Santiago- Dec 23 to Present

Santiago is a great city. Considering South America is 3rd world, i would say they´re keeping up pretty well. The public transport is easy to use, the tap water is safe to drink, and there is lots to do. Much to my disapointment, i´ve so far seen, a McDonalds, a Burger King, a Dominos, a Pizza Hut, a Starbucks, a TGI Fridays, a Ruby Tuesdays, and a Dunkin Donuts. All filled with people. I´ve discovered tons of yummy food in Santiago, and am glad i don´t need to resort to eating at a yucky american resturant.

The city, for the most part, is very clean and safe. They have a very easy to use bus system and underground metro that would give the Boston T a run for its money! Like any big city, you have to be careful with your bag, and careful walking around at night. I´ve been told not to wear jewelry becuase theifs will come up to you and rip off the necklace or bracelet that you´re wearing, and run. Yikes!! The biggest problem here is the smog. Its thick and gross, it blocks the view of the beautiful andes mountains, and a few years ago was equivilated to every person in the city smoking 60 cigarettes a day!!! YUCK!

We´ve finally arrived at a more international city. After suffering from severe sushi cravings during my first few months of traveling, i´ve made it to a city, where they actually know how to make it, and, it tastes good!!!!

For the most part, Erin and i have been taking it easy. Its been great to meet all of her family, and they are taking good care of us. We´ve done some sight seeing, lots of siesta-ing, and a little bit of partying. In our future is some beach time (its going to be 98 degrees today!) and some vineyard visiting. The exchange rate isn´t so hot right now, so we´ve been as thrifty as possible. Other than that, we´ve enjoyed our visit so far, and are looking forward to much more!!!

Pucon- River Rafting

Hi All! So we survived the super awesome rafting trip on the Rio Trancura. Due to the excessivly awful clothing items i was forced to wear (full body wetsuit, helmet, life vest, and men sized water blazer jacket thingy and surf shorts) i am not able to provide you with a picture of that adventure (also the fact that we were in the water the whole time, making carrying a camera difficult). Anyways, the trip was AWESOME, they had just opened the river last week, so everyone was super excited about the trip, including our guides. There were six of us in a boat (4 of us gringos, and 2 french peeps), along with our guide, and a guy in a kayak that was our saftey man (thankfully, the only person that had to be rescued was him when his kayak tipped over in some rapids). We went over the basic saftey rules and paddling commands and started on our trip. Being a rafting veteran (yeah maine!) i wasn´t overly concerned. Unfortnately when the adrenaline starts pumping, and the rapids are roaring, its hard to stay focused, especially when you´re guide is yelling at you in spanish. But we all came through it ok. The water was ICEY cold, but with all the layers they had us wearing, we acutally opted to get out and swim at one point. Though the river in general is class 3 and 4 rapids, the section we were rafting was a 4/5 rapid becuase of the recent snow melting. There were some crazy huge drops/ falls that we went down, and some big waves created by surrounding rocks, but all in all, super fun, had a blast. No one fell out, and at the end of the day, we had some Pisco Sours (national drink of Chile) with our guides.

The picture above is of Pucon, taken from the lake where we sunbathed. The Volcano in the background is Volcan Villarrica, which is still covered with snow and burbling. The town here is really nice, very clean, everyone friendly, lots of good vegetarian food (yes, i´m still a vegetarian), thermal baths galore, and lovely beaches to tan on, I could def stay here for a looonnnnggg time. Highly Reccommended!

Today Erin and I are taking an overnight bus (puke!) to Santiago, so we can spend the holidays with some of Erins relatives. I´m not sure exactally what kinds of celebrations the do here for xmas and new years, but i´ll keep you all posted! We might make a pit stop out of santiago, and get an apartment for a month, and really get to know the city, that all depends on weather, money and timing!!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukah, and Happy.... everything else, and Feliz Navidad, and Happy New Year!

Iceburgs and Whiskey

Ok, so part of our boat crusie brought erin and i to the San Rafael Glacier- adying glacier. The glacier is receeding and will be gone compeltely within the next few hundred years. It was an awesome sight to see. Thrilling and sad as you see huge chunks of ice falling off of the glacier and crashing in to the lake. The result of this is huge iceburgs floating around near the glacier, which thankfully our boat avoided (no titanics in chile so far). We took smaller boats around the glacier and iceburgs to tour the area. One of the most amazing things about the iceburgs is their color. They are literally electric blue and green. I´m told that this is because of the oxegen that gets into the ice. On a sunny day, the iceburgs just look white, but on a cloudy day (which we had) you can really see the true colors of the iceburgs. Another lovely part of this excursion was the drinking. By that i mean, our boat sided up to a big iceburg (pictured above), and the crew chipped off huge pieces of ice, which we used in combination with a 200 year old wiskey, the ice tasted amazingly good, unfortunatly, i can´t say the same for the whisky, YUCK! but it was pretty cold that day, so i forced myself to drink it down :)

