Home Again

Well it's been a while since I blogged and I will go through a brief description of the rest of my trip:

From Banos it was on to Montinita which is a great surf spot on the coast of Ecuador.  You get great diving up at the Isla de Plata which is off of Puerto Lopez an hour north.  I went one day and saw two manta rays, which was amazing.  I'd never seen a manta ray before and they are truly breath taking.

From Montinita it was time to say good-bye to Ecuador and onto Peru.  I went straight to mancora for about 6 days where I spent most of the day laying out on the beach and taking surf lessons.  Private lessons are about $13 for an hour, so I highly recommend them.  I went early in the morning (around 8ish) to get easier waves and avoid the crowd.

From Mancora it was straight down to Lima to meet up with Jenny!  Jenny and I used to live together in SF, so it was great to see a familiar face.  Unfornately, I caught some sort of bug on the bus on the way down to Lima, so I wasn't much fun for a few days.  We did check out the waterfountain park at night, which I definitely recommend.

From Lima we flew to Cusco for two days of acclimation and then a 5 day trek on the Salkantay trail to Manchu Pichu.  Do not listen to anyone who tells you otherwise, trekking Salkantay is really really hard.  I highly recommend taking the mule up the mountain on the second day.  It is worth every soles.

Manchu Picchu was spectacular and we got their early enough to get tickets to climb Wayna Picchu which is also really hard, but totally worth it.  If you have the time, I'd also recommend spending a day in Aguas Calientes.  We didn't have much time there but it seemed super cute and I would have like to look around more.

From Manchu Picchu is was back to Cusco for a couple of days.  I would recommend checking out the Temple of the Sun museum and eating at Fire Angel.  Be sure to bundle up at night, it gets very chilly in Cusco!

From Cusco it was on to Arequipa, which was my favorite in all of Peru.  Jenny and I loved Bothy hostel, which had dinners most nights of the week and happy hour specials at the bar.  White water rafting is a must!  The water is freezing (I fell in - yikes!), but so thrilling.  We did the afternoon which was nice because at least it was sunny.  And even though I had just sworn off trekking for life, Jenny talked me into a three day trek of the Colca Canyon which was worth it.  We went through Land Adventures who are supposed to do more sustainable trekking and give back to the community.

In Arequipa Jenny and I parted ways - she was headed up the coast to get in some surf before going back to the states.  I had a bit more time and wanted to see some of the north of Bolivia.

I went straight from Arequipa to La Paz in Bolivia.  Bolivia has two capitals - Sucre which is the political capital and La Paz which is the more commercial capital.  La Paz is also the highest capital in the world.  I tried to go from La Paz to Rurre to do a pampas tour, but due to inclimate weather the plane didn't take off and I was too close to the end of trip to have extra time.

From La Paz I headed over to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca which was just lovely.  It was a few days before Bolivia's Independence day, which is a big deal there.  I watched many parades of school children dressed up and many bands go through the town.  I also took the ferry over and spent a night on Isla del Sol and did some hiking around there.

From Copacabana it was back to Peru.  I stopped in Puno which is the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca.  Puno gets a bad rep in all of the guide books but I don't understand why as I found it adorable.  There is a really nice pedestrian walkway and plenty of restaurants and bars.  I would recommend not signing up for a tour and just walking down to the pier and buying a ticket for a tour of the floating islands.  Your tour will be in Spanish, but you still get the jist and to see the islands.

From Puno I headed over to Nazca to meet up with my friend Sali, whom I had met in Banos.  She was feeling a bit iffy the first day, so we decided to do the flight to see the Nazca lines the next morning.  We got pretty lucky and our van came at 8 and we only waited about 45 minutes at the airport before we took off.  It takes a few of the pictures before it's easy to see the lines, but it's pretty incredible once you can see them.

From Nazca it was a short trip to Huacachina where I spent the next day Pisco tasting and sandboarding.  It was a beautiful second to last night in South America.

Then it was a sad but true moment and I was back in Lima for one final night before heading home.

A Note On The Guayaquil Bus Terminal

I had heard that it was quite a schlep from Banos to Montinita. It was supposed to be at least 7 hours from Banos to Guayaquil and then supposedly another 4 or so to Montanita. Since it was going to take so long, I was interested in going overnight, but I knew I would need to switch buses in Guayaquil. All of the bus stations I had been in in Ecuador were really shaddy, so I was a bit nervous to show up at 3 am in Guayaquil and have to spend time there waiting for a bus.

Luckily, the Guayaquil bus station is amazing. It´s actually a mall and quite new and swanky. It´s very safe and you can feel fine showing up at any time of the night. Miraculously the security guards are extremely helpful as well. You can ask any of them which bus counter to use for where you´re going and they will happily tell you and even walk you in the right direction.

Once you get your ticket, you have to take the elevator up to the second floor where all of the buses leave. The security guards up there are also super helpful and will gladly point you to the correct door to exit.

I would also suggest that if you´re heading to Peru, that you book your ticket there through C.I.F.A (pronounced see-fa). They helped me get off and on in all of the right spots to get my passport stamped our and back in.

Banos

Ever since I first heard of Banos I always laugh when I saw it. I find it kind of astonishing and ever so delightful that there is a major tourist destination in the middle of Ecuador that is literally called the toilet.

I believe Banos actually gets it´s name as it is known for it´s thermal springs. Based on what I´ve read in the guide books and talked with others, the hot springs water gets changed daily at best. This means the best time to go is at like 5 am when they open. While highly recommended by others, it gets the big thanks but no thanks for me. Luckily Banos is also known for white water rafting, hiking, biking, and a wide variety of other activities.

The day I got into Quito from the Galapagos I went straight to the bus station and caught a bus to Banos. I´ve found the buses in Ecuador to be a bit more challenging than the rest of Latin America as you really have to pay attention for your stop. Banos was no exception and I almost missed my stop but then quickly hustled off and headed for the Blancos y Plantas hostel recommended to me.

Banos is an adorable little town. The main area is not too large and it feels very safe and comfortable to walk around at night. I found a lovely little Mexican restaurant and promptly went to sleep after dinner.

The next day I had planned to do some hiking but it was pouring. A few of the locals thought that it might clear up later in the day, but there was no way to know. After 8 days without internet, I had a lot of email to catch up on, so I spent some qt in the Internet cafe and then tried to walk around some more. The umbrella I bought in Quito came in handy today!
I had met a women at breakfast who worked at one of the spa´s down the road, Chakra. Based on her recommendation I had a lovely one hour hot stone massage for a mere $20. Yes, I was liking Banos quite a bit.

I spent the rest of the afternoon talking with one of the guys in my room and then reading in the cafe upstairs. There was no rest for the weary with the rain, so rather reluctantly I headed to dinner and then sleep to dream of warmer days tomorrow.

The next day my wish was granted. The sky wasn´t exactly clear, but it would do. I headed over to la officina de turismo and got a free map of the area. The agent recommended a walk up to the virgin mary (the latin american´s sure do love to put the virgin mary up a really big hill) and then from there a walk to the farming town of Rutun.

