some Auckland photos

Can we say "Jet Lag?"

Whew.

Friday March 28th, 10:45am, Auckland, NZ.

For most of you, it isn't even Friday yet.

I think its sometime last evening for my body

Anna is
1)hoping to write a food review for Colonia del Sacramento but not able to at the moment because she is
2) so seriously jetlagged that the world is spinning around her and also
3) the internet is wicked expensive here which will make it difficult to continue
4) planning her NZ trip, since she hasn't really done any planning yet.

Also--
It turns out I need a visa for Oz, luckily it took me only $20 NZD and about 5 minutes.

Also ---
Aerolineas Argentinas made a big deal about checking out my plastic-baggied lip gloss and tiny tube of sunscreen, but let me walk right by with two bottle of water poking out the sides of my daypack. Yay! Safety!

Also ---
We left during a thunder and lightening storm and at times I think we all thought the plane was just going to fall apart.

Now, I am going out in search of Chinese food, because the internet is wicked expensive at the hostel so I can't stay on long, also I am desperate for Chinese food and maybe a nap because the world won't stop spinning!!!

love!

Big City, Little City

Tuesday March 25, 8:30pm Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

On the ferry to Uruguay this morning I was struck by a powerful emotion that I have experienced a number of times already on this trip - intense joy. It is a joy that fills the body with warmth and excitement, that brings a goofy smile to my face, and makes me do a victory dance in airplane bathrooms. There is something about traveling, about actually moving (as Stevenson suggests), that is exhilarating, thrilling and rewarding. Knowing that I am alone, having left new friends behind, once again starting another small adventure, another small life . . . it is freedom, joy, anticipation of what is just around the corner . . .

I am so happy to be out of Buenos Aires! The city was actually quite lovely for the most part- the shopping (as previously mentioned) excellent, the neighborhoods charming, and the booze flowing. Generally, however, I am more partial to cobblestone streets, small cafès oozing with character and meringue, beautiful sunsets and quiet. So anyway, yay for Uruguay!

I spent the last few days in B.A. a bit more calmly, taking time to sit, relax, get laundry done, etc. I saw a Tango show at the historical Cafè Tortoni which was lovely, and I went with some locals and an American girl from my hostel to a really fun punk rock show in a small emo-type venue. On Easter I attended mass at the cathedral with two women from Columbia who were in my room at the hostel. We arrived early and prayed the rosary for thirty minutes, not my normal style but very nice. Still having a bad taste in my mouth from the map-mugging, I was happy for a chance to pray to the Virgen for safety during my travels.


After mass (which was of course in Spanish and only partially comprehensible . . . although I could recognize some of the readings . . . "this is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it" etc.), I called my parents and then headed to the San Telmo street fair.

You may remember San Telmo as the neighborhood of terrible late night food and muggings, but it is actually quite charming during the day. The streets are filled with artisans selling their wares, bands (pianos and everything on the sidewalk) playing for change, tango dancers asking for a few pesos in return for a show.



I walked along and heard from the sidewalk, "Hello! Are you American?" It was Democrats Abroad, wearing Obama t-shirts and registering voters for mail-in ballots. We had a fun discussion, and as always I was intrigued by the idea of living abroad.

Yesterday I went with Stuart the Scot and a Brazilian women from the hostel to the protests held in Avenido del Mayo/Plaza del Mayo. Argentina had some very rough political years in the 1970s which included mass murder and thousands of people "dissapearing." The mothers of the people who dissapered keep constant vigil in Plaza del Mayo, and are the focus point for demonstrations throughout the year. The march included all sorts of leftist groups, including Peronistas, Socialists, and Anarchists. Good times, good times.

I need to make a few notes here before I forget (this is random, please don't mind)
- I can't get spell check to work for blogger. Sorry all.
-There are loose dogs everywhere.
-When you use the bathroom you throw the toilet paper in the basket, not the toilet.
-Everywhere is flooded with young Israeli backpackers, taking some time abroad between military service and college.

Excellent. Now that I've shared those, back to our story . . .

I had a couple drinks the other night with Omri, an Israeli guy I met with my family in a tiny pub in the tiny town of Doolin over New Years vacation. He happens to be working this summer at a camp about five minutes from my parents' summer house . . . if I see him there too, we will have seen each other on three continents. Pretty nifty, hmm?

So today I hopped on the ferry (which was lovely, well organized and desperate to sell you fancy expensive, yet duty free perfumes and booze) to Uruguay and arrived in lovely, small Colonia del Sacramento. This town was colonized back in the 1600s as a base4 for the Portuguese smuggling goods into Buenos Aires. The houses are old, there are seven historical musuems, a few lovely green squares, lovely views over the river separating Uruguay from Argentina, and charming cafès. My hostel is gorgeous, old, with cathedral ceilings, tiled floors and it just bursting with character, only in an elegant gentle way.




I had a great day just strolling the streets, visiting some hitorical bits, eating incredible meals and desserts, and watching a gorgeous sunset of the water.



I am so greatful for this trip, for these experiences and for my life. ¡Gracìas a Dìos por todo! I have spent the evening ready my new book (having finally finished the Coehlo), "eat, pray, love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. So far it is fantastic and perfect . . . a woman gets divorced and travels the world searching for pleasure and divinity. Excellent.


Tomorrow at 5pm I take the ferry back to B.A. and I have an 11:59pm flight to Auckland with Aerolineas Argentinas. I arrive at 6am in Auckland on the 28th. I haven't actually figured out how long the flight is, I'm not sure I want to know!


Thank you all so much for the comments, they make me so happy! I appreciate each one and am glad to have you on the journey with me, keep them coming!

Lots of Love!

Anna

Anna Goes Shopping

Saturday March 22, 3:45 pm, Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure." - Aldous Huxley


Hello from Buenos Aires! I arrived in the capital city on a very hot Thursday afternoon. I took a cab to my hostel, Che Legarto, dropped my things and had a shower. I was happy for a new adventure, but a little unsure about the hostel which seemed to be in a slightly dodgy area, and was fairly unclean. I was in a HUGE dorm room with over 20 beds!! I only had to spend one night in that room, and yesterday I was switched to a more reasonable 8 person room.

I was starving so I headed out into San Telmo looking for food . . . I found a nice cafè and chatted with a young man from Belgium who had just finished some volunteer work in Cusco, Peru. The more I hear about Peru, the more I want to go there! I had some empanadas (as per usual), only this time they were only 2 pesos a piece (US $.65) as opposed to the Calafate empanadas which were 6 pesos (US $2). Delicious as usual! It was already evening when I headed to Florida Avenue for some serious shopping. I have been living in clothes more suited to hiking in Patagonia then bumming around a big stylish city like Buenos Aires, and I needed some nice tops. I spent the evening browsing through shop after shop and had a great deal of fun buying a skirt, two tops, a headband (I keep losing headbands!!!) , and a scarf. Very good time!

I grabbed a taxi back to the hostel where I met a young Scottish guy heading out to dinner. We walked back to the big square in San Telmo where there was drumming, music, and everyone was speaking Spanish (we may have been the only gringos). The service was absolutely atrocious and after an hour we were served something different than we had ordered, and it was the worst meal either of us had eaten in as long as we could remember. Luckily, Stuart, was at the end of his round the world trip and regailed me with tales of ridining on the backs of buses in Northern India, accidentily going to Mangalore instead of Bangalore and other such misadventures. I can't wait to go to India! Especially MacLeod Gange, Dharamasala, Shimla, and those other northern towns near the mountains.

We got back to the hostel around 1am, I wrote some emails and went to sleep around 2am- just when everyone else was heading out for the evening!

Yesterday (Good Friday) I had an absolutely lovely time walking around Buenos Aires. I started with the Recolleta Cemetary where Evita is buried. The cemetary was huge, the monuments immense, and very interesting. I visited the nearby church (really really dark bloody statues, very strange), and strolled through the open air artisan market on my way down to Palermo.

I visited MALBA the Museum of Modern Latinamerican Art, which was delightful, especially the Frida Kahlo. Some of the art was very moving, and some was that wacky modern kind that I don't quite understand!

Then I walked up to Palermo Soho and Palermo Viejo where I poked around in shop after shop and eventually had some salad at around 5pm. All in all I think I walked for 8 hours yesterday. Needless to say sitting in an internet cafè sounded pretty good for today!

I got caught in the rain yesterday but managed to grab the Subtè, or subway back to the center where I caught a cab back to the hostel. I had dinner by myself at an old historic cafè right on Avenido de Mayo, where people like Jorge Luìs Borges used to hang out. Not great food, but nice to be there. They have cheap tango shows and I'm hoping to catch one this evening. Then I headed back to the hostel and slept until 2am when my roomate woke me up and convinced me to go out to the bar. We were at this local bar with folks from the hostel until almost 5am, at which point we headed back to the hostel.

Okay, so prepare yourselves folks, this part is a little dodgy. On the way to the bar to meet up with the others, Billy, my British roomate and I were sort of mugged. Luckily all the guy got was a map of Buenos Aires, which we think he probably assumed was a wad of cash. Neither of us were hurt, and the guy didn't even touch me . . . he just dug into Billy's pockets grabbing what he could. I was glad I wasn't carrying a purse with me so there was nothing to grab. He was a big guy dressed in a nice suit, looking like he was heading out to a club. Very strange. He had something that looked like a gun, but in retrospect we don't think it really was. Obviously, this left a bad taste in our mouths, and we walked home in a larger group (it was only maybe 6 blocks to the bar).

So, I'm fine, a little wiser, and soooo not interested in walking around Buenos Aires in the middle of the night.

Also, I'm fairly lucky really.

This morning I headed down to buy a boat ticket over to Urugauy. On Tuesday morning I'll take an hour ferry over to Colonia del Sacramento, a supposedly lovely, quaint colonial town on the river. I'll stay the night and I have a boat back on Wednesday evening and then I'll head to the airport for my midnight flight to Auckland!

Well, I'm off to see the Cathedral, the Casa Rosada, and probably do some more shopping. I'm really enjoying not having a set schedule and just meandering about the city and seeing what I like, at the pace I like. I am however a bit lonely for the first time since Lima, but in exactly the sort of way I had hoped for . . . I'm spending significant time with myself and its a very good thing.

Happy Easter!

Love!
Anna

Anna goes Camping

March 21 Friday Buenos Aires, written about El Chaltén, March 16-18 and Calafate 18-20

"He should be endowed with an active, indefatigable vigor of mind and body, which can. . . support, with a careless smile, every hardship of the road, the weather, or the inn."- Edward Gibbon (1760) on the qualifications for a traveler

On Sunday I took the early bus to El Chaltén to visit the north end of El Parque de Los Glacieres. El Chaltén is an adorable sleepy little town with no paved roads, no ATM, and not a lot of anything. I had to walk around for awhile before I found a place to sleep, and in the end wound up crashing in Hostel Marconi which I would NOT reccomend. The other people staying there were nice enough, but the owners were a little on the nutty side. I had a met a girl from Israel in Calafate and we planned to camp together - spent some time buying food, renting a tent, sleeping bags, etc., stopping for Hot Chocolate and cake (the hot chocolate is just amazing, I'll be lucky to not put on ten pounds). That night I had a very long and involved conversation with two guys from Spain who were staying at the hostal. It was a good Spanish language challenge for me, and we managed to talk about everything from mystical energy foci (like Machu Picchu or Stonehenge), 9/11 conspiracy theories, the origins of the indigenous people of South America, the origins of the Basque language, the possibility of early visitors from the Iberian peninsula to New England . . . . it was fantastic.

Lets cut straight to the important part (especially since at this point it is actually March 21 and I'm actually in Buenos Aires).

Anna actually behaived like a true backpacker and trudged up a mountain with a pack on her back, complete with tent, sleeping bag, mat, and food. The views of Fitz Roy were amazing and I really enjoyed the hike up. We set up our tent, I hung my food from a tree (having been warned about mice) and I went off for some solo walking which was lovely (great glacier views). When I came back to the tent, the plastic bag holding my food had been absolutely torn to shreds and my food had been eaten!! The only things that survived the attack were my peanut butter and honey which were helpfully encased in glass. I started cleaning up the shredded plastic (you can't leave that kind of stuff around in a National Park!) and I noticed a HUGE bird walking around looking for more! I am still not completely sure of the identity of this evil bird.

I started poking around the campsite, looking for some one to chat with in English. I met a few guys from Texas on a quick week camping vacation, and they helpfully gave me a breakfast bar and an apple. Then, just on the edge of the campsite I encountered a motley group of Americans, mostly traveling solo, who were in the middle of a feast. They invited me (I brought along my peanut butter and honey) and they fed me course after course of corn soup, pea soup, noodle soup, pasta with alfredo, pasta with tuna, lentils, etc., all made on a camp stove of course! It was a lovely night and ended with a gorgeous view of the stars and the moon. I saw the southern cross, and a gorgeous shooting star.

I climbed into the tent around 10:30 pm, nice and early since we had a very ambitious plan for the next morning. The normal activity for the campsite we stayed at was to wake up an hour and half before dawn hike up this crazy path to watch the sunrise over Fitz Roy. We were excited and set our alarm and went to sleep . . . here we made our mistake . . . . we FORGOT to close the weather-proof flap at the front of the tent!! Of course it wound up pouring all night and our stuff got wet - yay!! Always a happy way to wake up! Needless to say, we did not hike up (no sunrise to see in the pouring rain!) the steep path. We quickly packed up the tent and headed down . . . making it back to town in half the time it took us to climb the hill.

I had at least two hot chocolates that day, possibly more! I took a shower at the big hostel down the road and waited for my 6pm bus back to Calafate.

I took it easy in El Calafate the next day, shipped some things home (so they should be there sometime in late April), and poked around in the shops. I got an email from my dad saying that I had been accepted into the Public Policy program at UMASS - yay!! With a free ride and everything :-) Some other solo travelers celebrated with me, wine, all-you-can-eat steak, chorizo and spring rolls (it was an interesting restaurant), and then we visited the casino (I won 24 pesos on the slots, very exciting), and went back to the hostel and crashed.

Yesterday I got up early to catch my flight to Buenos Aires, and here I am!! More to come!!

Much Love, sorry things are a bit rambling and pieced together!!

Anna

pictures coming soon hopefully

Anna Walks on a Glacier

Saturday March 15 8:15 pm El Calafate, Argentina





"People say that what we are all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think this is what we're really seeking. I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive."~ The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell ~








Yesterday I walked on a glacier and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! To be surrounded by ice, working hard physically with a slight fear that something awful could happen . . . I felt so alive! I can´t wait until I can load the pictures and share them with all of you!



interupted, and picked back up on Wednesday, March 19 at 3pm



I arrived in El Calafate on March 13th and was greated by Federìco waiting to take us to America del Sur . . . the hostel to be at in Calafate. The hostel is large and friendly, and the staff (Federìco, Juan y Ivan) always remembers my name. I´m always greeted by a happy, "¡Anita! ¿Qùe Tal?" when ever I walk in to the place. They have been a huge help with organizing my trip and I will miss them!

(Juan and I in the downstairs bar/lounge area)


That afternoon I headed out for empanadas (I have eaten so many empanadas . . .) and bumped into two Aussie guys, Wade and Craig who I kept bumping into for a few days. We all had the all you can eat Asado feast at the hostel that night . . . 45 pesos (about $15 U.S.) for all you can eat steak, chorizo, wine and beer. After much wine and beer we (a large group including folks from the U.S., Oz, and few other places) had a Twister tournament, and I´m happy to say that I was indeed the victor.



On the 14th I did the mini-trekking on the Perito Moreno glacier, which was absolutely incredible. Just viewing the glacier was mind-blowing, have never seen a glacier up close (or at all?) in my life. I can´t imagine my pictures will do it any justice, but I took plenty. The trekking was great, and the handsome guides Martìn and Diego were very solicitous and took good care of us. It was exhilarating walking on ice and thinking that the only thing supporting you was frozen water. The extraordinary blue colors, the sink-holes and the layering were beautiful and I felt fully alert and alive. People kept commenting on my ridiculously huge smile, so my enjoyment must have been showing! At the end of the 1.5 hour trek we were served whiskey with ice from the glacier and some alfojores (cookies with dulce de leche- caramel- in the middle). I returned to Calafate for more empanadas and wine.



Food note: I´ve been carrying peanut butter, honey, fruit and hard boiled eggs with me to make sure I have protein, etc. Don't worry Mom!



On Saturday I did the "all-glacier" tour, an all-day boat tour where we viewed over 5 other glaciers, and had a lovely walk around a glacier-lined lake. The glaciers were gorgeous, but by the end of the day I had definitely had my fill of ice!

Next chapter - Anna Goes Camping, in which our ####### hikes up a hill with full camping gear, is thwarted by an enormous bird of unknown species, is rescued by a helpful group of wacky Americans, and proceeds to commit a serious camping faux pas.

Pictures coming soon, hopefully.

Transcendence! (Torres del Paine)

written in El Calafate, Argentina March 14, regarding time in Punta Arenas & Puerto Natales, Chile, March 11-12

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world."- Freya Stark

I woke up early to catch the 7:30 bus to Puerto Natales. It was about a 12 block walk with my ridiculously heavy backpack, but I triumphed (and no empty cabs passed by) and made it in time (only getting a little lost turned around). I had said goodbye to Amy and my other friends in Punta Arenas and was once again on my own. Amy made the comment that traveling alone is like having multiple mini-lives . . . where for a few days you meet people, experience a location, a culture, a small world . . . and then . . . you leave. And you start all over again.

I slept on the bus and climbed down the steps in Puerto Natales a little wary. I hadn´t booked a hostel (trying to be spur of the moment and whatnot), and it was a little unnerving. Luckily there was a lovely pushy woman trying to entice backpackers back to her hostel. I had a good feeling about her, and I went for it. Also a bed was only $10 a night! The hostel was a bit of a walk from the town, but it was quiet and I wound up having a room to myself because so few people were there.

I took it easy that day, spent time on the internet, strolled around Puerto Natales and read my book ("Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coehlo). Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas are very nice, but are obviously more economically depressed than Ushuaia and El Calafate, Argentina. I think that the Chile towns are often frequented by backpacker tourists, while Ushuaia and Calafate often cater to the wealthy. Still I enjoyed a delicious lunch/supper of avacado and King crab ( a specialty here) followed by salmon.


I visted a Santerìa store in Puerto Natales and asked if there were any specific Vìrgenes de Chile. There was one, but they didn´t have the prayer card. At the Santerìa store in Ushuaia I had picked up prayer cards for Nuestra Señora de Lujan and Nuestra Señora del Valle, both Argentian Virgens (like the Virgin Mary for those non-Catholic). I also picked up a prayer card for San Cristòbal, or Saint Christopher, for protection while traveling. The Santerià stores are wild- stautes of saints, Mary and Jesus, right next to insence, multi colored magic candles and other very pagan things. I talked with the man at the store about how Catholicism is so different in the States, but how I liked the Santerìa stores.

The next morning I took a day trip to Torres del Paine, which was absolutely mind-blowingly astonishingly awesome. The Torres (towers) del Paine (of blue) are incredible mountains, surrounded by lakes, other mountains, waterfalls (cascadas) and just an amazing amount of beauty. I saw pink flamingoes, eagles and condors. I can´t load pictures here (the internet is SOOOO slow), but I will share soon. It was a great trip, except that my right thigh had really started bothering me in Punta Arenas. I guess its just getting old. :-) Luckily this was a trip with only 3 hours or so of hiking, so I made it. I definitely have to come back to Torres del Paine for major camping/trekking sometime in my life. In fact, as I was there I got the distinct feeling that my treasure (Coelho´s The Alchemist, anyone?) lay within the center of the Torres del Paine. So I think I may need to become una escaladera, a mountaineer! I´m not sure how yet, but it feels like it might be important.




Looking at the Torres I couldn´t help but think about Shelley´s poem on viewing Mont Blanc. I´ll copy part of it at the bottom, I love the part about the "secret strength of things."

I had an incredible avacado and chicken sandwich purchased for a rather pricey amount of $6 at a refugio in the park. It was delicious. I bumped into Mattieu and Genevieve, the french couple from the hostel in Punta Arenas (everyone here seems to be on similar paths).

Towards the end of the day, my camera stopped working. I was pretty nervous, but I hoped it was just tired from taking a ridiculous amount of pictures, and if I gave it a rest it would calm down!

We visited the Cueva del Milodon, a cave where prehistoric bones were found a while ago. Now its not all that impressive except that you get to walk through a glacier-created cave. No pictures, thanks camera! I had a slice of lemon pie at the café, and got to watch an Andead condor soaring over the mountains. The condors are amazing- and their wing span is up to 3 meters across!

I bought a few empanadas for dinner, and Bridget, who felt like a house-mother, assured me that she would drive me to the bus station in the morning so I didn´t have to walk. She was lovely, caring, and we watched an episode of CSI together and discussed her maybe learning English.

The next morning I caught the bus to El Calafate . . . the bus was painfully slow as was the border crossing, where my honey was once again confiscated (as it had been on the previous border crossing!).

Next post: el Calafate, and walking on the Glacier Perito Moreno!!

Love, Anna

Mont Blanc yet gleams on high:--the power is there,
The still and solemn power of many sights,
And many sounds, and much of life and death.
In the calm darkness of the moonless nights,
In the lone glare of day, the snows descend
Upon that Mountain; none beholds them there,
Nor when the flakes burn in the sinking sun,
Or the star-beams dart through them.
Winds contend Silently there, and heap the snow with breath
Rapid and strong, but silently! Its home
The voiceless lightning in these solitudes
Keeps innocently, and like vapour broods
Over the snow. The secret Strength of things
Which governs thought, and to the infinite dome
Of Heaven is as a law, inhabits thee!
And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea,
If to the human mind's imaginings
Silence and solitude were vacancy?(1817)

Flamingoes:


Guanacos: