I am posting this from the Lima airport where have to spend 11 hours between my flight from Buenos Aires and my flight back to the States, so bear with me if I seem to be somewhat out of it. I only slept two and a half hours last night and my mind is not exactly running at full speed at this point. So, I just spent the last eight and a half days back in Buenos Aires and, once again, I had an absolutely amazing time. As many of you know, my Mom actually met me there my first day back and then spent six days touring the city, enjoying all the sights, learning about Argentine culture, and eating some of the best food in the world. We had a great time and I can not remember a span of six in which I have ever had better food in my entire life. It was great to see a familiar face and it actually made me start to think about coming home and being back with my family.
It was really hard to leave Argentina, I love the country and there is still so much I want to see and experience in South America. It is truly hard to believe that I am just a day away from being back home with nowhere next on my travel itinerary. Overall, as I am sure most of you expected, my entire trip was unbelievable. There are so many highlights that it would be impossible to pick just a few moments that stood out. I feel like a i really developed a relationship with all of the countires and cities that we visited, and I hope that I have the opportunity to visit them again and explore them further in the future.
I hope that you all have enjoyed reading about my adventures and that this blog was able to provide you with some idea of what I have been up to for the past couple months. See you back in the states.
Harry
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12
Hello all, I am back from the Inca Trail and I have lots of news to share with you. I know that I said that I was going to try and post before we left for our trek, but things did not go according to plan and there were some serious complications. Two days before leaving for the trail we decided to go rafting on the Urbamba river which runs through Cusco and goes all the way past Machu Picchu and through a good part of Peru. The night we got back from rafting Ben started feeling sick and the next morning we called a doctor to come and see him to figure out what the problem was. Ben had to be checked into a medical clinic and it turns out that he had salmonella, two parasites, and an amoeba. Since me and my friend Jill, who has been with us since Colombia, has been eating all the same food and doing all the same activities we decided to get ourselves checked out and it turns out that we had parasites as well. Needless to say Ben was pretty sick, and out travel plans suddenly became more complicated.
We all got meds but Ben´s situation was way mroe serious and unfortunately he was not able to get better before our Inca Trail trek began. Jill and I had to go on without him while he satyed back in Cusco and got better.
We just got back yesterday from Macchu Picchu last night and the four days that we spent hiking were absolutely incredible. The trail far exceeded my expectations and I had an amazing time. It was physically challenging but totally worth the time and effort. Our group was fun, our guide was great, the scenery was unlike anything I have ever seen, and all of the ruins were spectacular. I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do the trek and it is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I took tons of photos and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.
Ben and I left Cusco first thing this morning and right now we are in Lima waiting for our flight tonight to Buenos Aries where I am meeting my mom for a few days. Argentina is my final stop on my voyage, and it is amazing to think that I will be back in the U.S. in just a week and a half.
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed Mother´s Day.
We all got meds but Ben´s situation was way mroe serious and unfortunately he was not able to get better before our Inca Trail trek began. Jill and I had to go on without him while he satyed back in Cusco and got better.
We just got back yesterday from Macchu Picchu last night and the four days that we spent hiking were absolutely incredible. The trail far exceeded my expectations and I had an amazing time. It was physically challenging but totally worth the time and effort. Our group was fun, our guide was great, the scenery was unlike anything I have ever seen, and all of the ruins were spectacular. I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do the trek and it is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I took tons of photos and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.
Ben and I left Cusco first thing this morning and right now we are in Lima waiting for our flight tonight to Buenos Aries where I am meeting my mom for a few days. Argentina is my final stop on my voyage, and it is amazing to think that I will be back in the U.S. in just a week and a half.
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed Mother´s Day.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
May 2
I know it has been a while but we just finished staying with Bens friend from abroad, Martin, in Medellin for a week. Martins house had an incredible view and more than enough space to accommodate us, but it did not have internet so it was hard to update the blog. Colombia was an absolute blast and I cannot say enough about how beautiful the entire country is. Medellin was unlike anything I could have expected and I loved every second that we spent in the city. We basically spent a week with Martin on a mission to see everything we could and taste every food possible, and Between all of the amazing meals and the incredible views I would say that we did a pretty good job. I have some amazing pictures to share but, once again, I am in a place where I do not think that I will be able to upload them.
