The World Traveler Arrives at SFO!

Santorini

Samos and Naxos

Fresh catch of the day...

We met Mike, from Southern California, in Turkey. He ended up traveling with us around the Greek islands.

Dispatch from Selçuk

(E-mail to Dad)

Still in Turkey! We just arrived in the town of Selçuk (near the Aegean sea) to see the ruins of Ephesus tomorrow. Then we will be on a ferry the next day to one of the Greek islands. We will probably spend no more than a week around Greece since we are eager to travel around Croatia.

Turkey has been such a neat place to travel in. I found the mosques in Istanbul to be very peaceful and mesmerizing. The Turkish people have been very friendly and hospitable. The food is very good and the Baklava is about 100 times better than in the states! While Greek comes to mind when you think of this dessert, I learned that it is actually Turkish in origin (I think it depends on who you ask).

The Hagia Sofya, with it's massive dome, was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years. It is "considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture."
An early morning ride to the ruins at Ephesus.
The restored library of Ephesus, which once housed 12,000 to 15,000 scrolls
Met these friendly little ladies while on a stroll through town

Dispatch From Istanbul (As in Turkey!)

(e-mail to Dad)

It is very exciting to be here in Istanbul! I feel worlds away. Just checked into a hostel near Sultanahmet Square after a very long flight on a Boeing 747 (some scary turbulence!). Lots of mosques, carpets, whirling dervishes, and women with scarves wrapped around their heads. I love that, despite the modernization of such a place, you can still get a feel for their traditions.

We do not even have a guide book (talk about going with the flow) but I checked with the tourist information office and grabbed some useful information on sites. I did not realize Turkey has so many neat historical points of interest ... such as Troy and Esphesus, as well as some famous Greek mythical sites. I am thrilled!

Anyway, we will probably stay here in the city only for 2-3 days since it is a steep USD$26 a night for a dorm room!

Gastronomic adventures in Brazil

Brazil is so green, warm, and tropical! I´ve been enjoying the beaches especially after (mostly) cool and wet weather in Argentina and Peru. We stayed on scenic Ilha Santa Catarina for a few days in Rio Grande Sul, which probably is one of the more touristy, overpriced, modernized parts of Brazil but certainly worth a visit!

Because its the off season here, we got a good rate on a cute pousada up on a hill overlooking Barro da Lagoa. We cooked meals with our friends Tom (an Englishman we met in Uruguay) and Aaron (from home) to save some money. Unfortunately, the food on the island was unimaginative and unhealthy. Every restaurant offered pretty much fried food. I ordered a "grilled" fish one night and it came to the table fried! However, with a little persistence I was able to find a few places that served good lunch buffets by the kilo, homemade empañadas, and sweet, satisfying coconut shakes with canela (cinnamon) on Praia Mole. Word of mouth was that the further North you go (particularly Bahia), the better and more authentic the food is. Thus, we packed up and moved on in search of better and cheaper food (and of course, less touristy places)!

We met a German traveler who invited us along to Blumenhaus, a German settlement inland, to sample the homemade beer and check out the architecture. Next, our group split up, with Aaron and Tom moving on to Sao Paulo and Sergio and I heading to the Iguazu Falls, with a pit stop in Curitiba.

It was here in Curitiba that we visited the buffet of all buffets. Batel Grill & Churrascuria. I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Salad buffet, sushi buffet, Brazilian food buffet, hors d’oeuvres buffet! In addition to those food stations, waiters bring skewered meat and pasta dishes to your table until your belly is popping out of your shirt. After 2 hours of stuffing our faces and several bathroom runs, we topped it all off with five cups of espresso topped with chantilly cream and watched a Cirque du Soleil show on the Plasma. Yes, this place was fancy but the quality was superb and the experience fully entertaining. We felt we earned that after nearly 3 months of traveling and eating cheaply.

And now, I am back on the Argentina side to visit the Iguazu Falls tomorrow (which borders three countries: Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina). This region is mostly tropical rainforest and I am waiting out an angry thunderstorm. It is actually quite exhilarating as I`ve seen nothing like it before. The rain has been pouring so hard in the last two hours that the roof of one of the dorms caved inwards and flooded the room a foot deep in water!

