Argentina to Chile...

¡Buenos días!


I´ve been out of pocket for about a week, but have made some ground and had some incredible experiences as well.  I traveled to the cities of Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Mendoza, Maipu, and Santiago, Chile.  I visited Che Guevara´s childhood house, a Jesuit mission, three wineries, the Andes and other historical Inca sites, and one of Pablo Neruda´s houses.  I also explored all cities and earned a few blisters in the process.

Wine tasting at Lopez Winery

In the Andes!

Self-taken photo at Che Guevara's childhood home.

Snapshots from interesting experiences:


- Lunch to Go - When I buy yogurt, I can pick up a free spoon at the Customer Service desk.  

- Losing my English, but improving my Spanish - When relating a story to two Americans, I conjugated “speak“ incorrectly - it´s “spoke” not “speaked”.  Thankfully, I caught myself.

- Don´t Ask Foreigners - When traveling to the Jesuit mission, I went to the tourist office to receive a map.  After visiting the mission, some Argentinian tourist saw my map and wanted to know where I received it from.  The mother inquired and I answered in perfect Spanish but with my foreign accent.  She immediately said, “Oh, you´re foreign” and almost didn´t listen to me.  Her 10-year-old son heard me and asked, is it the tower over there and I said, yes.  This is progress, at least kids take me seriously.

- Laundry - I dropped off my laundry to be washed.  It took 4 hours and 22 pesos ($5).  When I picked it up, I quickly checked to see if I had everything.  However, I was missing my bra.  Turns out that it must have broken during the cycle and when I checked later, it was in two pieces.  Ridiculous, but I guess it´s a good opportunity to try my hand at sewing!

- Toilet Paper in the Andes - To reach “Alta Montaña”, a 4,000 meter lookout in the Andes, our bus had to curve up a very small and windy road.  Being a joker, the bus driver took a roll of toilet paper and held it out the window at cars passing by going down or up (whichever direction we weren´t going).  I was confused, so inquired.  This is meant to be a joke signaling fear, basically, it made all passing bus drivers laugh and added some excitement to the ride.

- Crossing the Border - when crossing the board from Argentina to Chile on a night bus, we received dinner at 11 p.m. and then coffee at 3 a.m.  I don´t know about you, but that just doesn´t fit with my natural schedule!  Additionally, there is a dog which checks all of our carry-on luggage, by doing a sniff test.  We threw our stuff on tables in front of us and the dog walked around to check everything out.

- Station & Street Dogs - In Santiago, a group of us separately arrived (2 Australians, 4 British citizens, and me) to the bus station.  It was 6 a.m. and none of us could figure a way to withdraw money, so we ended up walking the two miles to our hostel.  On the way, we picked up street dogs or rather, they picked up us.  The first one stayed until the bitter end, using us as protection from more vicious dogs, while also picking up a hodgepodge of friends.  At one point, we had 4 dogs following us.  The funniest part was that after we arrived at the hostel, the original “station dog” stayed at our door.  When there was no space for me at that hostel, the street dog followed me to another hostel.  I have to say, I wasn´t the biggest fan of this at the time, but it was incredibly entertaining in retrospect.

Every day, I have many opportunities to meet wonderful people.  This is one of my favorite parts: the great opportunity to know so many open and interesting individuals with endlessly different perspectives, travels, and experiences.


A few people I´ve met:

- Rodrigo from Montevideo, an studying economist, just finished a course.  Wants to study in Mexico City.

Faku and Sebastian

- Sebastian and Faku, from Buenos Aires, rock band musicians at their church and avid skateboarders, on vacation.  We travel throughout Córdoba with a French Canadian, Kim, seeing sites and museums such as one which honored the 30,000 lives disappeared during Argentina´s dirty war (70s to early 80s).


- Bob and Jenny from Wisconsin, traveling Chile and Argentina; turns our their son lives in Capitol Hill in Seattle!  They also invited me for a lovely hostel-made dinner before I left Mendoza to Santiago.

