Allright....as we get closer and closer to us going public with our rtw news......I am starting to have some anxiety about all the things that must get done before we leave for our trip! Many of our friends and family may ask how we ever started prepping for a rtw trip, given that our planning time was only about 7 months out, as compared to years for most people who do rtw trips.
Here are a few of the basics just to get started:
What are you doing about your apartment?
Lucky for me, my lease was scheduled to be up December 15th and I didn't know what I was going to do at that time. Therefore, I obviously chose NOT to renew my lease....and I will obviously not have rent payments while I am gone.
Sooo....where are you going after December 15th?
Well this was a little debate. My parents graciously offered their home (after I asked them :) to me until I left...and while the idea of moving back in with mommy and daddy was tempting, the commute to work every day was not. Lucky for me, I have the best friends EVER and when my friend Lisa heard of this trip she immediately offered up her 2nd bedroom, conveniently located about 2 miles from work, and ironically enough, she lives in the same apartment I used to live in....so I will feel right at home there.
Sooo.....you have to split up all of your stuff between Lisa's and your parents?
HELL NO! I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. The majority of my junk (and ALL of my furniture) will have a new, spacious, 10x10 home at a storage facility in Libertyville. Movers, check. Storage facility booked, check. This all just happened within the last month or so and it's great to get this task off my shoulders. My lovely movers will be here December 14th to cart all of my stuff up to the burbs....and then I will bring some of my stuff back to the rents, a few essentials to Lisa's, and I'll go from there.
What about your car?
Well if the little old lady even lives until February (debatable)....she will have a new home in my parent's driveway. My insurance will be switched to fire and theft only (although, probably unecessary...as my dad so nicely stated "Who the hell would steal that piece of junk?). And if she still runs by the time I get back, I will drive her around for a few more weeks while I search for a new car!
What about your job?
My job.......As you all know, I absolutely adore my job. Unfortunately, taking a leave of absence was not an option at this time.....so I QUIT!!! Can you believe it? Everyone please cross your fingers for me that they are looking for nurses when I get back.......I luckily have two things on my side: 1. We are moving into our new unit shortly after I get back, and therefore one would expect that extra help will be needed, and 2: I am much cheaper than a new employee as I won't have to be trained :) So we'll see what happens!
What about insurance?
Travel insurance is a wonder.....I have already bought my six month package from World Nomads. Of course, a routine doctor visit isn't covered under a policy such as this one, but more necessary travel things are: trip cancellation, interruption, baggage loss, emergency treatment, emergency evacuation, etc. Basically I am being a responsible girl in the months before (squeezing in one last visit at every possible doctor I can think of)...and hoping for the best while I'm gone! I will obviously NOT be insured through my job while I am not working there.
What about everyday tasks (bill payments, nursing license renewal, taxes, etc?)
This is where friends and family will rack up some presents from my travels as repayment for doing these tasks for me :) Luckily, I won't have many bills while I'm gone: my apartment will be no more, which also means no utilities. I paid off my student loans a year or two ago in full...so no issue there. I won't have a cell phone on the road, so nada for that. My storage locker and car/renter's insurance are on automatic bill pay, and my credit card I can easily manage from the road. Taxes: these can be done before I go. Nursing license renewal? License sticker renewal? Thanks mom and dad :) They will be taking care of those for me. They will also be acting as my own personal secretary and if anything crazy comes up when I'm gone they can let me know as I will probably be in constant contact with them (except when I am on a mountain somewhere)....
And that is just the tip of the iceberg planning wise........there are more random thoughts circling my head every day since July about what to do to prep for this trip than I ever thought could exist....you don't realize how all the mundane tasks add up until you sit and think about not having a home base for 6 months!!!
More notes on banking, packing, and planning to come soon!!!!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Rioooooo!
Well we have made it to Rio in one piece :) We booked an apartment for this leg of the trip and it is working out quite nicely....the guy who is renting us the apartment is really nice and super helpful. We have been quite lazy so far since we were all kind of exhausted from our last night with the group in Santiago (pictures to come soon).
