Exploring South America

Have you ever had a picture inspire an adventure? For me, the answer is yes. And this is the picture...

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This is a photograph of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, covering over 4,000 square kilometers of the Bolivian high atlas. When the rains come in the spring, the salt flats flood and turn into a massive natural mirror. This picture inspired the boyfriend and I to book a trip to South America.

Here is our eleven day itinerary in Bolivia and Peru. We left from Newark airport very late at night and landed in La Paz, Bolivia in the very early morning. It was the start of a vacation of early wake-up calls! If you are looking for an action-packed trip to South America, check out our itinerary below. You will spend most of your time at altitude, with enough time to acclimate before the big hike to Machu Picchu!

Ten Day Itinerary in South America

Day 1: Flight from USA to La Paz, Bolivia
Day 2 (very early): Day to visit La Paz
Day 3: Early flight to Uyuni, Bolivia, join tour group
Day 4: Bolivian high atlas tour
Day 5: Return from high atlas tour, return flight to La Paz
Day 6: Death Road Bike Tour
Day 7: Flight to Cusco
Day 8: One day hike to Machu Picchu
Day 9: Tour Machu Picchu, return to Cusco
Day 10: Day in Cusco
Day 11: Return to USA

Come back next week for the start of my South America series. I'll be sharing some of my favorite experiences from the trip!

 

 

The Algarve Coast, Portugal

The summer sun has me thinking of sandy beaches. Last year to wind down the summer, the boyfriend and I headed to Portugal. We visited at the end of September, just missing the end of the busy season, and enjoyed a quiet few days on the ocean.

We flew into Lisbon and rented a car. It's a quick 2 and a half hour drive down to the Algarve Coast. Alternatively you can fly into Faro airport and you're right in the center of it all. Since we had plans to return to Lisbon for a few days in the city capital, it made sense for us to make the short drive.

We stayed at the Pine Cliffs Resort in the town of Albufeira. This hotel is situated on top of some seriously tall and beautiful cliffs. There is a beach located at the foot of these high cliffs that is accessed via stairs/elevator and a long wooden boardwalk. The sunsets from the beach were stunning or you could relax and take it in from the cliff-top hotel bar.

There are more things to do on the Algarve Coast than just sit on the beach all day!

You can hop in your car and drive to the beach at Vale Centeanes. There is a large parking lot where you can plan your day. You have two options - 1. Go chill on the beach, 2. Go for a beautiful hike! If you chose to go on a hike, grab your water, walking shoes and snacks and head to the right along the coast. You can follow the Seven Hanging Valleys" trail for about 6 kilometers and see some of the most breath-taking views.

There are other beaches to stop at along the way (and buy a Popsicle) or you can stop for lunch at a local place. We lost the trail a few times, but eventually made our way out and back. Then we relaxed on the beach!

If you feel like taking in some local wildlife, you can visit the Ria Formosa National Park. Honestly we were a little disappointed by this, but we did get to see a lot of pink flamingos and chameleons! The park is also near the town of Faro, which has some lovely buildings and a cute little town square.

Mostly, while in the Algarve you'll just want to drive around to different beaches and take in the sun. That's what vacation is about, relaxing, eating tasty food and forgetting about your worries. If you happen to visit Albufeira, I highly recommend this restaurant...

The peri peri chicken is amazing. We ate there three of four nights that we spent in Albufeira! Sorry the picture is so terrible, but believe me that the chicken is life changing.

Like any other beach destination in the summer, Portuguese beaches get packed in the high season. I would highly recommend you visiting when we did, since the weather was still beautiful. Start booking your travel now!

Hiking the Great Wall of China

There is one thing that you must do when visiting China. You must walk the Great Wall.  There are many different sections of the wall that you can choose to visit. Most tourists will visit Badaling, Mutianyu or Juyongjuang. These sections are very busy on most days and can be somewhat stressful.  For a quieter walk along the wall you can visit Simitai, Shuiguan or Jinshanling. We walked from Simitai to West Jinshanling.  

For our Great Wall tour, the boyfriend and I decided to go with a private tour. We aren't really into big tour groups and didn't want to be held to anyone else's schedule. I booked a private tour through Tour Travel China. Our guide picked us up from our hotel at 7:00 am and we were off for our three hour drive to the wall. We arrived at a parking lot with a brand new washroom facility. After a quick bathroom break and look at the map, we were off. Did you know that the wall is on top of a ridge? Yeah, you have to hike up there. That was probably the hardest part of the day.

Once we got to the top, I decided that it was totally worth the hike. Have you ever had a moment where you stop, look around and can't believe where you are. I've seen photos of the Great Wall my whole life. To actually be standing on top was completely unreal. I had to take a minute to let it all sink in.

Then it was time to hike. We walked from tower to tower, the wall undulating with the hills, fending off local ladies trying to sell their wares. In total we walked through 15 towers and covered about four miles. We ran into only three local tourists and about two dozen foreigners (Germans, Aussies, Brits). This section of the wall is beautiful and the lack of people made it really special for the boyfriend and I. Our guide exited five towers ahead of us to get the driver. The boyfriend and I hiked a few towers past where we were supposed to exit and enjoyed a completely empty wall.

After our long hike, our tour guide brought us to a local place for a table full of amazing food. Noodles, dumplings, chicken with cashews, steamed buns and vegetables. It was all homemade and delicious, the perfect thing replenish our calories. It also put me right to sleep for the three hour drive back to Beijing.

If you are planning a Great Wall trip, and you like to hike, you should definitely consider the Jinshanling section. Just be sure to book your trip ahead of time! Don't ever book a trip from someone offering Great Wall tours on the street. The tours sold by these people are generally just fronts to bring you to shops on the way to and from the wall. You'll waste half of your day looking at stuff you don't want to buy and spend very little time walking the wall.