Andrea and I at the top of a lookout in Santiago

- Andrea from Ireland, living in London, a financial law consultant/lawyer, traveling the world for 6 months.  We traveled throughout Santiago on foot and then shared a lovely dinner, each having two glasses of $2 Chilean wine.

Today, to Viña del Mar and tomorrow, Valparaíso, both beach Chilean beach towns on the Pacific ocean.






Abrazos,
Ashley

Safe in Cordoba

Hola a todos,

I had a few friends ping me regarding the horrible train crash in downtown Buenos Aires today, so I wanted to let everyone know that I am safe in Cordoba. Originally, I would have been in BA or leaving BA  today, but decided to leave a few days early.  The chances of me being on the train during rush hour (8:30 a.m.) would have been slim as I stay up fairly late; but unfortunately many porteños (BA citizens) arrive at work around 9 or 10 a.m., so there were 40-50 deaths and 400-600 injuries.  The president of Argentina has cancelled many Carnival activities and declared two days of mourning in respect for the families of those who were killed.


Ashley

Carnival Holiday in Rosario

¡Hola a todos!

Leaving BA
On Friday, I joined the rest of Buenos Aires as they escaped the city for a long Carnival holiday weekend.  When I arrived at the bus station, it seemed to be packed with all 13 million porteños (people of BA).  The crowds were ridiculous!  I have been booking hostels as I go and when I arrive in a city, but the holiday made me think better, so I found two hostels, located an internet/phone cafe and called the first one on my list.  Talking on the phone in Spanish is much more difficult than talking in person because you can´t see a person´s facial expressions or lips, but I managed to secure one night with no guarantee for another.

When I finally managed to find my bus (everyone was confused as it was complete chaos!), it was about three minutes after it was scheduled to leave.  I had to return to the ticket counter and basically beg them to tell me the terminal number.  Luckily, the bus was still trying to park.

In Transit - Bus, Taxi, Hostel
The bus ride was a short four hours, 90% of which I slept.  I arrived at midnight and was forced to take a taxi; however being a little apprehensive, I made sure to check with a store clerk to know the route the taxi would take me and how much it should cost.  Everything worked out and I arrived at a colorful, bohemian hostel.

The receptionist´s name was Rafa.  He asked the obligatory, “Where are you from?”, “Are you on vacation?”, “Do you want me to speak in Spanish or English?”  Then, he asked me if I was traveling with friends.  I told him no.  He seemed disappointed and told me it would be better if I were a man and proceeded to tell me how hard it would be being a woman.  I took it all in, but last time I checked, I can´t really do anything about that.  Tell me something helpful.  It will be hard, yeah, no shit.

In Rosario, Birthplace of Che Gueverra
Rosario was calm and refreshing compared to BA.  With a little over one million people, I was able to breathe.  It was lovely.  I also had breakfast (most hostels serve at least bread and jam with tea or “coffee”) with a philosophical musician and learned about his views on Argentina´s imminent political ascent.  After breakfast, I checked in with the hostel receptionist - it was now Gabi from Panama City - to see the status on my room.  Gabi was a wonderful chica who spoke flawless English and who was dating a guy from California.  She seemed doubtful that I would be able to stay, but said she would call around to secure me a space, if possible.  She did; she secured me a three-night package deal with a ticket to a carnival party.  The party was promised to start early, at 1 a.m., ending around 5 or 6 a.m., the time I used to get up for work.  Welcome to Latin America.

New Hostel
So, with a new hostel in sight, I packed my bag and trekked six blocks.  The new hostel was heaven - a seven-person room with a balcony and wifi.  There was also a nice bar and kitchen.  My room included three Israeli guys who spoke neither English nor Spanish.  Okay, they could say “fiesta”, “alcohol”, and “bien”.  I learned that they had just gotten out of the army and were doing a stint in Latin America, a tradition that many Israelis do.  They invited me to eat dinner at the hostel so I accepted and we had ravioli, salad, and Coca Cola. Yum.  Later that evening, I met two more porteños, two chicas from BA, Fernanda and Celeste.  One works at a bank and the other is a high school teacher, focusing on law.  I ended up having beer and staying up until 3 a.m. talking with them.  We also traipsed around the town the next day looking at different monuments, learning about Argentinan history, and hanging out.  We tried to go to he beach, but failed miserably as it started pouring.

