south-america

10 days in Patagonia!! 🏔️🦙🤗

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Hello everyone! Happy December! I think this next post will mostly be pictures because Patagonia, in southern Argentina and Chile, is unbelievably beautiful! 🤩 As someone who was born and spent a large part of my life in Colorado near the Rocky Mountains, the mountains are my happy place. 🏞️ I love skiing and hiking and just being able to see mountains in the distance. Uruguay is mostly flat, with only a few very small hills, so after a semester there I was extremely excited to be ending my time in South America with a trip to some of the world’s most breathtaking mountains. 🎉

El Chalten, Argentina ⛰️

Stefan and I started our Patagonia trip by flying to southern Argentina and renting a car to drive to a little tiny backpackers town called El Chalten (pic below). It has only been around since the mid-1980s and consists of little hostels, hotels, bars and restaurants all catering to backpackers and hikers. We lucked out with warm and dry weather, though it was quite windy. 🌬️We also found a tasty restaurant the first night we arrived. 😋

Miradores 👀

We learned how gorgeous Patagonia is on the drive from the airport to El Chalten and then were pleasantly surprised again and again by how lovely and picturesque the area is. There are countless ‘miradores’ or viewpoints in each area that we visited and our first day of hiking took us to several.

Fitz Roy

One of the longer and well known hikes in El Chalten is the Fitz Roy. It has similar rocky peaks like the Torres Del Paine in Chile. We hiked this on our 2nd day in El Chalten, it was warm and with minimal wind (and lots of mosquitoes). 🦟😆

El Calafate

After El Chalten, we drove to a town called El Calafate and the drive itself is super impressive because the water ways here are a unique and stunning blue, sometimes bordering on turquoise. It looks so unusual that it feels like something out of a sci-fi movie. Apparently this is due to the glaciers in the area grinding rocks into a fine-sediment containing powder that turns the rivers and lakes their distinctive color.

Lodging 🏩

We booked a hosteria in El Calafate, which I incorrectly thought was a hostel, but we learned that ‘hosteria’ means ‘Inn’ in Spanish and it was so cute that I had to share pictures. Since it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas time as I’ve always experienced it in the United States. The days are long and warm and everyone is excited to get to the beach. There aren’t very many traditional Christmas decorations, but our hosteria made me even more excited to come home for the holidays because of how cozily and Christmas-y it was decorated. 🎄 Also the view from the dining room looked like something out of a story book.

Perito Moreno Glacier 🧊

The highlight of El Calafate is the Perito Moreno Glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park. It is a famous glacier because it is one of the few glaciers in the world that is growing instead of retreating. The drive to see the glacier was of course, totally beautiful. And the glacier itself is really remarkable in its size and sounds when it moves and pieces of glacier break off. There is a series of boardwalks to view the glacier and it took us about 2-3 hours to walk through them all.

Glaciarium Museum and Ice Bar ❄️

After the visit to the Perito Moreno, we stopped by the Glaciarium museum which gives a neat overview of how and when the glacier developed. They also have an ice bar that is literally an ice room with a small igloo and a bar that serves drinks. They gave us heavy parkas and gloves to put on before we entered, but it was still pretty chilly! 🥶

Puerto Natales, Chile 🏔️

Next, we took a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales, Chile in order to explore the Torres Del Paine National Park. The bus was quite comfortable with air conditioning and bathrooms. Unfortunately, the weather in Puerto Natales was windy, cold and rainy when we visited. ☔️ This was initially a disappointment because we had hoped to do some longer hikes, but we were able to rent a car and explore the park on 2 separate days, and were able to do some shorter, but still lovely hikes. The views here were extraordinary as well. 😍

The Food!! 😋

We lucked out with seriously delicious food on this trip! From empanadas in El Calafate to tasty Asian fusion and tacos in Puerto Natales, to pumpkin milenesa. After long days hiking and driving, these dishes were so satisfying!

Santiago, Chile 🌵🏜️

Worried about being stuck in the hostel in Puerto Natales in the cold and windy rain, we decided to adjust our schedule and fly to Santiago for a few days before leaving Chile. Where it was in the 30s-40s in Puerto Natales, it was the exact opposite in Santiago. On the day we arrived, it was dry and 92 degrees F! The city was fun to explore and we again found some really tasty food!

Happy Holidays and thanks again for following along! I fly back to the United States tomorrow and can’t wait to see my family and catch up with friends in the midwest before returning to Maine for one last semester. Wishing everyone a safe and lovely end to 2024 and an even better start to 2025! 🥳🎊🎉🥂🍾❤️

Goodbye Uruguay, it’s been such an adventure!

