Photo Friday – Tilt-Shift Machu Picchu

20 Apr

We absolutely loved Machu Picchu and were lucky to be there on a day with beautiful weather despite that it was technically the rainy season.  If you’ve been there, you probably have this same classic shot.   We decided to put a little twist on it with a technique we recently discovered called ’tilt-shift’.  By blurring out the top and bottom of a photo, you can make it appear to be a highly detailed miniature version of itself.  These kinds of photos work best when you have a wide shot with a lot of details.  There are plenty of tutorials online about how to achieve these results, and even some websites that help alter photos you have already taken, which is what we did here.

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Bolivia. In Theory.

18 Apr

In theory.  We’ve experienced this phenomenon in other places, but on our current trip it has hit us the hardest in Bolivia.  Things seem to be one way, until they aren’t, often for no apparent reason.

In theory your bus ticket costs 15 Bolivianos, until the driver makes you pay an extra 5 at the end of the journey.

In theory when the menu says “2 waffles” you get two waffles, until it is explained to you that by “2 waffles” they really mean one waffle.

In theory, spending nearly 2 weeks at altitudes above 4000 meters without incident might mean you won’t suffer from altitude sickness, until you almost pass out in your falafel one night.

The rockslide we encountered halfway between La Paz and Coroico.

In theory there is a paved road between La Paz and Coroico, until there’s a landslide, which apparently happens more than you might think.  In theory the road will be open in two hours, except that it’s BEEN two hours and no equipment has arrived.  In theory a 15 passenger mini-van shouldn’t plunge off the side of the road in an attempt to make an alternate route on a road meant for 4×4’s that clings to a cliff with no guard rail and is only wide enough for 1.5 cars, but it does.  In theory a massive tourist bus shouldn’t have done the same thing in the opposite direction, but it did and now someone has to reverse on the hairpin curves, cliff side, until there’s just enough room to eek by.

In theory the ticket you bought says the bus leaves at 1:15, but really it leaves at 2:45.

In theory the water you bought yesterday for 5 Bolivianos should be 5 Bolivianos the next time you go to that store, except that today it’s 7.

In theory a ticket on a bus costs a certain price, unless it costs 5, 10, or 20 Bolivianos more depending on how stupid of a tourist the vendor takes you to be.  In theory when you walk away without purchasing a ticket and tell the vendor you’ll just buy it on the bus, they would not make a huge scene like you’re the one ripping them off.

Electric showers in Bolivia

In theory the electric showers (yes, electricity and water – together!) are hot, but really they aren’t so for nearly two weeks your hair is washed in spurts in ice-cold water.

In theory the boat ticket to the lovely island on Lake Titicaca is all-inclusive, until you have to pay some sort of entrance fee 47 times for every little village you go through.

Bolivia is a beautiful country with spectacular landscapes and generally lovely people.  We’re a bit worn out with the inconsistencies of things right now, but we have really enjoyed our time here and would definitely recommend you visit.  Just be prepared for, well, anything.

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Photo Friday – Street Art in Santiago, Chile

13 Apr

Street art in Santiago, Chile

We’ve seen plenty of graffiti around the world, and generally we think it’s destructive and ugly.  Wandering around Chile we were delighted to see that many of the walls around the city were covered in an entirely different kind of graffiti that truly was art.  We took hundreds of photos of the different murals from Santiago to Valparaiso and beyond and we continue to be impressed by the quality of the street art we’ve found throughout our travels.

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Not In The Guidebooks: El Ateneo in Buenos Aires, Argentina

10 Apr

Lonely Planet’s South America on a Shoestring is like the backpacker’s bible.  I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve spent hours sifting through the zillion bits of info in our own guidebooks searching for places to stay, directions to the biggest tourist sites, or using the language guides to help decipher a menu.  However, at some point most travelers come to realize that the guidebook is only that, a guide.  It cannot possibly include everything, and it shouldn’t because really, a huge part of really travelling is learning to hunt down a fantastic local restaurant, bar, or anywhere interesting that isn’t filled to the brim with tourists.

Over the last few months we’ve stumbled across some real gems that aren’t in the guidebooks and we’d like to share some with you, provided that you don’t tell Lonely Planet!

During our time in Buenos Aires, our couchsurf host asked if we’d been to see the famous bookstore that was housed in an old theatre.  We hadn’t even heard of it, but we are both book and theatre lovers so we decided it would definitely be worth a visit.

