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South America

March 2023 - June 2024
An open-ended adventure by Little House On Wheels Read more
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  • TravelerSouth America
    1
    Day 39

    Cacheuta Hot Springs

    May 4, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Leaving Jerome, our next stop was a small town called Cacheuta that is famous for its hot springs.

    Though Potrerillos and Chacheuta are very close to one another, by the time we left Jerome, stopped for lunch, found our way there, and got settled into a parking spot, it was already well after 4 pm and the springs were about to close at 6.

    In our infinite wisdom we decided we’d wait until the following day, Wednesday, to visit the springs, so that we could get the most out of our $6.50 per person.

    Wednesday came, and we set about our usual morning routine, not in any particular rush to get going, because the mornings were cold in the mountains and we’d have all day.

    We noticed though, from the window of the camper, busload after busload of tourists heading to the springs. We would soon learn that Wednesday was apparently tour bus day at Cacheuta.

    By the time we walked over around noon, a bold type sign on the gate read SOLO RESERVAS - Reservations Only. We tried to talk our way through, but we were behind a few other groups unsuccessfully attempting the same. Our foreign mystique did not help one bit.

    We spent a bit of the day exploring Cacheuta, had a nice lunch at a local restaurant, did a bit of work, and worked on some camper projects. We wiped down the solar panels to see if that’d help them to charge the batteries faster, and I replaced an old USB-A outlet in the cab with one of the USB-C chargers I brought from home for that purpose. We also bought tickets to the springs for the next day.

    Tickets notwithstanding, from time to time we walked by the gate to see if the Solo Reservas sign was still up. Earlier, the bouncer (which he effectively was) told us there was a chance they’d open things up later in the afternoon, but that didn’t happen until like 5 pm. We decided to pass, but Mike and Geneva decided to go in to use the showers.

    Anticipation was high when our turn at the springs finally came on Thursday. The springs were fabulous, especially since it was a pretty quiet day there. We each spent a couple of hours there—in shifts it turns out—because Khalilah had an early call and I wanted to get a jump on my springing.

    It was early afternoon when we finally reconnected with Mike and Geneva. They had some errands to run in Mendoza City and we wanted to visit some vineyards before heading to the city, so with much sadness it was finally time to split up the convoy.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 39

    Mike and Geneva

    May 4, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We’ve been asked a few times now what the best part of our trip has been so far, and the answer, without a doubt, is the people we've met! You’ve read about many of them in other posts, but I want to tell you a little more about Mike and Geneva.

    Sam met them via the PanAmerican Traveler’s Association facebook group. They started their travels about seven years ago, selling most of their belongings and heading due south, starting from Arizona. When they found out that we were buying this vehicle (it turned out from some friends that they’d met along their travels) they offered to meet us in Santiago and travel with us for a while to show us the ropes.

    Now my mother and grandmother are the two most generous people I’ve encountered in my life, and Geneva and Mike are not far behind. Those of you who know my mother or were touched by my grandmother's kindness know that this means a lot! Geneva and Mike have been invaluable in helping us adjust to life in the camper, but the real gift has been watching and learning from their way in the world. Here are a few things we’ve learned from their example.

    1. Share more - If you’ve read Deepak’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, you remember the Law of Giving. Deepak says “always have something to give” and Geneva and Mike embody this principle. They’ve shown up at our camper with fresh baked bread (made in the Omnia camping oven - delicious!), fruit, snacks, tools, meds, and more. And their giving doesn’t stop with us. When we were in Pomaire just rolling into town, before Sam and I were parked they had already met a couple of bikers, offered to have them set up camp behind their vehicle (for safety and wind protection) and invited them over for coffee in the morning. Giving seems to be a natural way of being for them, and also serves as an icebreaker when meeting new people and navigating language barriers.

