CricketREL

After visiting Iguacu Falls in the Brazilian state of Parana, I was highly skeptical that anything could match the sheer natural splendor of the mighty waterfalls. Lucky for me, I was proved wrong only 24 hours later when we arrived in the Pantanal to spend 3 days in a wildlife paradise. Straddling the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso do Norte, and small parts of Paraguay and Bolivia, the Pantanal is a vast alluvial floodplain 20 times larger than the Everglades. It floods in the wet season (Nov.-Apr.) and slowly dries out between May and October, forcing animals to gather around the shrinking lakes and rivers for water. It is the best place to view wildlife in all of Brazil, because the landscape consists of scrubby brush and outcroppings of subtropical trees that ... read more

The word iguacu means "Big Waters" in the Guarani and Tupi language, and one's first look at the magnificent Iguacu Fallsreveals why these waterfalls retained the name given to them by the natives of the area. Straddling the border between Argentina and Brazil, the Rio Iguacu roars over the edge of the Parana Plateau in 275 breathtaking waterfalls that stretch like a curtain over nearly 3 kilometers of river. It was one of the most stunning sights I have ever seen, rivalled only by the Grand Canyon in sheer natural splendor. I will let the photos tell most of the story for this post, since words cannot possibly do the falls justice. We flew into Foz do Iguacu, a city of about 350,000 people on the Brazilian side of the border, and met our friend Eric ... read more

Greetings! I´m on the move again, traveling around South America this time. This is going to be a short post because we just arrived last night, but I can say that a) Copa Airlines outperformed most US airlines that I usually use, and b) it is wonderful to escape the 100 degree humidity of Washington DC. For the next 3 weeks I will be traveling through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile making stops in Sao Paolo, Foz do Iguazu, the Pantanal, Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Santiago. I´m traveling with some friends of mine who I met in Boston, and Toni and I arrived into Guarhulos Int´l Airport outside Sao Paolo around 1am last night. Note to fellow travelers: At that time of night, the $60 cab ride into the city is totally worth it. Especially when it ... read more

Dear Friends & Family, I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I last posted a blog. Time has passed in a blur, and I have trouble believing that it is now April 2010. Every year has its ups and downs, but this past year has been more down than up, unfortunately. I guess there is no escaping the law of averages; who am I to try and avoid adversity? But things are beginning to look up again, and I have some good news for everyone. I am moving to Boston! Yes, Beantown. The city where I was born. I haven’t been back much in the intervening 24 years, but I am looking forward to launching the next phase of my adult life. After putting it off for two years following graduation, I am ... read more

A Cidade Maravilhosa! (That means "The Marvelous City" in Portuguese). Even though it's been kind of gray and rainy during my visit to Rio de Janeiro, I think the city merits its nickname. I've had a blast walking all around Rio for the last few days with my own personal guide (Rodolpho) and learning my way around its numerous neighborhoods. It's a beautiful city, with verdant hills rising dramatically above the sea that break up the landscape and gorgeous beaches below that line the edge of the city. Rio lies around the Baia de Guanabara (a bay near the southern end of Brazil) and it also has a beautiful lagoon ("lagoa") that sits slightly to the south of the bay. The result of all the coastline and hills is a city that's broken into distinct neighborhoods, ... read more

Spending two days away on idyllic Lago Titicaca was a great way to end my trip to Bolivia. Lauren and I caught a bus to Copacabana (not the Brazilian beach, it's a town on the shore of the lake) Tuesday morning, and within 3 1/2 hours we were far from the bustle of La Paz, basking in the peace and quiet of a sun-baked square in small Copacabana. The town is little more than a 8 x 8 block grid, nestled along the lake between two hills. The houses are colorful if not exactly in the best shape, and the people are quite friendly. Tourism is the lifeblood of the town these days, as the Aymara people have succeeded in creating a backpacker's budget hostal/restaurant paradise. We paid no more than $3 apiece for our hostal, ... read more

Hello! I´m back in civilization (and the land of internet) after finishing our 4-day trek to Machu Picchu. It was absolutely incredible! We had such a good time. Our trek took us from Mollepata to Machu Picchu by way of the Salkantay Pass, which rises to 15,000 ft (or 4600m) before dropping into cloud forest on the other side of the pass and winding along several stunning valleys. We were supposed to trek for 4 days before reaching Machu Picchu, but due to complications at the airport (a four hour delay) we missed the first day´s hike and caught up to our group at the first night´s camp at 12,000 ft under the shadow of Salkantay (Savage Mountain). The snafu might have worked out in our favor, though, because after three successive days of fairly grueling ... read more