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I can’t believe it’s December, and in just over 24 hours, I’ll be saying goodbye to Montevideo and heading to Patagonia before flying home. It feels a bit surreal that this experience is almost over!

Housing Change 🏡

Living with a host family in Montevideo turned out to be a little more of an adventure than I was expecting 😂 so in mid-November I made the decision to move out and into an Airbnb for the duration of the semester. Though my host was incredibly sweet, during the 3-4 weeks leading up to my move, both of her adult sons were living in the apartment, one with considerable health concerns (along with his unfriendly and often scary cat), and she accepted another student from Brazil. That made for 5 adults living in a tiny 4 bedroom apartment, with one son sleeping on the living room couch! 🛋️ And unfortunately there was a lot of drama and conflict that came from the family all living together and made for a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. 😬

Though it was a tough decision to move out, the Airbnb was wonderful and I am very grateful that I was able to be in a peaceful, clean and quiet space to finish out the semester. 😃 Here are a few pictures:

The Opera! 🎭

I went to the opera a few weeks before finals. It was Cavalerria Rusticana and it was really neat! Plus, they have amazingly cheap tickets to theater events here and it was only $4 to see it. 🎉

Art Museum 🎨

Our Spanish professor took us to the National Museum of Visual Arts for one of our last classes before exams started. It features only Uruguayan artists and my favorite there is Petrona Viera, an Uruguayan painter who not only paved the way for other female artists, but whose works exhibited political statements in the early 1900s (hers is the one with the ladies below).

Saying Goodbye 🥺

During the last week of class/finals, a few of us were able to meet for dinner for one last group gathering and to say our goodbyes. Some students are flying home right after class ends, some are doing more traveling in the area with family and friends, and several are staying for another semester, either in Montevideo or in other parts of South America. I feel very lucky to have been a part of such a nice group of people this semester! Everyone was so friendly, warm and positive. It was awesome being amongst such cool people while studying here. 🥰

Stefan Arrived! 🎉

My sweet friend Stefan came to visit Montevideo for a few days and then we’ll travel together to Argentina and Chile to hike and explore Patagonia before I head back to the states. I am so grateful to have a friend who was willing to travel such a long way to see Patagonia with me! 😃

Thank you! 💕

I want to thank everyone who not only followed along with me on this interesting journey, but who used WhatsApp, FaceTime and email to stay in contact, and for all of the encouraging comments, thoughts and prayers throughout the semester! I couldn’t have done this without the support of my friends and family. I am grateful to have had this opportunity and have learned a lot, but I am definitely excited to come home!! 😍

Next up: Patagonia! 🏔️

Springtime in Montevideo! ☔️🌺

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Being in the southern hemisphere in October feels kinda surreal. I haven’t seen one pumpkin 🎃 or a tree with yellow changing leaves 🍁. I don’t think that they sell coffee creamer in Montevideo (or if they do, I have not seen it) so no pumpkin spice lattes here. 🤣 When I would usually be pulling out my sweaters in the U.S., here I’ve started wearing sandals and sunscreen more and more. 🩴

Since it’s spring time in Montevideo, the weather is getting warmer, with temperatures in the 60-70s and a forecast this week that promises regular days in the 80s. The grass is very green and the trees are in full bloom (my allergies are so much better now)!🎉 It also rained a lot over the last few days and on one of my walks along the waterfront, I caught some really pretty dark blue skies as the storm moved away from the city. 😍

Ballet 🩰

As one of our weekly activities organized by the study abroad program, we went to see the ballet last week! It was Cinderella and was very pretty!

Fútbol ⚽️

The coordinator of our program plays soccer with one of the advanced Spanish professors at our university every week and their team challenged the study abroad students to a friendly game this week. It was pretty much a slaughter with their team finishing at something like 19 to our 2 goals. 😆🤦🏻‍♀️But it was still fun! And thankfully, it was indoors because we experienced a down pour of rain for the majority of the game!😁

Botanical & Japanese Gardens ⛲️

Since the rain let up this weekend, I was able to explore both the free botanical garden in Montevideo, which I would classify as a large park/green space, and a small museum next to a Japanese garden as well. Both were really pretty and a peaceful change from the main city scape in Montevideo where I live.

Bus Accident 🚍😳

This morning, on my walk along la rambla (the promenade along the waterfront), I noticed caution tape and a much larger crowd than usual and then I spotted a bus on the beach! The bus system here is really extensive and a great way to get around the city. According to news reports, it sounds like this poor bus had some type of mechanical failure of the brakes and it lost control and plunged onto the beach! 🥺😞The driver and passengers were injured, but thankfully, none of the injuries were fatal. It was quite the sight to see!

