La Serena, Chile

After a short 8 hour bus ride from Viña del Mar we awoke in La Serena at 6am. It was dark and a little chilly and of course we had no map for the area, only the name and address of a hostel in which we intended to stay. We hung out in the bus station for a little while waiting for the sun to come up so we could orientate ourselves a little better and so there would be more activity around the bus station.

We arrive at our hostel around 7am and ask for a room for the night. A bit confused, they said they had one, but it wouldn't be ready until at least midday. We're sitting in the main room of the hostel and a drunkie Aussie busts out of his room to proclaim that he absolutely must get back to Valparaiso or else his girlfriend will kill him. He slams all of his Chilean change on the counter and asks if it's enough for his room. The dude at the hostel (keep in mind it's around 7am) is not really about counting the change and continues to decide in which room to put us. The Aussie kid causes a little more trouble, he's obviously still drunk from the night before and immediately blames it on his Irish friends he met before St. Patty's Day. Everything is much more in focus now...

We settle in the cute little hostel, we eat a little breakfast and Hanna takes a little nap. I head downstairs and continue to eat more breakfast that was probably not really for me, but was delicious nonetheless. I started talking to others around the table and found some people who came from Viña del Mar as well.

That first afternoon in La Serena we headed out to the beach. It's a huge 5 mile strip that was basically deserted since the high season ended a couple weeks ago. We strolled down the beach occasionally dipping our feet into the cold water, but enjoying the breeze and the wide open spaces. We also ate at a local establishment and got some wicked strange soup with all kinds of wicked strange sea creatures in it...

Once we got back to the hostel, we grabbed some groceries and grilled up some chicken. Everyone was hanging out on the roof and in the terrace area. It was a wonderful mix of people. Hanna even met a group of folks from Knoxville. Who she talked with and shared a piscola (pisco and coke...a 'national' drink of Chile). Check her out in the background.

The chicken was great, the avocados were to die for and the company was excellent. We called it a fairly early night so that we could get up the next day and take a little adventure out of the city.

The adventure began as every adventure begins in South America...finding the start. We located the 'micro' we were supposed to take in the parking lot behind a grocery store. Why would they make it easy for us? We started our two hour bus ride through the valley where every turn took our breath away a little bit more. We'll have to post a slide show of this trip as it was a photographers dream. The contrast of the luscious valley with the dry brown mountains was profound. The steep windy roads, tunnel, and lake added to the wonderful scenery that we rapidly drove passed.

We spent a couple hours in Pisco Elqui checking out the Pisco distillery, the cute little plaza and the mountainous roads. It reminded us of a town in the old west. Many of the buildings were shuttered due to the fact it was Sunday. A couple of college kids from the hostel joined us, so it was a nice group of six. As we walked around we came across a couple pristine campsites and ended up down a dirt road at the very base of one of the mountains. The closer you get the bigger they look, and they already look huge from a distance. Besides mountains, Chile also prides itself on its fruit production and fresh squeezed fruit juices are fairly common. We enjoyed a variety of flavors at a local pizza place. All in all, the day trip ruled, and the bus tickets were a mere $6 round trip.

Chile here we come!!!

We had heard many tales about the road from Argentina to Chile. One traveler blogged about how she had to close her eyes the whole time because the fear factor was too much for her. None of these stories were false. After about an hour at the border, spent going through various customs lines and retreiving the nuts, the bus began its rapid descent toward the Pacific from the Andes. Hanna didn't cry and Byron didn't mention wanting to bike the road, but we still came out unscathed.



First stop in the Chile - Viña del Mar. The beautiful beach town is just north of Valparaiso. After trying to get money from 3 different ATM's, we realized that there was a special button for foreigners to get cash out. We got the thousands of pesos we needed to buy things, grabbed a couple really cheap and delicious empanadas, locked up our things in the bus station and headed to the beach. The city was very similar to La Jolla, California. All the houses are up on a hill that surrounded the cute little city and there are plenty of restaurants that serve anywhere from McDonald's levels to the finest cuisine found anywhere.

After strolling along the beach, we came upon a little market selling knick-knacks that were actually of high quality and potentially things that someone might actually want. Byron bought a $2 beanie that came complete with a little ball on top and straps to keep it tied tight. I got a $3 sarong which we sat on to watch the sunset on the beach. We didn't have to be back at the bus station until 11:00 that night, so we had a leisurely beer at a bar that consisted of a patio in front of a small kiosk. No frills, no real service, you just buy your three dollar liter of beer and sit in the patio. It's a business model that works. No more waiting for the check.

After the beer and a little more relaxation, we both had a hankering for sushi. We headed to a local restaurant that we had passed earlier and ate a delicious meal. The food was very impressive all the way down to the authentic green tea.