    2. Invite often - Maybe this is an easy thing for you, but for someone with social anxieties the simple act of inviting can be a big deal. Mike and Geneva are masters of making the invitation: Hey let’s meet in the garden for lunch? Come on over for breakfast! Let’s check out this museum! Hey, how about we do dinner at your place? (Wait what?! I didn’t even know you could do that!) After a few weeks of hanging out with them, I too aspire to master the art of inviting.

    3. Make friends - When you live in a camper, there’s not much room to collect physical things, but with their open hearts Mike and Geneva collect friends. Everywhere they go they’re not just meeting new people but making new friends. One day we were parked in Vitacura, outside the hostel where we picked up our camper. A man that they had met while traveling in the South of the Chile recognized their camper and pulled over to say hi. It just so happened that he lived in the neighborhood! He and his wife invited them over for dinner, and of course, they invited us. You never know where your new friendships will lead you. They've shared that some of the people they've met on their travels are as close as family.

    4. Be optimistic - Mike and Geneva have great trust that things will workout and that help will be there when you need it. They shared that any time they’ve had issues with their vehicle it happened at an opportune time or place where the help they needed was available. Luckily they’ve been around to help us through our mechanical challenges. It was this belief that led to us finding Zuko. While Sam was working under the hood and I was online looking for shops we might try, they took a walk, talked to some locals and found the help we needed.

    5. Trust your network - Mike and Geneva are not afraid to rely on their network. They are fast with the Whatsapp messages and don’t hesitate to shoot a question or request to someone they’ve met. When it looked like we’d need to head back to the city to see a mechanic, before we even had time to think about where we’d be going, Geneva had already messaged Claudia, explained the situation, made arrangements for us to park at her place, and got her recommendation for a mechanic. That's how we met Milenko.

    6. Help where you can - How often do you get an unprompted message saying, “Hey what can I help you with?” Or “I’ve love to spend a few days helping you figure that out?” Well these are everyday occurrences with Mike and Geneva. Helpfulness is in their blood.

    Early in our trip we wondered when they’d get tired of all the mechanical issues and leave us to get on with their travels. We messaged them a couple of times to let them know that we’d understand if they wanted to get moving. Their response: “We are with YOU like a tick on a street dog!”. They committed to hanging with us through our first border crossing (which Sam wrote about previously), and they did just that.

    They live up to their surname Saint-Amour. We feel so blessed to have their help and support on our journey! Huge thanks to you Mike and Geneva!!

    I hope all of you are met with such extraordinary kindness on your next journey and in your everyday life.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    1
    Day 39

    Entering Malbecistan

    May 4, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    It was getting late in the afternoon by the time we pulled out of Cacheuta. I (Sam) had a late Zoom scheduled, but I was also quite eager to transition to the *ahem* more refined segment of our Argentinian adventure (or so I thought), so we picked a random winery off our list and headed in that direction.

    When we got there we learned that winery visits, like hot springs on Tourbus Tuesday, are by reservation only. We successfully talked our way to the other side of the gate for a visit to the wineshop though. We pulled up in the Renacer (“Rebirth”) winery parking lot just in time for my meeting, and found a nice spot right next to another camper van.

    The meeting was thankfully quick, and we were off to check out the soon-to-be-closing visitors center.

    Leaving the camper though, we saw that the camper van next to us now had a guy underneath it. We stopped and chatted with its owners for a few minutes. They were an Australian-and-Czech couple on a similar tour of South America in a van they also purchased in Chile. (@Nia: I asked the woman where in Czechia she was from and she said, “oh a small town in the countryside that no one’s ever heard of” and I responded, oh Cesky Krumlov? and her jaw dropped.)

    Apparently, their rear differential started leaking diff fluid and he was trying to figure out a way to minimize the damage. We asked if there was anything we could do to help and started offering some ideas, but soon someone from the vineyard came over and helped the guy get in touch with a mechanic, and they were off.

