For Christmas vacation, my friends and I traveled pretty much all over Argentina. I’ve been to Patagonia region, the mountains of Chile and back to the Pampa of Argentina. One thing I have found is that no matter the plans that you make, they’re probably not gonna go according to planned.
This Christmas vacation, we had planned all the buses out that we were going to take. I think only 2 actually worked out. The others we had to improvise, which worked, but threw our schedule off just a couple hours each day.
I learned to be flexible with the people I travel with. I’m a natural born leader. It kinda comes with being a first-born. But this trip, I just had to take the reigns. It was frustrating at times because I didn’t want to lead. I just wanted to chill and have someone else make the decision as to what we were doing. I think I upset some people. Sometimes I wasn’t the nicest, but that kinda comes with the job.
Overall, it was a good vacation. I’m finding that I really enjoy Argentina. Even though the food is really different and I’m still getting used to it, it was so much better than Chile. I even still really like the Villa. Even though it’s in the middle of nowhere and there’s not a whole lot to do, I find that I enjoy the simplicity of it all. I feel my mind is most creative because I have to entertain myself.
I’m here in Buenos Aires at the airport waiting for Krista’s family to arrive. Mine comes in two days. I have to say that I’m super excited to see them. I’m super blessed to be able to spend some time with them in “my” country. I want them to see what I’ve accomplished so far and what the culture is that I’m living in for these next 4-5 months. It’ll be hard to say goodbye, but I’m excited for what’s to come.
So as the end of this month wraps up and a new year begins, I just want to thank everyone for their support and friendship. It literally has meant the world to me even though we’re on different continents. Being down here has taught me to be grateful for everything that I have. Yesterday, we were sitting in a McDonalds in Rosario waiting for our bus for a couple hours and there were little boys handing out cards. These little boys were so dirty and looked so helpless, but I knew that I couldn’t do anything. It’s sad to say that there are so many people in this world who have little to nothing and yet they are some of the happiest people in the world. I have encountered some of those people, I live with some of those people. Argentina is a different world. Yes, I miss the United States, but I know that I’m down here to learn so much more about myself and the potential that I have. It’s rough at times and I just wish that I could be home, but I’m so thankful to be here and to be around the people I am.
You hear it many times about not taking things for granted, but seriously: Don’t take anything you have for granted because one day when you don’t have it, you’ll realize all that you’re missing.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Vacation-Santiago, Chile
We got on a bus from Bariloche to Osorno. Osorno is in Chile and was a stopping point before Santiago. We were stuck there for about 5 hours so we found a restaurant and chilled there for a couple hours. We found a grocery store and raided that for snacks and other delicious food. It was more like Walmart, with American brands. We were excited. We went back to the bus station and chilled upstairs on the floor for an hour. We talked and laughed. It was a really fun time. We finally got on our bus and headed to Santiago. It was a night bus and not that comfortable, but we did the best to sleep.
We finally arrived and our group split up. Rachel and Imani were staying in another hostel so we got into two taxis. We had to much stuff they had to strap our luggage to the top of the taxi. We finally made it to our hostel (it was pink) and chilled because we couldn’t check in yet. We got to our room. Eight girls in one room. Let’s just say it was so messy that the maid didn’t even TRY to clean it.
We arrived on a Friday, so we chilled there at night since it was Sabbath. Sabbath came and Krista and I chilled in the hostel, while the other girls went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia and the mall.
Sunday we finally decided to do something and get out of the hostel, so we rented a 12 passenger van and drove to Viña del Mar. Sabrina was the only one who knew how to drive stick shift. I was designated as the navigator so I couldn’t fall asleep.
We got to the beach and laid out. The water was FREEZING cold. We stayed there at the beach for a couple hours. It was beautiful. Then we took a tour of Valpraiso. Those cities were absolutely beautiful. Definitely would go back to that part of Chile, if I had the chance. We got back late and ended up making S’mores over the stove in the hostel.
The next day we decided we were going to go to the zoo. So we took the van back and then walk to the zoo. We got there and found that it wasn’t open that day. We ran into Sarah and Christina who were there. So we decided to go to their hostel ‘cause it was an old mansion with a pool. So we went back to our hostel and then stopped at a grocery store to get food.
We made lunch at their hostel and it was seriously THE BEST meal I’ve had since being here in South America. We then just chilled by the pool and laughed about things we read in an old Cosmo magazine.
That night Krista and I started the X-men trilogy.
