Last post from Ecuador!

So today is our last day of our vacation - so sad =( Its been a fun 3 weeks with lots of ups and unfortunately a couple of downs. Actually its been almost 5 weeks for me but time flew by so quickly. The thought of going back to school is horrifying though and I don´t think I remember anything about the oral cavity right now! The first week back will be very interesting!

We came back from Banos this morning which seems to be a vacation spot for Ecuadorians. It has several natural hot springs and a lot of spas in town! So you can only guess what I spent the day doing - Beautify-ing myself! Since it was so damn cheap and I couldn´t decide what services to do, I basically decided to do them all! The day started off with a eucalyptus (sp!) steam, body scrub, milk and rose water bath, fruit body wrap, body massage and then a facial! But that wasn´t enough so this morning I went to the spa in our hotel for a manicure and pedicure! So much fun! In case anyone ever decides to go there, stay at the Sangay Spa and Hotel NOT Hotel Palace like the lonely planet suggests - we stayed at both and Sangay was much nicer.

If we had another day, I really wanted to go Swing jumping which is a less intense bungie jumping but we didn´t have time and Adam didn´t want me to do it. I chose the spa over extreme sports! Now your question must be, what the heck was Adam doing while I was spa-ing it up?! He basicallly was in the room with me reading a book for over 3 hrs and didn´t complain at all - what a good boyfriend! I tried to convince him to join me for some services but he´s burnt (yes, i know - how do brown ppl burn?!) and he hates other ppl touching him so no massages.

Today we are back in Quito and just chilling out before our 2nd dance class and our flights are at 6:30 am so it will be a super early morning and I fly to Toronto and Adam is flying to Calgary so its gonna be a long ass 15 hours. See you all when I get back!

Capital of Ecuador

So Quito is a pretty cute city and way more modern than any of the cities in Peru! Its very American-ized esp compared to Peru and Brazil but then again, there is no Ecuadorian currency - they use American dollars which is so odd but sometimes you get a mix of Ecuadorian coins and american coins for change. Who knows - random.

We did a whirlwind of sightseeing today - went to check out the Historic centre, the view from a famous monument and we went to the centre of the world - actually! There is a spot just outside Quito that is at the equator, where you can be in two hemispheres at the same time! Yes, its geeky but its a touristy thing to do so we went.

The most interesting part of our day was taking a private salsa class at a Dance school in the Mariscal district of Quito - we have a long way to go but we are signed up for another class with the same teacher on Thurs when we get back from Banos, which is a city known for its spas and hot springs! Should be a relaxing few days!

Tarantulas aint got nothin on Peruvian Muggers

Thank god we are okay after the worst minute of my entire life. We arrived in Tumbes, which is at the Peru and Ecuador border. On our way to the bus station really early in the morning, we got attacked by two Peruvian guys who jumped out of a Tuk-tuk (like the ones in Thailand). I barely remember what exactly happened but they jumped out of a moving tuk-tuk and tried to grab Adams backpack. Adam basically fought one of the guys off who might I add the most impt detail - he attacked Adam with a knife to his face. It wasn´t a pocket knife - it was almost a machete. The most vivid image is of the two guys just standing and staring at us as they ran back to the tuk-tuk after Adam fought them off. I think the second guy pushed me over bc i got up from the ground but it all happened so fast that i barely remember. Holy shit - it feels like a dream now that i´m writing about it...like it never actually happened. We are still wondering how something worse didn´t happen and how we managed to keep all of our possessions. The bag that they went for had most of our money and passports bc it was so early that we hadnt put our money belts on yet. Then to make matters worse, the precisely planned journey to Machala, a city in Ecuador was ruined b-c the stupid bus company did not follow there bus schedule online and we had yet another journey across the border bc we had a plane to catch at 10:30 am and the bus (safest option) wouldn´t get us there til 12. We were willing to screw the flight but the reason it was booked that way was b-c it was the only one that day and its a small city and small ass airport. Well, all and all we are both safe and sound and there is no need to worry. So much for brazil being such a dangerous place - I have heard first hand stories about worse things happening in Peru from various travellers, so we are just glad that it wasn´t as bad as it could have been. While others are getting engaged on vacation, we are getting mugged!

