Villa Gisel and the Hippy Bus

Now back to Argentina where I have left our heroin hanging while in real time I have been working on my rise to fame at a radio station...

“How do you think you’re going to be a famous writer at this rate,” you may ask? Just read my blog and don’t worry about things like that! Now for the Argentinean coast Gringa Trail style...

I like to think my Spanish is pretty good but there I was in a car heading to an unknown location on the Argentine coast with no idea where I was going to be sleeping. All I knew was I needed to bring a sleeping bag and I was going to an Artesania feria. This lack of information is due to my inability to understand my friend Paula’s Argentinean accent over the phone and my stupid tactic where when I don’t really understand someone I smile and nod.

Not knowing where you are going always makes for a good adventure. My friend Max drove up and Paula’s brother came along for the ride. We passed around Mate in the car stopping several times to fill up the thermos with hot water and to curb our hunger with alfajores. The Argentines are somehow unaware that these chocolate covered biscuits with dulce de leche lack any nutritional value but are a popular meal replacement on long distance buses.

We arrived to a beach at 2:00am, I was exhausted but the Argies wanted to drink and eat...of course. They also tried to convince me to go out partying with Paula’s 20 year old brother but to the disappointment of the kid I just wanted to go to bed...or go to bus?

I finally discovered where I would be sleeping, in an old and very classic hippy van. Well I had always wanted to follow around some travelling Argentinean hippy types and document their way of life and this was finally my in, it doesn’t get any more authentic than this!

The next morning I decided to peruse the souvenir shops to discover where I was. Although I was unable to locate myself on a map I discovered I was in a beachside resort called Villa Gisel. Apparently this place is trendy and more upscale than Mar del Plata. There were no hostels to be seen and most properties are holiday rentals and resorts. The beach is a lot nicer than the photos I have seen of Mar del Plata and a lot less crowded. Set back away from the glitz and glamour of the shopping district with teenagers spending all of their Christmas money was the little neighbourhood where my hippy van parked at night with streets ankle deep in sand. We were parked in the driveway of the guy who owned the van and he had several artisans staying with him in his little house during the two month long Feria. They all made incredible and original works of art from glass work and jewellery to kaleidoscopes, paintings and tie-dye clothing.

During the day we would sleep in then spend the entire afternoon making lunch and eating it. The Argentineans packed up the hippy van (my bedroom) and set up their stalls at the feria for 5:00pm while I hung out on the beach and browsed the shops. At night I got to know most of the vendors and became the unofficial mate server, which in Argentina is a very important title!

In addition to the feria was an acrobatic cirque du solei-esque circus that I took in while waiting for my bedroom to return. I was also entertained by a cute painter who had a stall beside my friend Paula and turns out is also an elementary school teacher. It seems most Argentineans have some sort of artistic talent. My friend Paula has incredible talent with glass you can check out her work at:

http://burbujasvitrofusion.blogspot.com/

She works very hard for months to set up in ferias all over Latin America and even has sold her pieces in Spain and the USA. During my time on the coast and in Luis Guillon I got to know Paula quite well. She is such a lovely girl with a true bohemian soul. I was able to have a glance into the traveling Argentinean artisan’s way of life thanks to her and her friends who asked for nothing in return, in true traveller fashion though I left them with a full fridge of wine and beer as a thank you before I headed back to the city.