The walk up to the virgin was mostly paved stairs - but over 650 of them! From there it was up, up, up for about another hour and a half of single track rather muddy path. There was a slightly disarming moment when the path let out into a huge cow pasture and several cows stared straight at me. I somewhat timidly continued on, trying to also plan some strategy should a cow try and come close. It was a long way up with many false hopes of being there, but the view of banos was totally worth it. From there it was more single muddy track to Rutun, when it eventually opened onto a road. I took the road down and back towards banos. After about another 30 minutes a farmer stopped to chat with me. We exchanged a few sentences and then he offered to show me his house. He explained that he had cows and chickens His house was a little two room adobe house. One room had the kitchen and a fire. The other served as his bedroom and living room. He had some herb that he just picked and made tea with. We sat and chatted for about 20 minutes. We covered a wide range of topics from our mutual love of Obama, me describing my life in San Francisco, and both of us talking about our travels. It was really very special and so nice of him to share his home and stories with me.

From there it was down, down, down to Banos. I decided to take the paved road over slipping and sliding my way down the huge hill. It took another couple of hours before my very weary self showed back up in the hostel, but it had been an amazing day.

My last day in Banos was spent white water rafting. I was a bit intimidated when I signed up and was told that the trip included the cost of a wet suit. I had never been white water rafting before where it was so cold you needed to wear a wet suit. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the water wasn´t too bad and the trip itself was a blast. There were 6 of us in our raft total including the guide and we flew through the water. I would definitely recommend booking with Geotours if you find yourself in Banos. After lunch with the group, I came back to the hostel, took a quick shower and checked out. I was off to Montinita!

8 Amazing Days in the Galapagos.

I had been somewhat on the fence about whether I was going to go to the Galapagos, but one look at the brochures and I was sold!

I decided to do a land tour, as it was less pricey, but it still encompassed some island hopping so I´d still be able to see quite a bit.

Day 1
Day one was spent flying to Baltra (originally a US military base but now an Ecuadorian military base), a quick ferry ride to Santa Cruz and then a 3.5 hour speed boat ride over to Isabella. I arrived at Isabella and was greeted by Pablo, who would be my guide for the next day and a half. He took me to drop my stuff off at the hotel and then we went to the Tortoise breeding center. He walked me through the center and in very good English explained all about the Tortoises. He showed me the beach and then walked me around town, which was all of about 4 blocks. Back at the hotel he explained that he would pick me up tomorrow for a day of horseback riding, a tour of the volcano, and then snorkeling.
Day 2
The next day Pablo came as promised and we, along with a family consisting of a mom and dad, their three adult children, one of the girl´s husband and her 2 year old son set off. The family was super friendly. They were all Ecuadorian but the mother, father, son, and one daughter had recently moved to New Jeresy.

When we arrived to the start of our trek, we were all placed on horses (I made sure to ask for a ¨muy tranquilo¨one). From there it was about 3 hours on horses up to the volcano. You start out in the rain forest and it was quite muddy, so I was a bit concerned about my horse, Valle. But Valle was a champ and took everything very slowly, so while we slide a bit at times, he always kept his balance.

It was a very hot hour and a half walk around the volcanoes, but it was fascinating. We saw the second biggest crater in the world and learned all about the forming of the Galapagos. It was then another 3 hours down the mountain on the horses.

As soon as we were back at the hotel, I changed into my bathing suit and Pablo took me snorkeling. We went to the dock and got a boat just for the two of us. We went on a tour of the small island right around the pier. To avoid a large group of snorkelers, we opted to walk around the white tip shark island first. It was iguana convention with iguanas EVERYWHERE stacked on top of each other. Pablo laughed at my hesitance to walk around them, but they would usually scatter once you came close. We were lucky enough to see one shark, although he speed by pretty fast.

From there we went to a different snorkeling sight where it was just the two of us. There were some great fish to see, including a couple of large parrot fish. I got in the water before Pablo and about two minutes later I saw this large swoosh of gray go by me. At first I thought it was Pablo - but then I realized it was a sea lion! Later two more came over to play around us and then a fourth came by to check us out. It was the first time I had ever been in the water with sea lions and it was thrilling. They are really curious and they like to get very close next to you. It was some of the most incredible snorkeling I´d ever done.

Day 3
The next morning I was out the door by 5:30 am to catch a speed boat over to Santa Cruz. Antonio met me and took me to my room. Antonio explained that he would be shuttling me around between meals and activities, however the one thing was that Antonio spoke no English.

That morning Julio and his friend took me around the Tortoise breeding center there. Their English was not as good as Pablo´s so I tried to read all of the signs they had posted. They seem to tag team the trip where one would go spotting for tortoises and then when they found some, the other one would bring me over to check them out and then vice versa. I saw a lot of formal tours go by in groups of 20 plus and while I knew they were getting a far better education, I really enjoyed my more personal service.

I took a quick nap and then it was time for a lunch followed by a boat tour. The boat tour was to Bahia.

Even though I had been promised English speaking guides, our captain spoke only Spanish. Luckily there was a mother with her teenage daughter who were originally Ecuadorian but now lived in New Hampshire and they could translate for me. We took a tour around a few islands and then stopped for some snorkeling. There were sea lions galore as well as many fish, and then right before it was time to go in a turtle passed under me!

From there we went to another island where there was a short hike to more swimming and then it was back on the boat and back to the hotel.

Our last stop was the Tunnel of Love. Legend has it that two went in but three came out. We were 9 when we went in and we came out 9. Very disappointing. After asking ¨Donde esta los chicos caliente?¨ and getting some crazy looks from the others on the ship, the American/Ecuadorian woman realized that what i was trying to say was ¨Donde esta los hombres guapos?¨ Apparently chicos caliente translates literally and she had a good laugh the rest of the way back wondering where the hot men were.

Day 4
Day four was an all day tour of Floreana. Antonio and I had breakfast together and then he took me over to the pier for our boat. There was some sort of confusion with the boat, that I´m sure if I spoke better Spanish I would have understood - but the bottom line was I ended up waiting an hour and a half at the pier. The pier is quite a fascinating place to spend some time as there is constant comings and goings from it. It seems most of the tour boats have their own zodiacs, so I saw a variety of tours coming and going. While I, at times, was dealing with language barriers, I was also really glad that all of my tours were in really small groups - which was not always the case with boat tours.

Finally our boat arrived and we were off to Floreana. It´s pretty far from Santa Cruz and the 2.5 hours on the speed boat was rough for most of the people. Luckily it didn´t effect me and I spent most of the time chatting with the husband of a couple from Texas. Finally we were at Floreana and after seeing a bit of the island it was snorkeling time! More sea lions (woot!), another turtle and some great fish. After snorkeling we went onto the island where about 140 people live. It was originally settled by pirates and then settled by a German family escaping from Germany in the 1930s. We heard all about the history and it was really interesting to see the small town.

It was a long day when I got back, and after dinner I went straight to bed.

Day 5

Day five was another early one. I was sitting outside my hotel at 5 am ready to go. The bus picked us up and drove us across the island to a rather swanky looking boat which was going to take us to Bartolome. There were lounge chairs and lots of space to stretch out on top of the boat. I met a girl from Germany who was also traveling on her own and we spent much of the 3 hour tranquil trip out to Bartolome talking.

