here are some I checked out.
- Crobar in Palermo in los bosques de Palermo – Great spot, 2 big rooms, fun Thurs and Fri
- Terrazas del Este and Pacha in Costanera Norte
- Niceto Club in Palermo – Turns into Club 69 on Thursday nights, go if you like drag shows
- El Living located in Retiro, this place plays 80s, 90s and current music while showing the music videos on screens

Shopping:
- The best leather store is Doma, however it is very pricey.
- Palermo Soho has great stores to walk around and is where I did most of my shopping.
- Recoletta is more high end brands though there are many smaller stores offering clothing at "cheaper" prices.
- "Outlets" are located mainly on Calle Armenia closer to Cordoba, however they are spread throughout the city.  While offering discounts to the normal prices, they are not as good of deals as the American outlets!
- My favorite stores are Rapsodia and Complot.
**Note: clothing is not cheap in Argentina.  

Touristy Must-dos:

- Buenos Aires bus tour – yes, somewhat cheesy but it's fantastic way to get around town to see the sights.  Buy tickets and start the tour right outside of the Catedral Subte stop at the end of Calle Flordia.  The bus is open air and yellow, so you can’t miss it.  Sometimes there is a big line so try to go early as they give you a time slot. I have done the bus tour 5 times (probably one or two too many)
- Recoleta Cemetery / Recoleta Market on Satudays & Sundays right outside of the cemetery
- San Telmo market on Sundays along Avineda Defensa (probably my favorite thing in Buenos Aires)
- La Boca/Caminito - cheesy and very touristy, but fun nonetheless and a good spot to pick up some original art from some great street artists
- Calle Florida - For all of your tourist shopping needs (souvenirs, leather, Havanna dulce de leche, wine, etc). A bit overpriced, but convenient nonetheless.

Side trips:
- La Colonia, Uruguay – it’s a good day trip from BsAs.  Take the Buquebus 1 hr ferry over and back.  You can leave on the noon and return at the 6 and should be able to take it all in.  Round trip
express ferries (45min-1hr) are only about $65USD.
- Montevideo, Uruguay (3hrs by boat/bus)
- Punta del Este, Uruguay (5hrs)
- Mar del Plata (5hrs)
- Iguazu (18hrs)
- Mendoza (14 hrs)
-  Local estancia (Argentine ranch) 

Things to know about living (or traveling) in Buenos Aires:
Buenos Aires is a late city.  Expect to find restaurants empty any time before 9pm, in fact it is typical to be at dinner at midnight and find the place completely full.  You will usually start pre-partying aka "la previa" around midnight as bars and clubs won't start getting full until 2am at the earliest!  It is easyt to stay out until 6, 7 or even 8am!

Argentina’s money is the Argentine peso. Pesos come in denominations of two, five, 10, 20, 50 and 100-peso notes.  Larger bills are rarely accepted in small stores, taxis and even sometimes in larger venues.  SO to break those $100 peso bills that the ATM dispenses as often as possible.

Beware of counterfeit money. Unfortunately, counterfeit money is relatively common in Argentina. The most common places to receive fake bills are taxis and night clubs or bars, however I have known people to receive fake bills straight out of an ATM.  Generally larger bills will be forged. Counterfeit bills feel papery and don’t have the more flexible, textured feel of real money.  Holding it up to the light to look for watermarks can be a sign, but some fakes have watermarks and the shiny thread running through the “fiber.”  Fortunately, it is easy to get rid of these bills at busy places with high turn over.  Do not try to pay a cab driver with a fake bill as he will almost always notice. 

Coins aka "monedas" come in five, 10, 25 and 50 centavos as well as one peso.  Monedas are like gold - NEVER use them to pay for anything but the bus "collectivos" (where only coins are accepted).  It is nearly impossible to find monedas in this city (unless at street markets sold as jewelery).  I kid you not they are sold on the black market for more than their value.  Often times when at a store if you don't have exact change they will do one of two things:  (1) If it's a small amount that you owe, they will round down so for example if you owe $8.10 they will just ask for $8.  On the other hand, (2) if it's a higher amount and they owe you the 10 cents, they will give you candy instead of change.

