The Americas

May - July 2019
Me going to South America ya’ll
  • 20footprints
  • 8countries
  • 70days
  • 158photos
  • 6videos
  • 36.0kkilometers
  • 9.0kkilometers
  • Day 2

    Tres chica blancas

    May 18, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Hola señores and señoritas!
    We finally made it to the bustling metropolis that is Buenos Aires! High rise buildings and busy people fill the streets here. The cheerful sounds of the Spanish language and of course but who knew the darn pigeons....
    We began by exploring the few streets around us looking to buy some leche (milk) for our cup of teas! Turns out that leche indeed comes in a bag here 🤔.
    After a big nights sleep we dozily awoke and ventured out to Caminito, a VERY touristy but beautifully bright street situated in the barrio (district) of La Boca.
    We then went back to our old faithful cafe and restaurant Hierbabuena (hair-ba-bwen-a) meaning peppermint. Here they tend to speak to us in very quick Spanish whilst we nod and agree with a simple word ‘sí.’ They call us chicas and serve us delicioussssss organic, wholesome foods.
    Many a people have dogs here that they seem to enjoy walking. Interesting.
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  • Day 4

    Tres gringos en Buenos Aires.

    May 20, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Hooley Dooley! 30kms later and we have trekked a whole lotta Buenos Aires! We ventured to the very crowded and quirky Feria de San Telmo. We glided through and gazed around at the endless (15 blocks of markets) stalls that lined the street that is Defensa. They had stalls of all kinds, kind of a flea market type feel. We met some whimsical, gypsy like people. The kind you would believe to be at such an enormous South American market. There were street performers and street foods and a lotttaaaa tourists from the US yawn.
    We slept well and reenergised for our next day. Today we spent the day roaming the narrow stony streets amongst the dead at the La Chacarita Cemetery (pretty much a resting place for the ritzy and their ancestors). Here ginormous graves lie with stone coverings and statues, very Catholic and kind of eery. Glad we went there in the day!
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  • Day 6

    Dos chicas en las cataratas del Iguazú.

    May 22, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The eyes cannot behold the beauty that is the Iguazu Falls!
    There are 275 waterfalls in the Iguazu National Park that we spent 7 hours exploring. Surrounded by dense jungle, this place has to be the 8th Wonder of the Natural World! The name Iguazu originates from two words meaning ‘big’ and ‘water.’ Somehow, these two words totally under exaggerate the utter magnificence that this place is.
    With signs around that park that warn of Pumas, Leopard’s and Coatis that rip your face off we ventured into the jungle.
    We loved the quiet walks down low that the many tourists steered clear off as we tried our best to stay well out of their way.
    The only way to the very top was by a tiny train where we were crammed on with oldies and youngies all excited to see the famous ‘Devils Throat.’ The highest and mightiest fall of all the falls. Across the falls is Brazil.... no risk of illegal border crossing happening here.
    After walking 20km we stumbled out of the final walk, a quiet not so developed jungle bash that led us to a small waterfall. Barely crossing paths with anyone it was a great refresher before jumping on the bus and heading back for a very much needed Argentinian Steak. Goodnight at 8pm. What a day.
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  • Day 8

    Chicas en bicicleta sobre Mendoza.

    May 24, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Wowser are we back in the mother country?
    This place has an insane McLaren Vale, South Australia vibe. Chilly in the mornings and beautifully sunny in the afternoons. The autumn leaves are falling and the vineyards are not long ago harvested.
    We ventured through the busy streets of Mendoza and headed south to the district of Maipu. Famous for its Malbec this place is bustling with packed out tour groups and tourists cycling about.
    We did a very vague, google maps, self guided tour through the streets on our rented mountain bikes. We weaved through traffic, road blocks and road works to head down to the most famous wineries in the areas. We drank and smiled and had an extremely informative history lesson at one Cellar Door. We met some lovely girls who co-owned one of the oldest wineries in the district. With limited English, google translate and our complete lack of Spanish they gave us a tour of their small but significant winery (it has 5 stars on Google maps, and we’d give it 5 more). Thank you Amelia and Marina.
    Oh Mendoza, we wish we could stay longer. And thank you Argentina. Next stop - Chile.
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  • Day 11

    Next stop: Chilè

    May 27, 2019 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    After a very long night and day of travel via Santiago we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama. This place be the desert. At an altitude of 2,100m, and winds of 60km we had a lazy first day!
    Desert day two: We hired some bikes and rode down some dirt roads for 18km to arrive to our destination of Laguna Cejar. These are pretty amazing salt lagoons out in the sticks. We swam in freezing temperatures (Tallara could barely get out a word) and floated around in the very salty, deep lagoon waters.
    A local empanada for a late lunch and a quick rest before going to meet our new friend Rene for a local astronomy lesson, star gaze and a 90% traditional Chilean dinner. He also makes delish mulled wine.
    Desert day three: A hire car, Flamingos, more lagoons, Tallara sucks at directions and enchiladas. Yummoooo. Sandy Pedro you are dusteeeee.
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  • Day 14

    More of San Pedro.

