i really can't believe that i have been here for so long... i thought for sure i would be out by now, but that's what happens when you meet fantastic people... and when you decide to get certified in diving. had those two things not happened, then i probably wouldn't still be here.
i can't even remember the last blog i posted... i think from krabi? unlike the past two blogs... it is nice and sunny out. i will be going out shortly. i'm in chiang mai and have been here a couple days. the first place i stayed was not amazing. the beds were SO hard. i've been in hard beds before... but this seriously was like sleeping on a board. i didn't meet anyone the first day there... but i did meet a girl the second day who said she was switching places because of the lack of socializing. so... i'm in a new place... 120baht for a three person dorm and ensuite bathroom. the atmosphere here is good. it feels like a hostel... the kind from south america which i've missed. so far haven't met anyone... and the girl i met is doing a day with elephants so she will be back later.
i spent a lot of time down in southern thailand... the islands were beautiful. i met a couple from australia in krabi... after i went to koh phi phi (which is pronounced... pee pee... and i liked to say... ya down with koh phi phi... yeah you know me... unfortunately a lot of people had no idea what i was saying... i guess i'm hanging with the youngins) i met up with the couple again in koh lanta. it was good to see them again. katie (the girl of the couple) and i decided to go visit some other islands. we went to koh ngai and koh mook. we were suppose to go to koh kradan, but we loved koh mook too much so we just stayed there. it really was a special place. one of those places that if you go back in five or ten years it will be a bit different... more stuff... but right now it was really special. the people in the village were great. we found a great coffee shop - sugar's coffee... wan... the owner was so great. we went there twice. she and her other brother taught us a bunch of thai phrases. we spent a good amount of time there. also while walking in the villages, i got stung by a bee on my wrist... it was outside of this local family store... and the family ran right out and helped me with the sting... they gave me some cream for it which helped. just really sweet. then the next day when we went to sugar's we walked by the family again and they asked us how my sting was. just really sweet people. i miss that island so much. also met some fun travelers... most from poland (random and yay!) and a girl from italy... my background. it was a great time to go there... and i'm glad we didn't bother going to the final island. it was just resort after resort after resort... not so much my scene. great for honeymooners... bad for solo travelers.
on thanksgiving katie and i practiced poi on the beach. it's the fire spinning balls on a string... except we didn't do it with fire... just tennis balls on a wire chain. as easy as it looks, it was ridiculously hard. and katie was super sweet... she bought me a pair of these as a gift... so now i can practice wherever i go. perhaps i join the circus. haha. that could be my new career... and i'm guessing that none of you would put that past me.
btw... i've been into reggae lately... seriously want to find a reggae bar wherever i go... AND... next i'm going to pai. and december 13-15 is a reggae festival. so i hope to go at least one day. pai is suppose to be a really chill, hippy kinda place... sounds pretty cool... and they even have a circus school... i see my new career taking off. :)
okay... there was more i think i wanted to update, but i forget. next update will probably be in laos... which is where i will probably spend christmas. people keep asking where i'm going to be spending it (people from home and other travelers)... and wherever i am is where christmas will be... i'm not planning on making sure i'm in a specific spot or anything.
hope all is good back home... today is santacon back home and i hope that those who are going have an amazing time... :)
Friday, December 6, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
i only seem to update when it's raining...
and it's raining! ha. i am in krabi, thailand. which is in the southern part and on the indian ocean. it is a good jump point to the islands... which is where i'm going tomorrow... ko phi phi. looking forward to it... will be meeting up with vanessa, my cs host from singapore, and her friends for at least one night out. will be good to see them again.
just got back from the maldives which was absolutely amazing. i was invited by my friend adaeze, who was planning her mother's 70th bday party there. nice place to celebrate a birthday. not only was the water super clear and the island absolutely beautiful (we stayed on paradise island), but her family and friends were so much fun. most were from nigeria and they know how to have a good time. i think it's about time i tick africa off my list and hang out with these fabulous people again. so much fun just hanging out with them and singing and dancing. i was a little nervous at first (i know... me? nervous?) since i didn't know anyone, but i got along with them all almost instantly. i don't remember everyone's name (younger people yes, older people no) or their relationship to each other an adaeze, but it was fun to get to know them. days were organized with an event or two but there was also some free time. on the full free day i went diving. it was pretty good. expensive, but good. saw two turtles which were nice, a sea cucumber, and giant starfish. they are SO big. like 2 feet long. no lie. no sharks on the dive, but the water was so clear so you can see all the reef sharks from the surface. together we did a sunset dolphin cruise, a tour of the capital city - male (mah-lay), and on the final full day a church service, brunch, and celebration soiree for adaeze's mom. she was so sweet. she went around to each table and personally introduced everyone to everyone else and thanked them. even me! really nice. then followed by dancing. which had some really good nigerian music. great experience.
on the way back, a lot of them were flying through colombo, sri lanka, so adaeze's brother planned a little tour. i was on different flights but also had a long lay over in colombo so i was able to join. we stopped off at a precious gems store, and then a place to have dinner. dinner was delicious. we got back just in time for me to go through security and get on the flight. glad i was able to make it out of the airport this time. :) and more stamps in the passport.
before the maldives i was in koh tao thailand, which is on the gulf coast. pretty much you just go there if you want to dive, or get your certification. that's what i was going for. i was pretty proud of myself for completing considering i freaked out when i tried to do the great barrier reef. now blowing water out of my mask underwater isn't that big of a deal. taking it off, swimming around and putting it back on, however, does take a little bit of patience, but i can do it! yay! my dive group consisted of two other couples - one from canada and the other from the netherland. i was told that the group would only be 4 people, but it was fine. the couples were cool and we're good friends now. and i've also learned that i say "ya know what i'm sayin' " a bazillion times a day. ha. i swore that i never said it... so every time i would say it, they'd respond "yes, we know what you're saying". ha. it was funny. probably one of those, you had to be there type moments. on our third dive we saw TWO whale sharks (or maybe the same one twice?). which... is a bit rare. was talking to dive masters on the boat and they said it took them over 25 dives just to see one! so to see one twice was really cool. and yes, we are spoiled. it's all downhill from here. we saw it from below. we were probably 10 or so meters down and the shark was close to the surface. just really amazingly cool. our instructor was so happy. he forgot to even do the second skills test on that dive. so we just added it to the next dive... no worries. everyone was SO psyched on the boat. i guess getting to the dive site first thing in the morning (no lie... about 630am) has its privileges.
hmmm... what else? oh... i had REAL coffee today. so nice not to have instant coffee. the last time i had real coffee was at anomali coffee in ubud. miss that place. will have to go back. for the coffee, and the people. but today's coffee was nice. i ended up talking with some australians who invited me out to a bar tonight. they were really cool. like the hippie type... really just friendly and chill. and then i played a game called jackpot and chinese checkers with a woman who is friends with the people at the coffee shop. that was fun. no need to plan anything for today when it's raining... so may as well chat with the locals and play games. :) life is good. just when i think things are meh... they turn up. haven't met people super easily as i had in south america. not as many dorm rooms or hostels with cooking areas/common areas... so it take a little more effort to meet people. but... all is still good. i can't complain... i'm in thailand!!!
i always feel like there are things to update.. and then when i sit down to type it all out, i can't remember. one random thing that i've noticed around southeast asia... they barely ever give you a knife for food. you usually get a fork and a big spoon. no knife. even if you get something like a chicken breast. i haven't figured out a proper way to eat it but i usually just take the whole thing on my fork and take bites. not sure how to cut with a spoon. food is good here, and cheap. had dinner for 40baht last night at the night market which is about $1.25. the place i'm staying tonight is basic, but really cheap. 300baht for two nights. it calculates to around $4.50 a night. i have my own room. tiny, but it's enough. a little on the loud side, but i can't complain since it's so cheap.
okay... i think i will go and have lunch. the place i'm staying has delicious food. maybe go for a massage later. went yesterday to get an hour long thai massage. it was wonderful. at first i didn't like it, but i got into it. no oil or cream which is nice. and you keep your clothes on. really great stretches. may go back to the same place or try somewhere new. the australians i met this morning told me about another place to go.
for real. i'm going to have lunch. hope everyone is good!
just got back from the maldives which was absolutely amazing. i was invited by my friend adaeze, who was planning her mother's 70th bday party there. nice place to celebrate a birthday. not only was the water super clear and the island absolutely beautiful (we stayed on paradise island), but her family and friends were so much fun. most were from nigeria and they know how to have a good time. i think it's about time i tick africa off my list and hang out with these fabulous people again. so much fun just hanging out with them and singing and dancing. i was a little nervous at first (i know... me? nervous?) since i didn't know anyone, but i got along with them all almost instantly. i don't remember everyone's name (younger people yes, older people no) or their relationship to each other an adaeze, but it was fun to get to know them. days were organized with an event or two but there was also some free time. on the full free day i went diving. it was pretty good. expensive, but good. saw two turtles which were nice, a sea cucumber, and giant starfish. they are SO big. like 2 feet long. no lie. no sharks on the dive, but the water was so clear so you can see all the reef sharks from the surface. together we did a sunset dolphin cruise, a tour of the capital city - male (mah-lay), and on the final full day a church service, brunch, and celebration soiree for adaeze's mom. she was so sweet. she went around to each table and personally introduced everyone to everyone else and thanked them. even me! really nice. then followed by dancing. which had some really good nigerian music. great experience.
on the way back, a lot of them were flying through colombo, sri lanka, so adaeze's brother planned a little tour. i was on different flights but also had a long lay over in colombo so i was able to join. we stopped off at a precious gems store, and then a place to have dinner. dinner was delicious. we got back just in time for me to go through security and get on the flight. glad i was able to make it out of the airport this time. :) and more stamps in the passport.
before the maldives i was in koh tao thailand, which is on the gulf coast. pretty much you just go there if you want to dive, or get your certification. that's what i was going for. i was pretty proud of myself for completing considering i freaked out when i tried to do the great barrier reef. now blowing water out of my mask underwater isn't that big of a deal. taking it off, swimming around and putting it back on, however, does take a little bit of patience, but i can do it! yay! my dive group consisted of two other couples - one from canada and the other from the netherland. i was told that the group would only be 4 people, but it was fine. the couples were cool and we're good friends now. and i've also learned that i say "ya know what i'm sayin' " a bazillion times a day. ha. i swore that i never said it... so every time i would say it, they'd respond "yes, we know what you're saying". ha. it was funny. probably one of those, you had to be there type moments. on our third dive we saw TWO whale sharks (or maybe the same one twice?). which... is a bit rare. was talking to dive masters on the boat and they said it took them over 25 dives just to see one! so to see one twice was really cool. and yes, we are spoiled. it's all downhill from here. we saw it from below. we were probably 10 or so meters down and the shark was close to the surface. just really amazingly cool. our instructor was so happy. he forgot to even do the second skills test on that dive. so we just added it to the next dive... no worries. everyone was SO psyched on the boat. i guess getting to the dive site first thing in the morning (no lie... about 630am) has its privileges.
