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California

I’m Moving to Los Angeles

So I left New York. Again. Except this time it will be a bit more permanent.

When I went back to the city in June I only intended on sticking around for a few weeks—long enough to earn enough cash to get me to LA. Thanks to a consistent flow of freelance work and some incredibly hospitable friends, I ended up staying until November and living out of a backpack while I figured things out.

Now, five months later, I’m excited to say that I’ve accepted a full time job offer in Los Angeles and I’m finally moving to California! I’m still amazed at how perfectly this all worked out, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and when you follow your gut and make decisions in line with your ultimate goal, you’ll get to where you’re supposed to be eventually.

Olivia LA

A brief backstory about my journey to LA:
During the summer of 2014 when I was trying to decide whether or not I should stay in advertising or take a break and travel South America, I actually interviewed for this same company. I knew they had an LA office so I pursued it in hopes that I could eventually transfer. But I didn’t get the job, so I took that as a sign to follow my gut and pursue my South American adventure. Best decision ever.

Fast forward to this past summer, a year later and post-trip. I was applying for countless jobs in LA when I started picking up shitty freelance gigs in New York. In August I signed on to a job that lasted two months, and I also immediately booked a random one-way ticket to Los Angeles on October 6th to avoid being sucked back into New York.

When I was about three weeks from my LA move date that job made me take a mandatory leave while they sorted freelance budgets. I called my recruiter and asked if there were any short-term projects she could move me onto that could guarantee some sort of income for the next couple of weeks. That evening she got me in at that same company I’d interviewed with a year prior.

I started the new gig the next morning and immediately loved it. The team was incredibly smart, super friendly, doing awesome stuff, and everyone there seemed to genuinely love what they do. It was supposed to last 1-2 weeks but it remained open-ended, and conversations started happening about whether or not I might be interested in full-time.

October 6th came and I made the decision to cancel my flight to LA. It was a tough call, but I felt I had to see this opportunity through and see where it leads. At the very least I would keep working through the end of the year, save as much money as possible, and get some great new work for my portfolio. Then I could spend the holidays with my family and move to California with a decent amount of money in my pocket at the start of the new year.

After nine weeks the company’s creative recruiter pulled me aside and asked if I was interested in full time. I told her I’m more interested in the Los Angeles office than New York and her face lit up. Apparently they had been searching for someone at my level for a while but hadn’t found the right fit, so she set up an interview. A few Google Hangout interviews later, I got an offer.

The verbal offer came through on 11/20, and on 11/25 I had signed the paperwork, packed up and bid farewell to my life in New York (again), and was sitting on a bus back to Ohio. It all happened so incredibly fast that I didn’t even get to squeeze in my goodbyes. But when you’re living out of a backpack and subletting a bedroom, it makes it easier to pack up and leave at a moment’s notice.

Venice Beach

I still cannot believe how perfectly this all worked out. Some people may think I’m crazy when I do things like sell all my belongings to travel an entire continent for five months, then spend six months looking for contract work in New York City just to get back on my feet. But I think I’m just extremely lucky to know what I want in life, and I’m not afraid to do what it takes to make those things happen. I knew over a year ago that I wanted to move to LA eventually. But I knew that I also wanted to travel South America in the immediate future, and that’s exactly what I did.

New York will always be home to me. It’s the place where I branched out on my own, spent my twenties learning and growing into someone I’m actually pretty proud of, and finally learned the value of having amazing people in my life. But I’m ready to gain a better work/life balance. I’m ready to spend more time being active outdoors, more time exploring and taking photographs, less time drinking, and overall just living a simpler, less chaotic life that’s more in touch with nature. I don’t know how long I’ll live in Los Angeles before I move on, but I think this will be a great transition to the West Coast. I’m excited to explore more of this country’s mountains and national parks. And with LA as a home base, hopefully I’ll be making more trips across the Pacific.

I’ve got about a week in Ohio to pack up my stuff before I fly to LA on 12/3. I’ll have a few weeks to start my job and look for an apartment before flying back for Christmas, then my parents and I are loading up the U-Haul to road trip west. It’s going to be a busy month!

Oh yeah, on top of this exciting life change, my trip to South America has also kickstarted my travel writing career. The day before I landed my LA interview I was commissioned to write a piece that I’m super excited about. It will be going live in late December, so stay tuned!

Cheers to kicking off my thirties in the only way that I know how: with an awesome life change.

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Brazil Guide Parties

The Ultimate Guide to Carnival in Rio – Part 2: How to Plan

So you’ve read all about what Carnival in Rio is like, and you’re ready to jump on a plane yesterday right? 

This post should help guide you through planning and booking Carnival in Rio—from when to start booking, where to stay, and other things to consider before booking your cachaça fueled trip.

WHEN IS CARNIVAL 2016?

Carnival 2016 runs from Friday, February 5 to Wednesday, February 10. There will be plenty of parties in the days before and after these dates, but this is when the official blocos and parades take place, and definitely the minimum amount of time that you’ll want to be in Rio.

HOW LONG SHOULD I SPEND IN RIO?

As long as you can.

I spent eight nights in Rio and found it to be very rushed. I spent the first four days (Monday – Thursday) running around town visiting the Christ Statue, Sugar Loaf, hang gliding (because of the weather this can eat up an entire day), Forte Duque de Caxias, and I only got to spend one day lounging on Copacabana beach before it was overrun with Carnival partiers. I spent the last four days and nights moving from bloco to bloco with zero time to relax on the beach or sightsee, and I missed the last day of Carnival when the Super Mario Bloco happened. I also didn’t have enough time to do a favela tour or visit Tijuca Forest either.

I’d say if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing, give yourself at least ten days in Rio. But obviously the more the better. If you’re only planning to visit Rio for the Carnival dates, be prepared for slower traffic, large crowds, and not seeing much of the city outside of the blocos.

Rio at Sunset

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK MY FLIGHT?

Unless you plan on staying at a fancy beachfront hotel, flights will most likely be the most expensive part of your trip. Even before you’re ready to book your flight I recommend you start playing the points game with your frequent flyer miles or travel credit card well in advance. Otherwise you’ll most likely be seeing fares for over $1000 from the US. Flights to Rio are definitely not cheap.

Once you’ve decided on which dates to travel you’ll want to book your flights (and accommodation) as soon as possible. Try being a little flexible with your dates to see which days are the cheapest and you might save a few bucks.

If you need a visa, you’ll need this flight confirmation first as part of your visa application. 

DO I NEED A VISA OR ANY OTHER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS?

If you’re traveling from somewhere other than Brazil you’ll obviously need a passport. Make sure that it’s valid for at least six months after your return date, and that you have enough blank pages to accommodate the entry/exit stamps. Some countries also require a visa, so make sure to leave a full blank page for that if necessary. 

US citizens also need to obtain a tourist visa (which right now is $140, good for ten years). If you live near a Brazilian Embassy or Consulate it’s fairly simple to schedule an appointment and go in with all of the paperwork and get it yourself. But if you’re nowhere near one you might have to pay a decent chunk of change to have an agency take care of it for you. This can get pretty expensive, so take care of it as soon as you’ve booked your flight so that you don’t also have to pay fees to expedite. 

I used Travel Visa Pro to get my visa. Their site is horribly designed, but their customer service is outstanding. I had tons of questions during the application process, so I found their on-site chat feature to be a huge help to make sure I was doing everything properly. 

When applying for your visa you’ll need to show proof of a booked round trip flight in to and out of Brazil. This can be difficult if you’re traveling a bit more loosely or on a one-way ticket, but it can be done. For example, I was planning on doing most of my travel to, from, and within Brazil by boat and bus, booking it all once I arrived and as I traveled. The people at Travel Visa Pro advised me to book a random bullshit roundtrip flight, print the itinerary, cancel the flight, then send the printed itinerary in with my visa application. I didn’t want to at first, but I ended up doing it through Expedia since they have a free 24 hour cancellation period, and everything worked out fine. I definitely felt shady doing it, but feeling shady is better than losing money and being denied a visa because you don’t have a return flight.

US citizens can check this link for more info on visa requirements: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/brazil.html

DO I NEED ANY VACCINATIONS?

If you’re sticking to Rio de Janeiro and the surrounding coastal areas, then most likely no. But if you plan on traveling further inland before or after Carnival you might want to double check the recommended vaccinations. It’s never a bad idea to make sure you’re up on your routine vaccinations (such as MMR, etc.). Some health insurance plans will cover certain vaccinations, but others you’ll have to pay out of pocket at your primary care physician or at a travel vaccination center. 

Here’s a link to help you decide what you may or may not need for Brazil: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/brazil

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK MY ACCOMMODATION? 

If you have any sort of standards or expectations (like a private bathroom, private room, etc.) while traveling, get your hotel/hostel/apartment situated ASAP. Prices are roughly three to four times their normal rates during Carnival and they book up early. I booked in October (four months early) for this year’s Carnival and all of the hotels and hostels were already picked over. I lucked out finding one in Copacabana that was about $80/night (usually only about $20/night), but I shared a dorm room with five others. It was fine for me since I was rarely in the hostel and I had the chance to meet plenty of others to party with, but hostels aren’t for everyone. The sooner you book, the more options you’ll have and the cheaper they’ll be.

Sites like Airbnb are also a good option, especially if you’ve got a heap of cash to throw down up front. Unfortunately they’re not necessarily cheap, but you can easily reserve a multi-room place and then find other people to fill the rooms and split the cost. 

When I searched for hotels in October I was seeing rates starting at $300/night and up, so good luck with that.  

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

Don’t worry about staying near the Sambadrome (where the main Carnival parade happens). It’s far from basically everything and the surrounding area doesn’t have the best reputation at night, so you’re better off only making the trek there for the parade. 

Most of the blocos happen in Zona Sur (the South Zone, where all of the beaches are) and downtown, so you’ll definitely want to stay in one of these areas.

I found Copacabana to be a perfect location—right on the beach, and easily accessible to all of the blocos on the beach and downtown because it’s basically right in the middle. Ipanema and Leblon beaches are beautiful and they say more upscale than Copacabana, but they’re also a bit further from downtown than Copacabana is. Botafogo, Flamengo, and Lapa are also popular tourist spots; especially near the Lapa Arches where tons of people meet for drinks pretty much every day and night during Carnival.

