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| El Calafate, Argentina - Day 3 |
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
El Calafate, Argentina - Day 3
Today was a picture, blog, and relaxation day as I waited for my flight in the afternoon to Bariloche.
El Calafate, Argentina - Day 2
El Calafate is the jump off point for the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the third largest body of fresh water in the world, and one of only a three glaciers in South America which are increasing in size. The glacier advances at the rate of 2 meters per day, causing large chucks of ice to fall off in breathtaking fashion.
The first thing you noise when standing on the platform overlooking the immense glacier is the constant groaning bellow, like a Brontosaurus trying desperately to escape from the glacier’s icy grasp, but has given up hope and is content to periodically roar in frustration. The next thing that occurs is that chunks of ice, sometimes small like the size of person, sometimes larger like the size of a car cleaves off of the glacier and crashes into the water in a colossal manner creating a temporary crater and seismic waves to a thunderous splash.
Oh, then I strapped on some ice crampons and trekked over the glacieral hills, valleys, rivers, and deep crevices. Easily another highlight of the trip!
The first thing you noise when standing on the platform overlooking the immense glacier is the constant groaning bellow, like a Brontosaurus trying desperately to escape from the glacier’s icy grasp, but has given up hope and is content to periodically roar in frustration. The next thing that occurs is that chunks of ice, sometimes small like the size of person, sometimes larger like the size of a car cleaves off of the glacier and crashes into the water in a colossal manner creating a temporary crater and seismic waves to a thunderous splash.
Oh, then I strapped on some ice crampons and trekked over the glacieral hills, valleys, rivers, and deep crevices. Easily another highlight of the trip!
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| El Calafate, Argentina - Day 2 |
Saturday, December 27, 2008
El Chalten, Argentina - Day 3
Today I did a shorter five hour trek to Mirador Cerra Torre, a smaller mountain range than Fitz Roy and then caught a bus back to El Calafate in the evening.
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| El Chalten, Argentina - Day 3 |
Thursday, December 25, 2008
El Chalten, Argentina - Day 2
This was one of the highlights of the trip. Fitz Roy. Immense and amazing. It was a 7 hour round trip hike up a steep ravine. The last 500 meters was an intense climb up a steep rocky incline that even a mountain goat would balk at. And it was totally worth it. The views at the top were breathtaking and awe inspiring.
In front of you dramatically looms Fitz Roy, strikingly towering over you with it's shimmering crystal clear blue glacier lake at your feet. To your left and right, gigantic snow capped mountains encapsulating prehistoric glaciers struggling to reach up to Fitz Roy, and behind you, a magnificently stunning valley with a river peacefully meandering through the trees.
Ok I’ve run out of illustrative adjectives so I’ll stop because I don’t feel like consulting a thesaurus.
In front of you dramatically looms Fitz Roy, strikingly towering over you with it's shimmering crystal clear blue glacier lake at your feet. To your left and right, gigantic snow capped mountains encapsulating prehistoric glaciers struggling to reach up to Fitz Roy, and behind you, a magnificently stunning valley with a river peacefully meandering through the trees.
Ok I’ve run out of illustrative adjectives so I’ll stop because I don’t feel like consulting a thesaurus.
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| El Chalten, Argentina - Day 2 |
El Chalten, Argentina - Day 1
El Chalten is the trekking capital of Argentina with easy access to the famous Fitz Roy mountain range and Cerra Torre. We arrived mid afternoon; and with some people I met on the bus, spent a lazy day having lunch and doing a short 2 hour trek to a waterfall. The highlight of the trip was actually catching a train of horses traveling along the road and through the ravine. At first we only saw about 20 horses coming along the road in a single file line seemingly leading themselves along the path but at the end of the train a gaucho was following along to ensure that none strayed.
The weather is extremely fickle with the mountain ranges causing some strong wind tunnels. At times the wind was so strong that we couldn’t even walk forward and had to hold on to each other to keep from falling over. Luckily we only did an easy hike and not the 7 hour hike up to Fitz Roy which could have caused significant issues with windy conditions like the ones we faced that day.
The weather is extremely fickle with the mountain ranges causing some strong wind tunnels. At times the wind was so strong that we couldn’t even walk forward and had to hold on to each other to keep from falling over. Luckily we only did an easy hike and not the 7 hour hike up to Fitz Roy which could have caused significant issues with windy conditions like the ones we faced that day.
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| El Chalten, Argentina - Day 1 |
Torres del Paine, Chile - Day 1
The Torres del Paine National Park in Chile is popular hiking destination with three huge towers created by glacier movements. Most hikers do a 5 day trek in the shape of a “W” around the three large spires.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to stay there for 5 days so I did a one day tour from El Calafate. We left at 6 in the morning and got back at 10 pm. It was a long trip but well worth it as the views are stunningly breathtaking. Sometimes amazing landscape views cannot be truly captured in all their exquisite beauty with a simple photo. I tried. I tried hard. But I failed desperately.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to stay there for 5 days so I did a one day tour from El Calafate. We left at 6 in the morning and got back at 10 pm. It was a long trip but well worth it as the views are stunningly breathtaking. Sometimes amazing landscape views cannot be truly captured in all their exquisite beauty with a simple photo. I tried. I tried hard. But I failed desperately.
