In Cococabana . . .

Just a quick update. All is well! I am feeling mostly better, although, the altitude still seems to make me ill here and there. Missed the bus to Cococabana yesterday so had to wait til today. Checked into a 2 star hotel, but had a fab view of a more local area. However, it was back to no heat and cold showers. Anyways, took advantage by going to a fun bar with a local pena band. Did a little horrible salsa and had a nice time.

Then, got the bus to Cococabana today. About 2 hours into the journey, we had to get off the bus and take a boat across a lake so that the bus could be faried across. It was very interesting. The drive was beautiful. Approaching the city, its all odd shaped green hills and huge lake. The bus comes into the city from above. And, we arrived just at sunset. It was the most beautiful that Ive ever seen. It was a rainbow of color - red, blue, purple, that went from light to dark shades against the valley of hills. The city is set in the middle of nowhere against a range of oddly shaped, pointy hills. With all the lights, it was amazing to approach.

The city itself kind of reminds me of San Pedro - very quaint and romantic, filled with services for backpackers, only more friendly, larger, and a little less rural. I have a feeling Im going to adore it in the day.

Anyways, I took a friends (Michael, the German from Salta) suggestion and stayed at one of the nicer places in town. Its a beautiful resort hotel on a hill overlooking the lake. Im being quite posh these days, but for 10 dollars, who can resist. And, the icing on the cake, my room is huge and beautiful and has heating and warm showers. Its lovely. I can only hope my honeymoon is so romantic.

Anyways, I think this is going to be a relaxing little vacation. Looking forward to exploring during the day.

All is well. Hope the same for everyone else. Ben, if you are reading, I hope your last days in Bs As are going well. Even though Im not there, Im thinking of you. Hugs.

Champagne and Cocaine . . .

I had a fab time last night. The city just came alive. There was a huge concert just outside our hotel. You could hear the music and see the people from our window. Sab and I had a drink up in the top floor bar. It was beautiful to see the lights of the farfellas surrounding the bustle of the city. Then, we headed out to the recommended bar.

It was a great night. I ran into a half dozen people that I'd met through traveling. So, it was cool circulating with some old acquantances and meeting new people. It's hard to run into people when you're staying in hotels. But, there aren't many hostels in Bolivia as the hotels are so inexpensive. Anyways, the bar was alot of fun and became a packed club in the wee hours. I didn't drink much - a couple glasses of champagne, a shot called cocaine, one red bull and vodka, and then just water and red bull.

I've had a really hard time with the altitude. And, those couple drinks must have effected me terribly, because I was sick all night and all day today. I had a hard time breathing (as usual) and was terribly nausous. I didn't sleep at all. I finally puked around 11 this morning. But, I'm still feeling bad. So, I decided to just take advantage of the nice hotel room and lounge in today. Sab went out to explore. So, I'm just chilling and watching tv. I just put down some chicken soup and bread from room service. So, hopefully, I'll feel a bit better and head to Cococabana tomorrow.

Loving La Paz . . . A Five Star Hotel and Shopping . . . What's Not to Love . . .

Took the overnight bus from Potosi to La Paz last night. The bus was definitely not as nice as the Argentine buses, but it wasn't too bad. I actually fell asleep right away and slept somewhat soundly for most of the ride. We arrived in La Paz around 7 a.m.

The first impression of La Paz at sunrise was lovely. It's a huge city surrounded by mountains, crowded with colorful farfellas. The farfellas were all lit lit up. The city was mostly closed but in the process of waking up. There are grand old buildings and churches mixed with dumpy, slummy areas. But, all I see in that is the character and charm. So much more interesting than an ultra modern, ultra clean city.

So, Sabastian (my French buddy) and I decided to go to a hostel together. We lugged our luggage uphill just to find that the showers were cold and the rooms were cold. I just couldn't handle another cold shower and cold night. So, we continued our search. It's really a pain lugging all your things with you. So, after trekking up and down hill for a while, we came across two hotels. We decided to check the rates just to see.

Well, the nicer hotel was a little expensive, but it was so nice. It turns out that it's the best hotel in La Paz. We just got one room because it was a bit expensive. *DAD. Don't freak out. I remember the email I got after Rio about sharing a room with Chad and AJ. We're just friends, and I'm a grown up. I'm allowed to share rooms with boys.* The room and the hotel are amazing. The room is huge. It has two big beds, a pull out couch, a wall made of windows, cable tv, a minibar, wireless internet(!), and a beautiful bathroom with a nice tub. The hotel has a pool, saunas, hot tubs, restaurants, and a 17th floor lounge/bar/club. They were really nice and let us check in at about 8 a.m. They even let us have breakfast in the restaurant. It was so good. I had bacon and hashbrowns for the first time in ages.

Anyways, after we got cleaned up and explored the hotel, we headed out. We walked around the bustling street markets that seem to fill every nook and cranny. The women were traditional dress as in Uyuni and Potosi, however, it's a bit different here. The skirts are longer but less puffy and instead of the standard top hats and braids, many women where different types of hats.

They sell everything from silver jewelry, to every type of alpaca item, to food, to knock off clothes, to love potions and alpaca fetus bones (in the witches market). Sab and I spent hours walking around and shopping. I have never had so much fun shopping with a guy before. I feel like I've made a new gay best friend. Sorry Alex.

So, that was the day. We headed back to the hotel and are just chilling for now. We're planning to have a big night out as La Paz seems to have a bit of nightlife and it's been a while. Not sure if I'm heading to Cococabana tomorrow or the next day. As much as I like La Paz, I don't feel like there's actually much to do here. The only reason that I really want to stay is because Jon and Leona will be in town tomorrow afternoon and I'd like to go out with them. But, on the other hand, it would be good for me to move on and meet some other people.

So, we'll see. For now, I'm happy.

Last night - Walked around the local market for a while, and had a farwell night with the Uyuni tour gang (Jon, Leona, Kim, Adam, and Sabastian). We had a nice dinner and then went to a couple of bars. They were fairly deserted, but we had a nice time with each other - tons of laughs as usual. Í didn´t end up back in my hotel room until nearly 4 (which is saying something here). Leona and Jon headed to Sucre this afternoon, but I might catch up with them in a few days in La Paz. Kim and Adam are taking a much longer trek up to La Paz, so I probably won´t see them again. Sabastian is heading to La Paz with me this evening. I´m sad to part with everyone. We´ve had a great time together, but I´m excited to get to meet new people in the future. I´m actually glad that Sabastian will be on the same bus as me, because, while I like the freedom of traveling totally alone, I am always nervous about arriving in a new place alone with my roller suitcase. Once I´m settled in a hostal, I´m always fine.

Today was kind of a lazy day. Slept a little late and watched a little English TV. I didn´t drink much last night, but I had a really bad hangover, which probably has to do with the altitude. After a while, I packed up and went into town for some lunch. In the afternoon, I went to the Inca Lagoon. On first view, it just looks like a little pond in the middle of beautiful, multicolored mountains. But, it´s actually an inactive volcano filled with warm, mineral water. Except for at the very edge, it is 4000 meters deep. My driver pointed out that if you couldn´t swim and went under, no one would ever be able to rescue you. It was a little scary and strange because it just looked like a small pond. Anyways, the sun was lovely, so I laid out for a while before going in.

Once I went in, I didn´t want to get out. It was wonderful. There were barely any other people there. And, I spent about an hour at the center of the lake, floating on my back, looking at the clear blue, cloudless sky and glear from sun in the corner of my eye and moving myself around in circles with my arms and legs. I couldn´t hear a thing with the water covering my ears. And, I really felt like I was an Inca Princess taking a bath in a volcano in the middle of nowhere thousands of years ago. It was such a peaceful feeling.

Anyways, that was my day. I have a bus in 2 hours. So, I´m going to pop into town for some dinner and then head to the bus station for my 11 hour, overnight bus to La Paz.

Exploring the Silver Mines in Potosi . . .

During the 1800s, Potosi experienced a great surge of wealth due to its silver mines. The mines are still in service, however, the prospirity is gone. The miners work hard, long hours mining tin and silver.

Visiting the silver mines is one of the main attractions in Potosi. I didn´t really think that I wanted to do it. First of all, it sounded a little boring to me. Secondly, I´ve been having trouble breathing with the altitude, so I wasn´t excited about spending alot of time in an enclosed area.

I´m so glad that I decided to go. It was really interesting and fun. The tour was me, my French friend, and four English boys. They gave us boots, a smock, and a helmet with headlamp. Then we got into this big, yellow truck and drove to a market where you could buy coca leaves, cigs, and liquor for the miners. Then, we went to the mine. We donned our gear and walked, climbed, and crawled through the mines. We passed miners working as we went. Inside the mine, there was a little museum of sorts. There was a statue where miners left offerings to the god of the mountain. We put cigarets in its mouth, coca leaves on its lap, and poured liquor at its feet. This was 94 proof liquor. You poured it and then took a shot. I had to do it three times!

Anyways, it was really interesting. Tonight, I´m getting together with my friends from my tour for dinner. Tomorrow, I am going to try to visit some hotsprings. Then, I plan to head to La Paz tomorrow night.

In the Highest City in the World . . .

I arrived in Potosi, Bolivia this evening. At 4070 meters, its the highest city in the world.

Last night just had dinner with the Uyuni crew and then went to bed early. My room was so nice and clean and I slept for about 10 hours. It was terrific! The six hour bus ride to Potosi was interesting. Were not in Kansas anymore. The buses were horrible and cramped. The luggage went on the roof. The bathroom stops involved jumping off the bus and peeing in an alley or behind a rock. The roads were winddy and dusty and the driver had to honk as we made each curve to ensure we wouldnt crash with other vehicles. My first bus ride in Bolivia . . . It was fabulous!

Anyways, Potasi is actually a really large and vibrant city. It used to be fabulously wealthy due to its silver mines. So, it retains much of its grandor in its architecture. The people are dark. The women wear big skirts, shalls, and leg warmers and carry babys on their backs with multicolored fabric. Its just huge and very interesting. Very different from Argentina . . .

My hotel is even nicer than last night. I have a single room in a pretty nice hotel with my own bathroom and tv. I saw a few minutes of Sienfield before I headed out. That was an exciting farmiliarty. All for $3 per night! A couple of my friends from the Uyuni trip are staying there as well.

Just had dinner and explored this evening. I was going to leave on the bus for La Paz tomorrow night, but I love it here. So, I think I will spend two nights here. Tomorrow, I will probably do a tour to the silver mines and explore some more.

Having a great time. Will write tomorrow.