Monday we made our way to Arporador to watch the sunset over Ipanema and Copacabana beaches...was beautiful!
Yesterday we spent on Ipanema beach....made our way up to Sugarloaf to catch the sunset and seeing the city all lit up at night.....and then met up with one of our friend from work's cousins for dinner at a traditional Brazilian steakhouse......that food was amazing! And this morning we spent some time in the Botanical Gardens and are now settling in for a little siesta as its super hot outside and we want to save up for the samba bar we are going to tonight!
Pictures to come later.....probably when I'm back in the States1
Monday we made our way to Arporador to watch the sunset over Ipanema and Copacabana beaches...was beautiful!
Yesterday we spent on Ipanema beach....made our way up to Sugarloaf to catch the sunset and seeing the city all lit up at night.....and then met up with one of our friend from work's cousins for dinner at a traditional Brazilian steakhouse......that food was amazing! And this morning we spent some time in the Botanical Gardens and are now settling in for a little siesta as its super hot outside and we want to save up for the samba bar we are going to tonight!
Pictures to come later.....probably when I'm back in the States1
Monday, October 24, 2011
The W Circuit....probably the most amazing hike I have ever done
4 days, 60ish km in 30 or so hours of hiking, some crazy weather conditions...and great company :)
Day 1 proved to be a challenge but with great reward. Katy and I were expecting hiking at the pace that we had hiked Lares....which allowed for altitude (read: sloooow pace). Not this hike. We were off and racing. The three of us managed to keep up decently, but there was a good thing that there was an assistant guide because he was able to bring up the back when necessary.
Our day's goal was to make it to Mirador Los Torres....this it the typical picture you think of when you picture the Torres del Paine W circuit. It was 9km in, 9 km out, and an extra 2 or 3 km back and forth to camp, bringing our day's total to right around 20km. It took our group about 8 hours, including a decently long lunch stop and then a beer break at a refugio on our way back from the Mirador.
The view at the lookout was absolutely amazing. We got extremely lucky weather-wise...within our first 30 min of the day's hike, we had all lost many of our layers and were soaking up the sun. That didn't last forever, which is extremely typical of this terrain. The weather conditions are ever-changing, and I was cycling between my bottom and fourth layer all day long, plus or minus hat, gloves, neck warmer, etc. Anways, back to the viewpoint. It was a steep and rocky final kilometer to the top, and I was happy when our whole group had safely made it up there. We stayed up to admire the beauty as long as we could tolerate with the wind and cold, and then headed back. Like I said before, we made a stop at the refugio about 2 hours away from our campsite to warm up and grab a beer and some snacks. The refugios are pretty neat because you feel a sense of comraderie with your fellow hikers....you also feel like you are at home as you are required to check your shoes and packs at the door to keep it clean.
The only unfortunate thing about the refugio was that it had started to rain/sleet while we were inside...so going back out into the weather was daunting. We geared up, made sure our packs were all securely waterproofed, and trudged on for the final 2 hours or so of our day. Lucky for us, our guide knew the owner of the refugio that was near our campsite so he provided us with a private room with a fire to hang all of our wet gear out and to hang out in before heading to our campsite for the night. The refugio fed us a delicious dinner and we were able to drink some wine and talk around the fire until we were ready to head back out into the rain and to our tents for bed.
Day 2 was a short day for us, only hiking about 11km in 5 hours. It was different in that we started at point A and ended at point B, instead of coming back to our place of origin as we had done the day before. We woke up to clear skies (yay!) after hearing rain pounding on the tent all night long. We hiked alongside a beautiful lake for a lot of the way. There were some short uphill stints but nothing too challenging. We were able to stop under a big tree for a great lunch....and I discovered if you climbed up a little hill behind us there was a great view of Los Cuernos to be seen. We made it to our high point for the day and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Lake Nordenskjold....and about 5 condors that started circling overhead as we were taking photos! And to think Katy and I booked a separate excrsion in Peru to Colca Canyon just to see condors a few months ago.....