I stayed at the Rio Rockers Hostel about four blocks from Copacabana Beach and felt 100% safe day and night. To the point where I drunkenly walked 15 minutes to McDonald’s with my phone in my hand texting at midnight one night. In retrospect that was an extremely stupid idea and I should’ve been robbed (as others I’d met were robbed in the same area), but hey, sometimes you drink a million caipirinhas and do stupid stuff.

In my opinion, staying near a train station is a great way to get around during Carnival, especially since the streets close down for blocos and it can be difficult to get around them. The trains run 24 hours during Carnival and are always packed with party goers, so it makes the ride between blocos an event in itself. Some of the subway stations will close down too if there’s a bloco happening there, but it’s not difficult to figure out the next closest stop since everyone will be getting off there (in costume and beer in hand). 

If you’re really broke you can check out couchsurfers, but just remember that if they bail last minute you could be left shelling out a ton more money for last-minute lodging.

Here’s a link to some more information about the neighborhoods in Rio: http://www.rio.com/practical-rio/neighborhoods-rio

HOW EARLY DO I NEED TO BOOK TICKETS TO THE SAMBADROME?

For many people (both locals and tourists) a highlight of Carnival is the parade at the Sambadrome. Personally I’m not a fan of parades, so I had absolutely zero intention of going until I developed a severe case of FOMO once I realized basically everyone else in Rio was going.

If you don’t care much about the Sambadrome then you can pick up some cheap last minute nosebleed seats once you’re in Rio. You’ll be able to see the parade, but you might want to bring some binoculars or at least a camera with a decent zoom. However, if you want a good view and comfortable seats you’ll want to purchase tickets as far in advance as possible as they sell out very early—especially for the best parade days. 

I got tickets at my hostel for about $35 the day before and we sat in the very last section on the parade route. Our seats were set back quite a bit from the parade, so it was difficult to see the detail of the costumes with the naked eye. But people were still singing and dancing and having a great time, squeezed elbow to elbow in the stands. Overall it was fun and tolerable for a couple of hours, but be warned that these parades go on literally all night long.

The main parades (i.e. the biggest and best samba schools) are Sunday and Monday, with most people opting for Monday. If you’re a clueless tourist like me you probably won’t recognize much difference between the different schools, so go whichever night is most convenient and affordable for you.

I was also told by locals that you can show up on Monday around 1 or 2AM and try to bargain cheaper seats, so that’s worth a shot too.  

Here’s a bit more info about the samba schools and the parade and tickets.

http://www.rio-carnival.net/rio_carnival/sambodromo-samba-parade-tickets.php

Seats at the Sambadrome
These were our $35 nosebleed seats at the Sambadrome
I’m not sure why there’s such a big gap between the first set of seats and the bleachers.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO BOOK FOR CARNIVAL?

To me, the best thing about Carnival is the street parties. And better yet they’re free and awesome. So you can show up to any of them with a beer in hand and have the time of your life, no need to book anything in advance. 

So really, the only things you should book in advance are flights, hotels/hostels, and Sambadrome tickets. But if you plan on spending any time immediately  before or after Rio in a nearby beach town or island such as Ilha Grande or Paraty, you’re better off to book that in advance also. Lots of people plan to do the same so places can book up a bit in advance if you wait until the last minute. We had to rearrange our plans for the first three days after Carnival because there were no hostels available in Paraty.

Now that you’ve got the basics covered, just save up some money and start counting down the days! There are tons of other celebrations all over Brazil (like the more traditional celebration in Salvador) so if you can swing it, it’s worth checking some of those out too before visiting Rio.

Anything else you’re wondering about planning a trip to Rio for Carnival? Comment below!

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Brazil Carnival Guide Parties Solo Travel South America

The Ultimate Guide to Carnival in Rio – Part 1: What to Expect

World famous beaches, bronzed bodies dancing to sensual samba beats, and hundreds of thousands of people looking to have a good time. Who hasn’t thought about partying in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival at least once in their life? Well I have, many times. So I finally took the plunge and went this year, at the ripe old age of 29, and I had a freaking blast. And I totally think you should go in 2016.

I’ll admit there was a small part of me that thought that maybe I was a bit too old to go to Carnival. The same part that loves going to sleep by midnight, hates large crowds, and even secretly hates drinking. But after my plane touched down in Rio, that part of me disappeared.

If you’re thinking about going to Rio for Carnival, I hope that this post will give you an idea about what it’s like and also convince you that it is an awesome, unforgettable experience. This is part of a two post series, so next I’ll follow up with everything you need to know and do to start planning—including flights, visas, accommodations, and how soon to start planning.

Sunset from Sugarloaf Mountain

 

WHAT IS CARNIVAL?
Technically speaking Carnival is a festival held on the Friday before Lent, and continuing through Ash Wednesday. I think there might be more religious significance behind it but you won’t learn about that here, sorry. To me, Carnival in Rio is a giant, nonstop party with elaborate costumes, sexy dancing, and millions of happy people in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The energy is amazing, the dancing is endless, and the caipirinhas are delicious. It’s heaven.

But more importantly, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is basically made up of two things—the infamous Sambadrome Parade, and blocos, which are basically the most badass block parties you’ll ever attend. There are Carnival Balls (haha balls) and parties at clubs as well, but those cost quite a bit of money, so again you won’t learn about those here. You can drink on the streets in Rio, so why would you pay to go in somewhere when you can grab a beer, walk down the road, and join one of hundreds of street parties for free?

One of the insanely awesome floats at the Sambadrome
This bitch was FIERCE.
Didn’t even realize that these women were topless until I zoomed into the picture at home

 

THE SAMBADROME
All those photos and videos you see of nearly naked women shimmying around in six inch heels and bedazzled costumes are from the Sambadrome. The Sambadrome is the 13-block long outdoor stadium with bleacher style seating, where the various samba schools perform and compete in elaborate costumes alongside even more elaborate floats. Stay tuned for more detailed info on how to snag Sambadrome tickets and where to sit in part two!

THE BLOCOS
Blocos are the street parties scattered all around the city, and in my opinion the best part of Carnival. They’re usually centered around a band in a set area or along a parade route that partygoers follow while singing and dancing along. Many of these blocos have themes or costumes, but they’re free and open to anyone who wants to attend.

In 2015 there were 456 registered blocos in the few weeks just before, during, and slightly after Carnival, with some of them putting on more than one party. Translation: you will have zero problem finding an awesome party at any given moment. Most of the best blocos happen during the day, so it’s not unusual to be out on the streets partying by 9am.

You should definitely look up the official dates, times, and locations posted once Carnival 2016 arrives, but here are a few of the annual blocos you won’t want to miss out on:

– Sargento Pimenta was one of my favorites, and is an absolute must for Beatles fans. The band plays several hours of Beatles music with a samba spin, as the crowd sings and dances along to every word. Sometimes they mix it up and throw some Portuguese in there, but it’s exactly what you’d imagine a lovey-dovey Brazilian Woodstock to be like, and it’s an absolute blast.

– Cardao do Bola Preta started up in 1918, and is the oldest and largest bloco in Rio. One year it had about 2.5 million attendees, so it’s very likely you’ll be partying alongside at least a million other people. The official costume for this bloco (encouraged but not mandatory) is anything white with black polka dots. 

– Banda de Ipanema is a street band that holds three different parties—the first two on the Saturdays just before Carnival, and the third on the Tuesday during Carnival week. This bloco attracts a diverse crowd but is also well known amongst the LGBT community and famous for the parade of drag queens.

– Boitata happens on Sunday morning during Carnival weekend every year. Rafael, the awesome front desk guy at Rio Rockers (who I’m convinced knows absolutely everything about Rio) told me it’s his favorite bloco, so naturally I had to go. It was indeed a blast.

– Boi Tolo is the perfect bloco if you’re a musician and want to play along during Carnival. Boi Tolo was formed when Boitata changed their route one year, leaving a bunch of people standing in the streets confused and forced to create their own party. They’re super inclusive so you should be able to show up with your instrument and just roll with it.

– Super Mario bloco is every 80’s kid’s dream come true. This band marches around alongside hundreds of Marios and Luigis while playing hours of Super Mario songs. And yes people run at warp speed when the Star Power song comes on. Enough said.

– Carmelitas is a bloco in Santa Teresa that was formed in honor of a nun who supposedly jumped out the window of a covent in order to partake in Carnival. Each year they hold two parties, one at the beginning of Carnival to signify her joining in the festivities, and one at the end to celebrate her return to the covent unnoticed. People dress up as nuns as a symbol to “hide” the escaped nun.

Sargento Pimenta
Sargento Pimenta performing an epic show while vendors serve us beer and caipirinhas. Also featured, a guy in a condom hat.
Limbo at Boitata
Caipirinhas and crossdressers
Caipirinhas and crossdressers
A bloco in Leme, just at the end of Copacabana Beach. At least a third of these people ended up in the ocean.

 

IS CARNIVAL EXPENSIVE?

While it’s not super cheap, it also doesn’t have to be super expensive. Unless you’re a super raging alcoholic, transportation and lodging will be the most expensive part of your trip. In that case then yes, Carnival is very expensive. More on that in part two.

Once you’re at Carnival I find you can spend as much or as little as you want. The drinks I bought were usually around $1-$2 USD for a beer, or about $4-$5 USD for a caipirinha. But I’ve found that you can talk the vendors into deals by buying more than one drink. Also you can grab cheap street food for dirt cheap, or walk into one of the many grab-and-go style shops for a quick sandwich, slice of pizza, or bowl of açaí. Then again you can pay like $40 USD and eat like a king at an all-you-can-eat churrascaria (which I definitely recommend doing at least once. I went to Churrascaria Palace in Copacabana and thought I’d died and gone to meat heaven).

Some of the tourist attractions can be a bit steep though. I paid 350 Reais (about $109 USD) to go hang gliding + take home a CD with pictures and a video, but everyone else I met had to pay 650 Reais for that same package (about $204 USD). Don’t ask how we got that deal because we definitely weren’t supposed to, but I’m not complaining. Other things like the roundtrip van + ticket to the Christ Statue was around 50 Reais (or $16 USD). Bottom line, bring some money to play with.

