Probably the one place in South America we would have no reservations spending the rest of our lives. Year-round sunshine, beautiful beaches, warm ocean water, great seafood markets, and the best mangos on earth, all mixed in with a laid back surfer mentality. Definitely not a bad place to kick back and relax.

Our approach into Mancora was a little sketchy. We left Banos and made it to Guayaquil, Ecuador.  We caught an overnight bus from Guayaquil to Piura Peru, and somewhere along the way laid Mancora. In the middle of the night we had to hop off and hope to find a way to our hostel/b&b located along the ocean away from town. We made it to the town of Mancora to find that the main mode of transportation is tuk-tuk. We hopped into the tuk-tuk after loading our gear and sped away into the darkness. Even though we were a bit uneasy about riding off into the darkness with this man everything worked out perfect. He could have easily robbed us, thankfully he didn’t. One bumpy road leads away toward the southern coast of Mancora. These suspension-lacking tuk-tuks blast along at a pretty rapid rate.

The first location we stayed at was Marcelia Beach Bungalos. The place is AMAZING! Run by a husband and wife (Marcell and Cynthia) who escaped the chaos of Lima for an opportunity to own and run this beautiful beach-side bed and breakfast, they serve a great breakfast along with a wonderful dinner if you want. The two of them really made us feel welcome doing a few things above and beyond what was necessary. It was right across the street from the beach, with beautiful views.  We stayed two nights with Marcelia before Kurt and Keryn joined us for one last hurrah. Marcell and Cynthia arranged for us to stay with one of their neighbors so the 4 of us could rent one beach bungalow together.

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A Week on the Beach

Marcell and Cynthia arranged for us to stay with one of their neighbors so Kelly and I and Kurt and Keryn could rent one beach bungalow together.

The four of us rented a two bedroom bungalow with a great open air living room equipped with HD satellite TV and kitchen for $400 for the whole week. This may have been the most relaxed either of us were the whole trip. Our days consisted of breakfast of mixed tropical fruit, running along the beach, reading a book or splashing in the surf, late afternoon trips into town to grab items from the market to make for the evenings’ dinner, and finished with beach side bonfires and plenty of beer. There were a few beach dogs that hung around that provided us with some good entertainment. One of the dogs was a Peruvian black hairless dog. He was kind of ugly but with his great personality he was pretty cute. Mancora was not originally on our radar but we were glad we came. It was a great way to say good bye to our travel friends before we went in separate directions for the last time in South America.

Huaraz and the Cordilla Blancas

Upon leaving Mancora, we decided we wanted to have one last trek and camping adventure before heading home to the States. So, we elected to head to Huaraz. It was a pain in the butt to get to (had to go all the way back to Lima, and then back north to Huaraz since all buses go through Lima).  But, in the end it was totally worth it.

Huaraz: Huaraz itself is an interesting alpine town with a very busy peak season followed by crawling low season. We were there at the end of high season, just in time for a festival where people decorated the streets in beautiful colored sands and flowers.   Perfect timing, especially considering a majority of its inhabitants pack up and head for warmer weather during the low season. Nestled at the base of several large snowcapped mountains this picturesque town is worth a visit. Most people use Huaraz as a simple launching pad for treks up into the Cordilleras Blanca for mountaineering expeditions in some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. With 22 summits over 6,000 meters (19,685 ft.) this mountain range takes second place to only the Himalayas for the tallest mountain range in the world. We stayed at a lovely hostel, Hatun Wasi Hostel, located just a short walk from the city center. The hostel had a great view of the surrounding mountains from its open air sun deck located on its roof. As most hostels in Huaraz will, Hatun Wasi stored our gear while we decided to do a trek up into the mountains.

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Trekking the Cordilleras: We decided to take a three day three night trek up to Lago 69, an aqua marine glacial lake set at the base of three massive snowcapped peaks (Chacraraju East 6,001 meters, Chacraraju West 6,112 meters and a nameless ridge just under 6,000 meters). After planning our packs out, we caught an early bus from the hostel in the morning leading up to the trail head. We followed the valley up for several hours by foot before finally reaching a clearing. The air was very thin and each step was becoming harder and harder as we push on hoping our final destination was drawing closer. Finally, right before our eyes loomed the most beautiful glacial blue green lake we had ever seen. We quickly set up camp knowing the sun would be lost soon behind the massive peak Huáscarán to our west.

Sitting at 6,768 meters (22,205 feet), Huáscarán is the tallest peak in this beautiful range. With the temperature beginning to drop and not being able to have a fire, we bundled up, prepared a quick warm meal, and then crawled into our sleeping bags for some needed rest. The temperatures plummeted well below freezing overnight causing us to really utilize the full potential of our sleeping bags. We each pulled the hoods over our faces and tried to trap as much heat in as possible. In the morning we made some hot breakfast over our camp stove to try to put some heat back into our body for a day of exploring the area around our lake. A good measure how cold it got: each of our water bottles were frozen sold and there was a layer of frost inside our tent from our respiration.

By ten in the morning the sun peaked back out from behind the tall lakeside mountains. Kelly took the opportunity to lie in the warm sun by the lake while I took off up the mountains around us trying to get as high as I could while avoiding the potential path of some caverning hanging glaciers. Even without gear it took me several hours to navigate the huge boulders that looked so small from the base of the lake. Later on that night we shared a bottle of wine lakeside as we watched the sun set for one more time. When night came I took the opportunity to improvise with some star photography while using my head lamp to illuminate the foreground. They turned out quite nice. Definitely something I will try more of in the future. Night brought on the freezing temperatures again so we bundled up and climbed into our bags.

Sometime around midnight we both awoke to the heart stopping sound of a massive animal walking around our tent. It is well know that banditos rob trekkers at gunpoint in these mountains. Physical assaults are uncommon but they have happened. Knowing this beforehand our minds quickly jumped to the conclusion that the animals were horses carrying their dangerous counterparts with them or some other creature we were not sure of. We laid silent for what seemed like forever trying not to make a sound hoping that what was outside the tent would move on.  The deep exhalations of the massive animals investigating our tent sent instinctual fear rushing through our bodies instantaneously halting our breathing. We were all alone up here with no one around for miles. Expecting any moment for someone to attempt to open our tent I held fast to my knife not knowing what I would do but expecting to have to defend ourselves. Fortunately, after about fifteen heart-stopping minutes the noises moved on. I eventually climbed outside to see if I could find tracks. What I found was horse hoof prints scattered all around our tent leading down to the lake. Our guess is they were just free-ranging horses coming down to the lake to get a drink but we will never know if anyone accompanied them. It was quite a sobering experience.

The next morning we packed up our gear and headed off a stunning mountain trail that led us across two mountain passes from lago 69 to Rufugio Peru (4,665 meters). We had a quick rest, enjoyed a snack then proceeded down the mountain to the river valley for our last camp spot. Completely exhausted, we arrived where we were originally dropped off roadside, set up camp alongside a few donkeys where we slept safe and sound.  We easily caught a shuttle the next morning to take us back into town.

Back to Lima

After spending some time climbing around the Cordilla Blancas we caught an overnight bus back to Lima. This time we stayed in Miraflores at a nice hotel / bed and breakfast. These would be our last few nights in South America so we splurged a little. Our days consisted of sight-seeing as mentioned earlier (Catacombes, father’s day parade, walks around the city and relaxing). We enjoyed a few nice dinners out and stocking up on gifts and art. Before we knew it, we were on our way to the airport for our final flight out of South America.

Closing Thoughts

South America changed both of our lives. We experienced more in 6 months traveling then the previous ten years combined. People often ask us what our favorite part of the trip was or what our favorite experience was and it is a really difficult question to answer. Some of our favorite memories are of the people we met along the way and the experiences we shared with them. The conversations and interactions with the locals and other travelers really made the trip a learning experience. I often say Ecuador is the one country I would move to if I had the chance because of its diverse landscape but many of the other countries had so many things to offer.

We both grew a new appreciation and understanding for traveling. So many important skills were learned along the way. As for us, we believe this journey made our relationship so strong. Learning to communicate with each other, problem solving, and diffusing tense situations made us realize we could handle anything together. Traveling will be a part of the rest of our lives now. We found two quotes online that we both really clung on to “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” and “A ship is safest in the harbor, but that is not what it was built to do.” If we both hold on to those ideals we will live a very adventurous and fulfilling life. Traveling is not for everyone but for those who do know what an educating and invigorating experience it can be. Living day to day instead of weekend to weekend, filling each day with something different, gave us a feeling of true freedom we will never forget.

After spending two weeks in the southern part of Peru we decided to catch a plane to Quito, Ecuador. We had been researching trips into the Amazon Rain Forrest. We were not sure whether to enter through Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, or Ecuador. Each of them had their own amazing things to offer but we ended up choosing Ecuador based on price and what it entailed. Entering the Amazon can be very expensive and sometimes flat-out touristy. Doing a little research can go a long way, not only for your own safety but also for the safety of the forest itself. There are a lot of people out there trying to make a quick buck off tourist by exploiting them and putting this astonishing ecosystem at risk at the same time. This ecosystem is in enough danger from the logging and oil industries so try not to contribute even more.

http://amazonwatch.org/work/ecuador  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_of_the_Amazon_Rainforest .

On a lighter note this is still a beautiful region of the world to visit and we look forward to visiting it several more times in our lifetime but responsible tourism is a must.

We made our final decision to use a company called Mystic River Tours . At first, trouble getting in contact with them and then having to wire them a deposit on the trip made us a little uneasy. However, we could not have been happier with the overall experience.

Our travel arrangements were pretty rough. Leaving Lima and getting to our final destination Lago Agrio, Ecuador consisted of taking an overnight fight landing in Quito, Equador just after midnight. Normally this would not be a problem but when we arrived in Quito the Airport was completely dead. No busses were running until 6am and no taxies were to be found. We had an idea of what bus terminal we needed to get to and what time we needed to leave to make sure we were in Lago Agrio by evening, so we just hunkered down and waited out the morning. Our thought was that an airport was probably a better place to crash then a bus terminal. As the morning came around we loaded our gear into a taxi and headed off across town to the bus terminal that would get us to Lago Agrio. We were told buses ran about every two hours to this town and would take about 8 hours or so to get there. I ran around to several booths after arriving trying to find the right price and condition of the bus we would be on for the next few hours. We found one with minutes to spare, loaded up our gear, and headed off toward the jungle.

The road in was entertaining. Lush green mountains carved out by beautiful waterfalls passed one after another as small run-down farms spotted their hillsides. It was an interesting perspective on how rural Ecuador earned a living. As we drove further and further away from Quito toward the jungle, the humidity began to climb as did the temperature. When we arrived, midday, the temperature was in the mid 90’s. The town did not have a bus terminal so we had to just hop off near its center and navigate to our prearranged hotel. Lago Agrio has an unsettling reputation of being a dangerous town with its proximity to Colombia and its history of drug trafficking. We would later hear bomb concussions as the government exploded cocaine plantations midday in a neighboring portion of the forest. Initially, we felt like targets. Loaded up with all our gear, clearly not from around these parts, sweating our asses off, walking around blindly in search of our hotel, which we were finally relieved to find, the two of us stood out like complete gringos. We unload our gear glad not be in motion for a while. We each took quick showers and headed off to find a few supplies for our trip into the Amazon.  Knowing that it would be a few days we both Skyped our families filling them in on what our trip would entail.

The next morning a van picked us up curbside taking us and a few other people off to the headquarters of our tour company to outfit us with particular gear for the canoe trip. They provided boots for us to use trekking through the jungle! After a short wait we all packed up the company’s van and started our trip deep into the Amazon.

The starting point for our trip was a branch of river inside the Cuyabeno Reserve. Moments after we arrived to the boat launch, a small pack of spider monkeys gave us a show chasing each other through the neighboring trees. This was a small sign of things to come. Our group consisted of 7 travelers, 2 guides and a cook. The lead guide, Chris, was a fun loving easy going part time surfer, part time Amazon guide. He had a vast knowledge of this region of the Amazon. Spotting birds and other creatures seemed to come so naturally for him. Typically, he spotted something long before we did. Then he provided the name and a few interesting facts about the creature found.

Day 1: This particular trip had a 5 day itinerary. The first day consisted of paddling downstream trough endless twists and turns spotting monkeys, snakes, and countless bird species before setting up camp alongside the river bank. Kelly and I always shared a canoe- a bonding experience for sure.  The air was rich. It carried an unforgettable definite sweetness to it. The many layers of animal and bird calls pulled your attention in so many directions. Our other guides went ahead by long motorized boat and set up our camp and tents where we would be sleep in the first night. At first this seems a little unsettling- tent camping deep inside the jungle; but at some point you just embrace it.

The daytime was everything we ever hoped the Amazon would be but it was not until the night fell when the real show started. It seemed as if every cricket, tree frog, and creepy crawly came out to welcome us. I had to video tape it because photos or describing it alone could never do this nocturnal wall of sound justice. We were treated to a light rain that seemed to really set all the creatures off. I imagine if we had not spent half the day canoeing it would have been difficult to fall asleep.

Day 2: The next day we spent paddling to our main camp, a rustic jungle lodge with only the essentials. We spotted several species of monkeys, an anaconda, and again countless more species of birds. Shortly after arriving I took the chance to fish while everyone else rested after the long stimulating canoe trip. I did what they said was impossible and caught a piranha on a rubber worm! Apparently piranhas only typically go after exposed red meat. To prove this point, our guide took off the piranha from the line, threw it in, then proceeded to do a front flip right into the river into the exact location where I had just felt dozens of strikes. He assured me it was safe so I stripped down and dove right in after him. Trust me- the black caiman, silver catfish, anacondas, parasites, and countless other animals that could kill me crossed my mind. I figured if the locals were doing it I would be fine. Maybe not the best rational but it ended up working out.