Hola From Bolivia!

Ive just made it into Uyuni after my 3 day trip. There was our driver Jaun, two couples (one English, one Canadian),a young French guy, and me. Everyone was so nice and alot of fun. The tour itself was amazing. Some of the highlights were

*lounging in warm hotsprings*bubbly brown gysers
*visiting a lake with red water (due to the minerals), flamingos, and ice bergs
*partying and playing silly games in the horrible and freezing refugee with my tour mates
*climbing bizzare rock formations
*staying in a Salt Hotel in the midst of the salt flats. Everything was made of salt - walls, tables, chairs, floor, beds . . . It was entirely luxurous after the night in the refugee.
*spending all of the third day driving through and stopping in the Uyuni salt flats.

Everything was fabulous - the tour, the people, and the food. Both nights accomodation were absolutely freezing. And, I suffered quite a bit of altitude sickness. But, it was all part of the experience.

There is no way that I can describe how neat everything that I saw was. So, as soon as I can post pictures, I will.

Im in Bolivia now. It isnt quite as rural as I was expecting here in Uyuni. Its acually a decent sized little town. The people are dark and the women dress in traditional skirts and shalls.
I decided to hop on the band wagon and go with the people who were on my tour to Potosi tomorrow (which is the highest city in the world). So, we booked a really nice hotel for $3 a night and a bus ticked for $3. Were going to go out for dinner tonight and then our bus leaves at 10 am tomorrow. I think that I will spend just one day there and then head to La Paz.

I will write tomorrow . . .

Cheers!

Leaving Honeymoon Land . . .

Just got back from my astrological tour. It was amazing. We went on a bus to this French astrologer´s house. The house was great. You walk in the front door and there was a large room with a big semicircle bench under an opening in the ceiling in which you could see the night sky. The room was illuminated and warmed with dozens of candles. It was beautiful. But, the real attraction was outside the house. He had a huge piece of property somewhat surrounded by low trees. So, all you saw was a huge dome of sparkling stars - above you and all around. It was beautiful. We had some information in the house. Then, we went outside, where he explained things about the sky and pointed to constallations and stars with a lazer. Then, we looked at different stars, constallations, and clouds through four professional telescopes. After that, we went back into the house for hot chocolate and a little more talk. It was so beautiful and romantic. There were 13 of us - six couples and ME! I feel like everyone is always feeling sorry for me here. The poor little American girl all alone. Geerrrrr. I love this town, but I am so ready to get off this honeymoon I´m having alone and get back to REAL backpacker world where the couples are the freaks and the single people rule.

Anyways, that is why I am writing. Because, I am heading out for my trip to Bolivia tomorrow morning. So, this will be my last entry until Tuesday or Wednesday. Our accomodations will be very rustic, so I´m not expecting to find internet. So, as far as I know, there are 2 couples and me and the French guy. I´m really glad he´s coming. At least I won´t be the third wheel for the next three days. I can´t handle anymore romance around me!!! I´m going to either gag or cry. So, don´t worry about not hearing from me for a few days. I´ll write as soon as I have a chance.

Well, that´s me. I have been invited to a local party tonight, but I think I´m just going to go back to the hostel and pack up my things and get to bed. After all I´ve been up since 345 this morning. That´s my plan but who knows.

Chau for now!

My Morning in the Real Desert . . . Seriously . . .

Well, after I got off the internet last night, Eva and I went to the place on the corner for dinner. There we ran into a French guy who we´d met earlier in the square with an American girl who was actually the third girl staying in our room at the hostel. So, we sat with them and had a nice dinner and some drinks. A band came in and played local music, which was really good. So, it was a mellow, but fun, night. At 1230ish, I got to bed for my 3 hour nap.

Then at 345, I was up to get ready to go to the gysers for sunrise. The morning is the only time they are active. I thought it was freezing in San Pedro this morning. Boy, was I wrong. 4,400 above sea level, was FREEZING. It was a very very bumpy two hour bus ride. Somehow though, I ended up passing out for some of it. I actually think that the altitude got to me and knocked me out.

I was so miserable getting off the bus at about 6 a.m. for sunrise, but the gysers were really neat. When we arrived, they were just starting to boil and smoke. By the time the sun was fully up, all you could see besides the surrounding mountains was streams of smoke, bubbling water, and colored mud. It was really neat. But, still freezing. The tour company had breakfast for us. We had chocolate bars (siempre in South America), cheese sandwhiches, and eggs (which were boiled in one of the pools of water). Most of us ate on the bus as it was freezing.

We then drove for about a minute and got off to see the oldest gyser. Apparently, four people have died by falling into it. Talk about gruesome. I stayed clear away. We also had the option to swim in a hotspring pool in the area. I´d never done it before, so I really wanted to. But, it was freezing, and I didn´t bring a bathing suit on the trip. I decided to just go in my tank top and undies. I´m really modest about that kind of thing, but, my undies cover more than my baithing suit bottom anyways, so I didn´t think it was a big deal. As it turned out, the springs weren´t THAT hot and it was still freezing outside. Luckily, as the sun warmed up, it got warmer. And, it wasn´t too bad getting out of the pool and getting dressed.

Then, we headed back to San Pedro. We made lots of short stops on the way. We saw lots of different animals - flamingos, llamas, rabits, deer. We also stopped at this really old, abandoned town in the middle of the mountains. It had a church built in the 1600s by the Spanish. It was somewhat strange and creepy.