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| Torres del Paine, Chile - Day 1 |
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 5
After a hard day of working on my blog and pictures, I wanted to treat myself to a nice meal so I set out for Volver, a good seafood restaurant overlooking the water to try the local specialty - King Crab!
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| Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 5 |
Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 4
Today I went on a boat tour of local animal preserves checking out seals, birds, and local fauna. In the evening, I went to see some beaver huts and damns. The locals had imported the beavers to harvest their pelts, but the beaver’s pelts did not grow the same way that they did in Canada and the locals couldn’t use the pelts as originally intended. As a result, the swimming mutant rodents have built damns, flooded the natural habitat, and taken over the forests as they have no local predator.
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| Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 4 |
Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 3
Today I went on an off roading trip in a 4 x 4 around the lake area. I’m never doing that again unless I'm the one driving. It was a full car and I had to sit in the back which is akin to playing twister in a cement mixer with 4 other people. I think I got a minor concussion. Steak was great!
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| Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 3 |
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 2
Ushuaia is purported to be southern most city in the world. While there are other groups of people further south than Ushuaia, like Antarctica, this city has all the trappings of a genuine city with a hospital, university, army base, etc. There is one road that connects Ushuaia all the way up through North America and ends in Alaska. On my lake trek we ended our canoeing part of the trip at a sign which says its 17,848 km up to Alaska.
Ushuaia started out as prison city; where Argentina would send their most harden criminals. They have since transformed the prison into the oddest museum that I’ve ever been too. A couple wings of the prison were transformed into the museum with the cells holding the presentations. As cells are usually built to hold one or two people the rooms were obviously small and only one or two people could fit comfortably in each cell at a time.
This museum was a peculiar amalgamation of curios from Ushuaia and the surrounding areas with a rather haphazard approach in presentation. If you asked me what the theme of this museum was, I would have no idea. It’s like the museum curator went door to door and collected antiques from the sheds of the locals. There was a collection of old typewriters, next to stuffed penguins, birds, and other local animals, next to a corporate oil drilling diorama, next to a model collection of sailing boats, next to life sized models of the prison’s most notorious prisoners. And to top it all off there was a fine arts gallery in one wing showcasing Pategonia’s local talent.
The museum was $3 dollars for Argentineans and $15 dollars for foreigners. Perhaps we should make Disneyland $50 dollars for US citizens and $250 for foreigners. Well at least you are allowed to visit the museum over a 48 hour period so I split my trip up over two days since it was getting a bit late and I wanted some dinner.
Ushuaia started out as prison city; where Argentina would send their most harden criminals. They have since transformed the prison into the oddest museum that I’ve ever been too. A couple wings of the prison were transformed into the museum with the cells holding the presentations. As cells are usually built to hold one or two people the rooms were obviously small and only one or two people could fit comfortably in each cell at a time.
This museum was a peculiar amalgamation of curios from Ushuaia and the surrounding areas with a rather haphazard approach in presentation. If you asked me what the theme of this museum was, I would have no idea. It’s like the museum curator went door to door and collected antiques from the sheds of the locals. There was a collection of old typewriters, next to stuffed penguins, birds, and other local animals, next to a corporate oil drilling diorama, next to a model collection of sailing boats, next to life sized models of the prison’s most notorious prisoners. And to top it all off there was a fine arts gallery in one wing showcasing Pategonia’s local talent.
The museum was $3 dollars for Argentineans and $15 dollars for foreigners. Perhaps we should make Disneyland $50 dollars for US citizens and $250 for foreigners. Well at least you are allowed to visit the museum over a 48 hour period so I split my trip up over two days since it was getting a bit late and I wanted some dinner.
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| Ushuaia, Argentina - Day 2 |
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 5
The town of Puerto Madryn is basically a desert, receiving a miniscule amount of rain fall during the year. If it does rain it's usually a drizzle and then the sun comes back out. So for the last three days it's rained for some portion of the day and hard at times I might add. Then today we got HAIL?!?! Really? Two of the locals commented that they've never seen hail before...gotta love global warming.
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| Puerto Madryn - Day 5 |
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 4
Today I went on a tour to observe black and white dolphin and to visit Punta Tombo, the largest colony of Magellan penguins with over half a million penguins on a small peninsula. This article from the Washington Post describes some of the penguin’s characteristics and habits.
These little guys were fun to watch as they waddled around, played with each other, and took care of the baby chicks that were starting to appear.
These little guys were fun to watch as they waddled around, played with each other, and took care of the baby chicks that were starting to appear.