El Ateneo bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina

We didn’t have big expectations, so we were a bit blown away when we walked in.  In addition to being simply massive, the theatre, originally called ‘The Grand Splendid’, has been beautifully maintained and is bright and welcoming.  All the seating has been removed and replaced with rows of books, including in the side balconies.  A few of the box seats have been converted to small reading rooms with plush armchairs, and the stage now holds a lovely café that serves coffee and sweets.

There aren’t any books in English, but it’s worth the visit just to marvel at how spectacular the space is.

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Word On The Street

* El Atenero is located at Ave Santa Fe 1860 in Barrio Recoleta in Buenos Aires. 

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Photo Friday – Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, Peru

6 Apr

Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, Peru

Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, yet it manages to maintain the feel of a much smaller place.  The Plaza de Armas in the center of the tourist zone was one of our favorite spots in all of Peru for people watching.  The square is very well maintained with a beautiful fountain and plenty of trees and benches. One entire block on the edge of the plaza is taken up by a spectacular cathedral.  We snapped this shot just as the sun was going down and the first of the lights illuminating the cathedral had been lit.

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Blown Away in Patagonia

4 Apr

The title pretty much says it all.  We had heard that we should expect some ferocious winds during our time trekking Torres del Paine in Chile and in the Parque National Los Glaciers  in Argentina.  We sort of thought people were exaggerating when they said you might literally be knocked down sometimes, but that’s exactly what happened to me on more than one occasion.  The winds can supposedly reach speeds, in bursts, of 180 kilometers per hour!  We didn’t feel anything that strong, but there were times when it was strong enough that we had to just give up for a bit, sit down, and wait it out.

So far, hiking in Patagonia has been one of the highlights of our trip.  We love the feel of the small mountain towns, and just when you think the scenery can’t get more spectacular, it does.  We’ve got lots to say about each of these parks, but for now we’ll leave you with a video of some of our windiest moments.

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Living The Dream – Why We Chose To Leave It All Behind

1 Apr

Recently we met a young couple who genuinely didn’t understand why we embarked on this huge journey.  They wanted to know why we didn’t seem to miss our clothes, our home, our ‘regular’ lives.  Why aren’t we worried about what happens when we go back, or when we run out of money?  Why aren’t we worried about our careers? Why would we choose this unstable sort of life?

These are all valid questions, and some can be answered at least partially by checking out our “About Us” section.

We’ve been on the road for almost five months and we’ve thought a lot about the things that motivate us to travel, and the reasons behind the decisions that have landed us where we are in life.

I’ve started this post a dozen different times and discarded every attempt at an answer until now.  It’s a complicated answer because life is complicated.

Why do writers write?  Why do athletes compete?  Why do artists create?  Most of them will tell you that it’s because it is their passion.  There is something that burns inside of them and says “This is what you must do”, and so they do it.  If you ask Justin if he has a burning passion for travel he’ll say no, but he does enjoy it.  If you ask me, I’ll say yes, I have a passion for travel, but it’s not all encompassing.   We have a love of the world, a desire to see new things, to immerse ourselves in different cultures, to meet new people.  Yes, it can be frustrating  to not have a huge wardrobe selection, or to have to move every few days, or to have to sleep in dorm rooms with 20 other travelers, but the benefits of what we are doing far outweigh these minor issues.

This alone might be answer enough for most people, but there is more behind it.

We’ve lived fairly comfortable lives.  We had the opportunity to earn university degrees, we had careers that we enjoyed, family and friends we love, and we could have settled comfortably into a nice routine in Colorado and lived out our lives pleasantly…but…there’s always a ‘but’.

People talk about living life to the fullest, taking advantage of every moment, every opportunity.  Most people don’t follow that philosophy in their everyday reality though.  Life is busy, things get in the way.  All those responsibilities build up and we have a hard time looking through them to where those moments and opportunities might lead us.  I’m as guilty as anyone else of living like that.  The conventional wisdom tells us to work hard.  Save money.  Plan for the future.  We were on that path.  We were saving money for a down-payment on a home. I was pushing myself professionally to make sure my career path had an upward trajectory.  We were diligent about putting money aside for retirement.

Then, over the last few years, a number of things started to jolt us out of that cocoon of complacency.  A close friend’s mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  My mother was hit hard financially and lost her home to the bank.  A schoolmate from when I was a child died from a brain tumor.  A classmate from high school died from melanoma.  Three years ago today, one of my most dear friends was murdered by her ex-husband.

Everyone knows life is precious and fleeting, but these events sucker-punched me.  There were things that had been left unsaid, regrets, and ‘should-haves’ and the weight of them felt terrible.  We came to realize that while we had a great life, we weren’t actually taking advantage of what it could be.  It became painfully clear that despite the best of plans and the most careful of arrangements, it can all be gone in an instant.  We took a good long look at ourselves and asked, What is it that we dream of?  Why don’t we follow that dream and see where it goes?

