Early days in Uruguay

I have tried several times unsuccessfully to post some pictures from the last few days, I think the fact that I am in the middle of nowhere may contribute a bit. So I am going to post without pictures just stories. Pictures will follow.

Mara and I took a ferry across the river (Rio de la Plata) to Uruguay arriving in Colonia de Sacramento. We immediately hopped on a bus to Montevideo (the capital city) where we caught another bus to Punta del Este. We were hopping to be able to relax for a few days in one spot and hopefully by a quiet beach. Unfortunately Punta del Este was not for us, it seemed more like Miami and less like a quiet beach on the Sunshine Coast in Australia that we had been looking for. We stayed one night at our hostel in Punta del Este walking around the area and checking out the beach a bit.

On Sunday we woke up and headed down to the beach for a bit before we moved on to another town further north Punto del Diablo. After a bit of trouble with transportation we arrived and were immediately in love. The town is spread out on a hill overlooking three beaches. The streets are only dirt, no traffic lights, no atms and it was exactly what we were looking for. We are staying in a hostel started by a 25 year old American from Wisconsin and it is great. On our second day a friend of mine had heard that you could pick your own mussels one beach down, so we headed down there to pick our own. An experience I have never had before for sure!

We have spent our days hanging out on the beach, wandering through the town, trying a few restaurants. Yesterday we walked north of the town to a beach with less than twenty people total, it was great. Heading back to the hostel, I was able to snag one of the hammocks out front and read my book as well as chat with a few others.

Last night Mara and I along with a few others walked up the hill behind town exploring new parts, we saw donkey carts and horses literally grazing wherever it pleased them. The sun was beginning t o set and the lighting was gorgeous, it was one of those moments that make travel worthwhile no matter how aggravation it took to get to that exact moment.

We splurged and went out to dinner at a restaurant in town with a few others from the hostel. One of my favorite things about travel is the people you meet. Last night at dinner I sat between a German psychiatrist and a Canadian boat Captain. Great conversations and awesome food, was a great way to end a beautiful day on a deserted beach.

We are staying here for another night and then off to Montevideo I think for a few days tomorrow.

First Days, Buenos Aires, Spanish blunders, etc.

Mara and I arrived in Buenos Aires on Tuesday morning after flying through the night from Philly via Chicago. Once we landed we hopped on a public bus. The great part was that it only cost 1 Argentinian Peso ($1 USD = 3 Pesos) and we were able to see a lot of the city. The downside was that it took almost three hours but all the same a great introduction to Buenos Aires. We had booked a hostel in Palermo which is the Italian section of the city, it is full of pizza places, beautiful parks and fashionable shopping areas (we had no idea at the time). We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city looking at the architecture and taking everthing in.
We then spent both Wednesday and Thursday walking around as well, almost magically landing upon great sites.

On Thursday and Friday night we stayed with a couch surfer, Florencia. It was a great experience to be able to talk to an Argentine and see what life is like. She lived in a typical middle class neighborhood just blocks from her parents, spending her days working for an engineering company as assistant. On Thursday night I was able to go out to dinner with her and her friends it was a great glimpse into Argentine life seeing their interactions and social customs. We ate dinner at 12 am and stayed up until 4 am, they all had to work the next day too! She was great guide and we hope to be able to meet up with her again. (Couch surfing for those who don´t know is when people allow travellers to sleep at their homes, meet up for a coffee or even get a tour of a city for free, check it out by going to www.couchsurfing.com)

Buenos Aires in my firs four days is unlike any other city I have travelled to. It has such a sense of Spanish and Italian culture and architecture at times while also maintaining a feeling of latin America. For example in Buenos Aires, dinner is normally eaten after 10 p.m. most nights for young people it is not until 11 or even 12. The architecture is unique in South America, I literally cannot believe I am not in Rome many times. While at the same time there are many things Latin American such as the prices and many of the foods such as Empanadas.

Below is a street in the section of Buenos Aires called La Boca, it is famous for brightly colored buildings. Originally settled by Italians from Geneo, it is a traditional middle class neighborhood.
Casa Rosada is the building which houses the executive branch of the Argentine government. There are almost always protests outside in the Plaza directly infront of it making for an exciting site. It is also a central public transit location which we found great for people watching.
A church that Mara and I found nearby our hostel, it is definitly not the ornate nor the most famous we have seen just one that caught my eye, maybe it was because it was our first day or light. At any rate I liked it.
Correo Central is below and it is another government building, it is one of the original. I have been told by some that Evita Peron used to give speeches off one of the balconies but I am not totally sure.
This is the subway or the subte. I found it to be the best way to get around B.A. It was cheap, fast and a great way to see the non-tourist side of the city. This train took us out to Florencia"s (i cannot find the apostrophe on this keyboard). The train cars on her line were still wooden with great bech seats also made out of wood, nothing like the orange line for all you SEPTA goers, sorry!
A street corner near the Plaza de Mayo in the center of the city.
Mara, myself and Florencia out to dinner in Palermo at an Italian restaurant, many of the dishes had the same names but were prepared and served differently than at home. It was still a great meal.

Next up on the adventures of Pia and Mara is Uruguay. We are staying for the week and then heading back to Buenos Aires for some more Argentine adventures, stay tuned!

Central Pa.

Philadelphia in January

Tif's Birthday

Australia

Almost every year my mother, sister and I fly to Brisbane, Australia to see our family and friends. We arrived on Christmas morning and had a fabulous trip. However in un-Australia style there was very little sun, but we still had a great time!

My family's home is nestled into a rainforest mountain with views of the ocean.

Waterfall with little water...strange because there was heaps of rain while we were there.

Woodford Folk Festival

Pretty much one of the best places on earth. We brought in 2008 with an excellent time.
The grande stage packed, we often sat behind on the hill.

Cousiness at our campsite which was conveniently/not conviently located right next to/on a stream. We wondered why no one else had grabbed this flat campsite.....

Silly people but notice the stream in the right hand side of the picture.


New friends, lots of smiles and laughes.
The mud pit that was Woodford.



Family Time.

Pretty much the only family picture from our entire trip.

Five cousins in a photo booth, sorry Jake eyes closed.

Andy Warhol exhibit, his favorite color was silver.

Cairns, Daintree National Park
I spent a few days exploring a country I call home but rarely get to explore.

The Daintree National Park is the oldest rainforest in the world.

Cape Tribulation, the first point where Captain Cook landed in Australia. It was only the begining of his trouble, hence the name.

An old hotel in downtown Cairns, so typical of old school bush towns in Australia.

Cairns is on a highly tidal river, here it is a low tide.


New friend Lisi from Austria.

New travel friends.

Pretty Australia

Birthdayness

My 23rd birthday was this week. My friends and I went bowling. We had a blast! Our bowling scores were dismal but our mood was great!

mmmmmm big cookie!
My lovely friends Regina and Ann Marie

Lots of Colors

Team bowling

I told you we were pretty awful, notice the difference between the scores on the screens. They were all friends of mine but the level of talent varied completely.