Las Pampas: Edge Of The Bolivian Amazon My wish was simple. I wanted to swim with pink dolphins. Searching for anacondas and fishing for piranhas sounds great too, but dolphins. DIY Booking A Tour and Transportation The best advice I can give is to organize everything by yourself in La Paz, before going to Rurrenabaque. As counterintuitive as that sounds, all… Read More
Floating Islands And Sinking Spirits At The Peruvian Border Marcela was hugging and dancing with the indigenous ladies in their stockings and thick dresses the moment we crossed into Peru. Our last destination was the Floating Reed Islands of the Uros tribe in Puno, at the other end of Lake Titicaca. She had decided she would stay on this side and head to Cusco. My… Read More
Tranquilo In Titicaca: Isla Del Sol Pigs feeding along the beach. It was crazy wrapping my head around this concept, one of many casual occurrences on Isla del Sol. The uninterrupted blues of the sky and water competed with each other for attention. Choosing to disconnect from reality and stay multiple days on this speck of soil amidst the world’s highest navigable body… Read More
Vivian And Marcela Take On La Paz Though it is not the official capital of Bolivia, this is the city where everything gets done. For travelers, it’s the launch pad for sightseeing and biking the World’s Most Dangerous Road. For fruit and avo freaks like ourselves, it’s got the best markets I’ve been to for the purposes of stocking up. Getting There… Read More
Uyuni In The Raw The over-photographed, freakishly cold, largest salt flat in the world sits as a massive blanket in the high plains of Bolivia. During wet season, parts of the flat are submerged in a layer of mineral water which creates a stunning display of the skies. It doesn’t get more classic than this. Getting There and Away… Read More
Double-sided Potosí Once a dominant, wealthy mining hub from all the silver removed from Cerro Rico, Potosí remains one of the highest cities in the world. Some say it’s the highest. Tourists flock the mines for a humbling experience. Despite my attitude towards tour culture and the unsettling feeling of making someone’s hardship an attraction to visit, I loved… Read More
Bolivia Begins: Haphazard Plans And Successfully Finding Marcela In Sucre The mission: join forces with other strong independent woman and crazy, so-hilarious-my-entire-body-needs-to-recover-from-hearing-you-recount-your-interaction-with-that-cute-Cholita, human-loving, gender-role-tearing-down-ing friend from my university, who I had previously never actually hung out with one-on-one, for two legendary weeks of conquering Bolivia. Step One: Sleep on a Paraguayan airport bench still wondering which city to go to. Day 75 (am)… Read More
Actual Places Then vs. Escadaria Selaron Now When the tiles of Rio de Janeiro‘s most beautiful staircase are as enchanting as the destinations themselves. Spain, 2004 Italy, 2008 Belgium, 2010 Florida, Forever Some Relevant Fun Facts Antoni Gaudí- this modernist architect hated sharp edges and corners. The Bridge of Sighs- this iconic landmark was named… Read More
São Paolo In A Day Natalia, my roommate from Santiago, hosted me for the lone night I spent in the industrial capital of Brazil before I flew to Bolivia. Home to the world’s largest Japanese population outside of Japan, I prioritized the ethnic district called Liberdade. The afternoon was my usual catching a glimpse of urban culture by walking through the city center. … Read More
Rio With Family: A Brief Pause On Backpacking My mother invited me to join her in her four-star hotel on the iconic Ipanema Beach for the week. She had a conference to attend, so we flew into the airport at the same time. That night, my father and sister flew in from the Brazilian Amazon. It felt just like old times as we were half-bickering,… Read More