We made it into Refugio Los Cuernos around 3pm and just in time....the weather changed quickly and we were very happy that we were all settled inside our warm mountain house for the night. The rooms had about 8 bunks in them each, stacked 3 high at some points. Our guide warned us to shower early as the refugio was expecting about 28 guests that night and hot water would be at a premium....so Katy, Reb, and I took that advice and jumped right in for some super hot showers, which was amazing.
We then spent the afternoon enjoying some beverages, playing lots of cards, enjoying the views of the lake and mountains from the windows, and listening to the rain and wind reek havoc around us. It was a very cool day. We all settled into bed by about 10pm that night after a warm, rich dinner, some vino, and some jenga :)
Day 3.....the long day.
Today's challenge was making to the third viewpoint, which would bring our day's hiking total to 25 km. For some in our group, that was no biggie...but for my friends and I it came as a challenge....one that we conquered, however :)
We started off leaving Refugio Los Cuernos around 9am. It was pretty beautiful out...we all de-layered quickly. The first part of our hike was alongside the lake and the winds were out of control. There were literally times when you would have to crouch down and hold on to the nearest rock or tree to keep yourself from being blown over. Our guide said that it took winds of 100km or greater to cause what looked like mini tornadoes on the lake....and those were in full force as we were walking. We trudged on for quite a while until a rest point called Campo Italiano, where we took a quick water and snack break. From this point, we were only an hour or so from the 2nd viewpoint, which would be about half of the group's endpoint...it was a challenging uphill hike to this unprotected area with great views but very high winds. At this point 6 people decided to turn back and 5 trudged on, Katy and myself included. We hauled ass to the 3rd viewpoint for many reasons...
1. We were starving, and the 3rd viewpoint is where we would break for lunch
2. Our guide is a super fast hiker
and
3. Katy and I decided that we were not falling behind the boys for this portion.....so we both kicked it into high gear and half hiked/half ran to this viewpoint...I think we did about 3km in 40 minutes or so over uneven terrain...I was exhausted by the time we made it there.
So we arrived....tired but in complete awe of what was in front of us. We were surrounded 360 degrees by AMAZING scenery that neither film nor video could capture. We found some shelter behind a rock and quickly ate our lunch while taking in the view. Our guide was able to name all of the mountains and formations surrounding us but I can't remember all of them at this moment.
As much as we would have loved to stay up there, the winds were extreme and the temperature was definitely below freezing...combine that with a sweaty, non-moving body and your tolerance for cold is not much. We left after about 15 minutes or so and started the hike back to camp. The rest of our group had went ahead on to camp for the night, so we ended up arriving an hour or so behind them.
We dodged any rain (unfortunately we can't say the same for the rest of our group) and made it to camp around 5. This refugio (Refugio Paine Grande) was nice as well but not nearly as accomodating as the one that we were associated with the first night. The rules were strict: if you stayed inside, you could use their facilities. If you were camping, you could not. Although the campsite bathrooms weren't bad at all.
You could, of course, buy things from the bar located upstairs...so this is where we settled ourselves before and after dinner...followed by some mild group karoake until none of us could keep our eyes open any longer. With day four (sadly, our last day) of the W in front of us, we scurried back to our tents in the rain and snuggled in for the night.
Day 4!
After watching 2 of the boys in our group jump in the lake for a quick swim (with an air temp of about 30 degrees Farenheit), we headed out for our last day of hiking to see the great Grey Glacier. Today was a short day, about 10km or so in 3.5 hours. Terrain was fairly even...a few uphill bursts on the way there but nothing too challenging. We made it to the glacier viewpoint in about an hour and a half...and it was awesome. Again, photos can't capture how cool this glacier was.....and I don't think any of us comprehended how big it was as we were still 5km or so away from it. We had to do a quick photo shoot because again (notice the trend)....it was freeeezing at the viewpoint with high winds.
We made it back to the refugio for a quick lunch before taking a boat back across to the park entrance.....and the sad realization that we were all done with the W trek set in. Everyone was exhausted on the boat ride back and the 2 hour bus ride back to Puerto Natales....many well deserved naps were taken :)
And that was it! I would highly recommend the W trek for anyone considering......