The Dreamer Hostel, Santa Marta, Colombia

I normally wouldn’t write about a hostel in a blog. I have learned while traveling to be very careful who I recommend a hostel to. One person’s palace is another person’s nightmare. The Dreamer hostel is different though because it was where I arranged to work.
Back in August I was surfing the net looking for information on Colombia and perhaps opportunities for work when I came across a forum. Some guy put up a post inquiring if he would be able to work in Colombia to stay longer. There were the usual replies from knobs such as, “you are not Colombian you can’t work there, why do you want to take job away from the locals”, or the usual English teaching job suggestions. Then I saw a reply from a hostel owner saying he will be opening up a hostel in Santa Marta Colombia in either December or January and is looking for staff. I replied to the hostel owner hoping he would forget this guy and hire me. We kept in contact since and I arranged to arrive in late February after Carnaval. On my way through Peru and Ecuador I tried promoting the hostel to help him out.
I didn’t know much about the hostel, only that is was somewhere in Santa Marta and the owner was Italian. I was a bit weary though because I had no idea what it was going to be like. I feared it was going to be one of those party hostels that you find all over South America. The bar is raging all night full of drunken Canadians, Aussies, Brits and the rests of the gringos. Girls are coming out in groups from the bathroom after having done lines of coke. People are shagging in one bed while coke is being dealt in another. A guy is so messed up on coke and drunk that he shits on a white pool chair.
I wasn’t sure what my new job was going to be but if it was going to be behind the bar I was afraid I would be the one feeding this mob and creating the disaster.
I left late from Barranquilla on a last minute decision and got on the last bus to Santa Marta. I got dropped off somewhere on the side of the road in the dark and the bus driver grabbed a taxi for me. The taxi driver had no idea where he was going and had to ask directions several times, we eventually got to The Dreamer Hostel. I was tired from the bus ride and from the week of Carnaval so I didn’t take in much of the hostel only that I was greeted by a very friendly attractive Italian who told me they had been waiting for me.



In the morning I was refreshed and able to discover the hostel and Santa Marta. It is beautifully designed with one storey colonial buildings surrounding a swimming pool. To one end is a guest kitchen with a bar yet to be established. Off of reception is a TV room with comfy couches and all the way around hammocks are hanging waiting for the tired traveller. It is a traveller’s paradise. The owners Fulvio and Miguel are young Italian guys who also share the passion for travel. They went on an around the world trip in 2006 for 18 months with the thought in the back of their minds to try and find a location for a hostel. They travelled the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, India, South East Asia and more countries but of all those places they fell in love with Santa Marta, Colombia. At the time as well there weren’t any hostels in Santa Marta. In the last year they have been popping up all over.
They have a lot of enthusiasm towards their hostel and pay a lot of attention to their guests. I haven’t seen hostel owners as helpful as them. I started out trying to organize them and make touristic information for the guests then I worked in reception. When we had a full house we made BBQs and on weekends we took the guests to the city centre to drink Aguardiente in the Parque De Los Novios and dance in the discos.



I was delightfully relieved that is was just the type of hostel I was hoping for. It reminded me of the hostel I worked in, in Mexico. It felt like home and the owners and employees felt like my family. The hostel is located in a neighbourhood outside of Santa Marta called Mamatoco, set amongst beautiful houses with grandmas rocking in their rocking chairs on their front porch trying to cool off from the hot Santa Marta nights where at midnight the temperature hovers at 35C.
The Buena Vista shopping centre is only 3 blocks away with a huge super market and at night you can get the best pizza in Colombia from a street side vendor for 2000pesos a slice ($1).
I would lie in a hammock by the pool of the hostel writing on my laptop in my bikini thinking to myself, Carrie Bradshaw had her location all wrong.



Check out my updated post about the Dreamer hostel; The Dreamer Hostel Santa Marta Six Months later