So the next day we went back to the zoo. It was quite the hike. SERIOUSLY, it was on a mountain. We spent most of the day there sweating to the max, but got to see some beautiful animals. We showered and watched a movie.
We got on a bus in the morning and headed to Mendoza to head back the villa. We finally made it through customs. That took forever! We made it to the bus station and found out the earliest bus leaving was 8 pm, it was 4 pm. So we found a restaurant and chilled there for many hours until our bus came. The bus we got was SUPER nice. The chairs reclined almost all the way back. It was a beautiful sleep I got. Before the sleep, Krista and I finished the X-men trilogy.
We had to go to Rosario instead of the planned Paraná. So once we got to Rosario we had to find a bus back to LSM. It took forever, but we got a bus at 1 pm. We finally made it back to the UAP around 4 pm. The bus didn’t have any A/C. It was miserable. Seriously, it was SUPER, SUPER hot. Speaking of hot, it’s unbearably hot here in Argentina. I really miss Christmas weather, even though I complain about being cold, sometimes I wish that I could be cold instead of wanting to be in a pool all day.
We finally arrived and our group split up. Rachel and Imani were staying in another hostel so we got into two taxis. We had to much stuff they had to strap our luggage to the top of the taxi. We finally made it to our hostel (it was pink) and chilled because we couldn’t check in yet. We got to our room. Eight girls in one room. Let’s just say it was so messy that the maid didn’t even TRY to clean it.
We arrived on a Friday, so we chilled there at night since it was Sabbath. Sabbath came and Krista and I chilled in the hostel, while the other girls went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia and the mall.
Sunday we finally decided to do something and get out of the hostel, so we rented a 12 passenger van and drove to Viña del Mar. Sabrina was the only one who knew how to drive stick shift. I was designated as the navigator so I couldn’t fall asleep.
We got to the beach and laid out. The water was FREEZING cold. We stayed there at the beach for a couple hours. It was beautiful. Then we took a tour of Valpraiso. Those cities were absolutely beautiful. Definitely would go back to that part of Chile, if I had the chance. We got back late and ended up making S’mores over the stove in the hostel.
The next day we decided we were going to go to the zoo. So we took the van back and then walk to the zoo. We got there and found that it wasn’t open that day. We ran into Sarah and Christina who were there. So we decided to go to their hostel ‘cause it was an old mansion with a pool. So we went back to our hostel and then stopped at a grocery store to get food.
We made lunch at their hostel and it was seriously THE BEST meal I’ve had since being here in South America. We then just chilled by the pool and laughed about things we read in an old Cosmo magazine.
That night Krista and I started the X-men trilogy.
So the next day we went back to the zoo. It was quite the hike. SERIOUSLY, it was on a mountain. We spent most of the day there sweating to the max, but got to see some beautiful animals. We showered and watched a movie.
We got on a bus in the morning and headed to Mendoza to head back the villa. We finally made it through customs. That took forever! We made it to the bus station and found out the earliest bus leaving was 8 pm, it was 4 pm. So we found a restaurant and chilled there for many hours until our bus came. The bus we got was SUPER nice. The chairs reclined almost all the way back. It was a beautiful sleep I got. Before the sleep, Krista and I finished the X-men trilogy.
We had to go to Rosario instead of the planned Paraná. So once we got to Rosario we had to find a bus back to LSM. It took forever, but we got a bus at 1 pm. We finally made it back to the UAP around 4 pm. The bus didn’t have any A/C. It was miserable. Seriously, it was SUPER, SUPER hot. Speaking of hot, it’s unbearably hot here in Argentina. I really miss Christmas weather, even though I complain about being cold, sometimes I wish that I could be cold instead of wanting to be in a pool all day.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Christmas Vacation: San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
Bariloche is a beautiful sky resort town in Southern Argentina. It's cold there, but you're refreshed with a wonderful aroma of chocolate. Bariloche is know all over the world for it's chocolate.
It started off at 6 am. We rented a minibus to take us to Paraná since we had to catch the 8 am bus to Bariloche. We waited for our bus and when it arrived, we settled down in the comfortable, bed-like seats and drifted off to sleep. It was a 26 hour bus ride. I'm pretty sure I was only awake for about 5 of those hours. A couple to watch movies and then to eat. The scenery wasn't much. Just flat land, just like Illinois. So nothing was really keeping me from sleeping.
