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Elizabeth Steinert
I am a new Graduate Student at the University of Minnesota, now studying Immunology. I hope to someday combine my research interests with my love for travel and concerns for Latin America's public health issues. My undergraduate years were spent at Hamline University in Minnesota, USA. Durin my years there I studyied biology and spanish, and played soccer. On long breaks I always find myself scouring cheap flights to take me on my next adventure to explore new places and find pick-up soccer games everywhere along the way. Something More
I started traveling in 2005 when I studied in Guatemala while living with an AMAZING family. I returned the following year, 2006, to visit the family and travel through Guatemala with a friend, all the while posting my experiences on a site. My next adventure in the summer of 2007 started in China where I met my same friend with whom I traveled previously. In the winter of 2008 I actually went with my family and best friend from grade-school to meet my step-dad's family in Jordan and took the time to visit Egypt as well. The following winter (2009) I traveled Nicaragua and Costa Rica with a new companion.My longest trip was the summer of 2010 when I left Chicago for Dublin with my Best friend from Kindergarten. From there we went to London, then Spain. From Spain we parted ways and I flew to Peru where I met another friend from college. She and I will traveled South America, rejuvenating and testing my Spanish all the way, until we headed out of Argentina to our respective U.S home states. The plan itself was a bit much....part of it was fast paced and planned.. the second half was the complete opposite! All was exciting and blogged here. The next trip on my mind is India. Maybe in January. Check back then!
Travel Blog Posts
Coinceding to the Timline
Published: July 17th 2010South America » Argentina » Santa Cruz » El Calafate
July 17th 2010
When you leave with 6 weeks ahead it feels like forever.... so much unknown, so much to come, so much you accept not knowing, so much you decide to just let come to you because you have no other option. And then as youre traveling you start to see how much there is to see. How much you dont have time for. Lust for all you want to explore. Dreaming of returning to these places... but also resent for your return flight, the only finite thing in your path. The only thing that keeps you from going on forever... well that and money and school or work.. and well real life. But its what you see. So we travel place to place for weeks with that at the back of our minds, as far back as ... read more
From the Sea to the South
Published: July 15th 2010South America » Chile » Magallanes » Puerto NatalesJuly 14th 2010
We arrived in Santiago, Chile and met up with one of Chelsey´s old roommates who has been studying there for the last year. We spent the evening making pizza at her apartment before heading out for the evening with her and one of her roommtes Andrew. The next day we spent ambling around Santiago and going up to the Cerro where a HUGE statue of Mother Mary hovers over the Entire city at an outdoor chapel constructed for the Pope´s visit in i don´t know what year. It was a great spot to stop and think for a while. Something about that perfect combination of outdoor space, quiet, and just enough of my religion really struck me in the best way. That night we took off for Valparaiso. On the bus we were calling hostels trying ... read more
Salta means 'Jump', So we did.
Published: July 9th 2010South America » Argentina » Mendoza » MendozaJuly 9th 2010
You're taking me back here, about a week or so now. I last wrote on an airplane, typed it later and really have done neither since. Feeling like I owe ya one, Today is the day. Happy Fourth of July friends! I landed in Lima, Peru 23 hours after I'd awoken in Madrid, Spain. Feeling mentally tired, and utterly disoriented by time and distance I got off my last flight- chatting with a fantastic couple from Tennessee- who were more than willing to assist me should my 'plan' not realize. We'd arrived late, and as anxious as i was to finally leave an airport I was more anxious to meet the Casusol family, who had agreed to pick me up and have me stay with them for my short Lima stay. Exiting the airport doors i ... read more
If London was a marathon, Spain was a sprint
Published: June 26th 2010Europe » Spain » District of MadridJune 24th 2010
We concluded our last evening in London with dinner with Saly´s Swedish friend and his friends (whom he was visiting in London), followed by a few drinks nearby. Pimms, we were recommended is a super English drink which is amazing and I´d say it´s somewhere around a Jerimiah weed/long-island but with much less alcohol. The next morning we checked out of the hostel, stored our luggage, and contnued our marathon, walking to Westminter Catedral for Sunday mass. We felt like we walked all of London in the end certainly totaling about 10miles a day. I mean we literally walked two 8 hour days plus to and from elsewhere the other days. The Westminster Cathedral has a boys choir school and so in processed maybe 15-20 boys and some of their male teachers singing like angels dressed ... read more
Off You Go..