    By the time we made it to the visitor’s center—really a sales office with a bunch of wine crates—they were closing up shop. The guy working there was really interested in our story and where we were from, and pulled out a bottle for us to taste. Of course, it was a Malbec, the Mendoza region’s signature red wine. The Renocer was a great first bottle to taste, and we purchased one for the road.

    Next task was to figure out where we’d spend the night. It’d be dark soon so we really wanted to head to a specific destination so we wouldn’t be looking at possible spots in the dark. I’d remembered reading about a wine tour agency in the Lujon de Cuyo area that had an open invitation for travelers to park in front of their office and use of their facilities. We headed in that direction.

    The town it was in, Chacras de Coria, was very small, but seemed to cater to wine region visitors with upscale shops and restaurants. The area seemed like it would be very safe, and we were assured of this by the guy closing up shop at the wine tour place as we arrived. We settled in a bit and then set out for dinner.

    Argentinians eat dinner LATE, so finding a place open at a decent hour can be difficult. We found a place in walking distance that looked like it’d be nice, and set out in that direction.

    Along the way we came across a swanky bakery and we went inside to check out the treats. We selected a bunch of different breads, cookies and pastries, all of which were priced by weight. When the guy added everything up, the total was 990 Argentine Pesos, or about $2.50. We left the place quickly like we just stole all that stuff. This was our first real purchase of goods Argentina—up until then we’d only paid for meals and snacks at tourist-district restaurants and shops.

    In spite of the fact that Argentina is experiencing crazy high inflation of late, over 100% year over year in April 2023, the exchange rate still means that the dollar goes pretty far. In the past, tourists needed to do seedy back alley cash exchanges to get a good exchange rate, the so called Blue Dollar Rate, but since the beginning of this year, Argentina has implemented a favorable rate for tourists using credit and debit cards in the country. This rate, the MEP rate, is about 400:1, vs around 470:1 for the blue rate, and around 200:1 for the local interbank rate. It’s not quite as good as the Blue Rate, but it’s close enough that the simplicity and convenience of credit card use means it’s our go-to.

    Anyhoo, we got to the restaurant around 6:30 and were informed that we wouldn’t be able to order dinner until 7, but there were some items we could get started with, if we wanted to eat now. We said sure and were directed to the breakfast menu! Well, it said breakfast on top, but also included some snack items. We ended up pulling together a great meal featuring Osso Buco empanadas for me, an avocado toast with kale for Khalilah, and some Batatas Bravas to share. With a glass of Malbec for me and some homemade Mint Lemonade for Khalilah, the total came to just under 6,000 pesos or about 15 dollars.

    We walked back to the van under the light of the full moon, just as the town was starting to liven-up for dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 99

    Escape from New York

    July 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    I guess I don't really need to say that we're a bit behind on our updates, but there it is, it's been said. 😳

    We're currently in New York City in the back of an Uber, heading to the airport, to return to Buenos Aires and then Santa Fe, before doing it all in reverse in a couple of weeks for another month outside of Argentina.

    The past month-and-change in the States was originally only supposed to be a few weeks, but one thing led to another to another to another, and well, the weeks passed quickly.

    We flew to Florida at the end of May for a family cruise that had been on the books for a while. There were 36 of us in total and it was a ton of fun!

    The following week, I (Sam) had a work event in California that we traveled out to. We planned to stop back in St Louis for a few days after that to organize some things before flying back to Argentina.

    The errands we needed to handle at home definitely expanded in scope once we got there, but really we spent much of the unplanned time just enjoying seeing family and friends.

    With the California and St. Louis visits, plus a drive down to Tulsa coinciding with a storm that knocked out power to half the city for a week, we got to see all the kids on the trip, which was amazing.

    We also had a great time visiting friends here in New York while waiting for a couple of seats on a flight back to BA.

    While we didn't do much of the usual tourist stuff, we spent time in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Jersey; walked from the first to the second, and from 59th to 1st and back; and hung out at JapanFes and the African Arts Festival. We're leaving NY exhausted and with sore feet!