We finally arrived in the late morning and was awakened by the brisk gusts of wind howling outside. We didn't realize it was going to be SO cold. We got 3 taxis (because there were 10 of us traveling together) and made our way to our hostel. We couldn't check in until 2pm so we left our luggage at the hostel and ventured out to explore the town. The town reminded me a lot of Vail, Colorado, except we were on this huge lake called Nahuel Huapi. It was so beautiful. Our hostel was way above it so every morning, I was reminded of how awesome God's beauty is.
We stayed there for 4 days. We chilled, walked, shopped, ate, slept. You name it. One of the days 7 of the girls went white water rafting. I opted out of it since I'm trying to save money and I've done it before. They had a lot of fun from all the stories I heard.
Being in the town was definitely an experience I'll never forget. A couple of the nights, I put my cooking to good use and showed the girls how to make popcorn on the stove. So I got a couple oil burns on my arms, but it was well worth it. We got up early Thursday morning to head to Santiago, Chile. More adventures to come!
It started off at 6 am. We rented a minibus to take us to Paraná since we had to catch the 8 am bus to Bariloche. We waited for our bus and when it arrived, we settled down in the comfortable, bed-like seats and drifted off to sleep. It was a 26 hour bus ride. I'm pretty sure I was only awake for about 5 of those hours. A couple to watch movies and then to eat. The scenery wasn't much. Just flat land, just like Illinois. So nothing was really keeping me from sleeping.
We finally arrived in the late morning and was awakened by the brisk gusts of wind howling outside. We didn't realize it was going to be SO cold. We got 3 taxis (because there were 10 of us traveling together) and made our way to our hostel. We couldn't check in until 2pm so we left our luggage at the hostel and ventured out to explore the town. The town reminded me a lot of Vail, Colorado, except we were on this huge lake called Nahuel Huapi. It was so beautiful. Our hostel was way above it so every morning, I was reminded of how awesome God's beauty is.
We stayed there for 4 days. We chilled, walked, shopped, ate, slept. You name it. One of the days 7 of the girls went white water rafting. I opted out of it since I'm trying to save money and I've done it before. They had a lot of fun from all the stories I heard.
Being in the town was definitely an experience I'll never forget. A couple of the nights, I put my cooking to good use and showed the girls how to make popcorn on the stove. So I got a couple oil burns on my arms, but it was well worth it. We got up early Thursday morning to head to Santiago, Chile. More adventures to come!
Monday, December 13, 2010
PERU (December 5-10)
Saturday night, I had to pack. So I stayed up watching a movie and packing. Sunday morning came way too early. I don’t remember if I actually slept or not. Our bus was leaving for Peru at 4 am. So I struggled out the door and on my way to another country. I got comfy on the bus and we were about to go when Sandra told me I had to move to the other bus. It was like a short bus. I felt cheated. There were about 10 of us that got the shaft. It was a super bumpy ride with red emergency lights on the whole time. Needless to say, none of us really got any sleep like we had hoped. We arrived at the airport in Rosario about 30 minutes before the bus. So we chilled until they got there. We waited in line forever to get our boarding passes and then waited some more to go through security.
I remember traveling with PJ to the Philippines and know that it didn’t have to take that long, but it did. In their defense, we did have a big group. I got my passport stamped and waited to get on the plane. Once I got on the plane, I passed out. It’s a gift I have really. Lol. We arrived in Lima and the two buses dropped us off at our hotel. I stayed with Rosemary. We were given 20 minutes then we walked to a nearby shopping center. It had a lot of American food so naturally we stopped at Chili’s. It had been so long since I had any kind of food like that. It tasted SO good. After Chili’s we stopped at Starbucks, where I passed out because I was so tired. I have to admit that I usually don’t stop at Starbucks ‘cause I don’t drink coffee, but it was really the only place that reminded me of Christmas. It even smelled like Christmas!
After that Rose, Krista and I went back to our hotel where we stayed in and watched Sunday Night Football. I’m a sucker for football and hadn’t been able to watch any games this season. After the game, I went to the other girls’ room and watched the rest of Taken. What an appropriate movie since we were all in another country. The next morning we got up and took a tour of the city. They took us to the historical part of the city. It was beautiful. They took us to this huge cathedral and catacombs. Even though the catacombs were a little morbid, it was fascinating to see all the bones lined up. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, but a couple people from our group snuck in a couple.
We had the rest of the day off after that so we just chilled and went to the market, went back to Chili’s and then I got to watch my Patriots KILL the New York Jets. Our cable went out during the last half of the 4th quarter, so Krista and I went up to James’ room and watched Oceans 13 with him and Paul.
