Iguazu Falls: Argentine Edition Arriving at the thundering waters of Iguazu was what flashed through my mind the moment I made a final decision to purchase my GoPro. Triple the height of Niagra and featured in films like Captain America, Iguazu had visible rainbows from every angle during the day. I just about lost my mind. I was traveling with Linda,… Read More
Salta: Assorted Delights In Cafayate Cafayate offers a lovely variety of activities for travelers, but what drew me the most was biking a challenging, yet scenic route with a friend. Even though I skipped the waterfall hike everyone was raving about, I felt I experienced an incredible amount in just two days. Two days of bliss. Getting There Busses… Read More
The Colors of Jujuy Jujuy quenched my rainbow mountain cravings. Backpackers told me of hypnotizing hills and tucked-away villages, trekking opportunities and Northern Argentine cuisine and culture. A province mostly visited via tour bookings and rental cars based in Salta, I preferred to save money and appreciate these treasures on my own time. Getting There & Around From Salta, busses… Read More
Salta: Cold In The Capital City With a promising nickname “Salta La Linda,” this province didn’t have much for me within the capital itself. No sun, lots of cold, but an essential stop to plan and connect to all the magic nearby. Getting There Bussing is a stab in the wallet. I took one from Mendoza, $86, 18 hours. And I had gotten the… Read More
Mendoza Capital of the province responsible for over two-thirds of Argentina’s wine production, Mendoza itself was largely uninteresting. Still, the city will be forever special because I loved my hostel so much. Getting There Luckily the borders were open and I bussed eight hours from Santiago, Chile, $26. That would be my last decently-priced bus for months. In Argentina… Read More
Border Crossing: Chile to Argentina ft. Los Andes Moving between Chile and Argentina means passing over real mountains. It means it’s a stunning bus ride. The coldest passport stamping. Have your cameras charged and don’t sleep through it! As the days get colder, Paso de los Libertadores at the border between Santiago, Chile and Mendoza, Argentina is often closed because it’s in the middle of the Andes… Read More
Stuck in Santiago Okay, fine, the city grew on me. At the beginning of the trip, I met one single backpacker who had anything positive to say about Santiago. Three weeks later, I had yet to meet another. One group of backpackers was yelled at by con artists until they got confused and their bag with two passports and… Read More
Day Trip: Sandboarding The Dunes Of Concón For backpackers, a desert means sandboarding, and sandboarding means obnoxious tour companies that try to turn it into a party with tank tops and pop music. Las Dunas de Concón is a precious exception nobody knows about. Loved it. It’s cheap, the slopes are on the beach, and it’s cheap. Getting There From… Read More
Four Incredible Stories From My Santiago Couchsurf Host Francisco. Born and raised in Santiago, in the land of hot dogs and empanadas and mountains of mayo, he was everything I don’t associate Chileans with—very tall and slim, eat’s so healthy, and cooks with a wok. And coconut milk. And curry paste. He puts on American blues while carrying out said cooking. Makes juice from fresh apples with… Read More
Easter Island: Dum Dum Give Me Gum Gum The entire plane was buzzing with curiosity as we landed, craning our necks to look out the windows. Every morning I woke to one screaming rooster, followed by all the other roosters across the island. The only reasonably priced food was bananas. My departing flight was full of friends I’d made. I’ve had… Read More