Why Peru: The Conclusion

After being in Peru for two months, I haven’t been everywhere by any means. Overall I spent one month in Lima, a bit too much but it was all worth it. I didn’t make it to the jungle, park Manu, the Nazca lines or Paracas and there are a lot of small villages I have yet to explore. However I am leaving Peru knowing why I came. If someone were to ask me, “why should I go to Peru?"I would now be able to fully answer that question of why Peru but it isn’t a simple answer.
You can literally find the whole world in Peru and there is something to suit everyone. The answer really depends on who you are talking to. Surfers should head to the north where there are endless beaches of perfect rolling waves. You can find Switzerland in the Cordillera Blanca with its snow capped mountains and aqua coloured lakes. There is the rich and mysterious Amazon jungle for the adventure seeker. Then there is Lima my home away from home. Lima is a massive city on the coast modern and bustling with life. My favourite neighbourhoods were Miraflores, Barranco and the Historic Centre. South of Lima was where I took up sand boarding in the Oasis of Huacachina with the most amazing desert I have ever seen. In the same region you can check out the Nazca lines, national park Paracas and the Ballestas islands. Indulge in some wine and Pisco tasting near Ica. You cannot forget the famous Machu Picchu, which is a must on every traveller’s list. If you an animal fan especially of the bird variety, park Manu is for you with its list of flora and fauna that includes 1,000 species of birds, more than 200 species of mammals, 13 species of monkey, a great variety of butterflies and 15,000 species of flowering plants. Have you always wanted to see the Grand Canyon? Well why not see one bigger in Peru, with hot springs, condors flying above and Oasis’s? Discover the highest lake in the world, Lake Titicaca with islands to hike on and floating reed islands to enjoy.
Peru isn’t just about the sights and tourist attractions though. I met a couple who told me they only wanted to spend two weeks in Peru. Two weeks?! I couldn’t believe it. They thought Peru was just a place to do treks. Obviously they hadn’t been to Peru yet. You need more time to learn about and take in the culture. The people of Peru and their story are amazing. I found Peruvians incredible friendly, warm and welcoming. They want to share everything with you and make sure you leave their country with a lasting positive impression.
If you have travelled Central America by the time you get to Peru you are probably sick and fed up of beans and rice. Don’t get me wrong I love Gallo Pinto but after 6 month of it you crave a change. The cuisine of Peru is up there with the best in the world. Peruvian food rivals with French and Japanese. Peru is actually the home of Ceviche and on a hot day sitting on one of Peru’s finest beaches there is nothing better than Ceviche and a beer. Tacu tacu is a fine Peruvian dish as well. I was lucky enough to stay with locals in Miraflores who wanted me to try every Peruvian dish possible. I always had a full happy belly in Lima. Not only can you find fantastic Peruvian food but in Lima there are some of the best chefs from around the world. You can eat fantastic Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, anything you heart desires Lima is serving only the finest.
Don’t let the Chileans misinform you, Pisco is the national drink of Peru and was invented there. There has been a long rival between the countries dating back before the Pacific wars. Chile also has a town called Pisco and claims it is theirs, but we know better. The liquor is very strong but when made into a Pisco Sour (pisco, lime, sugar, egg white and ice blended with bitters on top); it is a sweet, bitter little heavenly cloud in a cup that can get you very drunk.
You cannot forget my favourite soft drink, Inca Kola unique and original to Peru. The only company Coca cola could not beat out. Unfortunately when Coke lost the battle of sales with Inca Kola they bought them out. Inca Kola still stands to be a symbol of Peru.
I could literally go on forever about why you should go to Peru, the mountain climbing, rafting, rock climbing, ancient wonders, the music, the Afro Peruvian culture, the art, the markets and the people.
Come Peru for Machu Picchu but leave knowing so much more. My advice though is not just to read this. Don’t sit there and think wow that sounds amazing, I wish I could go. Come and explore and discover for yourself. The whole world awaits you in one country.

