Mar 19
The mysterious Nazca lines of Peru. Surely you've seen them in National Geographic or watched them on Discovery channel at some point in your life. In case you haven't or maybe you have and you forgot, let me jog your memory. These lines, named a UNESCO world heritage site, are located in the Nazca desert in the south of Peru between the towns of Nazca and Palpa.
Mar 19
f you are planning to visit the sacred valley and want an ideal place to base yourself, look no further than Llama pack backpacker hostel in Urubamba. I recommend stopping in this town for a few nights. Cusco has some nice things to see & is worth your time too but the sacred valley is absolutely gorgeous. If you are debating about spending some time here, stop wondering and hop on a bus to Urubamba.
We stayed in Lima for a few weeks visiting the amazing sites of the city. There is just so much to see in terms of culture, weeks just simply wasn't enough time. Actually we didn't see any sites. I am totally lying. We did stay in the city for a while but all we really did was eat.
I want to start out by saying, this ain't your typical recommendation. Most of my reviews/recommendations are based around the fact that you will actually be visiting these places. For example, I would like to recommend a restaurant to you if you happen to be in Valparaiso, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina. There is a good chance that a lot of you have those places in your travel itinerary.
Valdivia is home to many German immigrants. So are neighbor cities Puerto Varas & Puerto Montt. Apparently, Germans were encouraged by the Chilean government to immigrate here in 1848. And so they did. Goddam, those Germans are freaking everywhere! Not only have we met more German travelers in the past year than any other nationality but here they were even in food (and beer) form everywhere in Chile!
Jan 30
We stayed in Sucre, Bolivia for almost a month renting an apartment and learning Spanish. That's not to say we are experts on the city but in addition to studying, we spent a lot of time eating. We narrowed it down to our top 8 favorite things to eat & where to get them.
During our first trip to La Paz, we happened to pass by Diesel Nacional located in La Paz's Sopacachi district. Curious, we stopped to have a look. The facade looked very different than most bars or restaurants for anywhere, let alone Bolivia. For one, it was set far back with rocks scattered and old train tracks leading up to a revolving rusted door. Eerie spotlights cast shadows over industrial items like car/train/plane parts that had been strewn about. It certainly caught the eye.
Normally we are fans of budget accommodation, preferring to spend our money on food but once in a while we like to splurge. Especially if it's a special occasion. For Laurent's birthday in November, I booked us at the Villa Jazmin hotel in Ica, Peru. We took a taxi (5 Soles) to the hotel from the bus station because it's located on the outskirts in a residential neighborhood. First things first. This was such a blessing.
Traveling to Antarctica is a once in a lifetime destination. Okay, so I really want to go back one day but chances are slim. It's very expensive to travel there, not to mention the negative impact that tourism has in that pristine area of the world. We wanted to do the trip right. I wanted to go down on a small boat (less than 100) so that we could do as many landings as possible. Laurent wanted us to 'earn Antarctica' I phrase that I came to know quite well.
Okay, here is where I am going to rave. This place has been one of our favorite of all the ones we stayed in over the course of a years travel in South America. It's not fancy nor is it an amazing value. So how can it be our favorite? The answer is simple. It's home. If you are feeling slightly homesick or craving the feeling of returning to a home (instead of just a bed), this place is the place to go!
Infused exposures 