Mate and Conversation
We returned to hostel and I had my first experience with mate.  In Argentina, it´s a very social drink, like tea or coffee.  Fernanda brought her mate container and yerba mate leaves with her, so we sat down for a drink.  The inside of the mate container is made of calabaza (pumpkin), madera (wood), vidrio (glass), or bamboo and each type of material gives a unique flavor.  We drank from calabaza.  The ritual is thus:  You pour in the leaves about an inch from the top, bring water to a temperature just before a boil, you insert the bombilla (metal straw), and pour in the water.  You then proceed to pass the mate around drinking it, filling it up and “lavando”or washing the leaves.  The flavor goes from very strong and bitter to very smooth.  I may join the hype and buy one when I retun to BA.  

The chicas and I also talked about education, health, politics, and food.  I learned the differences and similarities between the basis of the US and Argetina´s government.  Additionally, we discussed free education for all up to college (Argentina doesn´t make their university students pay for their education) and Occupy Rosario.  It seems the movement has expanded to Argentina as I saw three tents in their main square, which claimed the movement.

Carnival Fiesta - Not a Party Girl
I´m either too old, too boring, or didn´t have enough alcohol, but the party was just okay.  As I noted before, it started at 1 a.m. and I left at 5 a.m., before many others.  It was your regular dance club vibe with reggaeton music.  Between dancing with some other hostel members and the chicas from BA, my main task was warding off unwanted “suitors”.  If you´re not dancing, you´re talking, and after talking for about 10 minutes, you better want more.  To the disappointment of a few macho men, I decided not to play the game.  However, on the bright side, I tried a traditional Argentinian drink, fernet.  Fernet is a strong, herbal liquor that is generally mixed with Coca Cola.  It bitter, but nice.

Cordoba!
After staying up until 3 a.m. enjoying conversation and empanadas (savory pastries filled with various meats), today, I leave for Cordoba. The city is known for its expansive culture (including another Che Gueverra House and museum) and for the Jesuit missions.  The Jesuits came with the original European colonialists.  The city is the second largest in Argentina, about 1.5 million.  It´s a 6-hour bus ride and I´m excited for my next adventure.

Ciao,
Ashley

Buenos Aires con Esfuerza

Buenos Dias!

 

I arrived in Buenos Aires (BA), the city of tango, on Valentine´s Day and have been exploring the city and getting my bearings ever since.  I also had the pleasure of meeting two chicas from Chile and traveled with them for a few days and to the river city of Tigre, just outside BA.  Below I´m providing some facts, sites visited, and some of my own observations. Enjoy!

 

Facts about Argentina:

• Southeastern most country of South America
• 8th largest country in the world

• Natural regions:
• Pampas
• Patagonia
• Tierra del Fuego
• Known for:
• Eva Peron or Evita - recognized for her work in women´s rights and social work, also the first lady in the 1940s and 50s
• Conflict with Britain regarding Islas Malvinas or Falkland Island (who has claim to the land, located 290 miles of the eastern coast of Argentina
• Guerra Sucia or Dirty War - many people disappeared during this period of state-sponsored violence (1976-1983)

BA sites visited as of today (divided into location):

• Plaza de Mayo
• Cathedral
• Casa Rosada or Pink House - think the White House
• Calle Florida
• Kavanagh - used to be the largest building in South America
• Galerias Pacifico - fancy shopping mall
• Casa de Cultura Borges - cultural house for tango, art, literature.  Jorge Luis Borges is a famous Argetinian author
• Calle Corrientes
• El Obelisco - BA´s national phallic symbol
• Teatro Colon
• Recoleta
• Chapel
• Cemetery - this cemetery looks like a gated neighborhood for the great dead.  Evita Peron (remember Madonna´s film Evita?) is buried here
• Puerto Madero
• Puente de la Mujer
• Museo Fragate Pte. Sarmiento - giant ship used by a founding father
• San Telmo - working class neighborhood where locals go to tango
• La Boca - El Caminito or little street; this is a colorful and touristy location, which was originally the neighborhood where many Italian immigrants made their homes
• Tango Show - 3-hour, Vegas-like, show complete with smoke and dress changes.  Very cool, but lasted until 1:30 a.m.  I would have preferred it end at 10:30 p.m. because I´m not quite adjusted to the time change!
• Tigre - a serene city outside of Buenos Aires, where the locals go to get away.  The Chilean chicas and I took an hour-long boat ride down the river and through the delta.

