Ecuador & Galapagos FAM Trip

I can't believe it has taken me this long to get some time to write about my trip in late June to Ecuador. As I mentioned in my last blog, my good friend and coworker, Ryan, and I got assigned to go on the Galapagos / Ecuador FAM trip for work. We only had to pay for our flights which was nice. The trip was around 8 days (Wednesday - Thursday) and consisted of a land portion in Quito, Otavlo, and Magdalena, then onto the Galapagos Islands. 

Day 1 - Arrival to Ecuador

Today we took a late flight from Lima to Quito. It's nice that in only 2 hours we could get to the capital of another South American city (flying from the states would have taken hours longer). Unfortunately, it was Rodrigo's birthday so we felt bad missing it, but we had wanted to get to Quito a day early to be able to have one extra day. 

Day 2 - Free Day in Ecuador

Today we got up early and went to explore the city of Quito. We went up to the Teleferico and took a gondola up the mountain side to see the city from up high. Unfortunately, the day was pretty overcast so it didn't look as great as it would have if it was clear. Quito is surrounded by a number of volcanoes which makes it really beautiful. It's a big city (bigger than I had expected for some reason) so it was nice to see it from above. Ryan and I took a horse-back ride to enjoy the views some more and to check out a volcano that was covered by a huge cloud :( Oh well. The ride was fun though! Afterwards, we went back down to our hotel and took our luggage to our new hotel (Hotel Quito). We grabbed lunch, and worked most of the afternoon to catch up on emails. 

Day 3 - Quito City Tour & Mitad del Mundo

Today we did a full-day tour of the main sites of Quito, as well as the equator. The historical center of Quito was beautiful. We got to see some monasteries, as well as saw one of the wisest historians (can't remember his name at the moment but he did talk to me :)). We then had lunch on our way out of the city, and then checked out the equator. It was really neat to do some activities playing with the center of gravity. For example, they showed us how water being flushed (or drained) on either side of the equator goes different ways. Very interesting to see in person! It's also very hard to walk in a straight line on the equator line - both sides are pulling you gravitationally ! It was a long day of touring and we were exhausted after getting back. 

Day 4 - Otavalo Market & Arrival to Magdalena Community

Today we woke up early to get to the Otavalo market. I'm not much of a shopper, but at the largest market in South America, I couldn't help but go nuts! I bought a few purses, hair bands, scarves, and other trinkets :) It was huge! Afterwards, we also got to buy hand-carved wood boxes. The hand-crafted arts were so beautiful. They were expensive though! I can only imagine how many hours some of these life-size carvings would have taken with all of the detail that they had. We stopped for lunch at a local spot where some children did some traditional dancing and we ate guinea pig, chicken, corn, soup, and other food for lunch :) The children were absolutely adorable!

In the afternoon, we arrived to the community of Magdalena. This community has been working together with Klein tours in order to give tourists the opportunity to come out to "the campo" and experience life in the shoes of real locals. They are given the opportunity to do community work, including harvesting, painting, volunteering in schools, etc. Most tourists only stay 1 night, but the longer you stay, the more time you have to volunteer and just take in the beautiful landscapes. Each house is renovated (it was not the most "rustic" accommodations I've ever stayed in, but for some it may feel that way). They had electricity, hot water, and even wi-fi! That isn't rustic in my book... Upon arrival we settled into our rooms, and then took a hike up to get a view of the community as well as the surrounding volcanoes. From where we hiked up to, we could practically see Colombia (we were very far North in Ecuador). It was so cool to be so close to another country! We then had a delicious local dinner of trout, soup, and some juice and went to bed pretty early. They even gave us hot water bottles to put in our beds to keep from getting too cold :) 

Day 5 - Salinas & Return to Quito

Today we woke up bright and early to get one more hike in before leaving for the train to Las Salinas. The train itself was kind of boring, but seeing the town of Las Salinas was pretty cool. It was interesting because the people there have more African roots and look very different from the typical Andean roots. Just an hour of being on a train, and we had entered a totally different culture! 

We then had a long ride back to Quito where we slept most of the way. Upon arrival to Quito, we caught up on our emails and then had some dinner and packed up to get ready for our trip to the Galapagos Islands! 