Day 1 proved to be a challenge but with great reward. Katy and I were expecting hiking at the pace that we had hiked Lares....which allowed for altitude (read: sloooow pace). Not this hike. We were off and racing. The three of us managed to keep up decently, but there was a good thing that there was an assistant guide because he was able to bring up the back when necessary.
Our day's goal was to make it to Mirador Los Torres....this it the typical picture you think of when you picture the Torres del Paine W circuit. It was 9km in, 9 km out, and an extra 2 or 3 km back and forth to camp, bringing our day's total to right around 20km. It took our group about 8 hours, including a decently long lunch stop and then a beer break at a refugio on our way back from the Mirador.
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| Park entrance |
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| Our whole group at Mirador Los Torres |
 |
| Nurses :) |
The view at the lookout was absolutely amazing. We got extremely lucky weather-wise...within our first 30 min of the day's hike, we had all lost many of our layers and were soaking up the sun. That didn't last forever, which is extremely typical of this terrain. The weather conditions are ever-changing, and I was cycling between my bottom and fourth layer all day long, plus or minus hat, gloves, neck warmer, etc. Anways, back to the viewpoint. It was a steep and rocky final kilometer to the top, and I was happy when our whole group had safely made it up there. We stayed up to admire the beauty as long as we could tolerate with the wind and cold, and then headed back. Like I said before, we made a stop at the refugio about 2 hours away from our campsite to warm up and grab a beer and some snacks. The refugios are pretty neat because you feel a sense of comraderie with your fellow hikers....you also feel like you are at home as you are required to check your shoes and packs at the door to keep it clean.
 |
| All of our clothes drying by the fire |
The only unfortunate thing about the refugio was that it had started to rain/sleet while we were inside...so going back out into the weather was daunting. We geared up, made sure our packs were all securely waterproofed, and trudged on for the final 2 hours or so of our day. Lucky for us, our guide knew the owner of the refugio that was near our campsite so he provided us with a private room with a fire to hang all of our wet gear out and to hang out in before heading to our campsite for the night. The refugio fed us a delicious dinner and we were able to drink some wine and talk around the fire until we were ready to head back out into the rain and to our tents for bed.
Day 2 was a short day for us, only hiking about 11km in 5 hours. It was different in that we started at point A and ended at point B, instead of coming back to our place of origin as we had done the day before. We woke up to clear skies (yay!) after hearing rain pounding on the tent all night long. We hiked alongside a beautiful lake for a lot of the way. There were some short uphill stints but nothing too challenging. We were able to stop under a big tree for a great lunch....and I discovered if you climbed up a little hill behind us there was a great view of Los Cuernos to be seen. We made it to our high point for the day and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Lake Nordenskjold....and about 5 condors that started circling overhead as we were taking photos! And to think Katy and I booked a separate excrsion in Peru to Colca Canyon just to see condors a few months ago.....
We made it into Refugio Los Cuernos around 3pm and just in time....the weather changed quickly and we were very happy that we were all settled inside our warm mountain house for the night. The rooms had about 8 bunks in them each, stacked 3 high at some points. Our guide warned us to shower early as the refugio was expecting about 28 guests that night and hot water would be at a premium....so Katy, Reb, and I took that advice and jumped right in for some super hot showers, which was amazing.
 |
| Goofing around in the refugio |
We then spent the afternoon enjoying some beverages, playing lots of cards, enjoying the views of the lake and mountains from the windows, and listening to the rain and wind reek havoc around us. It was a very cool day. We all settled into bed by about 10pm that night after a warm, rich dinner, some vino, and some jenga :)
Day 3.....the long day.
