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South America
  • Zach G
Eyl 2022 – Mar 2023

South America

6 months backpacking South America for our honeymoon. Okumaya devam et
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  • Gezinin başlangıcı
    6 Eylül 2022
    Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    11

    Taganga

    11 Eylül 2022, Kolombiya ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Taganga is a small fishing village on Colombias Caribbean coast known for its proximity to Tayrona national park, the Lost City, and water activities.

    It's very picturesque, nestled in a Valley on the shore. We came here to scuba and visit Tayrona. We enjoyed our scuba trip and spent Zachs birthday on Cinta and Cristal beaches which we visited by water taxi. We got caught in a thunderstorm on the beaches which was a memorable experience to be sure!

    We mostly cooked cheap meals in our AirBnB but did enjoy some authentic street Arepas stuffed with chorizo, chicken and cheese, fresh off the grill and covered with guacamole and a sauce which don't know the name of but was delicious.

    We found Marijuana brownies which they told us are in fact legal here, and were QUITE strong, but it made for an entertaining few nights in the Bnb.

    Made some friends, one of whom we are hoping to see the Galápagos in a few weeks, and one of whom who bought us pizza and a couple drinks on Zachs birthday.

    All in all we had a great time, Zach really enjoyed his birthday and we are excited to be off to our second stop, Cartagena, tomorrow!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    111112

    Cartagena

    14 Eylül 2022, Kolombiya ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    One of the most important cities of the early Spanish empire in the Americas, we visited the old town, with gorgeous cathedrals, the old city walls, statues of revolutionary heroes.

    The Getsemaní district has amazing and haunting street art, we saw some beautiful afro-carribean dancing with drums and fire, and had delicious arepas and local style kebabs for dirt cheap.

    All in all a great 2 days exploring the city, the 400 year old fortress, the streets and observing the people. On to Medellin next!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin

    Medellín

    18 Eylül 2022, Kolombiya ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Medellín. A city that definitely had a reputation in the past and for good reason. It still wears some scars of its past but, just as they say, the city has matured immensely since the time of Escobar.

    I'll admit I was even a bit nervous to go out at first but as we spent some time and got to know the area we quickly felt comfortable. The locals as always were very friendly and helpful, this VIEWS of this city are magnificent beyond description and there is not an ounce of justice to be done by the photos. It's something you just have to see for yourself.

    We fed ourselves, snacks included for 4 days for under 50 CAD total, our room was equally cheap, in a safe neighborhood close to the metro system, which is is the pride of the city. It was a great experience taking the metro cable to the highest point of the city, 1200m above the core below.

    We visited Parque Arvi, Botanical Gardens (during a massive book fair) and the Parque Explora which was a ton of fun for adults and kids alike with interactive exhibits of the mind, music, time and film. There was an aquarium, many opportunities for funny photos and more. We had a beer in El Poblado, and saw some HILARIOUS art from Fransisco Botero, the city's most famous artist. (We are looking forward to seeing more in Bogotá).

    And I have to say the climate is absolutely perfect. Half Jungle, half alpine. Not too hot and not too cold, thunderstorms at night. It's truly a wonderful city and I look forward to the day we return.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin

    Zipaquirá

    21 Eylül 2022, Kolombiya ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    We went to see the underground cathedral made out of an old Salt Mine.

    The story goes that the miners took it upon themselves and built an altar deep in the mine, this being such a devout country, and it developed in to what you see below over a period of decades.

    You start by walking down the mine and out of each of the 14 mining sites, some of which are gigantic chambers from which many thousands of tons of salt has been pulled, they made a tribute to each of the 14 stations of the cross. Station 10 was particularly eerie with its recordings of choir voices appearing to come out of the void.

    They stated the aim was to create a sense of abstract art in the way the stations were created and how they pertain to the story of the crucifixion. Another I found particularly impactful was the negative space cross representing when Christ's body was taken down from the cross, representing the void left behind in his absence.

    At the bottom of the mine, some 600 feet below ground, are a tribute to the divine infant, and a massive, massive nave for the main cathedral hall.

    The cross at the back stands 16 meters high, back lit in the usual stunning colors, and it really is a sight to see. The entire walk through took about 2 hours.

    We've seem some incredible churches in our travels but I have to say this one really does stand out. The originality, the literal depth of the work to be done to create this are just jaw dropping.

