• Nadine Bless
  • Nadine Bless

Paso a paso - América Latina

A 169-day adventure by Nadine Read more
  • Monteverde cloud forest & coffee

    January 7, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The nature is really beautiful, that’s also how I remembered it 🌿🦋 However, since then the town has become even more touristic and prices have become crazy (e.g. the cheapest thing to do: 28 dollars for a park entrance for foreigners, 8 dollars for locals and we didn’t actually see much in Monteverde National Park).

    Instantly we felt a bit exploited and also cheated on at some points (and we were not alone with that impression), e.g. we booked a certain coffee tour and ended up in another coffee plantation which belonged to the owners of the hotel. There was also a price including tax with credit card or in cash without 🤔 When we complained we at least received the money back…

    So far no positive experience about the people at our first place to stay :/
    Read more

  • Pura Vida on our last evenings ✈️

    January 19, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Time to say goodbye before I leave to Ecuador and Seb back home. And yes, I was sad and it felt strange to be traveling alone again. I will need to get used to it again… but my mission in Latin America is not yet completed and I am still very excited for South America ✨

    Looking back at our 2 weeks in Costa Rica I must say that I really enjoyed slowing down, rest in few places for a longer time and just be ‘on vacation’.

    However, I also have to say that I am a bit disappointed by the country I once loved so much as a volunteer: Now as a tourist, I really felt that the ecotourism which Costa Rica is admired for is more like a money machine than an authentic experience. Nature is protected, the landscape free from trash and overall the infrastructure appears better than e.g. in Mexico. But once you start talking to the locals and what they earn in tourism it seems that only a small portion of the country benefits from the high prices and the countless luxury tourists. The tourist pays high prices basically for everything and the employees earn max 3-4$ an hour whereas average living cost are high (food is more expensive than in Germany). That also seems to lead to an attitude that tourists are there to be exploited and cheated on which we sadly experienced often. All in all, I would recommend Costa Rica as a vacation destination only to people that are willing to pay unnatural prices or to avoid touristic places to encounter more authenticity.
    Read more

  • Quito, the highest capital of the world

    January 21, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Quito is already quite high with its ~2.800m. But you can also go up with the teleférico and hike to the viewpoint of the volcanoes surrounding Quito (~4.000m). Impressive! 😮

    Also the free walking tour was amazing! So many insights on my first days in Ecuador and the next stop will be the Amazon region! 🤗

    Chulla vida! 🇪🇨
    (In Quichua it means the single life - an Ecuadorian way to remind yourselves that we only live once and we should enjoy every moment)
    Read more

  • 4 days in the Amazon @Nicky Lodge 🦜🦋

    January 23, 2023 in Ecuador

    After 10 hours bus ride from Quito to the Cuyabeno bridge, the way to our Amazon lodge continued 3 more hours via the river. By the way this region is ubicated right on the equatorial line, from which Ecuador has also his name.

    The days in the jungle passed so fast. Suddenly you find yourself in another world, a world without signal, without constant energy and light, no traffic sounds, but only the sounds from nature and there are a lot of them! 🦅🐒

    Every day you wake up from the howling of the howler monkeys and various kinds of birds, you start your activities with the sunrise and end it with a jungle walk at night. You see wildlife wherever you look (at least with our guide 👀). Many animals I couldn’t even take a picture from, because they just passed so fast or involuntarily crossed my path 🦜🐍🐊 Unfortunately, we didn’t spot the pink dolphins :/

    It’s incredible how much we learned about Mother Earth, how everything is connected, but also how sensitive the ecosystem is. After hearing about the Amazon in the news, I now can picture it myself and now I am also convinced that it is a good thing that people come and experience the Amazon themselves (in a non-harmful way) 🦋

    I was very excited to see that the Nicky Lodge truly followed the mission to preserve the Amazon and the indigenous communities living there by renting the canoes from them and raising awareness about wildlife protection. Whatever happens in the lodge and tourism must be agreed on with the indigenous which love their jungle. I highly recommend the lodge with their passionate guides, the local employees (the food was amazing!) and their magical place in the middle of nature. I am sure this experience will stick to my mind as one of the most incredible things I have seen! ✨🌿
    Read more

  • Baños de Agua Santa

    January 30, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Baños is the city between the Andes and the Amazon in Ecuador. You find snow topped volcanoes (some are more than 6000m high) and canyons, but also rainforest and waterfalls wherever you look.

