Where I rest my head: Sur de America

As I prepare to depart South America after 3+ months, I can't help but feel bittersweet that the adventure is coming to an end. However, I am constantly reflecting on the amazing experiences, languages heard & learned, sights seen and friendships formed. Although, I've never been a complete homebody, one of the most challenging aspects of my trip has certainly been not having a home per say...but rather the clothes/things on my back (quite literally) and the excitement of finding home in the jungle, beach, mountains, desert, farm and city. It's also been some of the best parts of the trip as there has been such a variety of places I've stayed and the people, scenery and adventures at these places are what I will remember most and what has made each place feel like home if only for a few hours. Thus, a brief reflection on the final month of travel and "where I rest my head"....
note: some of the images are taken from the internet

Peru
Lima: Elio's apartment
Graciously, a friend of a friend let Sabrina and I crash at his place the night before we departed for Cusco. Located in the posh area of Miraflores, it was amazing to have our own apartment to call home for 24 hours.

Cusco: Loki Hostel, 2 nights before and after the Inca Trail Trek

Great staff, but more ideal for the traveler who wants to party until all hours of the night! The restaurant and bar on site and volunteer opportunities in the community are definitely highlights.

Inca Trail: Tent

 

Sleeping bags and camping tents were our home for 3 nights along the Inca Trail. Not ideal during a thunderstorm, but certainly an adventure!




Aguascalientes: Hotel Presidente
This simple hotel proved to be heaven after our 4-day Machu Picchu trek. Hot showers and a full breakfast were a plus!

  

Puno: Camino Real Hotel

Another simple hotel booked through our tour company, this was conveniently located to the main pedestrian street of Puno where the shops and restaurants were concentrated.










Amantani: Lucy's house
On the island of Amantani in the middle of Lake Titicaca, Sabrina and I huddled for warmth under massive blankets in the spare bedroom of our host, Lucy. A true Peru experience.

Brazil
Rio de Janeiro: Atlantis Copacabana Hotel
In Rio, I stayed with Erika and Ashley at this centrally located hotel steps from the beach and on the border of Ipanema and Copacabana. Although the staff wasn't the most helpful, the hotel was more than adequate and a treat for me, the backpacker!

Sao Paulo: I camped out for the night in my friend Paul's amazing apartment in the Campo Bello neighborhood. Such a treat and awesome to have a local host for the weekend. Too bad I didn't get any pictures!

Manaus: Gol Backpackers

This quaint hostel was an ideal location just outside the main square of Manaus and perfect spot for getting some rest before my tour in the Amazon.






Amazon: For two nights, I slept in one of the huts on the lodge property. My favorite part was the oversize hammock in the back, perfect for a siesta!

On the last night in the jungle, we camped outside in hammocks hung across a shelter, a little scary, but totally worth it.













Bolivia
La Paz: Hostal Estrella Andina

This was probably one of my favorite parts of my 24 hours in La Paz. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the city, this hostal was perfection. My new friend Tonya and I had an amazing private room and bathroom with the most comfortable beds I've experienced on the road.









Overnight bus to Uyuni

Following a packed 24 hours in La Paz, we boarded our 10-hour Todo Turismo bus for Uyuni to begin the Salar de Uyuni tour the following day. The bus company is new in Bolivia and is in answer to the terrible bus conditions that once existed, it's comparable to other coach bus companies in South America and was completely comfortable for the overnight ride....driving through death road on the other hand, not quite as comfortable...



Salar de Uyuni 3-day tour: Many people complain about the shelter conditions during the 3-day, 2-night tour of the Salar de Uyuni, but I found our company, Red Planet, to provide us with totally adequate accomodations, in fact more than comfortable.

Night 1

Night 2

Chile
San Pedro de Atacama: Backpackers Hostel
The Backpackers hostel just outside San Pedro's main town square was super chill and a great atmosphere for our 2 nights we stayed. Complete with a fire pit and hammocks for relaxing, the only downside was the cold showers and lack of water late at night.

Overnight bus to La Serena: we treated ourselves to Cama for the 16 hour ride, sooo comfortable!

La Serena: Hostal El Arbol
One of my favorite places of the whole trip. We only found and booked it the night before and it turned out to be a fabulous little B&B run by the nicest Chilean mother and her daughters. All the travelers were super nice and the rooms and beds were really comfortable, we contemplated staying longer as many of the others had...

Overnight bus to Santiago: Since the ride was only 6-7 hours, we took semi-cama (aka not a full recline seat) so it wasn't quite as comfortable, but totally doable for the quick overnight trip

Catemu: Eka Chakra Farm

During my stay at the Hare Krishna farm, Eka Chakra I was put up in a super comfortable room in one of the guest huts. Aside from the near freezing temperatures at night, it was super comfortable and very tranquilo

Santiago: Hostal Luna Calypso
For our first night back in Santiago, we stayed at this quaint hostal with a super-friendly staff. Located in the Providencia neighborhood, it was a great location to get situated for the weekend adventure with my friend Melanie.

Following our night in the hostel, we moved in to a friend's apartment in the Vitacura neighborhood for the weekend. The view from Andres' balcony was breathtaking and it was so nice to have an awesome local host in the city.

views of the city from Vitacura

For my final week in Santiago, I was taking additional classes at Ecela, so I moved back in with my host family that I had stayed with in February. It was nice to be back to a place I felt like I knew and spend my final days in a home. I am also pleased to announce that I had my first dream in "Spanglish" here during this week, certainly a monumental occasion to end the journey!

Where I rest my head: Valparaiso, Chile

Ever since I caught a glimpse of Valparaiso during my trip to Viña del Mar a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to return to explore more of what the beautiful coastal city had to offer. A friend at school, Anna, said she´d be up for joining me so we set out after classes on Friday for the 90 minute bus ride towards the ocean. Upon arrival we managed to navigate the public bus system and Ascensor up to the neighborhood of Cerro Concepcion where our hostal was located. Alas, the real adventure started when we tried to check in and there was no record of our reservation. When I pulled it up on my email, I realized I had actually booked us for Monday-Wednesday of the following week, perhaps it had been a late night before....regardless, they had space for us for the night in a mixed dorm room, which we happily took. My friend Will, who had previously lived in Valpo for a few years, had given me another recommendation for a hostal in the area, so we set out to find that one and ensure we had a place to stay on Saturday. Lucky for us, Will´s recommendation turned out to be this fantastic little place made up of all private rooms with balconies overlooking the harbor, we were ecstatic to have an awesome bed booked for the following night.

Where I rest my head:
Location: Hostal Casa Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile. This was a very adequate hostal in a perfect location on Cerro Concepcion. The staff is super friendly and helpful and we met up with a lot of like-minded travelers who wanted to explore the city and the nightlife together. The free breakfast int he morning is the best I´ve seen at any hostal, including scrambled eggs and juice!
Length of Stay: 1 night

Outside of view of Hostal Casa Valparaiso

Dorm room in Hostal Casa Valparaiso

Location: La Maison du Filou, Valparaiso, Chile. A very quaint and comfortable hostal with just 5 guestrooms also located on Cerro Concepcion, this was the perfect place to get a little more quiet and a really nice room while still on a budget. The manager was a bit odd at times, but super friendly and helpful all the same. It wasn´t social at all though, so we were happy to have made some friends the first night that we could hang with for the remainder of the weekend.
Length of Stay: 1 night

La Maison du Filou room with a view!

Aside from our hostal mishap, the rest of our trip continued perfectly. The weather was perfection and we spent both Friday afternoon and Saturday day walking though the city, exploring the amazing winding roads and spectacular street art, taking in the impressive views at the top of the Cerro´s and even setting out on a short boat ride around the harbor with some of our new hostal friends. We also had the pleasure of visiting one of Pablo Nerudo´s houses up in the hills of Valpo which they´ve turned into a bit of a museum complete with audio walking tour. Of course being next to the ocean ensures some delicious and fresh seafood meals. On Friday night, we treated ourselves to an awesome fish dinner and a bottle of wine at a restaurant we had read about in Lonely Planet, Caruso. The staff was friendly and the fish, baked in foil with tomatoes and onions was muy rico! On Saturday afternoon, we stopped for, yet, some more fish for lunch at a recommendation in one of the plaza´s near the Port. Saturday night, we really wanted to try to eat at this super trendy spot, Pasta e Vino, but being a budget traveler, and the fact that it is super popular and had no available reservations, ensured we didn´t blow our whole weekend´s $$ on the meal. Instead, we asked if we could sit at the bar for a glass of wine and entrada, which was perfect since we were able to chat with the bartender, take in the ambience and have more than enough to eat on a budget! Following dinner, we met back up with some new friends from our first hostal for a night on the town, which was a blast and I ended up being the only American in the group which was certainly a first, it was like the United Nations with friends from Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Chile all together... and like Santiago going out in Valpo means dancing until well past 4am....it was wonderful to have a lazy day Sunday to rest and enjoy some sunshine before heading back to Santiago for my final week....I can´t believe it, I´m so sad to leave but I know there are some amazing adventures upcoming!

winding streets filled with graffiti art

a fun boat ride around the harbor

out on the town!

Where I Rest My Head: San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

Hola from Nicaragua!

One of my wise, well-spoken and well-traveled friends, Tina, gave me some inspiring words before I left on my journey. She told me, "take pictures of all your homes and doorways, everytime they change, you´ll have a diverse montage of where you laid your head to rest and have documentation of where your dreams started to be in Spanglish." With these wise words, thank you Tina, I´ve decided to dedicate a brief entry to each new place I find myself sleeping at night, the places where my dreams stay open and within reach....

Location: San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Accomodation: Park Avenue Villas, private guestroom with bath. This quaint and comfortable hotel is run by a husband and wife team from Texas. Their hospitality transcends among all the guests and staff. When guests aren´t out on an adventure, walking through town or enjoying a nice meal on the beach, they can often be found chatting or enjoying a beverage and the spectacular panaromic view on the communal balcony (see sunset image above). Although geared to anolder adult tourist (most of the young surfers snd travelers are found in hostels around the town center or on the beach) this was a great place to stay and conveniently located in town and blocks from the beach. It´s no wonder my dad continues to call this hotel his home away from home each year.
Length of Stay: 5 relaxing nights