These photos are from different locations around Machu Picchu. They were also taken from 6am, when there is fog covering the moutain, until about 3:30pm. Machu Picchu is one of the best sites to see in the world and a must see if you are traveling through South America.
These photos are from the Temples of Angkor. The most famous being Angkor Wat. Howard and me in front of the lake in the afternoon. I would recommend to be at Angkor wat either at sunrise or sunset. You will get the best pictures at this time
One of the best nights that I had in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was when a crew of us went into the Barrio Lapa! Lapa has a couple of restaurants where you can sit outside and share a couple liters of beer. Our crew hung out, and talked for about an hour before heading to a samba club called Democratica. This place was packed! There were hardly any gringos there...people were asking us what we were doing there! It was great. A live band played traditional Brazilian music until 4am! There is a cover charge of 30 Reais which isn't too cool, but once you get inside it is crazy! There are so many people dancing that it made me feel like I can dance...even though I can't! Make sure you check it out the next time you go to Rio!
While I was traveling through Rio de Janeiro, Brazil I went to an area call Lapa. It is a barrio that is not too far from the beach. An artist from Chile, named Selaron moved to Rio de Janeiro, and decided to make this his home over 30 years ago. He had a passion for art, and decided to make this stair case his master piece. To check out his whole story go to this site:
This stair case has around 200 steps that have been redesigned by this artist. By doing this, he has changed everything in the neighborhood, and brought in tourism, which also brought back the nightlife! Selaron still lives on this stair case, and you will more than likely run into him if you visit the stairs! Enjoy the video!
While I was in Brazil I wanted to go to a brazilian steakhouse.I had heard so many stories of how good the meat is in Brazil that I wanted to experience it myself.There are two main steakhouses in the Impanema area of Rio.The most famous steakhouse is called Porcao and the other one is called Carretao.Hayden, Jared and I had met locals while saying in Riothat lived in Impanema, and told us that both restaurants were the same quality, taste, and variety of meats except that Carretao was half of the cost!So instead of paying 70 Reais at Porcao you can pay 35 Reais for basically the same meal.
The night we went to Carretao we arrived around 11:00 pm.It was about half full so we were able to choose any table in the restaurant.We sat down, and we basically only had one decision to make: what did we want to drink.Then we got right back up and hit the salad bar first.It had everything you wanted to make a salad, had a variety of sushi rolls, pastas, rolls, etc.
Once we got back to the table, they laid down this round circle that controls if you want a serving of meat or if you don’t.One side of the circle is green, and the other side of the circle is red.Braziliansteakhouses have employees walk around with different cuts of meat, and if they see you have the green side up then they will cut you off a slice of meat.If they see the red side of the circle they just pass you by.To add to the already huge amounts of food that we had eaten the waiter also offered us french fries, cheese rolls, plantain, and rice.
By the time we got done eating, an hour and a half later, we almost needed to be wheeled out of the restaurant.I was so full.I do have to admit it was some of the best steak I had ever had!Here are the details on Carretao:
The video of the week comes from Arpoador Rocks which are located between Copacabana and Impenama beaches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One night, during my trip to Rio, Hayden, Jared, and I walked all the way to the end of Impenama Beach to the Rocks. We took one of the two paths up the rock to a point were there is a great view of Impanema Beach (you can't see Copacabana Beach from these rocks). I was surprised to see that there were so many people hanging out at the Rocks for sunset. The cool thing about this spot is that it is not just tourist that go watch the sunset here, but also a ton of locals. There is also a vendor there that sells water, beer, food. I would highly recommend checking out this spot when traveling in Rio de Janeiro! Enjoy the video
I bought my first pair of Havaianas sandals about 3 years ago on my first trip to Brazil. I fell in love with them the first time I put them on. Since then, I have bought several more pairs that are all different colors. I wear them in the summer, fall, winter, and spring. I really think they are the best pair of sandals you can buy for their price.
I was just in Rio de Janeiro at the end of December for vacation. In Rio, you can buy Havaianas on almost every corner. You can buy them in pharmacies, grocery stores, and on the sidewalk. But there is nothing like going to the actualy Havaiana store. There are two locations in Rio: one in Ipanema and the other in Copacabana. I had the opportunity to go to the store in Ipanema.