Today's challenge was making to the third viewpoint, which would bring our day's hiking total to 25 km. For some in our group, that was no biggie...but for my friends and I it came as a challenge....one that we conquered, however :)
We started off leaving Refugio Los Cuernos around 9am. It was pretty beautiful out...we all de-layered quickly. The first part of our hike was alongside the lake and the winds were out of control. There were literally times when you would have to crouch down and hold on to the nearest rock or tree to keep yourself from being blown over. Our guide said that it took winds of 100km or greater to cause what looked like mini tornadoes on the lake....and those were in full force as we were walking. We trudged on for quite a while until a rest point called Campo Italiano, where we took a quick water and snack break. From this point, we were only an hour or so from the 2nd viewpoint, which would be about half of the group's endpoint...it was a challenging uphill hike to this unprotected area with great views but very high winds. At this point 6 people decided to turn back and 5 trudged on, Katy and myself included. We hauled ass to the 3rd viewpoint for many reasons...
1. We were starving, and the 3rd viewpoint is where we would break for lunch
2. Our guide is a super fast hiker
and
3. Katy and I decided that we were not falling behind the boys for this portion.....so we both kicked it into high gear and half hiked/half ran to this viewpoint...I think we did about 3km in 40 minutes or so over uneven terrain...I was exhausted by the time we made it there.
So we arrived....tired but in complete awe of what was in front of us. We were surrounded 360 degrees by AMAZING scenery that neither film nor video could capture. We found some shelter behind a rock and quickly ate our lunch while taking in the view. Our guide was able to name all of the mountains and formations surrounding us but I can't remember all of them at this moment.
 |
| Taking cover behind some rocks to quickly eat lunch |
As much as we would have loved to stay up there, the winds were extreme and the temperature was definitely below freezing...combine that with a sweaty, non-moving body and your tolerance for cold is not much. We left after about 15 minutes or so and started the hike back to camp. The rest of our group had went ahead on to camp for the night, so we ended up arriving an hour or so behind them.
We dodged any rain (unfortunately we can't say the same for the rest of our group) and made it to camp around 5. This refugio (Refugio Paine Grande) was nice as well but not nearly as accomodating as the one that we were associated with the first night. The rules were strict: if you stayed inside, you could use their facilities. If you were camping, you could not. Although the campsite bathrooms weren't bad at all.
You could, of course, buy things from the bar located upstairs...so this is where we settled ourselves before and after dinner...followed by some mild group karoake until none of us could keep our eyes open any longer. With day four (sadly, our last day) of the W in front of us, we scurried back to our tents in the rain and snuggled in for the night.
Day 4!
After watching 2 of the boys in our group jump in the lake for a quick swim (with an air temp of about 30 degrees Farenheit), we headed out for our last day of hiking to see the great Grey Glacier. Today was a short day, about 10km or so in 3.5 hours. Terrain was fairly even...a few uphill bursts on the way there but nothing too challenging. We made it to the glacier viewpoint in about an hour and a half...and it was awesome. Again, photos can't capture how cool this glacier was.....and I don't think any of us comprehended how big it was as we were still 5km or so away from it. We had to do a quick photo shoot because again (notice the trend)....it was freeeezing at the viewpoint with high winds.
 |
| Celebratory dinner back in Puerto Natales :) |
We made it back to the refugio for a quick lunch before taking a boat back across to the park entrance.....and the sad realization that we were all done with the W trek set in. Everyone was exhausted on the boat ride back and the 2 hour bus ride back to Puerto Natales....many well deserved naps were taken :)
And that was it! I would highly recommend the W trek for anyone considering......
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Motion of the Ocean will get ya......
Some late posting about our time on the Navimag!!
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| Our bunks |
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Friday, October 14, 2011
Osorno!!
Please ignore my font mishaps from the previous post.....I screwed it up and have no idea how to change it.
Instead of spending time trying to figure that out, I am going to post about our day yesterday instead because it was AMAZING! We arrived in Puerto Vares on Wednesday morning after a quick flight from Santiago. We spent the day wandering the town (its small) and went on over to a neighboring town, Fruitellar. The whole general area we are in is the Lake District of Chile, and everything about it is gorgeous. The view from the town includes two volcanoes, Osorno and Calbuco. Wednesday was a little overcast so the views weren't fantastic, but I was fine with that because the weather yesterday was unbelievable.