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| Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 4 |
Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 3
One of the benefits of traveling is that it dramatically increases your tolerance and patience in difficult situations. It exposes you to excruciatingly slow, inefficient processes or procedures; or ones that are simply unfamiliar to you. Yet inspite of all the trials and tribulations that accompany traveling, you get the sense that it forces you to adapt and look at the optimistic aspects of the situation. You have to – otherwise you’re going to spend your vacation mopping because it invariably happens to anybody who travels extensively.
So today I took a tour of Peninsula Valdez, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see whales, seals, and penguins but we also got to see dolphins, armadillos, a white whale (only 2-3 are born every year), llamas, and grey foxes. Oh and two flat tires. On the same back wheel. The roads are really long, dusty, and extremely rocky so I could understand how flat tires happen with some frequency. We were at our second stop checking out some seals and upon boarding the bus the driver realized we had a flat and spent about 30 minutes changing it. About 15 minutes into our drive to the next stop we heard a loud pop. It was an hour to our next destination. Luckily the back axle had two tires per wheel so we could do the drive, but we had to do it at about 15 MPH instead of 40 MPH.
After our 45 minute stop at the seal sanctuary we were suppose to go to the penguins and a museum, but they still hadn’t changed the tire or found a tire to swap out with another tour group. The driver was still staring at the wheel. Did it change itself in the last 45 minutes? Can we please have some action or progress here? Sigh. Things move rather slowly around here. Oh well, after milling around for another hour we grabbed another bus back to the city and got to see the penguins but had to skip the museum. And everything ended up OK.
So today I took a tour of Peninsula Valdez, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see whales, seals, and penguins but we also got to see dolphins, armadillos, a white whale (only 2-3 are born every year), llamas, and grey foxes. Oh and two flat tires. On the same back wheel. The roads are really long, dusty, and extremely rocky so I could understand how flat tires happen with some frequency. We were at our second stop checking out some seals and upon boarding the bus the driver realized we had a flat and spent about 30 minutes changing it. About 15 minutes into our drive to the next stop we heard a loud pop. It was an hour to our next destination. Luckily the back axle had two tires per wheel so we could do the drive, but we had to do it at about 15 MPH instead of 40 MPH.
After our 45 minute stop at the seal sanctuary we were suppose to go to the penguins and a museum, but they still hadn’t changed the tire or found a tire to swap out with another tour group. The driver was still staring at the wheel. Did it change itself in the last 45 minutes? Can we please have some action or progress here? Sigh. Things move rather slowly around here. Oh well, after milling around for another hour we grabbed another bus back to the city and got to see the penguins but had to skip the museum. And everything ended up OK.
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| Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 3 |
Friday, November 28, 2008
Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 2
So I rented a bike today to ride to Punta Lomo which is an observatory for sea lions. The lady who rented me the bike said that it would be about an hour each way. I had to hurry because the only window to view the sea lions was in exactly one hour when low tide would provide a small beach area for the sea lions to congregate and work on their tans.
An hour each way? Puleeeese, I’m in decent shape and I use to bike a lot - 30 minutes easily, 45 minutes tops. Ya ok so I forgot to consider that I wasn’t riding on well paved bike trail in Fairmount Park but on a path of gravel and large stones up and down extreme hills in sweltering heat. The gravel hills were like running full speed up an icy embankment with my bike tires constantly spinning and fighting to get some traction in the gravel. Then I hit a sandy hill where I basically sank into the sand. I walked the bike up the sand hill and then attempted to coast down the other side of the hill in the sand…bad idea. My tires promptly slid out and a nasty twisted ankle or worse was awaiting me at the bottom of the hill. Luckily I caught myself and that was the only major semi potential accident that I’d have to deal with during the ride. The rest of the time I just had to deal with the scorching sun and the random cars that would drive by, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt that would have me looking semi African by the end of the trip. And it only took me about 1.25 hours.
The sea lions just LAY there?? 2.5 hours of biking in the sweltering sun for 15 minutes of watching undulating blubber with whiskers roll over to toast a different section of fat? I can get this at the Jersey Shore. Ok so at least I got some much needed exercise.
On a side note, I learned that except for 19 days out of the year when they are weaning their current young, female elephant seals remain permanently pregnant.
An hour each way? Puleeeese, I’m in decent shape and I use to bike a lot - 30 minutes easily, 45 minutes tops. Ya ok so I forgot to consider that I wasn’t riding on well paved bike trail in Fairmount Park but on a path of gravel and large stones up and down extreme hills in sweltering heat. The gravel hills were like running full speed up an icy embankment with my bike tires constantly spinning and fighting to get some traction in the gravel. Then I hit a sandy hill where I basically sank into the sand. I walked the bike up the sand hill and then attempted to coast down the other side of the hill in the sand…bad idea. My tires promptly slid out and a nasty twisted ankle or worse was awaiting me at the bottom of the hill. Luckily I caught myself and that was the only major semi potential accident that I’d have to deal with during the ride. The rest of the time I just had to deal with the scorching sun and the random cars that would drive by, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt that would have me looking semi African by the end of the trip. And it only took me about 1.25 hours.
