El Poste Final!
USA | Wednesday, 20 August 2008 | Views [141]
It's weird to be writing this post from the States, with the air con blasting and a super fast connection. Ben and I returned to the US on Aug. 1 and haven't stopped going since. For those of you who don't know, we are moving to Austin, TX, the live music capital of the world. Ben is starting his MBA program at McCombs Business School at UT, and I am slowly getting used to fact that I can't be a professional traveller any longer, so the job search is on.
Along the way, I've been hounding Ben to tell me his favorite moment of any given trip, favorite place, favorite anything. He hates these questions! During one of our last meals in Buenos Aires, he obliged and we jotted down some of our favorites...and some not-so-favorites. For your final reading pleasure:
Top Five Meals
1. The random parrilla, a.k.a some dude's backyard, that we stumbled upon in Mendoza, Argentina during our bike and wine tour.
2. Gardelito, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. I think we ate there 5 times in total. Amazing steaks, wine and sides, without all the tourists and high prices. A local gem.
3. La Mar Cebicheria, Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Swanky, sophisticated fresh ceviche and complimentary homeade chips.
4. Afrigonia, Puerto Natales, Chile. Fusion Chilean and African food.
5. Zig Zag, Arequipa, Peru. The best alpaca and ostrich steaks in town.
Honorable mentions: choripan sandwiches in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, microbrews in El Chalten, La Iberica chocolate from Arequipa, Indio Feliz near Machu Picchu, Osaka sushi in Lima, Cafe Andino in Huaraz, and the best ice cream in the world, Volta, in Buenos Aires.
Foods we wish we could get easily in the US: lucuma ice cream, dulce de leche, choripan sandwiches, fresh fruit capiroskas, alfajores, and fried manioc/yucca.
Trish's Worst Moments
1. Getting spit on by a little boy in Piura, Peru.
2. Injuring my knees on our first day out in Patagonia.
3. The 40 hour+ bus ride to get from Santiago, Chile to Arequipa, Peru.
4. The mosquitoes in the jungle. Actually, the mosquitos in general.
5. Discovering that we were without clothes or our personal items for the 4-day Santa Cruz trek.
Ben's Worst Moments
1. The worst TD ever in Huaraz, which meant missing mountain biking.
2. Altitude sickness during day 2 of the Santa Cruz trek at 16,000 ft.
3. The first night in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil
4. El Calafate and the ridicuously over-priced excursions
5. The cost of Brazil. Period.
Trish's Favorite Moments/Places (in no particular order)Mendoza and the wine country, the day hikes in El Chalten-Patagonia, finally seeing Machu Picchu, first in a panoramic view from Putukusi mountain and then seeing it up close at sunrise, swimming with dolphins and Ben teaching me to surf at Praia de Pipa, shopping everywhere for amazing finds, the markets and parks in Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Christ the Redeemer, and dancing forro with Ben.
Ben's Favorite Moments/Places (in no particular order)
The Santa Cruz trek and the Cordillera Blanca, Mendoza and the wine country, Mancora beach and meeting Al, golfing in Porto Alegre, the view from Christ the Redeemer, surfing in Huanchaco, the gem of Putukusi and the view of Machu Picchu, driving in the crappy sukuzi to Torres del Paine, watching two Rio futbol teams in Maracana stadium, Tuesday night out in Salvador, Iguazu Falls, and Argentinian steak.
The Must-Sees of the Continent, for all you future travelers
Cities: Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro
The Great Outdoors: Iguazu Falls(Argentina), Cordillera Blanca (Peru), Torres del Paine(Chile), the northeast beaches of Brazil
Man and Nature in Harmony: Mendoza and the wine country, Cuzco and Machu Picchu
I'll refrain to getting overly sentimetal and weepy and just say that we had six amazing, challenging, eye-opening, unforgettable months. Thanks for following us.
Tags: final thoughts
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