Very happy and content, we strolled through the not-so-sleepy beach town as their fiestas began. We got some postres and enjoyed them on a park bench and admired the clean streets and happy people that were all around us. We also marveled at the fact that we had spent so little but gotten so much. The food was amazing all around and the desserts were grandiose and delicious. Fat and happy we headed back to the bus station to take off for our next stop up the Chilean coast....La Serena.

The trouble with nuts...

It was a calm ride through the impressive Andes. Hanna and I were on our way from Mendoza, Argentina to Viña Del Mar, Chile I couldn't stop looking out the window at all the beautiful sites while Hanna slept soundly in the seat next to me. We get to the border and are forced off the bus to stand in line after line after line. There was even another line after those three. There were probably two more, but I can't really recall. What I do recall is being called out of one. The agents raised my bag in the air and asked to whom it belonged. I calmly raised my hand to plainly show everyone my wet armpit, sweaty with nervousness. I wasn't really sure why I was nervous, but being around unnecessary and completely over-the-top security makes me uncomfy.

While standing in the line, Hanna looks at me and reminds me that I have nuts. I told her thanks, but don't think I need to declare those. She reminds me of the trail mix I had prepared before leaving Buenos Aires to curb our hunger during long trips or between meals. Once called out of line, I scribbled my previous declaration that I had no nuts (hmm...). The lovely 'lady' searched my bag finding my hidden treasure but appeared to not even care that I was trying to break the law. Another officer called me over and I filled out another form, this time indicating clearly that I do possess some sort of nuts. Quite a relief...now just for them to drop again.

Maipú Jokes

So there is an excellent wine town called Maipú (pronounced my-poo) just outside of Mendoza where we rented our bikes from. It also seems to be a common name throughout the country of Argentina. There is a street in Buenos Aires with the namesake. Eventually one must take advantage of such a flagrant name. Oh, let the potty humor flow. Some gems...

- After a long day of bicycle riding my bum was sore, but all in all there was nothing wrong with Maipú.

- The rivers in Buenos Aires are all brown and so is Maipú.

- After Byron's bike tire went flat he had to walk a long way in Maipú. (variation: Hanna saved Byron by riding fast in Maipú)

- Hanna's butt hurt after biking around in Maipú.

- You can buy a really cheap ticket to Maipú.

- Tours of Maipú are really underrated.

That's pretty much it for now! Thanks for reading!

The Road to Mendoza

After leaving BsAs on a sweet overnight bus we ended up in a much more manageable town called Mendoza. A mere 14 hours away via sweet 'private' bus, Mendoza sits at the foothills of the Andes. Our bus, was a double decker sweet ride and we got a top shelf front row seat. We were the only people to get on in BsAs, which seemed a little strange, but there were a couple more stops along the route. We were prepared to give up the awesome front seats, but never had to. The bus, that had a crew of three only took about 6 or 7 people to Mendoza.

Everywhere you go in Mendoza you can see the mountains in the background, Hanna and I walked all over the city, take our word for it. There are tons of awesome parks and fountains throughout the city that purely beg you to get in them. It's just not fair. They look so clean.

Our only full day in the city was spent on bikes touring the local winery's, distilleries and olive farms. We covered quite some distance, most of which Hanna swore was uphill. There was one downhill which she overheated her brakes. She did come to my rescue later when my tire popped and she rode the 3 km back to the shop to get some assistance. The bikeshop owner told her that of all the bikes he rented out that day, only hers came back with two unpopped tires. Look at her go!!!

The tours were solid. The distillery was the neatest as its main purpose is to take scraps from wineries and make grapa. The wineries are not permitted to distill anything in the wineries, something along the lines of the German Purity Law for beer. The distillery makes both red and white grape grapa, but also has added more fine products like gin, vodka, and various liquors from mandarins, grapefruits and dulce de leche. They were all wild, strong and awesome.

Our tour of the city was a complete success and now we're off to Viña del Mar to see what Chile has to offer us. We realize that it wasn't a stop previously on our map, but we do apologize. We hope it's not too much of an inconvenience for you to look it up Pappa Pittam. Miss everyone!

Besos!

B&H

On the Road - We're outta here

It's not you BsAs, it's us...we just need a little space. We're off to Menzoda. Our bags are packed and we're ready to go, but there's no jet plane involved, solamente a bus. After Mendoza, the plan is still to head over to Chile and up to Peru from there... vamos a ver.

Our lovey new French roommate is letting us leave our giant suitcases in her room while we travel. We have our passports, tent, bug spray and sunscreen all packed up. What more could we possibly need? We even got a brand new sleeping bag, but there's a little controversy about which one of us it actually belongs to. Byron wanted to make sure he fits inside regardless...

