Brazil

The final leg of my travelling took place in the iconic country of Brazil where I not only visited the beaches, sights and cities, but also my wonderful boyfriend Blake.

Getting to Brazil was somewhat unpleaseant. I was very excited, of course, but I was also missing my Dad. On top of that, all my flights (2) were late, which made me anxious. But it worked out, I got to Rio de Janeiro and had a fun night solo meeting people in the hostel (including a vegetarian from Buenos Aires!) and spending the entire day on Ipanema beach the next day.

Blake arrived the next night, and it was so great to finally see him after not seeing him for 2 months. Our time in Rio was great, we ate Indian food on the beach (surprisingly great!), hiked around Pao de Azucar as well as saw the beautiful sights from the top, and explored. We then went to Sao Paulo for a few days so Blake could attend class. Sao Paulo is essentially a concrete jungle, and I mainly explored his classy neighborhood Perdizes while he was in class. I did attend two classes, it was very strange to be in a classroom again! A highlight was staying with his very nice family. My Portuguese was decent enough that I could actually hold a conversation, it was fun to actually practice, although I spoke "portanol," mix of Portuguese and Spanish.

Then, for the grand finale of our trip, we went back to Rio for Carnaval! We lucked out and were able to rent an apartment in the heart of Ipanema with 7 other people from Blake's program. Carnaval is wild - people are dressed up like Halloween and are partying all day everywhere. We had a grand time, although the crowds were obnoxious at times. An interesting part of our apartment was that on one side we had a stunning view of the ocean, and the other side was close view of a favela, one of the many poor sections of Rio. The economic disparities are so obvious and close together, I have never seen any city like it.

Saying goodbye to Brazil and Blake was sad, I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go back and see Blake again! There is so much to explore, I truly hope that in the future I can have a trip solely dedicated to the diversity of Brazil.

Mis Viajes con Papa

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. For two weeks in February, my dad and I travelled throughout Chile and Argentina, with the most wonderful stay in Villa Maria, the town where he studied in when he was my age.

We started off in Santiago, Chile. We were quickly enamored with this capitol; its buildings, stray dogs, plazas, food, people... We went on a "free tour" (donations at the end, of course) for four hours, which gave us a great overview of the city. Highlights were eating humitas (google them!), Pablo Neruda's house, and reuniting with my Dad! I was so excited to see him, I could hardly sleep the night before!

Then we went to Valparaiso, a hip port town covered with tasteful graffiti. I am still enamored with this city. It has so much character, it was probably our favorite city in Chile. I even got to eat some Thai food while there :) Then we went to Vina del Mar, an upscale beachtown just 10 minutes North of Valpo. There, we wandered around and had a beautiful dinner in a restaurant on the beach overlooking the sunset, ahhhhh!

The journey over the Andes to Argentina was beautiful, although VERY curvy! I had to down some dramamine after about 30 curves... The Andes are just stunning, no matter what country. And the border crossing was fairly painless, we were both excited to get some new stamps!

In Mendoza we spent a day riding bikes around wine country in Maipu. Just imagine my father and I wine tasting, drinking beer, eating chocolate all day and then riding bikes in the sun! Very fun, although silly due to how dangerous it appears to be. No worries though, we were happy and I felt safe. Argentina has the best wine, and it is very inexpensive for what it is! But I can't say I know much of anything about wine, even after these tours. Hopefully I have some wine cred once I return to the states.

And then to Villa Maria, a small city 2 hours south of Cordoba, very much off the tourist map. Our time here was phenomenal. My Dad's family and friends here treated him as if nothing has changed since he was there 30 years ago. The amount of love Argentines show towards each other and their family is beautiful, and they treated us just like family. The entire time we were there (about 5 days), we spent time with people; going to asados until late into the evening, relaxing at cafes, consuming gigantic lunches... It was wonderful. I feel like I have family there now. Dad's bff Alejandro was hilarious too, it was very entertaining for me to witness my Dad's bromance! Him and Ale would give each other gifts, like Ale's belt, Dad's watch, Ale's jersey, Dad's shirt, Ale's clock... It was hysterical and so sweet! I will never forget my time here. Also, my Spanish vastly improved. I am beginning to have quite the Argentine accent. Saying goodbye was sad, my Dad and I both cried a little. But we both promised each other that we will return in the upcoming years, and we won't allow that much time to pass. I will hopefully visit them during the school year.

And then we had our final days together in Buenos Aires! I am so excited to live there, it seems amazing. Ale's brother surprised us at the bus station, showed us around, took us out to a delicious dinner, and even let us stay at his house! The Argentina hospitality is so impressive. My Dad and I walked the antiques fair at San Telmo, booming with music and dancing, we strolled through the colorful neighborhood La Boca, took a bus tour to see all the sites, and ate plenty of empanadas and Italian food. A highlight for me was our final dinner on the river, a classy Italian joint where we ate our little hearts out and had the most delicious food and views!

It was really sad to say goodbye to my Dad at the airport. I feel so lucky to have travelled with him! We had the trip of a lifetime :)