MonkeyBoy

In my mad attempt to fit as much into my Peruvian trip as I could, I left my tour of the Islas Ballestas in the morning to make the three-hour trip down to Nasca to fly over the famous Líneas de Nasca and then go another seven hours back up to Lima. The lines were of course interesting, but one aspect of the trip that was even more--we'll say--exciting was the trip down to Nasca itself. After grabbing a collective taxi out to a major highway, I caught a one-hour bus down to the city of Ica where I was told (by the travel agency) that the best way to get to the airport in Nasca was to take an auto colectivo, basically a beat-up old van/bus that takes people somewhere for cheap. I had been ... read more

Monday morning was the beginning of the end for me, as I started my long journey home back to the US. Catching a plane out of Buenos Aires at 6:30 in the morning (meaning no sleep that night), I suddenly found myself in the bustling, very "South American" city of Lima, Peru. I say "South American," because while being in Argentina and especially Buenos Aires, it's so incredibly easy to forget where you are. Lima is a combination like any old, large Latin American city, full of modern businesses and colonial architecture, great little local restaurants and suspiciously abdundant KFC/Pizza Hut joints. By day, the old cathedrals, government buildings, and plazas show off their beautifully ornate craftsmanship, but by night, they are lit up in truly amazing fashion, giving the old buildings a brilliant new energy ... read more

Sadly, I don't have all that much to say about the wonderful city of Córdoba because due to my limited time left (and a few extra days spent elsewhere) I only had one day in Argentina's second-largest city. One of the great things about the city is that the sights are all very viewable in a day's walk. Concretrated in the center, Córdoba is a bastion of colonial architecture (and related history)--cathedrals, basilicas, convents, universities and more. Beyond that, it has two art museums that, while not extremely expansive, give a good survey of cordobé art, past and present. Another interesting sight is the Jesuit Crypts, a relatively new attraction. Built in the beginning the 18th century, they were abandoned when the Jesuits were expelled from Argentina and eventually destroyed in 1829 when the city decided ... read more

Mendoza, right on the edge of the northern Andes in known for two things: wine and just being a darn pleasant place. Arriving around midnight on Thursday, the first thing I noticed was just how many people were out at sidewalk tables, having a bite to eat and a few drinks with friends. All of these sidewalk restaurants and bars were constantly packed out. Even in the afternoon or morning you could find places with tables outside filled with Argentine youth. The city itself doesn't offer many sights, but is just a great place to, well, hang out. Boasting a 430 hectacre park on its west side, the citizens have a fantastic (and enormous) place to past the afternoon with family sharing an asado or mate, visiting the zoo, or even watching a soccer match. Outside ... read more

When you hear the word Patagonia, what do you think of? Whatever it is, it will probably never compare with what you will see when you actually arrive there. In my first major excursion out of Buenos Aires in a month, I decided to go straight for the throat and head down south to the northern part of Patagonia, known as the Lake District. In a laughable twist of irony, after spending an entire month in BA with friends, I boarded a bus alone just a few hours before the start of my birthday. Luckily, I met a fantastically nice Irish girl and British guy on the bus, and we ended up spending the next few days together hiking. Bariloche is one of the ultimate tourist destinations for Argentines (and well-off Brazilians as well). You practically ... read more