Later on that night our group hopped into one of the long boats for a night walk through the forest. The nocturnal life in the forest was spectacular. We unloaded one by one onto the banks of the island, tall rubber boots on and head lamps lit. Before we started up the path toward a small clearing on the hillside, our guide asked us all to shine our lights toward the clearing. He then asked “Do you guys remember it raining today?” The opening was covered by millions of little water drops all over the ground and vegetation. However, it had not rained at all that day. He then explained how spiders eyes reflect like water drops and each one of those drops was in fact a spider. This was a sobering warning not to stray from the group for any reason. Probably a good thing we did this walk the night that we were staying at the lodge rather than in tents! These were not just any spiders either. They were big black or brown harry wolf spiders and tarantulas. Back at home wolf spiders typically don’t get more than a few inches big but her they were all at least 5 to 6 inches big.

After tip toeing through the clearing we ducked and dogged our way through a narrow path in the dense vegetation spotting several species of reptiles, insects, and spiders. This place is literally crawling all around you while you walk. Beautiful displays of camouflage hide some of the most interesting looking species. We spotted a frog species that looked identical to most of the dead leaves on the forest floor. I am sure we walked right past dozens of great creatures not even knowing they were there. Chris, our guide, did a great job spotting most of the notable species but even he said it is hard to spot them all. He told us a story of a previous night walk where a hanging tree viper nearly struck him in the face as he was walking with his eyes down looking for ground animals, this would have meant certain death. It is always important to stay alert in the jungle and always have an emergency plan.

On our way back to our lodge we took the opportunity to spot caiman along the river banks. Just like spiders the caiman’s eyes reflect light back toward a light source so they are somewhat easy to find. Caiman are South America’s largest predators they can reach up to 15 feet in length. We approached one under some mangrove trees that was not too pleased with our presence. Teeth fully showing this armored beast let us know it meant business and after snapping a few photos we headed off back to camp leaving it to continue its nightly hunt. The night concluded with another well prepared delicious meal. This is of course minus the three inch cicada that at some point drowned in Kelly’s soup only to appear after she was halfway done. I am not sure if this was the point I knew I could marry her but to my surprise she did not freak out or lose her appetite. A true wilderness girl. Post dinner we were introduction to a great card/dice game called Tutoo. This became a great way to pass the down time and for those who would later play it with us back at home know how fun it is.

Day 3 and 4: The next morning after an interesting bird watching boat cruse our group went back to where our night walk took place to see this portion of forest under daylight. It was an interesting way to see a now-familiar location under both night and day conditions. Our guide taught us about several different medicinal and practical uses of different plants, insects, and animals as we made our way from one end of the island to the other. Purple, blue, and brown tiny poison dart frogs hid in soggy low lying portions of the half flooded island. Massive colonies of ants carved out paths in the vegetation as they carried items back to their nests. Long Tarzan like vines formed a vascular network reaching way up into the canopy from the forest floor. For the first time along the trip we were able stand directly on the equator as well, something I had always wanted to do.  We spotted several species of primates including howler monkey, woolly monkey, pygmy marmosets, spider monkey, squirrel monkey, and the elusive night monkey.

The following day was a treat, getting to visit a local tribe. We docked our boat onshore then headed off on foot toward the small village. All of the village’s structures were built way up on stilts to accommodate for the rising and falling of the river water levels during its extreme wet and dry seasons. Some of the key structures were houses, a school, supply sheds, and one community shelter used for different gatherings. A beautiful young woman greeted us along one of the paths going back toward the community shelter. She showed us how to uproot yucca, later to be used to make yucca bread, before introducing us to the rest of her tribe.

Giggling curious children chasing puppies and roosters stopped to come over to investigate us tall white strangers visiting their village. These were not the naked indigenous people one would see in National Geographic. Western civilization had reached their tribe to some extent but none the less these people have made this remote dense region of the Amazon home for centuries surviving solely on what the Amazon provides. Our post lunch activity of making yucca bread was rather entertaining. Kelly found the delicious grated, dried, rolled, and fire baked flat bread mildly addicting.

We purchased some hand crafts to help out the local community, shared a few laughs, and then headed back to our lagoon for a last sunset swim in the jungle. The sky greeted us with an explosion of color. Before long we were drinking beer, rocking out my guitar and splashing around while the sun dipped behind the forest canopy one last time. We will forever remember this amazing trip into the Amazon and will someday return to see it hopefully just as untouched as we remember it.

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As stated earlier, this portion of the Amazon is under heavy pressure by the oil companies to allow oil exploration. I can only hope the Ecuadorian government realizes how beautiful and amazing of a place they have inside their boarders before it’s too late. Continuous oil spills by Chevron and the national oil company in Ecuador called Petroecuador have left two of the areas native tribes in an oil slick and without drinking water. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-22/a-hopeful-turn-in-the-chevron-ecuador-fight. This is too bad since a four-square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 species of flowering plants, 1,100 species of trees, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 100 species of reptiles, 60 species of amphibians, and 150 species of butterflies. More than 50% of the world’s plant and animal species inhabit the 7% of the world that is covered in rainforest. A potent mix of ignorance, pointing fingers and unaccountable reckless neglect could destroy it all.

Quito, Ecuador

After our life-changing trip into the Amazon we boarded a plane back to Quito for two days of exploration of Ecuador’s capital city. We stayed at a hostel located in New Town, a burro of Quito rapidly evolving and the pulse of Quito’s night life. We spent two nights exploring this area a little, enjoying some different meals and a few cocktails. One of the highlights of this area was a market place hosting open air art shows on the weekends. Artisans and crafts vendors set up stalls along the northern end of the park making it a great place to pick up some local treasures.

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Enjoying our short stay in Quito we reluctantly headed off to Banos. Banos is known to be similar to Pucon, Chile. Home to beautiful mountains offering quite the playground for adventure sport seekers, Banos is set high up in the lush Ecuadorian mountains. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I picked up a pretty rough case of a food-borne illness so I ended up spending two days in bed instead of exploring. Banos was actually our last stop before heading back to Peru to meet our friends Kurt and Keryn for a week or so of bumming around the lovely beach town of Mancora.

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Our stay in Ecuador was short but we really enjoyed our time there. This country has so much to offer. We loved the diverse geography from mountains to rainforest to beaches. It is so easy to get around since it is a pretty small country! The people were as beautiful as the landscape. Luckily, we will have to go back because on this trip the magnificent Galapagos eluded us. We are sure we won’t have too hard of a time convincing each other to return.

We left Copacabana for Cusco a couple days prior to starting a hike through the Andes up to the mystic Machu Picchu. We ended up spending a couple weeks in this region as we thoroughly enjoyed the town. Some of the highlights of our stay:

Getting there:  Getting to Cusco from Copacabana was definitely a trip to remember, and one of the worst ones that we had throughout our entire time in South America.  We had purchases the tickets the day before departure from Copacabana. The trip involved two legs: first a short trip from Copacabana to Puno (the town on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca), and a longer trip from Puno to Cusco.  When we purchased our tickets, we had selected a company which had told us we would have nice, cama buses equipped with bathrooms and air conditioning on both legs.                   

As we boarded the first bus in front of the bus company- all was going as planned. The bus taking across the border was in good condition and we made it into Puno with ease. Things started to get interesting as we waited in the Puno bus terminal. As our bus pulled in, we knew we had been ripped off by the Copacabana bus company. Our second bus was more of a school bus, without air conditioning and without bathrooms.  The bus ride was supposed to take 4 hours, and ended up taking closer to 8.  Some of the key highlights:

1)      During that 8-hour drive, not once did we stop for a bathroom break or to eat dinner, etc. However, we were so delayed because the bus driver continued to make smoking breaks and picking up passengers (only no one other than the bus driver was allowed off the bus)

2)      About half way through the ride, while it was dark, our bus got pulled over by police men armed with machine guns. They stormed onto the bus and conducted a search of the bus, taking several bags off with them and one lady.

3)      The local gentleman across the aisle was watching porn on his cell phone for several hours of the trip.

We finally pulled into Cusco several hours late. We felt horrible, as we had arranged a pick-up from the hostel we would be staying in.  Since we were so late, we had to take a taxi. Upon getting off the bus, we were hounded by dozens of drivers anxious to take us to our hostel. Hopping in one and off we went.

Our hostel- Samay wasi youth hostel: Our hostel was located on the north part of Cusco just a few steep blocks away from the Plaza de Armas. Overlooking the city, the hostel had a great second floor patio with breathing taking views of this beautiful once Inca establishment. The hosts of our hostel were extremely friendly always offering suggestions and asking if they could help us in any way. You couldn’t ask for any more out of a hostel. It was perfect.

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The City: Cusco as a city itself is a pretty great place to explore. It has a little of everything for everyone. It’s charming yet rustic, historic yet evolving. The area around the main Plaza has been overrun by accommodations for tourist looking to begin treks to Machu Picchu. Trendy night clubs, backpacker bars and even a Starbucks catering to the many tourists. They do a great job though in keeping the city’s historic feel by blending in the commercial stores with the surrounding historic buildings. Reminisces of the original city pop up throughout the narrow cobble stone streets. Massive stone walls made of precisely carved and accurately laid boulders blend with colonial cathedrals and new construction.

The city itself is set in the valley of several mountains. Its bowl like shape could be viewed from the patio of our hostel. Being set at 3,400 meters plus its narrow streets can be tough on the lungs to navigate. By day, humming birds zip among the hanging flowers that line the maze like walkways. By night, restaurants blast enticing aromas of local cuisine and worldly fusions.

Our favorite meal in Cusco was at Korma Sutra, a fusion of Peruvian favorites and Indian flavors. We started off the meal with broiled guinea pig. Something we both had to try, but agreed it was a bit to gamey for us. The main courses were a nice representation of chicken tiki masala and curried alpaca. The curried alpaca was cooked to perfection and quickly ranked among my top five favorite dishes in South America.

Hiking to Machu Picchu with Intrepid Travel

Several months prior to arriving in Peru, while traveling through Chile, Kelly and I booked our Machu Picchu trek through a company called Intrepid Travel. We set off on this trek two days after arriving in Cusco.  We did the Quary Trail Trek, named as such because we passed the location where the Incas harvested stone to build some of the civilizations’ great structures.  The entire trek was 4 days and took us through two mountain passes before ending in Oyantetumbu.

A bus picked us up from a prearranged hostel to take us into the mountains away from Cusco and toward the Sacred Valley. Our group of 12 people or so gathered outside a small ranch for lunch and brief introductions. Shortly after lunch we started up the mountain on foot following our two guides. Both of them, young English speaking Peruvians, were very friendly. Together they shared a love for their culture and the outdoors. I quickly found out we shared a similar sense of humor which for me added another layer of enjoyment. After climbing for hours we had reached a small Inca settlement used as an outlook over the steep valley we had just climbed. The view was stunning but was only a small glimpse of what was to come.

Not long after our short rest at the outlook, our day one hike came to an end. Our porters and cooks set up our tents and cooked a great dinner (complete with soup, a main course, and dessert!). We slept like babies in the cool mountain air.

Day two was a slow, oxygen-depleted ascent through two mountain passes before descending down to our second camp not far from the Inca quarry. We zigzagged our way up the grassy mountain sides passing a few highland farmers while taking in the scenery. Our first pass was up in the cloud line and thick fog blanketed the western face of the mountain while rolling off and down the east face. Temperatures were quite cool but the constant movement kept us plenty warm. After six straight hours of climbing with only a small lunch break we came to our second pass. This pass was stunning. From here we could see a good portion of the Sacred Valley. Steep green mountains rose sharply from the flat river valley below. Snowcapped peaks shot up out of the humid tropical climate at their base. We found ourselves no longer needing to ask why the Incas felt this particular valley was sacred. Its beauty alone is worth someone’s warship. We took a few deep breaths of the fresh mountain air, snapped a few more photos then headed off down the back side of the second pass to our second and final mountain camp.

We were introduced to a few more lookouts or religious sites on our way down. When we arrived at camp our porters had already set up our tents. What amazed us about these men was their ability to run up the mountain sides carrying all our gear while never needing a moment to catch their breath. We were so out of breath just crawling along with almost no gear. It was quite amazing to see the adaptation that had taken place. Now tired from our long day of hiking our cook prepared a nice warm meal as we recalled our experiences from the day. I took a brief moment to attempt some star photography and actually caught a shooting star.

The next morning we thanked/tipped our porters for carrying our gear and cooking before starting off on the final portion of our hike into the quarry. Massive carved stones littler the mountain side as if all work was suddenly halted and abandoned. Untouched for centuries, several slabs actually form a tomb for several workers where their bones lay in a creepy intact position. The finally of this trail was a great way to see the work these people had to do to construct their impressive temples or cities like Machu Picchu. It still blow my mind how they did it.

Reaching Oyantetumbu at the end of our hike, we hopped on a train to Aguas Calliente.  Aguas Calliente is the town at the base of the mountain home to Machu Picchu. A small scenic train leads travelers into town from Oyantitumbo. The town of Aguas Calliente itself is a bit of a dump but it services the essentials for travelers. Over run by high priced restaurants, bars and shops taking advantage of its remoteness from the rest of civilization, Aguas Calliente is really a strange town. It has the setting to be a beautiful place with a raging river carving out steep granite cliffs surrounded by dense lush vegetation, but it is not well maintained. It truly only exists because of Machu Picchu and the tourism industry.