We left our hotel around 9 and drove around Lake Llanquihue and stopped a little ways up Osorno. It was chilly to start but in about 15 minutes we had all ditched our top two layers. It was a steep 30 minute climb up...but immediately we were rewarded with amazing views. The clouds were off the top of Osorno and it's intact cone was visible during the whole hike.
We took some time to take pictures and rehydrate
at the first rest point. If everyone stopped talking it was dead silent...no birds, no animals. And the sky was so clear....we were able to see many other neighboring volcanoes during the hike.
We continued hiking about an hour more until the we arrived where we stopped for lunch, overlooking a lake. The pictures from lunch weren't amazing....it was pretty hazy. But by the time we packed up and left it had cleared up a decent amount.....
We hiked down about 2 hours or so where our car was waiting to pick us up and headed over to the Petrohue waterfalls, a popular stopping point for many tourists. We had a quick look and then headed back towards Puerto Vares for a hot shower, dinner, and many drinks :)
Its time now to go board the Navimag :) More later....probably in about a week. Next up: cruising the Chilean Fjords and hiking the W trek of Torres del Paine!!!
Instead of spending time trying to figure that out, I am going to post about our day yesterday instead because it was AMAZING! We arrived in Puerto Vares on Wednesday morning after a quick flight from Santiago. We spent the day wandering the town (its small) and went on over to a neighboring town, Fruitellar. The whole general area we are in is the Lake District of Chile, and everything about it is gorgeous. The view from the town includes two volcanoes, Osorno and Calbuco. Wednesday was a little overcast so the views weren't fantastic, but I was fine with that because the weather yesterday was unbelievable.
We left our hotel around 9 and drove around Lake Llanquihue and stopped a little ways up Osorno. It was chilly to start but in about 15 minutes we had all ditched our top two layers. It was a steep 30 minute climb up...but immediately we were rewarded with amazing views. The clouds were off the top of Osorno and it's intact cone was visible during the whole hike.
We took some time to take pictures and rehydrate
at the first rest point. If everyone stopped talking it was dead silent...no birds, no animals. And the sky was so clear....we were able to see many other neighboring volcanoes during the hike.
Its time now to go board the Navimag :) More later....probably in about a week. Next up: cruising the Chilean Fjords and hiking the W trek of Torres del Paine!!!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
De qualquer maneira, minha roupas de baixo é ainda seca!
If you're wondering....that translates from Portugese to "Somehow, my underwear are still dry!"
Today was a very wet day on the Argentinian side of the falls but we had a fantastic time! We got picked up around 745am by Liliana, our guide for these couple days. We were with another couple, Hendrick and Hannah from Sweden. It was about a 45 minute drive to the National Park on the Argentinian side (remember we are staying in Brazil). So we had to stop at immigration to leave Brazil and then stop again at immigration to enter Argentina (and two more stops on the way back....really racking up the passport stamps on this trip!).
Once we arrived at the park, we walked over to the train station and took a train along the jungle area to the walking path that led to Garganta del Diablo (translation: The Devil's Throat)....it is the head of a big part of the falls and is an intimidating swirl of water the drops off into what looks like an endless abyss.
There was a decently long catwalk leading up to the area....and millions of other people. Luckily for us, it seems like everyone was heading out to catch the train before ours and we ended up having about 5 minutes looking at the falls with only us around!
This view was definitely my favorite part of our time at the falls today. We were right up against where the water dropped: literally five feet over the bridge and you would be in the falls. The water was rushing faster than you could imagine and you couldn't see the bottom of the falls.
Then it was time for the train ride back and a hike around the upper circuit, where we were able to see many different views on top of the falls. We split up after the hike: Hendrick and Hannah went off with Liliana and we went on the Zodiac boat into the falls! The first part of the tour started with a jungle "safari"....no animals but a cool drive in an open air vehicle....and then we put on some life jackets and hopped on the boat! It was probably a 10 minute drive over to where you could go under the falls.....and that was awesome. It was a little hurricane-esque but we loved it :)
Then after that- a short walk to some more viewpoints, lunch, and the bus ride home. Now: finally showered and wearing dry clothes (although, as I said earlier- I stayed amazingly dry underneath my poncho!).