Once I was awake enough to pay attention during the drive, I realized why the ride was so bumpy. There really wasn´t a road. We were seriously just driving through the middle of the dessert. Several times we actually drove through streams - one was really deep. On top of that, I had to keep putting my scarf over my mouth because so much dust was getting into the car. It was insane. We were seriously just driving through the dessert. There were no other cars, no people, no hawkers, nothing . . .

The people in my group were really nice. All in couples (of course) except me and a guy from Alaska. But, all so nice. I guess couples are ok. One couple I had met on the bus from Salta, so we were like old friends. I love that this town is so small that it´s inevitable not to run into people you´ve met.

I went to go pay for my trip to Uyuni when I got back. Apparently, there credit card machine broke yesterday. So, I´m going to go back in a bit and see what his boss says. I don´t have enough cash to pay it, but I do have some traveller´s checks. However, I wanted to save those for an emergency. But, I guess that I could just as well get some extra money and stash it. So, I´ll have to see what he says when I go back. There was another Canadian couple signed up and the French guy that I hung out with last night had also signed up for the same tour. Again, a small world. So, at least I won´t be the only ¨not in love¨person on the trip!

I have my star gazing tour at 7. So, for the afternoon, I´m going to get myself ready to leave for Uyuni and read my book. Maybe a nap?

Falling in Love WITH San Pedro . . .

Well, it seems that San Pedro is the place where couples who backpack together go. I am not exagerating when I say that 90 percent of the people traveling here are in couples. I have never, ever, ever seen so many couples traveling anywhere. Well, I can understand why. This place is the most naturally romantic place I´ve ever been. Well, I have no one to be in love with here. *Violins* But, that´s ok. I´m not too sad. The couples are friendly, and I´m enjoying everything anyways.

The city is really marvelous. It is seriously, ïn the middle of the desert.¨ There is one cash station in town and no way to get money besides exchanging other currency and traveller´s checks. Luckily, I was warned before I came. So, I should be ok with money. The town revolves around one long dusty street filled with somewhat shabby, dusty looking buildings containing all the services that backpacker´s looking to explore the area would need - hostels, tour agencies, restaurants, and small shops. People mill around the street day and night. And, there are dogs roaming everywhere. There is one pack of about 10 dogs that run back and forth growling at each other. Beyond that, there are a few hostels and services off the main street and of course the mountains in the backround. There´s also a little square with a couple restaurants and a really old church that has a roof made of cactus wood.

At night, the town really gets an eclectic feel. Lamp lights and those from shops and restaurants illuminate the street. Many restaurants are lit up with fires or candles. Mellow American-Europen or instrumental folk music is always in the air. And, best of all, even with the lights and activity, the stars are so bright above. It´s just beautiful and very romantic.

So, what have I been up to . . . Well, last night I went out for dinner and drinks with Michael and his friend Rapheal. We went to a great restaurant that had picnic type tables, and was open in the center so that you could see the stars. The best part was that in the center of the restaurant was a huge bon fire. The food was so good. And, after dinner, we had a drink around the fire. It was really nice.

Today, I got up and spent some time planning out the next couple of days. I met a nice German woman, Eva, at a tour agency and spent alot of the day with her. We walked around, checked out tours, shopped, and had lunch in the square. Then, we went together on a tour of Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). It was so much fun! We went in a bus and stopped in a couple places with nice views. On our second stop, we actually got out and spent about an hour walking to different areas. It was all sandy, so the walking was a bit difficult. The views were sensational. The best part came when we got to walk-run-slide down the side of the sand hill. It was really high and looking at it you´d never think it was ok to do. But, we took off our shoes and down we went. The sand was cold and went up to my knees sometimes. It was probably about 10 minutes down. That´s how far it was. I loved it. Then, we went on to Moon Valley. It is named Moon Valley because the landscape resembles that of the moon. But, the really amazing part was the sunset. At sunset, the mountains changed colors. They went from dark red, to purple, to pink. It was really amazing. You had to see it to believe it.

Well, that was my day. I´m going to go have dinner with Eva at a place right next to our hostel. It is all lit up with candles and looks beautiful! And, it´s 2 for 1 drinks tonight. Which is a good thing, because this place is really really expensive. Then, tomorrow, I am getting up for a tour leaving at 4 a.m. to the gysers. They are supposed to be amazing and only active in the morning. It´s going to be terrible getting up! After that, I may try to do a short horse back ride in the country side. Then, at 7 p.m. I am going on a star gazing tour. I am so excited about that. My friend Michael said it was the favorite thing he did in San Pedro.

Then, Sunday morning, I am going to head to Bolivia on a 3 day tour through the Salt Flats. It is supposed to be an amazing trip and pretty much everyone who comes here heads to Bolivia that way. So far, it´s only myself and another couple signed up. I was a little nervous about that. But, they were actually on my Moon Valley tour. They were really cool, so I´m sure it will be cool even if it´s just us. But, more people will probably sign up tomorrow. But, most likely, they will probably be couples - since there are only couples and me here.

Anyways, that´s me in a nutshell. I really like the vibe here. I could see myself spending some real time here under the right circumstances.

Until tomorrow . . .

Arriving in San Pedro . . .

