http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ratha/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ratha en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:37:05 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:37:05 +0000 On Monday I woke up around 10am. This is VERY late for me but I think my body needed it from the lack of sleep from the nights before. And of course hanging out around drunk smokers always wears me out. That's one thing I really appreciate about the states the lack of smoke everywhere. I went and got breakfast upstairs and talked to a bunch of people from the hostel. Everyone seemed to get al http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/blog-309979.html What you've all been waiting for... Here are links to some photoshttpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid2332482l0439cid1204758httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid2346023l27264id1204758httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid2346025l197f8id1204758httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid2343002l83bf5id1204758httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid2346033l23c0fid1204758httpwww.fac http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/blog-309908.html Here's a synopsis. I'm back in the states but there's still things to be said about Buenos Aires. On thursday I woke up to some not so good news for me. I might have overreacted but there I found myself next to the computer with all of these feelings that I thought I had buried away resurfacing and lost all of that goodness that I had built up about myself on the trip. That confidence just seem http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-309849.html I didn't miss home one bit on this trip. That's why I extended the stay. I didn't miss it up until now. I remember telling people that the only place I can imagine myself in is the bay area. Then I thought I would want to leave and live somewhere else forever. Maybe for a while. But yesterday this morning a thought occured to me...If I wasn't taking Spanish classes for the next three days and t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-307830.html I think I should write a book for guys about good dates. Cheap dates. I don't even know how Jill and I got on that topic but we decided since I was going to be around wandering through Palermo and going paddleboating was in order. I had told her that my idea of a perfect date would be to go for a stroll around lake merrit have dinner at one of the restaurants on grand or actually a picnic in http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-307502.html Rebecca and I galavanted through the city with our tour guide Jill. Our hostel had a crazy house mom that yelled at us for having guests over. Apparently no guests in the rooms Wow. A little crazy. But here is a little synopsis of our time in Buenos Aires... before i decided to extend my flight.Day OneWe shopped. well first we ate. We headed to get pizza because both of us were really hungry. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-306752.html Spontaneity is the spice of life. And I am not one of those Spontaneous people. Not one of those who do things like this. At all. Carefully planned carefully doing things. Carefully living life.And in a brief moment all of that changed because I decided to say Yes to something that I would never do.On my last evening in Buenos Aires I really did not want to leave. There was so much to see so m http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-306330.html The 18 hour bus ride turned into a 21 hour bus ride due to some accident. We didn't move for about two hours. We watched Lions for Lambs twice to make the time pass. Why were we watching it again Jen and Susie asked I think we're the only people who have been on this bus the WHOLE time.It was a long bus ride. a COMFORTABLE bus ride. With food snacks soda water and CHAMAPGNE. Yes they hande http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-305104.html computers kind of suck in hostels...SO I PROMISE I will send photos via travelblog and via shutterflypicasa web when I get back to the states... which is in a few short daysRebecca is meeting me in Buenos Aires so it'll be nice to get a dose of home.And I haven't even told you about my Iguazu adventure and bus trips Seriously you meet the coolest people on the bus. I seriously arrived for my http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-304710.html Cachi beautiful. In a nutshell.The ride was absolutely amazing and I became in awe of how the vegetation could get from rainforest and ropical to desert. Although the experience was less than spectacular... there were no eyeopening conversations or climbing things that made me feel exhilarated... I came to appreciate geology and wished there was a book on geology that I could get through to exp http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Cachi/blog-304478.html Second day of a tour and this was by far the longest one. My alarm went off at 630 am and I turned on the light to make sure I wouldn't fall asleep I learned this from Joe. Finally I got out of bed and got ready for my journey. We piled on the bus and Christine was there including a German guy from the day before and two guys behind me and of course my roommate sitting next to me. A scot http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/San-Antonio-de-Los-Cobres/blog-304474.html Okay the symbols on this keyboard aren't actually what is on this keyboard... and it's tripping me out I am currently in Iguazu and have a lot of back blogging to do... SO... my next day the journey to Cafayate...Off of 15 minutes of sleep which I thought was 30 I piled onto the bus and sat in the front so that I would have some room for myself. Diego the guide saw me as a complete mess and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Cafayate/blog-303535.html I woke up the next morning trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn't get my act together the night before to sign up for any tours or to try and figure out if I wanted to rent a car. That morning I decided to do the tours instead of getting a car. The receptionist was very nice and we spoke Spanish as I was trying to figure things out. So I extended my day in Salta for three more nights http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Salta/blog-302781.html Receiving very little sleep from the night before I decided to get ready for the day. There were a few people in my room and one of them reminded me of a girl from back home that I went to elementary and middle school with. We also happened to go to th same college but lost touch. It was kind of weird to see someone that looked so much like her but it wasn't her. Since we had the same plans fo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Salta/blog-302523.html Stop worrying people I'm fine I am once again functioning off of maybe six hours of sleep in the past three days. This is not good. I'm going to write about my bus trip and then head to bed after a hot shower. Today was so awesome you're going to love reading about it. The title of it will be How a city girl treks through Gargantua del Diablo in street clothes off of 20 minutes of sleep at l http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Salta/blog-301604.html All right after a somewhat good night's rest talking to some Brazilians I headed out to the train station to buy my ticket to Salta. After going through that pain I should have shopped around but I trusted Andesmar... I bought a ticket to head to the Hot Springs in Cacheuta. The bus ride was an hour and there weren't that many people on it. It was beautiful driving through the Andes. Cacheut http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-299682.html So on the third day in Mendoza I was finally prepared to go into the snow. I was all bundled up and ready to go. The shuttle picked me up at 8am and I woke up fairly early to try and get a shuttle out. Everyone on my shuttle spoke Spanish and my guide barely spoke any english. So what did that leave me Well spending a lot of time not talking and then trying to speak Spanish when I could. I t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Aconcagua/blog-299146.html Since the sun doesn't rise until about 8am here I didn't wake up until about 9am or so. This is very very late for me. I finally got started along the day and headed out into town. I was supposed to head to the High Mountain tour but had to postpone it for a day because I had no clothes that would be appropriate for the mountain... but I still thought this is something I must do while I am here http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-298913.html I arrived at 9am on the cama bus... which is the most amazing thing every invented. I've also never been on a Greyhound that I remember so I have nothing really to compare it too. But if you read my other entry dinner breakfast movie what more could you ask for I must say I held onto my things as tightly as I could...I took the cab to my hostel which actually isn't that far away from the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-298603.html Things I likeThe weather I can feel the sunThe people very nice very friendly. The cab driver and I had a conversation yay for speaking spanishThe food much cheaper than in Buenos AiresThe tree lined streets.the big sidewalks so that you dont get bumped into anyone while you are walking.my hostel its so quaint and nice.Things I dont likeThe weather its freezing and I http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-298491.html