I flew from Manaus to Quito after our jungle adventure. On a stop over in panama city I had to say goodbye to Hilary. after traveling with her for 6 months it was pretty crazy to think of separating, so after a teary departure I was off to Quito. To make the transition of being alone a little easier I planned to meet up with Hilary and Adam, who we had met on the amazon river. I am so happy I made the decision to meet them! They let me fit into their travel plans, and we ended up having the best week.
On out fisrt day In A small town an hour from Quito called otavolo we explored through markets, and ate one of our favourite snacks. It is called a papas reinas. It is a deep fried ball of rice, meat, a whole egg, and potato.
The next day a really nice man from our hostel said he would take us to the mitad del mundo. (the middle of the world aka the equator.) there are two places to be on the equator line. One is the actual gps navigated line and one was calculated by the French which is only 500 meters off. On the gps line there is a museum, which was super informative about the indigenous people and there are tests you can do to experiment how on the equator things are different, for example how the water flows. On the line the water goes straight down instead of counter or clockwise. He then took us to the old town of Quito. The reason he was taking us around was because he said he loved showing people his city. I totally get why. I was not expected such an amazing old city. The churches were beautiful! Filled with gold and instead of gargles they were animals from the galapogos on the basilica.
The three of us then decided to head to the south of Ecuador. Hilary and Adam had to make it to cusco, Peru by a certain time to do the inca trail. We hopped on buses that costed a dollar per hour and made our way to alusyi to catch the famous switch back train. This train is known as the steepest train in the world and has three switchbacks in order to make it down the mountain. Beautiful secenery and interesting stories about the construction of the train. Goast stories included because it is called the devil throat, and the devil is said to have cursed the building of the train.
We were recommended in Quito about going all the way to south to a town called machala. There is a port there that apparently has the same huge sea turtles as the galapogas. We didn't get to see them but we did head to the beach which is a vacation spot for a lot of ecuadorians. We spent st. Patricks day drinking beer on the beach and eating civiche. On the boat ride over we met a man who was traveling with his wife but they were doing Thier own thing for a few days, this is why he was on his own. We invited him to have some beers with us, because he was a fellow Canadian and he seemed like a nice guy. As we hung out more we found out the reason he wasn't with his wife was because she was in the hospital unable to walk for a month. On march 8th (international woman's day) they were walking in a national park on the coast and were attacked by three men. He was told he had 30 minutes to get three thousand dollars or his wife would be killed. While he was running down the mountain, the men got a little bored and start harassing the wife. She noticed a machete and slashed the one man. They then started pounding her head and she jump 50 meters off the mountain. She broke her pelvis and legs, and thus in the hospital unable to walk.
Our faces and our mouths were wide open in total shock, his is not why we expected! So interesting to have met this man and heard his story.
Later that night we went out for more beer, when we went into the first bar we were immediately noticed, we got one beer and sat down, beer was thrown on us within seconds. This is the first time in south America I have felt as a gringo unwanted. Made for the most unexpected and interesting st. Patty's day.
lunes, 30 de abril de 2012
Manaus
When we got off the boat in Manaus, we were greeted by a man who said he had a great price for us for a place to stay. So Hilary, Hilary, Adam and i decided to get a room together at this hostel. He wanted to talk to us right away about jungle trip options, Hilary and Adam only had a day there before they flew to Bogotá, they did a day trip. Hilary and i agreed to a 4 night 5 day trip. We were then given a walking tour of manaus. Manaus was not what i expected at all! It is a very large city On the Río Negro where it meets up with the Amazon river. Manaus used to be the Richtest city in Brasil. The people who lived there used to send their laundry to europe because 1. They has the money and 2. Because they didn't want to Wash their clothes in the Amazon water.