We got up the next morning and left for Cusco. The city is at a really high altitude so they had a drink a lot of mate de coca. It didn’t taste very good, but I didn’t get sick so that’s good. They took us on a tour of this monastery and another cathedral. One thing about being at such a high altitude is that it makes you super sleepy. So by the middle of the tour of the cathedral, we were all falling asleep in the pews. We went back to the hotel and chilled for a little bit, before we decided to go find something to eat. It was someone’s bright idea to walk all the way back to where we were before. It was about a 20 minute walk, uphill, barely able to breathe. We found this Chinese restaurant up the road. It was nice. I honestly thought I was going to pass out. Everyone was walking so fast, I could barely keep up. Paul offered to walk with me later after he saw I was having some difficulties. We sat down at the restaurant and played UNO until our food came. It was good. Just like Peruanos, but not as much. We made it back to the hotel after some adventures with Jamel.
I chilled in the lobby and talked with some people I hadn’t really taken some time to get to know them. It was nice. I decided to go back to my room and I passed out.
The next morning was Machu Picchu! They woke us up at 5:30 am. We had to catch the bus at 6:40 am to take us to the train station. It took us awhile to all get on the buses, but we did and made it in time. The train ride was only supposed to take 3ish hours, but it turned into a 4.5 hour ride. The scenery was beautiful, but nothing like what we were about to see. After the train, we got on more buses and drove up the mountain. We stopped at a buffet restaurant for lunch and waiting until about 1:30pm to start hiking. We started off to Machu Picchu and I honestly was speechless when we arrived at the top. It was breath-taking. It was beautiful. The pictures I took don’t do justice. Standing there looking down on the ruins, I realized how blessed I truly am to be able to visit all these places.
We split up into 3 groups and ended up taking a 4 hour tour of the place. It was cool to learn about all the history of the place, but I really wanted time to just explore on my own. We were some of the last people to leave the park. We got to stamp our passports so now I have a stamp proving that I went to Machu Picchu. We took the train back down, but only halfway. We had to get on MORE buses and drive down back to Cusco. It was a horribly bumpy ride. We hadn’t eaten since lunch so we were all starving. They took us to this pizzeria. It was delicious after not eating for so long. I think that was the first time that I experience a real late Argentinean meal. We didn’t eat until 11:15pm. Our table scarffed our food down and went back to the hotel to sleep.
We got to sleep in the next morning and visit the market before we had to check out to go back to Lima. We went to the market a lot while we were in Peru. Made me not want to buy anything else without bartering for the price. We landed in Lima and they took us to this mall. None of us wanted to buy anything because we all came from buying cheap stuff at the markets. We exchanged our Secret Santa gifts in this park, which was fun. And we headed off to Chili’s for dinner and Starbucks before we headed back to the buses. Our flight from Lima to Rosario didn’t leave until 1:25 am so we chilled in the airport and watched a couple TV shows before it was time to board. I was hoping to sleep while on the plane, but I couldn’t. So I stayed up until about 4 am. Then right when I was about to sleep, the sun came up. Boy was that bright! We landed around 7 am and waited for the bus. We got stuck on the short bus again. I was upset because I didn’t think that I was going to sleep, but praise the Lord I did. I ended up falling asleep on Paul’s shoulder the whole 3 hour trip. That was some good sleep!
We arrived at the UAP around 10:30 am. We had to wait another 30 minutes for the bus to arrive. We got our luggage and some stuff figured out for our Christmas vacation, ran to start our laundry and shower. Friday was mostly spent unpacking and packing again for Bariloche, where I am now.
Peru was an adventure. It was an awesome experience. I’ll keep you guys updated on my Christmas vacation!
I remember traveling with PJ to the Philippines and know that it didn’t have to take that long, but it did. In their defense, we did have a big group. I got my passport stamped and waited to get on the plane. Once I got on the plane, I passed out. It’s a gift I have really. Lol. We arrived in Lima and the two buses dropped us off at our hotel. I stayed with Rosemary. We were given 20 minutes then we walked to a nearby shopping center. It had a lot of American food so naturally we stopped at Chili’s. It had been so long since I had any kind of food like that. It tasted SO good. After Chili’s we stopped at Starbucks, where I passed out because I was so tired. I have to admit that I usually don’t stop at Starbucks ‘cause I don’t drink coffee, but it was really the only place that reminded me of Christmas. It even smelled like Christmas!
