tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103158372024-09-13T04:28:12.290-07:00These are some highlights (and lowlights) of my experiences in Argentina and from backpacking Latin America. I hope you guys find as much fun reading them as I did trying to live thru them!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-31674423005067462682007-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:002007-01-24T13:05:01.119-08:00

I have lots of posts. This one will link you to a highlighted story from the series and then you can go to the link at the bottom of the story for more tales from that country. Enjoy!Argentina - Arrive.Argentina - Elvis?Argentina - Man with no legs.Bolivia - Barrells of coca leaves.Bolivia - Copacabana highest lake in the world.Peru - Machu PicchuPeru - How DisgustingThe Art of peeing in a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1148680114863518172006-05-26T14:45:00.000-07:002007-09-12T23:40:28.856-07:00

I have finally uploaded the second half of my pictures. Check them out!LINK TO MY PICS!!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1148512600205911132006-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:44.192-08:00

It is about 20C degrees outside. I am wearing a long sleeve shirt and a fleece. I actually wore a toque the other day to keep warm. I wanted my scarf and gloves. I left them at home in fear of people laughing hysterically at me. People are outside with t-shirts and shorts.It's not going to warm up for another month or so, at least. I is grumpy. And cold.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1148402403624359832006-05-23T09:38:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:44.025-08:00

in the land of silicone and surfer dudes. It's spring break on E 24/7.Thirty hours away and I am in a whole new dimension. I walk down a street that was so wide that, in most of the countries I was in, could have fit three rows of houses and a couple of dirt roads inbetween. Don't forget to add the stray dogs.I was in a daze. Boys and girls are all quite perfect, in their designer clothes and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1148156979512346292006-05-20T13:25:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.891-08:00

Beach 15min walk away from my buddy's house...After a 30 hour gruelling bus ride from Mazatlan to Tijuana, I made it into the USA. Little luxuries that you don't realize that you miss:Cops are the good guys.Cross the street according to the lights, not run when it is kinda safe.Hot running water with adequete water pressure.Flushing toilet paper down the toilet.It's OK to carry your credit card

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1156664943603182082006-05-19T00:42:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:44.495-08:00

When I bought the tickets from Mazatlan, the lady told me that it would be a 23 hour bus ride. Brutal, but OK. It was an overnight bus and there was TV.The busride took 30 hours.I was right restless byt the time we got to Northern Mexico. Plus, when I got to Tijuana and cross over to San Diego, I was supposed to call a friend to come pick me up, and then go hang out. By the time I got into the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147834979133701222006-05-16T20:02:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.735-08:00

You know what? It's been so long that I don't even remember much of my ride from Guadalajara to Mazatlan.The bus was late; I rode around on a taxi looking for a place in town to stay - I hit up about 6-7 hotels until I found the one I wanted; Yeah that's about it.Mazatlan was another quaint town. City centre was quite modern and the beach was about a 20 min walk away.The first night consisted of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147834141564455042006-05-15T19:48:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.610-08:00

The next evening, a few of us went to a classical Guitar concert. The two boys I went with looked like harsh bikers. Tattoos, piercings, torn clothing, the whole works. Turns out that both have studied classical instruments and have their own respective bands. They knew how to appreciate and recognize the selections from the opera Carmen (the only one I recognized) and the other selections as

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147834103433383092006-05-14T19:47:00.000-07:002007-02-06T10:33:21.981-08:00

I'm in a hostel in Guadalajara recovering from the bad food I had in Tequila the day before. I have been eating bread all day with some bottled water. I'm too exhausted to walk a block to 7-11 (YES they have 7-11's!!!!!!!!!) to get better food. I haven't really seen any sights yet. That evening, as I'm sitting around the table listening to other travellers shoot the shit, we discover that there

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147540792341815622006-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.037-08:00

I-m in Guadalajara now. Only 3 more stops before I jump on the train for home!!!I just have to get over this bout of food poisoning..... Thank God for Imodium!I have to add that it wasn't from the food market. It was from lunch in the town of Tequila. I had a chicken salad and I guess the chicken wasn't done well and who knows what they washed the veggies in.....

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147834071075992072006-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.304-08:00

I stayed an extra day just so that I could eat there again. The first day I went there, I had just finished breakfast elsewhere. I was only able to order a chocolate milk, a specialty in this region. It's served in a bowl and with sweet bread that has cumin baked in. Yum yum. The second time I went (I stayed an extra day just to do this!), I headed straight to the meat grills. I walked in and a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147833948869842492006-05-10T19:44:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:43.178-08:00

Mayan ruins at the top of the city that were built as if to resemble the surrounding hills. This was another worship area with temples and living quarters. There was also a tomb and some of it’s artifacts were in the on-site museum. The most interesting piece was in a different museum, a scull covered in bits of blue stone... turquoise? could be, can’t remember. It was pieced together like a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147220638435542982006-05-09T17:22:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:42.904-08:00