Our jungle tour started with a long boat ride to see the meeting of the Amazon River and the río negro. The río negro is Black because of the acidity in the water. The difference in the water allows for their to be a defined line in the water between Brown and Black. We arrived at our jungle lodge and right away put into a small Green Amazon canoe. We were taken pirana fishing. At night we were taken in the same boat to go camen "hunting" not killing but looking. Our guide got into the water and roamed around until he found one. This should have been hint number one for me of the unethical things about our amazon trip, i was uncomfortable the whole time that this poor animal was being passed round and cameras were being flashed in its eyes. By day three all we wanted to do was leave because we realized that this was not worth what we had paid for. It was so disapointing being Hilary's last thing she would do in south america. To top the cake we saw a sloth in a tree (which was awesome) but then the guide Climbed the tree, tied a rope to the sloth and dangled it so we could eventually hold it. Hilary and i were outraged, we yelled at our guide. But unfortually the other people in our boat loved it. We begged for them to let us go home, but language was a barrier.
Not all of the trip was a right off. We had an amazing camping experience in the jungle in hammocks. It was crazy because we could barley sleep because the bugs surrounding us were so loud. We also did a really informative jungle hike, we saw a tranchula the size of my hand.
Overall it was diacourging because the amazon is such a amazing place and it makes me sad to see it being taken advantage of by tour agencies. Please do more research into the company if you choose this is something you want to do.
Our jungle tour started with a long boat ride to see the meeting of the Amazon River and the río negro. The río negro is Black because of the acidity in the water. The difference in the water allows for their to be a defined line in the water between Brown and Black. We arrived at our jungle lodge and right away put into a small Green Amazon canoe. We were taken pirana fishing. At night we were taken in the same boat to go camen "hunting" not killing but looking. Our guide got into the water and roamed around until he found one. This should have been hint number one for me of the unethical things about our amazon trip, i was uncomfortable the whole time that this poor animal was being passed round and cameras were being flashed in its eyes. By day three all we wanted to do was leave because we realized that this was not worth what we had paid for. It was so disapointing being Hilary's last thing she would do in south america. To top the cake we saw a sloth in a tree (which was awesome) but then the guide Climbed the tree, tied a rope to the sloth and dangled it so we could eventually hold it. Hilary and i were outraged, we yelled at our guide. But unfortually the other people in our boat loved it. We begged for them to let us go home, but language was a barrier.
Not all of the trip was a right off. We had an amazing camping experience in the jungle in hammocks. It was crazy because we could barley sleep because the bugs surrounding us were so loud. We also did a really informative jungle hike, we saw a tranchula the size of my hand.
Overall it was diacourging because the amazon is such a amazing place and it makes me sad to see it being taken advantage of by tour agencies. Please do more research into the company if you choose this is something you want to do.
lunes, 26 de marzo de 2012
Amazon River
Amazon river
On the 23rd of february, hilary and i got On a plane heading to the north coast of brasil. We landed in a city called belem. This was the starting Point for our Amazon adventure. We had just entered into raining season and the humid jungle. Here we bought our tickets for a 5 night boat trip along the Amazon river, ending in manaus. We needed to buy hammocks and rope, so we could hang them up On the boat. Little did we know that these hammocks would become our Worst enemy and our Best Friend.
The night before we left we went out for some street food. We got these amazing sandwiches that were filled with so much flavour. Every bit was different becase it was jammed packed with meat, fried onions, cheese, special sause, and little mini chips.
The next day we were told to be at the boat at 8am. The boat was suppose to leave at 10, but you needed to get there early to get a good place for your hammock. Turns out the boat didn't actually leave until 5:36pm. Good old brasil time.
Our naighbour hammock friends were two canadians named adam and hilary. They were the only other people On the boat who spoke english.
The Amazon river is a muddy light Brown colour and is surrounded by the greenest trees. We went through thin channels beside stilt houses that always had clothes drying outside. Kids would paddle close to the boat in hopes of someone throwing them a package of cookies. The people who live in these houses are dependent On fishing. They sell fish to passing boats. They don't need a lot of money however because they have the abundence of the Amazon Behind them.
We woke up the next morning to Water buffalo and cattle ranches, where the cows were struggling to stay On the small amount of Land available because of the high water. The cattle ranches are actually a bit of a problem in the Amazon because they are cutting down huge amounts of the forest for them.
On the forth day we stopped in a place called santarem, final we could get off the boat for an hour. Here we were met by a huge cruise ship that goes through the bigger channels. Hilary and i were looking over the railings and one woman took a photo of us thinking we were brazilian. Guess we are starting to fit in. At least she asked our permission unlike a lot of people who take pictures of local people.