That's it for today.......that was a lot of typing :)
Tomorrow: Brazilian side of the falls!
The Importance of Proper Gear
Today would not have gone nearly as well as we hoped had it not been for our ponchos, our backpack covers, and proper footwear: Katy and I had sport sandals, Reb had flip flops....luckily she didn't slip :) We walked past tons of people with no hood, jeans, and purses......bunch of crazies. We also saw kids that parents had dressed in cotton with no ponchos and some seriously blue lips. Moral of the story: always be ready for water.....it could totally change how your day goes if you are properly prepared!
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| Capuchin monkey!!! |
Once we arrived at the park, we walked over to the train station and took a train along the jungle area to the walking path that led to Garganta del Diablo (translation: The Devil's Throat)....it is the head of a big part of the falls and is an intimidating swirl of water the drops off into what looks like an endless abyss.
There was a decently long catwalk leading up to the area....and millions of other people. Luckily for us, it seems like everyone was heading out to catch the train before ours and we ended up having about 5 minutes looking at the falls with only us around!
This view was definitely my favorite part of our time at the falls today. We were right up against where the water dropped: literally five feet over the bridge and you would be in the falls. The water was rushing faster than you could imagine and you couldn't see the bottom of the falls.
Then it was time for the train ride back and a hike around the upper circuit, where we were able to see many different views on top of the falls. We split up after the hike: Hendrick and Hannah went off with Liliana and we went on the Zodiac boat into the falls! The first part of the tour started with a jungle "safari"....no animals but a cool drive in an open air vehicle....and then we put on some life jackets and hopped on the boat! It was probably a 10 minute drive over to where you could go under the falls.....and that was awesome. It was a little hurricane-esque but we loved it :)
Then after that- a short walk to some more viewpoints, lunch, and the bus ride home. Now: finally showered and wearing dry clothes (although, as I said earlier- I stayed amazingly dry underneath my poncho!).
That's it for today.......that was a lot of typing :)
Tomorrow: Brazilian side of the falls!
The Importance of Proper Gear
Today would not have gone nearly as well as we hoped had it not been for our ponchos, our backpack covers, and proper footwear: Katy and I had sport sandals, Reb had flip flops....luckily she didn't slip :) We walked past tons of people with no hood, jeans, and purses......bunch of crazies. We also saw kids that parents had dressed in cotton with no ponchos and some seriously blue lips. Moral of the story: always be ready for water.....it could totally change how your day goes if you are properly prepared!
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| In front of Garganta de Diablo (The Devil's Throat) |
Friday, October 7, 2011
31 hours of elephant ankles and airport mobs
Well here we are in Brazil! Finally made it after a looong couple days of traveling (or much longer than you would expect for going to South America!) We started off in O'Hare....of course our flight to Houston was delayed but we made up the time in the air and still had plenty of time to board our flight to Buenos Aires. Everything was on track during our BA flight...took off on time, we all slept, and landed early. Then came the part of the trip we were worried about: transferring from the international BA airport to the domestic one. Ironically, this ended up being the easy part of our day. Customs and immigration both went quickly and we booked a cab over to Aeroparque.
When we got there, we waited in a long check in line to learn that all flights were delayed or cancelled. We heard that our gate was going to be assigned later on, but our flight was scheduled to leave around 3. We figured no biggie, we'd grab some food and then head over to security. So we did, and then hit security. Here's where the problems began. The line was extreemely long and we decided to kind of budge our way to the front and see what was going on. This was the best thing we ever did....once we were done with the mob!
When we started....
When we got there, we waited in a long check in line to learn that all flights were delayed or cancelled. We heard that our gate was going to be assigned later on, but our flight was scheduled to leave around 3. We figured no biggie, we'd grab some food and then head over to security. So we did, and then hit security. Here's where the problems began. The line was extreemely long and we decided to kind of budge our way to the front and see what was going on. This was the best thing we ever did....once we were done with the mob!
When we started....
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
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