Some things I´ve observed:

• There is graffiti everywhere
• A triple bacon cheeseburger from McDonald´s is 14 pesos (don´t worry, I didn´t buy one)
• There are enormous outdoor pools everywhere, but when it´s 95 degrees and humid, it makes sense
• Quilmes is the local beer - it´s light and reminds me of Corona
• The garbage recyclers come out at night.  You can see guys on each street collecting garbage, sorting it and then loading it into their trucks, all on the side of the street.
• As you´re walking around downtown, it feels like it´s raining, but it´s just the air conditioners running full blast
• Mineral water comes from the Andes - try Villavicencio
• Everyone is suspect.  I had an odd experience while I was visiting a museum.  As I was trying to read about the ¨Recoletas¨, a secluded Franciscan order, a paranoid women in front of me brusquely moved her bags and made a face at me.  She had three teeth, two bags, and a temper.  When I finally understood what she was saying, I realized she was accusing me of trying to steal from here.  You see, she claims that everyone wants her bags.  
• What lines?  A chauffeur picked up a group of us for the tango show and he clearly didn´t learn how to color in the lines as a child.  He swerved in and out of traffic and when stopping at a redlight, instead of stopping behind the cards already there, he went in between two cars, straddling the line and then passing them.  
• Most of all, just go with it - when I was picked up for the tango show, we had just received torrential rain and as I stepped out, a passing car soaked the entire bottom of my pants.  I didn´t do much more than blink and then followed him to the van.  

More stories coming soon.  Please let me know if there is anything that you are interested in knowing and I will do my best to include it in the blog.  

 

Next stop, Rosario - hometown of Che Gueverra!

 

Additionally, I forgot a card reader for my camera, but figured out the word for it, where to locate a store which carries it, and did some price comparisons.  I bought it for 20 pesos instead of 40!  Life is good.

 

Ciao,

Ashley

Day 1 - Heading South

Hola a todos!

I left my job, communities, friends, and family to go backpacking for six months throughout ten countries in South America.  Tonight, I take a 10-hour flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina to kick off the trip.  From there, I will travel clockwise throughout the continent (more below).  I plan to keep everyone posted on my adventures through this blog, instead of directly bombarding everyone with emails.  Please click on “Join this site” to keep updated.  

If you would like to contact me directly, please feel free to email me, but be aware that I will be traveling so it may take a while to respond!


How did this start?

It was 2005 and four of us were sitting in a small hotel in Southern Mexico getting ready for the day and I was mesmerized by the enormous backpack that one guy was unpacking to find his sandals.  This guy was seeing the world, at least Latin America, and for six months.  I was living in Mexico and taking weekend trips with a small pack, but I couldn’t fathom putting my entire world in a backpack and taking off for months like a nomad!  I thought it was a crazy idea, but something about the idea stuck.

Why?  

Well, there are a few reasons:

- I love travel and adventure
- I speak Spanish and want to learn Portuguese
- The trip gives me time to reflect on my career direction
- I’ve saved up enough money
- It may be the last opportunity I have to do something like this (e.g., house, kids, career).   

But mostly, it’s because I want the experience.  

Where?

10 countries in South America:  Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

How?

Plane, bus, and boat.  It just depends on the country.  The boat is reserved for the Amazon!

Updates

I’ll provide updates about every few weeks, depending on internet access.

Thanks and hope you enjoy the posts!

Saludos,
Ashley