Hand signals for calling a taxi are different from calling a "collectivo" (bus).  What we as Americans consider the universal taxi calling (hang held high up in the air) will often time result in free taxi's passing without stopping.  It took me several weeks (filled with much frustration and cursing at cabs) to understand why this was happening. One day, a taxi driver told me what I was doing wrong.  That is the hand signal to stop a collectivo.  As cabs and collectivos share many main streets, you need to differentiate your hang signals.  To hail a cab you place your hand out vertically from your body. 

Tipping aka "Propina": It is customary to tip 10% at restaurants and bars.  You do not need to tip taxi drivers.  In fact it is often uncommon to round up to the nearest peso (this is due to the need for monedas). 










Lonely Planet’s Rules for Living like a Local (All SOO true!)

• Never give out you loose change to anybody. Guard it with your life!
• Always complain about the weather – ‘too cold in winter, too hot in summer’
• Put your cell phone on speaker and use it like it’s a walkie-talkie on the streets
• Never go out before 2am on a Friday night, and never come home before 4am
• Don’t ask why the electricity and water are out; just accept it with a shrug and go take a walk until services return! 

I Survived the Inca Trail!!

The four days we spent on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu were one of the most incredible and amazing experiences of this trip (and actually my entire life)… It is really hard to put into words- so hopefully the photos can do it justice.

In addition to the GORGEOUS scenery (Peruvian Andes) and the incredible history, what really made this trip for me was the company we went with and the group of people we had! We had the most fantastic group of 14 people ever. By the start of day 2 we were more than just friends - we were a family. And I cannot speak highly enough for Peru Treks.  Our two guides were so incredible! They were really into the history and ancient beliefs. One thing they said that I really liked was that when you sleep your body is essentially dead and your soul wanders  around. When you go to a place in the day it's no mistake that you find yourself where you are because your soul has already been there. It sounded much more poetic when he said it, but that's the main jist. In addition to the guides we had an amazing cook- Apu - who made the most elaborate and delicious meals (atop of a mountain at that!) and such nice and strong chaskis (porters) who amazed me with their strength and ability to run past us as they carried backpacks weighing more than 50lbs.

The trail itself was pretty difficult but we made it taking plenty of breaks. The second day was the most grueling day by far. It is an all day, all uphill climb to 4,200m. We left at dawn (4:30am) on the last day and made it to the Sun Gate by sunrise. We arrived at Machu Picchu at about 8am and had a guided tour and individual time to explore. We had postcard worthy weather. Honestly it really is one of the most impressive sights!  The complex was so big and meticulously put together.  It is so crazy to think how did the Incas create the trail and towns without the use of modern technology?

**Please not the following excerpt has been taken from Laura’s blog:
I don’t know how else to do this, so I’m going to break it down by day:

Day 1: On the first day, we were picked up from our hostel very early and bussed to the starting point, known as “Kilometero 82.” We then checked into the National Park and started the trek – stamps in our passport and all! The first day was a relatively easy 11 kilometers that were described in the itinerary as “flat.” We quickly learned that there is a BIG difference between “flat” and “Inca flat.” Inca flat is when you start and end at the same altitude, but there are very steep climbs and descents along the way. It was a good way to warm us up for the trek, though, and we got to see some ruins, old Incan towns, and lots and lots of flora and fauna. Once we got to camp, while our cooks were preparing our dinner, we played some pickup soccer with the locals and some porters…and by “we played,” I really mean we watched the guys from our group lose twice in a row… and then have to pay them for losing…apparently all games are for money in Peru. Ha!