Another way to save money is to take public transportation because taxis are EXPENSIVE. The subway runs 24/7 during Carnival and there’s almost always a constant party on it, so that’s always a fun way to get around. Buses are cheap, frequent, and easy to navigate as long as a bloco isn’t blocking their route.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SEE AND DO IN RIO?
If you’ve never been to Rio then you’ll no doubt want to check out some of the awesome things that make Rio amazing.

These are some of the more popular attractions, and it’s easy to see how you could fill an entire month. Most tours shut down during Carnival, so make sure to tack on extra days before or after in order to plan for these. I arrived on the Monday before Carnival and left on the Tuesday right before it ended and I was constantly rushed to fit in everything I wanted to do. I feel like I missed out on quite a bit and wish I would’ve had at least another week there.

– Corcovado and the Cristo Redentor (the Christ statue and mountain. On a clear day, go in the morning and you’ll have the sun hitting the face of the statue. Since the sun goes behind the statue in the afternoon, taking photos will be nearly impossible unless it’s closer to dusk. There are numerous ways to head up there, but if you’re like me and you hate tourist attractions, and you just want to get up there, snap a couple photos and get back down as quickly as possible, check into the vans that take you from places like Copacabana Beach. They’re not very expensive and they drive you all the way up to the top. Or check out the helicopter tours if you’re loaded.)
– Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain, and FYI it’s incredible at sunset)
– Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon Beaches
Sunset at Aproador (the rocky area between Copacabana and Ipanema where everyone gathers and claps as the sun sets. Bring beer!)
– Maracanã Stadium (one of the biggest stadiums in the world where local favorites Flamengo play)
– Escadaria Selarón (you know, those colorful steps in the Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams video for Beautiful)
– Santa Teresa
– Carioca Aqueduct (the Lapa Arches)
– Fort Copacabana
– Guanabara Bay
– Free walking tours of the city (check out Free Walker for walking tours and pub crawls)
– Favela tours (easily arranged at most hostels)
– Hang gliding and paragliding (do hang gliding, seriously)
– Lagoa and the Botanical Gardens (I’ve heard renting a bike to ride around the lagoon is great)
– And there are a ton of options if you want to get a bit more active: hiking Dois Irmãos, Tijuca National Park, rock climbing, biking, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, etc. etc. I’m convinced that Rio is paradise.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Rio For Partiers too, it’s a handy little book full of information—from what to see, do, eat, and drink, to how to say things, and coupons to save you money and get free drinks all over town. It’s super handy and really explains everything you need to know about Rio de Janeiro.

*Pro tip: Right now you can download the ebook for free on their site, so for all of you broke ass backpackers, take advantage of this! –> Rioforpartiers.com

Cristo Redentor
Of course the Christ statue is annoyingly crowded with tourists
Escadaria Selarón
As are the Lapa steps (that’s the gringo name for Escadaria Selarón)
Sugarloaf
Pão de Açúcar, better known as Sugarloaf Mountain to us gringos
Aproador
Aproador. Bring beer and clap your hands along with everyone else when the sun sets.
Maracanã
Try to catch a match at Maracanã, but be warned that in such a massive stadium you might feel all alone at a smaller match.
Hang gliding in Rio is unbelievable. Do it.

A FEW MORE TIPS AND THINGS TO KNOW

TOILETS
I’m usually not one to drink in crowded places because I have a bladder the size of a water balloon, so the bathroom scene is key to my enjoyment of any alcohol-fueled outing. All throughout Carnival there are a ton of chemical toilets at the different blocos, but their quality and cleanliness definitely differ, as do the lines. In Leme for example there were hour-long lines for basic, stinky, dirty port-a-potties, but in Ipanema I only waited behind three people for a fairly nice, well maintained toilet with an attendant. Peeing in the street is illegal though so don’t get caught doing that!

WHAT TO PACK
February is summer in Rio so it’ll be really hot. Like 30-40ºC/86-104ºF all the time. Pack light, meaning bikinis, swim trunks, tank tops, shorts, dresses, etc. I wore flip flops the entire time but some people opt for lightweight sneakers since the grounds can get pretty nasty and people will step on your toes. It’s totally acceptable to walk around in next to nothing in Rio, so the less clothes you have on the more you’ll fit in. Leave the fancy designer labels and flashy jewelry at home though, and if you can bring a small waterproof handheld camera as opposed to an SLR, do so.

If you have room for some costumes or props then go ahead and bring them, but if not don’t worry. There are plenty of little spots all over the city where you can buy stuff for super cheap.

MAKING OUT
There are people making out EVERYWHERE at Carnival. EVERYWHERE.

Brazilians have a huge make out culture as it is. It’s completely normal for them to make a move within minutes of meeting someone as their way of showing interest. As an almost 30-year-old woman with an undeniable attraction to Latin men, venturing into the motherland itself sounded exciting at first. Like “yes, there’s going to be a ton of hot Brazilian men lining up to make out with me.” But then I got there and reality set in. They’re just like guys anywhere and six out of ten of them are disgusting. The other four are twelve years old. Plus it’s pretty off-putting to see someone make out with one person and then move right along to the next. And call me old fashioned (or just old) but I guess I need at least a little bit of a spark and maybe some conversation before swapping spit.

At Carnival guys will literally grab you by the arm as you walk by and ask “make out with me?” And that’s if they have manners. Other guys will just come right up to you and go for it, usually kissing your ear or near your mouth. Some will be VERY persistent and follow you for blocks, rubbing you down with ice cubes and blowing on your back to cool you off in the the hot afternoon sun. Not that that happened to me or anything…

If you’re not keen to get chapped lips or mouth herpes, my best advice is to stick with a group of people to significantly lower the amount of guys who try to face rape you. And just politely say no to anyone you’re not interested in. From my experience most guys will simply walk away, no big deal.

After about eight of these…
…this happened. Guys in drag are everywhere at Carnival, and they’re all on the prowl. I had to give in to at least one.

 

DRESSING UP
It’s not mandatory that you dress up, but I promise you’ll have way more fun if you do. Wear whatever you want—something simple or something awesome and well thought out. Just remember that it’s hot, you’ll probably sweat a lot, and angel wings will get in the way. You can change it up or wear the same costume every day, it doesn’t matter. You might want to grab a few extra props too, just in case you accidentally lose half of your costume in the ocean on the first day like I did.

You can pick up random odds and ends on nearly any street corner during Carnival, but Rua da Alfândega (the street just outside the Uruguaiana subway stop) is lined with a ton of super cheap costume shops. 

A costume and booze are essential to Carnival
These two didn't know each other.
These two didn’t know each other.

 

STAY SAFE
I’m sure that I was naively seduced by Rio’s beauty and charm, but it seemed perfectly safe to me. At least in Copacabana where I stayed. To the point where I drunkenly walked alone for about twenty minutes to get food one night at midnight, with my phone in my hand, texting. In retrospect that was an extremely stupid idea and I should’ve been robbed just to teach my cocky ass a lesson, but hey, sometimes that’s what happens after drinking a gallon of cachaça.

However, Brazil is still a developing country where poverty and crime are obvious issues, but that’s easy to forget if you’re primarily in the touristy areas doing Carnival-y things. Nearly everyone I met had been robbed or mugged. I was just fortunate enough not to be one of them. One guy had his phone stolen out of his hand by a kid on a bike while walking down the street in Ipanema. Another guy had his phone taken in his hostel by a fellow traveler. A group of Brits I met wandered into a favela after dark and left without their wallets. Another group of guys got robbed at knifepoint near the bus station.

These things happen, and all I can say is just be extra cautious and aware, and use your street smarts. Don’t carry a bunch of things on you, because even sober people lose things in large crowds. If you’re a girl your bra will become your best friend. Keep your money (just enough for the day) in your bra, and tie your camera strap around the center of your bra and keep it stuffed in your cleavage for safe keeping. At least that’s what I did and I didn’t lose a thing!

The closest I came to any altercations happened around 9pm one night as the party was winding down on Ipanema Beach (aka everyone was drunk). I stepped away from the group to grab another drink, but while the guy was mixing it up, two girls approached me speaking Portuguese in a very harsh tone. The only word I could understand was “gringa” as they looked me up and down with a look of disgust. I was a bit tipsy, and these chicks towered over me, so for a second I thought “oh shit, this is where it all ends. I’m about to get knifed right here on the beach.” They got even closer and up in my face, but luckily the caipirinha guy stepped in and yelled at them in Portuguese, and they walked away (but not without shooting me a few mean looks over their shoulders). In my sensitively drunk state of mind I had a hard time grasping why two girls would come at me when I did absolutely nothing to provoke it, but a few locals told me they were “probably just jealous.” Sooo basically Brazilian girls are jealous of white girls, and us white girls are jealous of the insanely hot Brazilian chicks. Sigh, women.

Groups are good.
How about that beer vendor throwing up the shocker in the background? Well done, beer guy.

 

OTHER TIPS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE CARNIVAL
– Drinking alcohol + sunshine can be a lethal combo. Remember to drink a bit of water here and there. Even better, buy a coconut to refuel whenever you’re feeling a bit dehydrated. It’ll change your life.
– Don’t forget sunscreen, and other protection if you’re planning to visit an infamous pay-by-the-hour sex hotel.
– Be prepared for long lines and head to the toilet well before you’re about to pee your pants.
– Since Rio is full of beaches that stay lit up well into the night, there’s a huge chance you’ll end up in the ocean after a day of drinking. Just be careful of riptides and strong currents, they seem extra strong when you’re drunk.
– If you’re a woman who’s traveling alone, find a group to go out with and stick with them. One night during a bloco in Leme I stepped away from the group to pee in the ocean and within six seconds some guy came up and latched onto me from behind. When I tried to swim away I felt his hands grab at my bikini bottoms. It took a good elbow in the side and a loud “NO!” to get him to leave me alone as I swam away. But joke’s on him since I was peeing the whole time.

Check out The Ultimage Guide to Carnival in Rio Part 2: How to Plan. In the meantime, is there anything else you’re dying to know about Carnival? Comment below!