The store is actually pretty small, but it had so many different pair of sandals. If you get about 8 people in the store it actually starts to get too crowded to walk through. It is really skinny inside the store. They have plain colored sandals, colored sandals with the Brazilian flag, world cup team sandals, and the list goes on and on. Inside the Havaiana store you can also customize your sandal. Customizing the sandals is more for girls, because you can buy little pieces of jewlery to go with your sandals. An employee then basically stamps a piece of jewlery on the sandal where the brazilian flag usually goes. The pieces of jewelery range in price from 4 reais to 15 reais.
To actually buy a pair of sandals you have to go to two different people. It doesn't make sense in my head, but what do I know? Once you have selected your sandals you have to take them to an employee that is in the middle of the store. Then that employee gets out a piece of paper, and puts a bar code of the sandal(s) you bought on the paper receipt. Then she adds up the total on the sheet, and hands you a receipt for your bill. Once you have the bill, you can then go and pay at the cash register. I am still confused at why one person can't do both jobs...?
The prices of the sandals are lower than what you can buy them for in the States depending on what type of sandal you buy. I bought 3 pairs while I was in the store, and each pair was a different price. I think that I saved about $5 on each pair. I was with two other friends while traveling through Brazil, and I think they bought a combined 12 pairs of sandals in the store! They had to be the customers of the day! I would definitely recommend stopping buy a Havaiana shop before leaving Rio!
This picture was taken when I was traveling through Dublin, Ireland. This statue is located on Grafton street, and very close to the Temple Bar area. Molly Maloneis a women from the 17th century who had a song written about her. Here are the lyrics to the song:
In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone, As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, Through streets broad and narrow, Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
She was a fishmonger, But sure 'twas no wonder, For so were her father and mother before, And they each wheeled their barrow, Through streets broad and narrow, Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
The neighborhood San Telmo is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has a really cool vibe to it. It is hard to explain it to you if you have never been there. I couldn't wait to get back to see if anything had changed since the last time I was there two years ago. After attendingng the Thumbs Up Fest on Saturday night Jared, Hayden, and I slept in until about two PM on Sunday afternoon. We were all definitely still tired from the night before, but I made sure that Hayden and Jared got up to do some sight seeing, because the best day to go to San Telmo is on Sunday!
Every Sunday there is a Feria (street festival) that runs up and down the street Defensa in San Telmo. It starts very close to the Plaza de Mayo on the cross street Venezuela, and goes all the way to Avenida San Juan (about 9 blocks long). Up and down Defensa there are people selling jewelry, art, paintings, posters, clothes, etc. My favorite part about the Feria is the street performers! There are bands, guitarists, tango dancers, and other crazy people acting like statues that you can take pictures with if you give them a tip. picture of map from Pocket Map Buenos Aires)
It was really easy to get to San Telmo from Palermo. We took the Subte from Estacion Bulnes all the way to Estacion Catedral which is located in the Plaza de Mayo. It was only 1 peso to take the subte, and we were able to skip all the traffic that was on Sante Fe...too easy. Once we walked out of the subte we walked across the Plaza de Mayo, and onto the Calle Defensa. Defensa is located directly across the Plaza from the Catedral.
As soon as we walked 2 blocks down Defensa we started to hit the crowds of people. There were so many people that it was a little hard to walk down the middle of the street. We started weaving in and out of groups of people. We stopped in a couple local stores, and looked at some things that people were selling but Jared, Hayden, and I are not the best shoppers in the world. So we decided that we would make little pit stops in bars and restaurants along Defensa to make the day a little bit more interesting.
The day definitely got more interesting in a hurry! Here is a quick summary of the events from the Feria:
We ate a Fugazi Pizza (at Continental which is located on Mexico y Defensa)...probably our last Fugazi Pizza ever. This thing was laced with so many onions you couldn't even see the cheese on the pizza. I can still smell my onion breathe.
Hayden's leg was pinched by a solo guy traveler at Bar Seddon. Definitely made things akward to the point Hayden stood straight up and said it was GO TIME! I think this Swed is still walking around the streets of Bs As looking for Hayden.
Jared got pooped on right outside Plaza Dorrego by a pigeon that was on steroids! Check out the Video of the Week.
Had a steak dinner at my favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires...Des Nivel. It is located on Defensa in between Estados Unidos y Carlos Calvo.
We ended up hanging out with a local that was a Keith Richards look a like! Jared ended up meeting a random guy with his girlfriend at Des Nivel. This guy looked and acted like Keith Richards. We ended up going back to Bar Seddon for 2 hours to hang out with this guy. Too funny!