I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely October and happy Halloween to everyone celebrating/dressing up this weekend and next week! 👻🎃Thanks for following along with me and my adventures in South America!🌎

A Canadian Visitor & Montevideo observations! 🇨🇦🍁🇺🇾

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It’s been 8 weeks since I moved to Montevideo! I’m at the halfway point in the semester and I can hardly believe it! 🌎

This week a nice lady from Newfoundland, Canada moved into my host’s house to take intensive Spanish language classes at a local school for 2 weeks. She is a retired teacher and came here after teaching for 5 weeks in Brazil! She is very brave with speaking Spanish and it has made our house dinners a bit more lively this week. ☺️

Over the weekend, we walked to the Montevideo sign, which was painted twice this week 😳( first a pretty blue and then this sad looking white)! We also tried a restaurant that serves brunch which was recommended by one of my professors. 🍳One of the owners of the restaurant is from Colorado! We also walked around the touristy areas of the city and bought freshly made churros! 😋

Montevideo! 😎

Since I’ve been here for nearly 2 months, I thought I’d share some interesting aspects/observations unique to living in Uruguay.

Mate 🧉

Mate is a caffeine-rich infused herbal drink made with yerba mate leaves that are soaked in hot water and it is served with a silver metal straw (bombilla). The containers that hold the yerba mate are actually called ‘mate’, so it’s like drinking mate out of mate, if that makes sense. The traditional containers are made from a small gourd with an outside cover, but you can also find ceramic mate containers as well. And along with the mate, straw and yerba mate leaves, you must carry a thermos of hot water to consistently add water to your mate. There are even carry kits for the car or for walking that hold both the thermos and mate cup. Mate is fairly bitter and I’ve been told that it is an acquired taste, but regardless, it is very popular! I see people carrying both the mate cup and thermos all over the city when I’m out walking.

Sidewalks ⚠️

I heard one of my professors joking about how annoying the broken sidewalks are here and it wasn’t until then that I started to realize that all of the sidewalks here are made of small square tiles, some of them unique and pretty. But, she was right, there is evidence everywhere of these tiles being broken and moved. I have noticed that I really have to look down when walking to make sure that I don’t trip!

Dachshunds! 🐾

When I first started taking walks, I noticed what seemed like a really large number of people with dachshunds throughout the city streets and on La Rambla (the promenade along the water). Then one of my professors confirmed that they are a very popular breed here and that they are sometimes called ‘pancho perros’ or hotdog dogs! I probably see at least 5 of them with their owners each time I venture out! So cute!

I’ve also seen quite a few dog walkers with large numbers of dogs all together, like 8 or 9! 🤗

Dulce de leche 🍮

This stuff is like caramel and very popular. While it’s been challenging to find peanut butter (and when I do, it’s about $10 for a small glass jar), this dulce de leche is everywhere! My host family says you can just eat it with a spoon or on fruit. It tastes like eating a caramel apple without the apple and is very tasty!

Food is very expensive here!! 🤯💵💰

Living here has changed my perspective on how expensive food can be! I’m not sure if it’s because most things are imported, but food and toiletries are very pricey in Uruguay! For example, I bought a medium sized SPF 40 sun screen (only available at pharmacies) and it was $37! My contact solution was $17 for a medium bottle and like I mentioned above, peanut butter is nearly $10 for a small jar. One of my classmates purchased a bottle of Cetaphil face wash and it was $41 (1741,00 Uruguayan pesos is equal to $41.90!). 🤑 Thankfully, ramen is still a cheap item, about $0.50 per package.🎉🥳🍲 There are no big box department stores but quite a few small grocery stores and it pays to shop around for the best prices.

Graffiti 🎨

There is a large amount of graffiti around the city, especially in the downtown area, on store fronts, buildings and steps. Some of it is very pretty and artistic and other areas look rough and run down. It’s been fun taking photographs as I walk around the city.

This week I met a classmate for coffee and dessert between classes and the presentation of the desserts was especially cute! ☕️🍰 And one of my classmates turned 21 and we all met at a tasty Italian restaurant (she’s Italian) 🍕to celebrate! My allergies are so much better this week too, yay for less pollen! 🙏🏽Thanks again for following along! I miss Fall in the U.S. but am grateful for a nice week in South America! 😃

Iguazú Falls (and a visit to Paraguay)! 🇵🇾💦

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I had researched and hoped to visit Iguazú Falls during my travel trip in 2022 but unfortunately the timing and details just didn’t fall into place at that time. Imagine my surprise and delight when I learned that we could visit the area on our school break while studying abroad! 🎉

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011, the waterfalls in Iguazú are part of two national parks, one in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and the other in Puerto Iguazú (Argentina). We flew to Puerto Iguazú from Buenos Aires and were immediately overwhelmed by the heat and humidity there! It is certainly a tropical area and was 98 degrees Fahrenheit when we visited the park. 🥵

On the first evening, we walked through the little town of Puerto Iguazú to an overlook where the Paraná River divides Argentina from Brazil and Paraguay. In the picture below, standing in Argentina, Brazil is to the right and Paraguay is to the left with the pretty bridge connecting the two.