    May 30, 2019 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    Almost time to leave the desert! Llamas, hot springs, geysers and great views consisted day 4 in the dry top end of Chilè.
    The geysers are outta this world. Hot lava flowing under the surface at 4,000ft makes them a true sight to behold. They bubble and steam and then after leaving the underground pretty much turn to ice. It’s freezing up there. 9am arrival and 3 degrees with a very chilly wind.
    Tallara and I ducked into the hot spring for a dip and somehow found the courage to climb back out and change in a hurry.
    The 5th and final day in the desert consisted of walking 23km. Good training for Machu Picchu! We trekked from our hostel to Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). We caught a ride with a tour group to the first stop and then walked some more. This place is aptly named.... it sure felt like we were on the moon. After walking through we began our very very long walk back. But thank goodness to the kindness of strangers we jumped in the back of a lovely Chilean’s truck! Slept well that night that’s for sure.
    Finally chow to the desert, and sadly Chile as well! Almost time to meet up with Tabby & Chris!
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  • Day 17

    Uyuni

    June 2, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    After a long bus trip from San Pedro we arrived in Uyuni, Bolivia. This is where we met Tabby & Chris. Two more travel companions and a 3 day tour of the Uyuni Salt Flats coming up!
    The nights are frigid and the days full of clear blue skies. The first Salt Flats we saw are the size of Jamaica. Huge vast expanse of Salt that goes as far as the eye can see.
    Our first day was spent exploring these flats and a few other spots, including a cactus island before spending the night in a Salt Hostel. Leroy our tour guide was fab. Full of fun facts and bursting with vibrant, passionate energy. Tabby and I squeezed into a single bed to keep warm in the chilly -9 degrees, 3,000m altitude. Day & night #1 done ✅
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  • Day 18

    Uyuni 2.0

    June 3, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Day 2 & 3 of our Uyuni tour.
    Day 2: Today was a bit of a slower day! More driving, some more lagoons and Leroy (our awesome tour guide) directing some epic film. We also had the awesome delight of seeing the sunset over some geysers 4,000m high. The day was finished off perfectly with a hearty dinner and a dash down the cold street to some 40 degree hot springs at an elevation of 4,300m. No light pollution anywhere nearby meant an insane sky. -3 outside temperatures kept Tabby, Tallara and I sitting in there chatting for a long time about the meaning of life and all those things you’d expect in an incredible setting like that. Absolute beaut last night of our tour. Definitely an enormous highlight so far. God is so good.
    Day 3 consisted a lot of driving and a lovely visit to a lagoon on our way back to Uyuni! So good. Thank you Leroy and Housway for the brilliant tour. Goodby Uyuni.
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  • Day 20

    La Paz.

    June 5, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Wowee so strange to be thrown back into an enormous city after seeing hardly anything man made for the past few days! Day 1 here was a treat! We stumbled off the overnight bus from Uyuni and into our hostel. A top brekky at a lovely spot nearby and then Chris hooked us up with the loveliest local guide ever, Laura (some friend of a friend of a brother and a sister). She took us all around and pointed out all the best spots and got us onto the cable cars that carry you above and beyond the city. An excellent way to see the city and skip the chaos down below. After a giant pizza for dinner, we’re ready to hit the hay.
    Day 2 in La Paz consisted of a 7am start. Our Altitude Tours bus picked us up from our hostel and we jumped into a van en route to the infamous Death Road. What an absolute blast. After getting to know our downhill bikes we barrelled down a busy bitumen road before stopping for a quick snack at the start of the death road. With twists and turns, bumps and rocks and tight corners it’s no surprise many have fallen here. On your left is a sheer drop off, often times 100ft drop to the bottom of the valley. On the right, an enormous steep incline that sometimes has waterfalls right onto the track that we rode under. The flora is lush and green, a welcome sight after it seems like months spent in the desert. Plummeting from 4,700m high to 1,300m the weather became warm and dry. A quick $14 surprise zip line halfway down gave us another quick shot of adrenaline as we ventured on to our final stop and the end of the death road. Gee whiz, what a brilliant day. Glad they told us at the end that 28 have died biking this road in 10 years (same odds as shark attack??). But man so worth it.
    Day 3 consisted of a bit of housekeeping. Washing clothes and organising back packs. Sadly Tallara had a spell of food poisoning so she was out for the day!
    Tabby & I were awarded quite a few free drinks from the Dutch owner of the cafe ‘Local Dish.’ Apparently that’s what happens when your card fails....two cards... twice.
    Onto the local markets and a few purchases later we’re back at ze hostel ready for a spell.
    Let’s get out of this hustle and bustle. Onto the Bolivia Hop bus and off to Peru via Copacabana. 🇵🇪
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  • Day 23

    Copacabana & Lake Titicaca.

    June 8, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    We hopped onto the Bolivia Hop bus in La Paz and we made our way to Copacabana. A small, but popular town that sits on Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable body of water at 3,812m, and the birthplace of the Incans). We checked into our eco hostel up on the hill with a great lookout of the lake and lounged around in the hammocks. The sun shining and barely a breath of wind, what a fab day to relax and wander. As the sun set I took a quick dip around the point, the water was chilly and clear and soooo good after not being near any real big body of water in far too long. TripAdvisor recommended Thai for dinner with Ida and Brogan (some girls we met from the hostel) and 2 for $5 Pisco Sours for happy hour. Content and full we headed back for the night!
    Bit of sunshine and water to reenergise the soul after being ocean deprived and we’re off to Cusco, Peru. Yeeha.
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