Booked our tickets from Rio de Janeiro to Istanbul, Turkey on April 22nd! That was the cheapest way to get home via a continent other than South America (I've been itching to go somewhere where Spanish, and rice and beans aren´t prevalent). From Istanbul, we'll travel overland to Greece and Croatia, the final leg of our journey!

Barra de Lago, Florianopolis: the view from our balcony!
Praia Mole, one of my favorite beaches in southern Brazil. (and no, that is not me!)
Local friends share a sarong.

Christo Redentor, the massive statue that embraces all of Rio de Janiero.

Uruguay ... the best place to stargaze!

Aaron, Sergio, and I are staying in the sleepy fishing village of Punta del Diablo, on the coast of Uruguay. We arrived in the country two days ago and are making our way up along the coast to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We have the advantage of traveling in South America during the low season, however, the weather is getting colder and it rained for most of my stay in Argentina. I am eager to follow the sun to warmer places as the winter approaches here.

Despite the protests and road blocks, I got a chance to visit my old friend, Valeria Mainardi, in Cordoba. Valeria was an exchange student at my high school during my senior year. Thus, it had been eight years since we last saw each other! Anyway, I arrived in Cordoba after a miserable 11 hour bus journey, where Valeria and her boyfriend, Santiago, picked me up from the bus station. From then on, I was spoiled! Her family took me in for four days with wide, open arms. They fed me, showed me around town, and even when working, took a few hours off to take me to lunch. I was absolutely grateful for their hospitality and it felt like a true cultural homestay experience. I was surprised to learn that Valeria's father is a well known physicist and who was also the first Argentinean to work for NASA in the states. He is a great storyteller. Valeria is an English teacher and is working on her Master's degree in Linguistics. Fact: Higher Education is free in Argentina!

Last night, I saw the night sky for the first time in weeks and I almost couldn't believe my eyes when the clouds suddenly vanished. There were BILLIONS of bright stars to be seen all the way to the ocean's horizon. And right above me, the Milky Way stretched from East to West. An orange shooting star flashed across. It was an incredible scene and Uruguay will be forever embedded in my memory because of it.

Living lavishly in Buenos Aires, Argentina

I have been in Buenos Aires for almost a week now. It is a very neat, cosmopolitan city with French architecture, wide avenues lined with cafes and shops, shady parks that rival Central Park (NYC), and plenty to do and see! On the first day of my arrival, I decided to live like an Argentinean and have dinner at 10:00 pm, go home to take a nap, and then go to a smoky nightclub from 2:30 to 4:30 am. Very exhausting, to say the least, but I had to try it!

The next day, I joined 60,000 others to watch a live futbol game between Boca and Colon. Futbol (soccer) is a national obsession and to witness this live is quite an experience. Tourists are advised to sit in the more expensive bleachers but I had the opportunity of going with some locals, therefore standing in the popular section. Here, you witness some of the most passionate soccer fans singing at the top of their lungs, nonstop, through the entire duration of the game! I have never seen so much pride, swearing, and pure machismo on display. Nonetheless, I had a great time!

It is very cheap here. For $1, I can lunch on Choripan, Argentina's answer for a hot dog, which is chorizo on french bread with chimichurri sauce. Then for dinner, I have the option of going to a nice restaurant for a juicy steak and glass of red for $8. I also love the casseroles here. The other night, I ordered a purred pumpkin casserole with spinach, cheese, and honey. Delicious and only $3! We've had a free place to stay at our friend Aaron's temporary apartment and in exchange for accommodation, we buy groceries, help cook, and clean.

I was supposed to travel by bus alone tomorrow to visit my high school friend, Valeria, in Cordoba. However, I just went to the bus station and learned that there are cacerolazos (protests) blocking main roads in and out of Buenos Aires! Farmers have been protesting for two weeks now over raised export taxes (44%) on their products. It doesn't look like there is any end in sight but hopefully the traffic jams will ease over the weekend so that buses can pass.

Love and miss you all.