The Falls! 💧

I was lucky enough to visit Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in 2021, and Niagara Falls in the U.S. in 2023, but Iguazú Falls are the most dramatic, picturesque and spectacular falls that I have ever seen. It might be that we just lucked out with the season and the amount of water going over the falls, but there is a place called Garganta de diablo (or Devil’s Throat) where the park has a platform right next to the water and it was really amazing (I marked where the platform is in the first picture). It’s hard to describe the scale and amount of water right in front of you on the platform and the pictures below don’t really do it justice, but needless to say that I was very impressed! 🤩

Trip to Paraguay! 🇵🇾🚕🇧🇷

I was surprised to learn how close we were to Paraguay when we arrived to Iguazu Falls! Having never been to Paraguay, I wondered if we could figure out a way to visit while being in such close vicinity? Argentina and Paraguay do not have a direct connection over the Paraná River, but Brazil and Paraguay do via The International Friendship Bridge. If I could figure out how to get from Argentina into Brazil and to the bridge, we could walk across and be in Paraguay!

A few of my fellow classmates were up for the adventure of seeing both countries and our coordinator helped us negotiate a taxi. The city nearest the bridge in Paraguay has a reputation for being a bit higher in crime and possibly dangerous for tourists, so we decided to walk into the country and come back to spend the day in Brazil.

We stopped at a delicious Japanese 🍣🍱 restaurant (Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan) for lunch and explored a cute cafe afterward. At the end of the day, we visited a touristy area that ended up having music and a live theater show before returning to Argentina for dinner with the rest of our classmates. Though it was a bit challenging traveling with a group of 19-21 year olds who didn’t always have the best time management skills 🤦🏻‍♀️🤪I was excited to have been able to visit another country, making Paraguay the 46th country that I’ve been to, yay! 🎊 🌎

Thank you for following the blog! It’s been 6 weeks in South America and the trip this week really boosted my mood, was a great opportunity to get to know my fellow classmates better, and a nice break away from the allergens plaguing me in Montevideo. 😉🤣 So a win-win all around! I hope everyone has had a great start to October! 😃

Buenos Aires, Argentina! 🇦🇷🌞

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Though it’s spring in the southern hemisphere, we had a sort of ‘fall break’ from class this week and our program gave us the option of going to Buenos Aires for a weekend and/or Iguazu Falls on the Brazil/Argentina border for 4 days. I opted to go to both places and it was a really neat experience! 🧳😀

Buenos Aires City Tour

From Montevideo, it’s a 1.5 hour bus ride to catch a 1 hour ferry ⛴️ into Buenos Aires. We started with a downtown city tour that included the teatro Colón, the city’s beautiful opera house, as well as a historic tour. The architecture and style of buildings reminded me a lot of visiting European cities.

China Town!

In the evening a few of us explored the city’s China Town and found some neat murals, interesting shops and delicious bao buns and boba tea! 😋🧋

That night we visited a famous local speakeasy called Floreria Atlántico, which has a floral shop as it’s store front and a pretty bar behind and downstairs with fancy drinks like the Columbia, served in a coconut and lit on fire! (It’s a little blurry because of the dim lighting).

Afternoon Exploration

The following afternoon, we went to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Catholic Church where Pope Francis led mass as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires before assuming office in the Vatican in 2013. We also shopped in San Telmo at a market that occurs every Sunday, and then had lunch along the Puerto Madero waterfront, where we saw some Tango dancers. 💃🏻

La Boca!

Located near the port of the city, La Boca was previously a melting-pot of different cultures immigrating into Argentina in the 20th century and is now home to the Boca Juniors, one of the two largest football teams in Argentina. Known for its brightly painted houses and lively atmosphere, it was an incredibly picturesque area with beautiful contrasting colorful murals and eaves. This was the highlight of my visit to Buenos Aires! I took so many fun pictures, it’s hard to choose which ones to post! 🎉

Rapanui Ice cream 🍨

Someone found this chocolates and ice cream chain while in Buenos Aires on the first day we visited and it was so delicious that we kept going back! We had a 4 hour long lay over in Buenos Aires on the way back from Iguazu Falls and went again! If you’re ever in Buenos Aires and love helado, I would definitely recommend checking this place out, it’s fantastic! 😋

I’ll do a separate post about Iguazu Falls and an unexpected trip to Paraguay while there next. Thanks for following along! 😃