Amazing Iguazu Falls

I originally was not planning to make the trip up to Iguazu due to the distance however virtually everyone I´ve met along the way has raved about the place. By bus its a 16 hour journey one way but I figured after bussing for the past month it was ok to treat myself to a round trip flight. So Monday morning Faustman and I hoped on our flight for what is probably my most memorable time in South America.

Faustman swears by hostels.com and he really hit a home run in Iguazu. As our bus pulled off the road it looked like were entering a resort. It used to be an old casino that has been converted into a youth hostel with a huge pool in front! At $15 US a night the place is a by far my favorite hostel in South America.

The falls are located on the border of Argentina and Brazil and its recommended to spend time on each side. The Brasil side offers all encompasing views but can be done in a couple of hours while the Argentinean side allows you to hike in and around the actual falls. We initially were hoping to make it to the Brazil side on the first day but due to visas were not allowed. The second day we woke up early and spent the entire time hiking amongst waterfall after waterfall. The shere size and amount of water coming down these things is like nothing I´ve seen before. Do yourself a favor and Google Iguazu to get an idea about what I´m talking about. One of my favorite momments was booking a boat tour that took us directly under the falls where we got completely drenched as we watched massive amounts of water pour off the edge. If you are ever in Argentina Iguazu is a must!!!!

After a great couple of days lounging by the pool and touring the falls its back to BA for the grand finale. All of my traveling companions are heading in different directions tomorrow and on top of that its Robin´s birthday so tonight is going to be a big send off. 5 days left in South America!!!

Buenos Aires, Part 1

The contrast between Mendoza and Buenos Aires couldn´t be more different. We went from a small city feel in the country to a bustling city where a third of the population lives. In addition our group of three became four with the arrival of my college buddy, Matt Faustman. We spent the first day doing a city walk to get a feel for the Buenos Aires and where everything is located. Keeping with the theme throughout South America protesting is very big here and there are paint splashes all over city hall from past rallies. We also learned that in 2001 there were huge protests that resulted in the president stepping down due to the economy. This country has been through so much turmoil in the past 50 years and there is still tension to this day.

One of my highlights for Buenos Aires was an amazing Tango show we saw the first night. I always pictured Tango as a man in tux with a rose in his mouth sticking his arm straight out and prancing around cheek to cheek with his date. That couldn´t be farther from the truth! It requires so much coordination and timing between the two dancers as the float across the floor intertwining legs and spinning each other around. I can honestly say I was entertained for the full show and this is coming from someone who sat through way too many dance recitals at a young age (thank you Jenna).

The other highlight for me is the two soccer matches we went to. The games themselves were alright but listening to the fans cheer at the top of their lungs throughout the games and go back and forth with the opposing fans was awesome. There were banners everywhere, flares burning red and blue and lots of security and barbed wire. We couldn´t leave for a half an hour after the first game got out because we had to wait for the away fans to completely clear the stadium to avoid any fights. The second game was the famous Boca Juniors in a very rough part of town. Boca is the port area at the mouth of the river where a lot of poor Italian immigrants settled. It is known for its tin houses that are painted in all kinds of bright colors left over from ships. Walking around this area in day light is intimidating and they tell tourists to stay on the main streets regardless of the time of day. Before the game started everyone was throwing streamers from the top deck and we helped roll out a humongous banner which covered the bottom, middle and half of the top section. Rolling that sucker back up had my forearms burning! It was awesome!

Matt and I are making a quick excursion up to see world renowned Iquazu Falls for a couple of days before returning to Buenos Aires for the last few days. I´m slowing down on my red meat consumption but not without taking down a huge butterflied t-bone steak that would have made the old 96er self conscious.