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Machu Picchu: The first bus leaves for the entrance of Machu Picchu from Aguas Calliente very early in the morning. You can climb to the top in an attempt to be one of the first people to enter the site, but after seeing what the people looked like after they did (and that only a handful of people that beat us to the top), I’m glad we took the bus. The line forms quickly so make sure if you are planning to take the busses to be there plenty early. Once we exited the busses we walked toward the entrance of the site with several eager groups of people dying to see what they had come all this way to see. The gates opened and everyone rushed to stake out the ideal location to watch the sun rise over this jaw dropping creation.

Words can’t accurately describe the feeling one experiences when the city falls upon their eyes for the first time. We found a beautiful unobstructed place to watch the sunrise. Not only is the city itself surreal but the surrounding landscape is a 360 degree view of steep jagged green mountains. This is something I didn’t realize only looking at photos but really enhances the total feel of being there. We watched the city light up with the sunrise then headed off to our meeting point to catch up with our group. Our guides then gave us a full walking tour of the individual rooms and temples. We wove in and out for several hours learning the background behind its magic. Everything in the city had a very distinct purpose. The precision planning and thought that went into designing this holy city of the Incas was astonishing. Several key temples were used for observation of the sun and cosmos. Light would bounce through precisely places windows telling the equinox and solstices. Other stones were shaped in the directions on the compass. Don’t miss the bridge built right into the mountain side! This place is as sophisticated as it is beautiful.

Back to Cusco

After our excursion to Machu Picchu we returned to Cusco to meet up with our friends Kurt and Keryn again. We were going to spend a few days with them getting a better chance to explore Cusco and another opportunity to catch up with them. We made a good attempt to learn a little more about the history of Cusco but we ended up just walking the markets, eating the food and enjoying our friends’ company. On a previous trip to Peru my uncle, Paul Nielsen, met up with a man to show him around the jungle in search for birds. Apparently the man was still living in Peru and owned a pub near the town center. We took a chance and sure enough we found him. I think he was as surprised to see us as we were him. He bought us a few rounds then the three guys talked sports as we shared stories of our travels and his time spent with my uncle.

Cusco is a great city well worth exploring and not just using as a stepping stone to Machu Pichu. The ever-present mixture of old and new, local and foreign, traditional and innovative give it a unique flavor all of its own. If you are traveling through, allow yourself time to explore the many features Cusco has to offer.

Lima

Departing Cusco, we took a beautiful bus route through the mountains toward the coast to Lima. Every sharp turn was followed by another as we navigated through the mountain passes. The trip was an overnight voyage but the bus was well suited for long journey. Driving away from the city the congestion shrunk mile by mile. As night came they put on a movie but the two of us fell asleep fairly quickly. The next morning we awoke in the capital city of Lima.

We only spent a few days in Lima before catching a flight to Ecuador for our Amazon trip. Our hostel was located near the business district. For travelers this could be a little difficult because most of the night life happens in Miraflores, the upscale district of Lima. Our second visit to Lima (later in our trip- before flying home) we stayed in a hotel in Miraflores and we liked it much better. Lima is really a large city with beautiful ocean cliffs forming its western border. It is definitely a city work taking some time to explore. In our two different stints in Lima we explored four major burrows of the city.

Miraflores: A majority of the money in Lima can be found in and around Miraflores. High rise condos line the costal cliffs giving their residence spectacular views of the pacific. Be sure to take a walk along the cliff side path. It has been beautifully restored. By far one of the most scenic atmospheres of any city we visited. Restaurants and night clubs are abundant and on the weekends this part of the city really comes alive. A massive mall was constructed into a portion of the cliffs giving locals and visitors a place to shop, eat and be entertained. The area around Parque Kennedy is as Lonely Planet calls it “Gringo Ground Zero” for its upkeep and plethora of shops, restaurants and bars. Take a moment though to sit on a park bench in Parque Kennedy and watch the cats roam around. It’s quite entertaining. The city feeds the stray cats to keep the mice and rats away from the area around and in the park.

Central Lima: Not the safest place to go wondering around but might be the most culturally interesting. A must see for anyone with a little common sense. Most of Lima’s government and religious buildings along with several museums can be found here. We stumbled upon a parade and celebration for father’s day taking place around the Plaza de Armas. Group after group of people wearing decorative costumes dancing in sequence made their way round the plaza.

After watching completely entertained for a while we grabbed ice cream as we made our way slowly over to Monasterio de San Francisco stopping at a few tourist shops along the way. Monasterio de San Francisco is a famous monastery home to vast catacombs and impressive historic library. An estimated 70,000 people were buried in these underground chambers where quick tours are given after a guided walk through the rest of the complex. Just a short walk from the Monasterio de San Francisco is the Lima Chinatown. Like most I have been to in major U.S. cities the entrance has a massive decorative archway leading to several Chinese restaurants and shops. With a heavy population of Chinese settling in Lima this barrio dwarf’s even those in the U.S. while sprawling several blocks. This was very fun place, worth a visit.

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Taking pride for being the highest capital in the world (12,007 ft.), La Paz is literally breathtaking. Not only will the thin air leave you breathless, but also its idiosyncratic beauty. Lying below several high snowy peaks, the tallest Mt Illamani (21,003 ft.), La Paz sits in a mountain valley. Its residents and buildings hang off the steep mountain sides funneling down to the city’s center. 1.5 million people make up this eye opening adventure of a city. Bizarre markets filled with rosy cheeked Bolivian men and women wind their ways through La Paz’s side streets. Some of the highlights are as follows:

The Street Shopping, Markets, and Pubs: One particular market that is a must see in La Paz is the Witches’ Market. Dried alpaca fetuses hang from store fronts accompanied by various strange herbal concoctions promising to cure all life’s little ailments. The witches themselves, tucked beside the buildings, can be found fortune telling as they whisk around coca leaves mixed in with various trinkets while their patrons look on eagerly. If you can get past the unpleasant smell of preservatives keeping their unusual animal collections from decomposing, this place is a must.

We stayed in La Paz for close to a week in a great hostel called Estrella Andina Hotel. It was a little on the pricy side for hostels in Bolivia but worth every dollar (considering the idea of “expensive” was ~$20 USD per night). Each morning they served an amazing breakfast that you could eat either indoor or out on their terrace overlooking the whole city and mountain range. Located on the north east side of city central our hostel was in perfect walking distance to restaurants, shops, and night life. Just to the north and a little toward the main avenue from the witches market is an alley filled with clothing merchants and instrument makers. I fell in love with the hand crafted guitars made with interesting designs. Shopping around a little bit I finally decided to purchase a guitar. This was my single biggest and favorite purchase from South America. I traded in my guitar I purchased in Chile, which I composed several songs on and carried around for months, for a hand crafted one made of beautiful wood from a sustainable wood source. Kindly the merchant threw in two brightly colored cases to make sure I didn’t smash his work during the rest of our travels.

Beautiful silver jewelry shops beg passing foot traffic for their business in this portion of town as well. A little bargaining goes a long way with most shop keepers. Nothing should sell for full asking price. Our friends Kurt and Karen stayed across town from us but we managed to meet up half way at our soon-to-be-favorite pub Oliver’s Travels. The friendly, quick witted English bar maid was up for the challenge as Kurt and her steadily threw digs back and forth ripping on each other’s countries. England vs. Australia: a common, friendly, and historic rivalry sparking hilarious satirical insulting battles. Occasionally taking part was an English man famously known as the Mick Jagger of La Paz because of his striking swagger, obvious drug use and resemblance to Mick himself. We will call him Mick for recognition sake. Mick welcomed the insult battles brought on by Kurt with open arms. They told me it was actually a sign of respect when good blows are exchanged whereas in other countries they might lead to all out brawls because of the crude nature of the jokes. I was soon to catch on and for the rest of the times we met up with Kurt and Karen, him and I exchanged friendly insults that continue to this day.

Death Road Tour: Also located in this area of the city are a few tour agencies offering Death Road mountain bike tours. The death road is a stretch of road from La Cumbre (15,026ft.) to Coroico (3,900ft.) descending 11,126 vertical feet. We choose to go with a company called Vertigo based on reviews and up to date equipment. Making sure you find a reputable tour agency is essential. More than 18 cyclists have died doing the 64km trip. Due to a new highway opening connecting the two towns the number motorist casualties has decreased. However, before that, an average of 26 vehicles per year tumbled over the edge killing an estimated 200-300 people.

The tour starts on a steep downhill paved road winding through the mountains where bikes reach speeds excess of 40mph before reaching a checkpoint. At the checkpoint we reloaded into our vans transporting us to the beginning of the unpaved “deadly” portion. After a safety briefing we rode off following our tour guide single file down the cliff lined road followed by our tail guide. Starting off in the cloud forest before plummeting into the tropics, we wound steadily past beautiful waterfalls and hairpin turns dropping more than 1,830 ft. on their outer bends. Deadly corners bare the names of countries from where their residents plummeted to their death. Israel corner, American corner, Canada corner ect. sometimes host plaques of the names of their victims. I will say, though, the road is only as dangerous as anyone makes it. Staying in control and maintaining a comfortable speed will keep most cyclists safe. Usually, it is the daredevils or people that can’t follow directions that succumb to unfortunate accidents. Our tour ended with a poolside meal as all the groups shared stories from the trilling bike ride we all just completed. Everyone’s heavy warm riding gear was now replaced by bikinis and swim trunks deep in the Bolivian tropics.

Celebrations: La Paz is one of those cities, like Las Vegas, where nothing you see should come as a surprise. Seeing strange and out of place things becomes a normal occurrence. The playful festive lifestyle of La Paz’s residents creates an atmosphere full of surprise. Late night parades accompanied by street side fireworks blocking traffic echo through the valley and explode outside our hostel window. Men and women in costumes celebrate enthusiastically as they make their way through town. Having no idea what they are celebrating (usually a wedding, holiday, birth or death) we looked on always cheering in support.

Cholita Wrestling: Looking for random things to do in La Paz, our friends Kurt and Karen, Kelly and I decided to check out Cholita wrestling. Cholitias are Bolivian women dressed in traditional clothing (long puffy dresses, jacket, derby, and long braids). Now to think of these formal traditional women actually wrestling was a sight we had to check out. After a short bus ride to the outskirts of La Paz we unloaded at a small gymnasium style arena. Our host sat us ring side offering coca tea, beer and food while several random opening matches took place. One of those opening matches was actually Sponge Bob Square Pants vs. The Wolf Man, yikes. Neither Kelly and I or Kurt and Karen were really into wrestling but we cheered on our performers who took their profession very seriously.

When it was time for the Cholitas to perform, we were incredibly surprised by how athletic they were. Their acrobatics and soaring top rope gymnastic take-downs took us all by surprise. After watching several hours of hysterical matches we shuttled back to city central. Cholita wrestling may not be something that is a must do when visiting La Paz but it sure was good for a laugh.

Overall: Our trip to La Paz was filled with adventure. From racing down the “death road” to exploring exotic markets we enjoyed every minute in this beautiful city. Friendly faces greet you at every corner curious and eager to share their city with you. We are both glad we had to opportunity to explore such a fun evolving city. Sad our time was coming to an end here we planned our next stop, Copacabana Bolivia. Knowing what the rest of this great country was like we knew Copacabana would not disappoint us.

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Lake Titicaca:

Copacabana: This small town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca is a perfect stop while traveling between La Paz and Cusco. Try, if at all possible, to travel during the day because the views along the route are extremely beautiful.  The road winds through rolling mountain sides giving way to the stunning Lake Titicaca as it makes appearances beneath snowcapped mountains toward the end of the drive.  Copacabana itself can come across as a bit touristy but its outdoor cafés, shops and restaurants are a pleasant way to spend lazy afternoons. Used as a launching pad for trips to Isla del Sol, this picturesque town was the site for centuries of religious pilgrimages by the Incas. The high alpine lake of Lake Titicaca at the town’s base makes for a refreshing place to take a dip during warm summer days. Our hostel, Hostel Utama, was located just north of town a short walk to the town center. Known for its beautiful rooftop views and all inclusive breakfast this friendly hostel was a great place to call home for a few days.

Isla del Sol: Once thought of as the birth place of mankind, the Isla del Sol is an incredibly important part of Inca history. Boats leave twice daily to this remote island so preparations must be made in advance to visit the island. We elected to make a day-trip of it, taking the morning boat in, hiking around the island for several hours, and returning in the evening.  But, if you have the time, stay on the island.  It is breathtaking- when there you understand why it was worshipped.

The open air boats can make for a chilly trip between the two docks so bringing extra clothing was a good idea. It is against the law to make wakes on the lake so boats crawl along giving us an opportunity to take in the beautiful surroundings. Once on land we recognized a few travelers we had met along the way. The few of us made a game plan and headed off up the hillside. Locals explained the importance of several historic stone monuments and ruins in hopes for tips from tourist. Beautiful Mediterranean-like views can be seen during the climb and from atop the island with sail boats nestled in remote harbors of deep turquoise. The ever present snowcapped mountains in the distance remind you how far from sea level you really are though. We had a beautiful sunny day to explore the island.

At our first real stop I actually took the opportunity to climb down from the sacred rock, strip down and take a plunge in the frigid water. Afterward, we were met by a local shaman. Four of us sat around a sacred stone as he went one by one around the circle sprinkling water on our heads, gripping them, and chanting something in his native tongue. No idea what he was wishing for us but I can only hope it was kind. This was all near an ancient ruin we were able to walk around in and explore.

Twenty minutes or so had passed before we decided to get on with our hike up the central spine of the island to the other side and back to our exit dock. This trail is moderate in difficulty. Carrying plenty of water is a must because it is few and far between along the way. Stunning views accumulate around every corner as we walked past little houses. Farmers with their neighbors help plowed fields manually as ours did at the turn of the 20^th century. At the conclusion of this magnificent trail, a step winding, somewhat confusing path leads you through a small cliff side harbor town. The homes are charming. Each one has a decent size outdoor deck space with unimaginable views of Lake Titicaca and its surrounding mountainous environment. The island itself has seen a spike in population over the past few years. The good thing is though purchasing a home on the island is very difficult and building is heavily regulated so thankfully it will never take on a resort feel.  We made it back to our boat just in time then headed back to the main land.