Little Corn Island, Nicaragua

Part of me wants to tell the whole world about this place but part of me wants to keep it a secret just like Bugs and Sal tried to do in the cult classic The Beach. I heard about Little Corn Island from my Dutch roommate in Mexico. She described an ultimate paradise with secluded white sand beaches, bamboo huts and coconut palms. After leaving Mexico to travel Central America, I had no travel route and no plans but I knew there was one place I needed to go; Little Corn Island.
Not a lot of backpackers make the trek to the Corns. You have two options: a flight from Managua which is quite pricey, the second is lengthy with unreliable boat and bus schedules and a possible stay in the coke capital of the Caribbean, Bluefields but the cheapest option. I made the journey starting in Matalgalpa with a 2 hours bus ride to Managua, 5 hours on a bus to El Rama where you catch a river boat to Bluefields, hoping it doesn’t break down along the way (which mine did). In Bluefields you take a 6 hour boat to Big Corn. These aren’t your Greek style island hoping ferry boats. Nope those were sold to Panama years ago. This is a small cargo boat with a few hammocks strung up in the back by locals and crates of vegetable and household products. The sea can be rough as well even for the best traveler. I lucked out with calm weather and the use of a hammock, swinging the 6 hour with nothing but blue water surrounding me. I arrived at Big Corn but knew where I was going, straight on a boat to Little Corn, which takes another hour.
The endless tiring travel is well worth it when you arrive on the paradise island that is Little Corn. It did not disappoint. I made a deal and got myself a cabana for a month. I shed my clothes, dumped my backpack and had my feet in the pure white sand. I was home.
There are no roads, no cars, a very small village which consists of a few tiendas, three churches, 2 dive shops, a few restaurants and a hotel or two. Throw in fishermen, hammock swingers and a reggae bar. It takes 10mins to walk from one side of the island to the other on a path through the forest. To walk the circumferences it takes about 2 hours.
Other travelers would ask me what you are going to do here for one month. They figured I needed to be taking a dive course or working to stay in one place for an entire month. I would spend my days lying on the beach, collecting mangos, cooking, talking to other travelers, taking walks, going to the village for food, swimming, laying in my hammock and reading books. Would you really want to do more?

Santorini, Greece

The island of romance and sunsets. As a young female traveler I was advised by the locals in Athens to skip Santorini and head to the party islands of Ios or Mykonos. I ignored them, as I do and went straight to Santorini on the 12 hour ferry. Once there I didn’t leave for 6 months.
This volcanic island has it all. For backpackers the beach village of Perissa is the best budget choice. It has two roads, the main road and the beach road. For accommodations check out either Anny’s studio or the youth hostel Ana. There is even a campsite for the extreme budget travelers. Be aware of August high season. The beaches are packed, the hotels are full and every moped on the island is rented out by the hordes of Italians that descend on the island.
Renting a moped or a quad is actually the best way of seeing the island. You are able to check out the beautiful Vlichada beach (dare to bare), the dramatic red beach, the light house, then check out the traditionally Greek villages in the interior such as Pyrgos. You can motor up to the Capital Fira and catch the sunset in Oia. Fira can be reached easily by bus from Perissa as well. It is a beautiful village with white washed buildings transcending the cliff. Supplies are still brought in by donkey. Check prices before ordering anything a Cactus juice will run you more than 10euros.

Travel agencies and hotels sell options to take a sunset cruise in the caldera and see the volcano, which is just a pile of rocks, no lava here. Not highly recommended. You can also take a wine tour but I advise going to a family run smaller vineyard rather than the giant. The Gavalas winery is a very good one and has been in the same family for over 400 years!!

Between Perissa and Kamari you have a massive hill in the way. If you look at it from a certain angle it looks like an Indian head laying down. On the top of his face is the ancient city if Thira. Built over 3000 years ago. A path leads up where you can check out the old ruins. It offers a nice hike with scenic views of the villages and Aegean, with free entrance to the site. (this could have changed).

As for the night scene on the island. You have big night clubs in Fira, night spots on the beach where the beautiful, the rich and the posers hang out Perivolous and the backpackers party place Perissa.

The Full Moon Bar and the Beach Bar have been rivals for years. Both are great just depends where you want to drink, on the beach or in a bar with a dance floor and a pub style porch.

Sex on the beach, Pina Coloda, Tequila Sunrise, Mythos, Amstel, Ouzo....you can have it all but watch out for the Rahki its a killer!!