Machu Picchu

Cusco

Dispatch from Machu Picchu (by Sergio)

Machu Picchu was awesome! Jess is a little sunburned though. When the bus took off it was raining and jess was wearing a poncho we bought for $1. I think it was made from the same plastic as a hefty bag. We pretty much headed straight for Huaynapicchu when we found out they only let 400 people in per day. We were among the first to the top but found it a little crowded so we went down a few levels and found a nice spot to wait for the clouds to part. It got clear and hot by the time we left the ruins. I took tons of photos. We picked up a handy sim card reader that is about the size of a flash drive and are now able to upload photos. Check the blog Jess only has one up so far, but we´ll work on it more from Cusco.

Dispatch from Cusco, Peru

We´re in Cusco now! Took a one hour flight from Lima today. Flew into Peru (2 flights, six hours later) from Honduras via El Salvador yesterday. Stayed in Miraflores last night and I was surprised how modern that area was. My mouth was watering from all the streetside cafes displaying their sweets. I really like Peru so far!

We´re staying in a charming hostel up on the hill, about one and a half blocks from the main plaza. We had a tasty lunch not too long ago; ceviche, sweet potato, tamales, vegetable quinoa soup, and coca tea. Alpaca and guinea pig are staples here.

All alternative trails heading to Machu Picchu (at least, those that connect with the Inca Trail at some point) are completely full. One of the alternative options is to do a mountain biking/jungle trek that takes about 4 days. $150 covers transportation, three days of meals, three nights accommodation, mountain biking, hot springs, entrance to Machu Picchu, and round-trip bus and train travel. That seems to be a good deal as everything is organized and taken care of. However, we'll most likely take the train to Aguas Calientes and from there take a bus to the site early in the morning.

Stranded on an Island as a Hurricane Nears!

Well ... not exactly. But there is a storm headed this way.

And even that isn't enough to keep me from leaving this paradise! I am on the gorgeous island of Roatan, one of three islands that make up the Bay Islands, off the coast of Honduras. The water is crystal clear with different shades of turquoise and blue. Coconut trees are abundant and shade the white sand beaches. The island is occupied by a mix of Garifuna, native islanders and friendly expats. As I type this, a large Macaw squawks loudly right outside my window and a cat dozes on top of my computer. I've been looking forward to coming here for a long time and the primary reason being the affordability of getting my PADI Open Water certification.

Obtaining certification requires hours of classroom instruction, reading, four quizzes, a final exam, confined water dives, and four open water dives. It is definitely intense but I am glad to be doing something challenging and worthwhile. I have two more dives to go before I'm finished. However, they've been postponed until Monday because of stormy weather. But don't worry, there is no hurricane ... just mighty waves crashing on the reefs and strong winds.

Scuba diving is a whole new realm that one cannot imagine. When I first started breathing under water, I did not want to trust my regulator! The salt water was trickling into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I started to feel very anxious and wondered why the hell I ever wanted to do this. But I was immediately put to ease by my awesome instructor, Marco, who guided me through everything with patience. We practiced many different skills in shallow water and by the second day, were off diving along the incredibly diverse reef. I've seen turtles, squids, a barracuda, stingray, giant conches, fishes in a myriad of colors and sizes, huge lobsters, starfish, and even got stung by a jellyfish! Ouch! The pain quickly subsides though, and later you can treat it with terrific smelling vinegar (sarcasm there).

Reflecting back on Costa Rica from our post in Nicaragua

After a 10 hour bus ride (1 1/2 hours at the border) from San Jose, Costa Rica we finally arrived in the quaint colonial town of Granada! Lake Nicaragua is only a few blocks away from the hostel that I´m staying at.

I wasn´t planning on coming to Nicaragua until I met someone in Montezuma who had just come from there. He said that it was a lot cheaper and mentioned this charming town and the abundance of affordable activities. At that point, I had begun to realize that Costa Rica is much more expensive than I originally thought. Of course, it didn´t help that we were renting a 4WD (and paying for gas), eating out 2-3 times a day, renting surf boards, and paying for accommodation on top of all of that. Eating was definitely the cheapest activity, and perhaps the most enjoyable! On our last day in San Jose, I gorged myself on tres leches, a casado, and Costa Rican coffee and tropical fruit.

It was a relief to ditch the car rental sooner than we´d planned on returning it. Now I finally feel like I´m backpacking and the real adventure is starting.