Once we arrived at Bartolome it was a hike up an inactive volcano with frequent stops for pictures and to learn more about the history of the flora and fauna of the island. After hiking it was in the water we went, and poof, more sea lions! For some of the others on our trip it was there first time seeing sea lions, so it was fun to watch how excited they were. While I was watching one sea lion, I saw a large swoosh go by - it was pelican diving for a fish. Later we saw 4 penguins, which was my first time seeing penguins in the water. They were adorable!

After snorkeling it was lunch on the boat and then a very relaxing 3 hours back. I took advantage of the sun and the lounge chairs and got in a snooze before we arrived back to Santa Cruz.

Soinya, who I had met on the boat, had dinner and some drinks together, which was a lovely way to end my last day on Santa Cruz.

Day 6
Day 6 I spent the morning with Julio and Andreas. Andreas was another tourist from Austria. We went to check out the volcanic tubes which you can crawl through. Then it was up to the highlands to go walking with some Tortoises.
In the afternoon it was another long speedboat ride over to San Cristobol. I was met by Manilo, a son of the owner of the hotel I was staying at. He took me to my room and then I quickly changed so we could get in some snorkeling before sunset. He took me to lobos beach, which true to it´s name was packed with sea lions. Luckily we had the beach to ourselves (other than our many furry friends) and we hopped into the water. As soon as we were in, sea lions were swimming all around us trying to figure out what on earth we were doing. The current was quite strong, so we swam hard to make it out to some deeper water. We were snorkeling around when I heard Manilo call my name. I swam over to him to find an enormous turtle swimming around under him. We swam with the turtle for a while, every so often being interrupted by jealous sea lions who wanted our attention. As it started to get dark, we swam back to shore and headed home. His friend hadn´t come to pick us up so we decided to walk home. The walk home took about 25 minutes and I managed to spend the whole time chatting with Manilo in Spanish. I was very impressed with myself.

That evening I went down to the pier, which was also filled with sea lions. There was a wooden fence that was supposed to keep people from walking out onto the sand with sea lions. Unfortunately the sea lions didn´t realize this and many hand crawled under the fence and draped themselves over the benches that were supposed to be for the humans to sit and watch the sea lions.

Day 7
My last full day in the Galapagos - que lastimo! There were 30 school children on their winter break staying at the hotel, so I joined them and with two guides we split up into two boats for a day of snorkeling. We went about 2 hours out in the speed boat and toured around three different islands, snorkeling at each island. It was great to spend most of my last day in the water seeing more sea lions (of course), turtles, and many, many fish! The kids were all around 12 and it was funny to see them get so excited over the sea lions and to watch the basic pandemonium that is 30 school children in the water.

Day 8
I spent the morning with a guided tour of the Galapagos information center. We learned all about how the different animals have evolved as well as how each of the islands was settled. It was a quick morning and then off to the airport for Quito.

Back to BA

After a rather comfortable overnight bus, I was back in BA. I checked back into the Hostel Inn Tango City in San Telmo to find that Michael had arrived the day before and was there as well. After a quick nap and shower, we set off to find some breakfast.

We were then off to do some shopping on Florida avenue (rather unsuccessful) and then to the cemetery. After wandering around picking out people we would come and read to if we lived in Buenos Aires, we said a quick hello to Evita and then moved on with our day. It was a long walk back to the hostel, and I needed a nap before heading out to meet up with my Irish friends who were back in BA as well.

After an amazing steak dinner, Michael, my Irish friends, and I headed out to the bar for drinks and some good music. I was shocked to find it was 7 am when we were finally going to bed, but I guess that´s how it´s done in BA.

Friday I was on a mission to buy a winter coat. I had been surprised about how cold it got in South America (even though it was the middle of winter) and I knew that BA could be my last chance at getting a real winter coat. It was back to Florida avenue and after a while BINGO! I had found a winter coat. I wore it out of the store and spent the rest of the day ecstatic about my purchase.

The next day we went down to La Boca, an area I hadn´t seen on my first trip to BA. The guide books tell you not to stray off the tourists path as it can get rather dodgy, however the tourist area is lovely and I would highly recommend a trip.

As we were walking there we walked by a futbol field that had a game going and went round to have a peak in. It turned out just to be a middle school game and we were rather disappointed that nobody yelled ¨GGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL¨when we saw a kid score.

From there it was the tourist street with more souvenirs. Michael was uninterested in the shopping and more taken with the architecture of the area. I insisted on schmoozing through just to have a look, as you just never know what you need while Michael took pictures of the brightly painted tin houses. We found a lovely restaurant/patio and sat down for some Torrontes and Chorizo. We were the first ones there, but after a couple more people showed up, a man in his late 60s brought his guitar down, plugged it into an amp and played to us for the rest of the afternoon. I was too in love with this man to leave, so we ended up closing the place down around sunset.

I had been looking forward to Sunday ever since I had decided to head back to BA. Sunday was the Feria de Matadores which is pretty much the best thing EVER and a total must if you find yourself in BA. Michael and I took the bus out for the 50 minute ride outside the city and once we arrived, I was stoked! Jess had bought some picture frames that I had been envious of and regretted not buying the first time around, so my first stop was to check them out. After wandering around the stalls for a while, we decided to get some lunch and got a delicious carne tamale, some locro, and an empanada as well as dos cops de vino tinto. There were a bunch of tables set up that you could stand and eat at and we shared space with a dad and his 4 kids. I tried to talk to the little girl, but she was too shy (or maybe it was just my very terrible spanish). I´m sure she went off and asked her dad what was wrong with the crazy lady trying to talk to her.

Once my picture frames were purchased and some more vino tinto was had along with a lomo sandwich, we were starting to walk home. We made a quick banos stop only to discover a meringue place which was awesome and so we stayed. It took a few glasses of vino tinto to get our feet warmed up, but we did our best to meringue with the locals. We danced for a bit and sat back down, but when the twist came on, I insisted we get back out there. Most of the other couples sat down, and the few that remained tried their best to meringue to it - but Michael and I were there to show them how it was done! We mashed potatoes and did the twist, much to the glee of everyone watching. Afterwards one guy was so enthralled he came over and hugged Michael. We ended up spending the evening there doing our best to hang with the locals.

Monday we walked through Puerto Madero (the swanky part of BA) and then had a lovely nature walk through the ecological park. Michael made fun of me as I insisted to check out what goods the vendors had on display - as if between all of our other shopping I had not seen everything already. The ecological park itself has a nice 1 hour walking loop that you can do. It´s an interesting mix of protected park with huge skyscrappers in the background, but still a nice change of scenery and it was nice to see some water.

Monday evening we met up with my Irish friends and at Guido´s, which is an amazing Italian restaurant. The boys decided to go off in search of a pool table while Finn and I tried to find a bar. It was a national holiday which for some reason caused all of the bars to be closed, so we ended up back at their house. Finn and I were hanging out for a while before the boys finally returned and we started our own dance party. Before I knew it, we were getting in a cab and it was 7 am again.