    Next time you hear from us we'll be back in Argentina. ✌🏽    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 101

    So Hot🔥

    July 5, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Our first days back in Argentina were eventful to say the least. We arrived in Buenos Aires early on July 4th after an 11 hour overnight flight. We debated as to whether we’d stay overnight in BA and get a fresh start the next morning or head to Santa Fe where we left the camper. We were both anxious to get back to the camper so we took a taxi to Aeroparque Jorge Newbery where we could get a flight out later that day.

    It was evening when we arrived in Santa Fe so we stayed the night in an airbnb and got up early the next morning to pick up the camper from Raul, the mechanic who had been working on it while we were away. It felt good to be back in Argentina. After a whirlwind month of coast to coast travel in the States, getting back to the camper felt like coming home.

    The day had started off nicely - an unseasonably warm 30℃. We spent the late morning cleaning, unpacking, chatting with Raul about our upcoming trip to Salta, and discussing the repairs he had made to the vehicle while we were away. We were eager to get on the road again and had planned to head north the next day.

    Later we took the van for a quick test drive, picked up the laundry we dropped off before we left and headed to our preferred street camping area to finish unpacking and take a quick afternoon nap. Although Malaika’s flight benefits got us business class seating on the flight back to Argentina, making it the most comfortable overnight flight I’ve ever had, we were still pretty tired from all of the travel .

    After waking up, we realized it was getting dark and we had no electricity. The batteries had drained during our time away so we decided to return to Raul's shop where we could plug in and recharge. We had dinner plans with Raul and Claudia at 8 pm (a little early by Argentinian standards, but bearable for us), so we headed out together leaving the camper to charge.
    We had a great dinner at Verbena, one of the city's best veggie friendly restaurants. We sat outside on the beautiful back patio/garden for a fun filled evening. We even ran into Mauro and his family who we had planned to see later in the week.

    We got back to the garage around 11:20 pm. After saying goodnight to Raul and Claudia, we unlocked the camper, expecting to turn in after the long day, but that’s when things got crazy. The camper was filled with smoke!!

    We went inside to investigate and saw it was coming from the battery compartment. Sam unplugged the charger while I opened the windows. We cleared a path to the electrical area under a bench which seemed to be the smoke's origin.

    Escaping the fumes momentarily we step outside to catch our breath and think through a plan of action. That’s when I saw a huge spark and flames!!! Sam grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran in while I rang the bell for Raul’s help.

    Over the next couple hours we alternated between rushing into the smoky camper to suppress the growing fire and stumbling back out for air, as the fire continued to reignite. By about 1:30 we had it reasonably under control, but the batteries were still smoldering.

    Raul helped to detach the problematic batteries from the exterior. By about 2:30am the main threat was removed and we decided to called it a night. I had made some calls to find a hotel room once the fire was out and Raul drove us over around 3am. We were exhausted, but so thankful. We were both okay and the camper was largely fine too as we were able to keep the fire confined to the battery compartment.

    Even in the most challenging situations you can usually find a little bit of humor which was the case for us. As we were checking in we were happy to find that the desk attendant spoke some English which he seemed eager to practice. He asked where we were from and we answered St. Louis. “Oh yes St Louis.” he says. “They have good music there right?”

    Usually this brings to mind great jazz or blues artists, but after the night we had the first thing that came to mind for Sam was Nelly.

    “Yes, like Nelly. Do you know Nelly? It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here??

    Blank look from the attendant.

    Sam sings, “It’s gettin’ hot in hurr.”

    Still no recognition on the attendant's face.

    I thought he would leave it at that point, but he pulls up the song on his phone. And sings along with hands up for emphasis.

    I wish I had a camera going at that moment. It was hilarious. When I think about that night this is the image that comes to mind, Sam with hands raised singing “So hot in hurr” to a sleepy small town hotel desk attendant in the middle of the night in Argentina. This was just the comic relief needed after the long night we had..