The sea lions just LAY there?? 2.5 hours of biking in the sweltering sun for 15 minutes of watching undulating blubber with whiskers roll over to toast a different section of fat? I can get this at the Jersey Shore. Ok so at least I got some much needed exercise.
On a side note, I learned that except for 19 days out of the year when they are weaning their current young, female elephant seals remain permanently pregnant.
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| Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 2 |
Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 1
Today, I flew from Buenos Aires into Puerto Madryn which is the gateway city to a number of extraordinary animals on Peninsula Valdez, a Unesco World Heritage site, Punta Tombo, and Punta Norte among other places. You can see really cool whales, sea lions, dolphins, seals, and penguins.
I was really excited to see the animals but that would have to wait for another day. I arrived to a death metal band performing the park with head bangers and all the trimmings. Interestingly enough, there was a heavy influence of 80's paraphernalia and music permeating the town.
I was really excited to see the animals but that would have to wait for another day. I arrived to a death metal band performing the park with head bangers and all the trimmings. Interestingly enough, there was a heavy influence of 80's paraphernalia and music permeating the town.
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| Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Day 1 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 6
Today was a lazy day of running errands. I needed to exchange out my Uruguay Pesos and get some more Argentinean Pesos. I wish South America would adopt the Euro approach so I wouldn't have to change money so often.
In the process of walking through a mall, I ran into a Indian cultural show and an art exhibit which were both rather interesting. It’s amazing what you bump into sometimes when you're not looking for anything.
In the process of walking through a mall, I ran into a Indian cultural show and an art exhibit which were both rather interesting. It’s amazing what you bump into sometimes when you're not looking for anything.
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| Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 6 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 5
Today I ordered food in a restaurant without using any English! Ok so I cheated and found a Chinese restaurant in the very small Chinatown in Buenos Aires. It looked more like a tourist attraction with stores selling little collectables and jewelry, and a couple grocery stores populated by more locals than Chinese. I found some delicious meat buns at the grocery store that helped to satisfy my Chinese food craving and I ate a whole tray of 9 of them. Then I walked around a bit before settling into a Chinese restaurant and ordered fried wontons, beef with mushroom and vegetables, and mapo tofu. Each dish by itself could probably feed one hungry normal person or two slightly hungry people. I ate almost all of it and had to sit there in pain for 30 min pretending to read my guidebook before I could muster the intestinal fortitude to extract myself from my chair.
I also checked out the Recoleta Cemetery where Evita and other Buenos Aires elite have mausoleums and the nearby National Museum of Art.
I also checked out the Recoleta Cemetery where Evita and other Buenos Aires elite have mausoleums and the nearby National Museum of Art.
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| Buenos Aires, Aregentina - Day 5 |
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 4
Today I did everything that a married couple with 2 young children would do. I went to the zoo, the Evita musuem, the Japanese Garden, and then out to dinner at a really nice steak restaurant. The restaurant was awesome and well recommended by my guidebook and a friend who lived in BA for a while. I've eaten at a lot of good steak houses in the US but this was right up there in a top 2 finish. The steak was perfectly done medium rare (is there any other way?), humongous, and very flavorful. The complementary sides were excellent with an expansive variety and almost stole the show. What a wonderful meal and at $35 a miniscule fraction of the cost at a top US steakhouse. I also had enough leftover meat for two more meals. I made a steak salad for lunch the next day and then for dinner the day after, I sliced the steak and added it to some beef ramen that I picked up in Chinatown.
Everything except the zoo:
They have rideable rodents at this zoo. These guinea pigs on steroids get up to to 4ft and 140 lbs and are hunted for meat! Besides the usual lions, giraffes, and monekys, they also had an albino wallaby, albino tiger, seals, llamas, and random funny animals wandering around to feed.
Zoo:
Everything except the zoo:
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| Buenos Aires, Aregentina - Day 4 |
They have rideable rodents at this zoo. These guinea pigs on steroids get up to to 4ft and 140 lbs and are hunted for meat! Besides the usual lions, giraffes, and monekys, they also had an albino wallaby, albino tiger, seals, llamas, and random funny animals wandering around to feed.
Zoo:
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| Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 4 Zoo |
Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 4
Today was a travel day from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, hence the light load of pics.
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| Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 4 |
Friday, November 21, 2008
Punta del Este, Uruguay - Day 1
Punta del Este is an international beach resort in Uruguay about 1.5 hours from Montevideo. I was planning on spending 3 days there but a couple people mentioned that it's the slow season and that it would be dead there so I decided to take a tour and check out the town.
Some general observations from Punta del Este and Uruguay in general.