Nightlife

So, it's almost 11:30pm here in BA. No Hanna and I are not staying in, but this is about the time people actually finish up dinner and head out. No joke, about the time that most people in Adams Morgan are almost blacked out, we're just heading to a parilla party. Gimme that grilled meat. Dinner number twos never tasted this good...

Ciao!! Besos!!

Potential Route to Machu Picchu...

View Larger Map

Check out what our current travel plans are...you should probably view the larger map for more color! I think we should be able to update it as we go so you can see a little dot of where we are. You can see the summit with our little green backpacks. Most of the points have a little description about what we might do there, so feel free to click away. We're amped. We made our reservations!! From March 28 to April 1 we will be here: http://www.sastravelperu.com/english/inkatrail.html

¡Livin la vida porteña!

Our sincerest apologies for slacking off with the blog. We're pretty busy over here with our volunteering, socializing with fellow expats, planning our next trip, and continuing our exploration of Buenos Aires. Our participation with the film festival is pretty time consuming. We watch at least one documentary a day and write about it. Additionally, I've been translating their documents and Byron is working on their website. I'm also volunteering with a organization that creates fundamental growth experiences for underpriveliged children through games and activities. (www.abrirlapuerta.org.ar)

Also, in an attempt to make some friends/connections we've joined a BsAs expatriates online forum. It keeps us updated on fun local activities and just basic get-togethers. Another source of some of our new friendships is a pub crawl that we did last week. A couple of guys from Georgia (go figure) put it together and do it like four times a week. By the time we made to the final destination at 3am, a gigantic night club called Araoz (pronounced arouse), Byron and I gave up and went home. I'm sure the party didn't stop until many hours later though, since the clubs are open until 7am.

Of course, in between working, touring and drinking, one must eat! We've been stuffing our faces with steaks and papas fritas, almost on a daily basis. Thanks to our friend Justin, we have a wonderful website to find restaurants with (www.guiaoleo.com.ar). Our Italian roommate recommended a Peruvian restaurant to us last night, and we feasted on various sea creatures, yuka, chicken, onion salad and cancha (a corn snack). We may try the russian place nearby to change things up a bit :)

Human Rights Film Festival

In our desperation to find something to do, we went to talk to a woman about volunteering for the local human rights film festival held here and in Santiago every year. Check it out! http://www.derhumalc.org.ar/. She was actually really excited about our willingness to help and immediately piled on some tasks. Our first assignment will be to watch the English films that made the cut and write synopses about them. Such a perfect assignment too, considering it's been raining incessantly for the past few days. The actual festival is in May, so we will just be puttering around their office until then... or until we find something that pays! Hanna's still waiting to hear from some schools and child-related organizations.

A trip to Peru is in the works. We just have to determine our route... Bolivia is a little difficult of us Americans to get into, so we may just hang out in Mendoza (wine country) and take it from there. Any suggestions will be welcomed with open arms.

Casual Bike Ride

If you've ever been outside the United States, you realize just how crazy people drive. My little English Auntie rules the motorways hitting roundabouts while shifting into 5th gear, the buses in Barbados would allow you to get one foot in the door before flooring it, and Buenos Aires is no exception. But, if anyone knows me, it's impossible to keep me off a bicycle, after all, who wants to be stuck walking or taking a taxi everywhere? The freedom of a bike is unparalleled.

With that being said, one of the first things Hanna says to me in the taxi on the way to our Buenos apartment (to further reiterate the fact...) is how she doesn't want me to ride a bike in the city. My mom also told me not to ride my bike off the sweet jump a friend and I made in the basement 12 years ago, but the sweet scar on my elbow has told me otherwise since. It took me less than a week to realize that I absolutely had to venture outside with some sort of two wheeled pedal-powered device. Walking took ages and required brushing up against other sweaty bodies, wading through trash lined sidewalks, and stopping at pedestrian walkways. So, I ventured out down to Calle Florida on a sweat beach cruiser (the kind you have to pedal backwards to stop) that had handlebars like a badass chopper motorcycle. Isn't the suspense killing you to find out if I made it back alive?

Yup, you guessed it. I did. The buses were courteous and gave me a chance to squeeze through between them. The cars barely even noticed me cruising down the side of the street. The taxis purused the streets looking for business, but were always aware of me. I did try to take out a pedestrian but failed. Stinker. All in all a good ride. When I showed back up alive the roommate who loaned me the bike (and advised that I start out riding in the weekend traffic) was actually quite amazed.

Now onward to this gem I came across the other day. Bolivia might be the coolest place ever. The road pictured below is called "Death Road" due to the constant stream of casualties vehicle traffic racked up annually. Now the road is closed to cars and trucks, but open to extreme downhill bikers. I still don't think it's quite as extreme as running with the bulls, but it still should be a sweet 100km of downhill riding. I believe the road descends over 800 meters. HOLLA!