After that Rose, Krista and I went back to our hotel where we stayed in and watched Sunday Night Football. I’m a sucker for football and hadn’t been able to watch any games this season. After the game, I went to the other girls’ room and watched the rest of Taken. What an appropriate movie since we were all in another country. The next morning we got up and took a tour of the city. They took us to the historical part of the city. It was beautiful. They took us to this huge cathedral and catacombs. Even though the catacombs were a little morbid, it was fascinating to see all the bones lined up. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, but a couple people from our group snuck in a couple.
We had the rest of the day off after that so we just chilled and went to the market, went back to Chili’s and then I got to watch my Patriots KILL the New York Jets. Our cable went out during the last half of the 4th quarter, so Krista and I went up to James’ room and watched Oceans 13 with him and Paul.
We got up the next morning and left for Cusco. The city is at a really high altitude so they had a drink a lot of mate de coca. It didn’t taste very good, but I didn’t get sick so that’s good. They took us on a tour of this monastery and another cathedral. One thing about being at such a high altitude is that it makes you super sleepy. So by the middle of the tour of the cathedral, we were all falling asleep in the pews. We went back to the hotel and chilled for a little bit, before we decided to go find something to eat. It was someone’s bright idea to walk all the way back to where we were before. It was about a 20 minute walk, uphill, barely able to breathe. We found this Chinese restaurant up the road. It was nice. I honestly thought I was going to pass out. Everyone was walking so fast, I could barely keep up. Paul offered to walk with me later after he saw I was having some difficulties. We sat down at the restaurant and played UNO until our food came. It was good. Just like Peruanos, but not as much. We made it back to the hotel after some adventures with Jamel.
I chilled in the lobby and talked with some people I hadn’t really taken some time to get to know them. It was nice. I decided to go back to my room and I passed out.
The next morning was Machu Picchu! They woke us up at 5:30 am. We had to catch the bus at 6:40 am to take us to the train station. It took us awhile to all get on the buses, but we did and made it in time. The train ride was only supposed to take 3ish hours, but it turned into a 4.5 hour ride. The scenery was beautiful, but nothing like what we were about to see. After the train, we got on more buses and drove up the mountain. We stopped at a buffet restaurant for lunch and waiting until about 1:30pm to start hiking. We started off to Machu Picchu and I honestly was speechless when we arrived at the top. It was breath-taking. It was beautiful. The pictures I took don’t do justice. Standing there looking down on the ruins, I realized how blessed I truly am to be able to visit all these places.
We split up into 3 groups and ended up taking a 4 hour tour of the place. It was cool to learn about all the history of the place, but I really wanted time to just explore on my own. We were some of the last people to leave the park. We got to stamp our passports so now I have a stamp proving that I went to Machu Picchu. We took the train back down, but only halfway. We had to get on MORE buses and drive down back to Cusco. It was a horribly bumpy ride. We hadn’t eaten since lunch so we were all starving. They took us to this pizzeria. It was delicious after not eating for so long. I think that was the first time that I experience a real late Argentinean meal. We didn’t eat until 11:15pm. Our table scarffed our food down and went back to the hotel to sleep.
We got to sleep in the next morning and visit the market before we had to check out to go back to Lima. We went to the market a lot while we were in Peru. Made me not want to buy anything else without bartering for the price. We landed in Lima and they took us to this mall. None of us wanted to buy anything because we all came from buying cheap stuff at the markets. We exchanged our Secret Santa gifts in this park, which was fun. And we headed off to Chili’s for dinner and Starbucks before we headed back to the buses. Our flight from Lima to Rosario didn’t leave until 1:25 am so we chilled in the airport and watched a couple TV shows before it was time to board. I was hoping to sleep while on the plane, but I couldn’t. So I stayed up until about 4 am. Then right when I was about to sleep, the sun came up. Boy was that bright! We landed around 7 am and waited for the bus. We got stuck on the short bus again. I was upset because I didn’t think that I was going to sleep, but praise the Lord I did. I ended up falling asleep on Paul’s shoulder the whole 3 hour trip. That was some good sleep!
We arrived at the UAP around 10:30 am. We had to wait another 30 minutes for the bus to arrive. We got our luggage and some stuff figured out for our Christmas vacation, ran to start our laundry and shower. Friday was mostly spent unpacking and packing again for Bariloche, where I am now.
Peru was an adventure. It was an awesome experience. I’ll keep you guys updated on my Christmas vacation!
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