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Bolivia- in conclusion

After a few short days in Copacabana we loaded yet another bus in route to Cusco, Peru. Bolivia was one of our personal favorite countries we visited. No other country so far has seemed as untouched or wild. Most people from back home asked us to consider skipping this country because of its reputation of being “3^rd world” and “dangerous”, but that could not be further from the truth. Yes, it does have a larger amount of poverty then most South American countries, but its people are just as welcoming, friendly, and helpful as any. Bolivia is a cultural lesson and a history lesson. To miss Bolivia on a tour of South America would be regretful and a mistake. We wish we could have spent far more time here

But, alas, we had to head to Peru, as we were scheduled to begin another adventure (hiking to Macchu Pichu) in a few short days!

Originally, we never intended to stop in Tupiza.  From Potosi, our plan was to head straight to Uyuni to catch a tour of the Salt Flats.  However, we were informed that the tours are better and more interesting from Tupiza.  So- we decided to give it a shot.

When we first arrived, it was a little disheartening going from Potosi with the most genuine people we have ever met to Tupiza where we met the sleaziest dishonest money grubber along our way. But, as always, we didn’t let it stop us from having a great time.

Home to some great history with Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid, this mountain desert town looks like it may have during their time. Set in a valley, jagged red dirt arid mountain peaks surround this slow pace town. A daily steam train with accompanying iconic whistle reminds you of times when these parts were as wild west as any. These days most of its small economy is driven around tourist beginning or ending their salt flat tour going to or from Uyuni. Surprisingly, there are a few decent restaurants around its town center where patrons can grab a decent pizza or traditional dish.

Make sure you bring plenty of cash to Tupiza because credit card machines are few and far between. Most banks in town, except for the one on the north east corner of the town center, only accept Bolivian bank cards. This can be a problem when most activities are fairly expensive and only accept cash. Also make sure you do your money transfers before coming to Tupiza because internet in the hostels is inconsistent at best.  We learned all this the hard way when the credit card machine at a local restaurant wouldn’t work and we didn’t have the cash to cover our meal. We had to leave Kelly’s (expired) driver’s license with the owner for a few days while we went on a hunt for cash.  Some of the unforgettable highlights of this interesting town:

Horseback riding: Wanting to wait a day before starting our tour and leaving this interesting town of Tupiza, Kelly and I took a day to explore. One popular thing to do in Tupiza is to go horseback riding through the mountains and canyons where Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid rode. We hooked up with a guide and the three of us rode up the mountain. The ride started off slow as we got to know our horses. Following the road up the mountain side, we wound deeper and deeper into the desert mountains. Shades of red, teal, grey and green made up the multicolored landscape due to various mineral compositions. After an hour or so of working our horses from a trot to a gallop we muscled up some courage to run them a little. This was the first time either Kelly or I had ever run a horse. What a better setting then in the footsteps of famous outlaws. We stopped a few times to let our horses drink and to stretch our tired and soon to be sore legs. Our adventure lasted several hours exploring the surrounding areas before returning to town.

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Our Hostel Experience: Upon arriving to town, we decided to just walk the street looking for a place to stay instead of staying in our pre-arranged hostel as we found out it was quite out of the way. The hostel we stumbled upon was called Hostal Valle Hermoso, a Hosteling International hostel run by dishonest thief named Freddy. Freddy comes across as a nice guy at first but that all changed when we realized his promises were empty. Knowing that he won’t see you again because most of the tours from Tupiza to Uyini are one way, he will promise and charge you for things that don’t exist. On our final morning I stormed out of our hotel room with fire in my eyes directed straight toward Freddy swearing his bed gave me a ring worm. I had a distinct ring located on my side after waking up. I typically don’t let people like Freddy get to me but after watching this man lie to people for two days now and I had had enough. He could tell I was really angry and standing a full foot taller than him, he cracked. I managed to get a free night out of him which gave me great satisfaction. In the end it turned out to be just a button I slept on that gave me the strange ring like shape on my skin but it was worth every dollar I got out of him.

Despite having to deal with Freddy staying at his hostel ended up being a blessing in disguise. We managed to meet our best friends on our trip so far at his hostel. Enter Kurt and Karen. An Australian/New Zealand couple we instantly had a connection with. Actually, we spent a portion of the rest of our trip meeting up with them along the way.

Tupiza Tours Salt Flat Tour

We elected to use Tupiza Tours for our Tour of the Uyuni Salt Flats.  It was a 4-day, 3-night tour taking us from Tupiza to Uyuni.  Kurt, Karen, Kelly, and I were all in a 4×4 together, and the total tour was made up of four different vehicles each with its own driver and accompanying them, two cooks. The tour took us from on a strip of earth Discovery Channel recently described as “the place on earth most resembling Mars.” We drove on rugged trails stopping occasionally for sightseeing, photography, or lunch. Emilio, our driver, was a happy go lucky guy who always greeted us with a smile. The four of us treated each other to our different taste in music. Emilio’s music taste was by far the most interesting. It was a combination of Spanish polka and 80’s dance music.

The first two nights on the tour, we stayed in very small off-the-beating path Bolivian towns.  It was an amazing experience, seeing how the Bolivians live outside of the cities. We got to observe the children playing with each other, and I even got to show some of them how to use my camera.  Each night, children came to serenade us with song and homemade instruments hoping we would spare a couple Bolivianos for their trouble. Late-night I pulled out my guitar so we could all relax with a little music.  We met the most adorable little boy who wouldn’t let me stop playing the guitar because he didn’t want to stop dancing.   The accommodations in total were rough- but nothing we couldn’t handle.  I just strongly recommend bringing a good sleeping bag if you find yourself on an overnight tour in Bolivia- it is absolutely freezing and insolation/heating devices are near non-existent.

The place where our tour ended, Uyuni, was nothing more than a dirty desert town now living off its proximity to the salt flats thriving on tourism. There is really no need to spend more than a day or two walking the streets. They do have a pretty good street market on the weekend evenings though. The nearby train graveyard is a must for anyone who is into photography. Years ago old locomotives and box cars were dumped to rust in a large open space with a picturesque background. They make for a really interesting subject matter.

But, the real site to see in Uyuni is the Salar de Uyuni (The Bolivian Salt Flats).     The Salt Flats expand as far as the eye can see- white in all directions. It is the largest salt flat in the world. Expanding 10,582 square miles they are 25 times larger than the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The salt crust covers a lake of brine rich in lithium that is home to an estimated 50-70 percent of the earth’s lithium reserves. Interesting hexagonal shapes repeat endlessly to make up the surface of this natural wonder. Other than taking in the natural beauty there really isn’t much to do out there besides playing around with photography. Prospective photos are a must. They are typical and silly but if you use a little imagination some great photos can be composed. We recommend doing a little brainstorming for ideas and props to bring to make it a little more fun while shooting your photos. After shooting some ourselves we headed back to town, said good bye to our amazing driver, and then headed off to La Paz. To offer a last bit of advice on Uyuni, most busses leave during the evening time out of Uyuni so if you are looking to kill some time there is a great bar called the Extreme Fun Pub just a few blocks from the bus area. Kurt, Karen, Kelly and I polished off several liters of beer before jumping on our buses to La Paz. Trust us you will need a few in you to survive the trip. It’s a rough one.

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In addition to what’s been described, some additional highlights of our Tupiza to Uyuni tour:

-          Staying in small remote towns with the locals

-          Eating amazing Bolivian dishes

-          Playing with the children in the towns

-          Seeing the red lagoon filled with flamingos

-          Driving through steaming geysers

-          Exploring the train graveyard

-          Breakfast at sunrise on the great salt flats

-          Joking around with and getting to know our driver Emilio.

On April 15^th, early in the morning, we caught a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This started our adventures through the Andean countries. We knew coming in that Bolivia was going to be one of the more eye-opening countries we would pass through, but we knew little of how great a country it actually is. Bolivia was a country of many first for us as travelers. This country is exciting, traditional, historic, passionate, diverse, and I can honestly say a place that doesn’t live up to its reputation as a dangerous country. Like everywhere else, it is just important to make sure that you use common sense.  An additional perk is that it is a very cheap place to travel around- we could get by on about $30-35 per day total between the two of us staying in private rooms in nice hostels/hotels, eating good food and drinks, and splurging on entertainment.

Santa Cruz

Upon landing in Santa Cruz, we were greeted by a runway controller wearing an Illinois University basketball t-shirt. It made us chuckle a little considering just how far from home and out-of-the-way we were. After gathering our bags we hailed a taxi to bring us to our hostel. In the four previous countries visited, the taxi cabs were in pretty decent shape and well taken care of. In Bolivia, however, most of the taxis are beat up junkers that seemed within moments of dropping right off the axels. This was the first indication we had that Bolivia definitely isn’t nearly as developed or Westernized as the other places we had visited.  The ride from the airport to our hostel was exciting and educational. As our driver raced through his manual transmission trying to show off his driving skills as we passed numerous shack-like houses surrounded by tropical trees and personal livestock.  Definitely a change of scenery.

Being in the lowlands, there was heaviness to the air thick with humidity and heat. The city of Santa Cruz is laid out in a series of roads forming several rings around the central plaza. The closer you get to center the denser buildings become. Our hostel was located on the third ring from the center in what seemed to be a nicer part of the city. Santa Cruz has a reputation for being a little unsafe for travelers so being in a nicer neighborhood was a little reassuring. As always, though, reputation did not stop us from getting out and exploring a little. We did not plan on staying in Santa Cruz long so we did not look too deeply into its attractions, but we made a point to walk around its center area and check out one of its more famous street markets.

Santa Cruz’s Plaza del Arms:

In most cities in South America, the Plaza del Arms is the city center; not just the geographical center but also the business and cultural center. Typically one or two magnificent churches can be found on the perimeter along with shopping, restaurants, banks and other government buildings. The center of the plaza usually hosts statues or fountains, along with green spaces and benches. Santa Cruz is no different. On the east and west ends, two beautiful towering churches give the plaza a Spanish feel while the north and south streets are lined with businesses and restaurants. We poked our heads in and out of a few shops admiring the craftsmanship and souvenirs.

As we made our way around the plaza we stopped into a diners club for a great set-menu 3 course lunch.  The building was an old two story open center restaurant with generations of history made evident by the long chain of photos of previous club presidents. The waiters were ultra-professional while the food was excellent. First course was a delicious traditional Bolivian soup. The main courses were spicy corn, rice, and beef mixture or a cream chicken with rice and a side salad. Yum!  This was the first experience we had with the fixed-fare lunches typical of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador- definitely not our last. To make things even better, these traditional lunches can be found very reasonably priced.  A fixed-fare lunch could typically be had for about $3-4 per person.

Our hostel:

We stayed at Jodanga Backpackers Hostel during our time in Santa Cruz. Complete with a beautiful pool, cozy rooms, pool table, 3 different lounging areas, and a full kitchen, this was easily one of our favorite hostels. There was a great group of people staying there as well so it made the experience even better. 4 of the men staying there were musicians from Brazil and I got an opportunity to jam with them until the early morning hours one night. We improvised jam sessions and played each other’s music while sharing beers and some good laughs.

Getting to Sucre:

We didn’t think Santa Cruz had that much going for it compared to some of the other Bolivian cities we planned to visit. So, after spending a few days there we headed for the bus terminal in hopes to depart for Sucre. Welcome to the Bolivian bus system!

Our first overnight bus through Bolivia was an unforgettable experience that we will be laughing about for years. Upon arrival to the terminal, we were greeted by countless bus company representatives pulling us in all directions trying to sell us tickets. I picked the one I felt most comfortable with by the picture of the bus advertised and the friendliness of the agents. This is where we learned a valuable lesson about bus travel in Bolivia: NEVER TRUST THE BUS PICTURE ADVERTISED OR THE AGENTS. Bus companies here aren’t regulated or checked the way they are in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, or Brazil.  Agents will tell you whatever they can to get you to buy a ticket.

Up until this point of traveling, all long overnight buses had air conditioning and a bathroom on board. Our agent promised us all these things would be included on our 14-hour bus ride from Santa Cruz to Sucre. We stepped outside to board our bus as it pulled into the station and at first we thought it was the wrong bus. It looked nothing like the picture advertised. Our bus was at least ten years older than the one shown to us, and far more miles under its belt. It was more like a school bus than a tour bus. There was definitely no air conditioning or bathrooms onboard.   The air was stale and the inside temperature was near 90 degrees.

Then, soon after we pulled out of the station, we heard chirping coming from the seat behind us. Yes, we were on a Bolivian bus with live chickens. Until this point we had only heard stories of crowded Bolivian buses with live animals roaming the isles. Finally, we got to experience the hilarity and randomness of the Bolivian bus system first hand. With our bags in our laps (so not to be stolen) we made several stops letting people on and off at random locations. Once the bus filled up people stand or lay down in the isles. Some of them old women with children lying on the floor next to us. You can’t help but to want to offer them your seat, but in most cases they won’t take it.

Throughout this long 14-hour bus ride we stopped twice for bathroom breaks.  The first was at a small road-side restaurant and was combined with our dinner break. The second, though, was in the middle of nowhere. There was no building, restroom, porta-potty, tree, or anything else that would provide even a sliver of privacy. There was just a wide-open gravel plot of land.  Everyone had to exit the bus and find a spot alongside the road if they were willing (or desperate enough). It was easy for the local women with their long dresses and us men to do our business but with no cover anywhere, Kelly elected to wait until morning. A little awkward given that she was wearing yoga pants and tank top- attire that would not offer any cover whatsoever.  It was quite a sight to see.  We giggled as we boarded the bus to attempt to sleep before getting into town.

