Deja Vu on the Gold Coast

So much of Australia reminds me of home. It's hard to get homesick in a country with iced coffee, salt and vinegar chips, and movies that don't need subtitles. But in Australia's Gold Coast, the similarities were almost eerie. As we drove along the Gold Coast highway, I saw signs for Palm Beach, Miami Beach, Miami Keys and even Florida Gardens. It was as if this part of Australia confused itself for my hometown on the Atlantic.

Before we could hit the Gold Coast, we took a detour to Nimbin, the Woodstock of Australia. Nimbin is a tiny town known for still living the hippie lifestyle of the 1960s. If you ask a few of the residents, they might still think it's 1968. Set in among hills that are steeped in Aboriginal lore, Nimbin is a tiny little farming town. We stocked up on inexpensive, organic dried fruits and fresh beef. Just outside of town, we stopped at Protester Falls, in the middle of a tropical rainforest.


After a freezing night in Nimbin, it was time to head back to the beach. Surfers Paradise is the center of the Gold Coast, and from the name it sounds like a sleepy little town with a lot of dudes who say 'gnarly' all the time. Perhaps that was the case in the 1960s, before Surfers became a mecca for Japanese tourists. Now it is Australia's version of Cancun crossed with Las Vegas. Surfers has so many high rise buildings that we could see it from miles away.


From everything we'd read and heard, Jared and I were sure we wouldn't like Surfers Paradise. Then again, we were sure we'd love Byron Bay, and just the opposite happened. We had low expectations for Surfers Paradise, so it was easy to be pleasantly surprised. We knew it would be covered in high rises, flashing lights, and drunk 19-year-old backpackers. (Actually we joined the party for a night out, and had a blast.) But with an outlet mall and three Starbucks, we weren't complaining. In a country where cities are few and very far between, we loved being in a beach town that had all the benefits of a city.

Surfers Paradise is a bit of a misnomer, because the best waves are actually in the surrounding towns. Jared surfed the breaks in Coolangatta, and Burleigh Heads. In Currimbin, he accidentally rode into the middle of the Queensland state longboarding competition.

Taking a break from sleeping in the car, Jared and I checked into Backpackers in Paradise hostel. It was a great hostel, complete with a pool and mini-cinema. We even joined the Backpackers Big Night Out and hit 3 clubs on Saturday night.


From Surfers Paradise it was time to go to an actual big city, Brisbane. The capital of Queensland, Brisbane is Australia's third largest city. A river runs through the center of town, almost making you forget that the city is inland. While Brisbane seems to be a very nice place to live, we quickly realized there was little we wanted to see. We did get to see our good friend Julia again, and her friends Lucy and Sam were nice enough to take us in for the night. Thanks, mates!


We are in the posh beach community of Noosa now, trying to get caught up on our posts. You'll hear more from us soon, but until then, check out our photos from the Gold Coast.

Sydney: Getting by With a Little Help From Our Friends

Before I arrived here, I had two images of Australia: the Sydney Opera House and the Outback. So when Jared and I finally clamped eyes on the iconic Opera House, a shiver went down my spine. It was one of those surreal travel moments when I couldn't help thinking, "this really is the Sydney Opera House. I have made it to Australia." We took the above photo while walking across Sydney's other famous landmark, the Harbour Bridge. We couldn't spend $200 to climb the bridge, but fortunately crossing it on foot was free.

We spent most of our nine days in Sydney buying a car to drive up the East Coast of Australia. Between browsing, test driving, having the car inspected, and buying a roof box, we had days of car-related errands to run. We had heard so much about the King's Cross Car Market, where backpackers sell their vans and wagons at the end of their trips, but I found I could smell the desperation amongst the sellers. Some had been sitting in that gloomy parking garage for two weeks trying to sell their cars. We found our car on Gumtree and bought it from our new friend Dominik. (By the way, can anyone read his German blog?) Our new car (Jared's first) is a 1993 Holden Berlina station wagon with just over 160,000 miles. It came with gadgets to keep us from hitting kangaroos, but no cup holders. Go figure. So far the car seems to be working out for us.

Sydney is a great city, but Jared and I both prefer smaller Melbourne. In Sydney we really felt the stresses of being in a big city--packed commuter trains and high prices. It reminded us a bit of being back in New York City, but not in a good way. At least Sydney has some fantastic beaches to take the big city edge off. We made a mandatory stop at world famous Bondi Beach, but found that we liked the relaxed vibe of Coogee Beach better. Unfortunately it was a bit too cold to go swimming at either beach. Looking back, I wish we'd had time to do the clifftop walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach.


We did manage to do a bit more sightseeing before leaving town. The World Press Photo exhibit had us awestruck for two hours. For our New York friends, don't miss the exhibit when it stops at the U.N. building from June 27 to July 17. We meandered around The Rocks, Sydney's quaint historic district, filled with cafes and pubs. At the Museum of Contemporary Art, we met some of Sydney's underground self-publishers at a zine fair. We didn't get to take a harbour ferry to Manly Beach, so now we have a reason to go back to Sydney.


One thing I will never forget about Sydney is the bats. They might as well call the Botanical Garden the Bat-anical Garden. As we watched cockatoos flying amongst the trees, we saw something else hanging from the branches. Hanging upside down asleep, with their wings folded, they were the size of cats. And there were THOUSANDS of them. And they were MASSIVE. When they awoke and started flying, the bats were nearly a meter wide from wing to wing. All these bats live in the middle of downtown Sydney, only a short walk from the Opera House.

