When I’ve talked to world travelers about South America, I’m told of warm, welcoming countries that, despite having faced difficult times, are great places to travel with interesting cultures and an amazing history. I’ve met female travelers that have wandered solo through the continent, speaking highly of the experience. Now is the time to go, while I’m young and have the opportunity to do so.
I have six weeks to explore South America. Up until a week ago, I had been preparing myself mentally for a five month move to Buenos Aires, Argentina, during which time I would be able to take leisurely weekend trips. A week ago, I decided to change this plan into an intense six week travel. I plan to hit up all the same places on my list. It’ll be a great time.
Given the short amount of time to visit the continent, I’ve decided that it’d help to make a basic itinerary. Ushuaia, Bariloche and Cuzco required flights to be booked, thus, are not flexible. For all other places, I’ll need to figure out the bus schedules once I’m down there. This ought to be interesting.
I'd like to welcome everyone to experience my travels with me by visiting this blog. Please feel free to post any comments and/or suggestions. With luck, I'll be returning home safely with a memory to last a lifetime.
Current Itinerary.
April 4. Flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
April 5. Arrive in Buenos Aires. Flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. Arrive in the most Southern city in the world, capital of Tierra del Fuego.
April 6/7. Explore Tierra del Fuelgo.
April 8 - 10. Begin travel North, along the coast through Patagonia. Explore Patagonia. Goal: Take pictures with the penguins that chill along the coastline. Ultimate destination: Buenos Aires.
April 11 - 14. Take ferry from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Uruguay. Check out Colonia, Montevideo, and Punta del Este.
April 15. Meet Jeff (the boyfriend) at the Buenos Aires airport, early morning. Begin first exploration of Buenos Aires, the city. Hit up the main regions, La Boca, San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo, and Via Florida. Experience the weekend outdoor markets, tango in the streets, and any adventure that comes our way.
April 16. Buenos Aires, Day 2. Explore Palermo Viejo, Recoleta, Teatro Colon. More dining and adventures in the city.
April 17 - 19. Travel to Bariloche, Argentina. Chill in a Swiss-like village high in the Patagonia region. Return to Buenos Aires mid-day on the 19th.
April 19, evening. Experience an outrageously overpriced tango/dinner show. Hit up the amazing nightlife of the city. Dinner should start around 10 pm, clubs start around 2 am. Awesome.
April 20 - 21. Free days in Buenos Aires. Possible day trip to the Tigre, a port town 25 kilometers outside of the city.
April 21, late evening. Jeff’s departure for the States. My departure from Buenos Aires. Destination: Cuzco, Peru.
April 22. Arrive in Cuzco, Peru. Acclimate to the high altitude.
April 24 - 27. Four day, three night trek to Machu Picchu, on foot. See the Lost City of the Incas.
April 28 - May 3. Hit the road. Travel through Peru to Bolivia. Goal Destination: Uyuni, Salt Lakes in Bolivia. Travel through Bolivia to Argentina. Goal Destination: Salta, Argentina.
May 4 - 6. Cordoba, Argentina. World Rally Championship. Watch as rally cars go tearing by at insane speeds, drifting through turns. God bless rally drivers. What is rally? Google "Climb Dance" video.
May 7 - 10. Free days in Argentina.
May 11. Flight to return home.
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007
Ushuaia, Argentina -- First Day
I arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina yesterday evening more than 30 hours
after I had been dropped off at the San Francisco Airport. This was the most brutally long journey I have ever taken. My flight
started from San Francisco to Atlanta, Georgia, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Ushuaia, Argentina. I spent much of the trip
in a state of delirium, strolling the airports during my layovers and struggling not to pass out.
During my wait for my flight in SFO, I met a woman from Argentina, who after hearing my itinerary, assured me excitedly that I would have a wonderful trip, and that Argentines really know how to enjoy life. I asked about different cities to visit and about the bus system, to which she replied that the country is very safe to travel and easily accessible by bus. This qualmed any fears that may have preoccupied my mind.