I had made plans with my Irish friends to go see a flea market with them, but by the time we got up and going and over to Palermo, the market had ended. We ended up wandering around Palermo some, stopped and had a nosh, and then it was time for a nap.

Michael and I went back up to Palermo that evening for every tourist´s must do - La Cabrera. After enjoying a couple of glasses while waiting for a table, we finally got seated. La Cabrera is one of the most famous steak houses in Buenos Aires and definitely amazing. We split the Bife de Chorizo and the lomo, as well as some proveleta to start. I insisted we end it with the chocolate volcano - which was - AMAZING!

Wednesday Michael went off to book bus tickets to leave, and I went to hang out with my Irish friends and to finally see the flea market. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed walking around in the sunshine looking at everything on offer. I went back to the hostel to say good bye to Michael, who was off to meet up with some friends in Rosario. I had a final dinner with my Irish friends and then we found an excellent jazz club with live music.

The next day was my final on Florida avenue to pick up a few extra things I needed (somehow my pajama pants went missing in Santiago and I was also looking for some new flip flops). After a quick lunch it was off to the airport and to Ecuador. I was sad to be leaving Argentina, but happy to have so many fond memories.

Ecuador

After much hemming and hawing in Buenos Aires, I finally left to go up to Quito to begin my slow desent down through Ecuador Peru and hopefully over to Bolivia.

I didn´t get to my hostel until 1:30 in the morning which felt more like 3:30 am to my still Buenos Aires oriented body. I collapsed into bed and enjoyed being able to lie in until 10 am the next day without a worry. I am staying in the New City side of Quito, otherwise known as gringo city - and for good reasons. I´m staying right in the center at Crossroads hostel, located at Foch and Juan Leon Mera. There are restaurants as far as the eye can see as well as travel agency after travel agency.

After a quick breakfast, I began my quest for a reasonably priced trip to the Galapagos as well as some ideas on trips out to the Amazon. Well after about the 8th travel brochure prominently featuring anacondas, I begin to realize that perhaps the Amazon was not for me. ¨Do you have any trips to the Amazon that don´t include snakes?¨I innocently asked one of the travel agents. The look on his face was priceless and spoke volumes more than his ¨Well, it is the Amazon . . . but don´t worry, the snakes won´t hurt you.¨

With dreams of the Amazon dashed, I was able to focus on trips to the Galapagos. Unfortunately, this is high season so most trips were booked, but I was able to find a somewhat reasonably priced land trip that left in a few days. With my trip booked, I went and had a relaxing lunch and spent more time exploring around the new city.

The next day it was shopping, shopping, shopping! After calling my parents to wish my father a Happy Father´s Day, I was on the bus to Otavalo. A rather long 2.5 hours later and I was finally there. I headed first to the vegetable market to be consumed by produce. Amazing looking eggplant, tomatoes, and corn were everywhere for sale. From there I headed over to the artisians market which contained more alpaca products than any one city should ever have. There were also the typical silver crafts as well as some great paintings and pottery. I lunched nearby and then hit the market again. Silly me, I had forgotten to bring a sweater and I knew as the sun start to set it would get cold. I looked around at sweaters, ponchos and scarfs and finally decided on a soft green poncho. It was unlike any other sweater I had bought, and I thought it would be nice to have an extra layer for when I head into Peru.

Before it got dark, I went over to the bus stop and somehow scored the seat next to the driver. I was a little concerned that it would be a horrifying ride, but actually it wasn´t scarry at all. It was also very interesting to watch the interaction between the driver and the guy who hangs out the bus getting people on and off of it. it was quite a symbiosis they had going with each of them communicating with each other through very little talking. 2.5 hours later I was back in Quito and not too long after that, back at the hostel.

My last full day in Quito was spent in the old city. One of my friend´s had given me the name of a family friend who was living in Quito, so I met up with Linda for lunch and then she gave me a lovely walking tour of the old city. We walked around for a while until it started to pour. There is a huge cathedral that we only got to see from a distance, but she explained that it had all the different animals from the galapagos sculted around it.

The next morning I was off early for a trip to the galapagos!

Where Is My Passport Crazy Lady!

Salt Flats or One Flat Tire After Another

Panchamama bus up the coast of Chile aka Chair in the middle of the desert

Santiago, I´m in Love

Wine and Cheese Plates - I Love Mendoza

BA with Jess

I´m behind so I´m putting in placeholders.

Glorious Iguazu

It took a mere moment of me stepping off the plane in Iguazu for me to be in love. I headed to Los Troncos and was immediately committed to staying for a long time. It was gloriously warm in Iguazu. I was back to wearing a tank top, capris, and flip flops during the day. After getting an orientation of the hostel, I set off to explore the town of Iguazu.

There wasn´t much to see, but you can walk up to a look out point where you can see Paraguay and Brazil. The town itself has a few clothing stores, several bars and restaurants, and that´s about it. I bought a bottle of wine and came back to lounge in my lovely Adirondack chair, read a book, and sip a glass of wine. This was bliss. And best of all, when I was ready to go to bed, I could turn on an actual heater!

The next two days I spent at the Argentinian side of the falls. The first day I walked all over the falls. It was breath taking in it´s beauty. I did the ride #2 which takes straight into the mouth of one of the falls. Magically everyone else on the trip had ponchos with them just for this experience, but not yours truly! I got drenched and the water coming down was take your breath away cold. Nonetheless, I wouldn´t have missed the experience. Afterwards I went over to San Martin island to have a little picnic and to dry off in the sun for a bit.

From there I went over to Devil´s point, the highlight of the falls. It was amazing to just stare at all of the water gushing out. It had rained in Brazil a few days before, so the hydroelectric damn had opened and let out a bunch of water which allowed for pretty high levels at the falls.

The second day I went back to the Argentinian side to do the Marculo hike. It´s a rather flat 4 km hike through the woods. The signs indicate that there could be snakes, but thankfully I saw none. You arrive at a nice little waterfall that is very tranquil. Only a very small portion of the people who come to falls do this extra hike, so I would highly recommend it if you have the time.

In the evening, though, was the best experience of all. I had specifically timed my arrival to coincide with the full moon. They do special walks two days before, the day of, and two days after the full moon where you can see the falls at night. The sight was truley spectacular. It was impossible to capture with your camera (although all of us tried!) Someone had told me the falls look like they have more water at night and I totally concurred. I went to bed quite a peace with the universe.

The next two days were mine to do nothing. After running around Chile, Bolivia, and Salta, I was looking forward to a little R &R. I had meant to spent the day by the pool, but it was quite overcast. I gave it my best shot for several hours, but eventually gave up and headed back to my porch and beloved Adirondack chair. The following day was pouring rain, so I spent it catching up some more reading and emails.

All and all it was a very restorative time in Iguazu, almost a vacation within a vacation and I was in the perfect mindset to get back into the hubbub that is BA.

Hola Argentina, Í´ve missed you!