    And yes, we tasted the salt off the wall, and it was - salty.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    111111111

    Bogotá

    22 Eylül 2022, Kolombiya ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Bogotá is a HUGE city. 7.9 million at 2600m above sea level at the beginning (or end) of the Andes mountain range.

    First thing we learned is that it does in fact get cold at this altitude. It wasn't too bad during the days but once the sun goes down (at 6 pm sharp this time of year) it can be quite chilly, even for Canadians.

    Luckily our BnB had a nice fire place and they left us some wood for the evenings. Our first was super cold though while we learned this lesson.

    The next biggest takeaway was that the traffic here was INSANE. Coming back from Zipa, it took us 4 hours to travel 56 kilometers. Didn't exactly ruin it for us but after 3 days we are ready for some country side.

    We got to chat with some firefighters to trade the first EMS patch for some of the locals which was really fun, it was nice to chat with them and they seemed really happy to help. Pretty sure they cut one of the patches straight off a uniform to give to us!

    All in all we enjoyed Bogotá, the views from Monserrate were incredible even if the weather wasn't perfect, Zipa was absolutely worth time, and did get to play some Tejo, where you throw a metal weight at packets of gunpowder. It's like Colombian darts meets corn hole meets, well, gunpowder.

    This was our last stop in Colombia. Ecuador tomorrow and straight to Otavalo via Quito. We both look forward to the day we return to Colombia to see some of the many things we couldn't this go round.

    Viva Colombia!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1

    Laguna Cuicocha

    26 Eylül 2022, Ekvador ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Cuicocha Lake is in an old volcanic crater outside of Cotacachi, Ecuador.

    At its base its over 3300 meters above sea level, and the highest point of the trail is at 3500 meters! The volcano neighboring the lake is called Cumbre Volcán Cotacachi and at its peak is almost 5000 meters, and Volcán Imbabura casts its shadow over the town from the other side.

    At 12 km around the hike itself wasn't terribly long but at this altitude the vert was really a challenge. We stopped to catch our breath often but there were almost 360 views of the 2 islands in the lake and we didn't mind taking a break to take it in.

    Great day, great hike, if you're ever in the area be sure to check it out!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1
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    Otavalo

    27 Eylül 2022, Ekvador ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Otavalo is a really cool, small city in the Ecuadorian Andes. It's 2 hours north of Quito by bus, known for its market, which they say is the largest South America. It's full of colourful fabrics, blankets, sweaters, shirts, indigenous dress, jewelry, traditional musical instruments, art, and fruit, bread, typical food and so much more.

    We had a pig roast for lunch with white corn, fried mashed potato balls they call tortillas, and salad for dirt cheap and did manage to find some cool hippie pants for a decent price.

    We hiked to the Peguche waterfall, did the circuit of the Laguna de Cuicocha, so named for the central islands resemblance to a guinea pig. (Cuicocha is the Quechua word for guinea pig.)

    We also hiked to what we thought was going to be a thousand year old, huge tree, and we were... surprised, let's say when we got to the top of that dusty, steep hill.

    It's a really cool town with its own vibe nestled in a valley between massive volcanos, a welcome change from the bustling cities.

    On our last night we went for dinner at local pub. We tried to find a traditional dish something like the pig roast we had had, but found nothing so we chose this place instead. It was DELICIOUS. We had cocktails, craft beer, and 2 huge plates. A churrasco, which is a piece of grilled beef with egg, rice, fries, and salad, and a parillada, a selection of grilled meats, south American style, with the same sides and delicious dipping sauces. Wonderful way to end our stay.

    Quito next!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    112311

    Quito

    29 Eylül 2022, Ekvador ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Not a whole lot to say about Quito, we spent the day coming back from Otavalo on our way to the Galapagos Islands.

    We visited the equator monument which was pretty cool! It was fun to officially cross the equator on our journey south. It was Zachs first time in the southern hemisphere, and Anna had been once before when she went to the Cook Islands.

    We learned a little about the experiments carried out in the 17th century by explorers and kings to prove the location of the equator, which was an effort by the French, Spanish and Ecuadorians, called the geodesic missions, and the monument was built to commemorate the bicentennial in 1920s and redone in the 1970s.