We woke a couple hours before reaching Sucre by a traveling salesman enthusiastically presenting his sales pitch to the crowded bus full of people. He was selling maca, and drastically over-promising on the benefits.  Our complete disbelief, everyone on the bus reached for their wallets and purchased the product this man had to offer.

We couldn’t believe the killing this salesman made as we weaved out way into the beautiful city of Sucre.

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Sucre

Sucre, the white city, is the former capital of Bolivia and some still revere it as the capital over La Paz. As we pulled into the city, delighted to be unloading our cramped transportation, our route took us through a hard working gritty part of Sucre. Poverty was very prevalent. Short Andean women in traditional attire (complete with a beautiful puffy dress and a bowler hat) worked up and down the street selling produce along with various homemade baked goods. Several automobile repair shops lined both sides of the street. Initially, the buildings were dirty earth tones, run down over the years. This soon gave way to beautiful white-washed Spanish architecture as we approached the city center. We unloaded our bus, caught a cab, and headed off to our hostel.

Our hostel was run by an older woman. From the reviews online we were expecting a grandma-like figure with a heart of gold. They could not have been more right. When we met her she was excited to see us and showed us all around the hostel, making us feel right at home. She informed us of the city’s layout, educating us on things to do in Sucre along with a bit of the city’s history.

Being only a few blocks from the city’s center we unpacked our belongings and headed off to grab some lunch and admire the beautiful architecture. Close to lunch time the city was bustling with students, business people, and vendors out to enjoy a lunch break on a beautiful day. We made our way to a second floor restaurant overlooking the main plaza. Our table was on a balcony. A perfect way to observe the people below us as we enjoyed two traditional Bolivian dishes- one of which was Piche Machu which soon became my favorite. Extremely unhealthy but unbelievably delicious, Piche Machu is a popular dish consisting of pork sausage, steak, and chicken combined with peppers and onion on a bed of French fries, topped with a type spicy sauce. Not quite the meal for those looking for a light lunch. For no apparent reason fireworks were exploding throughout lunch over the plaza. A small parade of protestors made their way through the streets voicing their opinions to whoever would listen. Over every park bench teenagers gathered smoking cigarettes while trying to look cool wearing surprisingly mainstream American apparel. Quite a hilarious scene but a very fun one to watch.

Throughout our several days in Sucre, we experienced many highlights:

Dinosaur Tracks: On the outskirts of Sucre a local gravel company found fossilized dinosaur prints several years ago.  Naturally, they built a museum surrounding them to make some money and show off these interesting prints. We forked out some money and took the tour. The tour itself was not all that amazing but getting a chance to see footprints of actual dinosaurs was pretty interesting. After a few hours we returned back to town for some lunch.

Traditional Dance Show: Our amazing and generous host at the hostel recommended we check out a small dinner and dance show of traditional Bolivian folk dance. The show took us through the many phases of Bolivian cultural history through. Their folk dancing was used to express frustrations with the Spanish or even poke fun at them. The bright, colorful, and percussive costumes were attention grabbing. Each dance was accompanied by a different set of beautiful costume. The movements were energetic. At the end of the evening I got pulled up on stage with a few other people from the crowd to dance with the performers and can only hope I didn’t make a fool out of myself. It was a night to remember.

Sucre was a Bolivian town we wish we could have spent more time in. Located high in the mountains and far enough away from other cities we got to see our first real snapshot of life in Bolivia. In a comparison between Sucre and Santa Cruz I would say Sucre has more of an old world feel with less influence from modern technology. It definitely felt more safe and seemed to very proud of its historical background.

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Potosi

The Town Itself:

While in Sucre, we debated where our next stop should be. By this point in the trip we were really just winging it when it came to picking our destinations. We were going more off recommendations from other travelers then off our guide books.  During our time in Rio one couple recommended we go on a mine tour in Potosi, the highest city in the world, a town built on and still living off the success of an over mined silver mine. We decided we should head there from Sucre.  After a beautiful ride higher up into the Bolivian Andes, now approaching 4000m through winding steep cliffs and high mountain passes, we arrived in Potosi.

Potosi is the place in South America we were most touched by. The city is not particularly beautiful, nor is its surrounding view. But, its people make up for this tenfold with charm and hospitality. This city literally lives and dies by the success of the local silver mine, and when it eventually dies so will this city.

In Potosi, I had more fun walking the streets smiling at the locals and asking them questions than in any other city visited to date. They were all so beautiful, traditionally dressed, and friendly. I hit the streets with my camera hoping to capture some of these beautiful people. In the process, I quickly found out two things: 1) there is no running in Potosi. It is just too high up and the oxygen is too thin. 2) as friendly as the people are, they really didn’t like their pictures taken. Although disappointed, I respected their wishes and enjoyed many conversations instead. I can recall sitting on a park bench in front of a church with an old woman talking about her town. She appreciated me taking the time to talk to her and told me all about growing up in Potosi. The best part was when she asked me where I was from: she had no idea where the United States was, let alone Chicago. She asked me if it was close to Spain. I politely explained to her what it was near but realized I did not have nearly enough Spanish to explain this one. So I stopped and said it was across the ocean from Spain. She smiled satisfied convinced she knew where I was from and we parted ways.

The walkable portion of town is not that large. Being at 4000 meters I couldn’t walk too far anyway without needing to catch my breath. Six blocks or so in either direction from the town square is really as far as one needs to go. Most of the shops, restaurants, and historical buildings are located in this six block radius. Some of the shops contained beautiful silver jewelry from silver mined in town. I was constantly drawn to the beautiful wool shops where magnificent hand stitched clothing hung.

Hostels are slim picking when it comes to Potosi. We stayed in a hostel just north west of town center called Casona Potosi Hotel and we really did not like it. The staff was cold and the accommodations were pretty rough.

Silver Mine Tour:

Travelers really only come to Potosi for one reason, to go on the silver mine tour. There are many companies now earning a good dollar taking travelers through the mine. Make sure you do your research before choosing a company. Some companies do not follow safe procedures while others are run by outsiders exploiting the miners and the awful conditions they work in. Try to find a company run by retired or current miners. Typically these companies insure 100% of the profit is going back to the miners or the community.  As cheesy as the name sounds we choose to go with The Real Deal Miners. They might be the only one that is truly run by ex-miners. The Real Deal was run by an honest, compassionate, and hilarious young man named Reynaldo. He and his friends not only give an amazing life-changing tour but make you feel like lifelong friends when it’s all over.

Tours begin at the center meeting place then stop in a building up the mountain to get our hardhats, boots, coveralls, and headlamps to keep us somewhat protected from our surroundings. We then make our way to the refinery just a bit further up the mountain to see how the miners extract the minerals. The machinery was old. So many old moving parts and the loud noise made this working environment seem like hell. The technology was easily a century old. We didn’t even get to the mine yet and Kelly and I already felt bad for the workers.

Our next stop was to the miners market where we purchased dynamite, ammonium nitrate, coca leaves, cigarettes, and 2 liters of soda for the miners inside the mine as gifts. Yes- they actually let you buy thes things right over-the-counter in this outdoor market.

We loaded up our vans then headed to the mouth of the mine. It is a little nerve racking standing at the entrance not knowing what lies deep inside this mountain. The tales of mining accidents raced through our head as we contemplated if this is really a good idea. For those unaware, this was further enhanced by the fact that Kelly is very claustrophobic to begin with.  She had a little panic attack (complete with tears) as we stared into the mine, weighing whether or not to go forward.  Reynaldo calmed her down, letting her know that there were multiple guides available and one would gladly bring her out if she wanted to once we started the tour inside the caves.

So, one by one we followed Reynaldo into the darkness, ducking down a long entry tunnel that gave way to several auxiliary tunnels networking all over the inside of the massive mountain. Being a Saturday, there were fewer workers than typical inside the mine which made it a little less hectic. Still though, a few workers putting in extra time to pull out as much silver as they could hammered and blasted away. This also allowed us a chance to pick up a shovel or axe to help out a little. Weather it was a help or slowed them down it still felt nice to offer a hand. Reynaldo led us deeper and deeper into the mine up ladders and through narrow cracks. Kelly had a few moments of uneasiness but managed to push through.

After an hour or so of weaving our way through the mine, seeing live explosions and some of the toughest looking men I have ever seen, we came to a small cave. This cave housed a statue of their god Tio. Tio is similar to the devil but protects the miners while below the surface. We shared several rounds of their rubbing alcohol-like beverage, smoked hand rolled cigarettes, and listened to their stories about practical jokes in the mine. They say keeping a light working environment filled with raunchy nicknames and practical jokes is the only way they can handle the day to day grind inside. After the great tour we stopped by Reynaldo’s house where he was born. It was located on the side of the mountain where his mother still lives. She runs a convenient store out of her home and we stopped by for a few beers before heading back to town center.

This is where their heartwarming smiles and infectious laughs really came out. We drank and laughed for an hour or so then headed back to town with a new appreciation for friends, family, and what a hard day’s work is.

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Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo)

On April 3^rd, we left Argentina once and for all. We caught a 24-hour bus from Puerto Iguazu to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  We debated long and hard about whether we wanted to work our way up the Brazilian coast line (we heard it is gorgeous). However, we elected to head straight to the city and spend some quality time at the beach.  We only had about 2 weeks total in Brazil total, and didn’t want to spread ourselves too thin.  We ended up dividing our time between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (most of that time in Rio).  Some of the highlights and our thoughts of our stay in Brazil:

General Information:

-          Getting into Brazil: As a note to any US citizen wanting to go and spend time in Brazil, visas are required and you can’t get them at the border crossing- you have to apply in advance.  As such, Derek and I went through the process in December at the Brazilian consulate in Chicago.  This was a real pain (at least for me).  Originally, in December, we didn’t have a firm date that we planned on leaving Brazil.  However, when applying for visas, they would not accept my application without proof of leaving the country (i.e. a plane ticket, bus ticket, etc. showing forward progress).  Naturally, Derek managed to sweet-talk his way into applying without this information, but I wasn’t so lucky.  So, in December, we booked the cheapest flight we could find to Bolivia (our next destination).  This ended up being a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Santa Cruz, Bolivia in mid-April. Ultimately, this left us with a little over 2 weeks in Brazil in total.  This was the first hard exit-point we had booked early on.

Also, as a note, Brazilian visas aren’t cheap.  At the time of application, we paid $140 USD per visa.

-          The Language Barrier: Reminder- Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish.  Up until this point, Derek and I had gotten along generally fine in other countries communicating in Spanish.  Derek has a couple years’ experience with lessons in HS, and I picked up a little bit here and there and from our lessons in Pucon (I found it really is pretty similar to French, which I speak).  But, neither of us were the least bit familiar with Portuguese and we found it very difficult to pick up.  I recommend to anyone visiting to at least look at a phrase book before entering the country to help get around easily. And, some folks we encountered got mildly offended if we asked if they spoke either Spanish or English.

-          Price: We found early on that Brazil was definitely more expensive than other countries we had previously visited, especially Rio.  It’s easier to stay on a budget by making our own food which we did often.  In talking with locals, we discovered that the property value in Rio is absolutely outrageous.

Rio de Janeiro: We spent about 10 days total in Rio.  We spent most of our time staying near Copacabana beach, but spent a couple nights near Cento.  We had an absolutely fantastic time and definitely could have stayed even longer! We did a lot and met a lot of great people:

-          Getting there: We took a bus from Puerto Iguazu to Rio.  On this bus, Derek thought it would be fun to sit in the very front row on the second level of the bus.  Talk about scary! While we had a great view, it was quite nerve-wracking to watch oncoming traffic approach and see the bus weave its way around narrow roads up and down the mountains.

Granted, the views were spectacular. Approaching Rio, the landscape turned mountainous with lush forests.  The mountains themselves are interesting as they are very tall with narrow bases, giving them the appearance of large fingers reaching out of the earth.

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-          The layout of Rio: Rio itself is surrounded by these tall mountains or the ocean on all sides so there is limited space for the city to grow outward (hence the high cost of property in the city). As a result, the main city centers lie in the valleys of the mountains. Meanwhile, poorer neighborhoods (known as favelas) are built up the side of the mountains.  But, it’s definitely the favelas with the best views of both the city and the ocean! Many of the mountainsides are undeveloped. Given these locations offer the best views of the city, many hypothesize that this land will be bought up and developed with high-end property in coming years as Rio prepares itself for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

-          Our hostel in Copacabana: During our stay in Copacabana, we stayed at a hostel called Listagonia. We would highly recommend it! The hostel was just a couple blocks off of beautiful Copacabana beach, had a great atmosphere for meeting people (including happy hours with 2 for 1 Caipirinhas), clean rooms, and a very helpful and friendly staff.  We spent many evenings just hanging out with other guests in their open-air courtyard relaxing.

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-          Copacabana Beach: Copacabana Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Rio.  And, it is absolutely beautiful.  The white sand beach goes on for miles, the water is warm, and the waves are big.  Out in the distance, islands emerge off the coast and in the background are the mountains surrounding Rio.  There is also always a lot going on.  The beach is full of beautiful people walking, relaxing, or working out (Brazilians care a great deal about health and fitness) and there is almost always a soccer or volleyball game going on.  One pretty interesting thing: in Brazil, they play a unique form of volleyball where they hit the ball off of various parts of their body, but can’t use their hands.  Instead they use shoulders, head, and feet.