From Atlanta to Buenos Aires, I was seated next to a Boston state trooper. He had decided on a 10day vacation to Buenos Aires, of which much was just as unplanned as my own. We decided to celebrate our trips by downing good amounts of red wine. Cheers to vacation!
In Buenos Aires, I transferred to the domestic airport and waited for the flight. I can´t help but be reminded of Europe. The people here seem rather fixated on beauty and image. During the wait for my flight in Atlanta, I noticed immediately the number of beautiful people filling the waiting area for the flight. There was one entourage of men who were so beautiful, sporting Coach bags and posing, rather than standing, that I was entranced, wondering what universe I had entered. I´ve never seen men strut and pose so much, rather than walking and standing like any other human being.
Ushuaia, Argentina.
Upon arrival at the Ushuaia airport, I met two Israeli girls traveling to my same hostel so we decided to take a taxi there together. This is one of the things I love most about traveling -- there are so many other backpackers on the road that it´s possible to meet people from all over the world.
Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world. The phrase, "Fin del mundo", is posted around the city, boasting it to be the End of the World. There is a single main downtown road consisting of tourist shops, restaurants, travel agencies, and internet cafes. The city offers access to an array of activities -- boat rides to see the sea lions and penguin colonies, access to Antartica, trekking and mountain biking in the National Park, and various museums showing the history of this town. I´ll update soon with details of my adventures.
Pictures from my morning jog.
Sunrise in Ushuaia.
Road to center.
View of Ushuaia.
Main street in downtown.
Rest assured, there is a Mitsubishi Motors here.
Unfortunately, I´ve only seen Subaru Imprezas so far..
Where´s the Letter ´F´in the Spanish language?
I don´t believe there is a ´F´in the spanish language. I´m too lazy to look it up and can´t remember this from my Spanish books, however, I´ve noticed that the Volkswagen Golfs here only saw ´Gol´on the back. Now, at first, I thought the letter ´F´was stripped by the owner, but after realizing that every single Golf I saw only said ´GOL´, I think this is true. Let me know if anyone is able to confirm.
During my wait for my flight in SFO, I met a woman from Argentina, who after hearing my itinerary, assured me excitedly that I would have a wonderful trip, and that Argentines really know how to enjoy life. I asked about different cities to visit and about the bus system, to which she replied that the country is very safe to travel and easily accessible by bus. This qualmed any fears that may have preoccupied my mind.
From Atlanta to Buenos Aires, I was seated next to a Boston state trooper. He had decided on a 10day vacation to Buenos Aires, of which much was just as unplanned as my own. We decided to celebrate our trips by downing good amounts of red wine. Cheers to vacation!
In Buenos Aires, I transferred to the domestic airport and waited for the flight. I can´t help but be reminded of Europe. The people here seem rather fixated on beauty and image. During the wait for my flight in Atlanta, I noticed immediately the number of beautiful people filling the waiting area for the flight. There was one entourage of men who were so beautiful, sporting Coach bags and posing, rather than standing, that I was entranced, wondering what universe I had entered. I´ve never seen men strut and pose so much, rather than walking and standing like any other human being.
Ushuaia, Argentina.
Upon arrival at the Ushuaia airport, I met two Israeli girls traveling to my same hostel so we decided to take a taxi there together. This is one of the things I love most about traveling -- there are so many other backpackers on the road that it´s possible to meet people from all over the world.
Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world. The phrase, "Fin del mundo", is posted around the city, boasting it to be the End of the World. There is a single main downtown road consisting of tourist shops, restaurants, travel agencies, and internet cafes. The city offers access to an array of activities -- boat rides to see the sea lions and penguin colonies, access to Antartica, trekking and mountain biking in the National Park, and various museums showing the history of this town. I´ll update soon with details of my adventures.
Pictures from my morning jog.
Sunrise in Ushuaia.
Road to center.
View of Ushuaia.
Main street in downtown.
Rest assured, there is a Mitsubishi Motors here.
Unfortunately, I´ve only seen Subaru Imprezas so far..
Where´s the Letter ´F´in the Spanish language?