Our stay in Sydney would not have been possible without the hospitality of our friends. A huge thank you goes out to the entire Cohen family, and Julia, Ryan and Clementine. Jared's old friend Craig introduced us to his Aussie relatives the Cohens. We met Julia back in December when we toured the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Her roommates Ryan and Clementine had never met us, but they welcomed us like old friends. We hope we can return the favor someday.

Jared and I are currently driving up the East Coast of New South Wales in our station wagon. But that is another post for another day. Until then, take a look at our photos from Sydney.

My Oh My Melbourne

Wow, what a great city. When I was living in Montreal during my "uni" days as they say here, I had some friends that studied abroad in Australia. I kept hearing how Melbourne was similar to Montreal, and I am happy to report that they were right. I loved living in Montreal, and I could seriously move to Melbourne.

From the moment I hit streets, I immediately felt the vibe of the city. It could have also been the fact that I had come from New Zealand with a significantly smaller population, but I'm attributing it to all the bustling restaurants and coffee shops spread out among the alleyways, and the hipsters in their skinny black jeans and Dunlop Volley sneakers.

This city breathes festivals and you can see how food and art are the topic of many. The major museums are free! I was there for two weeks in the Fall season, and witnessed the Next Wave Festival, Buddha Day, and the St. Kilda Film Festival. The Italian Festival was just after we left for Sydney and I could only imagine the great food dished out in the Italian neighborhood of Carlton. If this was the Fall, Summer must be one festival after another.

I was lucky to be staying in Southbank, just across the Yarra river, since there were great restaurants right on the water. I was also around the corner from the South Melbourne Market where I did my daily shopping for fresh foods. The Queen Victoria Market (or "Vic Market") is another spectacle. The largest market in they city, it was a must do for us on a Saturday, when it's the most packed with vendors selling everything from food to clothing. I ate the most amazing Turkish bread called "Boreks," stuffed with lamb and vegetables, and considering the huge line to get them, I figured it must be an institution.




So, I had a full nine days to enjoy the city before Julie arrived. I figured I could scope out the city and we could do all the fun stuff together. I stayed at a massive hostel complex in Southbank called Urban Central, that reminded me more of a university dorm than the traditional traveler's den. It was a five story building with a bar and endless number of rooms. Most people seemed to be long term residents with working visas, and living in the dorm. It was the last place I wanted to be for more than a week, but It worked out for me since it was low season and I had my own room. I should mention that even in low season there were more than a hundred people.



My good friend Dave put me in touch with his old flame named Brunka who was the best host. We walked around the cool neighborhood of Prahran, and went to an amazing house club that rivaled NYC and Montreal in the heyday of Stereo. I went to see live music at the famous ESPY in St. Kilda, and checked out the art and music scene in Fitzroy. The highlight of the week for me was a free day trip to visit the national park of Wilson's Promontory. Somehow the stars aligned and Bunyip Tours offered a couple free seats on their tour to the "Prom" as they were shooting a promotional video and brochure. Talk about a score. Normally the full day trip runs $110, but after going on the trip, I think it's worth the money if you are considering it. The Prom is located two hours southeast of Melbourne at the southernmost point of mainland Australia. We did two hikes, one up a hill to get a great view of the coast, and one along a beach, then topped it off with some animal viewings at sunset, the best time to see grey kangaroos, emus, and wombats.



Julie arrived on a Thursday and we painted the town red for four days before our flight out to Sydney. I said goodbye to the hostel life and we settled in with Steven and Natasha, our new friends. I should mention that they had never met us before, but our mutual friend Kareem put us in touch, and they were so gracious to let us stay in their home in Hawthorn East. So how did we do up Melbourne? We walked along the waterfront of the Yarra River, visited the botanical gardens, Federation square, the shopping areas in the CBD (central business district), took in day re-living our childhood at the Game On video game exhibit at the Australian Center for the Moving Image (best $5 I ever spent), ate really well from Natasha's cooking, and did a day wine tour of vineyards in the Yarra valley with our hosts.



The highlight of our wine tour was visiting the Yeringberg winery, which is only open two days a year. Their small stock usually goes to restaurants and wine enthusiasts like Steven. It is a family winery that has been around since the 1800's, and their $40 plus bottles were a treat to try. Corkmaster, do you have anything else to add about the tastings? I also got to see a "footy" match. The Australian Football League, also known as Aussie rules, is the sporting religion in the state of Victoria. I was lucky enough to see the defending champion Geelong Cats beat the Richmond Tigers at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, the site of the 1956 summer Olympics. I ran into some old friends John and Amit that I met in Fiji, who helped to cheer on Geelong.



So, after two weeks in Melbourne, we boarded a plane bound for Sydney. Australia has some super cheap low cost carriers. We flew Virgin Blue for $79 one way, and the bus was only $15 cheaper and takes 12 hours! There is also Jet Star, which is what we flew from Christchurch to Melbourne.

So, here we are in Sydney, about to head north along the coast in our new ride. I finally bought my first car. It's a pre-loved 1993 Holden Berlina station wagon with space in the back for the two of us to sleep. We have camping gear, my guitar, a new surfboard, a cook set, and the open road. What more could you ask for. Well, a job maybe? Yes, we need to find work at some point to help finance this pseudo-retirement.

Here are my photos from two weeks in Melbourne, and it looks like our blog found its way to the MSN.ca travel section, how cool is that.