    Cool day, fun to see!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    11111111111

    Isla Isabela

    5 Ekim 2022, Ekvador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    All we can really say about Isla Isabela is "Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!"

    It defies explanation. Around every corner, in every nook, busting out of every cranny is some exhibition of wild life that can be seen no where else in the world, and certainly not as close.

    Tortoises, turtles, sea lions, iguanas, penguins, flamingos, boobies, Albatros, pelicans, vegetation that seems like it could only be prehistoric. It's truly unique in every sense of the word.

    We spent 4 short days on this island, there was not a single dull moment, we were able to appreciate all this incredible nature pretty well non stop and there were still so many adventures we just didn't have the time for.

    We spent Annas 31st birthday here, our hosts went way out of there to help us celebrate. They hung balloons and streamers, sang her happy birthday, had cake, and truly helped make it very special for her.

    The giant Tortoise breeding centre is doing amazing work restoring the wild populations of galapagos tortoises, and I'm happy to say it really feels like the preservation of the nature and wild life is a high priority for the people of the island.

    It was not terribly cheap, (quite the opposite actually) but we were able to find some delicious local food for dinners which we had every single night and absolutely raved about.

    It was a journey to get to and its not a place I would describe as luxurious and but we will absolutely be back, and we leave invigorated by a sense of the importance of nature and its preservation, and a new perspective on what a healthy natural environment looks like.

    Until next time, Isabela!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    Whale skeleton at the Darwin Research Centre
    The ceramic garden11111

    Isla Santa Cruz

    10 Ekim 2022, Ekvador ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    One of the major goals for our trip to the Galápagos Islands was to scuba dive. Especially after Isabela, with all that we saw just snorkeling and walking around, we were even more excited and it did not disappoint!

    Puerto Ayora felt like a big city after coming from almost a week in tiny Puerto Vilamil, Isla Isabela. We visited the Darwin research centre, the Tortoise breeding centre, and a couple local breweries (with really good beer!), though we'd say the town itself was not the destination.

    We dove at Daphne minor, Seymour, and the famous Gordon's Rocks, the 'home' of the hammerhead sharks.

    On our first dive day saw giant schools of fish, a huge manta ray, eels, too many turtles to count, stingrays, Anna got an INCREDIBLE video of an octopus walking along the coral, changing colour, and hiding from us. Amazing diving. Truly incredible to see such healthy marine life.

    We also met a great group of people, 3 from Ireland, and an American guy, who were travelling together sailing around the world. We ended up spending some time with them on their boat, and on land, sharing beer and stories. We hope to see them again!

    And then we went to Gordon's Rocks. The excitement was palpable on the boat. Due to the strong currents, these aren't easy dives and they require a minimum of 25 previous dives to even sign up.

    It was a huge success. We saw about 30 hammerheads in total on our 2 dives. The current was strong, so we found a spot at about 14 meters and held on to rocks to wait and they came to us! At one point a school of about 20 swam across in front of us. Hearts were pounding, but there's nothing to do but watch these amazing creatures wander about under water. They were huge, graceful, unique, and we can confirm that they are in fact real!! Absolutely a highlight of the trip so far!!

    We were both very sad to the leave Galapagos islands. It's an absolutely incredible place and we've barely only scratched the surface. It's one of the few places in the world we can see ourselves visiting time and time again.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1
    111112

    Lima

    14 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We spent 3 days in Lima to rest up, run some errands and see a few sights.

    We visited Parque Kennedy, known for its food stalls selling traditional Peruvian snacks and had some 'Picarones' - Peruvian donuts covered in a type of syrup. There was an artesan festival happening as well and we got our first look and some great alpaca and baby alpaca products - hats, sweaters, blankets and the like. It's incredibly soft to the touch but very expensive! We are going to try our luck in Cusco or Arequipa to get the real deal.

    Our main point of visiting Lima was to dine at Maido - rated #7 restaurant in the world in 2022 and has received honors as the best restaurant in South America multiple times in the past.

    It's Peruvian-Japanese fusion - Peruvian ingredients prepared with Japanese techniques. We were served an 11-course, 15-plate 'Nikkei Experience.' Primarily seafood based, every single bite was an absolute journey. From cod on seaweed Crackers, tuna sashimi, blue fin tuna nigiri, all served with sauces, dips, oils of traditional ingredients and origin, it was absolute an experience to remember and the best dinner we've ever had.