I don´t believe there is a ´F´in the spanish language. I´m too lazy to look it up and can´t remember this from my Spanish books, however, I´ve noticed that the Volkswagen Golfs here only saw ´Gol´on the back. Now, at first, I thought the letter ´F´was stripped by the owner, but after realizing that every single Golf I saw only said ´GOL´, I think this is true. Let me know if anyone is able to confirm.
SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2007
Ushuaia, Argentina -- First Day Continued
I had the most amazing day yesterday. I feel as though I´ve
lived on week in one day.
I awoke early from a well-rested evening and headed off for a jog around 8 AM. (see previous blog for pictures). I had reserved a spot to take a boat out to see the sights set at 10 AM. At 9 AM, I was told the trip was cancelled. I can´t say I wasn´t disappointed, however, I found another company that provided rides starting 3 PM, so I booked a space with them. I took a long walk to center and relaxed for a bit.
The boat trip was set to go through the Beagle Channel to see a colony of sea lions at La Isla de Los Lobos, the Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island) filled with a colony of commodorants, and the Faro del fin del Mundo “Les Eclaireures,” the Light House at the End of the World. A long journey would then lead us to see a colony of Magallenic penguins.
Around 2,30, I stopped by the dock to check into my boat:
As I entered and signed into the log (which required me to note my nationality), I saw that there was a girl from Japan. I walked into the main area, at which point, the Japanese girl and I saw one another, and declared, ´Oh!´, as in Oh holy shit, there´s another Asian female traveling alone. This was the first I´d seen so far. Score, another point for females traveling alone.
Fumi, I discovered, was an advanced world traveller. Her travels included all of Europe, including Turkey, Dubai (UAE) where she had to travel under veil to meet her boyfriend in a small village outside of the city, most of Asia, including all of India, and now her plans were to stay in South America for six months. She plans to visit Colombia and Paraguay, both of which are risky from an American´s point of view. Salute, to her. It´s wonderful and inspiring to meet other female travellers who have no fear to travel the world alone.
As we waited for the boat to fill with other travellers, she recogniized two girls from her hostel -- Vannesa, a well-travelled female from Cuzco, Peru, and Naho, another Japanese girl travelling the world alone. Score two more for females traveling alone.
As soon as the boat was fully loaded, we took off. Views from the boat:
We came upon La Isla de Los Lobos. The entirety of the small land mass was covered by a colony of sea lions.
As I gazed at these brown worm-like creatures, I noticed that there was a substance such as blood covering part of the rock underneath on sea lion. Blood, I thought? As I questioned this out loud, the sea lion´s ass suddenly exploded with reddish-brown substance. No, this was not blood, it was simply liquid poo. Nasty.
The boat moved a small distance to Isla de los Pajaros, covered with Commodorant birds.
A beautiful day at the End of the World:
Les Eclaireures:
After these islands, the boat journey to see the penguins started. The entire trip would be 4.5 hours -- about 1.5 hours is the long distance to the island with penguins. During this journey, I spent time chatting with my new friends, finding out many recommendations things to do in South America. Vannesa worked for a tour company in Cuzco, Peru, and was full of advice for Cuzco. She also knew the city of Buenos Aires well, so I´m now equipped with a full list of places to go, dine, and shows that I must see. I´ve found that the best way to experience traveling is to get advice from other fellow travellers.
Single Female Travellers United -- Naho, me, Vannesa, and Fumi:
Once we reached the penguin island, the boat literally went ashore. We weren´t allowed to get oof the island, but the boat stopped there for a good amount of time, allowing us to take pictures of these adorable creatures.
The penguins just stand there, chilling:
¿Penguin? ¿Or Duck? (Who knew penguins swim like that .. they didn't show this in March of the Penguins... different penguins swim in different styles, I suppose?).
Aww.. Look how cute he looks!
We arrived back to Ushuaia around 7,30 pm, at which time Vannesa was in a rush to get to the Museo of the End of the World. At this museum, one can get a stamp in his or her passport stating, ´Fin del Mundo.´ I was up for the run, so we were the first to sprint off the boat towards the museum. Seems like many of my travels always include running.