The North Island of New Zealand

If you happened to pass by the blog on Saturday night (Sunday morning our time), you saw a quick post that we were about to go skydiving. Just after we had zipped up our jumpsuits and been fitted into our harnesses, clouds rolled in and the jump was canceled. Maybe next time we should post after we jump.

We managed to skip winter this year, or so we thought. In February, during Carnaval in Brazil, I would check weather forecasts in New York and feel sorry for all you poor suckers stuck in the cold. Now while you are enjoying warmer temperatures, spring flowers, and baseball season, Jared and I are in a topsy-turvy place where it is almost May and the trees are covered in red and gold. While I always equated "south" with "warmer," it gets colder the farther south we drive. Cry me a river, you are all saying. I know.


Like the US, New Zealand is best seen from your own set of wheels. Since our budget is squeezed tighter than Lindsay Lohan's jeans, we rented the cheapest camper van possible. Instead of a fancy new RV, our ride is the size of a Volkswagen bus with a convertible table and bench, double bed, and a pump sink in the back. To save cash, we sleep in free campsites when possible. Suddenly hot showers have become a luxury. Our 1994 Toyota Hiace can only go about 20 mph uphill, and every time it starts in the morning, we breathe a sigh of relief. Jared is stuck doing all the driving because I don't know how to drive stick shift, but he has become quite adept at it, and on the left side of the road, no less. (Mike Soldner, you would be amazed!)

New Zealand in the fall is stunning, but I am sure it is beautiful all year round. By missing summer peak season, we are being treated to gorgeous foliage, lighter crowds, and slightly lower prices. We need all the discounts we can get--NZ is by far the most expensive country we have visited. Gasoline is $6 a gallon (and we use about $50 of gas each day), a cup of coffee is at least $2.50, and restaurants are out of the question. Instead of our $25 per day budget each, we have been spending about $60 per day here, not including excursions. But the views are free, and priceless.

After flying from tropical Fiji, we were greeted by a chilly downpour in Auckland. At the airport, we had our tent and hiking boots inspected as part of New Zealand's biosecurity, which keeps out foreign algae and pests out of NZ's ecosystem. With 1.3 million people, Auckland is NZ's largest city, and the home of 25% of the country's residents. Yet it still feels like a small, manageable city. Unfortunately, we only had 24 hours in town, and it was pouring for most of them. Oh well.

With only one week to spend in the North Island, we headed down to Rotorua for a dose of Maori culture. We visited Whakarewa, a Maori village sitting on an active thermal area. (Believe it or not, that is the village's nickname, short for Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao,' meaning “The uprising of the warriors of Wahiao".) It was interesting to learn that the Maori language is actually having a renaissance, after nearly dying out 20 years ago. Throughout New Zealand, government signs and plaques are shown with English and the Maori translations.

Itching to explore New Zealand's famous terrain, Jared went hiking (or "tramping," as they say here) in Tongariro National Park, said to be one of the most beautiful day hikes in the country. Tongariro is a dual World Heritage area, recognized for its three volcanic peaks and Maori cultural significance. He hiked right by Mount Ngauruhoe, which was used as Mt. Doom in the climax of The Lord of the Rings. (I stayed behind. When traveling and staying in a van, it's hard not to spend 24 hours a day together.)


From Tongariro we made our way down to Wellington, the capital city. If you are going to be in Wellington, don't miss the outstanding Te Papa museum, where we experienced simulated earthquake. (Better a simulation than the real thing, which is all too possible here.) The next day we took a 3-hour ferry across the Cook Strait to the South Island. Here are our photos from the North Island.

Before we left on the trip, my boss warned me that we may be missing out on life while we were gone. "But Charlie," I replied, "this is life." Still, we are missing out on some special times, especially our friends' weddings. So we'd like to send our love to Andrew and Caroline, Jack and Davi, and the newest newlyweds, Alex and Ximena, and Will and Dina. Congratulations, you guys.

If you follow the trip by email or Facebook, check out the blog! We've added a snazzy header, trip statistics, and a nifty clock that shows our local time. Thanks to Tal for all your help.

Back in the U.S.A.

Hello from Fiji! Before Jared and I tell you about our time here in paradise (seriously, Fiji is heaven on earth) let's look back on our quick jaunt to the good old U.S. of A. We spent 10 days seeing people we love and chowing down on all the food we'd been missing.

Jared and I don't plan too far in advance, so when Jared's sister offered us two free tickets to Houston for her graduation, we jumped at the chance to go home for a bit. We took advantage of some buddy passes and frequent flier tickets and mapped a frantic U.S. tour: first Houston, then Florida, New York, and finally Los Angeles.

We touched down in Houston after more than five months in South America. I couldn't help but immediately see the overconsumption that is prevalent in the States. Everywhere we looked we saw big SUVs, big houses, big portions of food. Then again, this was Texas, where everything is big.


We weren't in Houston to sightsee, we were there to see family. Jared's sister Rachel became one of the newest flight attendants in the skies, and we both gained a new respect for flight attendants. (Rachel can evacuate a plane in 90 seconds!) As a bonus, we got to stay with Jared's cousins Cindy, Todd, 3-year-old Jessica, and one-year-old Colin. Last time we saw Jessica she was only one, and this was our first time meeting Colin, who I wanted to take with me.