The highlights of Costa Rica were:

The picturesque Volcan Arenal and the scenic drive through the lush jungles and rolling hills around Lake Arenal

Surfing in Nosara (and the best homemade ice cream and waffle cone I´ve had)

Watching the sunset on a palm fringed beach in Santa Teresa

Being invited by my host to join him and friends to drink delicious, authentic Sangria and listen/dance to Frank Sinatra under the starry night sky in Manuel Antonio!

Message from Montezuma, Costa Rica

(In answer to a question from "Dad":) No, I am not going to buy land in Costa Rica! It is way too touristy here and expensive too. I don´t feel a connection with the country although the mountains and jungles (around Lake Arenal) were superbly scenic.

We are staying in Montezuma right now and will go on a hike to the waterfalls shortly. Tomorrow, we´re headed to Manuel Antonio National Park before returning the car rental to San Jose. We´re thinking about going up to Nicaragua for a week instead of spending our last week in Costa Rica. We have to be on the Bay Islands (Honduras) by March 6th to allow 4-5 days for me to become scuba-certified.

In Nosara, I met a woman who ran a small cafe. She made her own ice cream, which to me, tasted more like gelato. I ordered a ¨Coffee to Wake the Dead¨ with homemade waffle cone and it was heavenly! She went to culinary school in France. I think I´ll look into that just out of curiosity.

I would love to do some solo travel too. I will get my chance in Argentina when I visit Valeria.

The night sky here is beautiful. The stars shine more brightly. Yes, I did see the lunar eclipse! Pretty cool!

Surfing in Santa Teresa!

My blog entries have been rather sporadic since being on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. Internet connection has been painstakingly slow and I´m being charged by the minute.

I love my new camera! It has been fun playing with the settings and taking lots of digital macro photos of flowers and people. I haven´t been taking too many pictures since I arrived at the coast because it is extremely dusty.

I think that there is a possibility of going to Brazil. Our friend Aaron is in Buenos Aires, Argentina right now and wants us to beach-hop along the coast to Rio to meet some other friends. There would be five of us traveling for a little while, which sounds like fun. Here in Costa Rica it seems like a lot of people travel in groups and it makes me wish I had some friends with me too! However, I do like solitary travel once in awhile.

I hear it is stormy in Santa Rosa. It rained really hard last night but we have lots of sunshine today! I´m in Santa Teresa now, which is a popular surf spot. Surfing is harder than I thought but I'm definitely enthusiastic about it! Uncle Drew has always sparked my curiosity in surf culture. In my opinion, Nosara has been the best place to be a newbie surfer. The swells are just right, uncrowded beaches, some good surf schools, and the locals are very laid back.

Nosara

Staying in Playas de Nosara, on the Nicoya Peninsula right now. It is a beautiful place that was recommended to us by a fellow traveler in La Fortuna.

We wake up around 7:30 am every day to surf, then breakfast is a tropical fruit plate and granola, then do some yoga or mingling with the friendly group of Canadians staying next to us, then lunch of casados (rice, beans, chicken or fish, fried plaintains), then siesta, and at night time it´s time to party! There has been live music every night since we've been here. Our hostess, Brenda, who is a former professional boxer, takes us everywhere with her and introduces us to other locals and friends. She has even arranged for the three of us to go on a moon light horse back ride and gallup up and down the beach!

As much as I like Nosara, I´m ready to move on because this area is rather expensive due to North Americans (and probably other well-off foreigners) who have moved here and driven up the price of land. I can tell from speaking with a couple local business owners that there is resentment among some of the Ticos, but overall they´ve been pretty friendly.

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Having a great time here in Costa Rica. The weather has been perfect - warm, humid and breezy. However last night, it dumped rain for about 2 minutes. Now we are in La Fortuna staying at a place for $5 a night! Had some yummy casados (lunch plate of rice, beans, salad, and chicken for $4) at a local soda and are now about to go for a hike at Volcan Arenal.

Arenal has been compared to the Loch Ness Monster because, as one fellow traveler put it, "it's there, you see pictures of it, you hear about it, but you never really see it."

Last night, went to Baldi Hot Springs. The water is pumped from the mineral springs and is heated from the lava flows. There were around ten different pools all over the grounds, lots of lush vegetation and waterfalls (man made). Anyway, I'll be here for the next 2 days then heading to Monteverde and then the Pacific coast.