    We’ll be staying in airbnb or hotels for the next couple of weeks (we have an upcoming trip to Senegal and Ghana at the end of the month). The camper is still drivable, but we will need to rewire the electrical system which will require new batteries and other components from home.

    The adventure continues.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 103

    Pumas

    July 7, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

    We spent the next couple of days removing the thick layer of power left from the three fire extinguishers we used to get the fire out. Since everything was a mess, I was totally ready to take out the sander and sand down the cabinets. We had been planning to brighten up the camper by painting the cabinets white and replacing the flooring and wallpaper. But starting a remodel project in the wake of fire was way more than Sam could process at the moment, so we focused on cleaning up the mess on hand..

    We used a small hand broom and dustpan which seemed better than the vacuum at keeping the dust from going airborne. We then wiped everything down with dry cloths to collect remaining residue and again with a cleaning solution. After washing everything down we took the upholstery and bedding to be laundered.

    On Thursday afternoon we met Mauro for ice cream which was a really nice break from thinking about the camper stuff. The last time we were in Santa Fe he ordered the most delicious ice cream from a local shop and I had been craving it while we were away. Of the four flavors he ordered my favorites where dulce de leche and vanilla with dulce de leche swirl.

    Here in Argentina dulce de leche, which is like caramel, and alfajores (which contain dulce de leche :) are like culinary ambassadors. They meet you at the airport when you arrive and you see them everywhere you go. I actually first had alfajores in Chile. My friend Soledad bought us some when she heard we were on our way to Argentina. It might be the primacy bias, but I honestly prefer the ones that were made in Chile to the ones I’ve had here, but I am enjoying dulce de leche.

    The highlight of our visit with Mauro this time came after the ice cream when we got to feed baby pumas! That’s right, pumas!!! Mauro is a veterinarian and works with the animal wildlife rescue team here in Argentina. Just the day before four newborn pumas had been delivered to him at his office. Unfortunately, the mother had been killed and her cubs needed special care to stay alive. They weren’t old enough to be taken to a sanctuary so Mauro would care for them for them for about a month until they could be transferred.

    We were both giddy with excitement. Mauro helped to open their little mouths so we could bottle feed them. They were so cute and cuddly, but they were only still long enough to eat. When they finished we had a hard time keeping them from crawling all over us. You could tell they missed their mama, they seemed to be searching for her. They made loud squawking noises that sounded more like birds than baby cats.

    After they were done eating Mauro massaged them to help them excrete waste like their mother would have. After all four cubs had been taken care of they were placed back in their small crate with a large hot water bottle wrapped in soft fur to help comfort them. It was awesome to watch the way Mauro cared for these cute little orphaned cubs with so much passion and skill.

    He’s keeping them at home in his apartment where he and his partner Mariana can make sure they get all of the attention they need. It was such a joy to be able to help out a little. What a privilege to have had this rare opportunity.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 105

    Santa Fe, Argentina

    July 9, 2023 ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    July 9th is Día de la Independencia here in Argentina. This year the country celebrated it’s 207th year of independence from Spanish rule. We had been planning to get started on our drive to Chivilcoy, a small town a couple of hours west of Buenos Aires, to talk to a camper manufacturer about rewiring the electrical and maybe doing the interior updates, when Mauro messaged to tell us that we weren't far on of Santa Fe’s indepence day celebration. We decided to walk over, but didn’t find much going on there, just some families out enjoying the day and a few street vendors.

    Before I knew it Mauro was there to swoop us up and show us where the real action was. I say “before I knew it” because I was distracted with our weekly zoom family call where I get to spend an hour plus with my mom, aunts, uncles and cousins each week. It’s always a blast and I try not to miss it. While I was distracted Sam must have been chatting with Mauro.