Our next stop was my hometown, West Palm Beach, Florida. Throughout our last few weeks in South America, I was growing more homesick by the day. Seeing my parents, grandparents, and best friends did more for my spirits than a stay at a five-star hotel. My parents are selling my childhood home, so next time I see them they will be living in Georgia. I gave my grandparents big hugs, because they are 81 and 90, and I can't take them for granted anymore. Jared and I even got to spend time with his grandmother Myra, who lives not far from my parents. Friends are the family you choose, so seeing Jen, Billy, Katie, Bill, Eileen, and Hope was as important as seeing my parents. (I just wish I had taken more pictures of everybody.) Take a look at Jared's photos from Houston and Florida.


Then it was on to New York City, which is still my favorite city in the world. We had 36 hours to see as many of our friends as possible. It was a chilly Tuesday night in the city, but a few friends came to meet us for dinner and karaoke, and even more came out later for drinks. Over salmon and avocado rolls at our old sushi joint, we all sang rousing versions of "Sweet Child O Mine" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". Being serenaded by Feldman was worth the price of admission. Jared and I had missed all our friends more than they know, and seeing them was worth the trip to New York.


The next day in New York, I realized I had lost my wallet. Somewhere between paying for the cab back to Maria's apartment the night before, and walking 10 blocks that morning, my wallet went missing. Both my debit cards and three credit cards were in my wallet, and I know better than to keep all that stuff in one place. As my favorite blogger would say, BE YE NOT SO STUPID. Now that I was back on familiar territory I had let my guard down, and I was paying the price. It's better to have lost my wallet in New York than in a foreign country, but still, this is not how I wanted to spend my one free day in the New York City. I wanted to spend my day getting lemon cupcakes from Buttercup Bake Shop.


Los Angeles was the last stop on our North American leg. We scored a great deal on a flight to New Zealand, via Fiji, at half the price we would have paid from South America. So by coming home, we actually saved $1600. Plus we got to spend time with our good friends Erin, Hal, Hasmik, Kareem, Noah, Greg, Danielle, and Jenni. We grilled on a sidewalk, soaked in a hot tub, and spent time enjoying the hospitality of our new and old friends. Our time in L.A. also coincided with Community Next, a conference founded by our friend Noah. (We were used to seeing Noah in boxers at his Buenos Aires apartment, so it was strange to see him in a suit.) Right before our flight, we even crashed a barbecue where the host, who only met us that day, made us an incredible lunch of root beer marinated pork chops and grilled eggplant. Check out our photos from New York and L.A.


Having seen lots of family and friends and satisfied my cravings for margaritas, buffalo wings, spinach dip, sushi, chocolate chip cookies, salt and vinegar chips, In-N-Out Burger, Ethiopian food, sushi, burritos, The Cheesecake Factory, cookie dough ice cream, and more sushi, Jared and I boarded our flight to Fiji. We left the states feeling happy, exhausted, and ready for another long leg of travel. Thank you to everyone who put us up, transported us to and from airports, fed us and came to see us. We appreciate it more than you know.

Safe travels, J & J.

P.S. GO YANKEES!

Rio de Janeiro and back home to B.A.

After our tour of Southern Brazil´s beach towns, it was time to visit the biggest beach town of all, Rio de Janeiro. My expectations for Rio were so low that it was easy for me to be pleasantly surprised.

The best part about Rio was that our good friend Maria flew down from New York and met us there. We miss all of our friends and family more than we can say, so it was such a treat to spend a few days with Maria. She even came bearing gifts--real New York City bagels! Jared and I ate those bagels with cream cheese and huge smiles.



Rio de Janeiro is quite possibly the most naturally beautiful city I´ve ever visited. Set in a bay and surrounded by sloping granite hills, Rio is much more than its famed beaches. Although those beaches are pretty nice too. While we didn´t run into any trouble in Rio, we didn´t have to look far to see Rio´s notorious favelas, or slums. On the hill below the Christ the Redeemer statue, only a small highway separated the favelas from guarded mansions.

All in all, we did Rio right. The three of us made the mandatory stops at Pao de Azucar (Sugarloaf mountain), Christ the Redeemer, and Ipanema beach. We snacked on coconut water straight from the coconuts and a sorbet made of a tangy fruit called acaí. At a samba club in Lapa, we happened onto a concert by an amazing band called Loroza. Lapa was a sight in itself, with a party in the streets and stands selling every snack and cocktail imaginable.



Without a doubt, the highlight for all of us was the soccer game we went to at Maracana Stadium. We splurged on tickets for the Rio championship between Flamengo and Botafogo. Getting into the stadium was one of the scariest moments of our trip, as our petite guide raced to the entrance with our tickets. Fortunately we got in fine and found ourselves with ridiculously good seats--twenty rows behind the teams´ benches.

The game was the Rio city final, but you would have thought it was the World Cup Final. These fans were INSANE. Both sides flew flags, chanted taunts, and even set off firecrackers in the stadium. American sports fans are just a bunch of pansies compared to Brazilian futebol fanatics. We didn´t shoot this video, but it gives you a good idea of the energy at the game. In the end, Flamengo beat Botafogo, 2-1, to repeat as Rio champs.



I had heard many firsthand accounts of muggings in Rio, but we got lucky. The three of us never carried purses, backpacks, or even wallets. All of our jewelry, even my $7 earrings from Bolivia, stayed in our hotel. When we went to the beach and had to carry bags, we used plastic grocery bags. To minimize any potential losses, we only carried the smallest amount of cash necessary, and I hid credit cards in the secret stash of my Reef flip-flops. Our hotel, Hostel Copa Praia, was in a very safe part of Copacabana and we highly recommend it. Jared and I didn´t bring our cameras out much, so take a look at Maria´s photos of Rio.