Day 2: The second day of the trek is infamous for all who have done the hike before as the most grueling day by far. It is an all day, all uphill climb from 2,800 m – 4,200m (that’s nearly 5,000 ft vertical climb…if I never see a step again, it will be too soon). We started bright and early at about 5am, but took many breaks along the way and got back to camp relatively early for some time to relax, play some cards with the group, eat, and recover for the following day. It was so cold at the campsite that none of us were able to sleep and that made for a more difficult Day 3.

Day 3: One of the best things about the company we chose to use, Peru Treks – besides the amazing guide and delicious food, was that they woke us up every morning by bringing us tea in our tents. Talk about room service! This made it a little bit easier to start the day with no sleep as I was able to caffeinate right away. Day 3 started with another 2 hours straight uphill, which yielded some AMAZING views! The rest of the day was 16km of downhill and “Inca flat.” As we walked downhill, we got closer and closer to the Amazon, and the climate became much more tropical as we were clearly entering the jungle. Let the mosquito bites begin! The thing that kept us all going on the third day was that we knew there were hot showers and beer at the campsite. After 3 days of trekking, we were all pretty disgusting and that hot shower was glorious (despite the fact that in any other situation, I never would have stepped foot in a shower of those conditions…not very clean is all I’ll say). The last night was a big gathering with the Chaskis and guides, celebrating the fact that we had (basically) completed the trek.

Side note/historical anecdote: “chaski” is the word for the indigenous men who carry all the gear…aka the porters. Chaski means “fleet footed runner” and they carry up to 35 kilos (80ish lbs) on their back and literally run the trail. They pass us, set up camp, cook, pack everything up, and take off again. Apparently they had a competition amongst the chaskis a couple of years ago to see who could run the 30 mile Inca trail the fastest (with no gear). The fastest time was in 3 hours and 40 minutes! With intense hills and altitude, it kinda makes our 4 days look pathetic, no? Anyway, I digress…

Day 4: The last day is an easy shmeezy 5km hike to the Sun Gate that overlooks Machu Picchu. We left at dawn (4:30am) and made it to the Sun Gate by sunrise. We arrived at Machu Picchu at about 8am and had a guided tour and individual time to explore until about 1pm. We had postcard worthy weather and the pictures don’t do it justice…it really is one of the most spectacular sights!

After Machu Picchu, we went down to the town of Aguas Calientes and met up with our whole group for lunch, a (couple of) well deserved beers, and a trip to the local hot springs to relax our tired muscles. The lunch and beers were great…hot springs – not so much. They were more like big hot tubs filled with yellow water. I was thoroughly grossed out, but since I have paid for the entrance already I still went in and must admit that though I did NOT feel clean by any means, it did feel pretty relaxing. And at least I didn’t have to rent a used swimsuit like half our group…that was pretty gross.

Cusco, Peru

view from the city from atop a hill

Next stop on the Laura and Vandria adventure tour was Cusco, Peru. Cusco is an obligatory stop before Machu Picchu in order to acclimate to the altitude- the town is at 3,300m (10,800 ft). Trust me you can tell the difference! Laura and I spent a day wandering around town and immediately noticed our shortness of breath when we attempted to climb a small hill to look at the city from an aerial view.

Despite the obligation- I am SO glad we came to Cusco. It is such an adorable city with such a Latin American feel to it.  I loved how the women all dressed in traditional clothing!  Some I think dress like that in order to have tourists pay for photo-ops, but many were just walking around the streets going about their normal lives.  

necessary photo opportunity

LOVE the colors!!

Everywhere we turned there were markets selling bright Incan textiles. I’m not sure if you know this about me but I LOVE markets. Well, I was in market heaven in Cusco! I could have spent hours walking around the different stands – even though the majority of them sell the same items. Here is a list of the things I purchased: llama sweater, llama socks, llama gloves, a bright colorful blanket, a purse, a coin purse and a neon beeanie. Did I mention I LOVE markets?

HEAVEN!!! modeling my new hat... it's neon so clearly I needed it!