We made it to the museum in time. My passport now sports two new stamps -- the ´Beagle Channel´ and ´Fin del Mundo.´
I headed back to my hostel to prepare for dinner. I had agreed to meet Vannesa, Fumi, and Naho at the downtown area for dinner. Dinner in Argentina starts late -- we met around 10 pm to eat at a restaurant with ´Tenedor Libre,´indicating all-you-can-eat. The food was great, with an amazing amount of meat. We stayed at dinner until 1,30 AM, chatting away in the typical girl gossip fashion. Thank god for estrogen -- I´ve missed this during my stay in San Jose. I feel like I´ve become a man lately, after taking auto classes and spending my weekends at autosports.
Fumi, we learned, had been travelling on and off since the age of 18. She is now 30 years of age, but is delaying her trip back to Japan, due to her impending marriage that will soon come. Her fiancé of seven years proposed marriage by asking her parents directly (rather than her), and she decided to play the escape artist by simply leaving the country. She kept repeating that in Japan, once you start working, there is very little vacation. She planned to stay in South America for 6 or 7 months.
Vannesa and I, with our Western mentalities of love and marriage, were shocked that Fumi and her fiance had spent years apart during their separate travels. How can one marry someone who they had barely spent time with over the years? It baffled us.
After dinner, Fumi and Naho decided to head back to the hostel. Vannesa and I began our night´s adventure, which would start at an Irish pub called ´Dublin,´before heading to the local disco, ´Saint Christophers.´ The pub was full with travellers. Since it was Easter weekend, the town was full of Argentines from all over the country. Vannesa, I learned, is a free-spirited, very independant woman who has an amazing grasp of several languages. Her English is excellent, as is her French, and Italian. It always amazes me that people all over the world are able to speak multiple languages fluently.
As we passed the evening, I realized that I had forgotten to get a key to re-enter the hostel, as it was locked after midnight. It was now around 2 AM. Luckily, I saw the guy who worked the reception desk of the hostel, Lucas, and immediately went over and explained the situation. He told me to chill at the bar for a while, during which time he would drive back to the hostel, grab an extra key for me, then give it to me so that I could enjoy my evening. I was surprised by this, as it was an unnecessary act of kindness. I had planned to simply spend the night out until 7 AM or get a bed at the hostel where Vannesa was staying. Acts of kindness -- something I keep encountering during my travel.
It was at this bar that I realized how small of a town Ushuaia is -- we met one of the workers who promoted the boat tour that we had been on earlier that day. Alejandro -- a very fortunate Argentine of Italian heritage who had both Argentine and Italian passports. He had worked his way through the European Union and now enjoyed the calm life in Ushuaia. We toasted to travels and the beauty of life, enjoying the national beer, Quilmes.
Vannesa and I left the bar around 3 AM in search of Saint Christopher disco. As we arrived, we were impressed to see that the place was filled with well-dressed Argentines, dancing away to Latin techno and trance music. Keep in mind, both of us were in travellers´gear. I had one a pair of hiking boots -- not exactly the most glamorous of clothing. At the entrance, we were shocked to learn that the cover was 10 pesos (Girls have to pay!?!). We eventually negotiated the price down to 10 pesos for the two of us, which meant a cover charge of less than 2 US Dollars for me. Well-done, I must say.
The dance floor was packed. People of all ages were out, 20 to 50 years of old, dancing the night away. The latin music was awesome, the crowd going crazy, until the DJ put on ´Pump It´ by the Black Eyed Peas. At this point, the entire dance floor stopped dancing and looked around bored. I guess the American music isn´t that popular here? It was interesting to note that my hiking boots were perfect for the dance club, in that the ground was littered with broken glass from beer bottles and glasses. Thank god for protecting my feet. Vannesa and I stayed at the club until 4,30 AM, at which time she needed to head back to the hostel, grab her bags, and get on her 5 AM bus ride. She had a bus ride back to Buenos Aires that would take 3 days. It was at this point that I realized how spoiled of a traveller I am -- she would spent 3 days on a bus, while I would spend 3 hours on a plane to return to Buenos Aires. I´m incredibly fortunate.