After saying goodbye to Maria, it was time to board a 38-hour bus back to Buenos Aires. Flights were $360 each, and the bus was $120 each, so it was a no-brainer. Our seats were like Lazy-Boy recliners, so the ride wasn´t that bad, though I am not itching to do it again anytime soon. Thanks to those of you who contributed to Jared´s birthday gift. Your generous gift paid for our bus tickets to and from Brazil.

Both Jared and I were thrilled to be back in Buenos Aires. After more than four months on the road, B.A. is the closest thing to home. It was great to catch up with our friends and indulge in as much ice cream from Freddo as I possibly could. We retrieved our cold-weather gear and boarded a flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

If you´re reading this via email, take a look at all the improvements we´ve made to our site. Thanks to Tal for all your help!

Our house is a very very very fine house.

As most of you know, Julie and I have been in Buenos Aires for several weeks now. We thought it would be a good time to fill you in on our living situation, and how we´ve been spending our days in the city.

When we arrived in Buenos Aires at the end of December, we quickly found a room in a nice house, in the Monserrat neighborhood, near the city center and the famous tango and antique district of San Telmo. We are living in what New Yorkers would refer to as a brownstone house with 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a communal kitchen and living area, and one amazing roof deck with a parilla/bbq. We thought about getting our own place, but it was important for us to meet other people. We couldn´t have found a better place for this.

Our roommates are a mix of nationalities. There is Eduardo, a local from Buenos Aires who manages the house share. Arnaut (or Papillon as he´s called), Herve, Sophie, and Stephan, all from france. Hugh is from Ireland, and Jess is from the US. On top of this we´ve had a couple of people stay for a week or two, including a guy from the Netherlands, and a girl from Quebec. If you end up coming to BA for a week or more, and are looking for a good place, contact Eduardo by email (eduardo07aldana@yahoo.com.ar) to see if there is space. Just in case you are wondering about rent in BA, we are paying approximately USD $330/month for our room, and we also found furinished one bedroom apartments for about USD $600/month on Craigslist. Kind of makes you want to move to Buenos Aires doesn´t it? Here are photos of our house and my birthday party last week.

Our neighborhood is pretty good for what we want. We are within walking distance to all the famous sites in the city center, such as the Plaza de Mayo, the Congreso (Congress building), La Casa Rosada (Presidential palace), and we are one street away from Avenida 9 de Julio (the worlds widest avenue at 140 m). The shopping district of La Florida is a close walk. San Telmo is close by as well. Plus, we have all the good cheap eats within a block in every direction.

So, what have we been doing with ourselves. Well, we´ve checked out other neighborhoods such as Palermo (both Palermo Hollywood and Soho), with all the fancy shops, restaurants, and clubs. We visited Belgrano and their Chinatown, as well as Recoleta and the famous cemetery (above ground tombs where Evita is buried). Partied until dawn in the up and coming wharf district of Puerto Madero. Walked through the old Jewish neighborhood of Once, and of course visited San Telmo for their famous street fair and antique market every sunday.

When we´re not out walking the different neighborhoods, we are usually taking bike rides or lounging in the big Parque 3 de Febrero, with the zoo, Japanese and botanical gardens close by. Last night we took our first tango class, and tonight we´re trying salsa dancing. We´ve gone out to eat with our ex-pat friends Kareem and Noah at some great restaurants, and visited some of the city´s famous nightlife, although, the bars and clubs here aren´t as good as people claim. Maybe it´s because everyone is away this month on summer vacation, but so far, this place is no New York, London, or Madrid.

Here are Buenos Aires photos part 2.

In any case, we are happy to stay put for a little bit and recharge our batteries. We only have a week or so left to enjoy the city, then it´s off to Brazil for February.

Buenos Aires and the Beach

¡Feliz año nuevo! When last we spoke, Jared and I were headed to Buenos Aires, eager to finally meet this city we´d heard so much about. After an auspicious introduction (the cab into town was unexpectedly expensive, and our hotel tried to charge us 30% more than the published rate), we began to enjoy the bustling metropolis with the tango beat. With European architecture, unending nightlife, and more steak than we can eat, what´s not to love about Buenos Aires?

We did more apartment hunting than sightseeing in the three days we were in Buenos Aires. After almost three months on the road (you should see our list of cities--it´s coming soon), Jared and I are weary from moving every three days. We rented a room in the Monserrat neighborhood near the city center, and we are looking forward to having a home to call our own for the rest of January. By New York standards, our room in a nine-bedroom row house is a steal: $350 gets us a furnished, sunny room, a functioning kitchen, a spacious rooftop deck, and several friendly housemates. Our house is a mix of international students and a few locals, so we´ll be practicing our Spanish. If you´re going to be in the area this month, please let us know.


We did get a chance to go out until dawn, to sprint across the world´s widest street, and to pose for photos in front of the presidential palace. (Check out our photos of Buenos Aires.) But really, our exploration of Buenos Aires didn´t scratch the surface.