    We visited their famous Magic Water Circuit as well, a series of huge fountains in the main city park. It's lovely during the day, and at night the fountains light up with an array of different colors and patterns. It's a refuge from the huge city that is Lima and definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

    We had a spa day to help relieve some of the tenderness from having been travelling for over a month at this point and got ready for the next part of journey.

    Iquitos and the Amazon next!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin

    Arkana

    22 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We went to a spiritual retreat in the Peruvian Amazon for a week.

    It's a place to talk about things in your life that are causing you pain, anxiety, whatever it may be, and heal from them. A week felt so short and so long at the same time, our group was absolutely amazing and we leave here having made some great friends.

    We laughed, we cried, we relaxed, we were taken care of so well by the staff and the Shamans, the food was incredible, fresh, and healthy.

    The Shamans guided us through traditional Shipibo healing practices and ceremonies. They shared traditional plant medicines, sang us songs, and encouraged us to look deep inside, find what we need and make good, important changes in our lives.

    We learned about ourselves and by sharing our stories and listening to those of the group we are all grew and have been able to heal.

    It's been such a well of emotion, we both have a lot to unpack and a lot of thinking to do, and that is the point. Our spiritual journeys will continue. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful experiences of our lives and we are incredibly grateful to Arkana Spiritual Centre for having us, teaching us, and helping us heal.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    11111

    Pisac

    25 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Well, if we weren't surprised by what we found here! It's not as though Pisac is some kind of secret, it's in every book and every Google search for things to do in the Cusco area.

    But wow! It's not a super busy place, we almost had it to ourselves, this huge Incan city surrounded by growing terraces high up in the mountains outside Pisac.

    Historians believed it served multiple purposes as a fortress, city, farmland, and may have been built as a gift to Incan nobility.

    The views were absolutely spectacular, the construction was really something to behold (something we are learning about the Incans), and of course the company was fantastic.

    Great day trip from Cusco!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    2
    The sun shines directly through here at noon on the summer solsticeAmazing incan stoneworkThe temple of the Sun. 80 ton! Blocks hauled up the mountain by man power aloneWhat the terraces would have looked like when they were used for growing1A type of sun calendar they used to plan the harvestOriginal centuries old stonework1Storage area they used for all manner of things - fish from the coast, grains, riches and more1

    Ollantaytambo

    27 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Ollanta is a really cool town, halfway between Cusco and the town of Machu Picchu, it's the site of yet more Incan ruins, nestled at a really interesting spot in the sacred valley.

    It's at the junction of 3 valleys, one heading to the coast, one heading to Lake Titicaca, from where the Incas originated, and one heading to Machu Picchu.

    The whole valley and ruins are essentially one big sun calender, with various points in the ruins and along the mountain marking the solstices and equinoxes, and the Incans used these to plan their harvests and when to sow their crops.

    It was also the site of one of the Incans greatest stands against the Spanish. It's terrible to think what we could be seeing had it not been looted and destroyed to such an extent.

    The part of the town we stayed in is also built on thr original Incan stone work, and the streets, alleys, and first floors of the buildings all show the amazing Incan stonework we've come to appreciate greatly.

    We are both very happy we made a stop here for a day to explore. It's been fun, we learned a bit about the history, and tried to relax some, (while climbing like 1000 stairs to get to our view points) it's going to be a busy stretch ahead!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    11112

    Machu Picchu

    29 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We made it to the fabled Machu Picchu!

    We weren't sure, and we talked about it a little before coming up but it definitely lives up to its hype!

    You are SO high up in the amazing, steep, tree covered, Jungly Andes, the citadel is by far the biggest we've seen so far, and it's just absolutely breathtaking.

    There's not much else to be said I think. It's incredible, would see again in a heartbeat. Absolutely amazing.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1
    11111121111

    Cusco

    31 Ekim 2022, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    There's a lot to unpack about Cusco. It's the hub for exploring the remnants of the Inca Empire. There are SO many archeological sites in the city and the surrounding area its hard to keep track. Pisac was amazing and close by, the fortress at Saqsaywaman, the old temple of Qorikancha, Qenqo, the museums, its crazy! And that's not even to mention the other towns of the sacred valley, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu.