Categories
Adventure Brazil Colombia Guide Solo Travel South America

Ten Days in the Amazon on a Budget: Part 2

Three nights of sleeping in a hammock strung up alongside about 100 strangers. Six consecutive carb-heavy meals of rice, noodles, and beans. Ninja mosquitos with a freakish immunity to Deet. Showers in smelly brown river water. This isn’t exactly a Carnival Cruise, people.

Perhaps this post should be titled something along the lines of “Traveling From Colombia to Brazil on a Boat,” but I wanted to keep it consistent with the first post. But that’s exactly what this post is about, my experience of crossing the border in Leticia, Colombia and taking the slow boat from Tabatinga to Manaus.

The hammocks before it got crowded
Our hammocks strung up before it got too crowded

 

If you’re not uptight you don’t have high standards while traveling, this is an awesome, cheap way to see the Amazon on a tight budget—not to mention a great way to save hundreds of dollars traveling from Colombia to Brazil if you’ve got a bit of time. A flight between the two countries can easily cost upwards of $700 USD, but for only about 70 you can hop aboard a ship from Tabatinga, Brazil (which is only a short cab ride from the Leticia airport, or walking distance from most hostels in Leticia) and head downriver to Manaus to catch a flight elsewhere in Brazil.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I did the trip downstream during the rainy season when the rainforest was flooded, which apparently knocks off at least an entire day. There are several other routes from ports in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil ranging from a few days to closer to a week, but I thought the three-day route between Tabatinga and Manaus was plenty. 

Keep in mind prices will likely vary greatly based on the time of year and how far in advance you book, but here’s my breakdown during the peak of high season just before Carnaval:

– $112 flight from Bogotá to Leticia on a Tuesday
– 200 Reais (about $66 USD) for my 3-day boat ticket (which includes all meals)

– 36000 Colombian Pesos (about $14 USD) for a hammock and rope
– $164 overnight flight out of Manaus to Rio de Janeiro on the following Thursday night.

That ends up being about $356, which isn’t exactly pocket change, but the only other costs over those total ten days were $30 for three nights in Leticia, the free hotel room in Manaus, plus a few bucks for meals and $100 for the Amazon tour. Plus booking the overnight flight to Rio helped me save on one night’s accommodation. Definitely cheaper and more exciting than if I had flown the $700 Bogotá to Brazil flight in seven hours, and way cheaper than booking a touristy Amazon tour through some agency.

Amazon Boat
A quick shot of our ship in port in Manaus

As mentioned, this post is all about staying in Leticia, Colombia and taking the slow boat from Tabatinga, Brazil, to Manaus, Brazil. For more info on an activity-based tour of the Amazon, check out this post.

ABOUT THE BOAT: VOYAGER V

There are several different ships you can take, but I don’t think you have much control over which one you get on. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I prepared myself for the worst. There was a lot of ambiguity on how long the trip would actually take, and some horror stories about the food being served with a side of explosive diarrhea and vomiting. But overall my trip was a super relaxing, pleasant experience with no nasty side effects—for me at least, some others on board the ship weren’t so lucky. My tiny bout of tummy troubles held off a good few days until I was tucked away in my own private hotel room in Manaus. (Thankfully it was nowhere near as bad as what I dealt with in Thailand.)

Anyway, back to the ship, the Voyager V. Most of the locals seemed to congregate on the bottom level even though it was extremely noisy near the engine. There was a small kitchen in the back half of the ship right alongside the motor, and a picnic table eating area where all of the meals were served. Food was served at a set time every day (breakfast around 6am, lunch around noon, and dinner around 5pm) and yes, I was almost always one of the first people in line for feeding time.

On the second level there was a fully netted-in soccer pitch that stayed lit up well in the night. There’s also a snack counter selling hamburgers, ice cream, beer, soft drinks, and a few other snacks; a common area with plastic tables and chairs, and what looked to be private cabins towards the front of the ship.

The top level was pretty much just hammocks, bathrooms, and gorgeous views.

Sunset match
Only in Brazil
The bar/hangout area
The common area aka the gringo drinking area
The private cabins had a little space to themselves on the side of the boat
People who booked private cabins enjoying some deck space

 

Each deck has several bathrooms containing a toilet and a shower, and some have a sink. On the top deck alongside our hammocks we had four bathrooms with a few additional sinks outside of the bathrooms, along with a TV and about 15 power outlets. There are actually a good amount of power outlets scattered around the boat, but they’re almost all in awkward places high on the wall. You can leave your phone there to charge by tucking it behind a soap dispenser or something but forget about trying to charge a laptop unless you’re ready to stand there and hold it. 

Bathrooms on board the boat
Two of the bathrooms on the top deck. Notice the charging ports on each side, where it’s kind of difficult to leave something charging.

 

DAY 1
Our tickets had a 1030AM departure time. Riiight. Anyone who’s traveled in South America knows that 1030 translates to about 130. Yet we still decided to head down to the port to get a good spot around 9am. In the pouring rain, four of us crammed into this miniature clown car taxi with all of our wet bags. The dirt roads were flooded, so the taxi driver refused to drive us all the way to the port. Instead he dropped us off at the top of a muddy hill where we were forced to make the rest of the slippery trek downhill in the pouring rain. I still don’t know why we paid him the full fare, but I’m glad I’d tucked the flip flops away in favor of hiking boots. After dropping my bag in a mud puddle while digging for my ticket, I went straight to the top deck where all of the gringo tourists were stringing up their hammocks. I had some of the guys help me hang mine, partially because I didn’t trust my own knot-tying skills, but also because I was too short to reach the rafters.

The hammocks on the top deck
The top deck hammock area filling up
Dirty hammock selfie
Snapping a quick hammock selfie on the last day before packing up to head into Manaus

 

The deck filled up within about a half hour of our arrival, but we finally left the port at about 110pm, naturally. 

The first day was rainy and grey so I spent most of it tucked away in my hammock stuffing my face with an embarrassing amount of the snacks I’d packed. Around 5pm we were served a delicious chicken noodle soup and bread. Soup isn’t really my idea of a full meal, but with chicken, noodles, and veggies, it was extremely tasty and satisfying. Once it got dark I decided it was appropriate to start drinking beer, which I quickly decided was a huge waste of money. The mini cans of Brahmas were quickly eating up my budget but not giving me the desired level of drunkenness I had set out to achieve in pursuit of a good night’s sleep. After six I settled for a sleepy buzz, but unfortunately the MMA fight blaring on TV well into the middle of the night had a different agenda.

Port

One of the ports

Sunset after the rain

Tiny Brahmas

The Hammock Crew
My hammock buddies. Daniel (the crazy German smirking at the camera) spent his entire three days trying to become a Rubik’s Cube master

 

If you’re a light sleeper like me, a pair of earplugs just won’t do the trick. Bring headphones and charge your phone/mp3 player. I was constantly waking up every time my earplugs came loose. Also every time a baby screamed, someone knocked into my hammock, or the boat made its cringe-worthy screeching metal sound while turning. At like 12 or 2am (I was too sleepy to read my watch properly) the boat blew its horn and woke us all up while pulling into port. In my sleepy, startled state I shouted “iceberg right ahead!” before drifting back to sleep. Good to know I still have a sense of humor while half asleep.

DAY 2
It seemed like only ten minutes later when I heard a man walking around the deck, shouting in Portuguese while rolling up the sides of the boat to reveal glaring morning sunlight. “What an asshole,” I thought, “doesn’t he know people are trying to sleep?” But he was calling us for the world’s earliest breakfast. And as much as I’m not a morning person, I’m also not one to miss a free meal, EVER. So I forced my grumpy ass out of my hammock at 6am and made my way down to the bottom deck for breakfast.

“Breakfast” was a community bin of shitty rolls (aka hot dog buns as we call them in the States), a tub of butter, and overly sweetened coffee. Definitely not the quality of breakfast I’d normally wake up at 6am for. I smuggled an extra piece of bread back to my hammock to coat with the strawberry jelly I’d packed, scarfed it down, then read about two lines from a book before dozing off again. The only good thing about not getting a proper night’s rest on a boat like this is realizing that you have absolutely zero obligations the next day, so you can nap whenever you damn well please. Finally when I woke up for good a couple hours later I mustered the energy to shower.

Showers on the boat are exactly what you’d expect them to be. They pump out brown river water straight from the Amazon, in the same 4×3 room as the communal toilet. It’s not as cold as you’d expect, but not at all warm either. In the humid Amazon temperature I actually found it rather refreshing.

After that my entire day was an endless cycle of reading, napping, and eating. I think I took four or five naps, only leaving my hammock whenever I heard someone shout that it was feeding time. 

Lunch consisted of a basic pasta, rice, beans, and some kind of beef. It’s a good thing it was delicious because it’s basically what we ate for every single meal the rest of the trip. After going for seconds on the pasta and beans I went back to sleep and woke up a half hour before dinner. (Yes, I’ve gained weight.) Dinner was basically the same meal as lunch, except with chicken instead of the beef.

Pasta, rice, and beans
Pasta, rice, and beans for days

 

After dinner I wandered around the boat with my camera to take some shots of the best sunset we’d see while on the river. I nerded out for a good hour or two before retiring back to my hammock to resume reading Killing Pablo.

I slept much better the second night because I wised up and put my headphones in and blared some Deftones for a good twelve hours. Win.

Another boat at port we'd been following for a few spots
Another boat making the same journey
Cruising along
Chugging along the river
Evening cruising
The scenery doesn’t change too much, but it’s sure nice to watch as it passes by
Sunset on the Amazon
Oh and the sunsets are pretty epic

Sunset on the Amazon

DAY 3
I woke up again at 6AM just long enough to ask the girl in the hammock next to me if breakfast was the same as yesterday. When she said yes I covered my face and fell back asleep until about 830.

Upon waking I fixed myself a rather creative breakfast using some vanilla wafers, strawberry jelly, and a smashed ball of bread I dug out of my bag, then showered up to take another nap. We had lunch around noon, and right after loading up on more carbs I noticed the soccer pitch empty, complete with a shoddy looking ball. I was starting to feel restless and fat, so I gathered the gringos to play a game. Before long we were going full-on gringos vs Brazilians, running barefoot on the pitch and sweating our asses off in the afternoon sun. I only made it about 20 minutes before I had to quit from the unbearable blisters forming on my girly feet. I don’t think they missed me though, I was definitely the worst player on both teams.