Well, so much for my early night last night. As it turned out, tons of people had really early morning buses today. So, everyone was planning to just stay up all night. I finally agreed to drop by the other hostel during the asado and have a couple drinks. I figured that it was better to stay out and be more tired anyways. Well, a couple drinks turned into staying out all night dancing . . . I got back to the hostel just in time to take a shower, finish packing, check out, and get to the bus terminal for my 7 a.m. bus.

I passed out as soon as I was on the bus and slept for about four hours. The scenery was georgous and so different than any other I´ve seen. I wrote up a description on the bus, so I´ll paste it in here later.

Well, I was quite shocked when we arrived in San Pedro. There was no bus station!!! No cabs!!! I was totally freaked out. It´s so much more rural than I was expecting. The bus just dropped us off on the edge of town. Anyways, I paid a guy who was trying to take me to another hostel to take me to the International Hostel. I was so disoriented because I just wasn´t expecting it to be this way. Here I am in the middle of a desert with my roller suitcase . . . So much for being a posh traveller.

Anyways, the town actually seems really really neat. It´s seriously a little sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. The roads are not paved and it has a very desert feel to it. But, it seems bigger than you would first think. I actually am kind of digging the vibe I´m getting from it now. I was just a little disoriented when I arrived. It kind of reminds me of Varanasi in India - just because of the somewhat quirky, magical feel in the air.

I booked myself a tour of Moon Valley for tomorrow afternoon. So, I´m going to sleep in, check out the town, book some more tours, and then do the tour in the afternoon.

I met up with my friend Michael from Germany. He´s leaving tomorrow, but we are going to go out with another one of his friends for dinner and hang out a bit tonight. So, it was nice that he was here so that I had someone to hang with for my first night. He also got me really excited about the town, because he told me all the cool things he did here.

So, I´ll write again tomorrow. Chau.

In San Pedro . . .

I made it here. It is much different than I expected so far. It´s this little town in the middle of the desert with dirt roads. I´ll write after I explore and unwind. But, I wanted to let you all know that I´ve arrived safely.

Exploring Southern Salta . . .

Today I did a tour of Southern Salta. It didn´t go famously, but I don´t regret going. Last night before I booked the tour, I asked what other people were booked on the tour because with a small group, the people in the group can make or break the tour. The tour operator said that there would be two Australian guys and an Icelandic girl. So, I was excited to spend the day with some other backpackers. It turns out that it was me and two older ladies from Buenos Aires. Now, I have nothing against hanging with older people. But, it just wasn´t what I was expecting. And, as they only spoke Spanish and for some reason didn´t seem to understand my Spanish, I had a very quiet day. They were nice, but we just didn´t have much in common.

On top of that, I was really car sick for alot of the ride because we were going up winddy roads through the mountains. For about an hour it was really bad, and I had to keep my eyes closed. I actually made the guide pull over because I thought I was going to be sick. But, I wasn´t, and I felt a bit better after that. However, most of the tour involved driving through the mountains and stopping at various points. So, I remained slightly nausous all day and still am. On top of that, I had a headache from the altitude most of the day. So there was all that. And, at 9 a.m., I was a little miserable thinking that I had to spend all day in these conditions, but then we made our first stop . . .

We stopped at a place in the mountain where there was this huge cave type formation in the side. Something about approaching it just made me feel very small and in touch with the world. It just gave me this feeling of scerenity and excitement. Approaching it, you walked through a group of people selling things. The people here were different. They weren´t your typical townspeople. They were more like Latin American hippies - just very chill and artistic. All in all, with the huge cave, the people, and the mountains all around, it just created an almost mystical vibe for me. And, of course, I had to buy something from the hippies . . . I saw a necklace that I instantly fell in love with. It was a little expensive ($35 pesos - I´m getting so cheap!), but it was so beautiful and it just called my name. It´s silver and has pieces of white quartz and a pretty pendent made of the pink stone that is Argentina´s national stone. I really love it!

The next stop, which was just a bit down the road, was even better. It was the same deal. Hippies and a cave. However, this cave was twice as tall. And, there was a band playing very very mystical tunes with drums and whistley, flute type things inside the formation. The acustics were amazing. To me, the place had a magical vibe that inspired my imagination. I could have plopped down right there and done something creative for hours.

After the two caves, we stopped at various other places for picture opps. The mountains in the south were like the mountains in the north with crazy formations and a plethera of earth tones except that in many areas there were blankets of mossy greenery and no cactuses. One place had this valley and alot of greenery mixed in with the earthy mountains. There were different shapes of mountains surrounding the valley. For some reason, it made me think of the land before time. I will put up some pics when I can get a wireless connection for my lap top as I know my words cannot describe the beauty.

We were supposed to visit 3 vineyards in the afternoon. But, I don´t think that the ladies were really into it, so we only went to one. I would have been bummed usually as I am quite a fan of vino. But, as I was nausous and not really into drinking alone, I was ok with it. The wine that I tasted at the vineyard was good, but nothing special. However, I did meet some American girls. They were a bit older than me - maybe later 20s. They walked in, and started speaking Southern American English. And, after the last five hours with no one to talk to, I really just wanted to chat with them. I heard them talking about me. *pssss, psss, maybe she´s French, definitely not American.* I get German all the time, but no one has ever called me French. How romantic to be a French-German girl traveling around South America alone. Anyways, I couldn´t help myself and I went up and said hello. As it turns out, they work at the embassy in Buenos Aires and the one girl was really quick to exchange info and plan to do dinner in Buenos Aires. It was so nice. And, it will be great for me to hear more about working in the embassy.