There is a flat fee for eating in a restaurant to cover the silverware, service, etc and it goes to house in addition to the tip
There is a typical Uruguayan dish which is a layered meat dish with steak, ham, sunny side up egg on top of French fries. Interesting but I do that at home with leftover food. The French fries in Uruguay are often not crispy…and slightly soggy and barely warm…like they put the fries in the fryer and took them out 3 minutes too soon as soon as they started to defrost.
The houses in Punta del Este are amazing. Like the coolest modern compilation of unique houses that I’ve ever seen. I wish I could have captured more of them but it was hard on the moving bus. I didn’t even get the best ones on top of the mountain.
Some general observations from Punta del Este and Uruguay in general.
There is a flat fee for eating in a restaurant to cover the silverware, service, etc and it goes to house in addition to the tip
There is a typical Uruguayan dish which is a layered meat dish with steak, ham, sunny side up egg on top of French fries. Interesting but I do that at home with leftover food. The French fries in Uruguay are often not crispy…and slightly soggy and barely warm…like they put the fries in the fryer and took them out 3 minutes too soon as soon as they started to defrost.
The houses in Punta del Este are amazing. Like the coolest modern compilation of unique houses that I’ve ever seen. I wish I could have captured more of them but it was hard on the moving bus. I didn’t even get the best ones on top of the mountain.
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| Punta del Esta, Uruguay - Day 1 |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 2
I rented a bike and rode around the city and along the bike path next to the ocean. I was so sore from riding the bike that I was waddling by the end of the day.
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| Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 2 |
Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 1
The weather can be rather fickle here. Up to this point in the trip it has been around 85 degrees and extremely hot, sunny. So the next morning I have an 8 am boat to catch to Montevideo and I step outside and it feels like about 60 and extremely windy. By the time I get to Montevideo which is a 3 hour boat ride away – I’m in long pants, short and long sleeve shirts, and winter jacket. The weather remains cool and windy for the rest of the week in the 70’s but the sun is soo hot that people are still laying on the beach. I got two shades darker in about 15 minutes after laying out.
So I got to the ferry station an hour ahead of time and had some breakfast while waiting. The boat was supposed to leave at 8 am and get to Montevideo at 11am but for some reason the departure time got pushed back 2 hours. Shouldn’t boats leaving at 8 am already be there? It’s not like our boat was coming in from another port at 7 am. Well perhaps the delay was weather related. The boat was a large one; and it had space for cars and about 300-400 passengers, but as we started our journey the wind and waves were rocking the boat rather viscously. I decided to pick an aisle seat on a corner so that there were no seats in front of me or on the side for some extra leg room. Boy was that a mistake. Old people were falling all over the place, and one lady thought it would be a good idea to use my laptop screen as a rail.
I managed to fall asleep and when I woke up people were getting off the boat. Sweet we’re here! So I’m waiting for my bag at the carousel and noticed that there is an English tour guide. I know that the ferry is close to Plaza Independencia which is close to where I’m staying.
ME: “So how far away are we from the Plaza Independencia”?
HER: “Ummmm the Plaza Independencia is in Montevideo we’re in Colonia”.
ME: “WHAT?!? Did I get on the wrong boat in the chaos back in Buenos Aires? How am I going to get my bag in Montevideo? How do I get to Montevideo from here”?
HER: “Just get your bag and then you can catch the bus outside…just show them your ticket and they’ll put you on the right bus”.
So another 2.5 hour bus ride later, I finally make it to Montevideo and didn’t get settled down until about 4pm. That’s a long 3 hour boat ride.
So I got to the ferry station an hour ahead of time and had some breakfast while waiting. The boat was supposed to leave at 8 am and get to Montevideo at 11am but for some reason the departure time got pushed back 2 hours. Shouldn’t boats leaving at 8 am already be there? It’s not like our boat was coming in from another port at 7 am. Well perhaps the delay was weather related. The boat was a large one; and it had space for cars and about 300-400 passengers, but as we started our journey the wind and waves were rocking the boat rather viscously. I decided to pick an aisle seat on a corner so that there were no seats in front of me or on the side for some extra leg room. Boy was that a mistake. Old people were falling all over the place, and one lady thought it would be a good idea to use my laptop screen as a rail.
I managed to fall asleep and when I woke up people were getting off the boat. Sweet we’re here! So I’m waiting for my bag at the carousel and noticed that there is an English tour guide. I know that the ferry is close to Plaza Independencia which is close to where I’m staying.
ME: “So how far away are we from the Plaza Independencia”?
HER: “Ummmm the Plaza Independencia is in Montevideo we’re in Colonia”.
ME: “WHAT?!? Did I get on the wrong boat in the chaos back in Buenos Aires? How am I going to get my bag in Montevideo? How do I get to Montevideo from here”?
HER: “Just get your bag and then you can catch the bus outside…just show them your ticket and they’ll put you on the right bus”.
