After a day exploring Salento and Finca Las Brisas (coffee farm), we set out early on Christmas Eve to hike the Valle de Cocora, famous for its wax palms, Colombia’s national tree. The loop is maaaaybe 5-7 km total and usually takes 4-5 hours. Despite warnings from some people in our hostel about taking wrong paths hiking, we figured we’d wing the loop. Read the rest of this entry »
After a brief stint in Bogota, we decided to head south to the town of Salento for a few days before Christmas. We caught a short flight from Bogota to Armenia (since all of the buses leaving Bogota were booked from the 20th-24th), then took a 1hr bus ride to Salento. Salento is a small, peaceful town surrounded by mountains and is famously known for its organic coffee farms and for hiking the Valle de Cocora in Los Nevados National Park. Read the rest of this entry »
For details of the trip to Easter Island, check out the post! For photos, just scroll. Read the rest of this entry »
After a day of unrelenting pain on a bicycle we decided to return them and go the 1% way – we got an ATV!!! We set off towards the eastern coastof the island to visit one of the highlights of Rapa Nui’s national park, Rano Raraku. Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater whose stone quarry was used in the creation of more than 95% of Rapa Nui’s Moai. The site is littered with dozens of standing and fallen Moai; some still embedded in the side of the mountain and never erected. While most Moai structures are fairly close to Rano Raraku, there are many that were transported a few hundred meters across the island. No one really knows how these huge slabs were moved, but oral legend is that a divine power commanded them to stand up and walk. Scientists though believe they were “walked” to the other side of the island with the use of ropes, pulleys and man power. Read the rest of this entry »
Day 1
We landed at about 6am but didn’t get settled in till 9 or so. Saw a very romantic sunrise with our 400best friends from the red eye. Immediately loved the sunshine shorts and tshirt weather and in true Natalya fasion underestimated the potency of the sun (sunscreen is a must, I am sporting some exotic tan lines now). Read the rest of this entry »
Rapa Nui, as it is called in the local language, is really a hidden gem. Isolated by thousands of kilometers from landmass and other islands, it offers an escape from everything rote, preconceived, expected. Unlike other island destinations, big name resorts do not hog the best real estate. There are modest hotels, cabanas, and some eco lodges. Everything on the island is at face value. You see how the locals live, because instead of being sheltered behind the gates of a resort, you can actually walk around town, hike ,bike, drive fully confident in the safety and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when everyone you pass waves hello. The island is so small you can see most of the sights in 3-4 days, but you can definitely spend so much more time just hanging out, diving, surfing, etc. The entire island is an archeological sight…an open air museum! Read the rest of this entry »
Buenos Aires is really growing on me the more time I spend walking the streets and eating empanadas. Good God, I love the empanadas. For details of what Yus and I did in BA before check out Yus’s BA and Nat’s BA. For photos, just scroll! Read the rest of this entry »
Two weeks in Patagonia flew by. Yus and I spent them doing the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park and checking out El Calafate and El Chalten. Below are some stats and fun facts. Read the rest of this entry »
After leaving the beautifully small ski-town of El Calafate, we caught a 3 hour bus ride to an even smaller town called El Chalten. El Chalten was created in 1985 when Argentina vied to beat Chile for Patagonian land. The town is the northern flank of Parque Nacional Los Glaciers which has picturesque glaciers and beautiful landscapes. El Chalten is visited by tourists and climbers who have a knack for hiking, trekking, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountain biking and fly fishing.
After trekking the W in Las Torres (pics here), we took a 5 hour bus to El Calafate (13k pesos) to explore a bit of Argentiean Patagonia. El Calafate is on the Southern side of the famous Los Glaciares National Park, while El Chalten (our next destination 3 hours away) is on the northern end. To get into the park from El Calafate, you must pay 100 peso entrance fee, while there is no fee from El Chalten. Weird, but somehow inconsistent fees are a norm.
everyday we're crushin' it 