    We spent a week in the area and definitely got our fill of Incan history and ruins. We did the rainbow mountain hike on our last day, and I have to say, the rainbow mountain is NOT the coolest part of that hike.

    The air is super thin, the hike starts at 4200m above sea level and the peak is at over 5000m! The huge mountains on either side of the valley coming up are a sight to behold, and the incredible Auzangate mountain is waiting for you as you crest the hill to the Rainbow Mountain. Of course the pictures do absolutely no justice, but I digress.

    We enjoyed our time here, but it is very touristy and the locals can be quite pushy. After a week we both very much felt its time to get away from the hustle and bustle that is Cusco. Hoping for some peace and quiet in Arequipa, then it will be on to Bolivia!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1

    Arequipa

    2 Kasım 2022, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had a lovely time in Arequipa, a great change of pace from Cusco. Nice to get away from the noise and hustle and bustle of Cusco, Arequipa is quaint, quiet, picturesque and just what we needed.

    We really didn't do much, we tried the disgusting Cuy, (never again), had a couple drinks, had some wonderful breakfasts with cappucinos, picked up some baby alpaca clothing as a souvenir, and generally just enjoyed the laid back vibe of the city.

    On to Puno for just a night as we transit in to Bolivia next!

    Lake Titicaca here we come!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin

    Copacabana

    5 Kasım 2022, Bolivya ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Copacabana was a lovely introduction to Bolivia. Just across the border from Peru it's quiet, very pretty, laid back and nestled on the shore of Lake Titicaca.

    We managed a swim in the cold water of the lake, enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and visited the Isla del Sol for an afternoon.

    We wish we had more time here! It's a great spot and almost certainly under appreciated in the world of travel but we wouldn't mind if it stayed this way forever.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    La Paz with Illimani in the background
    112Petrified baby llamas11111Tiwanakan mummy from 2000-4000 years ago. They were always in the fetal position!Giant monolith with religious carvingsIt used to be a seven story pyramidThe sun gate at Tiwanaku

    La Paz

    11 Kasım 2022, Bolivya ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    A couple quotes from Anna about La Paz:

    "It's like Italy meets Vietnam."

    "It's not a mojito town, it's a cocaine and craft beer town."

    All joking aside La Paz felt like an incredible mix of styles and eras, with the some colonial portions, both gorgeous and run down, old, busy, typical Latin American portions with some beautiful architecture, incredible geography, all in one beautiful mess of a city.

    We got to see a hilarious traditional wrestling match in El Alto, a sister city on top the hills surrounding La Paz which is also something to see, we visited some ruins outside the city which were featured on ancient aliens, and used our time to rest up and we had a lovely Air Bnb and have been travelling for quite some time.

    Unfortunately we got sick while we were here, though we were lucky to have had the time and place to just hang out for our last few days here.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1112A common occurrence in the salt flatsOur view while we waited for a new tire1The walls, floor, bed frame, everything made of salt!11

    Uyuni Salt Flats

    14 Kasım 2022, Bolivya ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    Uyuni was interesting to say the least! Gorgeous landscapes, (which of course we couldn't accurately capture on the camera) that seemed to change before our eyes during our 3 day 2 night tour from Uyuni in Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

    We got a chance to take super super Instagram-y photos, visited a Flamingo reserve, spotted tons of wild Vicuña, saw mountain ranges, volcanoes, salt flats, desert proper, different coloured lakes, geysers, a train Cemetery, sat in natural hot springs under the crystal clear stars and even stayed in a Salt Hotel!

    Car problems were common for everyone on the tour. We got stuck with a flat on our first day, and we were FREEZING as the sunset but at least views were breathtaking!

    We were frustrated with our tour operator as the theme of over promise, under deliver continues, but it was a super cool way to cross a country border and this one we can confidently say was a once in a lifetime experience!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
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    San Pedro de Atacama

    20 Kasım 2022, Şili ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We weren't able to make the most of San Pedro and we are ok with that. It's been a busy 2 months of travel so far and we were both pretty run down, especially after the Uyuni tour. Anna was quite sick for our first couple days here so we used the time to rest up. We eventually rented a car for a couple days, but ended up having a hard time trying to see the sites we wanted to see.