The boat trip was very long and most of the time very Boring. It was an easy task to read a few books. Adam timed how much time he spent in his hammock and it was 89 hours in 5 days. The food in the boat was so good and cheap. Beans and rice and chicken for two dollars. We saw the most incredible sunsets nightly and had the best view because the boat was totally open. Watching the sun go down over the Amazon is a pretty spectacular thing. I had to keep reminding myself where I was.
On the 23rd of february, hilary and i got On a plane heading to the north coast of brasil. We landed in a city called belem. This was the starting Point for our Amazon adventure. We had just entered into raining season and the humid jungle. Here we bought our tickets for a 5 night boat trip along the Amazon river, ending in manaus. We needed to buy hammocks and rope, so we could hang them up On the boat. Little did we know that these hammocks would become our Worst enemy and our Best Friend.
The night before we left we went out for some street food. We got these amazing sandwiches that were filled with so much flavour. Every bit was different becase it was jammed packed with meat, fried onions, cheese, special sause, and little mini chips.
The next day we were told to be at the boat at 8am. The boat was suppose to leave at 10, but you needed to get there early to get a good place for your hammock. Turns out the boat didn't actually leave until 5:36pm. Good old brasil time.
Our naighbour hammock friends were two canadians named adam and hilary. They were the only other people On the boat who spoke english.
The Amazon river is a muddy light Brown colour and is surrounded by the greenest trees. We went through thin channels beside stilt houses that always had clothes drying outside. Kids would paddle close to the boat in hopes of someone throwing them a package of cookies. The people who live in these houses are dependent On fishing. They sell fish to passing boats. They don't need a lot of money however because they have the abundence of the Amazon Behind them.
We woke up the next morning to Water buffalo and cattle ranches, where the cows were struggling to stay On the small amount of Land available because of the high water. The cattle ranches are actually a bit of a problem in the Amazon because they are cutting down huge amounts of the forest for them.
On the forth day we stopped in a place called santarem, final we could get off the boat for an hour. Here we were met by a huge cruise ship that goes through the bigger channels. Hilary and i were looking over the railings and one woman took a photo of us thinking we were brazilian. Guess we are starting to fit in. At least she asked our permission unlike a lot of people who take pictures of local people.
The boat trip was very long and most of the time very Boring. It was an easy task to read a few books. Adam timed how much time he spent in his hammock and it was 89 hours in 5 days. The food in the boat was so good and cheap. Beans and rice and chicken for two dollars. We saw the most incredible sunsets nightly and had the best view because the boat was totally open. Watching the sun go down over the Amazon is a pretty spectacular thing. I had to keep reminding myself where I was.
lunes, 19 de marzo de 2012
Carnaval
Carnaval
February 15th to february 23rd would be one of the craziest party weeks of my life. This is carnaval.
Hilary and I got off the bus in Río de jerneiro and made our way to Ipanema beach. Our hostel was in an alley way filled with other hostel, (difficult to find, even more so because our portuese has not gotten better) They have alley ways of hostels around the city to make it less obvious they are there. They plan it this way because aparently groups of people go in and take everything with guns. We were told this apon arrival, along with never take anything out of the hostel because it will be stolen and if you are a girl be extra careful with all of the grabbing by men in the street parties. What were we thinking?
When we walked into the hostel all we could do was laugh because we had paid almost $100 Per Night, and this hostel was probably one of the Worst ones we have come by "once in our life" we kept saying.
On our first full day we jammed in all of the tourist things to do in the city so we would have enough time to enjoy the parties of carnaval. We saw the Cristo, the lapa steps, and my absolute favourite pao de azucure. (sugar loaf mountain) the view from Here was just spectacular! We could see the whole city, plus ocean and the cristo which was fading in and out of cloud. We watched the sun go down up there. Amazing.
Now we were ready for the bloco's. This is what they Call the street parties. They have them set up all over the city and they go On all day and night everywhere. We went to a beatles one, where they play Beatles music samba style. We went to quite a few beach parties On Ipanema, my overall favourite bloco was one that our hostel man took us to by his house. There were no gringo's, so no english, we were with friends from argentina so they translated for us. At one end of the block samba drums were playing and it didn't matter the age the people were dancing like pro's. Along the street lined people selling beer from small carts and the people who attended the party dressed up like it was halloween. With two kisses On the cheeks we were instantly apart of the crowd, it didn't matter we spoke english. People in brasil are so kind.