Copacabana beach also has a nice long walkway of black and white tiling that goes on for miles.  It also has dozens of with restaurants and bars lining the shore.  Come happy-hour time, you can find “ladies of the night” strutting their stuff looking for clients.  One night when we were hanging out having appetizers and drinks on the beach, several of them tried to pick up Derek when I went to the bathroom. They were severely disappointed when they realized he was more interested in who had won that weekend’s golf tournament than their miniskirts. Good boy

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-          Christ the Redeemer Statue: Visiting Christ the Redeemer is a must-do for anyone visiting Rio.  It’s the landmark that identifies Rio and is part of its landscape atop one of the many surrounding mountains. To get to the statue, you can take the train that departs regularly, walk, or take a taxi/minibus.  We elected to take the train to get the full experience. The views from the train as it made its way up the mountain were beautiful, looking down into valleys and favelas while surrounded by jungle.

Once at the top, we got off the train and ascended even further by foot. At the top, the statue of Christ the Redeemer itself is beautiful.  Its over 40 feet tall, made of stone.  It was interesting to read about how it was built in the early 1900’s with much less sophisticated technology than exists today.

However, the best part about this attraction is definitely the view of the city from the top.  You have a full 360-degree view of all of surrounding Rio and the coast.  On a hot, clear day (like we had) you can see for miles and miles.

Just a note- one thing we didn’t do was go up to Sugar Loaf island.  We ran out of clear days.  But, we’ve heard the view from there is even better than Christ the Redeemer.

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-          Night Life in Lapa: Lapa is the place to be for a fun night out.  We actually visited the neighborhood twice: once on a weekend and once on Wednesday night Jazz night.

Friday/Saturday nights

On a Friday or Saturday night in Rio, Lapa is the place to be. So, one Saturday night we got decked out and went out for a night on the town.  The area consists of couple streets with dozens of bars, dance/salsa clubs, and live music venues.  They close the streets down to car traffic on weekends, and street food vendors line the sidewalks.

We started off the evening with a couple caipirinhas at a bar and people watching.  It was fun to people watch- seeing all the locals all dressed to impress.  Girls were decked out in their shortest, tightest skirts and highest heals, while the men all had brightly colored button-up shirts only partially buttoned.

After a couple drinks were went to scope out some of the venues. We headed to a live-music venue where a local guitar and drum band was playing.  We ordered some appetizers and relaxed to music, watching people dance. The music was very rhythmic and percussive.  Definitely lively!

We checked out another dance club before deciding we had the most fun just having a beer and people watching.  So, we closed out the night this way, just watching the locals.  Definitely have to be careful in Lapa- there is a lot of pickpocketing in the streets. You can see if just by sitting and watching from afar.  On our way out, we picked up some street food (meet on a stick and a generous hamburger with overflowing toppings) at a couple stands before calling it a night.

Wednesday Night Jazz:

Our last night in Rio was Wednesday night, and we headed back to Lapa for Wednesday night Jazz.  It definitely wasn’t nearly as busy as it is on the weekends, but the local music venues have live music. We ended up at Scenarium, a famous bar in Rio. It had a very unique atmosphere, with old antiques hanging from all the walls.  Coming from the US, we wouldn’t say that the music was “Jazz” as we know it.  It was more rehearsed, and had more Latin influence. Regardless, it was still a fun night listening to live music

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-          Ipanimu Beach: Another famous beach in Rio is Ipanimu Beach.  Compared to Copacabana beach, this draws an even bigger crowd, and is definitely more of a party scene compared to the laid back Copacabana.  We spent a weekend afternoon here people watching. It still fascinates me that everyone (both men and women) wears the tiniest bikinis and bathing suits regardless of body shape.

Ipanimu beach also has a lot going on a couple blocks inland- lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars. After the beach we hung out and grabbed lunch at a local open-air bar/restaurant.  It was pretty funny though- as time went along and the bar began to fill up, we realized we we the only non-same-sex couple in the entire place. Derek was checked out several times on trips to the bathroom and we received several funny glances as we enjoyed our cheeseburgers. But, the caipirinhas kept coming and we soon felt very welcomed.

On Sundays, the park near Ipanimu beach hosts a great street market with all kinds of crafts and art.  It’s a wonderful place to walk around and see local goods, and the art is very diverse. We even bought a painting to hang in whatever apartment we end up in once we move back into Chicago.

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-          Favela Tour: Our Copacabana hostel offered tours of the nearby Vidigal favela. We had heard great things about the tour, so we decided to give it a shot.  For reference, favelas in general are considered the “slums” of Rio.  The housing is generally more run down, and up until a couple years many of the areas were run and policed by drug gangs. They are built up the sides of mountains a little further from centro, and many of the community homes and properties aren’t even registered through the state (they are registered through a local community government).  For those who haven’t ever been in one, they would consider it dangerous (based on rumors).  However, our experience couldn’t have been more contradictory to the reputation.

We went on the tour with someone who actually lived in the community- a foreigner from the US working in Rio. We would strongly recommend going on a tour with someone who lives there in order to get personal perspective. It was very laid back, not a structured tour. We started off by making our way up the mountain to the top.  We had a couple beers at a local restaurant, saw where our guide lived (and made lunch with him in his place), wandered around the streets, bought and ate some fresh acai, and were even invited into someone’s home to see what it was like. This particular favela also hosts a popular art scene, as several successful actors grew up in the area and it is home to a local prestigious theater.

Everyone was very friendly, coming up and talking to us and inviting us into their homes.  While the home themselves were a little run down, they were definitely well kept on the inside and people took pride in their property.  At no point did we feel threatened and we were never hassled. We felt safer here than we did even walking some of the more popular beaches.  And, the views of the ocean and beaches from the favela properties were absolutely beautiful.  If it was anywhere in the states, these would be the expensive properties, not the “slums!” We would highly recommend going into these areas for anyone visiting Rio.

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-          The food: In Rio, we found a wide variety of great food. This was definitely welcome! A must-have is the local acai.  This treat is common all over the city, and is served fresh and frozen like a smoothie.  Its commonly topped with fruit, granola, nuts, or chocolate or strawberry syrup if you want it a little sweeter. It definitely made for the perfect breakfast or snack! It was so refreshing, and ridiculously cheap compared to how expensive it is in the states.

The population in Brazil is also very health and fitness conscious.  As such, we were able to find large diverse salads and all kinds of fresh tropical fruits were plentiful.

We also had our fair share of traditional Brazilian steak houses.   Yes- they are like Brazzaz or Fogo de Chow in the states.   While delicious, couldn’t eat it all the time because they put WAY too much salt on their meat for our taste!

One of our favorite places to eat was located real close to our hostel just a little further up the favela in Copacabana. It was a hamburger stand run by a young man and his wife. The menu was an assortment of hamburgers based on their toppings. For instance, one could order a double burger topped with bacon (ham), cheese, peas, shoe string potato chips, lettuce, corn, and a fried egg. Yes all of that for 6 reals or the equivalent of 2 US dollars. If you’re not full from that he will scoop you up a generous portion of acai and your favorite combination of toppings. All of this nestled right in the heart of a favela with children playing games and a spectacular view to top it off.

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-          Our hotel in Centro/Easter Weekend: While traveling, Derek and I haven’t been booking hostels or buses very far in advance.  This definitely came back to haunt us in Rio over Easter weekend.  Little did we know, this was the equivalent to spring break for students here, and Easter is a big holiday for the heavy Catholic populations in Rio.  As such, our Hostel Listegonia in Rio was booked and we had to find lodging elsewhere.  When we started searching, however, we found that every hostel anywhere near the beach was booked and most hotels were ridiculously expensive.  So, we took to the internet to search for the cheapest hotel we could find in a reasonable non-sketchy location. We found one online that looked reasonable and was relatively priced in the Centro area with lots of restaurants and attractions nearby.  We decided it would do.  Boy, were we surprised when we showed up, though! It ended up being a hotel that could be rented by the hour.  We searched the area to see if there was anything else- but that was all that was available on this holiday weekend.  So, we sucked it up and stayed for 2 nights.

Generally speaking, it was clean, comfortable, and had a great breakfast.  We got a kick out of seeing the type of clientele that the hotel generally attracted, though (there were even multiple exit doors so people couldn’t see who was coming in/leaving together).  And, it was quite funny to read the descriptions of some of the rooms. We had what was the equivalent of a normal hotel room, but in looking at the brochure we discovered that it was possible to rent a room with vibrating chairs and stripper poles in the middle.  It was hilarious.  After 2 nights, though, we definitely couldn’t wait to get back to Copacabana and Listagonia Hostel!

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-          Final Thoughts: We loved Rio. The weather was always beautifully hot and sunny, the beaches are a great place to relax, there are many various attractions, the nightlife is fun, and the food is great.  We definitely want to come back!

Sao Paulo: Upon leaving Rio, we headed to Sao Paulo for two days as this is where our flight to Bolivia was out of.   If there is one word I could use to describe this city, it would be “huge!” Sao Paulo is massive, with close to 19 million people in the city proper. Everywhere you look, in every direction, are hundreds and hundreds of skyscrapers. Unlike Rio that is surrounded by mountains, Sao Paulo just continues to extend outward.  Derek and I love big cities, we live downtown Chicago and can’t get enough of New York. Despite this, we were ridiculously overwhelmed by the sheer size of Sao Paulo.

Because of its size, Sao Paulo is much less tourist-friendly.  In the short time we spent in Sao Paulo, we really didn’t do all that much because we struggled to get our bearings and everything is so spread out it takes forever to get anywhere. That being said, we do have a couple points worth calling out:

-          Getting Around: Getting around Sao Paulo was a hassle.  It was pouring rain when our bus got into the city so we decided to take a cab.  The alternative was a 2-train + 2-bus route that didn’t sound appealing with the weather.  Traffic was horrendous, and to get from one side of the city to the next cost close to $80 USD.  The bus system was relatively easy to use, though, as long as you didn’t have to change trains or transfer to buses.

-          Where we stayed: We stayed in the ritzy neighborhood of Bella Vista. This in itself was alright. It was in the heart of the financial district (Sao Paulo is Brazil’s financial capital) and there were several shops and restaurants and even a mall around where we stayed.

However, we were not fond of our hostel at all. We stayed at the local Lime Time in dorms to save money (Brazil cities are really expensive).  First off, the hostel considered itself a “party hostel” which we knew going in. However, they kicked everyone out of the bar area and common areas around midnight so there was nowhere to hang out for people who wanted to. This led to the bigger problem- our roommates were some of the rudest people I’ve ever met- partying in the room all night long. Even after they realized we were there, sleeping, they just kept drinking, smoking, laughing, and talking.  They weren’t thrilled with us when our alarms went off early the next morning.

One night while staying at our hostel we noticed a grocery store down the street with a large selection of produce. We decided to make our dinner that night be trying all the different types of fruit, most of which we had never seen. Derek purchased 5 different kinds of mango’s along with a wide variety of other fruit.  It was so fun trying all the different flavors.

Unable to take it for very long, we moved to a hotel closer to the airport after two nights, the night before our flight to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Definitely a good choice as we had an early morning flight.

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Final thoughts on Brazil:  Brazil is a massive country, and we wish we had the opportunity to spend more time there.  We will definitely be coming back as we want to explore the Brazilian Amazon, central regions, and northern and southern coastlines.   But, we loved our two-weeks that we had this time around.  Rio was amazing and the perfect way to relax before we hit the ground running in Bolivia. I know we are a ways behind in our writing- so we hope to share our next adventures with you soon! Thanks for reading!!

After taking the ferry back from Uruguay to Buenos Aires, we hopped right on an 18-hour overnight bus to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.  Our bus literally left BA just an hour after our ferry was scheduled to get into port- after our previous delays with the ferry’s this made me very nervous!

Alas, we had no problems at all getting to Puerto Iguazu.  Arriving on March 30^th, this is the town on the Argentina side of the Iguazu Falls.  Iguazu Falls sits on the border between Argentina and Brazil.  We elected to spend two nights on the Argentina side (in Puerto Iguazu) and two nights on the Brazil side (in Foz de Iguazu).  We had several highlights over our stay in the area:

Our hostel in Puerto Iguazu: For our stay in Puerto Iguazu, Argetina, we stayed at the Iguazu Falls Hostel. Having arrived late-morning by bus, we decided to spend Day 1 just hanging out at our hostel and exploring town.  The hostel was the perfect place to hang out, complete with a swimming pool to help us cool off in the hot sun. It also had the perfect location. It was a mere 2 blocks from the bus station (which is important considering that is where you catch buses to the Falls) and centrally located near restaurants, shops, and a grocery store.

This grocery store definitely came in handy.  Since Puerto Iguazu was out last stop in Argentina, we figured we needed to make sure to have one last Argentina steak dinner! But, we hadn’t been having the greatest luck with steak restaurants since Rio Gallegos (while the meat was great- it wasn’t cooked the way we typically like it).  So, we decided to go to the butcher and have our own BBQ.  In the stone grill at our hostel, Derek slow-cooked two large lomo filets and a whole rack of ribs to perfection.  It was some of the best steak we had had and the perfect final dinner to our fabulous stay in Argentina.

Puerto Iguazu: Prior to arriving in Puerto Iguazu, we had been told that the town doesn’t really have much to offer other than being in close proximity to Iguazu Falls.  We would beg to differ! The town is small and reasonably charming.  It also has a wide array of good restaurants offering everything from super-size salads to traditional Argentina BBQ. It’s not very big, either, so it’s a nice, charming place to stroll.

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Iguazu Falls: Amazing. Spectacular. Breathtaking. Mesmerizing. Huge. Enormous. Beautiful. Entrancing.  Riviting. Mind-blowing. Mother-nature at its best. Awe inspiring. Stunning. Colossal. Vast.