hmmm... what else? oh... i had REAL coffee today. so nice not to have instant coffee. the last time i had real coffee was at anomali coffee in ubud. miss that place. will have to go back. for the coffee, and the people. but today's coffee was nice. i ended up talking with some australians who invited me out to a bar tonight. they were really cool. like the hippie type... really just friendly and chill. and then i played a game called jackpot and chinese checkers with a woman who is friends with the people at the coffee shop. that was fun. no need to plan anything for today when it's raining... so may as well chat with the locals and play games. :) life is good. just when i think things are meh... they turn up. haven't met people super easily as i had in south america. not as many dorm rooms or hostels with cooking areas/common areas... so it take a little more effort to meet people. but... all is still good. i can't complain... i'm in thailand!!!
i always feel like there are things to update.. and then when i sit down to type it all out, i can't remember. one random thing that i've noticed around southeast asia... they barely ever give you a knife for food. you usually get a fork and a big spoon. no knife. even if you get something like a chicken breast. i haven't figured out a proper way to eat it but i usually just take the whole thing on my fork and take bites. not sure how to cut with a spoon. food is good here, and cheap. had dinner for 40baht last night at the night market which is about $1.25. the place i'm staying tonight is basic, but really cheap. 300baht for two nights. it calculates to around $4.50 a night. i have my own room. tiny, but it's enough. a little on the loud side, but i can't complain since it's so cheap.
okay... i think i will go and have lunch. the place i'm staying has delicious food. maybe go for a massage later. went yesterday to get an hour long thai massage. it was wonderful. at first i didn't like it, but i got into it. no oil or cream which is nice. and you keep your clothes on. really great stretches. may go back to the same place or try somewhere new. the australians i met this morning told me about another place to go.
for real. i'm going to have lunch. hope everyone is good!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
It's a wash
Seriously.... Kuala Lumpur is just a wash. Right now it is pouring. It's pretty crazy. I guess we are beginning the rainy season.
Ya know how sometimes you visit a new place and the second you touch down you're super into it. Yeah... that didn't happen here. At all. It seems like a big city with nothing to say for itself. If you like malls, then you'd love it here as there are malls on top of malls here. Like five malls connected. About 5 floors each. It's kinda obnoxious. Most of them stores from home. High end stores like Burberry and then the lower end stores like h & m and forever 21. If I ever were to move to Malaysia (or any southeast Asian country I'm sure) I'm going to have to seriously think about getting a breast reduction. My boobs are so not made for the clothes here. I hope that my bras don't go down the shitter when I'm here.
But anyway.... I shouldn't complain. I'm out doing what I love. And so... I ended up in a city that I'm not super fond of.... So.... that means I should leave! So that's what I'm doing. I'm going to go to a southern Malaysian town/city called Malacca (or Melaka). On wikitravel (which is so much better than lonely planet) it was an option in the get out section on the Kuala Lumpur page. So we shall see. I spend a couple days there and then will head to Thailand. I booked a flight for approx $40.
It's weird to be in a big city after Bali. To have to watch my bags as if something is going to happen to it. I mean you always have to worry about it... But there were several times that I would leave my bag sitting on the table. Or leave my phone out. Nothing would happen to it in Bali. Cities you worry more. I do miss the Balinese. Really nice people. At least the ones I've run into.
Malaysia is an interesting mix of people. There is definitely a strong Indian and middle eastern influence here... And not so much "typical Asian". For some reason I wasn't expecting that. Not that it's bad or anything. It's just an observation.
Something I've noticed in southeast Asia as opposed to south America. When someone local asks me where I'm from I always say the United States. And I always get a confused look. So then I say... America. And they almost ALWAYS say... Oh... America... Barack Obama. Indonesia always brought up Obama. So far can't tell about Malaysia. But anyway... I never like to say I'm from America... I like to say the United States because technically all the countries in North and South America are just as much from America as those in the United States. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. I wish we were called United staters or something. But anyway....
This hostel that I'm staying at is pretty dull. No one seems to care to converse. I did end up talking to an older guy from San Francisco who gave me all his maps. Nice guy and has been traveling the world for seven years with no sight of permanently going home. My kinda guy. But he left on an overnight train somewhere. I was hoping to connect with people on couchsurfing but no luck there either. Did talk to an English guy at the reggae bar down the street. He was cool. Southeast Asia loves their reggae bars. They seem to be everywhere here.
Okay... I'm gonna go read... Hope all is well back home! Although I think baseball is ridiculously boring.... I'm glad that the Sox won! Yay Boston!
Ya know how sometimes you visit a new place and the second you touch down you're super into it. Yeah... that didn't happen here. At all. It seems like a big city with nothing to say for itself. If you like malls, then you'd love it here as there are malls on top of malls here. Like five malls connected. About 5 floors each. It's kinda obnoxious. Most of them stores from home. High end stores like Burberry and then the lower end stores like h & m and forever 21. If I ever were to move to Malaysia (or any southeast Asian country I'm sure) I'm going to have to seriously think about getting a breast reduction. My boobs are so not made for the clothes here. I hope that my bras don't go down the shitter when I'm here.
But anyway.... I shouldn't complain. I'm out doing what I love. And so... I ended up in a city that I'm not super fond of.... So.... that means I should leave! So that's what I'm doing. I'm going to go to a southern Malaysian town/city called Malacca (or Melaka). On wikitravel (which is so much better than lonely planet) it was an option in the get out section on the Kuala Lumpur page. So we shall see. I spend a couple days there and then will head to Thailand. I booked a flight for approx $40.
It's weird to be in a big city after Bali. To have to watch my bags as if something is going to happen to it. I mean you always have to worry about it... But there were several times that I would leave my bag sitting on the table. Or leave my phone out. Nothing would happen to it in Bali. Cities you worry more. I do miss the Balinese. Really nice people. At least the ones I've run into.
Malaysia is an interesting mix of people. There is definitely a strong Indian and middle eastern influence here... And not so much "typical Asian". For some reason I wasn't expecting that. Not that it's bad or anything. It's just an observation.
Something I've noticed in southeast Asia as opposed to south America. When someone local asks me where I'm from I always say the United States. And I always get a confused look. So then I say... America. And they almost ALWAYS say... Oh... America... Barack Obama. Indonesia always brought up Obama. So far can't tell about Malaysia. But anyway... I never like to say I'm from America... I like to say the United States because technically all the countries in North and South America are just as much from America as those in the United States. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. I wish we were called United staters or something. But anyway....
This hostel that I'm staying at is pretty dull. No one seems to care to converse. I did end up talking to an older guy from San Francisco who gave me all his maps. Nice guy and has been traveling the world for seven years with no sight of permanently going home. My kinda guy. But he left on an overnight train somewhere. I was hoping to connect with people on couchsurfing but no luck there either. Did talk to an English guy at the reggae bar down the street. He was cool. Southeast Asia loves their reggae bars. They seem to be everywhere here.
Okay... I'm gonna go read... Hope all is well back home! Although I think baseball is ridiculously boring.... I'm glad that the Sox won! Yay Boston!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
in ubud...
Seriously.... this place just gives you a sense that you're home. Yes... It has become a serious tourist trap (sadly there is a Starbucks here) but it is just so comfortable. The people are warm and friendly and the landscape is beautiful. And you never feel in a rush to do anything. Just really peaceful. There is a bit of traffic on the main roads where I stayed the first two nights but since I moved I feel like it's been a lot more tranquil. I am staying at a family compound which is beautiful. On a hill with a garden by the ubud palace. The family is nice and the breakfast is plentiful and delicious. A big fruit salad too. There is a group of children playing music nearby and it's fun.
Today seems a little bit cooler than the past couple days. I guess it is usually a bit cooler than it is now. At least that is what I hear from the locals. I heard it in padang bai and gili trawangan too. Seems I go where the humidity is. Awesome. At night it cools down so an open window and fan are good.
So far southeast Asia has a different feel than south America. Of course I am saying this only based on visiting Bali. It is definitely more relaxing here. And while there are a lot of tourists a lot of time is spent solo. Originally I hated it since so much of my love for south America was the people I met. But now I'm embracing it. It's nice to be in a beautiful place with just you and your thoughts. I have met some people... couchsurfers who have welcomed me into their circle of friends. And that has been nice. It's interesting learning about the difference in cultures. And also to learn how much similarity there is. It's not so much "a whole different world". One of the girls I met at a coffee shop and she said... "I hear that people in the western world just take their coffee to go. Here it is meant to be enjoyed... to sit with your friends and talk." I appreciate that. And I know that some of you reading will say cause we don't have time and that's why we are more developed, etc but there should be emphasis on building relationships, human interaction, etc. People are happy because they have what they need. But anyway, I'm not going to get into any sort of discussion about it. I'm just going to take it and build on that for my own personal growth.
So a first for me so far on this trip... riding on a motorbike. Never been on one before and honestly they scare me. I know three people who've died in motorcycle accidents and they just make me nervous. Luckily no problems. It is a but nerve racking since traffic here is a whatever goes type way. But we made it. I didn't get that rush that some people do after riding one. No desire to go home and get one.
Some mishaps... in Munich I was at a bar where they had that sledgehammer game where you hit the scale and a little marker goes up and rings a bell. I didn't play but someone did and when they put the sledgehammer down it fell into my ankle. Crazy pain. even while drunk. So... It turned into a bruise but I'm all better now. Another mishap... part of my filling came out yesterday during lunch. my vegetable panini all of a sudden got crunchy. TIM I'm sure but it's not so bad. So far it's not too sensitive. I have travel health insurance so I may get it taken care of if it gets worse. Can't think of anything else.
Okay... I'm going to post this.... hopefully it goes through. a completely different blog than the one I had written the other day. But enjoy!
Today seems a little bit cooler than the past couple days. I guess it is usually a bit cooler than it is now. At least that is what I hear from the locals. I heard it in padang bai and gili trawangan too. Seems I go where the humidity is. Awesome. At night it cools down so an open window and fan are good.
So far southeast Asia has a different feel than south America. Of course I am saying this only based on visiting Bali. It is definitely more relaxing here. And while there are a lot of tourists a lot of time is spent solo. Originally I hated it since so much of my love for south America was the people I met. But now I'm embracing it. It's nice to be in a beautiful place with just you and your thoughts. I have met some people... couchsurfers who have welcomed me into their circle of friends. And that has been nice. It's interesting learning about the difference in cultures. And also to learn how much similarity there is. It's not so much "a whole different world". One of the girls I met at a coffee shop and she said... "I hear that people in the western world just take their coffee to go. Here it is meant to be enjoyed... to sit with your friends and talk." I appreciate that. And I know that some of you reading will say cause we don't have time and that's why we are more developed, etc but there should be emphasis on building relationships, human interaction, etc. People are happy because they have what they need. But anyway, I'm not going to get into any sort of discussion about it. I'm just going to take it and build on that for my own personal growth.