Since the end of my cruise, i´ve stopped in Valdivia and Temuco, cute small towns in the southern lake region of Chile. I´m now in Pucon, where thankfully the weather has warmed up a bit. I´v e been sunning at the black sand beach (on a lake) by my hostal, looking at the snow covered Villarica Volcano, quite the contrast. Pucon is beautiful, and there´s tons to do here, today we´re going river rafting on a class 4 river ( class 5 is the highest). We´ll be heading to Santiago in a few days to spend the holiday´s with Erins family. I will be getting my phone set up in Santiago, and will post the details once i have them!! ciao!

Skorpios Tour Dec 8th-15th 2007

I´ve been out of touch for the past week because i was on an amazing cruise around the souther parts of chile on the Skorpios II tour. Among other things, we visited the San Rafael Glacier (more on that later), and stopped at a few towns on the cute island of Chiloe. I honestly would have been happy to just stay on the boat for the whole week, considering how good we were treated (such a change from slumming it in hostals and scraping together meals). A few highlights of the boat were: Open bar, 24/7, more fresh seafood than i´ve ever had in my life, days spent lounging at private thermal baths, 4 meals a day, and bingo parties with the geriatrics.... Did i mention we were the two youngest people on the boat by about 20 years. luxury living, to the max. what a treat. i´m sad its over. i will be posting some pics from the glacier later today (hopefully). Erin has been a bit more diligent about putting together pictures on her site, so if you just can´t wait for my post. look for pics on hers, under Glacier San Rafael, or from Dec 8-15th http://determinada.smugmug.com ok kids, hope you are all staying warm!!!

Day at the Beach

with the penguins! yay!!!

Yay, big chunks of Ice.

Ok, so i know one of the reasons i came to South America was to escape winter, however, the further south i travel, i seem to be encountering some traces of winter, however, i tend to not stay in these places long :) After hanging out with penguins in Puerto Madryn, and a few stops inbetween, Erin and i headed to El Calafate. A pleasent 12 hour bus ride, which took me to the edge of insanity, which i´m not sure i´m back from. Very much in the southern part of Argentina, El Calafate is known for its beautiful monutainous landscapes and Glaciers. Argentina has one of the few Glaciers in the world that is acutally growning and shrinking. About a 2 hour drive from the main town, i was amazed at the vastness of this Glacier, it went for miles and miles, stretching through the water between 2 mountains. The sound of even the smallest boulder falling is ground shaking. You feel like you in some crazy bomb shelter or something! A nice place to sit and reflect about what a small part you really play in the scheme of things.

After taking in all the cold weather we could, Erin and I headed down to Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world. It took another madness inducing 12 hour bus ride to get there, but it was well worth it. This area is also known for its wildlife and outdoor adventures (i wish i´d made it here for the snowboarding season, but i´m not sad i missed the seriously cold weather). It is also many peoples launching point when visiting Antartica. Though i´d love to go myself (breifly, bbrrrr), the costs are astronomical, so i will save that trip for another day. We have enjoyed wandering the town, and visiting the national parks. Tomorrow we will be heading to Chile, to begin the next leg of our journey. And yes, that will involve yet another painfully long bus ride (not that i´m complaining, the scenery is amazing). We will begin in Chiles southern most cities, and make our way up to the capital, Santiago, by christmas time, to celebrate with Erin´s chilean relatives.

Again, sorry for not updating in so long, i will try and do better with updates! Hope everyone is well! If i find a faster computer, i will try and post more pictures! For now, adios!

Sea Lions, and Guanacos, and Penguins OH MY!

Hi Everyone! Sorry this update has taken so long! I´ve had trouble finding a computer that will upload photos, and whats a blog without photos!!! Anyways, as you can see, i´ve been spending some time with the natives (animals that is). I met up with Erin in Puerto Madryn where we toured the Peninsula Valdes, known for its wide variety of wildlife. Pengins, Sea Lions, Seals, Whales, Orcas, Armadillos (so cute!), and Guanacos (much like a Llama). The weather has been windy, but sunny, so i can´t really complain. The animals were mostly unaffected that we were visiting them, seeing it more as an annoyance that we kept walking in their way to get pictures of them :) i was very tempted to ¨borrow¨ one for a bit, they´re just so cute. It is also baby time for many of the animals, so we were able to see penguin chicks, and baby whales practicing their jumps!

