Phil's Worldwide travel in 2023/2024

 Hey peeps! So i went to the famous Igauzu falls, UNESCO world heritage sites. I took a plan from Buenos Aires. On the Argentina side there are regular buses going there, you don't really need a tour, but it also kinda makes things a bit smoother, although on both sides, the guides really don't tell you much at all (unless you are with the Spanish speaking group). I did opt for the English speaking group as there was only 6 of us so a little more intimate. I went with Nordic tours, they really didn't say much to prepare (bringing an umbrella if it is going to rain, as well as a Ponchu). There is a boat ride which is a MUST but you will get completely soaked and should consider wearing a bathing suit. There is a hotel IN the Brazilian side of the park and apparently they give you an early morning tour. In terms of food, https://theargentineexperience.com/ is available in BA and Iguazu, I've heard such good things, this was amazing and a MUST do in Argentina. I'm pret...

 So I've been in Buenos Aires for about 2 weeks, it's been pretty good despite my Spanish classes and photography classes being quite the flop. Pros of Buenos Aires. 1. Very beautiful city with so many amazing parks and green space, everywhere felt like Trinity Bellwoods on steroids 2. Great cafe, pastries, lattes and EVERYWHERE has wifi (that almost always works). 3. Lots of restaurants - good variety that are often open very late, very new-yorkish 4. People are very friendly, helpful Cons: 1. Usually gotta carry cash on you, and when i went to western union, they only had 500 dollar bills which is 1.4 USD, sooo this ends up being a lot of bills! The highest bill they have is 1000. So you feel cool but actually aren't holding a lot of money. 2. Things start late, dinner at 9-10 pm is normal for most people, and they go to bed late... buuut wake up at 8, so I guess everyone is just sleeping less. 3. The accent here has been the hardest for me out of all Spanish speaking pla...

Rolled up to Buenos Aires, weather is perfect, prices are cheap, people are friendly! I started off with a free walking tour Guru tour. It was great, a bit intense but a great way to see the city. Cash is king here, so people go to Western Union to get stacks of Cash - the key is going to the main branch and 20 min before opening (I went on a Monday and didn't wait!). Although, ideally is to come with 100 USD bills to get a great rate. We got a great introduction to how the city has a lot of architectural influence form Europe as well as Italy. Apparently this street was directly copied from a street in (I think Sweden? eeks). My airbnb in Palermo, 50 Canadian a night, has a balcony, heating and air conditioning decent kitchen, lots of light! The crew! I hosted people at my place, my Bolivian and Brazilian friends. At the restaurant they take a photo and attach it to one of your drinks. La Cabrera, so if you show up at 6:20 without a reservation, you can eat for 40% off, i had a so...

So I spent 4 days in San Pedro de Atacama, very simply on a recommendation from a German group in my Galapagos trip (you must go!).  They have some really cool stuff to do, definitely don't need more than 4-5 days, but I'm so glad I went. Below is the main street, it is loaded with tour place after tour place, they largely all work together, but function pretty well! In hind site, I would have gotten a package of 5 items or something. There is really no need to book more than a day or two in advance as there is so many tours going on. Most places do not have air condition, this place is hot and dry, very few places have internet, so you really need to be doing tours all day! This was Valle de la luna, often movies use this area to film on another planet as it kinda resembles Mars. You're welcome! Below is Baltinache, 2nd highlight as the water was so refreshing, super salty and therefore you float. This seems less salty then the dead sea in Israel so more tolerable. Geyser ...

My post on this got deleted :( so round two. Santiago has been quite fun, I've failed at most of the tour sites, San Cristobal hill, Gran Torre (tallest building) and not being able to get into Bocanariz - cool wine bar that has tastings and good food. I did a solid tour of Alyan winery. Although it costs 40,000 pesos, I paid 90 with a tour which is mainly for transportation. 95% of people there were Brazilians, interesting they can understand Spanish, but I can't understand their Portuguese, so sometimes it's a one way convo.. am I bad person if this doesn't bother me too much? :P Me these guys in my tour group, interestingly both docs (surgeon and neurologist), and we have the same itinerary for the next ~10 days! Our wine tour consisted of 6 tastings, different presentations, watching the sunset, and finished with a nice meal. I would HIGHLY recommend this. Below was a tour to Cajón del Maipo. Some beautiful views, but I don't tend to like the trips where you all...

 I've been setting up shop in Santiago, Chile. Although Chilli on the first 2 days, now its 22-25 during the days! It's been nice exploring the city, some pretty cool areas like Bellavista (lots of really cool murals). My first two days I stayed in Providencia hostel, although a single room, just felt dirty and grungy! So I switched to an airbnb/hotel called hotel tinka which has been awesome! I've been using the "get your guide" app, can be hit or miss, my first two had cool people, but organization was awful. Below was part of a free tour (tours for tips) I had to ball out on top restaurant Boragó, it is the worlds top 50. Presentation certainly was top notch, but overall i left feeling a bit disappointed with flavour!  The famous clock at Viña del Mar I went to a language exchange "Santiago speaks" on Friday. Met some really cool locals. Chile is famous for a bunch of slang that other latin countries have trouble understanding. I didn't find it to...