So a first for me so far on this trip... riding on a motorbike. Never been on one before and honestly they scare me. I know three people who've died in motorcycle accidents and they just make me nervous. Luckily no problems. It is a but nerve racking since traffic here is a whatever goes type way. But we made it. I didn't get that rush that some people do after riding one. No desire to go home and get one.
Some mishaps... in Munich I was at a bar where they had that sledgehammer game where you hit the scale and a little marker goes up and rings a bell. I didn't play but someone did and when they put the sledgehammer down it fell into my ankle. Crazy pain. even while drunk. So... It turned into a bruise but I'm all better now. Another mishap... part of my filling came out yesterday during lunch. my vegetable panini all of a sudden got crunchy. TIM I'm sure but it's not so bad. So far it's not too sensitive. I have travel health insurance so I may get it taken care of if it gets worse. Can't think of anything else.
Okay... I'm going to post this.... hopefully it goes through. a completely different blog than the one I had written the other day. But enjoy!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
happenings....
I always feel like I want to blog when I'm not in WiFi zone and then when I am the desire fades. So far WiFi has been fairly widespread and much easier to connect on my kindle than my phone. Not sure why but it takes forever just to pull up the dialog box to enter the password. Have been trying for 20mins and it's still not pulling up on my phone. So kindle it is. No whatsapp. :( which I have become addicted to. Just easy to keep in touch that way. But anyway....
So yeah. Southeast Asia. So far a whole different experience than south america. Not in a bad way. It's more about guesthouses and homestays here in Bali than hostels. Relatively cheap - $12-18/ night for a double bed, ensuite bathroom and terrace. But somehow part of me misses the sharing a room with other travelers. I know.... call me crazy but I do miss parts of it.
Currently in ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia. If that sounds like a familiar place without knowing much about Indonesia or Bali it may be from eat, pray, love. It was her last stop. I feel like it has changed immensely since then. Still full of culture with the temples and art but there is also a crocs, polo, and Pandora store. Not to mention a Starbucks. I kinda feel like I got here five years too late to really get into the culture of ubud. But I also just got here so I can't judge.
Attended my first (hopefully of several) full moon parties. I celebrated on the beach on the island of gili trawangan. It was fun to go to but the difference wasn't super amazing and the people I was with also weren't feeling it so I ended up leaving around 4. There were poi spinners (fire) which was cool to see. I'm always amazed by that because it is pretty tricky and people make it look so easy.
So yeah. Southeast Asia. So far a whole different experience than south america. Not in a bad way. It's more about guesthouses and homestays here in Bali than hostels. Relatively cheap - $12-18/ night for a double bed, ensuite bathroom and terrace. But somehow part of me misses the sharing a room with other travelers. I know.... call me crazy but I do miss parts of it.
Currently in ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia. If that sounds like a familiar place without knowing much about Indonesia or Bali it may be from eat, pray, love. It was her last stop. I feel like it has changed immensely since then. Still full of culture with the temples and art but there is also a crocs, polo, and Pandora store. Not to mention a Starbucks. I kinda feel like I got here five years too late to really get into the culture of ubud. But I also just got here so I can't judge.
Attended my first (hopefully of several) full moon parties. I celebrated on the beach on the island of gili trawangan. It was fun to go to but the difference wasn't super amazing and the people I was with also weren't feeling it so I ended up leaving around 4. There were poi spinners (fire) which was cool to see. I'm always amazed by that because it is pretty tricky and people make it look so easy.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
I'm home
But not in the sense that you are probably thinking. I'm in Singapore but I feel as though I'm at home. I started feeling this way when I was leaving Zurich and was not nervous at all. I was comfortable. Completely. I managed to secure a couch to surf (which is where I am now) in Singapore from a nice girl who grew up in Brazil. She's lived here for two months so is excited to explore the city as well.
Europe was super. So amazing to see seven of my friends again. It really was special. Two weeks, three countries, four cities, and seven friends. How lucky am I? Don't ask me to count the beers... Oktoberfest put a bit of a dent in that. And Vanessa (my host) invited me to Oktoberfest in Singapore. I hope my liver is ready for it!
I got here yesterday so not much to report. Immigration was long... But I got another stamp! Yippee! And managed the metro station okay. The trains are really nice and clean. They run smooth and often. There was a really bad rainstorm last night. Vanessa had dinner plans. I just stayed here because I was tired. I LOVE the travel world. This girl I JUST met was okay with me staying in her house for a couple hours alone. With all the scary stuff we see on the news... we do have to remind ourselves that there are still compassionate people in the world and to not be scared of everything. It's amazing what people will show you and open up to.
I should try to fall back to sleep... It's currently 140 in the morning on the 11th. I think I'm exactly 12 hours ahead of Boston.
Europe was super. So amazing to see seven of my friends again. It really was special. Two weeks, three countries, four cities, and seven friends. How lucky am I? Don't ask me to count the beers... Oktoberfest put a bit of a dent in that. And Vanessa (my host) invited me to Oktoberfest in Singapore. I hope my liver is ready for it!
I got here yesterday so not much to report. Immigration was long... But I got another stamp! Yippee! And managed the metro station okay. The trains are really nice and clean. They run smooth and often. There was a really bad rainstorm last night. Vanessa had dinner plans. I just stayed here because I was tired. I LOVE the travel world. This girl I JUST met was okay with me staying in her house for a couple hours alone. With all the scary stuff we see on the news... we do have to remind ourselves that there are still compassionate people in the world and to not be scared of everything. It's amazing what people will show you and open up to.
I should try to fall back to sleep... It's currently 140 in the morning on the 11th. I think I'm exactly 12 hours ahead of Boston.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
in london
Okay. So I made it to London and have been able to see three of my friends so far. I am hoping to see another tonight! The city of London is great. Very easy to walk around. I usually don't like to visit the same place twice as you all probably know by now but this is where I got bit by the travel bug fourteen years ago, so it's great to see again and now I know how it happened cause this city is pretty cool.
For some reason I can't get WiFi on my phone right now but I can get it on the kindle. Weird right? So I decided to post a very quick blog. Hostel life feels a bit different this time around then in south America. I seem to not have the best of roommates but it only lasts a day so who cares. Last night there was some foam party that the people in my room went to. They came in late and with friends so instead of it being a four person room it was a six. Things like that about me esp in the night cause I don't have the energy to say anything.
I fly to Berlin tomorrow and stay for a couple days and then head to Munich. Yay! I am seeing three friends in Munich plus it's Oktoberfest.
Hope all is good back home.
For some reason I can't get WiFi on my phone right now but I can get it on the kindle. Weird right? So I decided to post a very quick blog. Hostel life feels a bit different this time around then in south America. I seem to not have the best of roommates but it only lasts a day so who cares. Last night there was some foam party that the people in my room went to. They came in late and with friends so instead of it being a four person room it was a six. Things like that about me esp in the night cause I don't have the energy to say anything.
I fly to Berlin tomorrow and stay for a couple days and then head to Munich. Yay! I am seeing three friends in Munich plus it's Oktoberfest.
Hope all is good back home.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
all planned out... well... kinda
to say i'm ALL planned out is a lie... but to say that the flights are planned is the truth.
i had booked my flights from zurich to singapore (10/19) and singapore to boston (2/5) a couple weeks back. maybe there was a post about it and maybe there wasn't. i'm not sure. but anyway... i had those for a couple weeks but was waiting on stuff with unemployment (i needed to attend an info session) before booking my flight from boston to london. once i got unemployment squared away yesterday i called united to rebook my canceled reservations from april. it was a bit of pain to start off with as the rep on the other end was telling me i had a pin. P-I-N. yes, i know what a pin is, but i never got one. and then having to reconfirm that this reservation i was making was to be booked with the miles used from my canceled itinerary... it just got frustrating. BUT... it ended up working in my favor cause they never charged me a change fee. even on the website it says that it would be $75. so... my flight to london was pretty much free. yippee!
i fly to london on tuesday 9/24. i had to book at least 3 weeks in the future to reuse these miles, so i won't be traveling around nearly as much as i thought i would. i had planned on going to berlin, krakow, and prague in addition to the other cities, but.... i probably only have time for one now. which one to pick?? but anyway... so i get to london super early on the 25th. wahoo. i am ever so fortunate to be able to stay with my friend adaeze (pronounced "a daisy" like my favorite flower) who i met in brazil two summers ago. i didn't think she was even going to be in town when i was there. so what a treat that i get to see her! and how amazingly awesome she is for letting me stay with her in her flat!! i will also be meeting up with frank who i met in peru and is from peru, nicolo who i met in buenos aires and is originally from italy, and possibly andy who i met in colombia and is from the uk. so psyched! i plan on staying in london for a couple days... then i have to figure out where i want to go after... i'm leaning towards either berlin or prague. SO hard to pick. somewhere new or somewhere that i LOVE. prague is an amazing city and everyone who i've met has loved it there. no one ever says anything bad about prague. BUT i also enjoy seeing new places. i guess if this is the problem that i'm having then my life isn't so bad.
i will be in munich for oktoberfest 10/2-10/6 meeting up with friends i met in colombia - luke from ireland and fabienne from switzerland. and hopefully nadine from germany and maybe even helen! should be a fun time. i'm not sure how i'm going to be able to handle drinking with luke and crew at oktoberfest, but i'll try to do my best. haha.
after munich is zurich where i will be seeing my friend helen. yay! i wouldn't mind making a pit stop to lichtenstein too. it's a little out of the way but how much fun it would be to go to one of the smallest countries in the world. i think at it's widest, it's 5 miles. i can walk across it. haha. haven't been to zurich ever (only lucern in switzerland) so it will be good to explore. the evening of 10/9 i fly out to singapore.
and then the adventure begins. i don't really have anything planned.. i have an idea of how i want to go, but i'm leaving it fairly open ended. meeting up with huan in vietnam in december i'm guessing. and also may be going to the maldives to see adaeze there! that wasn't even on my radar as a place to go, but it sounds exciting so i'm looking into it. :)
it's all coming together. i'm completely psyched! i can't believe i leave in under three weeks! wow!
i had booked my flights from zurich to singapore (10/19) and singapore to boston (2/5) a couple weeks back. maybe there was a post about it and maybe there wasn't. i'm not sure. but anyway... i had those for a couple weeks but was waiting on stuff with unemployment (i needed to attend an info session) before booking my flight from boston to london. once i got unemployment squared away yesterday i called united to rebook my canceled reservations from april. it was a bit of pain to start off with as the rep on the other end was telling me i had a pin. P-I-N. yes, i know what a pin is, but i never got one. and then having to reconfirm that this reservation i was making was to be booked with the miles used from my canceled itinerary... it just got frustrating. BUT... it ended up working in my favor cause they never charged me a change fee. even on the website it says that it would be $75. so... my flight to london was pretty much free. yippee!