    I loved my two days in that small, but beautiful town and could have stayed longer. Nevertheless I did a lot in the short time and enjoyed everything: from hiking to a waterfall where I was the only one, going to the local hot pools (where I was almost the only foreigner), to rafting in the canyon (level 4 out of 5) and eventually trying the swing at the end of the world (this was much higher and more fun than I expected from this photo spot) 😅Read more

  • Week #2 @Kamala in Montañita

    February 13, 2023 in Ecuador

    These 2 weeks in the Kamala hostel passed so fast, on the other hand it felt like home after such a short while: I got to know amazing people in the hostel and the neighborhood, enjoyed being bartender and waiter at a bar the first time, to talk bullshit with the guys in the kitchen, got to know crazy people during my diving experiences and had incredible nights out in town, at the campfire, at the beach or the river. And last but not least, slowing down at the beach just felt so good for my body and soul. Never it has been so hard to leave a place before! But also, I haven’t been so grateful in a long time! ✨Read more

  • 3 days in Buenos Aires

    March 5, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    3 Days with incredible people I met along the way. Also learned so much about Argentina, the permanent political crisis and inflation, the food (mostly asado/ steak and red wine), the drinks (very famous Fernet with Coca Cola) and Mate, tango and the crazy futbol culture 😅Read more

  • The famous Torres del Paine Nationalpark

    March 14, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    And suddenly I am in Chile 🇨🇱😊 and again, new country, new accent of Spanish and new currency.

    After a long bus ride from El Calafate, I arrived to windy and rainy Puerto Natales, the departure town to Torres del Paine Nationalpark, a dream for every hiker on that planet. The next day another bus and an incredible boat ride brought me to the Paine Grande base camp where I booked one night to do 7hrs day hikes on the same day and the next (which was ambitious!).

    Lucky with the weather, the first day I enjoyed my hike alone to glacier Grey. The second I was lucky to meet Jason, an American from CA with fascinating life stories to tell. After we had heartwarming conversations on our way to Camp Italia, some amazing views on the way and a bottle of red wine 🍷 I left totally happy and satisfied back to Puerto Natales. Jason, you really made my day! 😅
    Read more

  • The most southern point: Punta Arenas

    March 16, 2023 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Just coming from a lot of days hiking in Argentina and Chile, I needed to rest my legs a day in a cozy and warm coffee shop and hostel 😋

    Despite the strong winds, my short and sunny walk along the promenade was actually so nice and gave me some time to process how close to Antarctica I actually am and that I have reached the most Southern point of my journey.

    At that point it was impossible to imagine going to the Atacama desert the next day 😳 still processing and so grateful for all I have seen!
    Read more

  • San Pedro de Atacama

    March 19, 2023 in Chile ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    In the middle of the desert, this town is basically sand and dust and just a surreal place close to the Bolivian border and snow-topped volcanoes.

    I loved my days here with the people I met in the hostel. We had deep conversations, good food, a lot of Pisco Sour and an incredible basketball match in the middle of the night below the stars 🏀🌟 I will never forget this place!

    Next to Bolivia 🇧🇴☺️
    Read more

  • Salar de Uyuni, the unique salt desert

    March 24, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    This place is truly magic and I have never seen such a place before. This desert is unique, 10.000 km2 in size and covered with 2m of pure salt and Lithium below. It once was a gigantic lake.

    When we arrived at 5am to see the sunrise, we couldn’t believe you could walk on it, but actually the sky just mirrors in few centimeters of water on pure salt 🌅

    During the day we had so much fun taking acrobatic pictures and filming our dance moves (including a salsa lesson 💃 ). Thank you Walter for having so much patience filming us, it was worth it! 😃

    Also we visited the salt museum, slept in a salt hotel, had some crafted beers with coca taste and climbed around the train cemetery. Incredible 3 days with the best crew and guide you can wish for! So grateful for this experience! ❤️
    Read more

  • Potosí, the city of silver mines

    March 25, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Potosí is one of the world’s highest cities at over 4,000m above sea level. It is the hub of South America’s silver mining history. At the height of production, the city had a population larger than London and Paris.

    Still these mines are run by the government and independent colectivos work here to earn there salary based on the amount of silver, gold and other valuable minerals they gather as a group. Therefore, the salary can be nothing or a good one considering that there are not many other jobs around this region. 8 out of 10 men work in the mines, many having families of 8 children. 🔨

    For me this 2 hr walk/climb through the mines was really shocking, the conditions still from colonial times and many people still die in accidents and from lung deseases from the dust that can’t be treated. Our guide told us she has lost his uncle to that desease and her father used to work here as well 😢 But that’s where the wealthy countries buy their silver from!!! 🥺
    Read more