Despite all the bad that was said, we were so lucky and had no trouble and got nothing stolen. Rumors were true however because 3 out of every 5 people we talked to had their camera stolen. Men in brasil are also súper forward. Sad to think I have to leave place where i am told i am the most beautiful daily. (not sure why because Brazilian woman are the most beautiful I have ever seen)
Besides all of the parties there was the samba dome parade. This was incredible! Hilary and i put On our masks and glitter and jammed onto the subway along with thousands of other people heading the same way. I have never seen so Many colours, Feathers, glitter and sparkles everywhere! The floats were huge and filled with amazing dancers. The main nights to go are sunday and monday. They go from 9 pm to 6am. There are about 6 samba school that go a night competing for the title of the Best. It is based On how Well they play the drums, the floats, costumes, the dancing, and the organization of it all. What an awesome experience to be apart of!
Rio instantly became one of my favourite cities!
February 15th to february 23rd would be one of the craziest party weeks of my life. This is carnaval.
Hilary and I got off the bus in Río de jerneiro and made our way to Ipanema beach. Our hostel was in an alley way filled with other hostel, (difficult to find, even more so because our portuese has not gotten better) They have alley ways of hostels around the city to make it less obvious they are there. They plan it this way because aparently groups of people go in and take everything with guns. We were told this apon arrival, along with never take anything out of the hostel because it will be stolen and if you are a girl be extra careful with all of the grabbing by men in the street parties. What were we thinking?
When we walked into the hostel all we could do was laugh because we had paid almost $100 Per Night, and this hostel was probably one of the Worst ones we have come by "once in our life" we kept saying.
On our first full day we jammed in all of the tourist things to do in the city so we would have enough time to enjoy the parties of carnaval. We saw the Cristo, the lapa steps, and my absolute favourite pao de azucure. (sugar loaf mountain) the view from Here was just spectacular! We could see the whole city, plus ocean and the cristo which was fading in and out of cloud. We watched the sun go down up there. Amazing.
Now we were ready for the bloco's. This is what they Call the street parties. They have them set up all over the city and they go On all day and night everywhere. We went to a beatles one, where they play Beatles music samba style. We went to quite a few beach parties On Ipanema, my overall favourite bloco was one that our hostel man took us to by his house. There were no gringo's, so no english, we were with friends from argentina so they translated for us. At one end of the block samba drums were playing and it didn't matter the age the people were dancing like pro's. Along the street lined people selling beer from small carts and the people who attended the party dressed up like it was halloween. With two kisses On the cheeks we were instantly apart of the crowd, it didn't matter we spoke english. People in brasil are so kind.
Despite all the bad that was said, we were so lucky and had no trouble and got nothing stolen. Rumors were true however because 3 out of every 5 people we talked to had their camera stolen. Men in brasil are also súper forward. Sad to think I have to leave place where i am told i am the most beautiful daily. (not sure why because Brazilian woman are the most beautiful I have ever seen)
Besides all of the parties there was the samba dome parade. This was incredible! Hilary and i put On our masks and glitter and jammed onto the subway along with thousands of other people heading the same way. I have never seen so Many colours, Feathers, glitter and sparkles everywhere! The floats were huge and filled with amazing dancers. The main nights to go are sunday and monday. They go from 9 pm to 6am. There are about 6 samba school that go a night competing for the title of the Best. It is based On how Well they play the drums, the floats, costumes, the dancing, and the organization of it all. What an awesome experience to be apart of!
Rio instantly became one of my favourite cities!
jueves, 15 de marzo de 2012
Patagonia
Patagonia
To go to Patagonia was the question hanging over my head during the christmas holidays. Going would mean meeting up with Hilary, but spending a lot more money than my budget had planned for. The night before the fam was suppose to fly home I decided to book a ticket from Nicaragua to buenos aires, then a 24 hour bus to bariloche where I would meet up with Hilary if she received my email.
I made it and waiting for me at the bus terminal was Hilary. Our Patagonia adventure was about to start.