Day 6 - Arrival to the Galapagos Islands

We were picked up around 5am to go to the airport today. It was tiring but we were so excited that we didn't care! Our flight stopped in Guayaquil then arrived to the Galapagos. We stepped into the tropical climate and it was so exciting! We took a shuttle to a dinghy to take us to the ship. We settled into our room (a Junior Suite with huge windows out to the ocean) and then had our first delicious lunch on board the Legend cruise ship. Normally, the boat holds up to 100 passengers, but since it was the off season there was only 30-40 of us passengers on deck. Needless to say it wasn't crowded and we had lots of space on deck for us! 

After lunch, we had an excursion to see the giant tortoises on Santa Cruz. They were amazing to see in person - huge! We also saw our first seals, as well as some local kids doing some traditional dances. It was a great first day. Dinner was also delicious and we slept like rocks :) 

Day 7 - Egas Port & Bartolome

Today we had two excursions. In the morning we visited Egas Port where we walked around the rocky terrain and saw different birds, crabs, seals, and other animals. Afterwards we got to have our first snorkeling experience in the Galapagos which was amazing! We got to see sea turtles up close, and the seals came right up to us as well! It was a little scary but so cool at the same time! 

After having lunch on the ship, we laid out by the pool before arriving to the next excursion. We went to Bartolome and climbed lots of stairs to get to the top of the island. The views from the top were breath-taking, especially for a crystal-clear day, with blue ocean and sky for miles. It was absolutely amazing! I got very burned this day (so close to the Ecuador it's hard not to). We had the opportunity to snorkel again, but we decided to walk along the beach and enjoy the view of Pinnacle rock. We also saw some penguins! So interesting to see them in a warm climate. 

After dinner, there was a "dance party" with lots of salsa and bachata which of course Ryan and I loved! Most of the "tourists" didn't stick around because they didn't know how to dance so it seemed much more like a staff party + travel agents than anything. It was fun though :) 

Day 8 - Dragon Hill & North Seymour

Today we also had two excursions. In the morning, we visited Dragon Hill in order to see the giant lizards. We also saw some flamingos and a variety of other birds. The dragons were cool but I didn't enjoy this island as much as Bartolome.

In the afternoon, after lunch, we had another opportunity to do "deep-ocean snorkeling" which was off the boat. We got to see some reef sharks as well as some seals and lots of fish of course. I really enjoyed this but thought we would have been farther out in the ocean. Ryan was hoping we would see some hammer head sharks but I am glad we didn't... haha 

After snorkeling, we went to North Seymour which is where we had the opportunity to see lots of birds nesting, including the blue-footed boobies. We also saw a baby seal which was absolutely adorable! We also saw the blue-footed boobies doing their "mating dance" as well. One our the little boys in our tour group, who had been "flirting" with me throughout the whole trip, didn't leave my side during this tour and ended up holding my hand during most of the walk haha (he was 5 years old). He was absolutely adorable! 

That night, we had our last dinner and toast. We talked some with our new friends we made on the cruise, as well as the "Russian" who had only complaints about the trip... 

Day 9 - Bachas Beach - Santa Cruz

Our last morning was spent on the beach in Santa Cruz for an hour before departing for the airport. It went way too fast and I wished we could have spent more time on the Galapagos Islands. I hope to go back some day :) It was a great bonding trip with Ryan too. 

Hasta luego! 

FAM Trip to Buenos Aires & Iguazu Falls!

I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve written in this blog. I clearly need to start updating more! I am currently in Cusco, Peru with my family, but I have a little bit of down time and I figured I’d try to catch up with my work-trip to Argentina. Back in April, I was chosen for a “FAM” trip from my Travel Agency to go from June 13 – 18 to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, to learn more about the destinations, meet our providers, and learn more about the tours we offer our clients. I was chosen to go with my friends, Hellen, Rodrigo, and Ryan.

Buenos Aires 

Early on Thursday morning, we went to the airport around 6am for our 8:30am flight to Buenos Aires. The flight was about 5 ½ hours with LAN, and upon arrival to Buenos Aires, we were surprised with warm weather, even though we were expecting chilly temperatures. Right now, in South America, it is considered the “winter” season since we are opposite the Northern Hemisphere. Veronica, a representative from Say Hueque, our Argentina provider, came to pick us up at the airport to take us to our first hotel, Savoy. There was a strike going on right near the hotel, so the police would not let our van through and we had to walk with our luggage a few blocks to the hotel. Always starting off with something exciting J Upon arrival to the hotel, Veronica gave us a briefing for our plans in Argentina, and then let us off on our own.