After that, we went to Cafajate. We had two hours to do lunch and walk around. I didn´t really want to have lunch with the others, so I went off on my own and used the internet, had lunch, and shopped. It was a cute, sleepy little town. At 230, we headed back through the mountains, making a couple of stops, and were back in Salta at 530.

So, it wasn´t the ideal day, but I don´t regret it. Honestly, all the other tours I saw had older people on them. So, it really wouldn´t have mattered which I went on. And, it would have been hard to do all that alone.

So tonight . . . Well, I have to pack. My bus to Chile is at 7 am tomorrow. I had an email from my German friend who is there right now. He said to make sure to bring whatever money I needed as there are no ATMs or other way to get money in town. Tonight, I will probably walk around town for a bit, buy some food to make dinner, and then head back to the hostel for packing and an early night. There is another BBQ like the one I did on Saturday, but last time it didn´t even start until 11 p.m. So, I think I´ll just have a quiet, early one with a book in my private room. But then again, something always comes up when you´re traveling. So, we´ll see.

Off to Chile tomorrow!!! Nervous, but excited.

*P.S. Great News!!! I got my clothes from the other hostel last night. They were still in the cabinet that I left them in 3 days ago!!!*

Decisions . . . Decisions . . . Decisions . . .

Well, I finally went out and made some arrangements. First of all, I changed my flight to the U.S. I was originally supposed to leave on May 18th. I´d been avoiding changing it because I didn´t know when I wanted to return. I have a wedding at the end of July, so I used that as a point of return and booked my ticked for July 18th for nothing more than the $125 change fee. So, that´s done. The new return date is July 19th. Listo!!!

Next, I booked myself a bus ticket to a place in Chile called San Pedro de Atacama. It sounds amazing. Frommers describes it as,

¨Quaint, unhurried, and built of adobe brick, San Pedro de Atacama sits in the driest desert in the world, a region replete with bizarre land formations, giant sand dunes, jagged canyons, salt pillars, boiling geysers, and one smoking volcano.¨ It goes on to say, ¨But it is perhaps San Pedro's intangible magic that captivates its visitors in the end. Many will tell you it is as much of a place for one's "inside" as it is for one's "outside," meaning a spiritual sense of peace San Pedro puts forth, with its soundless streets and rarefied air. This is one of the top stargazing areas in the world; once you leave the village and are enveloped by a thick blanket of twinkling lights, you'd be forgiven for feeling that the galaxy was not so far, far away after all.¨

I´m sold. I could use a little something ¨spiritual¨ I think. I don´t know where I´ll go after, Buenos Aires, Bolivia . . . No se. I guess just where the wind takes me. I´m not going to worry too much about dates and restrictions. The best thing I can be doing with myself right now is traveling and exploring. It´s good for the soul. For mine anyways . . .

The last thing that I did was book myself a tour for tomorrow to the South of Salta. So, I´m out and exploring at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.

And, (drum roll please), I did all this in Spanish!!! I haven´t officially studied in weeks, but I have been speaking more Spanish than ever. And, I understand people. And, they understand me. I´m not by any means fluent, but I´d say I can definitely survive on my Spanish. And, on top of that, people keep telling me that my Spanish is good. I know they´re just being kind, but still, it makes me feel good. I even noticed that when people do speak English, I still want to speak in Spanish with them. Now that is a new one!!!

So, things are going well. I´ll update before I leave for Chile.

Touring Salta . . .

Yesterday was alot of fun. I went on an all day tour of the Northern Salta region. It went from 7 a.m. til 8 p.m. It was a tour guide in her car with three other people basically just driving through the georgously colorful Andes and visiting about a half dozen small villages and stopping to look at particularly beautiful areas of the country side. The Andes in this region are a beautiful splash of colors and the villages in the region are very traditional (a much different Argentina than you see in Bs As). Each stop in a village basically consisted in visiting a church, musuem, or other monument; having a walk around; and looking at the local handicrafts.

Here are some highlights of my day

*The Seven Colors Hills and Painter´s Palate - which are areas in the Andes that the minerals have formed to create a palate of different colors and shades in the rocks.

*The huge cactuses that were everywhere!!! I have never seen so many and so large in any one place! I have a really neat pic of me standing in front of a huge one. I´ll post it.

*Eating a traditional stew made of boiled corn and pieces of beef and pork meat.

*The precious little boy and girl who came running up to sell me a necklace and give me their address. They were so sweet and pretty. But, you should see this necklace! The things that kids come up with!

*The beautiful, sunny, weather.

*The colorful markets full of handicrafts.

We were at a very high altitude at times. And, it was interesting that I could really feel the effects. First of all, I couldn´t drink my Coca Light out of a straw. For some reason, it kept bubbling out as soon as I took a drink. I´m not sure why this was, but it must have been due to the altitude. The same thing happened when we were driving through the Andes from Santiago. I got a couple headaches when we were up very high. And, at one point, there was a monument with many stairs to climb up. No sooner did I start climbing, than did I start lightly hyperventalating. Of course I´m fine. I just had to go up a little slower. But, it was amazing to see how the altitude really made a difference.