i fly to london on tuesday 9/24. i had to book at least 3 weeks in the future to reuse these miles, so i won't be traveling around nearly as much as i thought i would. i had planned on going to berlin, krakow, and prague in addition to the other cities, but.... i probably only have time for one now. which one to pick?? but anyway... so i get to london super early on the 25th. wahoo. i am ever so fortunate to be able to stay with my friend adaeze (pronounced "a daisy" like my favorite flower) who i met in brazil two summers ago. i didn't think she was even going to be in town when i was there. so what a treat that i get to see her! and how amazingly awesome she is for letting me stay with her in her flat!! i will also be meeting up with frank who i met in peru and is from peru, nicolo who i met in buenos aires and is originally from italy, and possibly andy who i met in colombia and is from the uk. so psyched! i plan on staying in london for a couple days... then i have to figure out where i want to go after... i'm leaning towards either berlin or prague. SO hard to pick. somewhere new or somewhere that i LOVE. prague is an amazing city and everyone who i've met has loved it there. no one ever says anything bad about prague. BUT i also enjoy seeing new places. i guess if this is the problem that i'm having then my life isn't so bad.
i will be in munich for oktoberfest 10/2-10/6 meeting up with friends i met in colombia - luke from ireland and fabienne from switzerland. and hopefully nadine from germany and maybe even helen! should be a fun time. i'm not sure how i'm going to be able to handle drinking with luke and crew at oktoberfest, but i'll try to do my best. haha.
after munich is zurich where i will be seeing my friend helen. yay! i wouldn't mind making a pit stop to lichtenstein too. it's a little out of the way but how much fun it would be to go to one of the smallest countries in the world. i think at it's widest, it's 5 miles. i can walk across it. haha. haven't been to zurich ever (only lucern in switzerland) so it will be good to explore. the evening of 10/9 i fly out to singapore.
and then the adventure begins. i don't really have anything planned.. i have an idea of how i want to go, but i'm leaving it fairly open ended. meeting up with huan in vietnam in december i'm guessing. and also may be going to the maldives to see adaeze there! that wasn't even on my radar as a place to go, but it sounds exciting so i'm looking into it. :)
it's all coming together. i'm completely psyched! i can't believe i leave in under three weeks! wow!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
why oh why?
why oh why oh why am i dragging my feet on booking my next trip? i'd like an answer on this. and i feel like i know it but i don't want to realize it. or something like that.
i've decided to go to europe to visit friends that i met on my travels... start in london. go to munich october 2-6 to meet up with luke and friends for oktoberfest. can't believe i will have gone to two oktoberfests in my lifetime. my life is great. i also want to go back to prague and visit poland. and fly from warsaw to singapore. travel southeast asia for 4 months (i'll be missing thanksgiving, christmas and new years) then coming back to boston.
that sounds like i'm trying to do a lot. am i? i can work along the way maybe... in a hostel or something. maybe be able to teach english. not sure on the qualifications.
last night i went to an info session about the peace corps. yes, i'm thinking of enrolling there as well. i pretty much have decided that having a "normal" life is not for me. the thought of settling down to one place, owning a house, having kids or even getting married is just stifling to me. i know it works for a lot of people... but for me, i think i need more of a helter skelter life (thank you chris mccandless). i miss the meeting new people EVERY day. i was just talking to my friend in london about it. he mentioned it and i couldn't agree more. eventually you do get sick of saying the same things over and over... but overall... my goodness it's great.
okay.... more to come on booking my trip.... i just needed to get that off my chest apparently.
i've decided to go to europe to visit friends that i met on my travels... start in london. go to munich october 2-6 to meet up with luke and friends for oktoberfest. can't believe i will have gone to two oktoberfests in my lifetime. my life is great. i also want to go back to prague and visit poland. and fly from warsaw to singapore. travel southeast asia for 4 months (i'll be missing thanksgiving, christmas and new years) then coming back to boston.
that sounds like i'm trying to do a lot. am i? i can work along the way maybe... in a hostel or something. maybe be able to teach english. not sure on the qualifications.
last night i went to an info session about the peace corps. yes, i'm thinking of enrolling there as well. i pretty much have decided that having a "normal" life is not for me. the thought of settling down to one place, owning a house, having kids or even getting married is just stifling to me. i know it works for a lot of people... but for me, i think i need more of a helter skelter life (thank you chris mccandless). i miss the meeting new people EVERY day. i was just talking to my friend in london about it. he mentioned it and i couldn't agree more. eventually you do get sick of saying the same things over and over... but overall... my goodness it's great.
okay.... more to come on booking my trip.... i just needed to get that off my chest apparently.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
as i'm thinking of my next journey...
excerpts from the book "into the wild" by jon krakauer which i instantly fell in love with....
"i'd like to repeat the advice i gave you before, in that i think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing or been too hesitant to attempt. so many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. if you want to get more out of life, ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. but once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty."
"don't settle down and sit in one place. move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. you are still going to live a long time, ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience."
"you will see things and meet people and there is much to learn from them. and you must do it economy style, no motels, do your own cooking, as a general rule spend as little as possible and you will enjoy it much more immensely."
only on page 58 of a 203 page book... these are the people who inspire me to travel... to get out and see the world. and i thank them, because the world is awesome and amazing. thank you chris mccandless for being a free spirit and following your heart and passion to see something outside the norm. and jon krakauer for putting the pieces together so that i could read about it. it's kinda the modern day "on the road".
"i'd like to repeat the advice i gave you before, in that i think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing or been too hesitant to attempt. so many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. if you want to get more out of life, ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. but once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty."
"don't settle down and sit in one place. move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. you are still going to live a long time, ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience."
"you will see things and meet people and there is much to learn from them. and you must do it economy style, no motels, do your own cooking, as a general rule spend as little as possible and you will enjoy it much more immensely."
only on page 58 of a 203 page book... these are the people who inspire me to travel... to get out and see the world. and i thank them, because the world is awesome and amazing. thank you chris mccandless for being a free spirit and following your heart and passion to see something outside the norm. and jon krakauer for putting the pieces together so that i could read about it. it's kinda the modern day "on the road".
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
being home for a month...
so yeah, i never thought i would be home for a month but... i have been. and overall it's okay. i KNOW i will get back out into the world... i know i will, so i'm not completely depressed on being back here. i waited a while to get my passport back but... YAY... it's back. i just need to swing home and pick it up.
boston is great in the summer. it really is. i love sitting on patios with friends drinking beer, having it be light out until about 830, the warmth and even a bit of the humidity (coming from cartagena, colombia... the humidity we have here is nothing), and honestly this whole boston strong feel that we have going on is pretty remarkable. it reminds me of why i love this city. or, as i like to say, this town.
my comfort in boston would not have been completely possible without some wonderful and generous friends who have let me stay at their houses. amber and william just bought a new house in medford and graciously let me stay for two weeks. a beautiful home which keeps getting more beautiful each day with their renovations. and... i even got to be a dog-liker. i can't say dog-lover. i'm not there yet. but i actually... kinda like dogs. jasper was great. i didn't mind holding his paws as he jumped on me. that is a HUGE step for me. and anyone reading this probably knows that.
and now i stay with dustin who has welcomed me into his home for what is going on three weeks. this home is a place to feel ridiculously comfortable. which... sigh... now i just want to stay the rest of the summer in boston. plus, within walking distance to davis square dustin and i have managed to enjoy one or two or maybe even three of the establishments which serve beer in davis... and yeah... we have tried all the local beer that isn't hoppy. no IPAs for us, thank you. it's been fun. being in davis reminds me so much of why i love boston and the surrounding area. even talking about the electoral college while drinking 9% beer.
but no matter how comfortable i am in the area, my heart is truly on the road. it really is. i just started the book "vagabonding" by rolf potts and oh my goodness... this book is seriously my travel bible. it is like reading my diary. if i could write about my travels about everything i feel... this would be the book. it just would. i'm half way through. (it's only 205 pages) and i want to tell everyone who loves to travel and ditch their job and just go.... to read this book. i wanted to cry when i read some of the writing in this book because he just gets it. i mean, he's done it, so obviously he gets it... but... it's just such a great book. it won't ever convince a skeptic to start traveling or to make a drastic life change, but for those who are pondering the idea, i think the scales will tip once they read it. or even start reading it.
so yeah, now to plan southeast asia. a whole new world. it won't be like south america... and i'm getting the butterflies in the stomach just thinking about SEA but those are awesome butterflies to have. they really are. because once you overcome them, and you will, then you become a stronger, more aware traveler and person. :)
boston is great in the summer. it really is. i love sitting on patios with friends drinking beer, having it be light out until about 830, the warmth and even a bit of the humidity (coming from cartagena, colombia... the humidity we have here is nothing), and honestly this whole boston strong feel that we have going on is pretty remarkable. it reminds me of why i love this city. or, as i like to say, this town.
my comfort in boston would not have been completely possible without some wonderful and generous friends who have let me stay at their houses. amber and william just bought a new house in medford and graciously let me stay for two weeks. a beautiful home which keeps getting more beautiful each day with their renovations. and... i even got to be a dog-liker. i can't say dog-lover. i'm not there yet. but i actually... kinda like dogs. jasper was great. i didn't mind holding his paws as he jumped on me. that is a HUGE step for me. and anyone reading this probably knows that.
and now i stay with dustin who has welcomed me into his home for what is going on three weeks. this home is a place to feel ridiculously comfortable. which... sigh... now i just want to stay the rest of the summer in boston. plus, within walking distance to davis square dustin and i have managed to enjoy one or two or maybe even three of the establishments which serve beer in davis... and yeah... we have tried all the local beer that isn't hoppy. no IPAs for us, thank you. it's been fun. being in davis reminds me so much of why i love boston and the surrounding area. even talking about the electoral college while drinking 9% beer.
but no matter how comfortable i am in the area, my heart is truly on the road. it really is. i just started the book "vagabonding" by rolf potts and oh my goodness... this book is seriously my travel bible. it is like reading my diary. if i could write about my travels about everything i feel... this would be the book. it just would. i'm half way through. (it's only 205 pages) and i want to tell everyone who loves to travel and ditch their job and just go.... to read this book. i wanted to cry when i read some of the writing in this book because he just gets it. i mean, he's done it, so obviously he gets it... but... it's just such a great book. it won't ever convince a skeptic to start traveling or to make a drastic life change, but for those who are pondering the idea, i think the scales will tip once they read it. or even start reading it.
so yeah, now to plan southeast asia. a whole new world. it won't be like south america... and i'm getting the butterflies in the stomach just thinking about SEA but those are awesome butterflies to have. they really are. because once you overcome them, and you will, then you become a stronger, more aware traveler and person. :)
Saturday, June 1, 2013
being back home...
what does that even mean? i feel like through my travels, home became wherever i was... whether i was there for a day or three weeks. and now i'm back in boston. i guess that is what i should say. not back home, but back in boston.
a lot of people have asked me why i'm back... and well, i am not really sure. i got a bit complacent when i was in buenos aires. i love that city and spent three weeks there, but towards the end it got a bit too comfortable. and i felt like i needed to be uncomfortable again. plus... my parents kept asking when i would be home, a friend's wedding in june... and... some other things. so i felt like that was what i needed to do.. go to boston for a bit. but i booked my return flight from bogota. i got to colombia... and realized, all i needed was somewhere new. i had already told several people i was going back to boston, so i felt like i couldn't back out. and i had it in my mind (still have it in my mind) that this will just be a short stop. after traveling for almost five months, seeing something new everyday, meeting someone new everyday, that is just what i'm use to. i'm not use to the everyday life. did i get sick of introducing myself everyday? of course i did, but ya wanna know what? i would take that back any second now. :)
to pump myself up for being back in boston, i have to think about things that i look forward to....