We freshened up in our hotel rooms (Hellen and I had a room with a balcony overlooking the main street! Great view) then we headed out to eat around 4:30 or 5pm because we were starving! Of course we checked out La Americana, where we were recommended to try empanadas. Empanadas were definitely one of the memories I had of when I lived in Argentina and I was happy to have my queso y cebolla (cheese & onion) and criollo empanadas. Peru just does not compete when it comes to empanadas. Afterwards, we were craving some gelato, so Hellen and I shared one the boys shared another. Frutas del Bosque (fruits of the forest) and chocolate was the best combination! 

After returning to the hotel, we had a about an hour to get ready for our first “tour” – the Dinner & Tango Show. It was fun to get dolled up and go out for a night on the town. The theatre was gorgeous, and everything was fancy. We had a 3 – course meal, and all you can drink champagne and wine. The dinner itself was okay, but the wine was fantastic (of course, we were in Argentina). The Tango show itself was really impressive. I am pretty critical when it comes to dance shows, and I was really impressed. The dancers were very talented and I fell in love with Tango. I would love to learn! Afterwards, we dropped Hellen off at the hotel and I went out to a club with the boys to meet up with Rodrigo’s friend, Flor. I can’t believe how late the nightlife is here in Argentina. I completely forgot from my time when I lived in Cordoba. They started letting people in that were on the “list” at 1:30am! We were exhausted from getting up around 5am that morning… we stayed until around 4am and then headed back to the hotel for some sleep. 

The next day (or a few hours later), on Friday, we got up, had an awesome breakfast then checked out of our hotel to make our way to Palermo, another district of Buenos Aires. On the way, we walked through a beautiful park that was full of many roses and beautiful green areas. That day was much colder and the crisp air was a nice change from the humid, cool air in Lima. After visiting the park, we dropped our luggage off at the next hotel, Esplendor Soho, and then went to the Say Hueque office to meet the rest of the staff. We had a meeting for a few hours to get to know them, and learn more about their tours and services, and from there, Veronica took us on our private city tour. It was a beautiful sunny, but crisp day (reminded me of a fall day back in New England) and we got to see the main parts of the city including Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta, the Cemetary where Evita is buried, La Boca (and Caminito), and others. The city is beautiful and I really enjoyed it. Along the way, we stopped for lunch and had empanadas (of course) and stopped for another gelato as well. We couldn’t help ourselves! On the way back to Palermo, most of us fell asleep in the car because we were so tuckered out from the day. We had one more hotel tour for the day, and after we saw Esplendor Hollywood, we went back to the hotel and all passed out for a few hours. After waking up around 11pm, we wandered out to find dinner and settled on some pizza, another specialty in Argentina. On our way home, we brought Hellen some pizza and someone off the street tried to rob the box of pizza straight from Ryan's hands...hahah. In general, all Italian food is really good in Argentina since they have so much Italian influence. I still can’t believe how late Argentines eat dinner here… 

The next day, Saturday, we woke up a little bit later and started our hotel tours with Santiago around 10am. We saw Be Hollywood, Aspen Square, and Bobo.  After that, we took Santiago out to lunch to one of the best pizza places in Buenos Aires (although the name is slipping my mind right now). We had a good time with him and it was great to get to know someone that we normally work with strictly via email. After lunch, we had another city tour that was supposed to be a “group tour” but ended up being private but with a different guide. We saw the same sights, but it was good to hear the history again since I always have a hard time understanding that type of stuff… J That night we took another long nap, and woke up around 11pm to get ready for dinner. We went out for our last nice steak dinner in Buenos Aires, and from there went to a tango club where they danced strictly tango (besides for 2 salsa numbers when we first arrived). It was a great last night in Buenos Aires and all of us wished that we had had more time to explore the city on our own since our schedule was so jam-packed.

Iguazu Falls

On Sunday, we woke up and went to the airport for our short flight to Iguazu Falls. Upon arrival, it was a bit rainy (typical for the summer season there) and we were picked up by a representative and immediately went to a restaurant for lunch. Of course we got the typical Argentinean cuisine – parilla (grilled meats) with salad and hand cut fries. So good, but so heavy! We all wanted to take a nap afterwards but we were whisked off to inspect hotels. We checked out Aldea de la Selva, Loi Suites (an amazing 5 star hotel in the middle of the jungle), and Grande Crucero. Afterwards, we headed to the hotel to take a much needed nap. Later on, we went to Beto’s, a sandwich place, for dinner. I was brought back to my days in Argentina with my lomo sandwich…man we ate so much on this trip! Pretty sure I gained at least 5 lbs… after dinner, we walked around and explored Puerto Iguazu for a bit, before going to sleep. 

