The Travels of a Clueless Redhead @cluelessredheadtravels - Tumblr Blog

Peru -- July 1-8

I like to think I went out with a bang by making this my last trip before heading back to the States. I still cannot comprehend the vastness that this country has to offer. While I spent an entire week wandering throughout Cusco and the surrounding areas, I could have stayed for a month.

I checked off many firsts on my list for this trip: first time to Peru (obviously), first time holding a baby llama, first time taking a cooking class, first time ATVing, and first time horseback riding. Maybe that was why the trip was so unbelievably amazing...

The first day, Ellen and I wandered around the town and downtown area of Cusco. It was entirely touristy and, therefore, so strange to hear so much English being spoken again. Aside from the tourists, the Peruvian people were some of the nicest I’ve encountered in South America. Throughout all of our tours and other encounters with locals, the Peruvians seemed genuinely honest and welcoming.

Next day was ATVing through the Peruvian Highlands. An ultimately breathtaking experience. There were times I almost went off the path because I was too busy staring at the landscape to keep my eyes on the road. We passed through parts of Peru that most tourists don’t see. Our ATVs took us through smaller villages surrounding Cusco, and we went through parts of Sacred Valley that aren’t commonly viewed. I couldn’t believe the scenery, and this was honestly one of the best parts of my travels in South America.

Our third day was a rough one for Ellen and I. We had to be up by 2:30am to catch a bus to Rainbow Mountain. While the struggle was worth the sight at the top of the mountain, the altitude sickness and exhaustion almost caught up with us. We ended up riding horses up the mountain because hiking that would have given us both a heart attack.

Although we had seen amazing scenery, I wanted to experience some Inca culture because it is so prevalent in Peru. We took a tour through the Sacred Valley to experience typical tourist Inca sights. The tour was interesting because of the Incan history and being able to see the sights in person.

Our last day in Cusco was another first for me: the cooking class. We made typical Peruvian food: ají de gallina, quinoa soup, Pisco Sour (the Peruvian version of course), and chocolates! We went to the local market with our chef to pick out ingredients, and prepared all of the food. The hardest part was shaking the Pisco Sour (for about 10 minutes) so it was nice and frothy. Obviously my favorite part of cooking the food was being able to eat it at the end.

I’m so happy that my last trip in South America was so enjoyable--not only because of the country but also being able to spend so much time with a good friend. It was hard to leave, and I miss you already Ellen!

Thank you, Peru, for showing me such a good time.

Buenos Aires, Argentina -- 06/09/2017-06/12/2017

"Seductive and cultured, sophisticated yet earthy, eclectic but with a strong identity, it never bores, seldom sleeps and invariably mesmerizes its visitors."

With two hours of sleep under my belt, I hauled my ass out of bed and to the airport at 4am. Probably not the smartest way to begin my weekend in Argentina...

To be honest, this trip began as a getaway from Santiago. I hadn’t actually originally added Buenos Aires to my list of prioritized trips throughout South America. Thank God I needed to get away from Santiago so badly, because this not so hidden gem of a city captivated me.

I loved that I went in with minimal plans. My friend and I basically wandered, and sometimes aimless strolls bring about the most memorable experiences. Our hostel was located in Palermo, a hippy and cool barrio of Buenos Aires. The top two pictures are of that area...the picture on the top right was an interesting bar that Kate and I spent many hours at the first night. The beer was good, but what kept us there longer were the cute bartenders...

The next 3 pictures feature the conservation area in the middle of Buenos Aires. The animals were extremely active, and the monkey with the beautiful eyes (I must admit I’m jealous of his eyes) was definitely not shy. He posed so I could capture that pic of him.

The next pictures feature the street market (it stretched for about 8 blocks), the ancient--but cool--metro, and photos from the grand cemetery we visited.

The last photo probably holds my favorite story. We’re asking around for a fancy place to eat because Argentinians are known for their steaks, and we were recommended this place if we were willing to splurge on steak and wine--and splurge we did. I’m not going to admit how much our bill was that night (mainly because my mom and dad read these posts), but it was awesome. We rolled up to the restaurant in style--and my style I mean jeans and a t-shirt...Good thing we didn’t care to impress the other diners at the restaurant, and I got tipsy off of the restaurant’s great wine selection. Please refer to the last picture to view the amazing wine selection. I wanted to take the whole restaurant back to the States with me...

