Brazil - An Incredible Paradise

Oi!(Hi in Portuguese, I'm not sure of the spelling)

About a week ago I came back from the most AMAZING week of my life in a tropical, diverse part of the world many will never get the chance to explore.  My time in Brazil was undoubtedly the best trip I have ever taken (granted I haven't taken that many until this year abroad).  The climate was perfect, not too hot, not too cold and the water was the most beautiful I've seen and was the perfect temperature.  The first day we arrived in Sao Paolo which is a large, industrial city where we did a city tour including a beautiful cathedral.  That night we went to a little bar to eat and danced to a live band!  After that we got on the bus and slept all the way til Rio.....

When we fist arrived to Rio the first thing we did was go straight to the beach!  It was a gorgeous day and the water looked and felt amazing.  I bought my first souvenir, a Brazilian flag to use as a towel more or less (they use all of them like that at the beach).

After the beach we went to lunch at a delicious buffet close to the water and then headed to the hotel to shower.  We weren't able to explore any more that day and the next it rained so we ended up going to a football stadium and a museum, which was actually in a pretty area next to the water.

The next day we had a tour of the favella, basically the slums of Rio de Janeiro but we learned a lot more about the areas than people think.  Favellas are actually communities that run themselves, mainly because they have their own rules, they don't follow the rules of the government or normal police.  The one we went to is the largest in Rio de Janeiro and even had two banks and a few schools.  We walked through the favella with a guide who explained different things about the community and we also got a little tour of one of the guide's house.

After the tour of the favella, we went straight to see the Cristo, one of the most famous parts of Rio and Brazil as a whole.  Although it was cloudy and freezing at the top, it was amazing to see something so famous all around the world.








The last night in Rio, we went to a club on a little island (it sounds bigger than it is, it was actually really small) and got to listen to a live band play Brazilian music (unfortunately we couldn't understand most of the songs).  After the band was finished they played what was basically Brazilian regeaton, which was fun to hear too.

The next morning we headed off to Angra dos reis, a little town a few hours away from Rio with gorgeous islands in the Atlantic all around it.  We rented a boat for the day and our whole group traveled to two amazing islands surrounded by blue-green water I had only seen in pictures before.  We spent the whole day swimming in the water (it wasn't cold at all!) and soaking up the sun on the beaches.  The next day we basically did the same thing and got to visit the 7th most beautiful beach in the world, so were told.  For me, this was definitely the best part of the whole trip.  I had never seen such an amazingly beautiful place and I loved swimming in the water because it was the perfect temperature, nothing like the beaches in Northern California.  I could keep going on about the beauty, but I think only pictures can tell the story....

Truly a paradise...I loved Brazil and I want to go back one day!  It was an incredible trip and I met so many great people as well.  This was definitely my favorite trip so far!!  I'll see you all in about two months, not much time left and then I'll be able to tell you all about my adventures in person!!

Mendoza, The Land of Wine

Hey everyone!  About a month ago I went on a trip to Mendoza and I wanted to make a new post so you could all see what I've been doing.  Mendoza is a city in the eastern part of Argentina that is known for it's wine, like the Napa Valley of California.  It is also very close to the border of Chile and we were able to see some of the mountains of the Andes.  The first day we arrived in Mendoza we unpacked and showered and then we went to go bicycle riding to the wineries(called bodegas here) to try some of the famous Mendoza wine.  Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of wine, but it was a great experience, especially since the city supposedly has the best wine in Argentina.  We got a tour of both the wineries we went to and there they explained to us how they grew the grapes and how all the different wines were made.  At the end of each tour we got to try a few different wines.  I think my favorite part was the bike riding, so many people do it out here!

The next day, we got up bright and early to go on a rafting trip in a river basically right next to the Andes!  I could never have imagined that I would raft near such a famous mountain range but it was an amazing experience.  I had never been rafting and they had so many security measures it was a little scary but I survived the ride without even falling in, although we did get doused with ice cold mountain water all throughout the ride.  In the picture you can see we all had full suits on with helmets and life jackets which was great because one girl ended up falling in and another boat flipped over.  I'd rather be protected and prepared than not!  I'm the one on the end on the left and Jessica is right next to me, this is the group we came to Mendoza with.

 That took up a good portion of the day and after that we just came back to the hostel, showered and got ready for dinner.  The next day we all decided to go on a hike right next to the Andes mountains.  We had about a 2 hour drive there, but on the way we stopped by a gorgeous lake that was so blue it didn't look real.  I had never seen water so clear outside of pictures.  We took a few pictures and then headed on our way to the hike.  The first picture is of the lake that we stopped at, and even this doesn't do it justice.  As you can see, we had fun haha!  The second picture we took on the hike, but it wasn't one of the biggest mountains, just some of the smaller ones around us.  There was one mountain that our guide talked about that is popular to climb, but we don't have any pictures of it, it was a little difficult to see.  The last picture is of a lagoon in the mountain valley area that was basically all frozen over because it was still pretty cold up there.  After we did the hike, we had lunch at a little diner on the way back.  

The last day we were free to do whatever we wanted and we decided to have lunch with some of the girls from the trip(the two on the right in the last picture).  After lunch we went and looked for some souveneirs around the city and we went to a little plaza nearby to walk around.  It was a really fun and adventurous trip!  I hope you all enjoyed the new blog, the next one will be about my trip to Brazil!! 