We parted ways, promising to meet up when I came to Cuzco. I don´t know if I´ll ever see her again, but we had a great night together, dining, drinking, and dancing the night away. My stay in Ushuaia was complete now -- I´d seen my penguins, experienced a great dinner, and met some great people.
I awoke early from a well-rested evening and headed off for a jog around 8 AM. (see previous blog for pictures). I had reserved a spot to take a boat out to see the sights set at 10 AM. At 9 AM, I was told the trip was cancelled. I can´t say I wasn´t disappointed, however, I found another company that provided rides starting 3 PM, so I booked a space with them. I took a long walk to center and relaxed for a bit.
The boat trip was set to go through the Beagle Channel to see a colony of sea lions at La Isla de Los Lobos, the Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island) filled with a colony of commodorants, and the Faro del fin del Mundo “Les Eclaireures,” the Light House at the End of the World. A long journey would then lead us to see a colony of Magallenic penguins.
Around 2,30, I stopped by the dock to check into my boat:
As I entered and signed into the log (which required me to note my nationality), I saw that there was a girl from Japan. I walked into the main area, at which point, the Japanese girl and I saw one another, and declared, ´Oh!´, as in Oh holy shit, there´s another Asian female traveling alone. This was the first I´d seen so far. Score, another point for females traveling alone.
Fumi, I discovered, was an advanced world traveller. Her travels included all of Europe, including Turkey, Dubai (UAE) where she had to travel under veil to meet her boyfriend in a small village outside of the city, most of Asia, including all of India, and now her plans were to stay in South America for six months. She plans to visit Colombia and Paraguay, both of which are risky from an American´s point of view. Salute, to her. It´s wonderful and inspiring to meet other female travellers who have no fear to travel the world alone.
As we waited for the boat to fill with other travellers, she recogniized two girls from her hostel -- Vannesa, a well-travelled female from Cuzco, Peru, and Naho, another Japanese girl travelling the world alone. Score two more for females traveling alone.
As soon as the boat was fully loaded, we took off. Views from the boat:
We came upon La Isla de Los Lobos. The entirety of the small land mass was covered by a colony of sea lions.
As I gazed at these brown worm-like creatures, I noticed that there was a substance such as blood covering part of the rock underneath on sea lion. Blood, I thought? As I questioned this out loud, the sea lion´s ass suddenly exploded with reddish-brown substance. No, this was not blood, it was simply liquid poo. Nasty.
The boat moved a small distance to Isla de los Pajaros, covered with Commodorant birds.
A beautiful day at the End of the World:
Les Eclaireures:
After these islands, the boat journey to see the penguins started. The entire trip would be 4.5 hours -- about 1.5 hours is the long distance to the island with penguins. During this journey, I spent time chatting with my new friends, finding out many recommendations things to do in South America. Vannesa worked for a tour company in Cuzco, Peru, and was full of advice for Cuzco. She also knew the city of Buenos Aires well, so I´m now equipped with a full list of places to go, dine, and shows that I must see. I´ve found that the best way to experience traveling is to get advice from other fellow travellers.
Single Female Travellers United -- Naho, me, Vannesa, and Fumi:
Once we reached the penguin island, the boat literally went ashore. We weren´t allowed to get oof the island, but the boat stopped there for a good amount of time, allowing us to take pictures of these adorable creatures.
The penguins just stand there, chilling:
¿Penguin? ¿Or Duck? (Who knew penguins swim like that .. they didn't show this in March of the Penguins... different penguins swim in different styles, I suppose?).
Aww.. Look how cute he looks!
We arrived back to Ushuaia around 7,30 pm, at which time Vannesa was in a rush to get to the Museo of the End of the World. At this museum, one can get a stamp in his or her passport stating, ´Fin del Mundo.´ I was up for the run, so we were the first to sprint off the boat towards the museum. Seems like many of my travels always include running.