To ring in the new year, Jared and I headed to Punta del Este, Uruguay, the swankiest resort town in all of South America. (Take a look at our photos of Punta.) Our good friends Christina and Pablo Lema were going to be there, and Pablo´s parents graciously hosted us while we were in town. We lived a tough life in Punta del Este: sailing in the morning, sunbathing on the beach in the afternoon, caiprinhas at sunset. On New Year´s Eve, the entire city shot off fireworks for an hour, and we had a perfect view from the Lemas´ terrace. We watched as thousands of Brazilian visitors, all dressed in white, walked down to the water to pay homage to the sea god by walking backwards into the water. At 3am (that´s when the night starts here), we found a party where the champagne was flowing freely. Just as the sun was starting to color the sky pink, Pablo, Christina, Jared, and I called it a night. All in all, it was a perfect (and warm!) New Year´s Eve.



Truth be told, Punta del Este isn´t really our kind of town. It´s full of jetsetters, not backpackers. But it was one of the highlights of our trip. After months away from our friends, seeing Pablo and Christina was like going home for a bit. Pablo´s parents, Alvaro and Susana, made us feel welcome even though they had never met us before. As we left, they sent us with a care package of fruit, a huge ham and cheese torte, and a bottle of wine from land that used to be in Alvaro´s family. Like true parents, they wanted to make sure we had enough food for dinner. We were sincerely touched by their generosity. Alvaro and Susana, muchísimas gracias.


By the way, Uruguay marks the sixth country we´ve visited. Their coast faces the Atlantic Ocean, meaning we have officially crossed South America. Take a look at the map of our travels, which is also visible on our blog.

From Northwest to Southeast Argentina: Our trip to Buenos Aires

After a quick two days in San Pedro de Atacama, we decided it was time to leave Chile and head for our garden of eden...Argentina. After all the stories we´ve read of New Yorkers moving to Argentina, we both had high hopes for the country, and wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

From San Pedro, we took a bus across the Northwest of Argentina, to the provincial capital city of Salta. The drive was absolutely stunning. The scenery changed from a high dry desert, to mountains with cacti everywhere. It was straight out of a John Wayne Western movie. Salta was a nice introduction to the country. We basically spent two days eating all of our favorite foods. It´s funny the things you miss when traveling. We miss peanut butter, sushi, and a good slice of NYC pizza, but I really missed some good cheese, chorizo, and wine. Thank goodness Argentina has such an European influence. The food here is amazing.



We had almost passed up visiting Cafayate, and I´m glad we decided to extend our trip South by a couple of days. Cafayate is about 3 hours south of Salta, and is the other famous wine producing region in Argentina after Mendoza. Cafayate is a small little town, with a main square, and everything shuts for siesta from 1-6pm. The town is surrounded by vineyards, and we spent 3 amazing days riding bikes from winery to winery, getting tours and a little tipsy at the same time. My father would be so proud. When I am old, and I want to live a simple life, this is where I am going to come. I should also mention that Cafayate is surrounded by the Quebrada de Cafayate, which is a beautiful canyon, similar to what you would see in the Southwest of Utah. We did a day tour visiting unbelievable rock formations. I think pictures are the only thing that can do this place justice. Here are our photos of Cafayate and the Quebrada.



With our of fill of wine in Cafayate, we took a bus south to the city of Cordoba. Cordoba is situated in the Central Sierras, and is sometimes referred to as the heart of Argentina, since it´s in the center of the country. We spent four days in Cordoba, walking the colonial streets and enjoying the culture. The city reminded me a lot of Montreal or Boston, since it has the highest number of university students in the country, it´s a party city, and the architecture was old and beautiful. We also did a day trip to Alta Gracia and went to the Che Guevara museum in his childhood home. Alta Gracia is worth checking out if you make it to Cordoba.



I should mention that I had my first experience with an Argentine hospital in Cordoba, and I´m happy to report that it was clean, safe, and more efficient that the U.S. or Canada. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to something, and ended up in the emergency room at 1 am on a Saturday night. After a quick 30 minute wait, an injection of medicine, and a bill for $30 I was on my way. This would never be so easy back home, or so cheap! The only downside was that was my Saturday night, while everyone else was out on the town.



After Cordoba, we made our way to Rosario on the shores of the Rio Parana, where we are right now. Rosario is another small city, with a good student population, and it´s only four hours from Buenos Aires, where we are headed tomorrow morning. Similar to Cordoba, Rosario has great pedestrian streets with shops and restaurants. Although, Rosario actually has a beach. The beach is small, and it´s on the river, but there is sand and water, and we enjoyed sunning ourselves after about a month in the mountains and desert. Here are our photos of Cordoba and Rosario.



Well, I´m happy to say that after a couple of weeks in Argentina, we couldn´t be happier. I´ve stuffed myself with more steak and red wine than I probably should have, and Julie is eating too much dulce de leche ice cream. The life here is like Europe, but cheaper. I wouldn´t be surprised if we end up moving here some day. Tomorrow we go to Buenos Aires for a couple days, then it´s off to the beaches of Punta del Este of Uruguay for New Years, to spend the 31st with our friends Pablo and Christina.

Wishing you all a great New Years wherever you are, and the best for 2008.

La Paz, the Death Road, and the joys of being ill

Julie and I have been in and around La Paz, Bolivia for about a week and half now. I thought I´d write this post while everything was still fresh in my mind and stomach. I´ll get to that last point a little later.

La Paz has really captured my heart. It´s one of the most culturally rich cities we´ve visited so far on this trip. Set at about 12,000 ft in the Andean plateau, the city spreads out down a valley and the surrounding hillsides. Illimani, a 6400 meter, snow capped peak is visible in the distance, and is breathtaking at sunset. The city is a mix of tradtional and modern more than any we´ve seen. Around 60% of Bolivians claim indigenous ancestry, and still keep to the tradtional way of life. As you move further down the valley, and along the main street called the Prado, you get beatiful colonial bulidings, high rises, and fancy restaurants.