I was in Puerto Madryn for thanksgiving, and was happy to have the company of Erin and her mother. We went out to a nice Parilla (steak house), and had a feast (though not of the turkey and mashed potato variation), and yes, i did have steak (whatever, i´m a flexitarian!), and it was damn good. I haven´t had any since, but as it was thanksgiving, i thought i should be thankful for the wonderful quality meat they have here in Argentina.

Ok, i´ll be catching you all up with where i am now just as soon as i can get another picture downloaded ( we´re talking like 20min per pic here people, so be appreciative!)

Cordoba, AR, Pics

One last edition, this picture is of the main church in Cordoba, during the time they were building it, the Cordobans were lacking in faith and not attending church often, so the architect decided that they needed to liven up the color schemes a bit to make the church seem more inviting and less intimidating. They also created many statues of nature, such as animals and leaves, as well as of men, to make the people feel more at ease....pretty, didn´t see many people in side though :)

Cordoba, AR, pics

Hi Everyone! I¨m back in Buenos Aires, and have a moment to post a few pics of Cordoba.


The first photo is of a building called Buen Pastor. It used to be Cordoba´s main prison up until recently when it became a public space. They decided to move the prison becuase its location is right in the middle of the city, which makes it difficult to guard, and it was too small to hold all of the prisoners. At night, there is a light and music show using the fountains in front, very pretty.

The second image is one of the things that interests me most about Argentina. It is in
relation to the Deseparacidos (the disappeared). A part of the recent history of this
The final picture is of something that i have studied about before coming to Argentina. Los Deseparacidos (the disappeared). More on the sad side of Argentina's recent history. Argentina went through a difficult time of political unrest, during which over 30,000 people ¨disappeared¨from the country for having possibly being involved in anti government sentiments. The picture was taken of a new museum created in recognition of this dark past. The museum itself used to be a secret prison, right in the middle of the city, where people were interrogated for any involvement in clandestine actions. The photo i´m posting is of various kinds of literature that were burned as being inappropriate for reading because of the messages they were giving. Literature could be burned for not having enough religious influence in it, for showing pictures of groups (which was thought to encourage protests), and for having too libral of a message (things like children's books, that were too happy and not religious enough). The list of clandestine books was enormous, and it was astounding to see the variety of things that were forbidden. Literature was really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what could get you put in prison, but a very interesting part of the struggle to see.
All in all, i very much enjoyed my visit to Cordoba. I love seeing the contrast of things old and new especially involving history, like a church and secret prison. I will be heading Puerto Madryn on monday! Until then! Ciao!

Cordoba, Argentina

Hola todos! Ive been staying this week in Cordoba, Argentina- a small university town to the west of Buenos Aires. I am at the Tango Hostel and having a great time. I've seen a lot of the city, which reminds me so much of Cordoba, Spain- where i studied abroad in college. The people here are very friendly, and the hostel is very "family style'' with group dinners, nights out and all that jazz. Its a 12 hour bus ride up here from Buenos Aires, not my most favorite thing, but not as horrible as i expected. The hostel is filled with people from all over, Austrelia, New Zeland, Switzerland, Canada, and the Netherlands to name a few. Being from Hawaii has some how afforded me celebrity status wherever i go. New people in the hostel come up and ask me if i'm the ''girl from hawaii.'' Which i am, which then insues the inevitable conversation of why on earth i would ever want to leave there. Ah well, a girls got to see the world to appreciate what she has. I'll be heading back to Buenos Aires this weekend before my 20 hour bus ride to Puerto Madryn, where i will meet up with Erin, my travel buddy from Boston!! I'm looking forward to the peguins and whales we'll be seeing in Puerto Madryn, although i hear the weather is a bit colder, which i'm not really looking forward to, but i'm sure its well worth it.... anywho, no time for pictures, will put some up this weekend! adios!

Buenos Aires

hola todos! i´ve finally had some time to post a few pictures from my travels. Buenos Aires is a super fun, super crazy city, and i´ve been having a blast. Tomorrow i´m heading to Cordoba, Argentina. A smaller town to the north west of Buenos Aires. Its a university town, so theres lots going on. If i have time, in planning on doing some hiking and horse back riding while i´m there and also meeting up with some friends from my BA hostel that are already there. Its taken some adjusting getting used to the schedule of things here, as typical of many places out side of the US, people have a very different idea of how a day should go. Normally, nothing opens here until 11 am. People lunch around 2 pm, begin considering making dinner at 10pm, and if planning on going out at all, do not start getting ready until midnight or later, stay out all night/morning, and then go to breakfast before sleeping. very exausting, but very fun. there isnt much to be said about the vegetarian food here... hopefully when i get to some of the more costal towns i can get some yummy seafood. the wine if phenominal, and cheap, and tasty, and sooooo good. the weather has been changing, sunny, cloudy, rainy, cant seem to make up its mind... we're still in spring, but it should be sunny days soon. Pictures are of Plaza de Mayo and Plaza San Martin. I´ve made my blog public after many requests of non- google users, so now anyone can access it!!!! Please send me emails and keep me updated your lives, i miss you all!!! ciao bella!