Honestly, there aren’t enough adjectives to truly describe what Iguazu Falls are like.  They are two-times larger than Niagara Falls, and we spent two days exploring them and taking in their beauty.  While you can visit from both the Argentina side and the Brazil side, we decided to spend both days at the Argentina side.  On the Argentina side you are very up close to the falls, while on the Brazil side you have a chance to see them from a distance and are able to get a panoramic view. It is recommended that if you do go to both sides, visit the Brazil side first.  Now I understand why.  You really are able to feel the power of the falls from the Argentina side.  Once you experience this, while panoramic pictures from Brazil can be pretty, it just doesn’t measure up (and it can be pretty pricey).

During the two days we spent wandering around the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls, we walked all throughout the set paths.  On the first day, we woke early and were among the first at the park. We were able to see the highlight “the Devil’s Throat before the large crowds formed. The Devil’s Throat really is spectacular.  At this location, all of the water being held on a plateau is funneled into a single large semi-circle, tumbling hundreds of feet over the edge.  The water pressure is so strong and there is so much of water that the mist from the water crashing at the bottom flies hundreds of feet into the air, soaking onlookers at the top of the waterfall.

We also had a great deal of time to walk around the smaller falls, both at the top and bottom of the plateau. At the top, its easy to get dizzy as you look down hundreds of feet over the edge, seeing the mist and rainbows being caused by sunlight hitting it.  At the bottom, you really feel amongst the water.  You have the chance to take the time and realize just how powerful the water is, as well as take in the beautiful scenery of lush plant and animal life.  We took the opportunity to get right in the middle of it all, too, buy exploring the small island in the center of them all, giving an opportunity to see just how many falls there are.

On the second day, we also took a boat ride right into the falls.  This was a fun adventure, where the boat driver literally takes you into some of the smaller waterfalls soaking everyone on-board.  While exhilarating, it only lasted about 10 minutes.  We wish we had had more of an opportunity to sight-see from this angle, as it was beautiful being so close.

While walking through the lush forests, we had the opportunity to see a lot of neat animals, too.  We saw monkeys, a wide array of colorful birds (including a toucan!), large and small lizards, caiman, huge catfish, butterflies, and several small jungle mammals.

Iguazu Falls really is a magical place.  It’s one of those places that makes one realize how powerful nature can be.  I think this is a must-see for anyone.

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Foz De Iguazu and MY BIRTHDAY!: After spending two full days in Puerto Iguazu and the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls, we headed for Foz de Iguazu, Brazil on April 1^st.  Having already decided to not visit the Brazil side of the falls, we decided to splurge for my birthday which is on April 2^nd.  So, we spent two nights in a nice hotel: the Golden Tulip.  This was definitely a first since we have started traveling, since it had mostly been hostels to date!

Upon first arriving to the Golden Tulip the evening of April 1^st, we decided to call it a chill night and order pizza.  Thinking we were getting off cheap, we decided to just order from the local Pizza Hut.  Note to anyone in Foz de Iguazu: do NOT under any circumstances order pizza here! We totally got ripped off.  Our medium cheese pizza ended up costing us ~$50 USD. We heard from another couple later that the same thing had happened at the same place. While we were still able to have a chill hang-out night, it was still ridiculous.

Waking up on my birthday in a big comfy bed in Brazil was amazing, and the entire day was perfect.  First, our hotel had a real buffet breakfast.  Up until this point in our trip, we pretty much almost always had just bread and jam with coffee, occasionally some fruit or juice. So, it was perfect to wake up to selections of all  kinds of eggs, sausage, casseroles, fruit, pastries, pancakes, and all different types of coffees, teas, and juices.  We ate so much for breakfast we didn’t even need to eat lunch! It was amazing J

After breakfast, Derek took off to figure out bus tickets and I had the opportunity to have a nice long chat with home.  It was nice being able to chat for a while, being so far away.  Derek surprised me in the lobby shortly after with a beautiful bouquet of red roses. I spent the rest of the morning getting pampered with my very first manicure (I stopped biting my nails!) and a pedicure.

Into the afternoon, the pampering continued.  Derek took care of me as we relaxed and laid by the pool- getting anything I needed and kept the fresh mojitos and caiperinhas coming!

Our night concluded with dinner in the nice restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.  It was a high-rise, so everywhere you could see lights of the city or dark of the surrounding forests.  We had a full meal complete with appetizers, dessert, and wine.  We chatted while a pianist played in the background.  This same pianist played happy birthday to me, as the staff sang and I was able to blow out candles.

While I had received my “official” birthday present from Derek a couple weeks prior (a beautifully handcrafted ring that I immediately fell in love with in Ushuaia), the surprises weren’t over.  Derek wrote me a song and sang it to me after we finished dessert.

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It really was the perfect birthday. I felt pampered and loved. And, how can one not enjoy a birthday in Brazil?!

The next day we left for Rio de Janeiro.  Definitely more to come on that as soon as possible!

Colonia del Sacramento

We elected to take a boat from BA to Colonia del Sacramento.  Colonia is a charming town located on the coast of Uruguay, two hours by bus north of the capital Montevideo. This old historic town has arguably more charm than Buenos Aires. It is full of cobble stone streets and colonial architecture, but this small town is much more quite then the busy Buenos Aires. Hosting only 21,000 people, it is much more manageable for shorter weekend trips. It reminded us of Galena, or other small charming towns in the US. However, note that we were there in March which is technically the “off season”.  We’ve heard it’s much busier during summer months (but still not nearly as big, crowded, or overwhelming as big cities).

We actually broke our stay in Colonia into two different phases. We spent 1 night in the town upon arrival to Uruguay (since that’s where the boat dropped us off) and 3 additional days toward the end of our Uruguay exploration as this is where we were to catch a boat back to Argentina for onward travel.  Our initial arrival into the town was delayed by several hours because the ferry we were supposed to catch out of Buenos Aires was canceled. Apparently this is somewhat common from the company we used, “Colonia Express”, as their slower, cheaper ferry breaks down a lot.  Keep this in mind when choosing a company! We weren’t warned ahead of time.

We arrived late in the evening, only allowing us to enjoy a night walk down the main street, to the water, where we had a quiet dinner. After dinner we poked our heads into a few of the many tourist shops to get an idea of the local merchandise. While walking the streets we spotted an ice cream parlor. Similar to a Baskin Robbins set up, this ice cream parlor had several varieties of ice cream. The flavors, however, were more exotic and several we had never seen before. After enjoying our ice cream during a stroll around town we decided to call it a night, tired from our day of travel.

After exploring other cities, we returned to Colonia for a couple days.  This time, we were really able to fully understand the town’s charm and allure.

The main highlight of Colonia is the town center itself.  Colonia has a very historic portion of town with an old fort, quaint shops, a light house with views of the whole shore, restaurants, and other ruins from its past. All of this thrown together with beautiful lighting during sunset sold the town for the two of us. As the sun set, Derek literally sprinted around the whole downtown square trying to capture the scenes of beautiful old windows, doors, and the small harbor on the north end of the peninsula with his camera.

Watching your step is crucial around the historic portion of town. Sections of roads around the center plaza have been closed to anything other than foot traffic for years. The lack of traffic leads to a more dramatic texture to the cobble stone and it seems it hasn’t changed since the stone was laid decades ago. Its grout is much more recessed then the busier streets and plants grow between patches of stone. We spent quite a bit of time shopping and strolling our last night in Colonia before enjoying some fine Uruguayan cuisine steak and seafood.

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Montevideo

During our stay in Uruguay’s capital city, we explored two very distinct districts the city has to offer:

1) The centro is an older portion containing the main shipping port and financial district. It contains several open plazas, shopping centers, and street markets in addition to business enterprise and government buildings.

2) Just outside cenrto to the South is a newer, more residential portion located along a beautiful beachfront.   It contains many condominium high-rises and restaurants.  Walking the beach, it resembles something like a city beach in Florida such as Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.

We stayed in a hostel right near the beach South of cento (unfortunately- while the location was great the hostel itself was one of our least favorite to date). Not doing as much research on Montevideo or really Uruguay as a whole, we pretty much set out on foot and took in anything we came across. This lack of strategy actually led to one of the more relaxing stretches on our trip.

Montevideo’s beach front stretches beautifully along the city’s southern coast. Multi-level condo buildings and businesses line its shore with a busy avenue separating them from the white sand beaches. Being its off season the beaches were mostly empty and the water much cooler but it didn’t stop us from spending an afternoon or two digging our toes into the sand. On the eastern edge of the beach a beautiful sign of “Montevideo”, similar to the Hollywood sing in California, serves as a reminder of just where we are in the world. We were able to get a little exercise in along the beach front going for several runs, a welcoming change of pace following hectic days eating and drinking our way through Buenos Aires.

After spending two days in the southern part of the city we caught a local bus to the city’s historic portion and financial district. The commercial pulse of Uruguay can be felt in and around its massive shipping port. Tall cranes stretch out above towering tanker ships filled with cargo. A few blocks in from port, Montevideo’s main street bustles with people from Uruguay’s wide range of socio-economic classes. It is not uncommon to see a horse drawn carriage sitting next to a Ferrai or BMW at an intersection. Multiple large plazas with green spaces, fountains, markets, and vendors break up the otherwise grid like city center. We window shopped our way from one end of town to the other working up an appetite.

Day gave way to night as we made our way back to one of our least favorite hostels on our trip so far. The people were cold, the accommodations were dingy, and we overall felt very unwelcome. So, to celebrate our last night here we ordered sushi in, played cards, drank wine and locked ourselves in our room enjoying the best company we could find. One bad hostel will not ruin our overall outlook on Montevideo as a whole. Ideally try to enjoy this beautiful city during their peak season, but if you find yourself here during slower times don’t hesitate to call it home for a few days.

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Punta del Este

There are more tall condo buildings than local residents in this pristine stretch of jaw-dropping beaches located along a narrow peninsula. South America’s elite build sprawling mansions and enjoy summer vacations here during their off time. During high season the city’s population quadruples as does its traffic congestion. Like the Cancun of Mexico, this is a popular spot for spring breaks.

Not being too familiar with the layout of the area, we booked a hostel 20 minutes up the coast just outside of Punta del Este’s centro. Surprisingly, the town of Mananitales is just far enough away to maintain its quite beach town atmosphere. Make sure you bring extra cash, though, because Mananitales has no ATM’s (this led to an interesting afternoon- see below).

The town of Mananitales itself is no more than two blocks long running parallel to the ocean with perpendicular streets reaching down to the beaches. Our hostel was located a ten minute walk from the shore. Run by two friendly hippies, this new hostel was a welcome change from our previous in Montevideo. Not to mention they had a dog, a puppy, a cat and a kitten. The dogs ran out and welcomed us upon arrival. The hostel was our most rustic hostel so far with minimal utilities and small basic rooms. Its construction was a U shape with an open air center and community room at its rear.

After unloading our gear we headed beachside along with our new dog friend, the older dog, to check out our surroundings. Needing some cash we asked around for the nearest ATM. Unfortunately the closest was in the next town over about 10 KM away. So, off we went with our shadow. Starting to get far away from the hostel, Derek decided to take the dog back fearing we might lose him (since he wasn’t on a leash) and be held responsible. This is where he received his new nickname, YoYo. Derek walked him all the way back to the hostel, closed the door, and headed back in the direction of the ATM. He checked several times along the way to make sure he was being followed- Derek even took a different route. Then, about 4KM from the hostel, Derek turned around to see the dog runing down the hill, wagging his tail and excited to see him. Hence the nickname YoYo, even when you send him away he comes right back! All Derek could do was wait with our new friend until I returned. Our evening was a quiet one, mingling with our hippy hosts and one other couple.

The area itself is known for its beaches, surfing, and being a good place to relax. Our days consisted of trips to the beach with YoYo and relaxing in the sun.

Another highlight of Punta del Este was on the second evening of our stay. The hostel hosts invited us and the other couple staying there to join them for a traditional Uruguayan dinner. They ran to the local market and picked up some different fish, vegetables, and wine. In the community area they had a bar and on the backside a brick wood-burning grill. Appetizers were delicious garlic shrimp in a wonderful sauce for dipping bread. The main course was a few different large fish alongside vegetables. They were kind enough to give Derek the massive head portion as an offer of welcoming. We all laughed and drank the night away creating great new friendships.

Our last night was spent with our host and two of their friends playing darts, drinking and playing music. One of the best parts about the main living area was they had a piano, two djembes and a guitar. We all took turns playing our songs and accompanying each other with different instruments. The following morning we sadly said goodbye to our generous hosts and headed back to Buenos Aires in route to Iguazu Falls.

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Although we only spent 10 days in Uruguay we quickly fell in love with the people and their wonderful beaches. Southern Uruguay has it all. Whether you’re looking for the party scene in Montevideo or Punta del Este (during their high season the night scene is lively and the beaches are full), or just looking to relax on a quiet stretch of sand, Uruguay is not to be missed when traveling to South America.

Buenos Aires (BA) was, by far, the city I was most excited to visit prior to leaving for this trip.  And it definitely didn’t let me down! From the minute we got off the bus on Friday, March 9^th, I knew we were going to love it.  And we did.  So much so, in fact, that we decided to spend over a week and a half exploring what it has to offer.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city.  One can immediately sense the European influence.   The charming neighborhoods tend to resemble something more like those in France or Italy, with old European style architecture, small cafes with good coffee and pastries on every corner, antique stores and boutique clothing shops, beautifully manicured parks with sculptures and fountains, and cobblestone roads. It was very easy to get caught up in all of it- just spending hours on end walking around admiring the buildings, parks, and people.

We had a lot of highlights throughout our stay here!