The Little Town of La Cocha, Welcomed by a Real Argentinian Family

And I still have more stories to tell!! Just a few days after I returned from the coast of Argentina I left to La Cocha, a small town in the province of Tucuman where my friend's grandma and family lives.  Although it was a long 16 hour bus ride it was well worth it.  I was greeted by my friend Abi's mom and grandma at the bus stop and treated to hot mate (Argentinian tea) and crackers with dulce de leche at her grandma's house.  I got to meet Abi's uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends who were all so sweet.  It's a small town so all of the people are a lot more friendly and I came back with so many new friends!  Abi's grandma was a wonderful cook and there was a strict meal schedule so there was never any time to be hungry.  The town and houses are exactly what you would expect when you think of a South American country, as opposed to Buenos Aires which is a big city.  We didn't have hot water, we had to heat it to take a shower and there was definitely not as much technology as there is in Buenos Aires.  

While I was in Tucuman I went to a place called Cerro San Javier, which is basically a gorgeous mountain area overlooking the capital, San Miguel de Tucuman.  I went with Abi's sister Vanesa and we took a tour through the forest/mountain area.  

After Cerro San Javier we went to San Miguel de Tucuman to stay the night because the next day we were going to Tafi del Valle, a cute little town in another mountain/forest area.  We had to take a bus which took a few hours but the ride up the mountains was gorgeous!  Green lush trees and waterfalls surrounded us on the road to the valley. When we got there we looked through an open market and ate lunch. It was a small town, not much to do but the scenery was amazing.

We also went to the museum where they signed the declaration of independence of Argentina.  It was nice to learn a little bit about the country that I've been living in for so long, and also interesting because it wasn't in the capital of Buenos Aires.  

Every day we were visited by a few people who came to join us for lunch, it was so nice to have so many people to visit with. This trip was amazing, I got to meet so many wonderful people and visit a different part of Argentina.  I also loved it because I spoke so much Spanish, hardly anyone there spoke English!  It was great practice and it was nice to know that I could do it.  

Ahh Summer at the Beaches of Argentina

Hello friends and family in California!  It's been a while since my last post and I'm sure you've all been wondering what exciting new adventures I've had since my last post!haha...After Leanne and Liz left the Porteno city, my roommate Jessica and I set out on our own exploring of the coast of Argentina.  First we went to a little town named Villa Gesell which was really fun, it was filled with tons of young people and everyone vacationing.  We relaxed on the beach and walked around town at night.




























After Villa Gesell we went to Mar del Plata, a very popular summer getaway for Argentinians.  We went to visit with the two boys in the picture because one of them is from Mar del Plata and he showed us around the city.  The beach was a lot bigger in this city and prettier as well, although the water on the coast of Argentina isn't the most gorgeous you've ever seen.  The trip was so fun altogether, mainly because of all the beach/tanning time.  We also got to meet Matias'(the boy on the right) family and we tried a home cooked asado dinner!  Asado is the Argentinian version of barbeque which includes different cuts of meat cooked in a special oven.  We went out one night to a street lined with clubs, called boliches, and bars.  The street was packed as well as most of the bars and clubs and even as we left at about 5 am (early for the end of an Argentinian night out) people filled the sidewalks like a never ending party.  It was a great way to spend our free time in another country and I'm so glad I stayed through the summer here to experience a different way of living.  The people are so much more relaxed here and always take a summer vacation, sometimes for a whole month!  It's a great way to live, if only Americans knew how to take more vacations, slow down and enjoy life more.

Punta del Este, Uruguay and the end of Leanne's visit

Hello again! Not long after New Year's my friend Leanne arrived and we all rushed off to Punta del Este Uruguay.  This beachy spot is the exclusive vacation getaway for Argentinians and it was gorgeous!  The beaches were amazing although it rained two out of the three days we were there.  We still got some great pictures of the crystal blue water and the white sand.  We got all our sun in on the last day by the pool at the hotel because our dreams of sun tanning by the ocean were squashed by the ominous clouds hanging over us.   It was still an amazing trip in another country!

The random fingers coming out of the beach are something Punta del Este is famous for, so of course a touristic picture was necessary.  The beach was amazing and I wish we could have spent more time there.  After we got back to Buenos Aires we settled in for about a day and then my friend Liz had to catch her flight back to the U.S.  After that, I wanted to show Leanne all I could of Buenos Aires so we organized some day activities.  First I took her to Tigre, a little town outside of the city where there is a river and an open market.  We took a boat ride which was very relaxing and explored the market a little although we did get burnt, a recurring theme that week.   We also explored the many different ice cream stores of Buenos Aires and Punta del Este because the ice cream here is too delicious to resist.  Although we ate our way through quite a few stores, I assure you there are many more untasted by us California girls.  One of my favorite things (even since being in Buenos Aires) was going to a Tango show!  We made reservations at a place called Senor Tango in San Telmo.  The neighborhood was sketchy but the inside of this building was incredible!  There were lights everywhere, chandaliers a stage in the middle of dining tables covered in red and black tablecloths and Tango memorabilia.  We opted out of the included dinner because it was about US $60 more which is pretty pricey for a college student's dinner.  The dancing, singing, and costumes were amazing and I hated for it to end!  It has to be one of the most exciting things I've done since being in Argentina yet and I would love to do it again if only it wasn't as expensive.   The last thing Leanne had to do before she left was a tour of the city, which we did on a bus with audio information about all the different areas we visited.  Most of the places I had already seen but it was nice to hear interesting facts about the famous monuments and parts of town.  Some of you will recognize the Casa Rosada (the Pink House, like our White House) which is in the Plaza de Mayo.  We also visited Caminito in La Boca, which is a street filled with colorful buildings and is known for its artwork.   The city tour pretty much concluded Leanne's visit and I took her to the airport that night.  It was an amazing trip and there's still more summer fun to come!