South America Adventures
Today 6/09/24 I put all my stuff in a little suitcase and am embarking on a month-long trip around South America. I plan to cover Colombia, Brazil , Argentina , Peru. I have a general idea of the places I want to go and the things I want to see but I don't have a strict itinerary, so to the angst of my parents... I'll see where things go.
Im gonna edit this post every few days with updates and photos.
Why am I doing this? Having just graduated from NYU (class of 24 baby!) I have virtually zero true responsibilities or obligations. This will definitely change soon, but I plan on taking advantage of the fortunate position I find myself in now.
Last time I traveled for a month in Europe I made so many great memories and met amazing people that I'm still friends with to this day! I have no doubt this trip will be an amazing experience.
Im looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone, saying yes to (almost) everything and making the most of my time.
Colombia (Medellin)
I had planned to go to Santa Marta (The North of Colombia) but I wasn't vaccinated against the yellow fever in time and I had to change my plan :/ . I went to Medellin from 6/10 - 6/14. My intention for this stop was to chill, meet new people while getting some good workouts in and eating great food, and I did just that.
In my room, I met Delphine a fellow solo traveler and content creator from Belgium , and an amazing human being. We shared many meals together and bonded over several things. From our parents HATING the places we want to go, to outgrowing old friends, to the shared experience of trying to be our own boss and living life to the fullest and on our terms.
In the hostel I also met Yotam (ex Israeli special forces). He was 10- 15 years older then me but we shared some great moments and ran into each other a bit at the gym and throughout the city. I loved his candidness and openness to new experiences, I envy his nonchalantness.
Yotam Also cooks a MEANNN steak, and I stole the recipe from him to cook for Delphine and I one night. The steak is so flavorful and so cheap.
Peru (Lima,Arequipa,Cusco)
I got to Lima early in the morning 6/15 and wasted no time. I met my college Buddy Max, and his Dad at a cafe and took a shot of my first Peruvian Espresso. It was good, but not like the ones I had in Florence.
After our little breakfast, we walked over to Huaca Pucllana where I got my first taste of Peruvian Archaeology. I had never seen pyramids before, albeit ones just 15 minutes from a bustling city. It was captivating.
The next day I went to Barranco a district in Lima. My first stop was the Bridge of Sigh's which if the name didn't give it away is a charming bridge that connects to a church. I appreciated all the colors that hit my eyes during the walk, and the breeze I felt against my skin. After checking out the bridge I decided to walk around aimlessly as I like to do when checking out new cities. At one point during my walk I looked to my right and saw a Garden with a colorful sign, I walked in and was met with different delicious smells from food vendors , my eyes drawn to the shops in each little section.
I started hearing music, and decided to follow the music. Walking to the end of the garden there was a mini concert. So I grabbed a "pollo a la brasa" and sat down to enjoy the music. While I was enjoying the music I couldn't help but notice lots of people were staring at me because I stood out, because of my skin color. But everyone was super nice
Half an hour later I decided it was time for more walking, so I walked with my head up high and attentively. Ok one thing about me is I love sweets (and if I wasn't obsessed with sports & fitness) id be very overweight. I started looking for a pastry shop and landed on (insert name). My god did this pastry shop smell in all the right ways.
I was overwhelmed with options : strawberry cheesecake filled croissant , berry tart , dulce de leche filled croissant - I landed on the dulce. I paired it with an espresso dobble and grabbed a table outside. While I was waiting I people watched for a bit and had a quick call with my Mom. My croissant arrived and I snapped a photo (phone eats first) then devoured it. My god it was so good. Heres a photo to make you jealous.
After my pastry and coffee I walked to the water where it was pretty empty and peaceful, I sat for a bit watching the waves crash on to the rocks and a couple kissing and laughing, and then one arguing.
It was a beautiful evening so I decided to wander to Parque Central de Miraflores. There was an art sale going on and my eyes were completely struck by this colorful piece almost twice the size of its painter. When I spoke to the painter he told me it took him 3 months, I was amazed and inspired by his level of commitment to his craft. He was selling it for $ 2000, I know it would go for $ 50,000 in New York.
As I walked I saw a crowd formed around a mini circular ditch, similar to the WSP Fountain at NYU, actually very similar just smaller, there were old couples dancing and moving in ways I definitely couldn't haha. It was a huge serotonin boost and a great vibe.
As I was watching to my right there was a girl I found pretty and seemed to be alone, so I struck up conversation. Then we watched together and joked about how good the old couples were at bachata. We got dinner after at a Nikkei restaurant and then went to this awesome cocktail bar for a drink. Hearing M's story was so crazy and definitely got me thinking, it was a nice night with great company.
6/17 I flew to Arequipa, a city about (altitude) above sea level. I chose arequipa so I could acclimate for Cusco and because I had heard its a super charming city.
My first day I tried alpaca steak, It was pretty good! Like a sweeter version of flank steak, and at night I admired the cathedral in front of plaza de armas which I think is so beautiful.
The next day I fueled up with a breakfast from an amazing local cafe, it was one of the better breakfasts I've had even though it was super simple.
Then I was off to whitewater rafting! I got picked up by my transport near the Plaza and met a few other kind travelers id be rafting with (2 from Peru , 2 from England).
Rafting was an amazing time, the water was super strong, and super cold 8 degrees celsius, but we had wetsuits on so it wasn't as bad. There was one moment were our raft was going straight into a rock and our guide told us to just lean back and not to point our padels and react, we had to really trust that the raft was a few inches longer so the edge of the raft would hit the rock before the rock hit us. Thankfully it did, because that was a big ass rock.
I was fortunate enough to try La Nueva Palomino which is a affordable but extremely difficult to get reservation in Arequipa. Its known as a cultural heritage of the nation. I ordered a fried pechuga de Pollo and it was delicious. For desert I tried Queso Helado and this changed my world - definitely top 5 deserts i've ever had. Its essentially shaved ice with milk, vanilla, and a bit of egg.
At night I had a date and we got drinks at a super cool bar where I tried my first Pisco Sour. It was good but nothing crazy, I preferred my Moscow Mule that I got for 2nd round.
After a day of just hanging around and resetting I boarded a night bus to Cusco. It was a 10 hour ride but I was pleasantly surprised because it went by super fast. I guess my dad thought the busses were like in the city, but no they were luxury and reclining and pretty nice , and very cheap relative to a flight.