We´ve been spending our week or so in the backpacker area around Sagarnaga street, staying in a pretty nice hotel with cable TV for about $15 a night. You can´t beat it. We´ve got HBO and all! We met up with Sonja, one of my sister´s friends who has been living here for a couple years, and explored the cool expat neighbourhood of Sopocachi where she lives. To be honest, we haven´t done too much sightseeing. We´ve just been relaxing, going to the movies, shopping, eating well, and sleeping tons. Here are my photos of La Paz.



Now I know most of you are wondering what´s up with the Death Road? The world´s most dangerous road, or Death Road for short, is a road that drops about 12,000 vertical feet, starting in the snowy mountains, passing through a cloud forest, and finishing in a rain forest. The Death Road part is really only half of this, but nutty tour operators in La Paz figured out a way to make a buck shuttling groups of mountain bikers up to the top of the road, and then letting them bike their way down. I´ve been on some sketchy roads in Nepal, but I have to say this one takes the cake. The dirt road for most of the time is the width of a big bus, and it´s for two way traffic. There are drops that can reach up to 3,000 feet off the side of the cliff as the road curves its way down the mountain side. Unfortunately there have been so many deaths each year from buses and cars going over the side. My bike guide mentioned 100 deaths per kilometer of road per year, but that sounds high. The good news is that the govenment finally built a new paved road this year for travelers headed to the Yungas in the jungles of Bolivia. So this means that the old road is left for all the crazy tourists, and some locals who still like the scenic drive. I should mention that about 5 bikers die each year on this road, so it´s not all fun and games, but it was fun for me. I had a great tour operator, with trained guides, so if you end up going on this, I highly recommend B-Side Adventures. Here are my pictures from the Death Road, but I´m not sure they really do it justice.

When it comes to traveling, you tend to overlook all the inconveniences that come with it. The idea of seeing new places, and cultures, overshadows everything. I remember telling Julie that we would get sick, but that it was inevitable, and we couldn´t worry about it. I had gotten really sick a couple times when I was in Nepal and India, but that was the fall of 2001, and I guess the pain had slipped my mind.

I had the idea that I wanted to climb another big mountain so Julie, myself, and our guide Miguel, set out on a two day trek to the base of Huayna Potosi, a 6088 meter (19,974 ft) peak. The trek itself was nice. The first day was easy, and we set up camp in a valley. The guide insisted that we have donkeys carry all our gear, so we trekked with our day packs. I felt really strange since I´ve always carried my own gear, but hey, this was Bolivia, and the cost was next to nothing. The next morning we woke up to three inches of snow that had blanketed the whole area, in a late spring storm. Somehow our donkeys with the porter weren´t around, but our guide assured us our stuff would make it. The day of trekking was a little tough because of the snow and altitude, but we made it over the 5100 meter pass that day. Julie had made it to her highest point so far at 16,700 ft. By the time we got to the base of Huayna Potosi the donkeys were nowhere to be found. Julie headed back to La Paz as planned, without her bag, and angry as hell. The bags finally arrived, along with my climbing gear, and I spent the late afternoon reviewing climbing skills on the local glacier. We spent that night at the base, sleeping on the cold floor of what seemed to be the washroom of a local electric company. After a freezing night, we woke and hiked up the mountain to the high refuge at 5200 meters, where we would start the climb that night.

These are where all the problems began. I´m not even sure if I had altitude sickness, but at the time, I was positive I did. I had just been to 5900 meters the month before, but altitude affects everyone differently all the time. I rested, shivering in my sleeping bag, getting worse by the minute. At about 6 pm, after six hours at the refuge, I told Miguel that I needed to go down. Mumbling, and barely able to stand, I said goodbye to all the other climbing parties who would leave for the summit that night. I was so embarrassed. I could barely walk. I felt intoxicated, and the trek down was steep, over loose rocks. I walked so slowly, too slow. I thought every step would kill me. It took me more time to go back down to the base than it did to walk up, and I had to rest every 10 minutes. In the dark we walked, and we made it to the same cold room I had slept in the night before. I collapsed, shaking with a fever, and tried to sleep.

The next morning, I took a cab back with Miguel and some others and collapsed in the bed of our hotel in La Paz. Julie found me a couple of hours later under the covers with all my clothes on, shivering as I had the night before. At this point I realized that it wasn´t altitude sickness, but some parasite, bacteria, or virus that had invaded my body. The sad thing is that I was relieved, as I was worried my body wouldn´t take me to altitude again, and there are so many other mountains I want to climb. All in all I was really sick for about three days. I couldn´t eat for 72 hours, I was running to the bathroom every 20 minutes, and I had a nasty cough that you could hear in the next neighborhood. Julie was my savior, and I don´t think I could have made it through this tough time without her. So I guess what I´m trying to say here, is that although traveling is amazing, this is something not to be envious of. Believe me, I´m on antibiotics and my body hates me right now. But I swear I will be back to climb this mountain at some point.

Even though this last part was kind of a downer, we really had a fun time trekking before I got sick. Here are the pics, look at how beautiful the Bolivian altiplano and Huayna Potosi are.

By the way, its Julie´s birthday tomorrow (Dec 10th), so please shower her with adoring emails, as she misses everyone, especially this time of year.