So another 2.5 hour bus ride later, I finally make it to Montevideo and didn’t get settled down until about 4pm. That’s a long 3 hour boat ride.
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| Montevideo, Uraguay - Day 1 |
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Le Tigre, Argentina - Day 1
I took the worst tour EVER! Le Tigre is about an hour north of Buenos Aires is a river district where there are supposed to be nice river house for a weekend getaway. So the tour was a boat ride up the river. Spent most of the day on a bus or boat and saw a ton of crappy houses on a muddy river. I wouldn’t spend a weekend here if someone gave me an all expense paid vacation here. Lovely! Never the less, I took tons of pictures since I was bored so I’ll let you come to your own verdict.
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| Le Tigre, Argentina - Day 1 |
Colonia de Santiago, Uruguay - Day 1
I went on a tour of Colonia de Santiago today. This UNESCO site is an old town which has been well preserved to show the old Portuguese and Spanish architecture. This town traded hands multiple times as this city was passed back and forth to settle disputes between the two countries.
One thing that I learned on this tour is that the cobble stones roads were designed in the Portuguese style of a slight “U” concave shape to allow the water to drain off in the middle. While it was efficient at draining the water, it can be somewhat difficult to traverse. Conversely, the Romans built their cobble stone streets in an upside down “U” shape to allow the water to drain off to the sides which is equally efficient and allows for easier transport.
One thing that I learned on this tour is that the cobble stones roads were designed in the Portuguese style of a slight “U” concave shape to allow the water to drain off in the middle. While it was efficient at draining the water, it can be somewhat difficult to traverse. Conversely, the Romans built their cobble stone streets in an upside down “U” shape to allow the water to drain off to the sides which is equally efficient and allows for easier transport.
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| Colonia de Santiago, Uruguay - Day 1 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 3
Today I went on a tour of Argentinean gauchos. The gauchos are a local group similar to the Native American Indians who sustain a living farming, ranching and hunting. They were originally looked down up upon but gained respect and power when they banded together against the government. The tour included some local dances, a bbq spread, and a riding demonstration.
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| Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 3 |
Friday, November 14, 2008
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 2
I took a city tour today which was disappointing since the "bilingual" tour guide gave a ton of info in Spanish speaking for like 5 minutes. Then in English, he would name the building that we passed a block ago and then switched back to his native tongue. So I was constantly trying to crane my neck to view the structures that the tour guide mentioned after we had already passed them. The highlight of the tour was the colorful La Boca area which had diverse multi colored houses.
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| Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 2 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 1
So I got into Buenos Aires and was told by the reception that I should check out the San Telmo street festival which happens every Sunday. It was about a 20 minute walk away and was a conglomeration of street performers, local artists selling wares, and various artistic shops. I had a very interesting day of wandering around and window shopping at the huge outdoor market.
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| Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 1 |
Rio de Janiero, Brazil - Day 3
So today, I walked around the downtown area, rode the subway, rode a local bus, talk to locals, viewed a couple street performances, hung out on the colorful tiled steps where Snoop Dogg filmed the music video “Beautiful Girl” and got robbed. Oh and ate every version of empanada possible – boy those things are tasty…I don’t know where they get all the different combinations of dough (corn, wheat, and stuffing combinations but they are amazing.
Oh so the robbing story…well I’m ok thanks for wondering. It actually was a blessing in disguise as I got a good lesson. I was waiting for the bus and had my money out and some guy just grabbed it and ran. By the time I realized it, he was half way down the block and I wasn’t about to chase him over cobble stone for $15 dollars. So it was very opportunistic, nobody got hurt, and I had more money in other pockets. That being said, I’ll just be more aware of my surroundings and careful while traveling. No worries mom :)
Oh so the robbing story…well I’m ok thanks for wondering. It actually was a blessing in disguise as I got a good lesson. I was waiting for the bus and had my money out and some guy just grabbed it and ran. By the time I realized it, he was half way down the block and I wasn’t about to chase him over cobble stone for $15 dollars. So it was very opportunistic, nobody got hurt, and I had more money in other pockets. That being said, I’ll just be more aware of my surroundings and careful while traveling. No worries mom :)
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| Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Day 3 |
Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Day 2
Today I took a city tour with some of the highlights being Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and a huge cathedral. The views from the top of CtR and SLM were quite impressive. I also saw my first Asian in South America but unfortunately they happened to be Korean tourists so I don’t think they count as locals. I guess they don't have too many Asians here because two different groups of people stopped me at Sugar Loaf and CtR and asked to take a picture with me. Kind of funny.
The amount of diversity in Brazil is amazing with every shade of white, black and in between. Everyone seems unique but no one is really exotic in this melting pot. It seems like as long as you can speak Portuguese that people welcome you as Brazilian. Unlike in other countries, Brazilians don’t seem to view race as a factor in discriminating which is good; however, social class and background do appear to be a factor here.