We are now in Lima where we are staying for only a night, then heading to Cuzco where we begin our Inca Trail adventure. If out hostel in Cuzco has internet I will try and fill everyone in on all the details of the rest of our Colombia adventure.
harry
We are now in Lima where we are staying for only a night, then heading to Cuzco where we begin our Inca Trail adventure. If out hostel in Cuzco has internet I will try and fill everyone in on all the details of the rest of our Colombia adventure.
harry
Thursday, April 23, 2009
April 23
Sorry it has been a few days, I know I said that I would post a few days ago but the hostel I am staying in had an issue with the internet and all the computers were down for a few days. I have alot to share so I will be brief so that I can try and cover everything. As you all know I am now in Colombia in a small fishing town called Taganga on the Carribean coast just a few hours from Cartagena, but before I tell you about my time here I have a few things to cover from Brazil and the first leg of my journey in Colombia.
So my second to last day in Brazil Ben, Nigel (our budddy from DC who we stayed with) and I all decided to go hangliding. We had a great time and as we glided back down to land we had some views of the beach and city that were unreal. The sensation of catching the air currents while effortlessly flying and feeling completely free better than anything that I expected. The ride lasted about 10-12 minutes and it was something that I would absolutely try again if I had the chance.
When Ben and I arrived in Bogota two days later we were met by Antonio (Adelas sisters son) at the airport. Antonio and his family basically acted as tour guides for four days and really helped us to get a feel for and understand the city. We had a good time exploring a bunch of different museums and and endless number of churches all throughout Bogota. We actually walked around for most of the day on Easter which was really interesting and stopped in to hear bits and pieces of different services in some amazing churches. The Museo de Oro (museum of gold) was by far the highlight of sight seeing. The museum was just renovated a few years ago and it looks spectacular. In addition, all of the exhibits are in English, as well and in Spanish, which really madea big difference and allowed me to gain a much better understanding of what it was that I was looking at. The collection of gold pieces was far beyond what I expected to see and eventhough Ben and I spent just over two hours there the time just flew by.
A few friends from home actually flew into Bogota while we were there and we all traveled togther to Cartagena where we spent a day checking out the city and walking all around the old city. We decided that we should check out Tayrona (which was suggested to us by a number of other travelers) so we hopped a bus the next day and headed to the jungle/beach for a few days to see more of the coast and just enjoy nature. We found a great little "hostel" right on the beach that consited of no more than a few hammocks and a kitchen area with some tables. It was really laid back and it everyone had a great time just relaxing, swimming, walking, and enjoying the natrual surroundings. It was really great to see some friends from home, but unfortunately they had to head back to the states for work and other responsibilities that the rest of us are avoiding for as long as possible.
After Tayrona we headed to Taganga and decided that we whould give scuba diving a shot. So, for the past four days my friend Jill (who we met up with in Bogota and who will be traveling with Ben and I to Peru) and I have been learning all the neccessary skills and doing a couple dives each day, while Ben has been trying to get his advanced scuba certification through the same company. Jill and I actually took our written test last night and now we are officially licensed scuba divers. Although Tayrona is a pretty small fishing town we have been having a great time and I think we have truly enjoyed all of the different people and experiences that we have had here. We are probably going to stay for a few more days, then head to a different beach before we fly off the Medellin. I hope everyone is doing well and I am going to try and post a few pics as soon as this blog goes up.
harrison
So my second to last day in Brazil Ben, Nigel (our budddy from DC who we stayed with) and I all decided to go hangliding. We had a great time and as we glided back down to land we had some views of the beach and city that were unreal. The sensation of catching the air currents while effortlessly flying and feeling completely free better than anything that I expected. The ride lasted about 10-12 minutes and it was something that I would absolutely try again if I had the chance.