Afterwards I went to the snack counter and paid 5 reais (about $1.60 USD) for a ham, egg, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayo sandwich because my body was craving some sort of variety. It wasn’t great but it was a nice change. I skipped dinner that evening and instead watched an episode of Parts Unknown, and did some reading and writing before fading off into yet another early slumber.

DAY 4
On Tuesday morning I woke up around 7am to a lot of commotion. I thought it was just everybody making their way to another shitty breakfast, but I quickly realized people were packing up their bags. I looked at the GPS on my phone and we were nearly to Manaus. That woke me up immediately, so I got up and made my way to the front of the boat to see the sprawling city before us, which seemed to have popped up out of nowhere in the middle of the Amazon. Within the hour, the trip was complete in only about 66 hours total.

Manaus
And just like that, a city of almost two million appears out of nowhere

 

The trip was much more comfortable and organized than I was expecting. It’s not really a good way to see wildlife (or maybe we just weren’t looking hard enough) but you’ll get to see some interesting villages and beautiful sunsets. From what I could tell there are a lot of locals and tourists making the trip, so it’s easy to meet people on board if you’re traveling solo. But really, as long as you’re ready to relax and do nothing for a few days, you’re set. It doesn’t hurt to bring along a book or two and some snacks, but it really is very easy to just sway in your hammock and watch the scenery go by while catching up on some serious napping.

Categories
Adventure Brazil Colombia Guide Outdoor Peru Solo Travel South America Tours Travel

Ten Days in the Amazon on a Budget: Part 1

Part of the reason I chose to do an extended trip through South America was because I couldn’t choose where to visit first on a short vacation: Machu Picchu, Rio de Janeiro, Patagonia, or the Amazon. So naturally, I decided to do them all, plus a bunch of other awesome things in between.

As part of my budget adventure, I planned on taking the three-night slow boat through the Amazon from Leticia, Colombia to Manaus, Brazil because this would only cost me $75 with all meals included, as opposed to the $700+ to fly internationally from Colombia to Brazil (more on this coming soon, stay tuned!). So naturally, it made sense to fit my Amazon experience in during my time in Leticia or Manaus.

(Aside from the cost breakdown at the end, this post is all about the two-day tour I took from Leticia. More info about the other seven days in Leticia, Manaus, and the three-night boat journey coming soon.)

My initial search for Amazon tours brought up a ton of options from Manaus. But they also seemed a bit expensive, and seeing as Manaus is a city of nearly two million, I thought it might be an odd place to go off the grid and spend some time in the secluded depths of the Amazon. Luckily when I arrived in the small tri-border town of Leticia, I met three other solo travelers who wanted to do a tour from there. Since there were four of us it ended up being about 1/3 the price that I was budgeting for one from Manaus, at 240,000 COP (roughly $100 USD). Sold.

We chose the two-day, one-night Javari tour from La Jaganga Hostel, and it was everything I wanted in a quick trip to the rainforest. We considered the three-day, two-night trip, but it really didn’t seem to offer many more activities than the two-day.

The trip took us on the Javari River which separates Peru and Brazil. The idea of an organized Amazon tour was really off-putting to me at first, but it’s pretty much the only option unless you want to end up lost in the Amazon by yourself. Luckily, this didn’t feel like a tour at all. Instead it was just us four and our guide, Francisco, and it felt like we were hanging out with a friend who was just showing us around. We didn’t see another tourist until we were heading back to Leticia on day two.

Francisco
The man, Francisco, and his machete after chopping down some tree branches that once stood in our way

Here’s how our two days went:

DAY 1

We left the hostel around 8:30am in a ten-minute taxi ride to the port across the border in Tabatinga, Brazil, where we met with Francisco. With his round belly and beaming, gummy smile, we all instantly loved him. The five of us jumped in the wooden, canopied boat as Francisco turned in three different directions, pointing out Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. After crossing over to Peru for a quick, yet crucial beer run, we took a leisurely boat ride alongside pink and grey dolphins, brown water, and lush green trees.

Amazon Crew
L to R: Max the German, Josh the Aussie, Francisco the Colombian guide, and Susannah the Colombian

Canoeing through the Amazon

The perfect companion for an Amazon boat ride: rum

About three hours into the ride, we passed a house and waved at the kids as we zoomed past. Next thing we knew, Francisco was turning the boat around to take us for a visit. We climbed the stairs to the wide-open room that hovered over the water on stilts. The family of about nine kids and four adults sat inside, grating and cooking yucca, and spoke Portuguese despite being on the Peruvian side. The kids were in charge of peeling and cutting up the yucca before handing it off to the women to press through a machine and then grating it by hand. Then the man cooked it in a giant pan over a fire, and us gringos ate it by the handful. 

House on the Amazon

Making grated yucca

Cooking the yucca

After our afternoon snack, we continued down the river to another house which was one of only a couple that we passed during the whole 3-4 hour boat ride. Like the last, this house was also on stilts. Since it’s rainy season and the forest is flooded we weren’t able to find dry land to hang up the hammocks, so we stayed the night in this house. It was basically two separate “houses” joined by a short outdoor walkway. One was a fantastic, huge kitchen complete with hammocks, a portable cooktop, a wooden table and bench seats. The other was two stories high, and the main sleeping quarters. The top floor appeared to be for the family, and us guests were split up into rooms: boys in one, girls in the other. Each room had two mosquito-net covered beds and mesh windows that looked right out at the river. The three bathrooms each had a refreshing shower that used rainwater from a tub on the roof, and for the most part you felt like you were showering outside. Quite honestly, it was kind of like a wilderness dream house.

An inside shot of the main sleeping area of the house we stayed in. The downstairs had several different rooms and three bathrooms which you can see into there in the back.

My bed

The kitchen
The ginormous kitchen and baby Victoria who was very curious about my camera

Kitchen

View from the front door of the house. The room in the back is the kitchen area.
Neighbors
I think the family owned this house too, right next door

I unloaded my bag in the room and went for a quick swim because I couldn’t resist playing with the most adorable puppy ever who was climbing on some scraps of wood in front of the house. The water was only about thigh-high, a further reminder that the flooded area around the house is actually dry land during the dry season. Totally unimaginable.

Puppy
Baby puppy! The family pet was walking around on some floating boards trying to figure out how to get back up to the house. I just HAD to jump in the water and play with him!

The family prepared us food which was surprisingly phenomenal. I thought it would be a lot of bland rice and beans like most tours, but again, this was nothing like a normal tour. We had yucca, potatoes and beans, lentils, arepas, pork chops, eggs, fish, piranha, pasta, cucumber and onion salad, carambola juice, camu camu juice, spaghetti, and a few other things I didn’t really recognize but loved the taste. It was like eating at an old friend’s mom’s house; they fed us well and there was a ton food every time we sat down.

Dinner plate #1

Dinner plate #2

The family was so friendly. Apparently they live in town, but they built this house as their kind of getaway house, and to host tourists for an extra income. My only regret is that I didn’t speak more Spanish or Portuguese so that I could’ve conversed with them more like the two in our group who were fluent in Spanish.

After we ate, we set out on the boat again to visit a wildlife conservation area, which looked just like another house on stilts in the middle of the rainforest. When we pulled up in the boat two monkeys immediately ran aboard, climbing on our heads, curling up in our laps, and almost instantly finding and devouring the bag of camu camu berries we’d just picked. The whole time we wandered the property, the monkeys followed us around curiously, hanging from the trees while snacking on fruit and watching our every move.

Pepe, the rambunctious monkey

Monkey Business

Monkey
My flash accidentally went off (seriously, I never use a flash) and this monkey jumped and ran after me while screaming. Scariest moment in the Amazon so far.

Then we got the chance to play with an anaconda that was contained in a wooden shack. Snakes don’t scare me, so I wasn’t so much worried about it biting or choking me as I was about not being strong enough to lift it or take it off without dropping it to the ground and pissing it off. Turns out, with a little help, it wasn’t as heavy as I’d thought and I managed to get a photo with it.

Anaconda
Nevermind the snake, look at this guy’s adorable smile.
Prehistoric Turtle
I think this was called a Mata Mata Turtle, some sort of prehistoric turtle that’s only found in the Amazon region

En español, we learned a bit about the gigantic nearly-extinct arapaima fish and some pretty awesome looking turtles, when suddenly we heard this loud, barreling train-like noise, and looked over to see a wall of rain pouring down about a half mile away and a rainbow forming right in front of us. With my camera and lenses in my hand, two of us sought shelter under the house along with a dog and her pups, a few chickens, and a little girl, while everyone else went up into the house. 

Rainbow

After the brief rainstorm, the sky cleared and we headed to a lagoon to watch the sun set while pink dolphins swam around us. It was definitely one of those “holy shit I’m in the Amazon Rainforest” moments, where my dreams as a third grader were finally fulfilled. Now if only I could figure out a way to see dinosaurs and make it to outer space, third grade Kim would be so jealous.

Amazon Sunset

Sunset on the Amazon

We went back to a delicious candlelight dinner when I realized, and revealed, that this was my first candlelight dinner ever. I think everyone laughed at me. Afterwards, Max and I headed out on a canoe to search for some of the nocturnal animals of the Amazon with the neighbor. This guy had a flashlight that could easily illuminate trees fifty feet away as he searched for the different creatures of the night. It was all kinds of awesome just paddling around this wide open lagoon under the light from a nearly full moon and hundreds of stars. We floated around to the choir of jungle animals as our guide pointed out the different sounds of monkeys, tree rats, frogs, and other Amazonian creatures.

Every so often he’d spot a pair of red eyes and paddle closer. Before I knew it he was pulling small caimans into the boat, letting us hold them before throwing them back in the water. They seemed to freeze up as soon as you touched them, and when we threw them back in the water they swayed their body back and forth like they were still in shock before disappearing.

We also saw a snake swimming through the water, a wide-eyed owl perched on a branch only a few feet away, a tarantula clinging to the side of a tree, and I nearly bashed my face into a bat that was hanging on the side of a branch before it got startled and flew away. It was a truly amazing experience that I couldn’t believe the other two had missed out on by going to bed early.