+ bbq sauce, peanut butter, spicy foods - you can barely find ANY of them in south america... i missed these throughout my entire trip and if someone asked if i missed anything from back home, it was always these three things.
+ good beer - okay, so i probably could have lumped this in with the food, but... south american beer is so... blah. there was only one that i had that i could actually say was good... and that was club colombia. was so happy to go to on the border in the airport in orlando and order a sam summer!
+ not having to figure out where certain symbols are on keyboards - the @ symbol was alway alt gr + either 2 or q. the _ and the ? seemed to jump spots at every keyboard. and sometimes keyboards looked like keyboards from the states, but the keys were all different
+ doing laundry whenever i want - well, okay i guess i could have done this more often on the road, but when you're also looking to saving a buck, you tend to wear things a little bit longer than usual. or you wear things two days in a row, and wear it to bed. yes, that is what you do, and i thought that was kinda gross at first, but you just do it. and so does everyone else. but when you did do laundry (which was always drop it off at some place and pick it up the next day), you would pull out every single piece of clothing and smell it. it was one of the best things.
+ sleeping without earplugs - while i got use to hostel life and sharing a room, sometimes it was a drag. waking up with one earplug in and one out and trying to find the other one... just annoying. esp when there is some dude snoring away in your room.
+ throwing toilet paper in the toilet - in south america you throw it out in a trash can. all the trash. whether a number one or a number two. i got so use to this, though, that when i went to the bathroom in orlando, i threw it out in the trash. oops! at least it was only a number one.
+ being able to drink tap water - and not have to worry. yes, you could drink it in most places in argentina and some places in colombia. but it was always a "should i? or shouldn't i?"
+ not carrying money in my boobs - okay, maybe i still do it occasionally when i'm in the states, but i don't have that "this is my safety money in case i get robbed" thought. it is more of a convenient way of carrying it if i don't feel like bringing out a bag. and for the record, i didn't get anything stolen. came close though.
+ seeing friends and family - i've seen my family and a couple of friends and it has been good. my parents aren't travelers, so they barely even asked me how my trip was. which, is very frustrating to me, but i know that my friends will be super excited to see me and find out what i have been up to. and if possible i would like to meet up one on one, because then i get to talk about my travels even more. :) haha. selfish, yes.
i'm sure there are other things, but those things come to mind. i really want this to be fairly quick to be at home because getting settled means getting back into real life. and no offense, but real life kinda blows. i want to head on over to southeast asia for a couple months. it is meant to be really awesome. i need more pages in my passport though. i only have two fully free pages. it was three until the nice guy at colombia customs stamped me out of colombia on a free page. nice guy, though. he asked me what foods i tried in colombia. and actually, the guy at customs in the states (i usually don't like the states' custom people) was really cool. he was fascinated at all the countries i went to - 7 (ecuador, brazil, argentina, peru, chile, uruguay, and colombia) and said he missed his chance at backpacking. i told him that he didn't cause i met people in their fifties and even a guy who was seventy. i hope he rethinks it and goes out to see the world, cause it is massive and awesome!
a lot of people have asked me why i'm back... and well, i am not really sure. i got a bit complacent when i was in buenos aires. i love that city and spent three weeks there, but towards the end it got a bit too comfortable. and i felt like i needed to be uncomfortable again. plus... my parents kept asking when i would be home, a friend's wedding in june... and... some other things. so i felt like that was what i needed to do.. go to boston for a bit. but i booked my return flight from bogota. i got to colombia... and realized, all i needed was somewhere new. i had already told several people i was going back to boston, so i felt like i couldn't back out. and i had it in my mind (still have it in my mind) that this will just be a short stop. after traveling for almost five months, seeing something new everyday, meeting someone new everyday, that is just what i'm use to. i'm not use to the everyday life. did i get sick of introducing myself everyday? of course i did, but ya wanna know what? i would take that back any second now. :)
to pump myself up for being back in boston, i have to think about things that i look forward to....
+ bbq sauce, peanut butter, spicy foods - you can barely find ANY of them in south america... i missed these throughout my entire trip and if someone asked if i missed anything from back home, it was always these three things.
+ good beer - okay, so i probably could have lumped this in with the food, but... south american beer is so... blah. there was only one that i had that i could actually say was good... and that was club colombia. was so happy to go to on the border in the airport in orlando and order a sam summer!
+ not having to figure out where certain symbols are on keyboards - the @ symbol was alway alt gr + either 2 or q. the _ and the ? seemed to jump spots at every keyboard. and sometimes keyboards looked like keyboards from the states, but the keys were all different
+ doing laundry whenever i want - well, okay i guess i could have done this more often on the road, but when you're also looking to saving a buck, you tend to wear things a little bit longer than usual. or you wear things two days in a row, and wear it to bed. yes, that is what you do, and i thought that was kinda gross at first, but you just do it. and so does everyone else. but when you did do laundry (which was always drop it off at some place and pick it up the next day), you would pull out every single piece of clothing and smell it. it was one of the best things.
+ sleeping without earplugs - while i got use to hostel life and sharing a room, sometimes it was a drag. waking up with one earplug in and one out and trying to find the other one... just annoying. esp when there is some dude snoring away in your room.
+ throwing toilet paper in the toilet - in south america you throw it out in a trash can. all the trash. whether a number one or a number two. i got so use to this, though, that when i went to the bathroom in orlando, i threw it out in the trash. oops! at least it was only a number one.
+ being able to drink tap water - and not have to worry. yes, you could drink it in most places in argentina and some places in colombia. but it was always a "should i? or shouldn't i?"
+ not carrying money in my boobs - okay, maybe i still do it occasionally when i'm in the states, but i don't have that "this is my safety money in case i get robbed" thought. it is more of a convenient way of carrying it if i don't feel like bringing out a bag. and for the record, i didn't get anything stolen. came close though.
+ seeing friends and family - i've seen my family and a couple of friends and it has been good. my parents aren't travelers, so they barely even asked me how my trip was. which, is very frustrating to me, but i know that my friends will be super excited to see me and find out what i have been up to. and if possible i would like to meet up one on one, because then i get to talk about my travels even more. :) haha. selfish, yes.
i'm sure there are other things, but those things come to mind. i really want this to be fairly quick to be at home because getting settled means getting back into real life. and no offense, but real life kinda blows. i want to head on over to southeast asia for a couple months. it is meant to be really awesome. i need more pages in my passport though. i only have two fully free pages. it was three until the nice guy at colombia customs stamped me out of colombia on a free page. nice guy, though. he asked me what foods i tried in colombia. and actually, the guy at customs in the states (i usually don't like the states' custom people) was really cool. he was fascinated at all the countries i went to - 7 (ecuador, brazil, argentina, peru, chile, uruguay, and colombia) and said he missed his chance at backpacking. i told him that he didn't cause i met people in their fifties and even a guy who was seventy. i hope he rethinks it and goes out to see the world, cause it is massive and awesome!
Monday, May 20, 2013
in 10 days....
sorry i have not kept up with this blog in quite some time. i have much to update... but just wanted to let you know that i will be home in 10 days... may 30th at night. i am hoping that this is a short trip home... a month max... before heading off again. i need to get more pages in my passport... and hopefully a visa for vietnam. i think that southeast asia is my next stop.
i am in medellin, colombia right now and have met some good people and pretty much like this city as well. weird to think of all the changes that happened here in recent years with the death of pablo escobar. flying to santa marta tomorrow... and then go to cartagena where i meet up with a guy i met in valparaiso, chile. will be good to see him again. i love being able to meet up with friends again. it´s great.
but anyway... i am almost done cooking up a stir fry so i gotta go so that it doesn´t burn. would love to see you all for a bit while i am home so give me a ring or a text.
i am in medellin, colombia right now and have met some good people and pretty much like this city as well. weird to think of all the changes that happened here in recent years with the death of pablo escobar. flying to santa marta tomorrow... and then go to cartagena where i meet up with a guy i met in valparaiso, chile. will be good to see him again. i love being able to meet up with friends again. it´s great.
but anyway... i am almost done cooking up a stir fry so i gotta go so that it doesn´t burn. would love to see you all for a bit while i am home so give me a ring or a text.
Monday, April 22, 2013
more thoughts i guess.
i started about two or three blogs but never got far with them. i started one with things ive learned in my travels and another one about boston. and another just basic one. sorry my blogs have not turned into recapping about what i have been doing. i have really sucked at updating my journal as well. i left off somewhere in cordoba... and that was over a week ago.
first off... i am happy that my friends and family are safe after the bombings in boston last monday. it was weird and surreal to see the news. to be so far away and so detached from it. it felt like it was happening in a different city. not my hometown. it couldnt. i mean. who would want to hurt the city of boston? part of me is happy to have missed it... because it must be a horrible thing to remember and to experience. but part of me feels like i missed out on being a bostonian. or something. i cant describe what i am trying to say. but it just feels like i missed out? and now to see photos of medford.... where i use to live not so long ago... on the news sites. it is just so... weird. surreal. scary. all the above. just very confusing. things just dont connect. but anyway. i am happy that the police and first responders kept everyone safe. they definitely deserve all the praise that they are receiving from everyone. although i am far away. i will always be a bostonian.
so... now. i am back in buenos aires because i love this city. i have met several people throughout my travels who live here who i am very fortunate to have been able to meet up with again. some who i truly feel like im friends with. and that is an awesome thing to be able to say. i surfed a couch of one of them for a couple nights. mariano and his boyfriend eduardo hosted me for three nights when i first got back. they welcomed me to an amazing asado (barbecue) at eduardo's family's house. super nice. met the whole family... including his niece and nephew and nephew's friend who speak pretty good english. the friend asked me if americans eat a lot of chicken wings. ha. it is not common here to just eat wings. they think it is funny. but anyway. so nice of them to welcome me into their home... and i have gotten together with them a couple other times and we shared a mate. it is just nice. i like the argentinian way. they are very welcoming. and i absolutely love that you always greet people with a kiss on the cheek. whether you know them or not... whether youre male or female. you greet and leave with a kiss on the cheek. it is nice. it is warm. and i like it.
i am at a place in my travels... where i am just not interested in meeting more people or exploring. not saying that i want to go home, because i dont... not right now. but i just dont feel the urge of going out everyday and talking about my travels, where i am from, where ive been, etc. i would rather strengthen the bonds that i currently have. so... i am thinking of staying in buenos aires for a couple weeks before my next plan of action. maybe i will take more spanish lessons or maybe i will volunteer. im not sure. but i just feel like staying put and this seems like a great place to do it.