We ended up staying in San Telmo for about 11 hours that Sunday! This random day of fun reinforced why I think San Telmo is one of the best places to hang out in Buenos Aires. Every time I go to San Telmo I have a great time. Check out the Feria if you are ever in Buenos Aires on a Sunday! It runs all day until about 7 pm.
How to get to San Telmo
Subte - The easiest and cheapest way to get to San Telmo is by taking the Subte to Plaza de Mayo. The beginning of the green, blue, and purple line all start in the Plaza de Mayo. You can walk less than 5 minutes to end up in San Telmo from the Plaza.
Taxi - The easiest and fastest way to end up in San Telmo is by taking the taxi. The taxi can drop you off any where on Defensa, and you will be right in the mix. This is definitely the most expensive option of the 3.
Bus - It is only 80 centavos (20 cents US Dollars) to take the bus from almost anywhere in Buenos Aires to San Telmo. This option could also take you the longest to get there depending on where you are starting in the city.
The video of the week comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a previous blog on travelingbug.org, I wrote about a barrio that is called La Boca. This is a really popular tourist destination when traveling through Buenos Aires. Jared, Hayden, and I were walking down the street El Caminito. It is a very cool street to walk down! The buildings in La Boca are famous for being very colorful! La Boca has places to eat, street performers, art work, and people trying to sell you anything they can! Enjoy the video! Peace.
I did a blog on the barrio El Centro in Buenos Aires last April. I briefly mentioned a street that is a huge tourist attraction right off of the Plaza de Mayo. Calle Florida is about 15 blocks long, and has a lot of shops, restaurants, and vendors selling things they have made. Since this is a very popular destination for tourist, most things are more expensive than in other parts of the city. I had not been back to Buenos Aires for almost two years, but this street has not changed at all.
I would have to say the craziest/coolest thing that I saw walking down Calle Florida was a man that was deformed, but he was an amazing artist. He did not let his deformity stop him from trying to make money. This man had basically no arms to paint with so he used the only other thing he had to hold a paint brush...his toes! It was absolutely amazing to see this guys actually painting pictures in the middle of the street. I pray that he makes enough money each day to eat!
Calle Florida is a pretty cool street to walk down during the day, because there are so many people walking around in every direction. If you love to people watch then this is the place to be! I would have to say as a precaution to make sure that everything you carry is in your front pockets or zipped up in your bag. There are a lot of people are walking around that are trying to take advantage of tourists. It is very easy to get pick pocketed in Buenos Aires, and especially on Calle Florida. If you are a smart traveler there will be no problems though! Check out this street when you travel through Buenos Aires!
Two friends and I recently rented an apartment for 7 days in the barrio (neighborhood) of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We didn't know it when we booked our apartment, but located half a block from where we stayed is one of the most famous pizza restaurants in Palermo. It is called Romario's. This place has really good pizza and empanada's. It is also so cheap (for tourists)! We ended up eating at Romario's for dinner two times during our stay in Buenos Aires. This place was always full of people! You are able to eat inside at a table, at the bar, or even outside at one of the three tables on the sidewalk. The first night we arrived in Buenos Aires we had dinner at Romario's. We landed in Buenos Aires at 10pm, and by the time we had gotten ready to go out for the night it was 12pm. If we were in any other country than Argentina, I would have told my friends that we were going to skip dinner. But in Argentina, 12pm is about perfect time to grab something to eat before going out. Romario's still had a lot of people eating and drinking when we showed up (12:15 am). We took a seat in the middle of the restaurant, and noticed that we were the only "gringo's" in the whole place.
Inside Romario's, it almost felt like a club. The first thing I noticed was the techno music they were playing throughout the restaurant. They also had these reddish lights that were turned down making a little darker inside then normal lights. The atmosphere gave Romario's a cool vibe! The staff there was also very friendly. The waitresses talked "spanglish" (half english/half spanish) with us, and always had a smile on their faces when they showed up to our table.
We ended up ordering a large pizza with two toppings, and had a liter of beer to start. For those of you that don't know the customs of Argentina, you order a beer and have to share the liter. So you pour the beer into these little 8 oz. glasses for you and your friends. It makes it a lot more social to share a drink instead of each having your own individual drink! I like it a lot! The pizza's are made in this giant open oven that you can see from anywhere in the restaurant. In about 10 minutes the pizza came out to the table. The pizza was still bubbling from the heat of the oven when it was put on our table! We were starving at this point in time, but we had to wait a minute or two so that we didn't burn our mouths! The pizza was great! We had a jamon y queso pizza (ham and cheese). There are about 20 different kinds of pizza to choose from if you want something else!