When we got back, Francisco was partying down with some cachaça caipirinhas he’d mixed up. I tried one but it was a bit too sweet for me, and since I was the only non-Spanish speaker still in the room, I got ready for bed and retired for the night by 10pm.

DAY 2

It started getting light out at the absurd hour of 430AM and the family started stirring about just as early. I looked out the window to see grey skies and decided there wouldn’t be a great sunrise so I went back to sleep.

At a slightly more reasonable hour (about 7AM) I finally got up and showered. After another delicious breakfast, we set out in a canoe to go piranha fishing, which was probably the most hilarious experience of the entire two days. Five of us piled into what probably should’ve been a three-person canoe, without life jackets, and set out again with the neighbor guy. The water was about an inch from spilling into the boat and flooding us out, as we cautiously turned our way into the jungle. Every slight move tipped us to the side as I regretted bringing my SLR on board, so I shoved it in my waterproof bag for safe keeping. After about a half hour we ended up in a pretty strong current, which had us bashing into branches, careening straight for a tree. Josh, the Aussie in our group who was paddling in the front, looked for direction on which way to go but the tide carried us much quicker than the guide could direct us. We crashed right into the tree as Josh calmly stood up, quietly mumbled some profanities, and jumped into the water without even rocking the boat. I knew something had happened, but the slow rate at which he calculated his next move and jumped out without capsizing us was rather impressive. Just as quickly, I realized that he’d just ran right into a swarm of wasps when I saw at least a hundred of them flying around a grey nest. Both Josh and the paddle were being pushed downstream with the current and we kind of just sat there watching as the guide backed us up away from the wasps. Josh eventually climbed back on board with stings all over his face and neck, and I held off on making fun of him until later in the evening.

About an hour and a half after setting out, we dropped our poles (sticks with fishing line and a hook tied on, baited with fish) into the water right in the middle of some shrubbery. Almost immediately I could feel the piranhas biting, but the first few times I pulled the hook up those bitches robbed me of my bait. 

Now you should know that I’m a fairly poor sport. I’m fiercely competitive when it comes to dumb shit. I learned early on that I suck at sports and it’s a waste of energy to get pissed because I suck at soccer, basketball, kickball, running, etc. I just do what I can and have fun. But when it comes to things like bowling, beer pong, Mario Kart, tejo, and apparently fishing, I get livid when things don’t go my way. I focus intently and the only words to leave my mouth are usually curse words. So you can imagine the scene as we all sat quietly in a canoe while the piranhas stole my limited bait right off my hook.

Then the guide caught one.

Then Josh caught one.

Then I got pissed. 

Using that anger, on the next nibble I yanked the hook right from the water and voila—a piranha! I shouted a few obscenities, took some pictures, and to add insult to injury to the piranha, the bait was still in tact when we took it off the hook. I dropped the line back down into the water and felt another bite. Again, I pulled a second piranha up less than 20 seconds later, with the same piece of bait. Talk about killing two fish with one piece of bait, suckersss! 

Lunch! My first piranha catch

 

I was on a roll. At this point, Josh had also caught two and stopped for a smoke, Susannah had given up a long time ago, and I put another piece of bait on my hook. We only had a couple of pieces of bait left, and after my adrenaline wore off I realized what a dick I was for baiting up again when Max had yet to catch a fish and was still trying. After another piranha robbed me of that piece, I reluctantly put the pole down and decided to chill out and let Max try to wrangle one in with the last pieces of bait. He didn’t, by the way.

The ride back to the house wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the ride in, as the guide took the helm and guided us through a calmer area full of giant Amazon water lilies. We returned for our last delicious lunch which also included the freshly prepared piranha. They don’t have much meat on their bones, but piranha meat is delicious. It’s not fishy at all, just super juicy and tender.

Amazon Water Lilies
The giant Amazon water lilies are lined with spikes underneath to ward off predators, and can support around 20kg, if not more
Fish lunch
I took this pic through the green mesh screen of the girls preparing our fish right in the river. If I spoke their language I would’ve offered to help.
Sorry not sorry, piranhas. Thanks for being delicious.

Around 2pm we packed up and left the house for another leisurely ride back to Leticia. We saw toucans and tons of other colorful birds flying in the sky, sloths slowly climbing amongst the leaves, huge towering ceiba kapok trees, and all in all completely different scenery as we cut through the jungle.

I don’t really know what’s going on here, but we were trying to take an interesting selfie.

We made it back to Leticia around sunset, as James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” BLARED from the Peruvian border. Definitely a weird choice considering how little English music I’ve heard down here, but it gave us a good laugh.

Should you do it?

Duh, that goes without saying. Visiting the Amazon was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had so far, and I barely scratched the surface. It was a fantastic two days and I really think we saw and did a lot. If you do the same tour during the dry season you’ll probably have more options to hike through the rainforest, sleep in hammocks outdoors, and possibly see even more wildlife. But we definitely got to see much more than I thought we would, and I can’t recommend this experience enough. I would love to go back during the dry season and do a longer trip, but come on, $100 for two days of transportation, food, lodging, and activities? Totally worth it. It’s worth noting that the more people you have, the cheaper it is. And if you need a translator you will pay even more, so it helps to have at least one person in your group be fluent in both Spanish and your native language.

Pricing breakdown for ten days in the Amazon region:
Flight from Bogotá to Leticia: $112 (though one guy I met said he booked one for $40, I have no idea how)
Three nights at La Jangada Hostel in Leticia: $30
Two-day, one-night tour: $100
Three-night boat from Leticia to Manaus: $75 (more on this adventure coming soon!)
Two nights in Manaus: $21 (I redeemed hotel points for a free stay, just had to pay taxes. But you can find a hostel for just as cheap.)

Grand total: $338, averaging about $33.80 per day, plus a little extra for food in Leticia and Manaus.

Categories
Colombia Solo Travel South America Tours

Getting Dirty at Volcan el Totumo

So there’s this popular day trip from Cartagena to a place called Volcan el Totumo. It’s a so-called mud volcano, and the whole experience goes a little something like this: strip down to your bikini, climb a steep wooden staircase, descend into a thick, muddy pool of strangers, and get passed around by a bunch of Colombians while a whole slew of tourists watch. Then you walk down the death stairs covered in slippery mud, and join said strangers in a lagoon where you’ll get even more naked and let some women rinse (aka nearly drown) you with buckets of water.

 And yes, this is the most action I’ve gotten in South America. But anyways, I digress.

I first read about Volcan el Totumo in a book (What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding). Then a few travelers I met raved about how hilarious of an experience it was and insisted that I do it. Since I was still in those first days of a trip when money isn’t an issue, I was sold as soon as I heard the word volcano. So I spent about $35 USD to hitch a ride from Hostel Mamallena for a quick half day trip. Of course the 9:00 AM departure was more like 9:45 AM (because, Colombia), but after another hour or so on the road we pulled up to the giant ant hill.

The mud volcano

Maybe the word volcano doesn’t quite translate, but this thing looks like nothing more than a giant manmade pile of dirt. It juts out of nowhere, and it’s definitely everything you’d expect from a tourist trap. They claim that this measly 50-foot-high pile of dirt was once a legit volcano that used to erupt fire and lava, until one day a priest sprinkled holy water on it because he thought it was evil. Now it’s just full of non-evil mud.

Right. And I used to be a six-foot tall supermodel with a yoga body until some giant squished me back down to 5’2″. I’m calling bullshit on this one. 

When we arrived our group was told to store all of our valuables together in a locker and leave our shoes and clothes out on the table. I threw my stuff in, took off everything but my bikini and my camera, and walked my way barefoot across the stones to the wooden staircase. I followed a line of other tourists up to the top where we waited at least 25 minutes in the sun, awkwardly watching people get rubbed down in the mud.

Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 12.10.48 AM

Mud pit

Finally when it was my turn I handed my camera over to a pre-pubescent boy who was also snapping pics with about four other cameras. I made my way down the mud-crusted ladder before the man at the bottom grabbed me and pulled me on my back. The mud was thick and gritty. There were bits of rocks, twigs, and who knows what else, but I was surprised how much I floated. I clenched my gut abs and lifted my neck to keep my hair out of the mud. The Colombian man shouted at me in Spanish, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Then he lifted handfuls of mud and poured them on my chest, and made a notion for me to lay my head back. I finally relaxed and lowered my hair into the thick mess, and immediately it filled my ears. I raised my head slightly to the side, thinking it would drain out like water does, but no such luck. This stuff was thick and it cut off my hearing almost completely, and the guy seemed annoyed that I was moving so much. So I just lay there partially deaf while this man ran his hands all over my body and people crashed into my feet.

Awkward
Okay… this is weird… 
Oh he’s taking a picture, do something cool!


After a minute or two he passed me along to the next woman in line. I wouldn’t say it’s as much of a massage as it is just some people rubbing their hands all over your body. There were way too many people in the mud hole to be comfortable or even the tiniest bit relaxed, and I kept bashing my head into the side while nearly scraping my nose on a beam that stuck out a good few inches from the side. 

Once the woman was finished with me she passed me on to another pre-teen boy who told me to flip over. I felt like I had entered the Superman pose, P90X style, while trying to keep my face above the mud. He rubbed my belly, which was super awkward as I totally gave up on sucking in.

When I was finished with my rubdown I decided to float around to try and understand why on earth so many people recommended this. And to at least feel like I got my money’s worth. I smeared the mud all over my face in hopes that I’d emerge with younger, healthier skin, or whatever sort of benefit this thing was supposed to have. But it was so crowded I just kept running into random people, our nearly naked bodies knocking against one another as I grabbed for something non-sexual to hold onto. 

Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 12.12.15 AM

After a few minutes I’d had enough. I climbed the rungs of the slippery ladder, and the mud weighed down my already-loose bottoms as I struggled to hold them up and maintain my balance. Paying no mind to my disappearing bottoms, another Colombian man wiped the mud off of me. I climbed the rest of the way feeling like I’d dropped a huge load in my bottoms and they were sagging off of me. 

