Our exit from Rio was about as hectic as our entire stay. Kika was gracious enough to drive us to the bus terminal in Barra that would transfer us to the long distance bus terminal. This drive, which normally takes 10 minutes, took us an hour. Now that Carnaval was over, everyone went back to work, creating a chaotic mess of traffic. However, following Elianes´s advice, we gave ourselves 4 hours to get to the main terminal, the same time it would take from Rio to Paraty. The drive down the coast was curvy but beautiful. You could tell there was much more money down on this end of Brazil; all the towns we passed had boat docks with yachts in the water. We arrived to Paraty a half hour later than scheduled, and were supposed ... read more

Our bus ride to Valença went smoothly enough, much better than the one we took down to Itacare, as it was the morning instead of the crazy hot afternoon. At the boat dock, we decided to take the faster boat rather than the ferry, which would take twice as long. Once we bought tickets, we had no time to see what we were to ride on, let alone judge the state condition it was in. We were rushed onto a 25x10 foot boat, alongside 15 other passengers and took off, through mangroves and river channels. We hadn´t even gone 15 minutes when we noticed the motor starting to smoke from the water. The driver slowed and checked it out, then continued on to the open water, whereupon he opened it up to full speed. As we ... read more

Before emabarking on our journey to Itacare, I needed to take some money out to pay for the hostel. I had tried 3 banks the previous day to no avail, so I asked Inbal where a particular bank was that I knew would accept my card. He asked a few local friends and told me it was through a bad neighborhood but he would take me on his motorcycle if I wanted. 10 minutes later I was holding on strong to the rear handles of the bike, zooming through the steep curvy streets of Pelorinho. As we rode, I could see why one wouldn´t want to venture through the favela on foot. Dirty streets with skinny fiends taking shelter under bridges and in alleyways. The interesting part was this area was only 2 streets downhill from ... read more

The 3 hour bus ride from El Calafate to El Chalten was a gorgeous drive. Between glaciers, Lago Argentina, wildlife, and the approaching mountains peaking through the rain clouds, I knew we were heading the right way. I just hoped the clouds would disperse enough for us to see the magnificence of Fitz Roy and other iconic Andean landmarks. Chloe´s bites were becoming an issue and traveling to another hostel, although we were to have a private, was not the best remedy. A fact brought to fruition on arrival to our designated hostel. From the front it looked decent, painted white with a grassy front yard and views of some mountains in a distant valley. The receptionist who checked us in could not have had less of a personality. Around our age, working at a hostel, ... read more

As we got off the plane in Trelew, we were greeted by high gusts of hot wind and views of endless pampas. Pampas are dry grasslands, almost SW desert-like, that make up nearly the entirety of Patagonia, save the southern tip of Ushuaia and the Andes mountain range. Riding the hour long shuttle from Trelew to Puerto Madryn, we began to ask ourselves, why are we here? We asked the same question again upon entereing the uncharasmatic, dusty, windswept town of Puerto Madryn. The hostel we stayed at was surprisingly very nice. An open, but protected center courtyard of green grass with a hammock, chairs and tables, and potted flowers surrounding it. All the receptionists were very nice and informative of the various excursions available and where all the essential amentities were in town. Although we ... read more