On Monday, we went on our full day tour of Iguazu Falls. The day started out really grey and a bit rainy, and I have to admit I was disappointed. Everything looks different in the rain, and less beautiful so I was praying for some sunshine. We started the day off with a train ride to La Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) which  is at the top of the falls. The walkways lead you right up to the top of the falls; it was really exhilarating to be so close! 

Afterwards, we went back down and prepared for “the Great Adventure” – a boat ride that takes you into some of the falls and gets you completely soaked. Luckily, we were prepared and brought a complete change of clothes. I couldn’t believe how close we got to the falls in the boat, it truly made my experience in Iguazu. Just as the boat ride ended, the clouds broke and the sun caused some beautiful rainbows – perfect for panoramic photos! From there, we continued our tour and walked around the rest of the falls on the Argentine side – there were so many awesome angles to experience the waterfalls and take photos. I was in heaven! We stopped for a quick lunch and also got to see coatis who were not even afraid of humans. After finishing up the tour, we went back to the hotel before heading out to dinner in Puerto Iguazu. We went to a really good place called “Te Amare” which had a live acoustic singer. It was the perfect ending to a great trip. The next day Ryan and I got picked up around 9am for our flight to Buenos Aires (Hellen and Rodrigo flew straight from the Brazilian airport of Iguazu to Lima…they missed an 8 hour layover). It took us over 16 hours to get home, but it was worth it.

That’s all for now :)

Likes about Lima

So I think I've been here long enough to begin to compile a list of things I like and don't like about Lima and Peru in general... of course, there are vast differences between my time in Cusco and my time in Lima so I will try to focus most on Lima in this post.

What I love:

• Bodegas: being able to walk 5 minutes around the corner (or literally outside my front door at my old apartment on calle piura) in order to buy my fresh fruits, water, cheese, yogurt, toilet paper, soap or anything else I really need. 
• Living by the coast: being able to be by the malecon and the coast in just 2 blocks is really freeing. It's alot easier to get on my bike or go for a run when I have such beautiful views to look at..it also helps me forget how crowded and suffocating the city can be. 
• Westernized city: I'll admit, as much as I had seeing American brands everywhere (KFC, Pizza hut, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts...etc etc) it is nice to have the luxury of having access to PinkBerry or Starbucks after a long day at work or on a hot summer day. It does make me feel like I'm not in a foreign country though which I dislike... 
• Movie theater: I love that Lima has movie theatres, and the one by parque kennedy is cheap and even has movie night on Tuesdays that cost only S/7. I missed that about Cusco - sometimes you just want to go to the movies for date night (or in my case, it's our Sunday night ritual :)) 
• Friendly people: Although my experience with some Peruvians in Lima has been negative (all the cat-calling and harassing in the street, the overall unfriendliness from Limenos, or the racism of "white" Peruvians vs. colored...) there has been some positive interactions I've had. Girls that have taken me under their wings (Marycruz, Solange, Nataly, Gerardo's sisters) to make sure I was comfortable and felt like I was part of a community. Also many taxi drivers who I've had great conversations with regarding relationships, family, faith, God, etc. etc. Sometimes these chats really inspired me and lifted my whole day. 
• Escuela D1 - My dance studio in Chorrillos... I have really grown to love it there. The teachers are great, and although the classes aren't cheap (S/25/class) they are worth it and I've really gotten to work with some fantastic choreographers and teachers. I'm so blessed to have gotten to join that world there and they have inspired me so much!
• Menu & Food: I love the food in Peru. From pollo a las brasa, to ceviche, arroz con mariscos, La Lucha, lomo saltado, and many other foods, it's something I'll never forget. My favorite are the menu places that cost between S/6 - S/12 for a two course meal + drink. Can't beat that, and that food has always left me more satisfied then the really nice "luxury" restaurants. Go figure! 
• Safety: I don't think there has every really been a time where I have felt in danger in Lima. Granted, whenever I go outside the "bubble" of Miraflores/Barranco, I'm usually with Gerardo so I know I am in good hands. But I have really gained confidence, even going out to Independencia, Chorrillos, and Los Olivos by myself and I've felt safe. I'm glad for this since this was something I was worried about being in such a huge city...
• Fruits & Veggies: The fact that fruits and vegetables are among the cheapest things you can buy around here...besides bread and rice. Back home, at least in Boston, it is so expensive to get good quality fruits and vegetables. I remember spending so much at Whole Foods, Shaws, Trader Joe's, just to get good fruit (never made it too much to the Farmer's Markets...). I love that these healthy things are affordable here!