The first few steep, wooden steps down were terrifying. I thought for sure I was going to unintentionally slide my way down, breaking an ankle or two along the way. After arriving safely at the bottom I followed the herd to this small lagoon to be rinsed off. Before I was even in the water two women came over to me with buckets and started cleaning me like an infant. The expectation here is that you’ll tip them with a few thousand pesos once you’re sparkling clean from river water.

One woman took my hair out of the ponytail holder and dumped buckets of water over my head in what seemed like slow motion. After my upper half was clean, she then said “bottoms” in a thick accent, which I assumed meant to take off my bottoms. So in waist high water, I kneeled down and pulled my bottoms off. I felt strangely liberated, and the murky water made it so no one could see my girly bits, but I also wondered what was lurking next to my exposed womanhood.

SHOULD YOU DO IT?

I think it’d probably be a lot more fun if you’re with a group of friends, and probably even better if you drive yourselves there and arrive early ahead of the crowds. But when you go solo, it’s just borderline creepy because you have no one to laugh with. I really don’t think you’re missing out though if you skip this, as you can definitely recreate the situation in your own back yard, and probably pull in a profit if you throw in some wrestling.

Categories
Caribbean Guide Solo Travel South America

HOW TO CELEBRATE NEW YEARS (OR ANY DAY) IN CARTAGENA

I kicked off my multi-month Latin tour by ringing in 2015 in South America’s party city: Cartagena, Colombia. From what I can tell, Cartagena is catching on as a major global tourist destination. Even though the city was packed with mostly Argentinians, it’s clear to see that the stigma of Colombia being a dangerously scary country is starting to go away amongst European and American travelers.

So if you’re planning way ahead on where you might want to spend your next New Years, or just thinking about where to visit next for a girls/guys getaway, here’s some insight to get you swinging your hips in the sweltering Colombian city before it catches on with the masses.

THE BASIC INFO
While there are several historical sights to see, I would definitely classify Cartagena as a party destination. So when you’re sick of Las Vegas, Ibiza, and New Orleans, Cartagena might be a good next. Its proximity to the equator keeps it around a sweaty 90 degrees (F, or 32 C) all year long (with humidity to match). It’s a vibrant city that seems to be full of people looking to have a good time. You can carry alcohol on the streets, and on holidays like New Years most of the open-air bars spill out onto the streets, restaurants and cafes take over entire squares, and live music shuts down every street in the Old City.

The traffic is insane, making New York almost laughable by comparison. Cars and motorbikes drive in seemingly nonexistent lanes, stop at the very last second, and haul ass around every corner. Swarms of pedestrians fill every gap between bumpers and on the sidewalks at intersections. Taxis here are cheap and plentiful though, so avoid the stress of driving and take a cab when you need to get somewhere far off.

WHERE TO STAY
The main touristy neighborhoods of Cartagena are the Old City, Getsenami, and Bocagrande.

Cartagena Old City
Plaza de la Aduana in the Old City
Old City
The colorful streets of the Old City have way more foot traffic than vehicles.


The Old City
is full of beautiful, colorful European/Spanish/Caribbean style buildings (at leas that’s how it looked to me, I’m no architecture buff), outlined by narrow streets held tight within the old city walls. On New Years Eve most of the streets are closed to traffic. Instead, every intersection fills with live music and countless people dancing the night away with Aguardiente in hand. It’s impossible not to have a blast while making your way from party to party. This is the area where you’ll find those beautiful sunsets from Cafe del Mar, tons of shopping, and a more European feel.

Getsenami is the backpacker’s area which seems to be a little more rough around the edges, but still feels safe. This area is only a few blocks from the old city, and is full of hostels, cafes, pizza shops, and bars, set right among houses where you can look inside any open door or window and see a family eating dinner or watching television in their living room. Kind of makes you wonder just how “dangerous” a place can really be when everyone’s home is basically wide open, right on the street.

Bocagrande
Luxury in Bocagrande


Bocagrande
is I guess like a Colombian Miami. It’s the peninsula of shiny bright skyscrapers that you’ll see first when you fly in. I hear it’s for the rich peoples, which is why I didn’t spend much time there. I am not a rich people. On New Year’s Day I walked from the Old City to the beach in Bocagrande in about 45 minutes along Santander. The beach was packed, and certainly nothing special with dingy water, meh sand, and right across the street from a giant shopping mall. If you’re going to do the beach don’t waste your time on Bocagrande. Head to Playa Blanca or the Rosario Islands instead.

Playa Blanca
The ridiculously clear waters of Playa Blanca are a hundred times better than the beaches in Bocagrande. If it’s crowded, spend the twenty minutes walking down the beach to escape some of the madness.


BOOK IN ADVANCE DURING HIGH SEASON
If you’re going during high season such as New Years, Christmas, or Carnaval, definitely book in advance. I booked my hotel in October and struggled to find an affordable, decent place. I was looking at a budget of under $50/night which eliminated pretty much every hotel. And all of the recommended hostels were already booked up as well. Luckily I came across the poorly reviewed Hotel San Felipe for about $48/night, but I found it to be perfect for what I needed. It was double the price through most hotel booking sites, but I managed to get it half off on hostelworld.com. Lots of backpackers told me they had trouble showing up and finding room even for one traveler. A few of them had to keep moving between hostels every day because they couldn’t find vacancy for their entire stay.

A few people I met couchsurfed with people outside of the touristy neighborhoods and had absolutely fantastic experiences hanging out at the local bars and paying less than $1 for a beer. As Colombians have been so incredibly welcoming and genuinely nice from my experience, I say if you can find a couchsurfing opportunity, go for it!


LEARN SPANISH
I thought that the hotel staff would at least speak a little English but they did not. Some of the hostel staff spoke a bit, but it definitely helps to know enough Spanish to help you get around and pay for things. Obviously the more Spanish you know the better off you’ll be, and the deeper and more authentic your experience will be too. From my experience Colombians are insanely happy to chat with foreigners and help them practice their Spanish. You’ll meet so many more people and engage in so many more memorable conversations if you just attempt to speak to them in their language. If you’re too timid like I was, drink a couple of beers and give it a go. It’s like they light up when you attempt to communicate in their language.


STAY SAFE
Overall, use your common sense and you should be absolutely fine in Cartagena. But traveling to developing cities in Latin America call for some additional precautions that you might not practice in say, Paris or New York. For example, I would freely walk around most US and European cities with my DSLR strapped across my chest, or use my iPhone as a map while wandering the streets aimlessly. I didn’t really pull out either one in Cartagena very often, as to not draw any more attention to myself as a target for being robbed. Maybe it’s a little paranoid, but poverty in this area was very real and obvious, so I also kind of felt like a dick flaunting that stuff around. You just don’t see it anywhere.

Whenever possible, have the hotel/hostel call you a taxi or book one through an app like Tappsi. Apparently there are some shady unofficial drivers out there who will take you to a secluded area, and before you know it some randoms are jumping in the car to rob you of your belongings. Also, again on the borderline paranoid front, you should always have your windows up, doors locked, and keep your cell phone, camera, and wallet in your pockets. I’ve heard numerous stories from Cartagena and beyond of people being robbed at gunpoint while at a red light, and the taxi driver does absolutely nothing about it but sit there and wait for the light to change. And with the way people weave their way in and out of parked cars at the street lights, it’s easy to see how this can happen so quickly and easily.

Keep your bag strapped on you and in full site at all times. A girl I’d met in Cartagena had her bag stolen from the back of her chair while eating at a cafe in Plaza de la Trinidad. Once she realized what had happened she immediately told the cafe staff, who worked quickly to watch the surveillance and identify the thieves. Hours later when she’d already gone to bed, the thieves returned to the cafe where they were busted by the staff. She got a call to head down to the police station, where she met the thieves face to face. Unfortunately they had already sold her stuff, but the police at least made them give her the money they made from the sale. Sadly this kind of thing happens ALL over the world, especially in hot tourist destinations. And most Colombians I’ve met seem genuinely disgusted with people like this. Their country has transformed so much over the past few decades and they’re finally welcoming tourists and even able to travel the country themselves. The last thing they want is for a few bad guys to ruin their country’s transforming reputation.

If you’re a solo female traveler, just take the usual precautions and you’ll be fine. I thought I’d be a prime target for men to catcall me on the street and aggressively try to pick me up in bars (not that I think I’m hot shit or anything, it just tends to happen a lot in places where my light skin/hair/eyes is a minority), but I can honestly say that that rarely happened in Cartagena. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and I’ve “lost it,” but I’m told that Colombian men are actually quite timid. I’m not sure about that, but I do know that I was hit on and cat-called more on any given day in New York than I was during my entire stay in Cartagena.

If you choose to buy drugs in Colombia, best of luck to you. I have no firsthand experience with that, but I met a group of Australians who claimed they followed some guy that they’d already bought stuff off of before into some house, where they were robbed of everything they had on them at knifepoint. Also I don’t think the police have much tolerance for tourists doing drugs so again, good luck.

And for fuck’s sake, get the hell out of the hostel, get away from the backpacking crowds, and go enjoy the city with some locals. Meeting these people who stick to the hostel scene and only party with other foreigners blows my mind. You’re going to Colombia for a different experience, so go experience it. Don’t get caught up in the same familiar, English-speaking comfort zone you have back home. You don’t have to know perfect Spanish to try new foods, enjoy good music, or have a Colombian teach you how to dance.

If you do decide to go celebrate the new year in Cartagena…

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING AT MIDNIGHT
Making out with a hot Colombian! Okay, okay, perhaps that’s not exactly in your cards for whatever reason. Luckily there are plenty of parties to choose from, but almost all of them come with a hefty price tag. I didn’t do one of these, but if that’s your scene I would advise you to book early to save a bit of cash. I met several people who booked last minute tickets to some of the most well-known parties and managed to get in just fine, but they PAID for it.

Expect to pay at least $75 for a BYOB & food event, $125 for a fancy fireworks & yacht cruise, and upwards of $200/$300 for an all-out rave/concert with well-known Latin artists.

I chose not to buy a ticket in somewhere because 1-I didn’t want to be confined to just one place the entire evening, especially if it sucked, and 2-I hate spending money just to get into a place. So pretentious.