Mendona, Argentina

We have been in Mendoza for five days now and I´ve enjoyed every minute of it. It´s a small town with more trees than people and surrounded by 1200 vineyards!!! It is also one of the wealthier regions in Argentina so a lot of people speak English. That couldn´t have come at a better time because after spending the past month in Peru, Bolivia and Chile the women here are beautiful. We went out for beers on Friday night and couldn't help staring at all the stunning women. It is also going to take some time to get used to the schedule. Most people don't eat dinner until after 11 and the clubs are empty until 2. How these people are able to get anything done during the day is a mystery to me. I have been living on a steady diet of red meat and red wine. The meat has a higher fat concentration due to the type of cows they have in Argentina and they are not shy about the portions. I have no idea how the people aren´t all obese.

So what have we been up to...

Yesterday we rented bikes and spent the day touring different vineyards. We stuck to smaller, boutique vineyards and tasted some excellent wine. The bottles are relatively inexpensive so we bought a couple of our favorites for $10-15 US each. We weren´t able to get to happy on the ride because the vineyards are pretty spaced out and the bikes were pretty old. I went for an old school cruiser and my ass is still sore from all the bumps. All in all a great way to spend a day in wine country.

After all this red meat we have been trying to get in some exercize to avoid packing on the lbs. Robin and I were running through a local park the other day as one of the local professional soccer matches was getting out and we witnessed our first soccer related violence. A couple of guys wearing jerseys from the opposing side were cornered by gang of locals 15 years olds. One guy had his shirt ripped off and a glass thrown at him resulting in his back bleeding. It´s crazy how fast the whole thing went down and as we walked into town we could see police hoping into cars with shotguns. We also heard about an older man being beaten by a group of local kids for wearing the wrong jersey. And they say people in Buenos Aires are even crazier about their soccer!

The club scene in Mendoza is a lot of fun. All of the big clubs are 20 minutes outside of town but they are huge. We went out two nights and met a ton of locals. We have to be careful ordering drinks because they do things a little different than we´re used to. A round of drinks equals everyone getting a cup full of alcohol with another empty glass and a chaser. Harmless rounds of drinks turn into double fisting 50/50 time bombs. One of our friends was dancing with a girl who had a few too many and she threw up red bull vodka all over his shirt! Other than that we´ve had some great times dancing the night away with some fun Argentineans. If only we could get some sleep...

From here we head to Buenos Aires where I´m meeting up with one of my buddies from college, hoping up to Iguazu falls for a couple of days and finishing out the last bit of my travels.

Chile

Throughout my travels across Asia and Europe I have done everything in my power to avoid taking 24+ hour bus journeys. The thought of sitting on a bus for a full day coupled with some of the horror stories I've heard from fellow travelers had me fearing for the worst. Unfortunately San Pedro de Atacama is 1000 miles north of Santiago and the airlines know they can change whatever they want. However looking I have to say it really wasn't that bad. We stocked up on munchies beforehand, had plenty of time to catch up on sleep and each other for company. We were also extremely lucky to be in Chile where the roads are straight and smooth and the buses are well maintained!

We arrived in Santiago the next afternoon and checked into a hostel in the center of town. After the long bus ride and living off of salami, bread and snickers bars we were all eager for a good meal. We wandered down a tree lined boulevard and stumbled upon a great little restaurant for a menu del dia. I had an awesome chicken stuffed with cheese and ham and finished it off with some excellent rasberry ice cream. I spent the next couple of days wondering around the city and can say that Santiago is the first city I've been to in South America that has a european feel to it. It sits at the base of the Andes with wide pedestrian roads for strolling and has some trendy neighborhoods with great bars and restaurants. However with that being said it was obvious the city has seen better times. The pollution is so bad at times it was hard to see the mountains, everything is expensive and I can't say there is a ton of stuff to do. The girls left for Australia on Monday and after three days we decided it was time to head to Vina del Mar to soak up the sun for a couple of days.

I've always thought the water off the coast of San Francisco was freezing but the Chilean water really takes your breath away. We bet Niall $10 US to stay in for 5 minutes and had a secondary bet to see who would have to rescue him. Luckily he was able to make it our before losing circulation to his legs and saved Robin and myself from some serious shrinkage. Outside of relaxing on the beach and getting in an awesome run we also stumbled into a casino where we managed to clean house. I managed to make enough money to pay for my time in Chile and buy the table of a couple of rounds of drinks. At one point Robin and I were having a rough go at it and made a couple of profane comments to the dealer at which point he informed us he spent three years in the states and spoke english. Opps!!! Luckily from there we got really hot and we strolled out of the casino at sun rise smoking cubans feeling like high rollers. After three days of sitting on the beach we all decided it was finally time to head to Argentina. After one and a half months I couldn't be more excited to finally bite into some juicy red meat!!!

