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Carnaval! Oruro, Bolivia

Carnaval! Oruro, Bolivia

I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes. We were stranded at the Bolivian border. Our cell phones didn't work, we had no cash, there were no ATMs, and credit cards were not accepted anywhere. My tears seemed to soften the Bolivian border guard. He looked concerned and pulled out his radio. He asked for our tickets and then started talking on his radio. Yes, it was official our bus was gone. The guard then started boarding other buses. At first I didn't understan

Stranded at the Bolivian Border

Stranded at the Bolivian Border

Our alarms went off at 6:00 a.m. and the power was still out in our lovely boutique hotel. We had no choice but to put on our headlamps and start packing. I think we were both glad to be leaving San Pedro de Atacama. We enjoyed our visit, but the five days that we had scheduled was too long when so much was closed due to the rain. I still can’t believe that it rained everyday in the only location I didn't check the weather before I planned our visit. In my defense, it was sup

Getting Wet in the Driest Place on Earth, The Atacama Desert, Chile

Getting Wet in the Driest Place on Earth, The Atacama Desert, Chile

We were not washed away in the torrential rains during the night in the driest place on Earth. However, we still did not have power in our hotel room. We learned at breakfast from the manager that two years ago, during a one inch rainfall, the road in front of the hotel flooded one meter. He told us that in the event of flooding that we could get on the roof of the hotel. At least we now had a plan. Because of the weather we were getting a late start. We made our way to the

The Driest Place on Earth, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

The Driest Place on Earth, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

After two months in Chile we were headed to the last region of the county we had yet to visit, the northern region. We would visit the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert on Earth. After Torres del Paine and Easter Island it is the third most popular tourist destination in Chile. San Pedro de Atacama is a small town set on an arid high plateau in the northeastern Andes mountains. It is known as Chile’s archeological region and is an import center of pre-Inca culture.

The Carretera Austral, The Southern Way Road Trip III

The Carretera Austral, The Southern Way Road Trip III

I knew that driving the Carretera Austral would be beautiful. I just wasn’t fully prepared for how beautiful it actually was. The drive was relaxing, and yet at the same time stimulated all of the senses. Peace and beauty were to be found around every twist and turn in the road. That is why I had to politely get rid of our hitchhikers. They were actually turning a relaxing drive into a bad family vacation. How did we let this happen? We had just finished our tour of the marbl

The Marble Caves, Carretera Austral, Road Trip II

The Marble Caves, Carretera Austral, Road Trip II

We awoke to a stunning view from our hostel in Rio Tranquilo on the western edge of General Carrerra lake. The clouds the day before had obscured the rugged snow covered peaks. Despite the radiators and space heater, our room was chilly, which made it hard to get out of bed. I can only imagine how hard it would be to crawl out of our sleeping bags, had we camped the night before. We finally got up, packed, showered, and went down to breakfast. We needed to make our way to th

Carretera Austral, The Southern Way Road Trip Part I

Carretera Austral, The Southern Way Road Trip Part I

We had no idea that it would be quite so difficult to get out of Puerto Williams. The town really is located at the end of the world. There are few places to stay and resources are limited. I was coming down with a cold and we discovered that the only pharmacy on the island was in the hospital. When they offered to check me into the hospital in order to give me cold medication, I knew that we needed to leave. Also, I wasn't up for the big hike around the island. So, when we

A Journey to the End of the World, Puerto Williams Chile

A Journey to the End of the World, Puerto Williams Chile

In a park in downtown Punta Arenas, Chile, there is a bronze statue of an indigenous person centrally located and the focus of everyone wandering by. I noticed that many people would rub the foot of the statue as they passed. As a result, the foot on the statue was a shiny golden bronze from the constant touch. I approached an elderly man who looked like a local sitting on a park bench watching tourists and town folk going about their business. “Why does everyone rub the foot

Hiking the "O" Torres del Paine Part II

Hiking the "O" Torres del Paine Part II

Torres del Paine is known as the 8th wonder of the world because of its natural beauty, exotic landscapes, and abundant flora and fauna. The land is shaped by ice, water, geology, and the strong Patagonian winds that constantly batter the Andes mountains. The winds also transform clouds into strange and interesting formations like the famous "flying saucer" clouds that are often spotted in the skies. We were getting an upclose education in the all of the beauty of the park du

Hiking the "O" Torres del Paine Part I

Hiking the "O" Torres del Paine Part I

As I tossed and turned, I couldn’t stop thinking about what our friend Medi had said about the “O” hike he just completed in Torres del Paine, Chile. “You don’t have vertigo do you?” He asked. “There are a few suspension bridges that are about 50 meters high, and also a water crossing where you will get pretty wet. Heck, just plan on being wet, my Gore-Tex was soaked through and my phone is still in rice. And, the wind…” he continued. “I’m a pretty big guy and I just had to s