Luckily you don’t need to shell out a fortune to have a good time on New Years. I met up with a Colombian from couchsurfing and a few other people she’d recently met through friends. We went for tapas, bought a few bottles of beer and some Aguardiente, and walked over to see the fireworks in the Old City. The fireworks definitely weren’t as hardcore as I thought they were going to be (I guess I’m spoiled by the Macy’s Fourth of July show), but they were being lit off only about 100 feet away from us into a crowd full of people so that was pretty sweet. They lit them off near Cafe del Mar, just outside of the wall, so grab some drinks and head to the lawn just before midnight for a front row view.

Fireworks

NYE DJ Parties
One of the many random street parties where DJs blasted music all night while people danced their way through the streets.

DON’T PLAN ON SLEEPING
I lived in New York for eight years and after many nights of seeing the sun rise in a drunken stupor, I thought that city never slept. But I think Cartagena may have New York beat. Again, I am getting older, but after my night of drinking and dancing I was ready for bed at about 330am. As I made my way back to the hotel the parties were still going strong. Most of them had moved off the streets and indoors now, but I was told some would last until well into the afternoon on January 1st. Then on January 3rd I woke up at 3am to loud booms, only to look out my window and see a full on firework show going on AT THREE IN THE MORNING. What the hell?

Cartagena is still relatively cheap for US residents to travel to. Right now 1 USD is equal to about 2300 Colombian Pesos, putting beers at about $1/$1.50, and most basic meals well under $10. Also it’s cheap to get here on a budget airline like JetBlue and Spirit. I paid $350 one-way for a flight two days before New Years. I think round trip was only slightly more. Regardless, Cartagena is definitely a contender for an unforgettable, affordable trip, just make sure you’re ready to party and dance!

Categories
Colombia Living Abroad Solo Travel South America

A New Year, A New Life

South America, I’ve arrived via Colombia!

After what felt like a decade of packing and planning, I finally finished most of my pre-trip list and got to bed at 130am Tuesday morning. I was right back up an hour and twenty minutes later to get ready for my flight. Turns out it’s impossible to sleep when you’ve got a massive trip coming up.

Donning several sweaters, a scarf, and a bulky pair of hiking boots, we drove to Detroit in the pitch black, 18-degree weather at 4am. It felt just like every other Monday morning after a holiday when I would fly back to New York before resuming a grueling workweek. Thankfully that wasn’t the case this time. Instead I was heading to 90 degrees, sunshine, and carefree days spend exploring instead of sitting behind a computer.

After showing proof that I did in fact plan on leaving Colombia despite my one-way ticket, I got my boarding pass and made my way to the gate. One three-hour flight, two-hour (delayed) layover, and a two-and-a-half hour flight later, we landed in Cartagena.

Cartagena Sunset

I dropped my stuff off in my hotel and made it to Cafe del Mar just in time for an incredible sunset. As I stood there watching that red ball fall into the ocean, I couldn’t help but think “this is it. The trip you’ve been planning for so long, it’s here. And you don’t have to go back next week, or ten days from now. You go back whenever the hell you’re ready to go back or when you run out of money. And it’s up to you what “go back” even means. But right now, you have the next few months planned to just do what you love most: travel, explore, and meet new people.”

This is the first time in my life where my focus is to simply enjoy life. I know I haven’t even been here 24 hours yet, but I feel happy and free. I’m incredibly grateful that I learned early on to play by my own rules by going after what I want and building a life that’s worth living. That direction may keep changing as I learn and grow, but one thing’s for sure is that I’ll always be happy with my decisions.

Wherever you may be celebrating in the world, if you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution why not make it to simply enjoy life in 2015? Rather than setting up a resolution with high expectations and a possibility for disappointment, take the time to focus on the things that really matter to you. Whether that’s family, friends, travel, or spending more time pursuing a hobby, ensuring that you’re able to recognize the important things in life and enjoy every single day that you’re fortunate enough to wake up in good health is one resolution that can’t go wrong.

So as we ring in a new year, the year in which I will enter my 30’s, my New Year’s resolution is to simply see more sunrises. I’m not a morning person at all, but as it’s probably the most peaceful time of day, I want to see the sun come up in some of these amazing places that I’ll be visiting over the next few months. It’s not 2015 yet (in this part of the world), but I woke up to my first sunrise today without even trying.

Happy New Years everybody! Do you have any other great resolutions? Comment below!

Cartagena Sunrise

Categories
Living Abroad Solo Travel South America Travel

I Just Bought My First One-Way Ticket

I’ve been in Ohio for eight days. Most of the time I’ve been sitting on the couch in my pajamas watching TV and playing with the dogs, but today I finally made a move towards my “what’s next.”

After months and months of figuring out destinations, routes, and budgets, today I purchased a one-way ticket to Cartagena, Colombia. I’ll be welcoming 2015 by devouring empanadas and salsa dancing my way through the walled city. Then a few days later I’ll hop on a bus and head off to another part of Colombia for a few nights before packing up and moving on to another spot. For at least a few months.

As of December 30th I’ll be backpacking my way around South America indefinitely (basically until I run out of money, get sick of roughing it, or complete my grand tour, whichever comes first). I’m going to leave most of the trip unplanned and completely open to spontaneity, but I’ll be following a rough path:

through Colombia, eventually making my way down to Brazil in time for Carnaval, then down through Argentina where I’m hoping to spend a few weeks in/around Buenos Aires before reaching Patagonia, then up through Chile and Bolivia before making it to Machu Picchu, and finally finishing up in Ecuador.

Aside from living in a cozy flat in London for three months, the longest trip I’ve ever taken has only been about two weeks, so this is a completely new experience for me. But since I wasn’t quite ready to make the commitment of moving to the West Coast just yet (mostly the whole getting a car thing), I figured it’s time to go live the life that my inner wannabe Latina has always wanted to live. Plus I’ve felt so liberated since selling nearly everything I own a few weeks ago, I kind of can’t wait to live with nothing more than what I can carry on my back for a while.

During this trip I’m going to focus more on my travel writing, perhaps even writing a book—but more on that in the next month or so. In the meantime, any suggestions on where to stay, what to eat, who to meet, or what to see while I’m down there, leave in the comments!

Categories
New York Travel

It’s official: I’m leaving New York

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here. As you know, the past year has had me questioning the next step in my life—with my career, my travels, and Just Visiting. After some serious soul searching, drinking, and location scouting, I finally uncovered the only “before I turn 30” path that felt right. So I began putting a plan in motion to become a location-independent freelance writer. But I also decided to continue to pursue the current plan of living in NYC and working in advertising. I figured whichever one just “works out” on its own is the route I will follow.

But before I dive into my future, let me talk a bit about the past.

This past spring I could sense things were shifting at my job. There were tense conversations, layoffs, rumors, and team shifts that gave me the distinct feeling that I was on my way out. Not only that, but my workload had changed tremendously and I was no longer doing anything that I was proud of. It was depressing to spend so much time and energy working on projects that seemed so trivial. I began to despise work.

Over the summer, things remained weird. And I remained miserable. So I updated my portfolio and LinkedIn. I responded to recruiters. I didn’t turn down a single opportunity that came my way—and oddly enough they were pouring in. I had conversations with about 15 ad agencies in New York and California. I got offers, some offering $10,000 more than my current income, and perks like regular trips to Los Angeles. But none of them felt right, or like I’d be any happier than where I was currently working. I didn’t want to leave my job for the sake of leaving, I wanted to leave to make the right move forward.

At the same time I also began searching for freelance projects and planning this adventure into travel writing by kicking off with a big trip. But three major freelance projects fell through, leaving me a bit hopeless.

So far both routes were a dead end, but I kept moving forward with both.

I spent August tying up loose ends and paying off old bills so that I could save every penny towards my adventure. I continued to interview for shitty jobs and continued to long more and more for pursuing my passion. I pushed my lease from Aug 31 to Oct so that I could have two more months to save before moving in with my parents during the holidays, and leaving on a one-way ticket at the first of the year.

Then two weeks ago I finally landed a freelance gig to last through the end of the year. To me it was a sign that freelance just might be the right direction. So I knew it was time to kick my ass into high gear and start acting on my plans of leaving New York. I spent Sunday taking pictures of the things I wanted to sell and getting moving quotes from NYC to Ohio on October 31st. Then I started questioning whether or not this was the right decision—to give it all up after eight years of busting my ass to get it. My apartment truly felt like home. I’d finally developed some close friendships and local neighborhood hangouts that I love. I realized maybe it wasn’t New York that sucked, it was just my job. Life was good aside from work.

I started second guessing my decision. For the first time in my life I was actually scared of going after what I wanted. I was up until 4am on Sunday, mind racing, confused as hell, and hoping and wishing for some sort of sign to point me in the right direction and make this easy.


Apt

Then on Monday, I lost my job. Me and a handful of others were laid off without notice.

Sure it caught me a little off guard, but my first concern was that I would no longer be able to afford my dream plan. But I quickly realized that I’m only 46 short days shy of my planned move-out date anyway, and I’ve already begun doing small things to prepare for this. I was actually ahead of the game.

In true problem-solving manner, I immediately started to think about different ways I could save money, and the first thing that I thought of was breaking my lease a month early. I emailed my landlord and within an hour of being laid off, my apartment was on the market. I was taking pictures and sending over for the listing, and scheduling viewing times for the next day.

So here I sit, after roughly 30 hours of being unemployed. As of 645pm my apartment has been rented for October 1st, and I’m moving out of my beloved city in a week and a half. It’s crazy soon, and crazy fast, but this is exactly what I needed. I needed things to just happen so that I could react and get things done without thinking. Gone are the sentimental feelings of leaving this city and selling off all of my belongings. Instead they’re replaced by the excitement of refocusing my life, my attitude, and my direction. I feel more free than I’ve ever felt in my life, and everything just feels right. I couldn’t be happier.

I don’t know where I will end up in the next year, but I can tell you that the journey is going to be amazing. I’m not going to reveal too many details about what’s next until I book a flight, but I’ve taken this as the biggest kick in the ass sign I could have received, and definitely the ultimate ending to my summer-long quest.

I’ve left it to fate and it’s never been more clear: go pursue what you truly love; you can always come back.