Goodbye, Peru. Hello, Bolivia!

After Huaraz, Jared and I were bound for Lima. Jared spent some time in Lima two years ago, but he had nothing but bad things to say about the city--it was dirty and boring. So my expectations for Lima were pretty low, until my new friend Charlotte told me that Lima is full of American fast food. Suddenly I started to look forward to visiting Peru´s bustling capital.

By this point, Jared and I had been traveling for six weeks. Our diet had mainly consisted of various forms of chicken, rice, soup, and french fries, plus scrambled eggs for breakfast. When we arrived in Lima, my only goal was to eat all the American fast food I could. I make no apologies for spending $4 on a caramel frappuccino at Starbucks, more than the cost of most of my dinners. It was damn good. During 36 hours in Lima, I ate at Pizza Hut, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts. No wonder Jared sometimes calls me Homer Simpson. I do have to mention that Jared found a Tony Roma´s and chowed down on quesadillas and ribs, so I am not the only one who was missing American chain restaurants.

We stayed in the seaside neighborhood of Miraflores, arguably Lima´s nicest area. Miraflores, with its manicured parks, department stores, and cinemas, was a little slice of home. We even got to go to the movies for the first time in months. (We saw The Heartbreak Kid in English with Spanish subtitles.) During dinner we watched the South American eliminations for the 2010 World Cup, which is three years away. As we watched Brazil defeat Uruguay, it occurred to me that the entire continent was watching this soccer match. We had a fantastic time in the city, enough to change Jared´s mind about Lima.

We saw Southern Peru in 2006, so Lima was just a rest stop as we traveled south from Huaraz to Bolivia. After a night in Lima we boarded a 14-hour night bus to Arequipa. This time we sprang for first class seats and it was worth every centavo. (Our Thanksgiving dinner was served aboard the bus, and though it wasn´t turkey, it wasn´t bad.) We stopped for the night in Arequipa, where we had visited in 2006. Arequipa was a trip down memory lane for both of us. We couldn´t resist taking tons of photos of local kids feeding pigeons in the main square.

There were still two more buses to go before we got to Bolivia. We spent all day during November 24 on buses, reminding ourselves why we prefer to travel at night. Just before sundown, we walked across the Bolivian border, after visiting immigration on each side. We spent a few days in Copacabana, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, but we will save that for another post. In the meantime, take a look at our photos of Lima and Arequipa.

To The Equator and Back: Our First Week in Ecuador

It´s amazing to think what one can accomplish in one week if you´re motivated. In this case, our only job for the next year or so is to get up each morning and see the world. Experience new cultures, foods, and friendships.



We´ve been in Ecuador, and South America for only a week now, and I feel as if I left the US months ago. In this one week, we toured Old Quito (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), went to Otavalo (apparently the largest market in South America), went to the equator, saw a local bull fight, and climbed a 15,200 ft mountain.

Old Quito or ¨Quito Viejo,¨ is a gorgeous old colonial city with iron balconies and colorful buildings centered around the Plaza Grande. We spent the day walking the streets and seeing daily life. I didn´t realize this when we booked our flight, but it´s low season, so there aren´t many tourists around. Strange, but good.

The highlight was climbing to the top of the huge Basilica del Voto Nacional. A beautiful Gothic style church, with stone turtles, iguanas, and birds instead of gargoyles. You can literally climb to the top of one of the towers which gives you the most amazing view of the city. After climbing stairs until you think you can´t go any further, 3 more levels of ladders lead you to the top of the spire. Fun, but freaky.

The bull fight was only a couple blocks away from the church, and here we saw local amateur fighters from up close. The last (and only) bull fight I saw was in Madrid, Spain about 7 years ago. This time I was able to sit in the 2nd row, just feet from all the action. From what I understood, they only have fights several times a year in the Plaza del Toro Belmonte, and we were so lucky to be there at the right time. Oh, and did I mention it was free.

The trip to Otavalo was fun, but I guess I was expecting more. It´s supposed to be the largest market in all of South America. With handcrafts from all over the continent being traded with local food. The main square, Plaza de Ponchos, is where there were the majority of vendors are located, with rows of stalls extending in every direction down all connecting streets. After a while I got a little tired of seeing the same alpaca hats, and silver jewelry. My favorite was all the food vendors. Huge heads of lettuce, a million spices, and chickens galore.

Our day trip to the equator, or La Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) was cool. Located only 22 km or 45 min north of Quito, it was a must see for us. The place was pretty touristy, but we had so much fun. Took a million photos with our feet on each side of the hemispheres. One thing I have to mention is that it was cold. You would expect the equator to be hot and humid, but to our amazement, it was a classic mountain environment. Quito is located at about 9200 feet above sea level, and the equator in this area was not much lower.

As for my day trip up to 15,200 feet, it was easier than you would think. A large gondola called the TeleferiQo was built to take travelers up to about 12,000 ft to get a great view over the expansive city. From the top you can hike for another 3 hours to the top of a volcano called Rucu Pichincha. It was a pretty easy hike, but the altitude was tough towards the end. The top section consists of a little scrambling, so the adrenaline helped push me on. All good training for the climbs ahead in our trip.

So, my impression of Quito, and Ecuador after the first week is a good one. The people are friendly, the food is pretty good, but the best part is everything is cheap. A hotel for two is $20 a night, meals are $3, and public transport is less than a dollar. Beats New York prices for sure.