After a long day two days of buses, buses, and more buses (4 in total). I finally made it to Salta. On the first bus out of Uyuani I befriended an Irish couple and after taking a much needed shower, I set off with them to find some dinner. They had gotten a recommendation from their hostel for a parrilla that was supposed to have the best steak in town - so off we went!

We got to the parrilla and it was packed full of locals - an excellent sign. We ordered our first liter of vino tinto and began scanning the menu. Ahhh it was great to be back in Argentina - land of huge slabs of meat for less than 10 bucks. I ordered steak and we split a side of salad and garlic fries as well as the copious amount of side that come with eating at a parrilla. It was delicious and after a few more liters of wine we were best friends with Fernando, our waiter, and had made promises to come back again before we left. If you find yourself in Salta, Monumental is a must. There are two that are across the street from each other. Go to the less swanky one with all the locals. Order the bife de chorizo and the papas provencal.

The next day I slept in and enjoyed the first day in ages with no nothing to do. I took a stroll around town to orient myself and spent some time walking around the plaza. Salta is an adorable city and it felt great to back in an urban environment. I walked down the pedestrian area and did some window shopping and then managed to make myself understood in an electronics store enough to be able to buy an adaptor. I also visited several tour agencies to see about prices in heading to Iguazu. The long and short of it being that for an extra $55 US I can take a plane that is only 2.5 hours instead of the 23 hour bus. I left booking tickets for another day, did some more shopping, and generally enjoyed the slow pace of a day with nothing important to do.

On the following day, I got directions from the guy at the hostel and took the number 7 bus to the end of the line to go hiking in San Lorenzo. You pay only 12 pesos to go to the park and there is a set 1 kilometer walk you can do. However, with my hand drawn map from the guy at the hostel I was able to hike up to the top of the mountain and get some amazing views of Salta. I had a nice picnic up at the top and then slowly made my way back down and into town. It took up most of the afternoon, so I went over to see my Irish friends. We hung out for a while at the hostel and then went back to Monumental. Our original Fornando wasn´t there but we had a new Fornando and the same excellent food. After dinner we headed over to a pool hall around the corner and spent the rest of the evening playing pool. Finally at 3 am the bar closed and we grabed a taxi home.

My last day in Salta was spent wishing a happy birthday to my Mom, buying plane tickets to Iguazu and then a huge lunch at a parrilla place the Irish couple had found a few days ago. After we had two bottles of wine and enormous brandys, it was nap time for me! I woke up in time to walk around the park for a while before meeting my friends again. We had decided enough was enough with meat and went out for sushi. It was a lovely change from meat, meat, meat, and then it was back to the pool hall to make more friends and spend the evening chatting with them.

The next morning I was up early to head to the airport. Adios Salta and Hola Iguazu.

Holy Cow!

Buenos Aires! My time in South America had officially begun. I got in around 7 am, checked into my hostel in San Telmo, took a quick siesta and shower, and was ready to begin exploring the city. I walked to the downtown area and took a detour a block off the main street. I was instantly inundated with deals from every restaurant on the block, for $25 pesos (US 7.50) , you could have a beverage of your choice, entree, and dessert. I walked into the first one that had a decent amount of people, sat down, and ordered the beef with agua sin gas. Holy Cow! They had given me a piece of steak approximately the size of my head. I dug in and it was delicious. The inside was a lovely shade of pink with the outside perfectly cooked. After my enormous lunch I walked up to Palermo, which was quite a haul. Jess was coming on Saturday and wanted to stay up there so I walked around the neighborhood to check it out.

There was tons of shopping in Palermo and on the way to the neighborhood. It looked cute so I check into the hostel for Friday evening. Woot!

The next morning I moved up to Palermo and explored more of BA. I walked down to the cemetery and saw Eva Peron's tomb and took a walk through some of the gardens. There was an artist market at Catadral, and then another crafts market in Palermo a few blocks north of the hostel. I sat and had dinner at one of the restaurants along Honduras. I ordered the house wine which was only $3 US and then was shocked to find I had ordered the whole bottle! As to be expected, it wasn't the best wine I'd ever had, but 1/2 way through the bottle it didn't matter.

The next morning I woke up surprised to find that Jess hadn't come yet. After I checked my email, Jess had written that her plane had been canceled and she wouldn't be arriving until late in the afternoon. I took the morning to go get a mani/pedi at one of the salons I'd seen. About 10 minutes into the mani/pedi it became clear they didn't do many, as it was the most thorough and intense mani/pedi I'd received in a while. About 1 hour in they managed to find an english elle from May 2006 for me to read, and 1 hour after that I finally left the salon. Back at the hostel still no Jess, so I wandered around several of the Saturday crafts markets in the area (including one where I bought a mug with a girl salting a slug).

Finally at about 6 pm Jess was in - unfortunately her luggage was MIA. She spent some time trying to find someone at LAN who was helpful and eventually we gave up and went and got some dinner in the hood.

Maiden Voyage

After a long day of travel, I finally arrived in Jamaica to be immediately surrounded by my SF homies. It was just like being back in SF only way way better. It was Emily's 30th birthday party and the festivities were underway.

The others had gotten in early in the afternoon and they quickly got up me up to speed. Our pied a terre was a quick 15 minute jaunt to the beach, Gloria, our personal chef, had made delicious jerk chicken for dinner, and best of all . . . Brian had brought a suitcase full of beach toys. Awesome!

As soon as Brian was up the next morning we put the raft into the pool. The raft was all of 2 feet shorter than the pool so there wasn't much ground to cover. After we went round for a spin, and others humored me and let me take them for a spin too, Brian and I began to plan our maiden voyage. The plan was to take the snorkeling gear and the raft down to the ocean. We'd paddle out and then take turns snorkeling around while the other person stayed in the raft.

Once we had our stuff down at the water, the ocean was a bit choppier than expected. Undeterred we said our goodbyes, walked the raft out as far as we could and hopped in. The voyage was underway!

Brian and I paddled as hard as we could and got a decent way out. He took a quick dip and then I got out to swim around. As soon as I was in the water, the surf took Brian and the raft back to shore. Our voyage hadn't lasted long - but it was fun. The lifeguard let us store the raft at the beach and we went back up to the house to immediately plot tomorrow's adventure. We agreed that going in the morning would have less waves and allow us to get further. Brian also created an anchor to keep the raft in place.

Day 2 was far more successful. We were able to get the raft out further and drop anchor. we donned our snorkel gear and began the fish hunt. Only there were no fish! After swimming around for 20 minutes Brian finally found a few. Brian went in and Ethan and I swam a bit further by the rocks and found a variety of fish, including some small angel fish.

The rest of the time was spent lounging on beach chairs and catching up with everyone. It was a very relaxing 5 days and a very happy birthday for Emily.

Fun In the Sun Part 2

Well it was Adios to my parents and Hola to Playas del Coco. The bus dropped me off downtown and it was not long before a friendly Austrian guy picked me up to show me a room I could rent for $15 a night. My flops were made for walking - particularly to the beach, so in a matter of moments I was back out the door and down at La Playa.

It was a blistering hot day, but the ocean was cool and as long as I kept hoping in every 20 minutes, it was a delightful time. On my way home I stopped at Johnny´s and ordered the meat of the day. It was certainly an odd cut of cow in a soup with a bunch of vegetables. I didn´t recognize much of my meal, but it was all delicious.