    We ended up at a lively street festival with blocks and blocks of food booths and vendors. There were lots of booths selling grilled beef and other meats. Beef is an important part of Argentinian culture, cuisine, and economy. Argentina is one of the largest producers of beef worldwide and is widely known for its high-quality and traditional grilling techniques. Most cattle in Argentina is pasture raised and grass fed, compared to the grain fed cattle in the US. I’ve seen the cattle, both in the field here and scarily close up, and I must say they do look quite happy. All this makes for some pretty tasty beef.

    We had fun browsing the various booths and enjoying the energy of the crowd. After hanging out for a while we decided to eat before getting on the road. We found food and a grassy area to sit down. Mauro chose a variety of meat empanadas which are also one of mainstays of Argentinian cuisine and Sam and I opted for grilled veggie sandwiches which were really delicious and much better than we expected.

    All in all, Independence Day turned out to be a lot of fun. I really appreciate that Mauro called. We likely would have gotten on the road and missed the celebrations.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 107

    Pullman Rosario

    July 11, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We stayed overnight at the Pullman Rosario City Center Hotel and Casino on the way to and from Chilvilcoy. If you ever find yourself passing through Rosario, it's a nice place to stay. The hotel is conveniently located just off the highway. The rooms were nice and spacious and we enjoyed the restaurant. The casino was in a different building so there was no smoke and it was relatively quiet. They also had a really nice sauna which I always enjoy. The massages in the spa were about 30 usd for 50 min.

    As a side note, prices in Argentina for imported items like clothing and electronics are more expensive than we would pay at home, but for essentials like food, medical care, and education, prices are much less expensive. Public medical care and education at all levels are completely free. You can choose to pay for private medical care but compared to the US it's still very inexpensive. I paid 10 dollars to see a doctor in Santa Fe. She spent a half hour with me and ordered imaging (ultrasound and x-rays) which cost another 20. Self care treatment like waxing, massage, manicures and such are between 5-10 USD outside of the large hotels and spas.

    We didn’t venture into Rosario, in part because we didn’t want to take the time, but also we heard there was not much to see there and that is not considered safe for tourists.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 118

    Bye Bye Argentina - Africa Here We Come!

    July 22, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    The next week and a half went by quickly. With more repairs for the camper, work, and planning for our upcoming trip. We left Santa Fe on the 18th headed toward Buenos Aires. We stayed 3 nights in Tigre, about 45 minutes outside Buenos Aires, which was close to the place we had planned to store the camper. We found a really awesome vegan restaurant called Mudra walking distance from our hotel there. It was so good we went back two nights in a row.

    We finally got all of our bags packed for our trip and got the camper ready to store on Friday. We had an unexpected surprise when we arrived to drop off the vehicle. Mike and Geneva were there! We hadn’t seen them since we got back and we’d been so busy after the camper fire that we hadn’t really connected. We were so excited that we got to visit with them briefly before we left.

    After the camper was all situated we ubered to Buenos Aires. We had 24 hours before our flight and we were determined to make the most of it. We stayed the night at the beautiful Park Hyatt Palacio Duhao. It was quite luxurious and felt like just what we needed after a hectic few weeks.

    One of the hotel's 5 restaurants, Gioia, is completely plant based, offering a unique fine dining experience.
    We really enjoyed the variety of dishes and we were both surprised by how filling it was. We spent the rest of the evening and most of the following day exploring the city, before our flight at midnight. We’ll have 24 hours in Paris and then on to Senegal and Ghana.

    Now I must say, you’ve been getting the optimist's version of events. I asked Sam how he would sum in a word or two how he felt about the fire and the past few weeks and ‘shook’ and ‘distraught’ were some words that came to mind. I think these feelings were particularly strong for him in the days following the fire. We have a lot to think about while we’re away.

    Despite all of the frustrations with the camper, we both agree that we love Argentina and we’ll be excited to return.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth America
    Day 245

    Did We Quit? Trip & Camper Updates

    November 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 39 °F

    Hey everyone! We know it's been a very long time since we posted, and you're all wondering where we disappeared to. Check out this video for the latest updates:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=theRcFYwhSA    Read more

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