That burning passion that writers and artists and athletes have for what they do?  Well, I don’t exactly have that, but the thing that burns inside of me says take the chance.  So we did.

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Photo Friday – Wine Tasting near Santiago, Chile

30 Mar

The cellars at Concho y Toro

There are many great wineries in the area around Santiago, Chile.  You can take public transport to Concho y Toro, just 45 minutes outside of Santiago’s city center by a combination of subway and bus and spend the day sipping wine on their lovely patio.  The tour of their grounds was lovely, and we particularly enjoyed seeing the huge cellars filled with barrels and bottles.

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Packing List Part 5 – Bags

27 Mar

We’ve made it to the final installment of the packing list series!  If you haven’t checked them out already, head over to our “Things We Carry” page and check out the rest of our lists – ‘Clothing’, ‘Medical and Toiletries’, ‘Electronics’ and ‘Miscellaneous Gear’.

We’ve got to carry all that gear around in something, so our final list is dedicated to the bags in which we carry our stuff!  We brought a mix of old comfortable bags, and new ones bought specifically for this trip.  This is the only gear category in which we are completely satisfied with everything we brought.

Head on over to the new page to check out our Gear Bags.

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Photo Friday – 7 Super Shots

23 Mar

We’ve decided to try and be more diligent about sharing pictures of our journey, so from here on out we will have a regular Photo Friday post.  We’re starting with a nice little travel meme, “7 Super Shots” started by HostelBookers and passed along to me by Nod ‘n’ Smile travel blog (check it out, they are in the final stages of the planning process and will be heading out soon!).  This meme is very straightforward – select 7 photos that fit into 7 categories and then nominate 5 others to share the same.

Since we are on the road, we’ve chosen only from pictures that we’ve taken on this journey.

A photo that…

1) Takes my breath away

Justin in the Andes at Macchu Pichu, Peru

We had gotten up long before dawn to make our way up to Macchu Pichu before the sunrise.  As day broke, the mist that had settled in the valleys overnight began to shift, rising and flowing up through the Andes.  It was a moment of such unexpected beauty that it really did take my breath away.

2) Makes me laugh or smile

Dianna Arroz. Of course.

I mean, how can you not laugh or smile at this?!?! We were grocery shopping in Bariloche, Argentina when we came across this marketing gem.

3) Makes me dream

Sunrise at Deception Island, Antarctica

I still cannot find the words to describe how incredible Antarctica is.  It really is the most beautiful, almost magical place we’ve ever been.  We got up at 4am so we could witness the sunrise on our final day of landings.  Watching the sun break the horizon that day, I felt like anything was possible.

4) Makes me think

Local woman near Maras, Peru

We took this picture on our way to see the salt ponds of Maras, in Peru.  The juxtaposition of this woman with the beauty salon advertisement, in the background (notice that the model is a blonde woman) makes me think about what happens when the modern and the new crashes into the traditional.

5) Makes my mouth water

Olives at the market in Arequipa, Peru

We LOVE local markets.  We can spend entire afternoons wandering around and sampling food, eating little bits of everything there is to offer in lieu of a real meal.  These olives were so perfect that I can almost taste them as I’m typing this…

6) Tells a story

Shaman during a wedding ceremony in Ollantaytambo, Peru

We were blessed with the chance to attend a local wedding during our stay in Ollantaytambo, Peru.  The traditional ceremony was performed by a shaman, and while we couldn’t understand the language much at that point, the beauty and the purpose of the ceremony came through very clearly.  At this point, a young girl had just come into the ceremony site with a bag of fresh milk.  The bride and groom’s families took turn offering the milk, and some wine, to the four directions, after which the wine was poured by the bride and groom and shared with all in attendance.  It was one of the most mystical things we’ve experienced, and we feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.

7) I am most proud of (a ‘National Geographic shot)

Glacier in Paradise Bay, Antarctica

It was hard to not choose pictures entirely from Antarctica for this challenge because it’s just so easy to take great photos there!  For me, this one just leaps out every time we sift through the tons of images from that trip.  Our zodiac cruise around Paradise Bay was one of the highlights of the cruise because we had absolutely perfect weather and, as you can see, totally still waters.  As our zodiac made its way closer to this ice hunk, a piece of it collapsed and sent huge chunks of ice crashing into the ocean, a reminder of the ever-changing landscape in Antarctica.

And now…I’d like to see 7 Super Shots from

Happy To Be Homeless

Fluent in Frolicking

Ric and Roll

Adventures in Nature

Click. The Good News.

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