Bolivian Salt Flats and Atacama Desert

We left La Paz on an overnight bus and I can honestly say I will never forget that ride. The first couple of hours were relatively smooth until the pavement ended just after 1 am and we spent the last 5 hours shaking like crazy with the windows rattling so loud it was impossible to sleep. The one good thing is we managed to meet three English girls who we booked a salt flatts tour with. The 6 of us arranged a 4x4 jeep for 3 days and 2 nights to take is through the antiplano and drop us off at the Chilean border.

We spent the entire first day driving though the salt flats which stretch in all directions as far as the eye can see. Millions of years ago when the pacific plates collided with the South American continent and the Andes were formed a large body of salt water was trapped forming a lake. Over time that lake evaporated resulting in a 25 meter layer of salt which is absolutely amazing to see. We got some awesome pictures and spent the first night in a salt hostel. We sat down for dinner at a table made of salt and slept in salt bed frames.

The second day we left the salt flats and headed south. We passed smoking volcanos, toxic lakes crowded with colorful flamingos and a petrified tree in the middle of the desert. It's crazy how the land changes so drastically and all the extremes we were able to see throughout the day. That night we stayed in a very simple hotel where we were able to meet some other groups on similar tours and have some drinks. What a night!!! It never ceases to amaze me what a couple of beers can do to you at +4,000 meters. We laughed our asses off and I ended the night with my first official game of yanef with some new Israeli friends. The next morning was very interesting getting moving at 4:30 without any power. Luckily nothing was left behind and within an hour we were watching the sun rise over geysers and enjoying some natural hot springs. Our driver dropped us off at the border just before noon where we cleared customers and headed into Chile.

I can't imagine more of a contrast between two bordering countries. One minute you are in the poorest country in South America struggling to breath where you haven't been on a paved road in three days and then next your quickly descending down some of the smoothest highways in the world to South America's most expensive country. The bus dropped us off in San Pedro de Atacama which is a small oasis town on the north part of the Atacama desert that existed purely for tourist. We spent $12 each on a menu of the day and despite the sticker shock were rewarded with an awesome lunch. We had a lightly fried seafood starter followed by a tender steak all washed down with a glass of awesome Chilean house wine. Unfortunately there really isn't much to do here and since everything is so expensive we are heading to Santiago tomorrow with the girls.

Its so nice to be at a normal altitude after three weeks!!!

Bolivia, Home of the World's Highest Everything

Yes, I am alive. It's been a while since I've posted anything so I have a lot of catching up to do. My first stop in Bolivia was along the shores of Lake Titikaka in a town called Copacabana. The plan was to check out some local islands where the Inka's believe their forefathers came from before heading to La Paz. After arriving in the late morning after an overnight bus journey, Niall and I checked into a hostel right next to the lake. We tried to hit up an ATM but all the banks were closed for lunch so despite not having money we figured we'd grab some lunch and take turns running back to the bank. Big mistake!!! Turns out the only cash machine in town was broken and the closest ATM was 3 hours away in Peru. Welcome to Bolivia! The only good news is we were not alone and a group of 10 of us were able to work out a tab system with the restaurant that Niall and I had lunch at. It might have not been so bad if there was something interesting to do in the town however we found out quickly that wasn't the case. The bank was positive that a new machine would be up and running the following afternoon however as one quickly learns in South America the locals are right about half the time. I went to bed that night wondering if I was ever going to make it out of this Bolivian time warp or if my debt to the local restaurant would seal my fate forever. By chance I decided to check my money belt in the morning and realized that 100 Peruvian soles (~$33 USD) had some how slipped between some papers. It was just enough money to pay off my hostel, my debts to the local mobs boss and get a bus ticket the hell out of there!!!