- Our Hostel/BBQ Night:

Located in an older part of BA, San Telmo, just south of the city center, our hostel (America del Sur) resembled a hotel more than a hostel. 7 floors sectioned off into 4 rooms each, some with dorms others with private rooms. The main floor was spacious with a small lounge hosting plenty of reading material on BA, a decent sized eating area with adjacent kitchen, and a large outdoor courtyard where people could gather for drinks or partake in an Argentine BBQ. Our room was a private room, perfect for a traveling couple. Equipped with a comfortable bed, TV (where we actually caught a Bulls game against the Heat and they won!), air conditioning, private bathroom, and even a blow dryer for me. That was a first since we started traveling!

The hostel staff was always very friendly, offering a smile during all hours of the day and always willing to provide local insight on the different things BA has to offer. On different days of the week a member of the staff will take a group staying at the hostel to various neighborhoods on a free walking tour for anyone interested.

Our first night staying at the hostel they were conveniently offering a flat rate all you can eat and drink traditional Argentine BBQ. Being tired from our 18 hour bus ride from Puerto Madryn, we jumped on the prospect having someone else cook for us. BBQ’s are also a great way to meet other travelers on your first night in a new location. As promised they served us various kinds of homemade salads and an assortment of meats cooked on their parilla (brick charcoal grill), while we mingled with other friendly travelers exchanging stories and recommendations from places we have been.

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- Our first night in the city:

After our delicious BBQ, a few drinks, and enlightening conversations, we decided to head out to a local bar, conveniently located right across the street from the hostel. The night life in BA does not get going until 2am or 3am but a few bars open up for the pre-party crowd around 10pm. Derek and I, along with two new friends, waited in a short line before ascending some stairs to a second floor un-named un-marked bar known only as red door for its bright red door entering the otherwise black building front.

Once inside, the bar resembled any typical American drinking hole with a crowed bar front, lounge area, and a pool table nestled in the back room offering laid back amateur friendly competition. The music was an arrangement of Rock and Roll classics (George Harrision’s “I got my mind set on you”, the staff knew every word) to Latin Pop, and everything in between. Ironically, after traveling thousands of miles from home, we spotted two items that brought us right back to the states. A tip jar for the staff with “Save Farris” on it and crazy enough a Bells Brewing Company sticker (Derek’s favorite small brewery located in Michigan and now popular all over the Chicago land area) plastered on the wall behind the bar. Too funny! We shared several drinks with our new friends, played a game or two of pool, and eventually left the bar around 4am, only to be followed up by a few more drinks back at the hostel before calling it a night. Welcome to Buenos Aires!

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- The neighborhoods (San Telmo, Centro, La Boca, Recoleta, Palermo):

Throughout out time in Buenos Aires, we took a lot of time to explore the various neighborhoods of the city. Like most big cities, the different neighborhoods are all very unique and have very different personalities and things to offer.

San Telmo: San Telmo is the neighborhood in which our hostel was located and where we spent the most time.  This neighborhood is an older one of the city, and it’s full of cobblestone streets and aging mansions.  Although it’s a little more run down than other parts of the city, the streets are lined with shopping boutiques and several outdoor cafes where you can sit and have a coffee or glass of wine. The streets here are narrow, and it feels like you could be walking through a city in Europe rather than one in South America.  It is a very energizing and artistic part of down, and it was very easy to get caught up in the charm and just spend hours walking around.  We would recommend staying in this area as there were a lot of things to do and see at reasonable prices.

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Centro:  Not too far from San Telmo is the Town Center and main business/financial center of the city.  Walking the streets here, there are also several important political buildings and monuments such as: Obelisco (looks similar to our own Washington Monument), The Metropolitan Cathedral, Palacio De Congress, Teatro Colon, the Casa Rosada, and main town square. The Casa Rosada (“Pink House”) is an interesting building which is the capital building for Argentina as BA is the capital of the country.  It was on the balcony of this building that the famous Eva Peron gave speeches to her people who gathered outside in the main city square to hear her speak.  As a fan of the “Evita” story, I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to see this! Currently, the main city square is where people come to protest and share their political opinions.  There are a series of statues and memorials here, most prominent of which is a permanent monument to recognize soldiers who had been killed while unsuccessfully trying to take over the Faukland Islands thirty years ago.  For anyone keeping up with current events, there are currently heavy tensions between the UK and Argentina as these islands off the coast of Argentina are still owned by the UK (and oil was recently discovered in the area).  You could definitely feel the tension in the signage and in watching the local news. It reminded us of Ushuaia when the British Flag could be found with a giant “X” through it in boat ports and there were signs comparing the British to pirates. Travelers from England that we met claimed they definitely weren’t openly volunteering their nationality unless they had to.

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La Boca: La Boca was the first neighborhood and settlement of Buenos Aries, and lays across the original port for the city (although no longer functioning). Boca’s defining factors are its architecture and that it is home to the Boca Juniors- BA’s primary soccer team. The streets are lined with very bright multi-colored metal buildings.  Originally, upon development of Buenos Aires, this came about because paint was limited and people decorated their homes with the colored wood and metal from the ships.  Over time, this became such a differentiating element of La Boca that local artists continue to paint the buildings with bright and lively colors and murals.  Although improving, Boca is still one of BA’s poorer neighborhoods and isn’t exceptionally tourist friendly.  As such, it’s great for a walk during the day, but it’s not recommended to explore this area at night (especially without a guide) as robberies, etc. are all too common.

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Recoleta: Recoleta is one of the snazzier parts of Buenos Aires.  It is safe, clean, renovated, and walking the streets feels almost like you could be in Old Town in downtown Chicago.  It has beautiful architecture and several shops and cafes.  The main attraction, though, is the Cemetario del la Recoleta. This is Buenos Aires’ elite cemetery where many of Argentina’s best are laid to rest, including the very famous Evita Peron.

Palermo: Like Recoleta, Palermo is a more upscale neighborhood of BA.  It is full of café and shop-lined streets, some of the most beautifully manicured parks we had ever seen, botanical gardens, and even a zoo.  There are also several museums.  Palermo is the part of the city with the hippest clubs and restaurants and the trendiest shopping. Like many of the other neighborhoods of BA, it also has beautiful old colonial-style architecture. 

-Football/soccer game

Before arriving to BA we stumbled upon a website on things to do in Buenos Aires. Landingpadba.com. Not only did they have a ton of great information about the city itself, but also sold ticket packages to a few of the city’s main attractions, one of which was a Boca Jr. soccer game. This was high on our things to do in South America and we were told there was no better place to watch a game then a Boca Jr. game in the La Boca neighborhood of BA.

We emailed back and forth with the company and before we knew it we were all set. They shuttled us to and from the game, which was perfect since La Boca is not the safest place, especially after a heated soccer game. We disembarked from our shuttle bus a few blocks from the stadium. Following our guide, we were led down into an open subbasement that led out to the street of some random building. Down below we were joined by a few other groups, where we consumed pitchers of beer and grilled meet, just as we would at a typical tailgating event back in the states.

Once fed, we were each given an ID card, with a picture of a stranger on it, for admittance into the game. Inside we were instructed where and where not to sit. Our section was directly across from the “Crazies”, some of the most insane, loyal, frenzied, involved, vocal fans on earth. Take drums, horns, flags, banners, passionate locals plugged into 1000 volts of electricity each (our only explanation of how these people convulsed, shook and chanted for the whole match) and you get the excitement of a national championship game for a regular season game. Not that our sections was tame by any standards, but looking across the field at what looked like a two hour raging party was electrifying. The match itself was actually exciting too. The two of us are by no means avid soccer fans but you can’t help but get involved. A back and forth game with 9 goals scored doesn’t hurt either. Sadly Boca Jr. lost but the memory of that game will stick with us for a life time.

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- San Telmo Antique Market on Sundays

Our neighborhood of San Telmo hosts a world famous antique market on Sundays. A mix of colonial architecture, cobbled stone streets, street performers, vendors, and tango music and you can’t help but fall in love with your surroundings. On the interior of the street, artiest and craftsman sell their hand made work, while the store fronts are lined with clothing boutiques, restaurants, and other antique stores. A few of the stores were high end selling gorgeous rare collections. The street fair encompasses a stretch of about 10 to 15 blocks ending on the far end in a beautiful tree and flower filled plaza. This is a must-see for anyone visiting BA and the San Telmo neighborhood.

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-  Evita’s Grave

Another must-see for anyone visiting BA is the Cemetario del la Recoleta. As mentioned earlier, this is Buenos Aires’ elite cemetery where many of Argentina’s elite are laid to rest, including the very famous Evita Peron. We decided to take a visit here to see the grave of Evita, but found that the cemetery has even more to offer.

We walked to the cemetery from San Telmo, which was quite a long way but gave us the opportunity to explore Centro and Recoleta neighborhoods on our way.  It seemed it ended up as an “Evita Day” as we passed the building where Evita gave her famous speeches while walking through Centro.

Cemetario del la Recoleta itself is absolutely beautiful. In this cemetery, people aren’t buried underground but are rather encased in family tombs. There are dozens upon dozens of intricately decorated tombs from the past 300 years. Many of them contain several generations of family members, and ornate stained glass allows you to see inside the tombs and see several decorated caskets and memorial displays.  On a quiet sunny day in BA, it was quite eerie knowing we were surrounded by so much death.

Evita’s tomb is relatively small and of more simple design, but you can immediately tell its one of the most visited.  The outside contains various engravings outlining the good she did for the Argentine people throughout her life.  All year round, flowers lay at the door of the tomb as visitors come to pay their respects.  To this day the Argentina population still loves and celebrates Evita.

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- The nightlife

Now the real night life does not get started in Buenos Aires until 2 or 3am. Some of the most popular spots don’t even open until 2 and close around 9am. This mixed with the heat surely explains why the city shuts down in the afternoon for siesta!

Not having any appropriate clothes to go out in, we both purchased some more appropriate evening wear so we would not be turned away in our hiking gear. It was simple for me to find a couple cute dresses in San Telmo, and Derek purchased a tight pair of grey jeans ( if they had his, size they would have been purple) and a tight v-neck argile patterned t-shirt. For those who know Derek, this is not his particular style. Alas, “when in Rome.” This was Buenos Aires where fashion comes first, so why not.

Our evening got started at a local open air bar with great live music. A four piece band playing a mixture of Amy Winehouse, Janis Jopplin, Raegge, and Latin music kicked off the night well. After killing a few hours with some friends from our Navimag adventure, we headed out to a night club. The people were beautiful, the music was great and we danced until 6am. Not quite making the 9 am closing time, but we were ok with that.

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- Tango lessons/show

Tango is a staple in BA. It can be seen all over the city, from street performers to professionals. The presence and attitude of tango city-wide adds to the sexiness of the city. Wanting to see a live show, we signed up through our hostel. The package actually included lessons and dinner beforehand.

A shuttle picked us up from the hostel winding its way through the city, picking up a few other couples as we made our way to the show. When we arrived we were led upstairs to a dance studio where the men were place on one side of the room and the women on the other. Our instructor (a member of the show) was very charismatic, bilingual, and above all good teacher. He taught the moves of the dance to the men and women separate, then let us practice them together with different partners. Not to confuse our brains and feet, the part we learned was broken into 3 different phases ending in the signature tango pose. I was asked to demonstrate two key phases of the dance in front of the whole class. Not considering myself a great dancer, I was so nervous! Derek  took photos.

Versed in the artful dance of the tango, we were ready for dinner and the show. The theatre was well designed and intimate. Above the main floor off to the side of the stage hung a balcony where the musicians performed. The music was just as great as the dancing!  Tables surrounded the stage on three sides forming a U shape. The dining area was no more than 2 to 3 tables deep so viewing was never obstructed. Seven performers in all; 3 women, 3 men, and one old man acting as emcee who sang between pieces. Each piece took us through the history and evolution of the tango. Costumes changed to fit the time era as did the music and dance.

Sometime after midway the dancers came out to dance with the crowd. As the dancers came out, the first was the best female dancer; tall, beautiful, and dressed in full tango attire. Unexpectedly she asked Derek to tango. In front of a full theatre, he had to quickly remember my moves with a professional. Somehow he pulled them out without too much embarrassment. It was my turn to take the pictures!

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- Palermo and Our BA Steak Dinner

On one of our last night in Buenos Aires we decided we would go out for a nice steak dinner. Argentina is known for its quality of beef. We wanted to replicate our experience in Rio Gallegos, where we had the best steak of our lives, so we followed a Lonely Planet recommendation and headed up to the Palermo neighborhood.

We spent the whole day up to dinner in Palermo.  We walked the streets, did some shopping, and explored the beautiful parks.  The parks were some of the most amazing we’ve ever seen.  In some, locals would congregate, playing soccer or playing drums/music and dancing.  Like Chicago, it seems like every person in the city was outside on a beautiful summer day.  Other parks we explored were very beautifully manicured, with hundreds of flower patches, rose gardens, fountains, and cobblestone walkways.  The botanical gardens are also in this area, so we decided to take a stroll to get a feel for the native plants of the South America.

Working up an appetite with all the walking, we went out for our BA steak dinner.  Net, we had a great dinner, but even this highly recommended steak house we could find in BA didn’t compare to the steak   dinner we had in Rio Gallegos.

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- Trying to watch NCAA basketball abroad

We were in BA for the start of the March Madness.  For anyone who knows Derek, you know he loves his March Madness and college basketball. So, for opening weekend we obviously needed to find a place to watch a few games!

After some searching, we found only one bar in the city that would show all the games. So, one afternoon we hung out at a bar watching basketball and eating chicken wings for the first time since we arrived in South America. It was packed with a combination of other American travelers looking for the games as well as a bunch of locals who couldn’t care less about basketball.

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- Overall

Buenos Aires is amazing city.  It’s a city that makes one feel alive.  The streets, building, and people are beautiful and friendly.  Perhaps one day we will invest in a vacation home here J

We left BA for something completely different- Uruguay.  We will be posting more on that soon (I know there was quite a wait for this- we’ve been on the go-go-go!).