Plaza de Armas

Cusco is filled with gorgeous plazas and so many churches, Plaza de Armas being the largest of the former and holding 3 different churches along its coordinator. We didn't understand how one small town would need so many churches. I know that Latin Americans tend to be devout Catholics- but this was bordering on a little insane. No way are there enough people to fill each church. We learned later from our Inca Trail guides that our assumptions were correct. Most of these churches are completely empty all of the time. The sad fact is they are not there because Peruvians are so religious... they were placed in town by the Spanish conquistadors to cover up Incan temples and monuments. It is so sad how such a beautiful city is a facade for such destruction on an ancient race!

Amber and I have been friends for 20 years

After our trek we spent another two nights/one day in Cusco. My childhood friend Amber surprised me at our hostel in Cusco the night I returned. I completely forgot that she and her boyfriend Ryan were currently in Peru (in the middle of a four and a half backpacking month trip through South America). Upon seeing her I immediately asked, “Wait… what are you doing here?!” She told me that Leah (who was in town about to do the trek the following week) had told her I was staying there. This response confused me even more as Amber and Leah don’t know each other. I guess Amber had seen a post on my Facebook wall from Leah saying that she would be waiting for me at our hostel. Amber then sent Leah a message explaining who she was and asking where we would be staying. Oh that wonders of Facebook! What did we ever do before it existed? It was SO great to spend a day with Amber!!

 

Team Squeezy!!

After arriving back in Cusco, we were invited the following day (Easter) to a BBQ and futbol match with our guides and their friends and families.  It was really neat to experience an authentic Peruvian celebration and something that I will not soon forget:  lying in the sun, watching the locals play soccer, while eating with my hands…love.

On our last night in Cusco we went out with friends Emily and Charlotte from our trek. We originally planned to only go out for dinner and few drinks. Well, things didn’t go as planned. We were having such a great time that we ended up deciding to continue the night at their hostel bar and then at a local nightclub, Mama Africa... who needs sleep before their 7am flight? Not Laura and I! Deciding it would be stupid to just sleep 2 hours we ended up staying out until the sun rose and then returned to our hostel to grab our bags and head immediately to the airport. Needless to say I was passed out on my flight home. Laura was heading to Europe from here. I can only imagine how hellish her flight must have been! 

Laura, Emily and I on our last night together

El Calafate, Argentina

One 30-hour bus from Bariloche, Laura and my next stop was El Calafate, Argentina. I know that it the idea of such a long bus ride sounds horrible, but we actually didn’t mind it. We booked our seats early enough that we were fortunate to reserve the first row on the upper level.  These were great seats as we had more legroom (with no one in front of us and the stairway behind us) and we also had amazing views the whole way!  The time went by rather quickly.  I finished my book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, as well as watched a bunch of movies: Salt, The Shooter, Morning Glory and attempted to watch Blades of Glory dubbed in Spanish. Despite not being in the comfortable cama-seats, which are only located downstairs, both Laura and I slept for a full 8 hours! 

El Calafate is in the very southern part of Argentinian Patagonia – and we could tell by the freezing winds when we got off the bus! It is an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia and one of the most visited glaciers in the world. The active glacier is about 20 miles long, 3 miles wide, and stands about 60km high (the equivalent of a 15-story building). It progresses about 2 meters every day, causing ice to fall off and crash into the freshwater lake – causing a loud, echoing crashing sound similar to thunder.

We took a guided bus the 1.5 hours from El Calafate, stopping a couple of times along the way to take pictures of the sunrise over the Andes, and the glacier from a distance. Once we arrived at the glacier, we got on a boat, which took us right up to the front of the glacier. It really makes you appreciate the size of the ice mass when you’re that close to it. After the boat ride, we got back on the bus and took it to the base of the glacier – where there is a walkway with many viewing platforms. We took our time walking around, watching the ice masses crash into the lake below and taking hundreds of pictures.

I didn’t realize the immensity of the glacier until we flew out and I got an aerial view. It eas crazy to see how big it really is!!