Published: June 19th 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » London CityJune 19th 2010
I left the US at what felt like a dead sprint. After nothing short of a mad, fumbling scramble i was 'ready' to leave, jumped in the car, late, and soon enough was on my way to Dublin, Ireland. No delays, no stops, minimal waiting-felt like a whirlwind. Leaving at 7pm put us in Dublin at about 930am- but a mere 7hours later...leaving us with a MAYBE 5 hour night sleep. This, however, did NOT deter us from hitting the ground running. No, no. In fact, we got off the bus, looked around -and running toward us comes Saly's friend from her study abroad in South Korea, Diego. It turns out that his last full day in Dublin was our first- and he offered to spend it showing us around a bit. Begin- a Very long ... read more
A whole lot of Monkey business
Published: January 26th 2009Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San JoséJanuary 25th 2009
Well... the following day brought lots! We headed out of Montezuma early, no revisit to the waterfalls. We knew we had a long day of travel ahead of us..but we ended up waiting at the bus stop for the first leg of our journey, for an hour and a half beyond when we thought the bus was going to be leaving! That to begin with set our day back a bit. While waiting we were approached by multiple LARGE bluish iguanas! And what we later found out to be a kinkaju? To me it looked like a HUGE reddish squirl with a big black stripe down it´s back. We finally got on the bus, and headed to Paquera to catch a ferry. Once the ferry was loaded with cars and people and trucks... and one ATV ... read more
The beast with two shells
Published: January 16th 2009Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » MontezumaJanuary 16th 2009
After Playa del Coco we headed further south to Tamarindo...a town full of surfers, so we figured we'd try our hand. We found a lesson at our second hostel and along with lots of other beginners we let the ocean knock us around for the afternoon. But after several attempts, and a bit of figuring out the timing, I managed to stand up! It was awesome... though short lived. I managed to get up a few times during the lesson...though standing with no control was really what i was doing. When we had set up our lesson the day before, along the same dusty street (we were filthy after everyday from this road it was unbelievable) we found a place offering deep sea fishing trips, and we had asked about pricing just about everywhere, only to ... read more
A new country, and a racoon named Gigi
Published: January 10th 2009Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Guanacaste » Playas del CocoJanuary 10th 2009
After Masaya we headed to Granada where we walked around all day exploring a reconstructed colonial city. We checked in to a seemingly empty hostel right across the street from the main market, however the whole scene later livened up a lot. The hostel keeper lady struggeled with me in English, until i answered her in Spanish, and she asked me if i spoke it. I, of course, responded yes, Bless your Heart! She exclaimed. From her we got a great map and directions to lots of helpful places. We dropped our stuff and headed out along the market up the street and hung a right toward the central park. We took refuge in the shade while talking about what to do. We decided to check out the town museum a few blocks away. It was ... read more
First Impressions...
Published: January 7th 2009Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » MasayaJanuary 6th 2009
We arrived in Managua, Nicaragua yesterday afternoon greeted by the expected slue of eagar taxi drivers. But we wandered out of the airport circling roads and across the highway where we found a much more reasonable cab. Back into it already. The travel learned seems like riding a bike. We then found a group of also eagar boys willing to find us a hostel... one of which was so drunk he was not in any condition to do much at all accept fight the other boys. We managed to actually find a place, droped our stuff and began wandering about. We found a very nice monument that I guess you´re not supposed to get too close to. How could i have know the stairs weren´t actually for climbing, but an armed guard was kind enough to ... read more
June 11th 2007
After Xian and the warriors we took a train into coal country in the city of Datong. Not a pretty place. It was actually one of the ugliest cities I've ever seen, though worth a short trip. Upon arriving we met a few other travelers and checked into the same hotel. We then, including our new found Swiss friends (fondly referred to as the Swiss Franks) went to make our way to the Hanging Monestary about 70km away. We walked over to the bus station where we were told a very high bus price but of course there was a meddleing taxi driver who I didn't trust and thought they were tricking us. After much bargaining and drawing a very large crowd (just by the commotion and white people speaking some Chinese) we got in ... read more
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