After climbing our first mountain (we were to cheap to take the chair lift) we had the idea that it just wouldn't be right if we didn't camp the whole way south. So we bought a tent and sleeping bags and got on a bus to El Bolson, Argentina as our next destination. In Patagonia one of the common things to do is crisscross your way through chile and argentina. So we crossed the border to futaleufu, chile. The futaleufu river is rated number 5 in the world according to national geographic in terms of rivers to raft or kayak down. It's just that extreme man! So of course we decided to sign up and hit some rapids. We got a recommendation from a friend we kept bumping into that he had a friend who was a guide there so we used them. Very glad we did! We were in a group of all Americans, an ex army man and a couple from new York. Our guide was from Montana and his name was Josh pronounced jaaash in american.
So Hilary and I fit in quite well...
We were to ride rapids that ranged from class 3 to 5+ which is the most intense. The class 5 was called the terminator. We paddled hard into this rapid but it still managed to knock us on our side. Almost all of us stayed in the boat luckily, but Hilary and the other woman with us fell out. This for us in the boat was very scary, the look on their faces were horrified and we watched as they rolled through holes and the biggest rapids we would see. I can't even image what they were going through! Thank goodness for our safety kayaker who saved Hilary and then josh who pulled them to safety. Water had never terrified me more.
In total we were on the water for five hours. What an adrenaline rush, and so much fun!
Of course we needed some beers after. We had met some awesome people so we ended up staying longer than expected. futaleufu turned into one of my favourite places on this trip.
A huge thing that is happening in north chile Patagonia right now is the government wants to put in damns on these huge strong rivers. There have been huge protests against this obviously. These damns will damage huge ecosystems that are unique to the area. Patatgonia sin repressives.
In the following days we spent many hours on buses making our way down. We would stop places to camp and continue on. The bus rides were beautiful, filled with mountain passages, mountains snow peaked or completly green, and then of course the bright green and blue lakes. we made it to el chalten which is on the Argentina side. This place is know for it's treks through the national park of glaciers. We camped in the town and did day hikes through the national park. The famous cerro here is fitzsroy. It is breath taking! In el chalten we were attacked by a baby horse. In the mornings we would be woken up by it stepping on my face through the tent. A few bruises later we had woken up the campground and people telling us that the horse might not speak English. We decided we should move on from here to el calafate. Here is known for the HUGE glaciar perito moreno. It is said to be the siZe of buenos aires. And as tall as the monument in the centre of the city. Hard to describe because it is just unbelievable!
The gateway to the "W" trek is pueto natalas on the chile side, this was our next stop. Here is where we rented our stove and planned our route. We were unable to do the whole W route due to some guy who decided it was a good idea to burn his toilet paper. This lead to half of the route burning down because of 125 km winds and helicopters not being able to fly for 5 days because of the crazy winds. This was quite a disappointment because it requires you to back track a lot on the trail. All the negative aside, We planned a three night four day trek.
The first day was pretty straight forward in terms of up and down mountains. We were walking by huge glaciar lakes that were bright blue in the sun, in front of us stood snow peaked mountains. The hardest thing about the trek is the fact we had to carry all of our gear. It made walking up and down hills a lot harder. On the second day we hiked up hill for 5 hours beside a very large snow peak mountain. It was a rainy day and On the top of the mountain there was a lot of thunder, which created avalanches. It was pretty spectacular to see! we then hiked back to base camp to make our spagetti. Spagetti and oatmeal were our only meals we brought. The third day poured and we almost bailed because of the Wind and cold, but we were hoping the sunrise the next morning would be worth continuing On.
Was it ever! We woke up at 4 am to climb the stepest hill that you almost had to crawl up near the top. In the dark i might add. We Waited until 6:45 for the Orange of the sun to hit the Torres. Which is the thing to see On the "w". It was an absolutely perfect day for it and the colours were beautiful! I am so happy we decided to continue On!
Last stop On our Patagonia adventure was ushuaia. Fin del mundo as it is called. It is the port for antártica. The seafood is great here, and the highlight for me was seeing penguins!
Patagonia: we saw more rainbows in one month than I have seen combined in my whole life!