We made it to the museum in time. My passport now sports two new stamps -- the ´Beagle Channel´ and ´Fin del Mundo.´
I headed back to my hostel to prepare for dinner. I had agreed to meet Vannesa, Fumi, and Naho at the downtown area for dinner. Dinner in Argentina starts late -- we met around 10 pm to eat at a restaurant with ´Tenedor Libre,´indicating all-you-can-eat. The food was great, with an amazing amount of meat. We stayed at dinner until 1,30 AM, chatting away in the typical girl gossip fashion. Thank god for estrogen -- I´ve missed this during my stay in San Jose. I feel like I´ve become a man lately, after taking auto classes and spending my weekends at autosports.
Fumi, we learned, had been travelling on and off since the age of 18. She is now 30 years of age, but is delaying her trip back to Japan, due to her impending marriage that will soon come. Her fiancé of seven years proposed marriage by asking her parents directly (rather than her), and she decided to play the escape artist by simply leaving the country. She kept repeating that in Japan, once you start working, there is very little vacation. She planned to stay in South America for 6 or 7 months.
Vannesa and I, with our Western mentalities of love and marriage, were shocked that Fumi and her fiance had spent years apart during their separate travels. How can one marry someone who they had barely spent time with over the years? It baffled us.
After dinner, Fumi and Naho decided to head back to the hostel. Vannesa and I began our night´s adventure, which would start at an Irish pub called ´Dublin,´before heading to the local disco, ´Saint Christophers.´ The pub was full with travellers. Since it was Easter weekend, the town was full of Argentines from all over the country. Vannesa, I learned, is a free-spirited, very independant woman who has an amazing grasp of several languages. Her English is excellent, as is her French, and Italian. It always amazes me that people all over the world are able to speak multiple languages fluently.
As we passed the evening, I realized that I had forgotten to get a key to re-enter the hostel, as it was locked after midnight. It was now around 2 AM. Luckily, I saw the guy who worked the reception desk of the hostel, Lucas, and immediately went over and explained the situation. He told me to chill at the bar for a while, during which time he would drive back to the hostel, grab an extra key for me, then give it to me so that I could enjoy my evening. I was surprised by this, as it was an unnecessary act of kindness. I had planned to simply spend the night out until 7 AM or get a bed at the hostel where Vannesa was staying. Acts of kindness -- something I keep encountering during my travel.
It was at this bar that I realized how small of a town Ushuaia is -- we met one of the workers who promoted the boat tour that we had been on earlier that day. Alejandro -- a very fortunate Argentine of Italian heritage who had both Argentine and Italian passports. He had worked his way through the European Union and now enjoyed the calm life in Ushuaia. We toasted to travels and the beauty of life, enjoying the national beer, Quilmes.
Vannesa and I left the bar around 3 AM in search of Saint Christopher disco. As we arrived, we were impressed to see that the place was filled with well-dressed Argentines, dancing away to Latin techno and trance music. Keep in mind, both of us were in travellers´gear. I had one a pair of hiking boots -- not exactly the most glamorous of clothing. At the entrance, we were shocked to learn that the cover was 10 pesos (Girls have to pay!?!). We eventually negotiated the price down to 10 pesos for the two of us, which meant a cover charge of less than 2 US Dollars for me. Well-done, I must say.
The dance floor was packed. People of all ages were out, 20 to 50 years of old, dancing the night away. The latin music was awesome, the crowd going crazy, until the DJ put on ´Pump It´ by the Black Eyed Peas. At this point, the entire dance floor stopped dancing and looked around bored. I guess the American music isn´t that popular here? It was interesting to note that my hiking boots were perfect for the dance club, in that the ground was littered with broken glass from beer bottles and glasses. Thank god for protecting my feet. Vannesa and I stayed at the club until 4,30 AM, at which time she needed to head back to the hostel, grab her bags, and get on her 5 AM bus ride. She had a bus ride back to Buenos Aires that would take 3 days. It was at this point that I realized how spoiled of a traveller I am -- she would spent 3 days on a bus, while I would spend 3 hours on a plane to return to Buenos Aires. I´m incredibly fortunate.
We parted ways, promising to meet up when I came to Cuzco. I don´t know if I´ll ever see her again, but we had a great night together, dining, drinking, and dancing the night away. My stay in Ushuaia was complete now -- I´d seen my penguins, experienced a great dinner, and met some great people.