I took a nap after getting back from the tour and I guess someone left the window open and it was raining so the mosquitoes were out in full force. For some reason mosquitoes like me. I go camping with my friends and I'll spray on a bottle of OFF, sit in a middle of a circle of Citronelle candles, and spray some Raid on for good measure and I still get the most bites out of all my friends. I think I got about 40 (no joke I counted them) bites in about 1 hours. Luckily on my last trip to South East Asia my aunt in HK too pity on me when I came over for dinner with a ton of bites and gave me this ointment from Japan that does wonders on mosquito bites and I brought it along. Thanks Aunt Evelyn!
The amount of diversity in Brazil is amazing with every shade of white, black and in between. Everyone seems unique but no one is really exotic in this melting pot. It seems like as long as you can speak Portuguese that people welcome you as Brazilian. Unlike in other countries, Brazilians don’t seem to view race as a factor in discriminating which is good; however, social class and background do appear to be a factor here.
I took a nap after getting back from the tour and I guess someone left the window open and it was raining so the mosquitoes were out in full force. For some reason mosquitoes like me. I go camping with my friends and I'll spray on a bottle of OFF, sit in a middle of a circle of Citronelle candles, and spray some Raid on for good measure and I still get the most bites out of all my friends. I think I got about 40 (no joke I counted them) bites in about 1 hours. Luckily on my last trip to South East Asia my aunt in HK too pity on me when I came over for dinner with a ton of bites and gave me this ointment from Japan that does wonders on mosquito bites and I brought it along. Thanks Aunt Evelyn!
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| Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Day 2 |
Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Day 1
So I made it after 16 hours of traveling. First day was rather uneventful as I walked wandered around the area trying to get a feel for the area and gather my bearings. One thing that I noticed was that were gyms on every block on the second floor of stores. You can also purchase protein and work out supplements in 2 or 3 shops per street – I guess in case you have a sudden craving mid block.
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| Rio de Janerio, Brazil - Day 1 |
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I'm going to South America!
So as you know, I just got back from my trip to South East Asia and had an amazing time learning about the culture, food, and local people. While pictures don’t do the trip justice, you should check out my blog. It’s currently more of a photo journal as I've put up a set of pictures for each day that I've traveled; however, I haven't had an opportunity to elaborate on some of the more interesting stories of the trip. I’ll be posting those shortly as time allows so please check back periodically. If you’re short on time, I would recommend perusing the pictures for Japan, Cambodia, and Vietnam specifically Sapa and Halong Bay.
Prior to my trip to south east Asia, my plan upon my return from my 3 month learning experience was to go to Shanghai for 6 months and teach English, practice mandarin, and travel to Tibet, Nepal, S. Korea, and Taiwan. However, I met a number of travelers who have backpacked through South America and raved about the continent. After weighing the pros and cons with my family and friends, I have decided to postpone my trip to Shanghai and instead to take a five month trip through South America.
One of the things that I learned while traveling through Asia is that travel is much cheaper when booked locally and flexibility is key. So I’ve given myself a tentative itinerary but it will undoubtedly change once I learn more information upon arrival.
I'll be starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moving south through the Iguazu Falls, Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Patagonia, Argentina; and Antarctica. North into Chile, over to the Easter Islands, back to the mainland through Bolivia and Peru, trekking along the Inca trail and up to Machu Picchu, north to Lima and Ecuador and then over to the Galapagos Islands and finally back to Rio. By that point I think my time may be up, but if resources permit, I would go on to the northern section of SA – like Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas.
I’ll be making an effort to update this blog periodically with news and photos from my trek through South America. So check in and follow along.
Prior to my trip to south east Asia, my plan upon my return from my 3 month learning experience was to go to Shanghai for 6 months and teach English, practice mandarin, and travel to Tibet, Nepal, S. Korea, and Taiwan. However, I met a number of travelers who have backpacked through South America and raved about the continent. After weighing the pros and cons with my family and friends, I have decided to postpone my trip to Shanghai and instead to take a five month trip through South America.
One of the things that I learned while traveling through Asia is that travel is much cheaper when booked locally and flexibility is key. So I’ve given myself a tentative itinerary but it will undoubtedly change once I learn more information upon arrival.
I'll be starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moving south through the Iguazu Falls, Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Patagonia, Argentina; and Antarctica. North into Chile, over to the Easter Islands, back to the mainland through Bolivia and Peru, trekking along the Inca trail and up to Machu Picchu, north to Lima and Ecuador and then over to the Galapagos Islands and finally back to Rio. By that point I think my time may be up, but if resources permit, I would go on to the northern section of SA – like Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas.
I’ll be making an effort to update this blog periodically with news and photos from my trek through South America. So check in and follow along.
My Picasa photo albums are GONE!