So, that was my day. It was a long one with alot of driving. But, it was great, because I feel like I really pretty much saw most of the Northern Salta region all in one pop. Once I got back to the hostel, I took a LONG shower and had a quick walk around the town and bite to eat and then was off to bed. I slept and slept and slept . . .

Finally, at 11 today, I got out of bed. Unfortunatly, I´ve discovered that I´m missing some clothes that I intended to pack. I don´t know if I left them at the first hostel or if I left them in Bs As. Since I didn´t bring much clothes, missing 2 shirts and a pair of jeans is kind of a big deal. I´m going to go over to the other hostel and see if they are there. I´m really crossing my fingers, because they were all things that I REALLY liked.

Besides that, my friends Claire and Michael have left today. I feel like I´ve seen enough here. So, I´m going to walk around a bit more and decide what my next move is. I´m fairly certain that I´m not going back to BA just now. I´m really deciding between going to Chile or straight to Bolivia. I´ve also been craving my cream cheese, salami, cheese, olive, and potato chip sandwiches. So, I think I´ll go to the store and get the things for those. And, if my clothes aren´t at the hostel, I may need to do some more shopping. I swear that I´ve been wearing basically the same clothes for days!

So, that´s about it for now. All is well!!!

Still in Salta . . . In One Piece . . .

Still in Salta . . . I´m having a really good time. I am really loving the city. It´s surprisingly large and vibrant. But, very very pretty, with loads of georgous old buildings and monuments. The weather is beautiful and sunny during the day, with a bit of a chill, but it is freezing once the sun goes down. Of course, I left my jacket in Buenos Aires!

Last night when I got back to the hostel, I chatted with the reception guy (an Aussie) and two guys from Isreal. They were really nice. My German buddy from the bus sent me an email and asked if I wanted to go to an Asado. I was starving and had no plans, so I was happy with that. So, he came by and got me and we went to the asado which was at a hostel run by the same company as the one that he was staying in. It was so much fun. There were alot of people there. We ended up sitting with two couples from Bs As and a Brit. Lots more practice with my Spanish . . . It was the Brit´s birthday, so we stayed til the end and partied with him with drinks and cake (almost entirely Dulce Deleche). The asado was really nice. There were lots of salad, meat, and wine. After dinner there was some really nice live music. It was alot of fun. It all died down around 3. And, my German friend was kind enough to escort me back to my hostel.

THE HOSTEL (Ok, read this while humming the theme song to the Twilight Zone or some similarly creepy song) . . . So, I get back to my hostel . . . It´s set up so that you walk into the door and are in a courtyard, where the reception area is as well as a chill out area. The rooms are arranged on the sides, like a motel. You walk from your room to the courtyard. This would be a fab set up in the summer, but in the freezing night, with no heat in the rooms . . . (you get the point). Ok, so, I go into my eight person room to see that there´s still no one else there. However, there is a ton of random stuff in one corner (it was there when I arrived). It looks like someone lives there. That´s how much stuff is there. But, there´s no one there. There´s barely anyone in the whole place! It´s dead silent and creepy. There is no lock on the door and no one else in this big, gross, creepy room. However, I have tons of someone elses clothes in a corner. On top of that, it´s absolutly freezing.

Well, at first, I fell asleep ok. But, at about 5 a.m. I woke up and the creepiness of the situation totally hits me. THANK YOU SO MUCH NATHANIEL AND BEN for giving me vivid reinactions of the movie Hostel. My imagination totally ran away with me, and I got really really creeped out. It was then that I decided to move out in the morning, before they had a chance to chop me into little pieces. Anyways, I did fall back asleep, but I was up in time to check myself out of the hostel - luckily all in one piece. CREEPY!!!

I decided to just get in a cab and tell them that I wanted to go to the Backpacker´s Hostel. There were two different ones - the one my German friend was staying in and the one from the asado. I knew they were both nice enough and there were lots of people there. So, I didn´t really care which I went to. It turns out the driver took me to the smaller one where my friend is staying. He went rafting today, so I didn´t see him yet. I hope he doesn´t think I´m stalking him, haha. Anyways, as luck has it, the first person that I see at the new hostel is a girl named Claire that I know vagely from the residencia in Buenos Aires.

So, I checked in. I decided to pay the wopping $15 a night and stay in a private room with a big bed and a private bathroom. I am so looking forward to going to sleep tonight. I haven´t had my own room and a big bed in ages! I´m really excited!

In the afternoon, Claire and I went up this mountain on a cable car to get a view of the city. The weather was wonderful. It was warm and sunny. I could have laid out in my bathing suit if I´d brought it. It was beautiful and peaceful there and we stayed up and chatted for hours. After a while, Claire went down. But, I stayed up and watched the sun set. It was really wonderful. And, all the couples making out at the top didn´t even make me sad. It was beautiful, and I felt really happy being there. I talked to so many little girls. I was like a little girl magnent. They kept coming up to talk to me. More practice with my Spanish . . . And, they were so sweet. The children here are beautiful and very friendly.

Anyways, back to the hostel now. I´m not sure what´s on the agenda for tonight. Honestly, I´d be happy to spend the night in my private room!!! Tomorrow, I am doing an all day tour through my hostel that starts at 7 a.m. It´s supposed to be great. I´m really excited!!!

That´s it for now. Chau.

Made it to Salta . . .