To go to Patagonia was the question hanging over my head during the christmas holidays. Going would mean meeting up with Hilary, but spending a lot more money than my budget had planned for. The night before the fam was suppose to fly home I decided to book a ticket from Nicaragua to buenos aires, then a 24 hour bus to bariloche where I would meet up with Hilary if she received my email.
I made it and waiting for me at the bus terminal was Hilary. Our Patagonia adventure was about to start.
After climbing our first mountain (we were to cheap to take the chair lift) we had the idea that it just wouldn't be right if we didn't camp the whole way south. So we bought a tent and sleeping bags and got on a bus to El Bolson, Argentina as our next destination. In Patagonia one of the common things to do is crisscross your way through chile and argentina. So we crossed the border to futaleufu, chile. The futaleufu river is rated number 5 in the world according to national geographic in terms of rivers to raft or kayak down. It's just that extreme man! So of course we decided to sign up and hit some rapids. We got a recommendation from a friend we kept bumping into that he had a friend who was a guide there so we used them. Very glad we did! We were in a group of all Americans, an ex army man and a couple from new York. Our guide was from Montana and his name was Josh pronounced jaaash in american.
So Hilary and I fit in quite well...
We were to ride rapids that ranged from class 3 to 5+ which is the most intense. The class 5 was called the terminator. We paddled hard into this rapid but it still managed to knock us on our side. Almost all of us stayed in the boat luckily, but Hilary and the other woman with us fell out. This for us in the boat was very scary, the look on their faces were horrified and we watched as they rolled through holes and the biggest rapids we would see. I can't even image what they were going through! Thank goodness for our safety kayaker who saved Hilary and then josh who pulled them to safety. Water had never terrified me more.
In total we were on the water for five hours. What an adrenaline rush, and so much fun!
Of course we needed some beers after. We had met some awesome people so we ended up staying longer than expected. futaleufu turned into one of my favourite places on this trip.
A huge thing that is happening in north chile Patagonia right now is the government wants to put in damns on these huge strong rivers. There have been huge protests against this obviously. These damns will damage huge ecosystems that are unique to the area. Patatgonia sin repressives.
In the following days we spent many hours on buses making our way down. We would stop places to camp and continue on. The bus rides were beautiful, filled with mountain passages, mountains snow peaked or completly green, and then of course the bright green and blue lakes. we made it to el chalten which is on the Argentina side. This place is know for it's treks through the national park of glaciers. We camped in the town and did day hikes through the national park. The famous cerro here is fitzsroy. It is breath taking! In el chalten we were attacked by a baby horse. In the mornings we would be woken up by it stepping on my face through the tent. A few bruises later we had woken up the campground and people telling us that the horse might not speak English. We decided we should move on from here to el calafate. Here is known for the HUGE glaciar perito moreno. It is said to be the siZe of buenos aires. And as tall as the monument in the centre of the city. Hard to describe because it is just unbelievable!
The gateway to the "W" trek is pueto natalas on the chile side, this was our next stop. Here is where we rented our stove and planned our route. We were unable to do the whole W route due to some guy who decided it was a good idea to burn his toilet paper. This lead to half of the route burning down because of 125 km winds and helicopters not being able to fly for 5 days because of the crazy winds. This was quite a disappointment because it requires you to back track a lot on the trail. All the negative aside, We planned a three night four day trek.
The first day was pretty straight forward in terms of up and down mountains. We were walking by huge glaciar lakes that were bright blue in the sun, in front of us stood snow peaked mountains. The hardest thing about the trek is the fact we had to carry all of our gear. It made walking up and down hills a lot harder. On the second day we hiked up hill for 5 hours beside a very large snow peak mountain. It was a rainy day and On the top of the mountain there was a lot of thunder, which created avalanches. It was pretty spectacular to see! we then hiked back to base camp to make our spagetti. Spagetti and oatmeal were our only meals we brought. The third day poured and we almost bailed because of the Wind and cold, but we were hoping the sunrise the next morning would be worth continuing On.
Was it ever! We woke up at 4 am to climb the stepest hill that you almost had to crawl up near the top. In the dark i might add. We Waited until 6:45 for the Orange of the sun to hit the Torres. Which is the thing to see On the "w". It was an absolutely perfect day for it and the colours were beautiful! I am so happy we decided to continue On!