    Things were closed, we went at the wrong time of day for a couple things, certain drives took way longer than we thought they would, it just kind of didn't work out.

    At the end of the day we are ok with that, lots of the area is very similar to the terrain coming through the salt flats, and it's actually quite expensive so at least we saved some money!

    We used the time to check in with each other, had some good talks, and still enjoyed our time in the small hippie desert town of San Pedro de Atacama.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
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    Valparaíso

    23 Kasım 2022, Şili ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Beautiful, vibrant, funky, enigmatic, Valparaíso has to be the most colourful city we've ever seen. Every single square inch of the entire town is covered in bright colors, and street art of all different kinds. It's colonial, with more than a touch of 'street', filled with interesting looking people of all kinds, colours and backgrounds.

    Friendly, welcoming, chill, what a place to explore on foot and admire.

    Anna was feeling better by the time we got here, we had a great time with a group of Irish guys we met at the airport, enjoyed way too much craft beer, had some really good burgers, and just chilled.

    We spent a half-day, a very grey day, in Viña del Mar which we thought was just ok, a modern resort town.

    We absolutely loved Valpo and would say it's a highlight of Chile!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
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    1121

    Santiago

    26 Kasım 2022, Şili ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Well, Santiago was never expected to be anything earth-shattering. It's huge city, mostly pretty normal. It offers lots of museums and giant hill in the city with some great views. We only had 2 days so we kept it really chill, spending most of our time in the apartment relaxing, and we visited San Cristobal Hill.

    What was supposed to be the highlight of our time in the area, and one of the highlights of the trip turned in to the lowest point either of us have had on any of our travels.

    We had planned to visit Easter Island, Santiago is the only city in the world that offers flights there.

    We were met with delays, incredibly rude airport staff, and ended up being denied our flight the morning we were supposed to leave.

    We are both very experienced travellers and are shocked and appalled at the treatment we received at the airport that day. We were told we'd need to take a PCR test before we could board our flight, which was news to us but not a major problem. We had 90 minutes to departure by the time we got to the desk and dealt with the agents, but she told us we only had 10 minutes to be back with our test before the closed the check in and that the test would take 20.

    Fair enough that we could have been earlier to the airport (we were the 2 hours early, as is the standard). We were back to the desk an hour before departure with all of our documents, baggage tags, permissions to the island, and negative tests and were told that we were too late and wouldn't be allowed on.

    As a last ditch we tried to go through security but they wouldn't accept my emailed boarding pass, the said we needed one from the desk.

    Everything had to go wrong for this to happen, and never in any of our travels have we had so much resistance from airport staff. They fought us at every turn, put absolutely ZERO effort in to helping us. At the end of the day it's our responsibility, but I'd say sometimes things happen, especially travelling for this long, and it would have been nice to get some help that morning.

    We were absolutely devastated of course. We fought for a refund to no avail, and decided to try to take company credit and flew to Argentina.

    We will make it there one day, unfortunately it wasn't in the cards for us this time. Hoping for better luck in Argentina!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Zach GSouth AmericaGezgin
    1
    1111211

    Mendoza

    4 Aralık 2022, Arjantin ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    What a wonderful, wonderful city. It's beautiful, full of mature trees, calm, the people are kind, it's how we imagined Argentina to look and feel.

    It's so cheap! They have a black (or blue) market to exchange American dollars that gives you 2 for 1 to the bank rate, so we had a great time enjoying that little perk. Great beer, cheap (even cheaper) wine, great food..what more do you want on a vacation!

    We were lucky enough to be here during the world cup and caught a couple of Argentina games. We celebrated in the streets after the games with the people. We never felt threatened, although I was worried about the colours I was wearing during their game against Poland! We were a little worried but instead of getting threatened or attacked someone gave me the literal jersey off their back for my Canada shirt! The beautiful game indeed...

    We thoroughly enjoyed our wine tour. We went to the Maipú region, one of three major wine producing regions regions around Mendoza, visited 2 vineyards/wineries, had an absolutely delicious asado for lunch, and tried 14 delicious wines at Trapiche and Zuccardi.

    It's been a great start to Argentina after some poor luck lately. We are definitely sad to be leaving here, but on to San Carlos de Bariloche and Patagonia next!    Okumaya devam et

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