i love all the people that i have met. one guy i am traveling with now... matt is just great. he is 23 years old... australian... and pretty much the gayest gay i have ever met. he embraces that last statement so i dont mind typing it here. well... i thought that... until he managed to find another guy... gui. who is absolutely one of the sweetest people i have ever met. he is from brazil. and left today. i didnt say goodbye since he left so early. but matt and i met in cordoba... then i came to ba.... then we met up in uruguay and traveled back here. he leaves for australia on friday. i am going to miss him a lot because we have really bonded over the past 10 days or so. i feel like i have known him forever. and mariano is just an absolute sweetheart. btw... i think that buenos aires may be the gay capital of the world. or at least it is very open and widely accepted so it is nice to see. i hope the rest of the world follows suit soon. uruguay and new zealand and france i believe have all recently passed gay marriage. the usa needs to catch up! but anyway. i will miss both matt and mariano. and the others who i have met recently... or semi recently. gonzalo, sam, and helen whom i had an epic night with in valparaiso, chile. anna and phillipp whom i met up with a couple times in peru. it has been really special and i am lucky to have met them... and all the others along the way.
alright. i need to get off here and find a place to live for a week or two. hope you all are doing fantastic!
first off... i am happy that my friends and family are safe after the bombings in boston last monday. it was weird and surreal to see the news. to be so far away and so detached from it. it felt like it was happening in a different city. not my hometown. it couldnt. i mean. who would want to hurt the city of boston? part of me is happy to have missed it... because it must be a horrible thing to remember and to experience. but part of me feels like i missed out on being a bostonian. or something. i cant describe what i am trying to say. but it just feels like i missed out? and now to see photos of medford.... where i use to live not so long ago... on the news sites. it is just so... weird. surreal. scary. all the above. just very confusing. things just dont connect. but anyway. i am happy that the police and first responders kept everyone safe. they definitely deserve all the praise that they are receiving from everyone. although i am far away. i will always be a bostonian.
so... now. i am back in buenos aires because i love this city. i have met several people throughout my travels who live here who i am very fortunate to have been able to meet up with again. some who i truly feel like im friends with. and that is an awesome thing to be able to say. i surfed a couch of one of them for a couple nights. mariano and his boyfriend eduardo hosted me for three nights when i first got back. they welcomed me to an amazing asado (barbecue) at eduardo's family's house. super nice. met the whole family... including his niece and nephew and nephew's friend who speak pretty good english. the friend asked me if americans eat a lot of chicken wings. ha. it is not common here to just eat wings. they think it is funny. but anyway. so nice of them to welcome me into their home... and i have gotten together with them a couple other times and we shared a mate. it is just nice. i like the argentinian way. they are very welcoming. and i absolutely love that you always greet people with a kiss on the cheek. whether you know them or not... whether youre male or female. you greet and leave with a kiss on the cheek. it is nice. it is warm. and i like it.
i am at a place in my travels... where i am just not interested in meeting more people or exploring. not saying that i want to go home, because i dont... not right now. but i just dont feel the urge of going out everyday and talking about my travels, where i am from, where ive been, etc. i would rather strengthen the bonds that i currently have. so... i am thinking of staying in buenos aires for a couple weeks before my next plan of action. maybe i will take more spanish lessons or maybe i will volunteer. im not sure. but i just feel like staying put and this seems like a great place to do it.
i love all the people that i have met. one guy i am traveling with now... matt is just great. he is 23 years old... australian... and pretty much the gayest gay i have ever met. he embraces that last statement so i dont mind typing it here. well... i thought that... until he managed to find another guy... gui. who is absolutely one of the sweetest people i have ever met. he is from brazil. and left today. i didnt say goodbye since he left so early. but matt and i met in cordoba... then i came to ba.... then we met up in uruguay and traveled back here. he leaves for australia on friday. i am going to miss him a lot because we have really bonded over the past 10 days or so. i feel like i have known him forever. and mariano is just an absolute sweetheart. btw... i think that buenos aires may be the gay capital of the world. or at least it is very open and widely accepted so it is nice to see. i hope the rest of the world follows suit soon. uruguay and new zealand and france i believe have all recently passed gay marriage. the usa needs to catch up! but anyway. i will miss both matt and mariano. and the others who i have met recently... or semi recently. gonzalo, sam, and helen whom i had an epic night with in valparaiso, chile. anna and phillipp whom i met up with a couple times in peru. it has been really special and i am lucky to have met them... and all the others along the way.
alright. i need to get off here and find a place to live for a week or two. hope you all are doing fantastic!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
happy easter
hello from valparaiso chile. itś easter and i guess that most things are closed here. i probably should have moved on from here but since it was difficult for people to find transport to other cities and places to stay, i figured i would just stay in valparaiso. itś cool here though. a nice city with lots of street art. awesome street art. to call it graffiti would be a sin, i think.
im sorry that i haven been super awesome with my updates on here. and sometimes day to day stuff is not too exciting. and whatever. and sometimes it is.
chile has been great really. i didn`t even expect to come here but i did. i found out that americans can still cross into chile via land without paying the reciprocity fee. i will tell you that the reciprocity fee is getting in the way of my travel adventures. i didn`t go to bolivia for that reason. but people say that bolivia is beautiful and cheap. and it would probably pay me back in that way, but i just wasn`t organized for it. i get the whole point of the reciprocity fee... the united states charges people from these countries to get into the states so they charge us. completely understand. but i hate that us travelers are the ones who have to pay for our government`s decisions. i wish that congress or the president was cutting me a check for this. but until it`s done with i guess that i have to keep paying. and i will because i don`t see myself cutting down on traveling anytime soon.
so yeah... enough of the rant. life has been awesome. truly awesome really. and the thought of coming home is just... gross. i don`t know how else to explain it. people keep asking me when i will be returning to the states. people i meet here and some of you from home and ugh... i don`t even want to think about it. but it is such a common question. i joke with everyone that you have the 5 main questions when you meet someone new and we should all just carry a fact sheet around with us. first question is generally.... where are you from? second is... how long have you been traveling? third... where have you been? fourth... where are you going to? and fifth... which sometimes you honestly never get to... or you get to it hours or days later... what is your name? but i don`t mind those questions because generally everyone enjoys talking about traveling. duh. but the question of when are you going back to the states? um... not sure? maybe a couple months. maybe a couple weeks? and people generally respond.... that`s awesome. which it is. i like not having an end date. but then at the same time i feel like i`m suppose to. i will figure it out someday. i thought by now i would have a clue but i honestly don`t at the moment.
the thing i love really about this trip is all the people. i have met some great people. a lot from germany. a lot. to the point that i think i should be speaking german right now. but they`ve all been cool. i think i have liked everyone i`ve met with only a few exceptions. and some people i`ve met and didn`t connect enough with to exchange information but have wanted to tell them something later. that always stinks. it is a weird thing to meet people, share something awesome, and then go about your way. cause it is awesome in the moment then is kinda sad a day or two later. i have been able to catch up with a couple people... so that has been awesome. but overall it`s just an in the moment type thing. besides germans i would say i have met a lot of brits, some americans (actually a guy from watertown and a guy from the cape... oh and two guys who lived in dorchester), some australians... but not nearly as many as i would have thought. some people from israel. some from the countries that i`m visiting. it is pretty cool. i wish i had discovered the awesomeness of hostels at a younger age. not that i mind staying here now... but it is such a fun experience that i wish i have been aware of it years ago. i was always so scared of hostels. scared of sharing dorms, of people taking my stuff, of bed bugs (which apparently are quite common here), etc but it has been alright. people are cool and most places have lockers.
after traveling here for a bit of time, i think i can say that south america gets a bad rap in the states. yes, there are super shady parts and yes there are more pickpockets here than in the states, but overall it has been alright. in quito and buenos aires i saw cops EVERYWHERE. like... everywhere. it made me feel safe. and everyone talks about bolivia and columbia back home that it is just the scariest place in the world, but i have met so many people... some solo female travelers who have really enjoyed both of those countries. said they felt safe and that it was incredibly beautiful. and so i am glad to be out exploring the world. to... understand how life is. and to not completely feed into american media cause i think they make it sound worse than what it is. who knows. maybe i`m wrong. maybe i`ll get mugged today. it could happen. but right now... south america is an amazing continent with amazing people... it`s beautiful here. some parts are just absolutely stunning. and the locals i have met have all been cool. and not necessarily just the people working in the hostels or at the tour places.
this is quite a long blog... but i am not done. ;) it is interesting that the world knows about america. everything. they know the national anthem. they know who sarah palin is (which, i`m sorry... that is something you just shouldn`t know). they know the pledge of allegiance. it is just. i don`t know... weird. and i am sure it is just my own ignorance... but... it stinks. and yes america is a big country ... but we are so self centered. most of us. me included. i hope to change that though as i go. i really do. but on the flipside... people from other countries... unanimously have said that americans are the friendliest. we are open people and easy to talk to. and that makes me happy. cause i think that is something pretty awesome and a wonderful compliment.
okay. i am done. a different blog than what i have written in the past. ha. in the past long ago... but... yeah. just some thoughts on this easter sunday i guess. :)
im sorry that i haven been super awesome with my updates on here. and sometimes day to day stuff is not too exciting. and whatever. and sometimes it is.
chile has been great really. i didn`t even expect to come here but i did. i found out that americans can still cross into chile via land without paying the reciprocity fee. i will tell you that the reciprocity fee is getting in the way of my travel adventures. i didn`t go to bolivia for that reason. but people say that bolivia is beautiful and cheap. and it would probably pay me back in that way, but i just wasn`t organized for it. i get the whole point of the reciprocity fee... the united states charges people from these countries to get into the states so they charge us. completely understand. but i hate that us travelers are the ones who have to pay for our government`s decisions. i wish that congress or the president was cutting me a check for this. but until it`s done with i guess that i have to keep paying. and i will because i don`t see myself cutting down on traveling anytime soon.
so yeah... enough of the rant. life has been awesome. truly awesome really. and the thought of coming home is just... gross. i don`t know how else to explain it. people keep asking me when i will be returning to the states. people i meet here and some of you from home and ugh... i don`t even want to think about it. but it is such a common question. i joke with everyone that you have the 5 main questions when you meet someone new and we should all just carry a fact sheet around with us. first question is generally.... where are you from? second is... how long have you been traveling? third... where have you been? fourth... where are you going to? and fifth... which sometimes you honestly never get to... or you get to it hours or days later... what is your name? but i don`t mind those questions because generally everyone enjoys talking about traveling. duh. but the question of when are you going back to the states? um... not sure? maybe a couple months. maybe a couple weeks? and people generally respond.... that`s awesome. which it is. i like not having an end date. but then at the same time i feel like i`m suppose to. i will figure it out someday. i thought by now i would have a clue but i honestly don`t at the moment.