Last stop On our Patagonia adventure was ushuaia. Fin del mundo as it is called. It is the port for antártica. The seafood is great here, and the highlight for me was seeing penguins!
Patagonia: we saw more rainbows in one month than I have seen combined in my whole life!
miércoles, 14 de marzo de 2012
miércoles, 14 de diciembre de 2011
To end our time in Bolivia we met up with our spanish school friends- Claudia, Vish, and Paul and started a three day journey to the Salar which is the Bolivian salt flats in Uyuni, which is also in the middle of the desert. I am so happy we got to experience this with such amazing people. We piled into a jeep and drove across massive vast space. The salt flats were unbelievably white for as far as the eye can see and so bright that sunglasses were needed.
The salt on the salar is excavated for use, but isn't exported as much as I would have expected. The salt is super cheap so it's not very profitable.
We spent three days exploring catus hills and huge rocks in the middle of the hot desert. We saw blue, red and green lagunes and hundreds of flamingos. Our last morning we woke up early to see gysers as the sun rose. Frost covered the ground next to the hot gysers.
After the gysers it was time to cross the border to chile. The difference was immediately noticed. We went from unpaved roads across Bolivia to paved highways and roads with emergency exits. Our bus driver said "welcome to civilization." not a funny joke after loving Bolivia so much.
Prices were also a shock to the system in Chile. We went fro paying $4 in Bolivia for a hostel to $14 in Chile. We now switch hostels to save an extra dollar or two.
The people in Chile go out of their way to help you and are so kind. We have explored Santiago and eaten completos (which are hot dogs filled with anything you can imagine.) We have experienced the Chilean Pacific ocean while eating seafood and having the best Chilean wine in Valaparaiso for Hilary´s birthday. I got a taste of Patagonia by going south to Pucon, where we repelled from waterwalls and enjoyed the volcano beach.
Chile was interesting to research before coming here and then while we were here learning more about it because of their brutal history. The economy in chile is grower very fast but people are still getting paid the same and are increasingly unable to buy the things they need. The gap between rich and poor is so huge. Embarrassingly I was trying to make a Brittany Spears concert in Santiago at the beginning of our Chile trip (we didn't make it because of the prices of flights, so we took a 20 hour bus ride instead.) We would have seen the concert at the national stadium which is the place where thousands of Chilean citizens were held and tortured during the Pinocet regime. It´s just crazy thinking about how recent that was and now soccer games and huge concerts are held there.
The salt on the salar is excavated for use, but isn't exported as much as I would have expected. The salt is super cheap so it's not very profitable.
We spent three days exploring catus hills and huge rocks in the middle of the hot desert. We saw blue, red and green lagunes and hundreds of flamingos. Our last morning we woke up early to see gysers as the sun rose. Frost covered the ground next to the hot gysers.
After the gysers it was time to cross the border to chile. The difference was immediately noticed. We went from unpaved roads across Bolivia to paved highways and roads with emergency exits. Our bus driver said "welcome to civilization." not a funny joke after loving Bolivia so much.
Prices were also a shock to the system in Chile. We went fro paying $4 in Bolivia for a hostel to $14 in Chile. We now switch hostels to save an extra dollar or two.
The people in Chile go out of their way to help you and are so kind. We have explored Santiago and eaten completos (which are hot dogs filled with anything you can imagine.) We have experienced the Chilean Pacific ocean while eating seafood and having the best Chilean wine in Valaparaiso for Hilary´s birthday. I got a taste of Patagonia by going south to Pucon, where we repelled from waterwalls and enjoyed the volcano beach.
Chile was interesting to research before coming here and then while we were here learning more about it because of their brutal history. The economy in chile is grower very fast but people are still getting paid the same and are increasingly unable to buy the things they need. The gap between rich and poor is so huge. Embarrassingly I was trying to make a Brittany Spears concert in Santiago at the beginning of our Chile trip (we didn't make it because of the prices of flights, so we took a 20 hour bus ride instead.) We would have seen the concert at the national stadium which is the place where thousands of Chilean citizens were held and tortured during the Pinocet regime. It´s just crazy thinking about how recent that was and now soccer games and huge concerts are held there.
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