It's Been Awhile...

I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote. Since then, lots has happened. I went back home to the US for Christmas & New Years and it was nice to see everyone, although a bit strange since it was my first Christmas home since 2009. I was in Peru the last two years (2011 and 2012) so it was a little weird.


I was ready to come back to Lima though, as the cold weather was killing me, and I was also sick almost the entire time I was home. Lima welcomed me back with hot weather and sun, just what I like :) It was really good to be back, especially since I missed taking dance classes too. I also got promoted to a "Group1" Travel Advisor which basically means I get better requests and better clients to work with. So far it's been working out and I am glad I'm not working with so many "budget" clients these days. Work has been relatively busy which I like since it keeps me motivated. 


A few weeks after coming back to Peru, I had a minor disaster happen to me (which ended up being a blessing in disguise!). I was working a weekend shift at the office, when I came back to my apartment one Sunday afternoon. As I walked in the front door, I heard the sound of pouring water (kind of like a mini waterfall) coming from the hall. As I got closer to my front door, I realized there was water flowing out from the bottom of the door, as well as down the front door from the ceiling. My hands shook as I opened up the front door and as I swung it open, I realized there was about 4 inches of water covering the entire floor in my living room and kitchen. I immediately panicked and grabbed as many things as I could so they wouldn't get ruined. My shoes were floating around the apartment, as well as anything else that was left on the floor. Luckily, the bedroom was barely flooded so our laptops were fine. I ran upstairs and got the help of my neighbors who helped me scoop over 25 buckets of water out of my living room. It turns out my neighbors living directly above me left the water on for the day, and went to the beach. We banged on their door but they weren't there, so the water continued to pour into my apartment through the ceiling. There was paint everywhere and it was a completely mess. My suitcases got soaked, as well as my shoes which are ruined. I am just so happy that my electronics are fine. 


My landlord let me stay in the apartment for 4 free days since I was inconvenienced. After 4 days, they tried repainting the walls but of course nothing was dried out yet so the paint just fell off again. At this point I realized I really just needed to move into a new apartment. When I told the landlord this, he said that was fine but I would have my 4 free days “revoked” since I wasn’t planning on staying, and he was raising the price by $50 if I decided to stay…ugh que mierda. So I frantically started looking for another apartment…my 4^th home in Lima since June… 


I only had 5 or 6 days to find an apartment, and the day I had to move out was a  Sunday. The problem is, the weekly newspaper with all the housing listings comes out on Sunday so I wasn’t able to see any apartments before the day we had to move out. God was definitely on my side with this though, I was so stressed out, and after calling almost 20 apartments, the first apartment that I was able to see that same day, was my dream apartment basically. When I saw the pictures online, I knew it was going to be perfect for me, and it turns out that it was. I went to meet the landlord, and he handed me the keys 15 minutes later. I was so grateful and it seems that it was a blessing in disguise that the flood happened at my old place, because I am so much happier living in this apartment. It is close to my other friends apartments, plus only a few blocks from the ocean. It also has a balcony that overlooks a fountain. Although there is a lot of traffic, the apartment is really nice and open and really homey. I’m so grateful!
 
Besides that, I have been going to physical therapy for my back which is caused by my poor posture at work. Luckily it’s not too expensive (S/30, about $12) for a half hour session and they do a good job. I just wish it would start feeling better! I really need to work on my posture. I also have been taking contemporary and jazz as usual, but jazz is with another teacher since Diana took off for the US for 6 months. Unfortunately now I don’t have the assistant teacher position so I’m back to paying for classes. Wah :(
 
I also participated in a flashmob in Parque Kennedy as well. It was to raise awareness for the “One Billion Rising” campaign (Un Billon de Pie) which is a campaign that is dedicated to stopping violence against woman and children worldwide. It’s an awesome cause and I’m so glad I could be part of it (even though I couldn’t make the rehearsals and didn’t know the choreography…) Diana, the instructor I used to assist for at D1, lead the dancers and it was a fun day. 

Flash Mob Dance

Other than that, I don’t think much else has happened in my life. I spend my free days going to the pool (I joined the JW Marriot gym, and I have free pool access, yay!), working out and dancing. I am trying to fit more travel into my schedule but it’s tough since I work so much. I’m hoping to get some trips to Brazil, Ecuador, the Galapagos, and some other places in the next few months. I have been learning so much during my time here in Peru, and growing alot as a person. I can't believe I've been here over 8 months... time flies!

That’s all for now!