Ne ways, prior to all this, we spend 3 nights in the Amazon jungle along the Tambopata river which is a tributary of the amazon river. Well, what can I say..I had looked forward to the amazon since I learned about it in elementary school and was especially excited to see toucans in the wild! However, it was much different than expected and we were looking forward to getting away from all the fricken creapy crawler critters of the jungle! Yes, we saw tarantulas but not in our lodge (thank god!). We saw a bunch of different birds, monkeys, white camon alligators, snakes (no vipers or boas) but little snakes and a few other animals. However, compared to an african safari, which of course i am aware is COMPLETELY different, there were far fewer animals to see. It was a good experience overall but not sure if its a must-do in Peru. We met some really nice girls from the US which made the 4 days more enjoyable and our tour guy was cool - JACKSON! He was fricken hilarious and we learned more about Peruvian ppl in those 4 days than I learned in 2 weeks. However, my view of Peruvians is now tainted after our experience this morning.....

We are now in Ecuador, safe and sound, in our nice comfortable hotel esp in comparison to our jungle lodge where there wasn´t always reliable power and water and a daily run in with some ugly bug in the bathroom or spider greeting us at our door. Quito is cool so far but we are really paranoid which I hope will fade. Hope everyone is keeping well....

Wow and wow again

We just back from our Machu Pichu tour and all I can say is Wow! Pictures do not do justice to this crazy ancient Inca city..it was crazier than both of us expected. It is surrounded by beautiful lush jungles in between several mountains. The city itself it at a high altitude but you can hike up and get the ¨postcard¨views of Machu Pichu. Right when you get there, you see exactly why its one of the Seven wonders of the world and the fricken early morning was so worth it! Early means we got up at around 4 am and were waiting in line by 5 am for the first few buses to Machu pichu from the neighbouring town. We got just before sunrise which is the best way to see it b/c the ancient Inca worshiped the Sun and it was built stratigically. The arcitecture is amazing and it is mind blowing how they could have built something with so many stones. They think that it took 94 years to build and is earthquake, flood and landslide proof.


To get better views, you can do several alternative hikes after your guided tour. The most popular is Wayna pichu, which is where you climb a small mountain next to Machu pichu to get cool views of it but its the busiest and they restrict the number of ppl on it. We decided to do another one called Inkatipu (or something like that) and its a hike that connects with the Inca trail. View from the top near what they call the Sun gate is the typical view you see in postcards.

Ne ways, you just have to see `Machu pichu for yourself one day. Its so beautiful that a guy in our tour group proposed to his girlfriend at sunrise. It was very public but cool nevertheless.

We met a bunch of random ppl - we spend a lot of time with two ppl in our tour group - an American and an Aussie. And speaking of Americans, we starting talking to the most random group of ppl in the Hot springs in the town that is closest to Machu Pichu. We met this guy who has been in movies with Michael J Fox, Al pacino etc but I swear me had Gynecomastia..I love that word - it basically means he had Man boobs and him and his likely gay friend were talking about how they could get steriods in peru to bring back to the states. Ne ways, I guess you just had to meet these characters. I still haven´t writen about Cusco but I have to go pick up my laundry from the lady who I am positive is ripping me off! Off to the jungle tomorrow

Lake Titi-kaka!

Hmm...I haven´t posted in a while but there is too much to say in one post. From Puno, we went on a Lake Titikaka tour early morning with the other herd of tourists. Lake titikaka is basically a lake that is shared by Peru and Bolivia and there are a bunch of islands that the native Peruvians live on. The first islands we visited were so random..the locals BUILD the islands every 10 years or so with some straw-like substance and other randomness. The islands are like 2 metres thick and when you walk on them, it feels like you going to fall through. Not really sure why ppl live there, but interesting to see. Then they took us to another island which was a bit more normal but they have been so affected by the tourists. No one knows English but they know two words: ¨Photo¨ and ¨Tip!¨ They basically want you to pay them for taking a picture of them and the kids will run into your pictures when you´re taking pictures of the scenery. It was cool to see and we met a nice couple from New york. They weren´t typical New yorkers/Americans..they live in Queens and are really cultured and the funny thing is that they share the same general view of America as the rest of the world does. We had dinner with them in Puno as well..CHIFA! In the Peru, that means a Chinese food restaurant which was a nice change from Peruvian food. I barely eat Chinese food in Canada but somehow we managed to eat it here! For those of you who tell me I´m too small, you´ll be happy to know that I´ve GAINed weight on vacation not lost weight - no calorie counting this trip!

