Christ The Redeemer The Cheap Way: Hiking Corcovado Mountain My favorite way to visit this Wonder of the World was to hike until I wanted to cry, then bear the same steep trail to get down. After holing up at our Workaway for two weeks, Parbinder and I were ready to be tourists again. What better way to join the hoards in Rio de Janeiro? I… Read More
Workaway: My Two Weeks Living With A Spiritual Community Yoga classes, my own room in a house shared with seven other volunteers from around the world, plus bread made from scratch still warm from the oven for breakfast? Yes please! In a village so remote that Brazilians themselves haven’t even heard of, I was introduced to meditation, awareness, and an alternate way of living.… Read More
Iguazu Falls: Brazilian Edition Same falls, different country. The Brazilian side was good for appreciating views, although I preferred the Argentine version because the trails were more extensive. Highly recommended method for crossing between the two countries. Getting There: Border Crossing From Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, I took a colectivo from the bus terminal straight to the entrance… Read More
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