To say the least, I am returning to Buenos Aires in the future because a long weekend just isn’t enough. The city does indeed mesmerize its visitors.

Mendoza, Argentina, 4/13/2017-4/16/2017

Just another short weekend trip I’m finally posting about. I went to Mendoza, Argentina, with a couple friends. Mainly because of the wine...

The trip started out extremely stressful. Overnight buses are very popular from Santiago to surrounding cities, and the bus terminal that night we left was a zoo. And people are possessive over their position in line...and by line I mean a mob cluster. As we tried to put our bags on the bus, this magical line suddenly formed the opposite direction from where we were standing, and multiple people felt the need to tell us (more like yell at us) to go to the back of the line. We were all going to get on the bus eventually, so where’s the need for a line leader?

I thought the drama was over once we sat on the bus, but the chaos of the terminal was just the beginning. I knew that crossing over from Chile to Argentina required us to go through border customers. However, the further we got into our trip, the more I was thinking, “Maybe it won’t happen?” I knew that wasn’t the reality, but I was seeeeeeriously hoping for a skip over customs. Crossing the border took around 3 or 4 hours. We had to wait in line behind other buses for about two hours, and the classic inefficiency of systems on the border added another couple of hours.

To top it all off, I got the flu. And I don’t mean a little headache and body aches. My body was vibrating with chills, my head felt like a hot air balloon, and my body was so achy it was difficult just to stand for a few minutes without getting tired. Mix that in with the cooling weather and border customs, and I wasn’t the happiest camper. And once we got to Mendoza, my flu just continued to escalate. I repeatedly wished for my comfy bed at home and my dog to cuddle with. That was all I wanted. I don’t think I’ve gotten completely home sick during my time in Chile so far, but that weekend in Mendoza was one of my lowest points so far during studying abroad.

We visited a few vineyards on a day tour in Mendoza, and I tried some amazing wines. Winery tours are great because I’ve really expanded my wine knowledge...so now I can act like a wine-o when I drink with friends!! My flu prevented me from getting wine tipsy, however, which was the original plan. But I’d definitely say that the wine was worth the long trip, the border crossing. and the flu. Too bad I forgot to buy a bottle of wine for the trip home...

Atacama, 5/1/17-5/7/17

Excuse my language, but holy shit. This place is amazing and literally out of this world. Really...otherworldly. To date, this was the best week of my life. Being in Santiago has made me forget how freeing it is to be in a car with miles of road ahead of you.

The first day, our drive through the desert was the most isolated and content I’ve felt during my entire stay in Chile. I gotta say...nothing beats cruising down a highway with windows down while blaring music through the car speakers. Absolutely nothing. We visited Lagunas Altiplanicos (Laguna Miscanti and Laguna Miniques) during the first day.

Next, we visited the middle and north of the Salar de Atacama (salt flat). The second and third picture highlight this trip. Walking through the salt flat was intimidating. I’m a klutz, and one wrong stop would’ve landed me on the sharp salt rocks surrounding the walking path. FYI, I survived. Within the salt flat was Laguna Chaxa--filled with flamingos. Out of the pictures that everyone took at the lake, I think my flamingo picture took home the trophy... What didn’t quite win a trophy, however, was my failed attempt at a handstand at the Ojos de Salar (refer to fourth picture). It’s been awhile since I tried any gymnastics maneuvers...

The third day with our van, we visited Valles de la Muerte (fifth picture) and de la Luna (sixth picture). We hiked. Well, I sunbathed/burned on the top of the sand dune, but I had to hike a few minutes to get to the top. The highlight of that day was watching the sunset at Valle de la Luna. Absolutely breathtaking and awesome.

The next day was a day of spontaneity and wandering. We planned to go to Valle de Arcoiris (Rainbow Valley), which gets its name from the red, green, white, & black mountains. On the way, however, we took a random dirt road and went off road because we had that four-wheel drive. I don’t have a picture, but we encountered some llamas (slash alpacas) on the road and had to wait for them to pass. When I rolled down the window to take a video, all six of them turned their heads and stared at our car. Once they passed, we drove further through a canyon and saw llamas on llamas. We ended up eating lunch in this valley because of the beauty and the cool dog that tagged along on our adventure (seventh picture).

