Category: South America

November 26, 2017

Peru

It’s been 3 months since I’ve returned from my summer in Peru and I’m just now able to process the experience. Not that it was so heavy or deep or that I drank too much coca tea but it was a lot. Friends and family continue to ask me why I went, what I did and what I learned from the experience – all complicated questions. I wrote a full post on why I quit my job for this long-term stay abroad but the long story short is that I wanted to improve my Spanish and get living experience ...

September 22, 2017

Cartagena

I almost didn’t make it to Cartagena. Missed my flight from Peru to Colombia and spent an extra night in Cusco wondering if the trip was really meant to be. If the universe was conspiring against me. If the expectation of a good time in Colombia was destined to be unmet and the reality of my situation was a better bet. But it always works itself out. It was an awkward ride from the airport in an Uber. Uber is illegal in Colombia but the app still functions, so it works? If asked by a cop what I was doing ...

September 12, 2017

Bogotá

When in Bogotá I made the mistake of staying in La Candelaria. Don’t get me wrong, the location is perfect for touring as it sits in the cultural center containing all of the main attractions and museums. I was torn between whether or not to stay there initially and read a number of articles to help me make my decision, including this one comparing the difference in nightlife between the city center and northern neighborhoods. My mistake was actually rooted in a poor order of priorities: did I want to stay close to the center of the action, backpackers, and museums ...

August 19, 2017

Lima

Lima was bright and beautiful and bustling! Well, not exactly. It was gloomy and gray and gastronomical (#LITeration). The truth is that a trip to Lima was necessary. I was physically sick with a stomach infection for two consecutive days and getting really comfortable in the way of life in Cusco after six weeks and my productivity – writing, shooting, dreaming – took a backseat. It was only a weekend trip, Friday through Monday, but something about it gave me reasons to be excited about the road ahead. When in Lima, the agenda was chill. That means I ...

December 18, 2016

Argentina

My 2016 new years resolution was to learn Spanish so it was only natural that South America was one of the many destinations that year. As a friend and I were deciding on a place to escape the NY winter, Argentina came to mind for many reasons besides the fact that they have summer in February – nature in the form of Iguazu Falls, food in the form of steak, empanadas and wine and culture in the form of architecture, government corruption and protests of the people. And I can’t forget all of the “juh” sounding double ls that made it extremely ...