3 cities in Peru in 4 days

So we have already been to the capital city, Lima, Arequipa, which is known as the White City and Puno. My first day in Lima was pretty random - spent a lot of the day buying things that I had forgotten with my sis or buying warmer clothes and explored the Miraflores area. Parque Kennedy is actually a really nice place and the waterfront area is really nice! Its too bad that Adam and I found that area an hour before we had to catch our overnight bus to Arequipa.

Adam greeted me with a huge beard and a shaved head - yuck! I hate both of those and probably tell him everyday - lol. (Adam´s insert - it looks hype). We hadn´t seen each other in a month so it was nice to see him after so long. We only had the day in Lima so we went to the historic centre which was really pretty. There was some kind of gov´t event going on so you had all these policemen with big ass shields and tanks of pepper spray or something just like you see on tv, snipers on the roofs and huge tanks around the buildings. We were kinda hoping that there would be some ruckass but there wasn´t.

The buses here are ridiculous! I guess security on buses is sometimes an issue in Peru and if you go with a cheaper company, they stop randomly on the way to pick up more passengers and therefore, often get robbed. Not to mention that Adam told me about that crazy bus murder right before we were going to the travel agent to buy our tickets. So the company Cruz del Sur fricken takes a video of you before you get on the bus, while you´re on the bus, has a baggage claim and check like at the airport, metal detectors, etc etc. And they give you food that isn´t too bad but you´re paying for the service, I suppose.

Arequipa was really cute with tonnes of white cathedrals and convents. The arcitecture is actually really well maintained although they start to look pretty similar after a few. Adam has low tolerance for some of the sightseeing esp the convent that we visited! Food has been pretty good so far - tried some ceviche, which is basically a fish dish, and Alpaca meat, which is like a small llama. Adam did not really want to order it but I´m always up for trying new things and it was actually pretty good. (Adam´s insert) hold up hold up its cause the waiter said we were pretty much eating a baby llama and i wasn´t about to be encouraging that shit - the picture above is the baby llama that Sahra devoured (end of Adam´s insert - lol). The worst meal though was when we ordered pizza and they fricken used ketchup as the tomatoe sauce - was the nastiest thing ever.

Today we are in Puno which doesn´t have much to see but we are going to Lake Titikaka from here. For those of you who haven´t heard about this place, its actually called lake Titi- khaka. Supposed to be beautiful but its so fricken cold here. Right now we´re wearing toques and gloves - feels like November!

Ok - will post again from Cusco!

Last few days in Rio

I just got to Lima and I´m on my own for the day since Adam and I messed up our flights. I had organized an airport transfer so all is well so far. We´re staying in Miraflores which is where tourist are told to stay bc of the rest of the city is a bit dodgy. I will be the dudge of that when Adam gets here - not going to venture around too much on my own. Its so hard now to switch from the little bits of Portuguese that we learned to Spanish although Spanish is a million times easier to understand...close enough to French


So I´m sad that the Brazil part of my trip is over...it was fun travelling with my sister although she was a party pooper at times - lol. Love you Nadia! Well, lets just say that Nadia was probably looking forward to going home after venturing back to the hostel world. They messed up our booking and so we didn´t have a private bathroom but all in all, I´m glad we stayed there since we met a few cool people that we went out with on Friday and Saturday night.


Friday night was crazy! We went to Lapa with two New yorkers from our hostel. I have never seen so many ppl on the streets ever in my life - way more ppl than the full moon party in thailand! You will have to see pics to understand although we were hesitant to take too many pics since you always told to careful of pickpocketers there. Basically is what a huge street party with people playing samba music and people drinking and dancing in the street. There are a bunch of clubs too - we went into one after paying cover but it was makeout central and none of us could handle it. We left at 4 am but the guys we went with came home at around 7 or 8 am. Lapa definately lived up to its hype!


Earlier in the day fricken 9 am, we went on a favela tour of the largest favela in Latin america, apparently. We went to a lounge on thurs night (Melt) and came back late-ish so it was hard to concentrate on everything we were being told. The favelas were definately different from the touristy areas but not quite as bad as i expected which is a good thing of course since it means that the gov´t and private investors are providing more basic services to the ppl in favelas. We wanted our tour guide to point out some of the drug dealers that apparently make the rules for favelas but of course, we wasn´t going to do that.


For all you soccer/football fans, Maracana stadium in Rio is fricken massive! Apparently seats like 120 000 people. people were playing samba music, chanting from random anthem in Portuguese which of course we didn´t understand...nadia and I just started to make up the words to sing along - similar to what i do when i sing along with hindi songs! I´m not much of a soccer fan but it was cool to go to. We went this a tour but really it wasn´t violent or over rowdy like we were told - unnecessary to have a guide with you but oh well..better to be safe than sorry.


The trippy-est thing happened this morning though when I was leaving for the airport. As I was getting on the bus, someone yells my name. I thought I was hearding things bc who the hell do I know in Rio besides ppl from my hostel but it was the Aussies that we met in Salvador! It was the weirdest thing. We were wondering what happened to them since we were supposed to meet up but they just came a day later than they planned. I obviously haven´t talked to Nadia so maybe they hung out before she left.


All in all, Rio was not as close to as dodgy as the stories esp if you stay in Ipanema. Thank god nothing happened to us. Such a cool city though with a lot of things to do and a lot of culture. When Adam and i go back to Brazil (some other time), there will still be things that will be new for me or that would be cool to do for the 2nd time.

Sand buggy-ing and Pseudo-Ziplining!

Natal was awesome! We went on a Sandbuggy tour of the sand dune and beaches that surround Natal! It was a lot of fun! You basically drive around in a little buggy and go to different beaches, lagoons and stop at random places for random activities. Similar to the desert safari in Dubai but not exactly. At one point, we stopped at a place where you could go sandboarding down one of the dunes or sort of zipline from a dune and land in the water. It was pretty high so it was definately a bit scary but so exhilarating at the same time.

Nadia and I shared a buggy with another couple from the hotel across the street and luckily theyspoke English - thank God! They, too, were really sweet. No matter how nice or interesting a place is, the people you meet along the way is what makes it the most memorable. Guys are exactly the same everywhere - watching them interact was so funny esp since they were newly wed. I´d share some of the jokes but i think you just had to be there! Brazilians are alot like brown ppl - offer to share their food and drinks and are so generous!

Natal is much smaller and much nicer than Salvador. We´ll add it to my honeymoon destinations! Really cute beaches - some isolated and some busy. We stayed in the Ponta negra area which is the most happening area but generally its a chill city. Going back to Rio tmr to finish off the Brazil part of my vacation. We living in luxury again in Natal but back to the hostel world in Rio!

Famous Carnival City....

Well, lets say that first impressions weren't everything for the city of Salvador, a city in northern brazil in a state called Bahia. At first, its seemed like there was nothing to see and it was just a really smelly city - pakistan/thailand-ish with a very african feel. The more north you go in Brazil, the more african it gets and the south has more of a European feel. 

We are staying the Barra area of Salvador, which defiantely keep much less sketchy than the Pelouriho area of Salvador although that is where a lot of backpacker hostels are. The first night we were here, we roamed around our area and ended up having drinks (i.e. diet cokes for me) with a much of Aussies. I have never NOT run into Aussies - they love to travel! It was definately a very entertaining evening - they were hilarious! We might meet up with them in Rio b/c they will be there at the same time as us! We also met our 1st Canadian traveler while in Brazil. 

The next morning while sightseeing, we met two guys from our hostel who ended up being our tour guides for the rest of our days here! It was so great to have Portuguese speaking ppl to talk for us and bargain for taxis etc. Although they were boderline geeky and one reminded me of a family friend, Rahim Nazarali, they were such gentlemen and made the experience in Salvador that much better! This place is mostly known for its music - samba, funk and reggae. Last night we went to an Oludum concert which is a band that is featured in Michael Jacksons triller video. It was a really cool experience - the band was playing and a few members of the group would teach the audience a dance routine to go with the music. Sounds random probably but it was amazing! So roudy! 

The food here is awesome too and we definately tried a lot more of the local food b/c we had ppl to translate and recommend different foods. 

Gotta catch the bus to the airport so i will write again soon! sorry for bad grammer etc

Also, 

Fate....

So today is our last day in Buzios and we leave fricken early to get to the Rio airport for a 12 noon flight! Nadia is definately going to be grouchy! All in all, Buzios is super cute and I would even recommend it for a honeymoon spot as there are several different beaches - some secluded and some really busy. Yesterday we went to Ossus and Joan de Fernandes beaches. Both were a few minutes walking from our place but we took a boat taxi from Ossus to the Fernandes beach just for the experience. But speaking of the boat taxi, we shared one with this Brazilian couple that actually spoke English! They were super nice and helpful and interesting to talk to even though they were middle aged. Later on that evening, we saw all 4 people that we had spoken to in Buzios at the same restaurant, the couple from the boat taxi and the 2 americans that we met on the bus. The restaurant, Bananaland, is a type of Brazilian restaurant where you weigh you food. Interesting concept but buffets are more fun.

Today we went to a suffers beach called Gerrida and Nadia and I took a surfing lesson and then went surfing for an hour! It was so fun!! It was tricky at first but I got up on the second try! It was super fun and our teacher, Marco, was so cute! Although, it was tough to get better when most of the lesson was with actions as there was minimal English words exhanged! The reason for the title for my post is because we were worrying about where to keep our stuff while surfing, but on the way to the surf station, we saw the nice couple again who gladly watched our stuff for us! Considering that we knew four ppl, it was a convenient coincidence.

It funny but people ask us if we are Chilian, Bolivian or from Argentina b/c they apparently have darker skin. It confuses ppl when we tell them we are from Canada but oh well.

Ne ways, off to Salvador in northern brazil tomorrow!

From a 5 star hotel to a Guesthouse...

We just got to Buzios, a little beach town 3 hours from Rio. (sorry for the lack of capitals, the shift button is stuck on this keyboard!) it gets dark really early here - like at 6 pm so when we got to buzios it was already dark. looks like a super cute place though - reminds me of how cute ios was with its cobble stone streets and little boutique shops. we met two american guys on the bus who were super funny. whenever you hear people speaking english, its like khushali as nadia said (a big deal) b/c its very rare. We were rescued by english speaking people - at the bank and at the bus stations. We got a really cool taxi driver on the way to the bus station and Nadia was practicing her portuguese with him - he laughed at us a bit but was super helpful. nadia asked in portuguese and he answered back in english - a very good exercise for both parties involved!

so the place we are staying at is really the most literal translation of a guesthouse. its called Zen-Do guesthouse. its super cute but wow what a change from a hotel. well, this is what psuedo-backbacking is all about! the lady speaks perfect english and its so funny too. i~d share stories but i think you just have to be here. i am currently typing on HER computer. i believe there are only three rooms and she is cooking us breakfast in the morning! should be a very intimate stay!

all in all, our first few days in rio were pretty good. nadia complains alot about the buses and insists we take a damn taxi everywhere so we compromise. no muggings, shootings, rapes that i~ve heard of so we will continue to keep our fingers crossed for our last 3 days in rio! there is a lot of security everywhere especially in our area. copacabana definately felt a bit sketchier and whenever i saw a bunch of kids, i would get paranoid bc of all the stories we heard before we left. im glad we are taking in ipanema and would recommend it to anyone who goes to brazil in the future. copacabana has some crazy nice hotels like copacabana palace hotel - basically where all the stars and rich people stay. in fact, im pleasantly surprised as to how nice the people are when you can communicate with them - esp people in the clothing stores, etc. brazilian fashion is also very cool - definately ahead of us.

we did our first major sightseeing trip today. we went to see one of the new seven wonders of the world - christ the reemer on top of corcovado mountain. in order to get there, you can hike for 8 hours (nadia cañt even handle the bus, hike for 8 hrs?! i dont think so - lol), take a tram or a private van/taxi. we opted for the tram that takes you through one of the only urban rainforests. the statue itself is crazy! its so big and pictures jsut dont do it justice! apparently its 40 metres tall and 700 tonnes. a lot of fricken tourists, as expected, including a group of french men who each wanted to take a picture with me and then would put my name is a song, that they would casually sing as they walk by us a few times. "oh Sahra.....!"

ne ways, off to bed. will write again soon. gotta work on my tan tmr and learn some more portuguese! Chow!

First few days in Brazil

Greetings from Rio! My sister and I have been here for a couple of days although we were damn tired after ou a long ass plane ride. We are staying in Ipanema, which is an area in Rio famous for its beachest. We went this morning but the weather wasn't the greatest so we went on a gem tour instead! Yes, very random but probably not as random as going to a yoga class in Paris. The company is called Hstern and a lot of stars where there gems. Told Adam I was looking for an engagement ring to scare him although I am totally kidding.

The beach reminds me of Barcelona where there are random people trying to sell you things and yell out there random chymes. The famous one from Barcelona was "Coca-cola, Fanta, my friend..."Here unfortunately we can't even understand what they are saying! No on speaks English and we really don't know any Porteguese - so far its been all sign language and gestures!

Last night we went to a famous Brazilian steakhouse called Porcua. It was really really yummy! Fresh beef, lamb, veal, chicken and sausages come fresh off the bbq and are carved at your table! This place is every guys dream!! Our favorite was the fillet mignon roasted with parmeson cheese! Mmmm! It was a meat and seafood lovers paradise! Do NOT ever try chicken hearts! So nasty! Although it was super yummy and cool experience, we almost cried when we got the bill (not just me, Nadia too!). The good thing was that the workers at the restaurant spoke english and were waiting at you like it was no body's business! I mentioned to Nadia that I wanted a new plate and in 3 secs, a guy overheard and had a new plate and cutlery!

After dinner, guess where we went - Mango of course!! Meena, Soph and I were addicted to that store in Europe and could not pass it by. However, it is even more expensive than in Canada so it looks like there will be minimal shopping for me!

We are off to a beach town tomorrow called Buzios which is supposed to be like the Ibiza of Brazil but its winter right now so won't be as busy! Winter though means its 25 degrees celsius!

Pre- South American Adventure

Well, I am about as surprised as you are that I have started a blog. I never thought this day would come but after looking back as Meena's blog from our Eurotrip last year and enjoying reading about the random moments, I decided that this would be the best way to "keep a journal". I hope I continue to do it when I am away and not pull a "Sophia!" Meena and Sophia both know that I was terrible at keeping a journal or I was writing about the previous week. Although this trip will be shorter and quite different, I am super excited to visit yet another continent of the world! After this, I will only have Australia on the list! I'm going to Brazil with my sister, Nadia and then to Peru and Ecuador with my boyfriend, Adam.

Planning this trip has definately been a pain in the ass and not as easy as Europe was and I'm not really sure what to expect but now that its only 5 days away, I really looking forward to samba dancing, jungle trips, visiting Machu piccu, trying new food and just experiencing a new culture! My sister and I will definately make a fool out of ourselves trying to speak Porteguese in Brazil but it will be an interesting experience! For all of you who are worried about us going to Brazil, don't worry - we will be safe! We are staying in a frickin 5 star hotel when we arrive in Rio so that everyones minds will be at ease, although Adam would have liked us to hire a body guard while we are there! And don't worry, I'll try to minimize my calorie counting for Nadia and Adam's sake!

Feel free to post comments and/or email as usual while I am away!