the thing i love really about this trip is all the people. i have met some great people. a lot from germany. a lot. to the point that i think i should be speaking german right now. but they`ve all been cool. i think i have liked everyone i`ve met with only a few exceptions. and some people i`ve met and didn`t connect enough with to exchange information but have wanted to tell them something later. that always stinks. it is a weird thing to meet people, share something awesome, and then go about your way. cause it is awesome in the moment then is kinda sad a day or two later. i have been able to catch up with a couple people... so that has been awesome. but overall it`s just an in the moment type thing. besides germans i would say i have met a lot of brits, some americans (actually a guy from watertown and a guy from the cape... oh and two guys who lived in dorchester), some australians... but not nearly as many as i would have thought. some people from israel. some from the countries that i`m visiting. it is pretty cool. i wish i had discovered the awesomeness of hostels at a younger age. not that i mind staying here now... but it is such a fun experience that i wish i have been aware of it years ago. i was always so scared of hostels. scared of sharing dorms, of people taking my stuff, of bed bugs (which apparently are quite common here), etc but it has been alright. people are cool and most places have lockers.
after traveling here for a bit of time, i think i can say that south america gets a bad rap in the states. yes, there are super shady parts and yes there are more pickpockets here than in the states, but overall it has been alright. in quito and buenos aires i saw cops EVERYWHERE. like... everywhere. it made me feel safe. and everyone talks about bolivia and columbia back home that it is just the scariest place in the world, but i have met so many people... some solo female travelers who have really enjoyed both of those countries. said they felt safe and that it was incredibly beautiful. and so i am glad to be out exploring the world. to... understand how life is. and to not completely feed into american media cause i think they make it sound worse than what it is. who knows. maybe i`m wrong. maybe i`ll get mugged today. it could happen. but right now... south america is an amazing continent with amazing people... it`s beautiful here. some parts are just absolutely stunning. and the locals i have met have all been cool. and not necessarily just the people working in the hostels or at the tour places.
this is quite a long blog... but i am not done. ;) it is interesting that the world knows about america. everything. they know the national anthem. they know who sarah palin is (which, i`m sorry... that is something you just shouldn`t know). they know the pledge of allegiance. it is just. i don`t know... weird. and i am sure it is just my own ignorance... but... it stinks. and yes america is a big country ... but we are so self centered. most of us. me included. i hope to change that though as i go. i really do. but on the flipside... people from other countries... unanimously have said that americans are the friendliest. we are open people and easy to talk to. and that makes me happy. cause i think that is something pretty awesome and a wonderful compliment.
okay. i am done. a different blog than what i have written in the past. ha. in the past long ago... but... yeah. just some thoughts on this easter sunday i guess. :)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
some photos from argentina...
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| obelisco en buenos aires |
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| cerca del obelisco |
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| la casa roja |
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| there were lots of these activist type signs near casa roja |
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| a statue in the botanical gardens |
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| naked sightseers in the botanical garden |
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| trees near palermo. i loved this part of the city |
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| loved these trees |
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| a statue at the cemetery in recoeta |
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| one of the burial sites in the cemetery |
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| another pic of the trees |
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| tango dancers in the park in recoleta |
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| the fanciest bookstore i´ve ever been in. it is an old theater |
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| fanciest bookstore again |
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| tango band. loved these guys. tangos amores |
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| my first look at iguazu falls. this is the point that i wanted to cry because i couldn´t believe i was at a place so beautiful |
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| so unbelievably amazing |
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| so beautiful |
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| and again on the argentinian side |
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| another view on the argentinian side. really couldn´t get sick of this place. |
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| panoramic view on the brazilian side |
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| some birds on the brazilian side |
Thursday, March 21, 2013
some photos of cusco and machu picchu...
sorry to skip right over argentina to post pics... esp since iguazu was a highlight of mine... but was sending my mother some pics of machu picchu... so figured i would upload them here... ;)
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| from sasquahuman (sp?... we just called it sexy woman) |
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| plaza de armas from sasquahuman |
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| SOOOOO many llamas everywhere |
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| misty morning at machu picchu makes for a cool looking pic |
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| another one |
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| it´s me at machu picchu |
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| and another one. :) |
Thursday, March 14, 2013
cause i haven´t updated in a while...
i haven´t updated a thing about peru, huh??
i have been in peru for 3 weeks and i swear, yes, i am going to update, but i am just too tired right now. just a quick check in to let you know that life is good and that i´ve made some great friends.
yesterday marked 9 weeks of traveling for me, and honestly it feels like it´s only been two weeks sometimes... it´s been really enjoyable and i haven´t missed home at all. although i did miss cheezits and bbq flavored things but thankfully my cousin was kind enough to bring me some in cusco when she came to visit.
just a brief update on peru... lima was blah.. good hostel... met great people.. love them. paracas was okay.. could have skipped it... huacachina was cool for sandboarding.. and randomly bumped into friends i made in lima. didn´t know they were going to be there. nasca was boring! but good to chill out... cusco was awesome and amazing. love that city. machu picchu was cool but i think my highlight so far is iguazu falls. that place is just amazing... but machu picchu, of course, is pretty awesome too. lake titicaca islands were a great experience. i really enjoyed that actually and i didn´t have any expectations of it. very serene and just cool. and now i´m in arequipa for who knows how long. friends from lima come tomorrow. so excited to see them again!! and probably going to colca canyon.
i will write more later about peru... but for now, use your imagination. :)
things i know about home... wes welker is no longer a patriot!! :( grrrrr.... and there is a new pope. one from argentina. i guess that is world news... but... when i went on boston.com those were the two biggest stories. i´m gonna miss my wes, but i hope he does well in denver. other than that, i am detached! and i f´íng LOVE it!!
i have been in peru for 3 weeks and i swear, yes, i am going to update, but i am just too tired right now. just a quick check in to let you know that life is good and that i´ve made some great friends.
yesterday marked 9 weeks of traveling for me, and honestly it feels like it´s only been two weeks sometimes... it´s been really enjoyable and i haven´t missed home at all. although i did miss cheezits and bbq flavored things but thankfully my cousin was kind enough to bring me some in cusco when she came to visit.
just a brief update on peru... lima was blah.. good hostel... met great people.. love them. paracas was okay.. could have skipped it... huacachina was cool for sandboarding.. and randomly bumped into friends i made in lima. didn´t know they were going to be there. nasca was boring! but good to chill out... cusco was awesome and amazing. love that city. machu picchu was cool but i think my highlight so far is iguazu falls. that place is just amazing... but machu picchu, of course, is pretty awesome too. lake titicaca islands were a great experience. i really enjoyed that actually and i didn´t have any expectations of it. very serene and just cool. and now i´m in arequipa for who knows how long. friends from lima come tomorrow. so excited to see them again!! and probably going to colca canyon.
i will write more later about peru... but for now, use your imagination. :)
things i know about home... wes welker is no longer a patriot!! :( grrrrr.... and there is a new pope. one from argentina. i guess that is world news... but... when i went on boston.com those were the two biggest stories. i´m gonna miss my wes, but i hope he does well in denver. other than that, i am detached! and i f´íng LOVE it!!
Friday, March 1, 2013
argentina... finally...
wow.... back to back day posts. crazy. the pariwana hostel in cusco has a bunch of computers so i don´t feel bad staying on here. anyway. i just got here... after a 16 hour bus ride. yikes. so tired. it was suppose to be 14 hours... and leave at 915pm. but it was 16 and left at 1115pm. so needless to say i´m tired. but... i´m here!! and my cousin comes to visit tomorrow. i´m excited for her arrival but it will be a bit weird because i´ve done this all on my own so far and to be honest with you, i quite like traveling on my own. you´re never alone. but anyway... argentina.
so i got into buenos aires and got to my hostel. first night in a hostel so i eased myself into it and got a twin room by myself. i figure i could afford it and it gave me a sense of peace. but two days later i moved into a single ensuite room which was so nice. no sharing toilets and showers. not that it´s that much of a pain, but... it´s nice when you do have your own.
i think i had a mini post earlier about how i posted some messages on couchsurfing. one for tango and wine. and a girl from mexico, jimena, responded. we met up later that night and went to a tango lesson. it was fun. things NEVER get started on time in latin america... never ever. and bars and stuff don´t get going til at least midnight. so not use to that.
the next night i met up with a group of couchsurfers. or rather one guy posted that he and some of his coworkers want to improve their english. that is so something i can help with. it was fun to meet them. not only did they show up... but several others from argentina, a guy from italy and then the english speakers... three from the states including me and a girl from canada. it was a really fun night. i enjoyed meeting them. and if-when i go back to buenos aires i hope to meet up with them again.
the following day i headed to a part of buenos aires called palmero. i loved this part. it was nice. tree lined streets and just really cute. and i went to the fanciest ever bookshop. i read in lonelyplanet that it was... and it definitely was because it was an old theater converted into a bookstore. they have the stage, the curtains and everything. it was cool. i also strolled through an open market but didn´t buy anything. do i ever buy anything at those thing?? i was also lucky enough to catch some tango dancers in the park. it was a very hot and humid day... not sure how the guy was able to dance in a full suit.
that night i went out with jimena to a bar to listen to bands play tango music. it was a lot of fun. again... it said music started at 9.... it wasn´t until 1130 i think that the first group went on?? i´m getting old. but it was a cool little spot to sit and have some beers and chat. cool art on the wall. the last group was the best... tangos amores or amores tangos or something. i like them on facebook so that i can remember. they were just a lot of fun and the crowd was so into it. not to mention the two lead guys were kinda cute.
i was suppose to meet jimena for the san telmo market the next day but i ended up sleeping til close to 11 and i needed to check out because i was flying to iguazu. flight was good... and was so nice to not have to fill in an immigration card. my goodness those things are a pain. and now with peru i have a slip that i need to return when i leave in order not to pay the tax. i just hope i don´t lose my passport. but anyway.... iguazu. on the minivan ride from the airport to the town, i met a girl from california who was traveling solo all around argentina... including pantagonia and an older woman named sue who was from london and also traveled around argentina. she had already gone through patagonia. she was a lovely lady. i don´t usually use the word lovely, but she really was.
that night i met some people at the hostel. ryan from australia who was on 10 months of travel, and clara from london who was doing 4 weeks of travel. she was off to patagonia next. they were really cool and just awesome to talk to. i love hearing about people´s adventures. they totally inspire me. each one. every story. they talk about these places they´re going to visit like i should know where they are. like florianopolis. i never heard of the place. but it´s in brazil and suppose to have dolphins, i think. but anyway. yeah. they were neat. ryan was my roommate that night.
the next day i went to the argentinian side of the falls. it was hot and very humid that day. you couldn´t stay cool if you tried. even if you sat in a pool of ice cubes you´d be sweating. but anyway. oh my goodness... i can´t even put into words how beautiful the falls were. and i think i really did actually shed a tear because i couldn´t believe i was so lucky to see something so beautiful in person. it really was just breathtaking. and i don´t usually get that way with nature but it was just an incredible site. if you enjoyed niagara falls, then you will be blown away by iguazu.