Our last day with our portable home was to Geysers del Tatio. This was a rough morning. We woke up at 3:45 in the morning to pack our stuff in time to drive to the geysers to see the steam while the sun rose. The early morning wake up call was perfect, however, because the stars were at their peak. I think I saw about 7 shooting stars that morning. The geysers were freeeeezing, but it was worth it to see the hot water spew out of the land (eighth picture).

The last night was in San Pedro, Atacama Desert’s oasis town. We ended up going out to eat at this restaurant because we had a coupon for free pisco sour--and I wasn’t about to pass up free alcohol. It ended up being the perfect spot because the band played some hella good live music (second to last picture). I was dancing in my chair for most of their performance. The dancing, however, could also be attributed to the wine I was drinking...

The last picture is just to highlight the people that roughed it in the desert with me for a week. If you’re reading this, shout out to all of you that I travelled with. You guys are pretty cool I guess. Can’t wait for our next adventure...

Las Dunas, Vina del Mar, Chile 04/09/2017

Located just a little over an hour outside of Santiago, las Dunas were the absolute perfect day trip. I must admit I was slightly hungover for this trip, and I didn’t actually head out with my friends until around 1pm. The moment the bus dropped us off right in front of the dunes, I felt the sand in the air attack my face...and my hair...and my nostrils...and my ears.

Although I had a raging headache, I chugged Gatorade, sucked it up, and hiked up the steep Dunas. However, what looked like a 5 minute walked turned into a ten minute hike up the sand dunes. Every time I took a step, I would slide back down basically to where I started. With the sun beating down on my hungover body, I wasn’t sure I would be able to climb up the first dune...

Despite the sliding trek and the less than agreeable hangover, I was awestruck when I got to the top of the hill and saw the view past the dunes. The first picture above was this exact view. I wasn’t able to see the ocean or hear it or realize how close we were to the coast. Once I crossed over the top of the hill, however, I just sat down and took in the view for about 20 minutes.

And that was nothing compared to the sunset. Once the sun started dropping and the sky changed colors, I couldn’t believe it. The view...you could see the entire horizon, and on top of the dunes was a great vantage point to watch the sunset. I even made a “sand chair” to better enjoy the view and soak up the sun...ended up being a bad decision because by the end of that day, I was quite positive I had sand in every crevice of my body. Once I returned to Santiago, I had to take my jeans off in the shower because about a gallon of sand fell out...and I spent the next week showering and scratching my scalp to get rid of the sand.

But, again, the struggles were worth it. I’ve come to realize in Chile that as long as you get through the bumps, the end results turn out to be pretty fucking amazing.

Cerro La Campana, 31/03/17 - 01/04/17

Haven’t posted in a minute, but I can’t offer an apology because I’ve been too busy having an awesome time in Chile.

The pictures above are from a recent hike up Cerro la Campana--a set of some of the oldest peaks in the Andes Mountains. I went on the hike with my CIEE program--so there were about 30 or so of us students working our butts off to climb to the top to bask in the amazing view.

Now, you all know me pretty well, and I’m not much of an extreme sports person. No matter the activity I’m doing, I like to take my time and leisurely work my way through. That wasn’t the case for this hike. The group that I hiked with moved pretty quickly, and I panted and sweated my ass off during the entire 8-hour hike...I think my legs were sore for the next 3 days.

To explain some of the pictures above:

The first picture was of the place we stayed. It was a set of ten or so huts all formed in a circle around a yard...surrounded by mountains. Absolutely breathtaking, and per usual, the pictures don’t do it justice. There was a pool in the center--which I fully utilized after the long, tiring hike to relax the muscles.

The next four pictures are from the trek up to the top. Ran into a cow along the way, and it didn’t seem bothered by us at all. The second to last picture is of the view from the top of the mountain. When I looked out, it was endless mountains. We ate lunch at the top here, and I spent a lot of time staring at the mountains...and running away from the annoyingly friendly bees.