From Copacabana I boarded a bus to La Paz, the world's highest capital city at 3660 meters (~12,000 ft). La Paz is one of the coolest looking cities I have ever visited because it is set within a valley and the town starts at the bottom and spreads up along the valley walls in all directions. I spent the first day wandering around the many different markets of the city. The most famous is the Witches market where you can buy lama fetuss which the locals bury under new houses for good luck and all kinds of magical potions to cure anything you can imagine. One constant in all of the countries I've visited so far is that all of the local people have some "magical" tea or soup that they swear by. A celery tea saved my stomach along the Inka trail but now that I was feeling normal I wasn't about to try any of the crazy teas and soups they were selling at the witches market. The next day I signed up to bike down the "World's Most Dangerous Road." The slippery dirt road snakes its way down 3000 meters hugging the mountain with 7 feet of clearance on each side. Countless Bolivians have lost their lives along with road as it used to be a major road with constant traffic going in both directions. Luckily the government paved a new road three years ago and now its just gringo's looking for an adrenaline rush. It was awesome!!! You drop 12,000 feet throughout the day starting above the tree line and finishing in the humid jungle. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in La Paz with a day to kill. The next day I went with a new friend to rent a 4x4 ATV and roll around the Valley of the Moon. Another awesome experience. We spent three hours getting covered in dirt exploring different valleys and lakes and took in some awesome views of the city.

After the Inka trail a large portion of our group was headed to La Paz so we had a mini reunion at our hostel one night. It turned out that one of the Aussies, Rob, needs to be in Buenos Aires that exact same time as myself so we decided to join forces. Now there are three of us traveling together and with all of our different backgrounds its been very entertaining. Unfortunately after the above mentioned activities there isn't much to do in La Paz so the last few days have turned into some late nights. After seeing the sun rise the past two mornings we all made the collective decision to get the hell out of town. Tonight we catch a night bus to the south to do a 4x4 tour of the antiplano and salt flatts.

Cuzco

After returning from the trek I made the executive decision to stick around Cuzco for a while. I wanted to give my system a chance to properly acclimate to the altitude and recover from the trek. It has been a nice change from how I usually travel because it has given me to opportunity to get to know the city a little better, sleep in and just enjoy myself.

So how have I been spending my time? First off, I signed up for 10 hours of Spanish classes which has been a great refresher. I signed up with a comapany called Proyecto Peru and on top of offering very affordable one on one Spanish classes they offer a couple of free events each week. One day after class I stuck around for some traditional Peruvian drinks followed by Salsa lessions. I definately recommend them in that order!!! When I´m not in class I have been wondering around some of the different markets admiring all the different sights and smells (not all pleasant). They have an amazing assortment of potatos and corn that we don´t see in the USA. They have a black corn that they use to make a purplish, sweet drink called Chicha Morada. It is usually served with lunch and is very refreshing. That brings me to my next topic... what have I been eating. I´ve made it a mission to get away from the tourist areas and more times than not I´m the only gringo in a particular restaurant. The main meal of the day is lunch and most restaurants offer a menu del dia which consists of an appetizer, soup, main dish and desert/cold drink. I have been going back to this one place where I leave completely stuffed for $2. The food is usually pretty basic consisting of lots of vegetables and rice with a little chicken or beef.

Today is my last day in Cuzco and I couldn´t leave without sampling the local specialty, guinea pig. I have to say its pretty intimidating when they bring it out because its very apparent what you are about it eat. I went with a friend and his guinea pig still had a tooth in the mouth!!! The skin is very hard so you have to peel it apart to get to the meat. The meat itself was very salty and it took a fair amount of work to get to all of it. Not something I would eat on a regular basis but you´re only in Peru once!!!

Tonight I am heading to the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka with a friend from the Inka trail. We are planning to check out a couple of the islands before heading to La Paz. My body is finally acclimated to the altitude of Cuzco however La Paz is even higher so keep your fingers crossed!