I have betrayed the backpacker community. For this sin, I can not atone. Once you cross the line, there is no turning back. I went to an overpriced trouist trap folkdance dinner show. I apologize.Unsurprisingly, the dancers were less than enthusiastic. Eight different types of dances were performed and at least one of the dancers was sporting a completely bored expression. One was even chewing

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147219044176647642006-05-09T16:51:00.000-07:002006-11-22T22:29:26.605-08:00

1. The taxi droppped me off at the wrong place. Really, my own fault for not knowing the language better.2. When I walked to the hostel I wanted to go to, (about 20 mins in 25 degree heat) I found that it had permanently shut its doors. I walked around for another 45 mins looking for a decent place to stay.3. I went to the Oaxacan Cultural museum. I forgot that a lot of places are closed on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1147111307365595292006-05-08T10:54:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:42.469-08:00

A couple of churches by my hostel.Ahhhhhhh, it's warm. After a horrible night's sleep on the bus, I get into town and head to the Magic Hostel, recommended in guide books and a couple of friends. After a good 15 min walk with my, now even heavier pack, I arrived to closed doors. The hostel had shut down.I walked around for another 30 mins trying to find accomodations and now I'm in Hostal Santa

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146941358190346622006-05-06T11:45:00.000-07:002006-11-22T22:33:36.308-08:00

Altitude of about 2189 metres. I can’t stand high altitudes.Day 1. Slept. I had about 2 hours of sleep the night before. There was a collective farewell party. The hostel in San Cris was really chill. There was a girl at the hostel with an amazing voice and a guitar. She sang various songs for about 25 mins. Amazing.Day 2. Moved hostels. Hostel Qhia was nice but too many stairs for my bad knee

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146939581088265872006-05-06T11:16:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:42.201-08:00

Excerpt from an email I wrote to some people I had met in San Pedro..."I left this morning and stepped into the pitch dark. There were only the occasional roosters crowing in the background. Nobody around until I reached the INTERSECTION. There she was, Missy all curled up in a ball. She heard me and came by to say good bye. She sat with me at the top of the steps leading down to the dark docks

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146693211138164162006-05-03T14:45:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.879-08:00

After a month of procrastination, I have finally gotten off my ass and made it out of Guatemala. Most of the time was spent in San Pedro la laguna on Lago Atitlan.I had a going away party last night which lasted until 2am or so. Then I had to be up at 5am to catch the boat to the shuttle bus. Then for about 8 hours, I sat in a fairly uncomfortable position, but on a comfortable bus to get to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146593140943805552006-05-02T11:02:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.741-08:00

As things go around here, things don't happen until they happen. I tried to buy tickets to leave for Mexico yesterday but, they didn't have enough people leaving today so there's no shuttle bus. I will try again today. Maybe I'll make it out of here tomorrow... we'll see.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146427530281582992006-04-30T13:04:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.575-08:00

Mayan temple ruins amidst a jungle in the Northern part of Guatemala.I had different ideas about jungles before I came. I expected humid, hot, machete the crap out of greenery and shitloads of mosquitoes. Well, it was dry. The cutting down of shrubs had been done and I only got one mozzie bite. But it was hot. Hot as in you drink 2 litres of water before noon. Then you chill on a hammock until

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146427280432429892006-04-30T12:59:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.443-08:00

OK, much better, although filled with hippies, space cookies and property-owning Dutch men. One of the towns lining a volcano cater lake, this one seems to have the best mix with the Mayan community and gringos. However, this I coming from a person who hasn’t visited any of the neighbouring towns… I must also add that the gringos are not your typical camera toting, zip-off pants/shorts wearing,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146426373956547662006-04-30T12:40:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.308-08:00

Antigua, to me, is like Latin America on the Disney Channel. The colonial city centre is colourful and full of ritzy restaurants and bars. There is an immaculate church in front of an immaculate courtyard lined with trees and lovers on the benches. At night the church is illuminated at all the right arches to highlight its architecture. The market at the edge of the town is clean and lined with

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146937807334217762006-04-27T19:42:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:42.031-08:00

I got into Flores, one of the towns close to Tikal, at about 10:30 at night. I had been travelling for about 12 hours, half of those being on a chicken bus. When I arrived to the place I wanted to stay, Hostel Los Amigos, they were already full. So, I walked to the place the guy at the hostel recommended and knocked on the door. This surly middle-aged man opens the door. He tells me that rooms

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1146067919713999032006-04-26T09:09:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.193-08:00

I am now in Flores and will be going to the Tikal ruins today. It is sweltering hot here and I am warm!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am looking forward to seeing these ruins. They-re in the middle of a jungle and apparently, animals are abound.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10315837.post-1145474884082343772006-04-19T12:20:00.000-07:002006-11-10T17:57:41.067-08:00

I have no clue as to if I spelt chiropractor correctly....Anyways, I've decided to stay another week to see this doctor about my spine and knee. I had a session on Monday and my knee feels better already. Today he gave me some physio exercises to do. I've learnt this stuff before but have not kept up with practicing. So I will practice... Then he started on my back and neck. My sinuses feel great

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0