The next day was more of the same and the day after I signed up to go diving in the morning. The water was quite chilly and the visibility was a disappointing 20 feet, but we saw the largest white tipped shark I´d ever seen plus a couple of sting rays which were gorgeous. I also befriended the two other divers. Dana (one of the divers) and I rented bikes and biked the 3 km down to Ocotal. We were not particularly impressed, but it was nice to see a different beach.

The next day I worked diligently on my tan and then hung out with Carrie whom I´d met diving the day before. She had found an awesome deal on a hotel room. It was a hotel that was currently closed, but since she knew someone who knew someone we could have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath room for $50 a night.

The next morning was dive time again! We saw the shark from two days ago and then went to a new dive site, where it was a sting ray convention. It was amazing watching all of them glide through the water and I was surprised about how close they would let us come!

Thursday Carrie and I took it easy. We did some souvenir shopping in the morning and then went to Hermosa beach for the afternoon. Our evening ended with us hanging out with the band that had played at the pizza place we went to. It was an early morning (3:30 am) when I hopped on the bus to the airport and said Adios to Costa Rica.

Rafting is still good fun, the zip line, however, leaves something to be desired.

I spent the first 10 days of my latin american trip with my parents. While planning the trip my mom surprised me with a request to go white water rafting - and so I set it up!

We arrived in Costa Rica on Thursday and had a rather long and bumpy ride to Arenal, where we started our trip. The next day we had a relaxing morning by the pool and an excellent guided tour through the rainforest, concluded with an evening dip in the hot springs. The flora and fauna of Costa Rica in Arenal is amazing rich, there were birds and monkeys galore on our tour (and Jay was wise enough to get us into the forest early so we were before all the other tour groups!)

Day 3 we were up and off to white water rafting. Gerald was an excellent guide, he did a great job of keeping my mom safe (although I did take an unexpected dip outside the raft) and he kept us laughing all day with his jokes. Luckily the rapids were not too vigourous, yet still we were all tired at the end of the day. We had one final woot and high five with our paddles before it was time for lunch. That evening I got the local tour as Gerald and his roommate took me out to the drag racing.

We were sad to say good bye to Arenal the next day, but Monteverde did not disapoint. We took an amazing boat cruise arosse Lake Arenal to head to Moteverde,which my mom did not want to end. The view of the volcano was stunning and with hardly anyone else out on the lake, it was incredibly peaceful.

Ever day so far had been amazing and my mom was overwhelmened with the beauty and hospitality of Costa Rica. I kept reminding her to remember how happy and fun each day was, because we were destined at some point to have one bad day, so it was good to remember each of the fun days.

And boy did that bad day come. We were signed up to do zip lining, with an option to the canopy tour after lunch. At lunch I asked my mom if she was going to sit out zip lining, but she was adament that she was going to do it. I was shocked. My mom is very much afraid of heights, so I couldn´t believe she was so intent on doing it. I thought the costa rican spirit must have gotten her!

We arrived at zip linning and my mom and I were both quite nervous. We insisted on watching everyone else go before doing the zip lining ourselves. We did the test one and we both made it - so we decided to continue on. I will not give you the intimate account, but I will merely say my dad loved it. That made one of us. By the end of the 10, I´m not sure that I would say that I was having ¨fun¨ but I was also no longer petrified. I can confidently report that by the end of the 5th one all my mom wanted to do was be done and drinking a glass of wine. It was an intense day for all, and we spent the evening reflecting on how much fun white water rafting is. I took away from this that I find my fun more in depths rather than heights.

The next day we were happy to have an afternoon tour of the cloud forest with Maria. She showed us a wide range of birds, a tarantula, many nests, and some adorable racoon related animals. We also got to spend 20 minutes by the humming bird feeders watching all of the different humming birds come in for a nosh. One feeder often had several birds at once - conference call!

From the cloud forest it was on to Flamingo Beach and some fun in the sun. My dad took the resort course where they teach you some basic scuba skills and then him and I went diving in the afternoon. We saw jellyfish, a lobster, angel fish, damsel fish, snapper, and many others. The visibility was only about 15 feet, but it was still fun being under water.

After four days at the beach (our condo had the most amazing view of the sunset over the water), it was time for my parents to head back to reality. Not so for me - as they headed to the airport I headed to Playa del Coco for 7 more days of beach, including a few days of diving.

On The Road Again

Well my life as a stay at home daughter has come to an end. My days of waking up lesiurely, reading the paper, heading to the gym, cooking dinner and trying to catch a salsa or tango class are over. I had a blast while I was at home. It was fun to unearth my culinary skills for an appreciative audience. While I was home I also found time to travel to Mexico (twice), San Francisco for 10 days (thanks to my many great hosts and all those that rearranged their schedules to spend time with me!), Austin, Denver, and NYC. Plus many many evening back in the old hood of Arlington. It was a blast, but by the time April rolled around I was ready to get a move on.

I´ve now started the Latin American half of my year off which will hopefully include Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Equador. I´m doing most of the traveling alone, although various people will be meeting up with me here and there. Let me know if you´re looking for some fun summer plans and come on down!

Come Fly With Me?

For those of you wondering what I have been up to since I've been home - well I've spent a lot of time trying to book flights.

I had thought I'd stay in the US through the first week in April and then head to Central America.  Given my current employment situation (not), I thought it would be an excellent time to visit friends!

So - can you please explain to me why it is $291 to fly round trip from D.C. to Costa Rica but I can't find a reasonably priced flight to Denver?

Another fun quandary I encountered today involved the following:

To fly from San Jose, Costa Rica to Montego Bay, Jamaica costs $773 when booked as an independent ticket

To fly from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Buenos Aires, Argentina costs $1100 when booked as an independent ticket.

However - if you book a San Jose to Montego Bay to Buenos Aires ticket (please denote nothing round trip about this) it costs $663.  This is for literally the exact same flights as above.

So I spend a lot of time on Kayak trying to figure out how to see my friends state side and figure out how to move around once I head down south.

Guacamole!

My two days at home fly by and now it's time for Mexico!  I cannot wait to get back to a warmer climate and my long lost friend the sun.

I met Jess and Susan at check in and we are ready to go!  We have to fly through Miami, but luckily we are all seated together and the time flew by.  We have a cocktail on the plane to get the party started, but the best surprise is that there are free tequila shots in the Cancun airport.  Woot!

We arrive at the resort ready to party and after an extensive golf cart tour, we throw our bags in our room and head to the bar.  We have missed the happy hour on the itinerary that Steve and Rita sent out, so we headed to the closest bar still open in hopes of finding our people.  Not too long after we arrive, so do our people.  I see Rita from a distance and leap over a few patrons to give her a big hug.  I am so excited for her and Steve and it's great to see so many people that I haven't seen in ages.

The whole weekend was a blast.  After the rehearsal and lunch (which Michael graciously handled given he sat with Jess, Susan, and I) - I spent the afternoon with Rita and her mom while Rita had her trial hair and makeup.

