Our plans, decisions, and adventures
Why the two names? Iguazu Falls span the Iguazu River, which is also the border between Argentina and Brazil. Cataratas (waterfalls) del Iguazú is the Spanish name used in Argentina, while Cataratas do Iguaçu is the Portuguese name used in Brazil. In English, they are generally referred to as Iguazu Falls (or Iguazú Falls). In... Continue Reading →
We woke up in Buenos Aires in the middle of an active commercial port and then boarded a shuttle bus that took us around several roads defined by stacks of shipping containers and past massive cranes before dumping us out at the terminal. We picked up our luggage and took a short Uber ride to... Continue Reading →
We had visited the northern part of South America some years back, but Argentina and Chile were still on our list of places we wanted to go (very creatively referred to as The List). Lately we'd been tiring of our style of months-long slow travel (long-ish stays in each location, public transportation and lots of... Continue Reading →
We flew into Santiago, Chile, from Vancouver via Toronto a few days before boarding a South America/Antarctica cruise. Some fellow passengers were taking guided tours and day trips to Valparaiso and then they arranged for a separate transfer (with a shopping stop) to the cruise ship port in San Antonio. Since the purpose of arriving... Continue Reading →
This post is different from our others. Since we've received so much value from others who have shared the nitty gritty details about their travel expenses, we thought we would return the favor to the travel universe. So, if you're just following us to keep tabs on where we are and what we're up to, you... Continue Reading →
We have just finished a week in Medellín, Colombia, but we wish we had much more time in this city, and in the rest of the country. We tried to pack as much as we could into every day--our usual vacation style vs. the slow-travel approach of the last three months. And since we haven't posted... Continue Reading →
Everyone told us that if we had time for one out-trip, it should be to Guatape. There are many different tour options, but we found fantastic, simple transit instructions (The Backpack Diary) and were able to take ourselves on this trip for a fraction of the cost. Guatape is a village high in the mountains, on... Continue Reading →
To learn more about Medellin, we signed up for a 4-hour Free Walking Tour (our first, but definitely not our last). We met up with Mari, of Real City Tours, and 19 other tourists, at the Poblado metro station, a 10-minute walk from our accommodation. We purchased a metro ticket ($2,150 COP/~70 cents USD) and... Continue Reading →
The transit system in Medellín is a source of pride in the city, and with good reason. It has received awards for its innovation and impact on the lives of those it serves. Medellín is a city of more than three million people, and many of those live in houses-built-upon-houses, high into the mountains. With... Continue Reading →
Atacames is a local-tourist beach town among several beach towns on the northern coast of Ecuador. Thanks to a tidal river, the main parts of town are divided with the beach and town sides of the river joined by bridges. We stayed on the beach (or playa) side at the Casa Chill Inn (aka Hostel Chill Inn,... Continue Reading →
We spent 2 1/2 weeks in San Alejo, a small fishing village between San Clemente and San Jacinto. Here are a few final notes about this area. Medical care A week ago I had a small matter I needed medical assistance with. I contacted our travel medical insurance as required and then asked our accommodation... Continue Reading →
Just left: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Now: Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Up next: Vancouver area British Columbia, Canada
Life: Phase Next 