We all met up at the end to talk about the hike and offer a word or phrase to sum up our time hiking up Cerro la Campana. I used the phrase “comic relief” because I use humor to get through stressful situations--emotionally or physically stressful. Basically, when I was struggling and wanted to sit down or take a break or couldn’t imagine climbing all the way to the top, I’d have a good conversation or laugh with a friend, and I’d instantly think, “Yeah, I can totally do this.” So here’s to the humor and good times with friends, because I would’ve been a goner had I tried to complete this hike alone.

I’m so happy that Valparaiso had been calling my name since the moment I arrived in Chile. To think I could have missed this beautiful place...

While the top of the city had great views of the Pacific Ocean, the street art was what caught my eye. I never imagined that a few cans of spray paint could create such masterpieces...and masterpieces made by the very locals who live in this colorful city.

I’m typically not the annoying tourist with a camera around her neck snapping pictures at every corner, but I couldn’t resist in Valparaiso. Every building or wall had a different mural with a different style that was focused on a different subject or theme. And the mosaics are just as wildly impressive.

Most of these images are from the neighborhood Cerro Alegre in Valparaiso...a very historical area of Valparaiso with many good places to eat and shop. I had almost the best seafood of my life here. Such a hidden gem...

The last photograph is a mosaic, and the words are a poem by Gabriela Mistral, and it reads:

“Valparaiso fades away

winking with its boats

and flagged ships

calling us to embark.

And the sirens don’t matter

to these brave travelers.”

I want to rant about some of the most obvious differences between Chile and the United States. When I enter a store or am walking down the street, people tend to say hello...people aren’t wandering around with headphones in their ears and their noses stuck to their phones...I don’t mean to bash the United States, but the culture here is much more welcome to human interaction. And humans are social creatures, so shouldn’t we naturally want to smile at people on the street and strike up a conversation with a stranger? Since when is it not “cool” to talk to a stranger on the subway or in a store?

The purpose of my rant and the pictures above is to point out another large difference between the US and Chile--the stray dogs or “quiltros”. This one small word holds a lot of meaning down here--especially in Santiago.

While quiltros are basically stray dogs, referring to them as such is an insult to these furry friends. Quiltros wander through the parks, follow groups of people around the city, and even wait for the traffic lights to change when it’s safe for them to cross the street. When you encounter a quiltro on the street, you pet it or feed it or just let it rest near you. These dogs only want human interaction because humans in Chile have always welcomed these dogs and treated them with love and respect.

The picture above is from Parque Forestal--a park near the hostel I originally stayed at in Santiago Central. These cute little houses are exactly what you think they are: dog houses. The entire population of Santiago welcomes these dogs. In the US, we usually shy away from stray dogs. Most of them have been mistreated or abandoned and no longer trust humans. It’s sad to see stray dogs in the US, but it’s even worse to know how they ended up as strays.

In Chile, however, quiltros are temporary companions that you support and respect. In fact, last night at dinner, a quiltro came up to my table outside and just sat next to me. He was totally checking out my french fries, so I gave him one. Those sad eyes and that tail wagging was the end for me. The worst thing a quiltro will do is guilt you into giving him some of your food--food I wasn’t going to finish anyway. After I stopped feeding him, he sat for awhile and then went on to find his next victim. They’re considered locals here in Santiago, and so far it’s my favorite part of the culture. I’m a huge dog lover, so I might just end up adopting a couple to bring home...

#parqueforestal #quiltros #santiago #chile

After 14 grueling hours of travel, I have finally arrived in Santiago! The Hostal Forestal is very welcoming and has friendly tenants. On top of that, they like to have wine nights with all of the travelers they're hosting...what's not to love about that? Although I had the hardest time sleeping on the plane because there was a man in front of me snoring away like a bear and a baby behind me crying and sniffling every few minutes, I almost missed my connection from Toronto to Santiago because my flight beforehand was delayed, I had to run and pant all the way through Canadian customs, and I have struggled to understand the fast Chilean dialect, I must say the most difficult part of my journey so far is lugging two heavy suitcases up the flights of stairs at the hostel. Maybe next time I'll learn to pack lighter?

Anticipation...

Hello! I started this blog for friends and family who want to keep up to date with my activities while I’m abroad in Chile. It’s been a long couple of months back home since winter break, and I am counting down the days until I’m off! While the hours are passing by agonizingly slow, I’m only a week away from the start of an awesome experience. Wish me luck!

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

The Travels of a Clueless Redhead