Friday evening was the rehearsal dinner where we discovered there were exactly 8 single people (evenly split 4 girls/4 guys).  True to single table at the wedding form - we were the most fun - including mandatory sipping of your drink every time someone (usually me) shouted Guacamole.  It was not long before the waiters figured out who the fun ones were and random shots kept showing up at our table.

After dinner we all headed to the more swanky martini bar before hitting up the dance floor at the other late night bar.

Saturday was the big day and it started with brunch with the ladies!  Then we all hung out at the saloon for hair and nail appointments.  The bride looked radiant and when it came time for the ceremony everything went smoothly.  Rita and Steve got married right on the beach.  The weather was perfect, the waves crashing smoothly in the background and everyone said "I do"!

The reception was a blast - there was an appearance by a mariachi band as well as a donkey carrying beer!  I danced my heart out and was not ready to leave when the party was over.  So, of course, the party was moved to one of the late night bars.

Sunday was filled with relaxing by the pool (except for the huge iguana that was gunning straight for me).  After an extended nap in the sun, I found my friends at the island in the middle of the pool enjoying table service from Brian - where I then spent the rest of the day.

All in all the weekend was one big "green light" and certainly ranks as one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to.

It was another tough reality boarding the plane back to DC and the cold.

The Tokyo Lounge Rocks

When my flight from  Bangkok to Tokyo boards, I saunter up to my swanky 1st class seat (thank you United miles).  Once we're air born, I recline my flat bed seat into a bed and pass out.  It is only 5 hours to Tokyo and they quickly go by.

I had heard great things about the Tokyo first class lounge - so once we landed I headed straight for it.  Once there I request a shower stall and it was amazing.  You're taken to your own private bathroom, complete with plush toilette and snazzy toiletry set.  The shower itself is fabulous - great pressure with unlimited warm water.  It's been quite a while since I've experienced anything like it.

Refreshed, I head to check out the spread - and what a spread it is! Tiny sandwiches, fresh sushi, an amazing fruit plate, a cheese plate including some delectable brie, fresh veggies including red and yellow pepper (not of the spicy variety).

I take some sushi, cheese, fruit and veggies, plus my own little bottle of sake.  I explore around for a good spot to sit and I discover a nook in the back with massage chairs and private TVs.  I hunker down and watch some sumo wrestling while I wrestle with the message chair.  I cannot get it to stay on for more than 5 seconds.  After a few minutes I accept defeat, relax, sip sake, and watch the sumo wrestlers until my next flight.  It feels like the ultimate in luxury and I seriously consider "missing" my next flight to spend more time in the lounge.

Alas, reality sets in and I make my next flight to LAX and then the one from LAX to D.C. and I am home.  My father does a double take when he sees me - I'm quite a bit tanner than the last time I was home!

He grabs my bag from the carousel and I chat about my trip as we drive home.  Once home, he takes my bag up to my room for me and then I realize it's official.  This is my home now.  I am 29, unemployed, single, and living in my childhood bedroom (complete with twin bed).

Gosh I miss Thailand.

Homeward Bound

Through sheer powers of persistence (aka calling United daily for 1.5 weeks), my mom was able to change my ticket from leaving on the 14th of January to leaving on the 12th of January.  This critical change will allow me two full days at home to adjust to EST before heading to Rita's wedding in Mexico.

I'm taking the "direct" flight from Bangkok to LA, which actually has a stop over in Tokyo.  My flight leaves Bangkok at 6:40 am and so I do as thousands before me have and take the latest possible flight out of Phuket and spend the night in the Bangkok airport.

I get pretty lucky and find a flight that arrives at 12:25 am to Bangkok, so I won't have too much time to kill before I can check in for my flight and relax in the Star Alliance lounge.

I add one final adventure to my trip by forgetting my wallet on the Air Asia flight I took from Phuket to Bangkok.  I remembered just as the doors to our shuttle were closing, so I had to spend the next half hour trying to get it back.  I found the first Air Asia employee available and try to explain that I have left my wallet on the plane.  He doesn't understand the word "wallet" even when I've written it down on a piece of paper.  I try the word "billfold" which he also doesn't understand while flapping my hands open and closed and explaining that it holds money and credit cards.

He radios to the plane crew speaking rapidly in Thai and I hear the occasional "vauuullette" throw in.  It is clear that this man has no idea what I've lost, but I feel confident that once someone sees it, they will understand.

We spend an awkward 15 minutes while his radio is silent and I have a final moment with 32 praying for the return of my wallet.  Finally some Thai comes over the radio and he tells me they found it!  Woot!

When the crew arrives, it is unclear who is more excited to open up the black bag they put it in - me or the Air Asia representative.  The Air Asia guy quickly undoes the knot and pulls out - my wallet!  A look of understanding crosses his face and I see him think so this is what this girl was looking for.

My time with my Air Asia buddy has made it very easy to find my bag - it's the lone bag circling the baggage carousel.

On my way towards International check in I walk by the minimart.  With 15 baht left to burn (about 50 cents), I see what kind of damage I can do.  I walk over to the beverage section and my eyes are immediately drawn to my BFF Milo.  Milo is basically Ovaltine for kids (although Ovlatine is quite popular as well).  It tastes like chocolate milk but is also packed with all kinds of good for you vitamins.  Or at least that's what marketing has you believe and I am a sucker for marketing.

Doug is not a sweet person, and dessert in Asia is usually disappointing, so when I really had a sweet craving I would go for a Milo.  I liked to pretend it was mildly healthy.  This Milo was also exactly 15 baht.  I payed the cashier and headed upstairs to enjoy my Milo and a final realization at how cheap food in Asia is.  You would certainly be hard pressed to buy a beverage in an American airport for 50 cents.

Upstairs I found a well padded bench to settle in for the next couple of hours while I wait for the counter to open.  These are my final moments in Thailand and I am sad.  I think back through the past 3.5 months and I'm amazed at all that I've accomplished.  This trip has been many things I hoped it would be and far more than I ever expected.  There were times when I had to dig very deep inside myself and times where I had to go entirely outside of myself.  I have learned and experienced so much and I am so grateful to everyone who helped and supported me.

As a tear or two ran down my cheek, I thought of Doug's infinite wisdom he once imparted on me - "Think how much it would have sucked if you weren't so sad to be leaving."

There Is A Lemon In My Mojito

I am back from the Similans, which means that my time in Asia is coming to an end and I'm depressed.

I went out to dinner and decided I needed a drink, so I made the foolish mistake of ordering a Mojito.  I should have known that it was going to be bad.  Mojitos, similar to any Mexican food, is always so tempting to order and always so so bad in Asia.  The Mojito appears on the menu everywhere, but it seems no one knows how to really make one, and I have gotten several intriguing and rather unfortunate tasting drinks.  I believe this is because there are no Cubans in Asia.

The Italian and Indian food has always been great and this is because there are many expat Italians and Indians who come over and open restaurants here.  I am eternally grateful to them, because there are only so many chicken curries and pad see ew that I can eat in a row.  But no one here knows a good burrito.