while at the devil´s throat part of the falls, i met a girl named jessica from washington state. she was traveling solo as well so we hung out the rest of the day at the falls. also, she got laid off before going on the trip too. after her trip to iguazu she was headed to africa to do some volunteer work. the rest of the day was pretty good. we did the short walk and the long walk... and she did the boat ride which is pretty much like the maid of the mist. i didn´t go on it, but it didn´t matter because minutes later we were caught in a downpour. like... crazy downpour and i didn´t have an umbrella. not cool. but whatever. adds to the adventure, right?
that day i met a guy named ken from england who didn´t appreciate my british accent. or rather, he didn´t mind, but he thought it was horrible. ha. he was a nice guy. he let me borrow his cord to the nikon so i could download pics. (btw... just uploaded some from brazil) pretty chill night. i went to dinner solo but i managed to see sue, the london lady, walking down the street, so i tapped on the window and she came in to say hello and chat a bit. i had the room to myself. which was actually kinda lonely.
the next day i met up briefly with jessica. ran into the girl from california while i was waiting for jessica. puerto iguazu is not huge so it´s no wonder that i keep bumping into people. i only met jessica briefly because she booked a tour for the dam. i decided to head on over to the brazilian side of the falls. beautiful on that side too. you don´t get super close like you did on the argentina side, but you get a full view. that is where my cover photo is from on facebook. i ended up getting stung by a bee while i was waiting for food. i´ve never been stung by a bee. it got me in my left thigh... luckily i didn´t have any allergic reaction to it. add that to the adventure too. all the mishaps just add to the story.
that night... my room was full of roommates.... a girl from holland, a girl from sweden and a girl from the states, jersey. we were all traveling solo so that was pretty neat. therese, the swedish girl was at the end of her travels. mireke in the middle and audrey at the beginning. it´s exciting to talk about all that stuff. it´s awesome that i´m not the only solo female traveler. can i just tell you that a group of girls traveling is probably the most annoying thing?? more on that later, but it really is annoying if there are 4 or more girls traveling together. but anyway.....
the next day was super chill, since i already did the argentina and brazil side of the falls, i just decided to be super lazy. and luckily therese also didn´t have anything to do so we hung out most of the day. we strategized our next travel plans. a lot of time is spent on the internet looking at bus routes, hostels, things to do... and since there are so many things to do in the world, it really gets difficult. but hell, if that´s the problem that i have, then i will gladly take it. so we walked around, dropped off some laundry, exchanged some money, i downloaded pics and then we shared a beer in the rain. i was going to go to the spot where brazil, argentina and paraguay meet but once the rain came down i decided against it. so we sat and had a beer instead. chilled out again that night. the girls went to bed, and me, social butterfly had to stay up. i chatted with ken, the london guy again.
following day was time to leave. boo!! it was sad to say goodbye. i really enjoyed my time in both buenos aires and puerto iguazu... besides the city and the falls being amazing i met some super awesome people there. ones who inspired me... who i enjoyed talking to and who i honestly wish nothing but the best for. i do hope to see some of the buenos aires folks again. my stop into argentina was way too short... so i need to go back. currently figuring out a plan... but it may involve chile as well. hip hip hooray. i may never come home. i mean... i will, at some point... but my goodness... i don´t know how it would even be possible. even the boringest of days are a heck of a lot better than looking for a job.
alright... pics from brazil and a blog on argentina... hope you´re all happy. you all keep saying that i need to update... :) it´s just hard to. i do keep a writing journal though... so if need be i can look back at that to figure out what i did 2 weeks ago.
ciao!
so i got into buenos aires and got to my hostel. first night in a hostel so i eased myself into it and got a twin room by myself. i figure i could afford it and it gave me a sense of peace. but two days later i moved into a single ensuite room which was so nice. no sharing toilets and showers. not that it´s that much of a pain, but... it´s nice when you do have your own.
i think i had a mini post earlier about how i posted some messages on couchsurfing. one for tango and wine. and a girl from mexico, jimena, responded. we met up later that night and went to a tango lesson. it was fun. things NEVER get started on time in latin america... never ever. and bars and stuff don´t get going til at least midnight. so not use to that.
the next night i met up with a group of couchsurfers. or rather one guy posted that he and some of his coworkers want to improve their english. that is so something i can help with. it was fun to meet them. not only did they show up... but several others from argentina, a guy from italy and then the english speakers... three from the states including me and a girl from canada. it was a really fun night. i enjoyed meeting them. and if-when i go back to buenos aires i hope to meet up with them again.
the following day i headed to a part of buenos aires called palmero. i loved this part. it was nice. tree lined streets and just really cute. and i went to the fanciest ever bookshop. i read in lonelyplanet that it was... and it definitely was because it was an old theater converted into a bookstore. they have the stage, the curtains and everything. it was cool. i also strolled through an open market but didn´t buy anything. do i ever buy anything at those thing?? i was also lucky enough to catch some tango dancers in the park. it was a very hot and humid day... not sure how the guy was able to dance in a full suit.
that night i went out with jimena to a bar to listen to bands play tango music. it was a lot of fun. again... it said music started at 9.... it wasn´t until 1130 i think that the first group went on?? i´m getting old. but it was a cool little spot to sit and have some beers and chat. cool art on the wall. the last group was the best... tangos amores or amores tangos or something. i like them on facebook so that i can remember. they were just a lot of fun and the crowd was so into it. not to mention the two lead guys were kinda cute.
i was suppose to meet jimena for the san telmo market the next day but i ended up sleeping til close to 11 and i needed to check out because i was flying to iguazu. flight was good... and was so nice to not have to fill in an immigration card. my goodness those things are a pain. and now with peru i have a slip that i need to return when i leave in order not to pay the tax. i just hope i don´t lose my passport. but anyway.... iguazu. on the minivan ride from the airport to the town, i met a girl from california who was traveling solo all around argentina... including pantagonia and an older woman named sue who was from london and also traveled around argentina. she had already gone through patagonia. she was a lovely lady. i don´t usually use the word lovely, but she really was.
that night i met some people at the hostel. ryan from australia who was on 10 months of travel, and clara from london who was doing 4 weeks of travel. she was off to patagonia next. they were really cool and just awesome to talk to. i love hearing about people´s adventures. they totally inspire me. each one. every story. they talk about these places they´re going to visit like i should know where they are. like florianopolis. i never heard of the place. but it´s in brazil and suppose to have dolphins, i think. but anyway. yeah. they were neat. ryan was my roommate that night.
the next day i went to the argentinian side of the falls. it was hot and very humid that day. you couldn´t stay cool if you tried. even if you sat in a pool of ice cubes you´d be sweating. but anyway. oh my goodness... i can´t even put into words how beautiful the falls were. and i think i really did actually shed a tear because i couldn´t believe i was so lucky to see something so beautiful in person. it really was just breathtaking. and i don´t usually get that way with nature but it was just an incredible site. if you enjoyed niagara falls, then you will be blown away by iguazu.
while at the devil´s throat part of the falls, i met a girl named jessica from washington state. she was traveling solo as well so we hung out the rest of the day at the falls. also, she got laid off before going on the trip too. after her trip to iguazu she was headed to africa to do some volunteer work. the rest of the day was pretty good. we did the short walk and the long walk... and she did the boat ride which is pretty much like the maid of the mist. i didn´t go on it, but it didn´t matter because minutes later we were caught in a downpour. like... crazy downpour and i didn´t have an umbrella. not cool. but whatever. adds to the adventure, right?
that day i met a guy named ken from england who didn´t appreciate my british accent. or rather, he didn´t mind, but he thought it was horrible. ha. he was a nice guy. he let me borrow his cord to the nikon so i could download pics. (btw... just uploaded some from brazil) pretty chill night. i went to dinner solo but i managed to see sue, the london lady, walking down the street, so i tapped on the window and she came in to say hello and chat a bit. i had the room to myself. which was actually kinda lonely.
the next day i met up briefly with jessica. ran into the girl from california while i was waiting for jessica. puerto iguazu is not huge so it´s no wonder that i keep bumping into people. i only met jessica briefly because she booked a tour for the dam. i decided to head on over to the brazilian side of the falls. beautiful on that side too. you don´t get super close like you did on the argentina side, but you get a full view. that is where my cover photo is from on facebook. i ended up getting stung by a bee while i was waiting for food. i´ve never been stung by a bee. it got me in my left thigh... luckily i didn´t have any allergic reaction to it. add that to the adventure too. all the mishaps just add to the story.
that night... my room was full of roommates.... a girl from holland, a girl from sweden and a girl from the states, jersey. we were all traveling solo so that was pretty neat. therese, the swedish girl was at the end of her travels. mireke in the middle and audrey at the beginning. it´s exciting to talk about all that stuff. it´s awesome that i´m not the only solo female traveler. can i just tell you that a group of girls traveling is probably the most annoying thing?? more on that later, but it really is annoying if there are 4 or more girls traveling together. but anyway.....
the next day was super chill, since i already did the argentina and brazil side of the falls, i just decided to be super lazy. and luckily therese also didn´t have anything to do so we hung out most of the day. we strategized our next travel plans. a lot of time is spent on the internet looking at bus routes, hostels, things to do... and since there are so many things to do in the world, it really gets difficult. but hell, if that´s the problem that i have, then i will gladly take it. so we walked around, dropped off some laundry, exchanged some money, i downloaded pics and then we shared a beer in the rain. i was going to go to the spot where brazil, argentina and paraguay meet but once the rain came down i decided against it. so we sat and had a beer instead. chilled out again that night. the girls went to bed, and me, social butterfly had to stay up. i chatted with ken, the london guy again.
following day was time to leave. boo!! it was sad to say goodbye. i really enjoyed my time in both buenos aires and puerto iguazu... besides the city and the falls being amazing i met some super awesome people there. ones who inspired me... who i enjoyed talking to and who i honestly wish nothing but the best for. i do hope to see some of the buenos aires folks again. my stop into argentina was way too short... so i need to go back. currently figuring out a plan... but it may involve chile as well. hip hip hooray. i may never come home. i mean... i will, at some point... but my goodness... i don´t know how it would even be possible. even the boringest of days are a heck of a lot better than looking for a job.
alright... pics from brazil and a blog on argentina... hope you´re all happy. you all keep saying that i need to update... :) it´s just hard to. i do keep a writing journal though... so if need be i can look back at that to figure out what i did 2 weeks ago.
ciao!
while boston was getting 2 feet of snow... this is what i was doing in brazil
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| the start of one of the blocos on ihlabela island for carnaval |
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| there were a whole bunch of these beauty pageant winner people |
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| yay for trumpt players |
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| one of my favorite parts... the men dressed as women. loved this. they were a riot. |
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| beautiful beach on ihlabela island |
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| reason number 1 of why i should feel better about my body |
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| another night of parades |
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| who needs to go to rio to see christ the redeemer |
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| dragon!! |
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| one of the best batarias (drum lines) we saw during carnaval |
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| reason number two i should feel better about my body |
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| not sure where this was, but i thought it was pretty |
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| the pretty beach on the other side of the island |
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| my feet after doing the climb to the waterfall.... what a mess. |
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| the beautiful waterfall... it was worth the walk up in my barefeet |
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| reason number 3... (am i jerk for posting these? yes, i am) |
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