I just accidently deleted my 90+ albums of my trip to South East Asia! HELLLLLLP! I wish I could just redo the work but it’s way too much. It’s weeks and weeks of work sorting through and touching up 15,000+ pictures to create 90+ albums with 5,000 pictures in them.
I created this mess while moving files on my PC to align them in preparation for a PC backup. Without realizing it, the album links to the specific files were broken and all the albums disappeared. If anybody has a good idea of how to restore my albums, please let me know. I’ve found a work around that will suffice although it’s far from ideal and requires a lot of manual manipulation.
I created this mess while moving files on my PC to align them in preparation for a PC backup. Without realizing it, the album links to the specific files were broken and all the albums disappeared. If anybody has a good idea of how to restore my albums, please let me know. I’ve found a work around that will suffice although it’s far from ideal and requires a lot of manual manipulation.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Singapore, Singapore - Day 3
Singapore has a fantastic blend of three main cultures from China, India, and native Malay. The food is amazing – spicy, flavorful, and diverse. I could live here just for the food.
I ran into a Japanese FOOOD COURT…there were 15 upscale stalls differ styles of Japanese cooking – the usual sushi / sashimi, ramen, teriyaki, yakitori, and curries stalls, but then they also had more interesting things like Japanese pizzas, Italian takes, stews, bakery goods, and stuff that I’ve never seen before…I wanted to take pictures of all the stalls but at the time I thought that would be a bit odd…in hindsight I really wish I would have taken the pictures or at least ordered something from every stall…wow it was heavenly
I ran into a Japanese FOOOD COURT…there were 15 upscale stalls differ styles of Japanese cooking – the usual sushi / sashimi, ramen, teriyaki, yakitori, and curries stalls, but then they also had more interesting things like Japanese pizzas, Italian takes, stews, bakery goods, and stuff that I’ve never seen before…I wanted to take pictures of all the stalls but at the time I thought that would be a bit odd…in hindsight I really wish I would have taken the pictures or at least ordered something from every stall…wow it was heavenly
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| Singapore, Singapore - Day 3 |
Vientiane, Laos - Day 1
So I traveled to Vientiane with some travelers from Ireland that I met in Vang Vieng and we decided to grab some dinner after touching down in town. We settled on a restaurant that was very nice, modern, and could have done business in the US. It has a rather extensive menu from Laos, American, Chinese, Indian, and Italian foods.
My new friends wanted to get the crickets and started to pop them like nuts once they arrived. Do I want some? Sure why not. They were crunchy and salty like most other snacks. The main difference was the distinct bug after taste, somewhat earthy like eating a handful of dirt, that you got which reminded you that these weren’t Cheetos.
My new friends wanted to get the crickets and started to pop them like nuts once they arrived. Do I want some? Sure why not. They were crunchy and salty like most other snacks. The main difference was the distinct bug after taste, somewhat earthy like eating a handful of dirt, that you got which reminded you that these weren’t Cheetos.
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| Vientiane, Laos - Day 1 |
Vang Vieng, Laos - Day 2
I took a white water rafting tour today which was amazingly fun. I learned how to paddle my canoe backwards and sideways. I played a game with the local tour guide where we’d throw around a huge orange fruit with our paddles during the slow sections of water. I can’t wait to do it again in South America. We also got to go off a huge rope swing which I somehow managed to do upside down. Fun day!
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| Vang Vieng, Laos - Day 2 |
Luang Prabang, Laos - Day 4
So I found out today that Thai and Laos are relatively similar in terms of culture, food, and language. I met some Thai Airways flight attendants at a waterfall which was severely overflowing due to the huge monsoons that have been hammering the area. Every four years they get an irregularly high amount of rain fall during the wet season. In Vang Vieng, where tubing is popular with tourists, the river had become so flooded and powerful that a Swedish girl flipped over in her tube and died when her foot got caught in the rocks. They had to suspend tubing for a while amongst the massive evidence of the rain’s impact as houses and buildings were left in disarray, bridges collapsed, and trees were strewn around like Godzilla had just sauntered through. At the waterfalls we were practically walking mid shin deep in water up the steps which are obviously not normally covered with water.
At dinner, we were talking about how a lot of the foods of northern Thailand and Laos are very similar. The use of sticky rice, formed into small balls with your hands and then dipped into the foods, is common in the northern half of Thailand and in Laos. The languages are also somewhat similar and the girls spoke Thai to the Laos people and they were able to understand Thai mainly because the only TV channels that they get are Thai. I also believe that at one point Thailand had ruled parts of Laos.
At dinner, we were talking about how a lot of the foods of northern Thailand and Laos are very similar. The use of sticky rice, formed into small balls with your hands and then dipped into the foods, is common in the northern half of Thailand and in Laos. The languages are also somewhat similar and the girls spoke Thai to the Laos people and they were able to understand Thai mainly because the only TV channels that they get are Thai. I also believe that at one point Thailand had ruled parts of Laos.
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| Luang Prabang, Laos - Day 4 |
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