Buenas Buenas Aires!!

Hola Todos!!! I have finally arrived in Buenos Aires!!! I surrived over 24hrs of plane riding and airport layovers. barely. Needless to say, it was a long trip to get here, but worth it. After long line at immigration, and a long bus ride, i made it to my hostel in the center of Buenos Aires, V & S Hostel Club. I´m in a 7 bed "dormitorio" (dorm style room, bunk beds and all). The hostel is adorable, and everyone is very friendly. I couldn´t be more centrally located seriously. After dropping off my junk, all i wanted to do was go to bed. but as it was 1pm, i thought it wise to keep myself awake a bit longer so as to adjust to the time zone stuff. I went and picked up some essentials, shampoo, conditioner, water as i could only carry 3 oz of those or less with me on the plane. But as luck would have it, the first store i actually went it to, just a few blocks from my hostel.... ZARA.... yay! i know i´m safe and sound and in a good place if there is a Zara in walking distance from my hostel! I grabbed a sandwich, and wandered some more and was able to keep my self alive until 9pm ( which is actually when Buenos Aires is considering where to go for dinner....they´re all night owls, the whole country). I don´t know what i was picturing BA to be like when i came here... maybe old country like Prague, or artsy like Barcelona...but BA is def a city unlike any other. Very old, Very loud, Very crazy, and Very beautiful. I haven´t done much exploring yet, but my agenda is very full. This is one very large place with lots of history it be discovered. Hasta Pronto!!! (i apologize for any spelling errors, spell check is not working :) )

Cassidy, Nicole, Cyndee, Brianna

Well, as chance would have it, i am still in NYC. A few flight problems, but i WILL be leaving the city tomorrow. But i actually think it lucky that i did get stuck here for a couple more days. Randomly, my sister and i ran into 2 family friends from Hawaii (Cyndee and Brianna, pictured above) while wandering around the Met!!! So weird!! Anyways, after viewing some lovely art, we were all able to meet up for a nice lunch before going our separate ways. Other than that, its a cold day in New York, sister and i are cooking up some good quality Hungarian Goulash for my last meal. Yummmmmmm! Layover in Mexico tomorrow for 3 hours.... not enough time to go sight seeing i guess, i'll have to go later! Next post will be coming to you all as i bask in the warmth of a nice south american summer :) take care!

New York, NY!!!

Well, i made it to chilly New York. I've been able to meet up with my old college roommate Royale and spend some quality time with my sister. New York is the usual hustle and bustle. Today Royale, Nicole and i went to Grimaldi's Pizza, supposed the best pizza in NYC. I've been working on packing, and repacking, as somehow my bags are so full i can't lift them by myself... not exactly practical... i will be flying to Washington DC and from there to Buenos Aires!!!! If all goes as planned i'll be touching down on this coming Tuesday!!! SO EXCITED, and SO NERVOUS! If any of you feel post card worthy, please email me/post a comment with your mailing address, i'm not making any promises, but i'll do my best. I'll be shutting off my cell phone tomorrow, so send me happy emails if you want to get in touch! I am planning on setting up a cell phone in South America, if/when i get that number, i will post it. Thats all for now! Take care, and keep in touch! Hasta Pronto!

Adios Boston!!!

Well, its time to say goodbye to Boston! I've had a nice visit, but i must keep on my way. I'll be heading down to NYC tomorrow to say adios to a few more amigas before flying down to Buenos Aires. I had a happy halloween, and hope you all did too! Joie and I were able to get tickets to Wicked and went in full witch costume!

Such a great show, i highly recommend it! You can get fairly affordable tickets if you go to the box office! Ok well, time to pack! Keep me updated on how the Pats are doing! Ciao!

Love Sox Long Time

Well, i'm not thrilled about the cold, but i couldn't be happier to be back in boston when the Red Sox sweep the series! Hells Yeah!

Drinks at Bonfire tonight 5:30 if you can come!

Back to the East

Ok, well, i think i've got the blog thing figured out. I'm just about beached out so i'll be heading back to the east coast at the end of october (planning on arriving the 29th staying thru the 1st of november). Then heading down to NYC before i fly to Buenos Aires! I hope to see you all for my quick trip back, and i hope that its not freezing cold!

In the beginning

Well, here goes nothing. I don't really know anything about blogging, but i thought this would be a good way for me to keep all of my east side friends updated on my crazy adventures in traveling. If you're having trouble with my page, please let me know! Ciao Bella