When Ben and I arrived in Bogota two days later we were met by Antonio (Adelas sisters son) at the airport. Antonio and his family basically acted as tour guides for four days and really helped us to get a feel for and understand the city. We had a good time exploring a bunch of different museums and and endless number of churches all throughout Bogota. We actually walked around for most of the day on Easter which was really interesting and stopped in to hear bits and pieces of different services in some amazing churches. The Museo de Oro (museum of gold) was by far the highlight of sight seeing. The museum was just renovated a few years ago and it looks spectacular. In addition, all of the exhibits are in English, as well and in Spanish, which really madea big difference and allowed me to gain a much better understanding of what it was that I was looking at. The collection of gold pieces was far beyond what I expected to see and eventhough Ben and I spent just over two hours there the time just flew by.
A few friends from home actually flew into Bogota while we were there and we all traveled togther to Cartagena where we spent a day checking out the city and walking all around the old city. We decided that we should check out Tayrona (which was suggested to us by a number of other travelers) so we hopped a bus the next day and headed to the jungle/beach for a few days to see more of the coast and just enjoy nature. We found a great little "hostel" right on the beach that consited of no more than a few hammocks and a kitchen area with some tables. It was really laid back and it everyone had a great time just relaxing, swimming, walking, and enjoying the natrual surroundings. It was really great to see some friends from home, but unfortunately they had to head back to the states for work and other responsibilities that the rest of us are avoiding for as long as possible.
After Tayrona we headed to Taganga and decided that we whould give scuba diving a shot. So, for the past four days my friend Jill (who we met up with in Bogota and who will be traveling with Ben and I to Peru) and I have been learning all the neccessary skills and doing a couple dives each day, while Ben has been trying to get his advanced scuba certification through the same company. Jill and I actually took our written test last night and now we are officially licensed scuba divers. Although Tayrona is a pretty small fishing town we have been having a great time and I think we have truly enjoyed all of the different people and experiences that we have had here. We are probably going to stay for a few more days, then head to a different beach before we fly off the Medellin. I hope everyone is doing well and I am going to try and post a few pics as soon as this blog goes up.
harrison
Saturday, April 18, 2009
April 18
Sorry that it has been such a long time since my last post but I have not been able to get acces to the internet for quite some time. I just want to check in really quickly right now and fill you all in with more details tomorrow. We left Brazil on the 11th, spent four days in Bogota, flew to Cartagena for a day and a half, and then drove to Tayrona for two days. I am currently still on the Colombian coast about an hour from Tayrona in a great hostel where we are probably going to hang out for a few days. I have tons to share and I am sure you guys will enjoy reading about the many adventures that we have expriecned over the past week and a half. I have to go shower and get ready for dinner but expect a much longer and more detailed post very soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8
The past couple days in Rio have been great. Ben and I are staying with a friend from D.C. who has an apartment in Copacabana, so it has been a nice break from the hostel scene. We have explored Ipanema and Copacabana quite a bit just walking around and checking out the beaches and a few restaurants. The weather has been pretty incredible, with the exception of a few showers here and there, but we I can't really complain. Yesterday we went to see the Corcovado (the giant statue of Christ that looks over the city) with our friend Adam and his girlfriend. The drive up to the statue was gorgeous and we stopped at one lookout point to check out a spectacular view of all of Rio. There were very few tourists and the weather was great so we were actually really lucky. Unfortunately, our luck seemed to change when we arrived at the actual statue. As we drove up the hill that it sits on top of, we started to encouter fog that seemed to get thicker and thicker as we ascended. By the time we made it to the actual base of the statue we could barely see anything. The 125 foot Corcovado was barely visible from more than 50 feet away. Things cleared for a few seconds and we did get to see it for a few brief moments, but our expereince was less than ideal. We will be in Rio for a few more days, then on Saturday we are heading to Colombia. Hopefully I'll check back in before the next leg of our trip.
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