I take heart in knowing that I am less than 7 days way from being in Mexico (which is kinda crazy given that I'm still in Thailand) and I have plans to eat a ton of guacamole.

Until then I spend my last days catching as many rays as possible while relaxing on the beach.  I spend some time each morning reminding myself that this is January and my biggest dilemma is whether to take a walk on the beach before breakfast or after.

Ahhhhhhhh.

Diving in the Similans Rocks

The diving in the Similans was unparalleled to anything I had every experienced before.  I got very lucky and was signed up for a boat that could hold 16 divers, but ours only had 11.  This means I got a room to myself with a private bathroom (quite a luxury for a liveaboard).  I had the added bonus of heated tile flooring in my bathroom, as it was located right above the engine!

Of the 11 divers, 5 left after the second night and we were down to 6.  Normally there is one dive master per 4 people, but with such low numbers there were only 3 of us with our divemaster, Abbas.  The other two were a lovely Danish couple, who usually ran out of air about 10 to 15 minutes before me - so the last part of my dive was always just with Abbas.  It was pretty incredible.

The dive sites were crowded - there are not that many of them and loads of liveaboards - but our leader, Rick, did a great job of trying to orchestrate our dives so that we were ahead of most of the other boats.

We didn't see any whale sharks or manta rays, which was a bit disappointing - but it was still well worth the experience.  There were loads of moray eels, trigger fish, parrot fish, angel fish, butterfly fish, scorpion fish, starfish, damsel fish, barracuda, tuna, etc.

Everyone on the boat was very friendly and interesting - my favorite spot was laying out on the front of the boat in between dives.

If you've never been on a liveaboard before, the basic schedule is wake up, small nosh, dive, breakfast, lay out, dive, lunch, layout, dive, small snack, night dive, dinner.  It's pretty much divine.  

The dive season is November through April, and if it weren't for Rita's wedding I probably would have stayed forever.  As it is I am seriously considering going back next year, getting my divemaster certification and spending the season there!

I Love Khao Lak

It is a matter of mere moments on the beach and I'm totally smitten with Khao Lak.

I have spent the last three weeks beach hoping throughout Thailand and Khao Lak still blows me away.  Not only is the water a thousand shades of blue and the sand perfect, but unlike most of the other beach area I went to, there are kilometers upon kilometers of straight beach.  This means I can go for long walks along the beach uninterrupted and find a quite place on the sand all to myself.  It's official - heaven is a place on earth.

I spend my first afternoon walking along the infinite beach of Khao Lak marveling at the water.  There are actual waves here (nothing you can surf on, but significantly more so than anywhere else I've been).  After a kilometer, the water calls and I run in.  It is refreshingly cool after my walk in the sun and I struggle to think of a better place to be in early January.

I've come to Khao Lak to get on a liveaboard to do some diving in the Similian Islands.  The diving is supposed to be some of the best in the world - with hopes of seeing Manta Rays and Whale Sharks - so I keep my fingers crossed.

Unfortunately, before I can go on the liveaboard, I need to get my visa renewed.  I sign myself up for the visa run - which I will not go into detail about other than it is a miserable day.  Basically you and a bunch of other people pile into several minivans, drive to the border, stand in line to get stamped out of Thailand, take a boat across to Burma (ours broke down on the way over), stand in line to get stamped in and out of Burma, take the same boat back, stand in line again to get stamped into Thailand, and pile back into the minivan.  Not only do I have a hard time standing in long lines that move unbelievably slowly - but at each point I outlined there is always someone from the minivan who didn't realize what they were supposed to be doing and now we have to wait for them.  Ugh.

But the reward is 10 more days in Thailand and my lovely Khao Lak beach.

Happy New Year!

I've decided to spend New Years on Koh Phi Phi, so I went out there the 30th to check out the scene. I quickly discover I am far from the only one who's decided to spend New Years there and the island is packed.

There are dive shops everywhere, so I randomly pick one and talk to them about doing some dives on the 31st. They are going to some local dive sites and the dives are 2500 baht for two dives, which seems on par with what other shops are charging. Sign me up!

Well the diving was incredible. WAY better than Koh Tao (although I wonder if I'd feel differently if I dived Koh Tao in late Jan/Feb). We saw tons of Tiger Sharks, Turtles, all kinds of fish, and my first moray eel (which didn't freak me out nearly as much as I thought it would).

After a long morning of diving, I went to the beach for a snooze in the sun before I got ready to celebrate the New Year.

Several of the bars on the beach are having parties and I wander back and forth between them. It is a very different New Year to be out on the beach in a sun dress counting down to the next year with accents from all over the world. As I dip my toes in the water to celebrate the beginning of 2009, I can only think " so this is January". I still can't believe how amazing the weather is and I luxuriate in the warm sun and fabulous beaches every day.

West Coast Thailand Beaches

From my two days of roughing it in Khao Sok, I head to the west coast of Thailand for more fun in the sun. It was originally my intention to head to Railey, but I get talked out of that and into going to Ao Nang as it's cheaper.

Coming to Ao Nang is a whole new experience from Ko Tao and Ko Phangan. The downtown looks very new, and much of it has been rebuilt since the tsunami. There is McDonalds, Starbucks, and Burger King amongst other Western additions.

Ao Nang has many activities to offer, and I take advantage of these and do many things I was planning on doing in Chaing Mai before I got sick.

My first full day I went on a kayaking trip, which was a great day. I had only signed up for the half day, but since everyone else signed up for the full day, they allowed me to do the full day at no extra charge!

They put me in a boat with Eric from Finland, who has never kayaked before. This makes things a bit dicey, as they put him in the back and he knows nothing about steering. I do my best to steer without saying anything, but then after about 20 minutes I casually mention that usually it's the responsibility of the person in the back to steer. I give him a few pointers, and after about 20 minutes he's into the swing of things.

The kayaking is beautiful as we go through mangrove forests and feed monkeys. We come back for a late lunch on the peer and then we're supposed to go swimming in a fresh water pool. We get to the pool which is a very small pond filled with still water. At first I think there must be a mistake, but our guide encourages us all to get out. I immediately recall Doug's expression in Nepal and his comments on how his pristine bathing suit was not going in the hot springs. After we all sort of stare at the water for 5 minutes, it becomes clear to the guide none of us are getting in this and he takes us all home.

The next morning I take the boat to Railey which is certainly a more beautiful beach than Ao Nang, although much smaller and far more crowded. Thai people swarm the farang offering various souvenirs and Thai massages, so I quickly learn to look like I'm sleeping to avoid the constant harassing.

In the early afternoon I head back to Ao Nang for Ya's cooking class. I've wanted to take a Thai cooking class for a while, and Ya comes highly recommended by Lonely Planet, my lodge, and some random guy I talked to at the bar last night. And rightly so!

There are several people doing an Intrepid tour in my class as well as three other couples (two of which have taken the class before, one couple is doing their third year in a row). We start off making Pad Thai which is a fun and quick dish to make. Once we eat that, it's on to the more serious work of soups and curries. My experience here is far more successful than Laos, and everything we make is delicious, although a bit spicy.

From here I decide to head to Koh Phi Phi for diving and New Years.