Here I am in Salta!!! I packed my things and hopped onto the bus just before it left at 10 pm. It was a nice bus, and I met a nice German guy who is traveling around the world. The seat next to me was empty, so he ended up sitting next to me. It was nice to have the company, and he got me excited about traveling. It turns out that he´s doing the same thing that I may want to do - going up through Bolivia and Peru. So, if I end up doing that, I may travel some with him. He´s my age and very friendly and interesting. So, that was a nice start. I slept pretty well on the bus since I was so tired.

I got into town and checked into my hostel. It´s not terribly nice, but it will do for now. There was nothing going on around the hostel, so I decided to go out to the main plaza and explore. What do you know - not five minutes and I´ve made another friend. A local college kid asked if I needed directions. Usually, I would just say no and walk away. But, he was my age, wearing a backpack, and seemed like a nice normal kid. So, he escorted me to the square and then gave me a tour of the area. He took me to some churches and monuments. It was really nice of him. He speaks no English. I have no idea how I hung out with him so long only speaking Spanish, but I managed somehow. I love when that happens. But, that also reminds me that I really need to study up so that I have more to say.

Anyways, not sure what my next move is. My friend from the bus is supposed to email me so that we can meet up later on. Besides that, I think I´ll head back to the hostel and chill for a bit. I´m tired from my long walk!!!

I promise I´m being safe!

Cheers!

Well. It's been a while! First of all, I PASSED MY TEST - even after throwing up all night and not sleeping a wink. I got a 7 out of 10. I'm happy with that.

This week has been weird. My friends are starting to leave. Everyone who hasn't left seems to have people in town that they are occupied with or be out of town themselves. And, not having class has made me very unsettled. I haven't had anything specific to do. I've really been tettering about what my next move should be. I know that I want to stay here and keep working on my Spanish, but I am being really indecisive about what exactly I want to do. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to take enough class here in the next three months to get a Spanish minor. And, I've been sad about my friends leaving and quite sick as well. So, I've just been really indecisive. On the upside, I guess you couldn't say I had a horrible week. I slept as late as I wanted, shopped, and saw some friends. That was pretty much it. If only there was a beach here . . .

Anyways, facing a weekend with more of nothing productive to do and no one much around, I finally decided to make some sort of move. I went to the travel agent, and entirely in Spanish (this is why I want to stay), booked a bus ticket for tonight to Northern Argentina. It's a 21 hour overnight bus to a town called Salta. It's some place that I've wanted to visit. It's a good choice for me because it's not too committal, yet has possibilities. It's close enough that I can go for a few days and come back. However, if I wanted to, I could just continue up north and go through Bolivia and Peru. So this could be a 3 day or a 3 week adventure. I'm nervous. But, glad that I've finally made some sort of decision. I'm heading out in 3 and a half hours. I just booked a hostel, and now I'm going to go home and throw some things in a bag. Luckily, I only slept for 4 hours last night, so I should sleep well on the bus. ***DON'T WORRY DAD!!! I will be there tomorrow night, and I will write when I get there. I will be sure to update this blog regularly to let you know I'm safe. I'll try every day!!!***

I'm off . . .

Hola Everyone . . .

Well. I took my big test on Friday. I´m not sure how I did, but I´d be shocked if I didn´t pass. I´ve made the decision to stay in Bs As for an indefinite amount of time. I have to rebook my plane ticket. I´m thinking the end of July . . . I decided to stay in the residencia, however, it turned out they didn´t have space. So, I was almost homeless. It would have been quite the adventure . . . But, as it stands, I´m in the res for two more months.

Two good friends left the country on Saturday. It was really hard. I was really sad to see people go. And, there are several more people leaving before the end of the month. It´s got me a little bummed out. Besides that, I´ve had a touch of the flu for a few days. So, I´ve been trying to take it easy.

I´m officially out of CEA now. We had our big goodbye on Friday night. They did a tango show with us and gave those of us leaving gifts. I got a really nice leather purse. One of the girls did a slide show of our program. Each person got a profile and title. I ended up as the ¨resident party girl aka world traveler.¨ I thought that was so funny. Its interesting to see how people you don´t know very well sum you up. Honestly, it might seem like I go out and party alot, but the truth is that I´m such a homebody at heart. I just want to get the most out of my time and have no regrets.

Well, I´m free in Argentina now. No class!!! I´m still working with school to see if they´ll let me finish up a Spanish minor. So, I will probably do some class at some point. But, for now, I have a few free weeks. I was thinking about just hopping a bus and going north through Boliva and Peru. But, the truth is that I chickened out a little about going on my own. So, I think that I´m heading to Peru with some friends in a couple of days.

I´ll keep you updated.

CONGRATS AL ON YOUR CONFIRMATION. I LOVE AND MISS YOU!

Iguazu Falls Rocked!!!

Iguazu Falls was completely amazing!!! And, the trip itself was a blast. It's my favorite trip that I've taken in this country and the Falls are definitely one of the most amazing things that I've seen in my travels!

Ok. I wrote this huge entry about my trip and it was just erased. So, basically - it was amazing. The falls were unbelieveable. The pics don't do them justice. And, I had a great time with my friends in CEA. Late nights, lots of dancing, lots of tequilla . . .

I am trying to get myself together this week. I have my big Spanish test on Friday! And, I'm working out what I'm doing for the summer. I have to have some concrete decisions soon because my housing runs out on Saturday. There are just so many factors!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . . .