as much as i love to plan and organize, while on a trip i don’t like managing logistics very much. i think this is why i am a fan of the planned tour. i am a very independent person, but i really like waking up, having breakfast, and being in front of the hotel for a car/van/bus pick-up at a certain time.

although five weeks seems like a lot of time, it really isn’t if you want to see a large country from top to bottom. i started off thinking that i would rent an apartment in Buenos Aires and then travel out from there. ah, but that would involve logistic planning while there, and that takes away from my fun. enter the tour company. for this trip i chose Argentinian Explorer. i actually put out emails to a couple of companies, but this one came back in record time, with a nice trip and a cost effective price. thanks to Laura for putting that together for me.

i opted for a 20 night tour which will show me “Argentina from North to South”. i will see some of the same things i saw on my previous trip, but a lot will be brand new. i do hope there will be penguins again.

after my tour i will stay in Buenos Aires for two weeks. i found an apartment through VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) and so far so good. not knowing the area at all, i contacted a colleague of mine for some help, as i knew he traveled to Argentina quite a bit. he in turn put me in touch with a colleague of his that works and lives in Buenos Aires. how nice was that?! i asked my new Argentinian friend for some recommendations on which district to stay in, shared with him my options, and finally decided on a spot. it’s really nice having a contact in the country you’re going to visit, makes things a lot easier and i am most appreciative!

i have the tour booked, the apartment rented and my flight taken care of. i ended up buying my ticket instead of using miles because it just ended up being worth it time and schedule-wise. using miles is great in theory, but the reality is sometimes impossible.

now the big question is, since i will be SO close to Antarctica should i try and get there so i can say i’ve been to six of the seven continents? visiting all of the continents has never been a goal of mine, but i’m so close, maybe it should be. i think i will investigate a side adventure…..stay tuned for more details.

photo courtesy of sodahead.com

i had barely unpacked from the Bali trip and was already trying to figure out where i was going to visit next. i always like to have a trip plan in the works, it gives me something fun to look forward to.

the more time i spent thinking about my next trip, the more i thought about going for longer than the usual 10-14 days. i’ve never been away for more than two weeks at a time, even summer camp as a kid was only two weeks. i am currently gainfully employed, i have vacation time saved, and the company i work for allows you to take three months off and still retain your job. if i’m going to take an extended vacation, i’m pretty sure this is the time to do it!

i came to the conclusion that i could take five weeks off. i really wish it could be more, but alas, even though you’re on vacation, rent & bills still need to be paid. ok, five weeks, where to go and when?

i opted for Argentina in September. there is something about South America i really like. i had a blast in Peru last year, and i really liked what little i saw of Argentina and Chile when i went on my cruise, so i opted for Argentina because i didn’t get to see a lot when i was there before, and i’ve always wanted to go back. spend some time and get to know the country. i picked September simply based when i could manage five weeks off and when the weather would be decent.

i had wanted to go in July, but since the seasons are reversed from ours, it would still be a little cool there, and potentially rainy. i decided September would be ok, as it’s still an affordable time to travel and the weather would be better. it’s always a drag when half your luggage is made up of parkas and boots.

destination picked, time-frame determined…..let the planning begin!

image courtesy of mai10.com.ar

of course there was much more to see in Bali besides the Botanic Garden, and i feel like i saw a lot during my short stay.

there were a lot of really beautiful temples; Taman Ayun, Tanah Lot, Besakih and Batukaru to name a few. Tahah Lot was pretty cool, as it is in the water and you can only walk out there when there is low tide. it makes for a lovely sunset picture for sure. Besakih was neat, but i kind of felt like i was swindled going in. most temples have an entrance fee, and some have you rent a sarong if your knees are showing, but this temple asked for an entrance fee, a guide fee, a donation and sarong rental fee. unless you were with a tour group you had to use their guide, which was odd. it was just weird, it was the only place i felt a bit taken advantage of.

i went to Air Panas Alam Angseri (hot springs), and although i didn’t partake in the springs, it made for a lovely mid-day walk. the Jatiluwih rice terraces were unlike anything i had seen before, and the cultural performances i went to, Barong Dance and Kecak Dance were really interesting. i did most of my souvenir shopping at the Sukawati Market, which was like a giant flea market, lots of stalls & things to purchase, but be ready to barter, nothing can be bought at asking price. my treat, i had some awesome sandals made at at store by my hotel. i love shoes. i seem to buy a pair (or two) on every trip.

i was there the week before the Balinese new year celebration and there were giant dolls (Ogoh-ogoh) being created throughout the various towns. it was pretty amazing to see these ginormous figures being built in every town wherever there was covered space.

so much to see in Bali. i was there for a week, but i think 10 days would have been a bit better. on my last day i heard about a great snorkeling spot, and i wish i had been able to check it out. oh well, it goes on the list of things to see on my next visit.

and then there was Bali. i had never been before, actually i had never even considered going there until HB said she thought i should check it out. well, we all know it doesn’t take much for me to book a trip, all i needed was the suggestion and i was in.

i had hoped to use miles for my airfare since it wasn’t a planned trip and i didn’t want to spend a lot. sadly using miles would have made the trip impossibly long with less than pleasant layovers. i decided that my time was worth the money and booked a flight on Cathay. the flight times worked out well, and my layovers weren’t too long, although i’m fairly certain if i had stayed in the Hong Kong airport any longer i would have frozen in the waiting area. the AC was out of control!

i usually plan a trip to death, but this time i decided to let fate take the reigns, and i didn’t book anything except the hotel and a car to get me there. i think it’s always nice after a long flight to just grab your bag from the carousel and find a person standing there with a little card with your name on it. the drivers name was Dewa and he was one of six drivers employed by the hotel. Dewa and i became fast friends, and he ended up taking on all of my sightseeing adventures.

since i only had one week in Bali, i decided i’d stay in one hotel and make day trips, instead of staying in 2-3 different places. i opted to stay at the La Taverna Hotel in Sanur. Sanur was the perfect place for me to call home for the week. it’s on the beach and there is a walkway that runs between the hotels & shops and the beach for miles. each evening i’d adventure out for a walk and find a new place for dinner.
i’m a vegetarian and i never once had a lack of food choice. one of my favorite lunches was at a place called the Porch Cafe on the main street of Sanur, they had a unique and most tasty veggie burger. La Taverna was very pleasant, and i’d stay there again if i went back. actually a fair amount of the people i met there were return guests. it’s a nice location, right on the beach. plus it has a restaurant and a pool, wi-fi in the common areas, and live music twice a week. the staff were incredibly gracious, and the grounds immaculate.

as i mentioned, i didn’t have anything planned for my trip, although i had a couple of places i wanted to see that were recommended by some friends. i let Dewa know what i wanted to check out while i was there, and then i asked him if he could plan the rest. i guess most people have everything all planned out in advance, because Dewa was pretty excited that he got to plan out my visit to Bali. i figure it worked to my advantage, because who knows what to see better than the people that live there right? one of the places i went to on his recommendation was the Botanic Garden.

although not so different than a US garden, it was one of the few places i went to without being in the middle of a crowd. it was quite large, and you drove through, almost like you would in a US national park. it was really lovely with it’s ponds, statues, hothouses and a variety of flowers. if you’re looking to get out of the hustle and bustle, be sure to stop by the garden.

after visiting the Galapagos Islands i made my way to Peru. Machu Picchu was the ultimate destination, but i saw a lot of really neat things along the way.

as i mentioned earlier, i booked this portion of the trip through Peru Gateway. i thought they did a good job putting everything together for me. all of the hotels i stayed at were fine, even the crazy hostel in Cusco that was under construction. i’m 98% sure that was where my credit card number was lifted as well, but i’ve determined that there was one bad apple in the bunch, and i won’t let that one taint what was up until then a great trip.

after the Galapagos i went to Ecuador and spent the afternoon and evening in Quito. i had a nice tour of the city and dinner in town, and the next morning i was off to Lima. from Lima i went on a day trip (a very long day trip) to see the Nazca Lines. these are drawings in the ground that you can only see from the air. there are a number of theories about what the drawings represent and when exactly they were made, and no matter what your belief, they are pretty incredible.

i then went to the town of Arequipa and learned about Maca and visited an old convent, Santa Catalina. from there i went to visit the Colca Canyon, which has an altitude of about 15k feet, and is the home to many a condor, some with up to a 9 foot wing span. on this portion of the trip i met a wonderful couple from Florida that i still keep in touch with. as a matter of fact i think they’re due for a visit next month!

after Colca Canyon where i did see some beautiful condor, llama and alpaca we made our way down the mountain and i was off to Cusco. Cusco was a mere 11k feet altitude, piece of cake. let’s talk about altitude sickness for a quick minute, as it’s a big worry to a lot of people before they travel, including myself.

i didn’t take any medicine for altitude, and i was fine. you learn very quickly at 15k feet you just can’t move as quickly as you’re used to…..so you take it slow, walk with a another person (in case you get dizzy), drink lots of water and rest a lot. although Colca Canyon was the highest spot i went to, i didn’t walk around as much as i did in Cusco, and i took it really slow, so it wasn’t as bad as it might have been. when i got to Cusco i went to the hostel and rested and acclimated for about 3 hours before my city tour. that was all i needed, as i made it through the tour without any problem. unlike a poor woman from NY that passed out mid church visit. rest, water, and take it slow…….that is my advice to avoid feeling ill.

back to Cusco. i loved this place, something about it really appealed to me. i was there for four nights, originally it was supposed to be three, but i extended my visit so i could see the Festival of the Saints. i did a day trip to Machu Picchu, which involved two bus rides and a train. it was a pretty trip to the area, and once there, in awe, pretty much sums it up. some people i know did the 4-day hike to Machu Picchu which actually sounded fun, but since i’m not a big hiker/camper i think the one day bus/train excursion and walk around worked out just fine!

in Cusco i enjoyed many a good meal, and spent a lot of time just exploring. i went to the schools, churches, and markets. the festival was pretty interesting as well. it took place not far from my hotel, so i was able to pop in and out throughout the day to see all of the activities. if i have the opportunity, i would go back to Cusco and spend more time there getting to know the place and people.

i ended my trip in Lima, and it was a bit of a shock to go back to “the big city” after being in smaller towns for so long. i was only there for 1 a day which was enough to learn some history, take some pictures, and do a little shopping. i bought some really great purple flats!

Peru. it was a wonderful trip, and going on my own was fine. i didn’t have any moments of feeling like i made the wrong decision, i didn’t feel unsafe, and i met a lot of really interesting and fun people along the way. that trip changed my way of travel thinking, and i won’t ever hesitate to travel alone again.

it had been a couple of years since the South Africa trip, so i thought i’d check in with my travel friends and see if there was interest in another big vacation. you guessed it, there was interest and we thought Machu Picchu would be a good place to explore.

i started making preliminary inquiries with a company called Peru Gateway to see what they could come up with for us. they were fine to work with and Maya helped me out tremendously. i shared the itinerary with my friends, and found out that sadly, no one was going to be able to make a big trip that year. what to do? i really wanted to get away, so i decided to go on the trip alone.

although i had traveled a fair amount by that time, i hadn’t done anything by myself before. my friend JF travels solo all the time and loves it, so i figured why not give it a go. so i finalized a tour through Gateway and started reading about the area. while i was reading up on Peru, i kept coming back to the Galapagos Islands. well, if i’m going as far as Peru, i should make the most of my time and go to the Galapagos as well right?!

Condor Travel took care of my Galapagos excursion, and got me from Ecuador to the Galapagos and back again, so i could catch my flight to Lima. Condor was a good company to work with as well, and i would recommend them in a heartbeat for South America tour planning.

i spent three nights on the island of Santa Cruz and made two day trips out to different islands. i saw Isabella and Floreana. both boat rides were very choppy (thank goodness for a cushy seat) and not the most pleasant of trips (thank goodness i took Dramamine), but the islands were nice. tortoise, penguins, seals, shark, marine iguanas, and blue footed boobies were a few of the wildlife highlights.

i went to the Charles Darwin Center, the tortoise sanctuary, and just wandered around the island. if you’re a bird person, this is a place for you, so many different kinds to see. there is some diving there as well, but i didn’t check it out. some folks on my boat trip said it was very rough seas and low visibility, and they we disappointed in the dive experience. i’m glad i went, but no strong desire to go again. it’s not an inexpensive trip by any means, so be prepared. “welcome to the Galapagos, that will be $100 please.” that portion of the trip was more than the rest of the trip, which was 3-times as long.