Have you been to the Great Wall? Which section did you visit?

Smog in Beijing, China

After five days in Shanghai, the boyfriend and I took the five hour, high speed train to Beijing. The train was packed with adults, children and tons of luggage. After a fourteen hour flight, a five hour train ride felt incredibly short. Upon arriving in Beijing we grabbed a taxi in the incredibly smog-filled garage and made our way to our hotel near Wangfujing.  (NOTE: be sure to wait in the taxi line and do not accept rides from the soliciting drivers. They will just rip you off) We stayed at the Novotel, I wouldn't reccommend it but it wasn't the worst hotel I've ever stayed at.

Beijing has most of the "must see" locations in China. We only had four days to see it all, so we hit the ground running as soon as we arrived. Up first, a walk down Wangfujing and dinner on the street. Wangfujing is a pedestrian only street, lined with shops and restaurants. At the southern end is the entrance to the food stalls and small vendors. You can be adventurous and try some deep fried scorpion, or live life in the slow lane and enjoy sugar-coated hawthorne fruits. We filled up on fried noodles and dumplings and got to bed early.

Hitting the sheets early was important because we needed to get up early to see the Forbidden City! Tickets are limited to 80,000 people per day and surprisingly they sell out each day. Be sure to get there early to avoid the major crowds and avoid waiting in an insane line. It takes several hours to walk through the palace, especially if you want to take it all in. You can certainly rush through the grounds, but you will likely miss out on the amazing details all around.

The majority of people visiting the Forbidden City on any given day will be native Chinese tourists. Being tall and blonde, several people wanted to add my photograph to their vacation albums. It is very easy to avoid the crowds, most of the native tourists crowd together and follow each other. The palace is so large if you just break from the line of locals, you will enjoy a quiet walk around the edges.

After walking through the palace, we didn't feel like we were sweaty enough (we visited in July), so we walked across the street and entered the Jingshan Park. It costs 10 RMB and gives you amazing views the Forbidden City.

Or at least there would be good views, if there wasn't so much smog!

After a shower and a change of clothes, we headed to central Beijing via metro. The subway system in Beijing is just as clean and fast as the one in Shanghai. As a consistent rider of the NYC subway, I am ashamed at how dirty our subway is in comparison to the Beijing subway! There are three times as many people in Beijing and the system is nearly spotless. Anyways...

Since it was such a nice day and the sun was trying to peek out from behind the smog, we headed to the Temple of Heaven Park aka Tiantan Park. For 30 rmb (about $5) you get entrance to the park and tickets to visit all of the sites. You could get a map, but it's more fun to just wander around the park. The temples were built over the course of several hundred years and show a nice variety of architectural styles.  

WARNING - There is very little shade in this park. They could really use some more trees around the buildings. Be sure to slather on the sunscreen. Smog is not a good UV blocker!

Our last stop in Beijing was Tienanmen Square. It is apparently the worlds largest city square and it certainly feels that way. There could have been thousands of people in the square and there was room for a few thousand more.  At least twenty of them wanted to take their picture with me in front of the photo of Mao.

The rest of them were hiding under umbrellas from the midday sun...

Our final day in Beijing was actually spent outside of the city, exploring the Great Wall! An experience like that needs a post of its own, so be sure to stop back Friday for a full recap of our trip to the Wall!

Have you been to Beijing? What were some of your favorite things to do and see?

A Day in Suzhou, China

On our trip to China, we made a quick day trip to Suzhou. When visiting Shanghai, you need to take a day trip or two to either Suzhou or Hangzhou. According to my Chinese friends, "there is heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth." About thirty minutes by train east of Shanghai, Suzhou seems to be a part of the Shanghai urban sprawl. With over 1.5 million people, Suzhou is not a quaint small village. There are high rise apartments and seven lane highways. The majority of the city is fairly modern, with a few pockets of Old Suzhou existing as tourist meccas.

I was actually in Suzhou for a few business meetings. The boyfriend spent the morning working at a Starbucks. We got back together in the evening and went out to dinner with my colleagues. They decided that we should enjoy traditional Suzhou and took us to one of the water towns.

This water town is not what one would traditionally expect of a water town. There were no floating markets or row boats. Small canals criss-cross  By the time we arrived there in the evening, most of the boat owners were closing up shop. Instead of boating down the canal (with the loads of garbage that was also making its way downstream), we walked through the shops and restaurants and visited the temple.

I would love to tell you exactly where this was in Suzhou, but I have absolutely no idea. Perhaps someone who lives in Suzhou can let me know! My colleagues took us to an amazing dinner and bought us some candies to take home to share. It's always helpful to have a local pick out your candies, that way you don't wind up with anything too strange!

Have you been to Suzhou or Hangzhou? These cities are known as "heaven on earth" in China, but saldy Suzhou is still within the Shanghai smog cloud.

Real Chinese Food

Before we went to China, people were concerned about what we were going to eat. They had heard horror stories about thousand year eggs, chicken feet and mystery vegetables. It was suggested on more than one occasion that we pack plenty of granola bars and trail mix.  Rather than be daunted by the options, I decided to try a little bit of everything.

We went out to dinner with my colleagues twice and our friends once. It was at these dinners where we were able to try different things, with the direction of a local. If you have friends in town, be sure to use them! They either know the language or have experience with the menu! I would have never ordered the green bean eye fish myself, but it was amazing. I have ordered it several times since.

Cafeterias are a great place to try new things on the cheap. The boyfriend and I went and piled our trays high with vegetables, dumplings and noodles. We avoided the odd plates of squid, beef stomach and mystery buns, but still wound up with an amazing variety of food. Bonus - it all cost maybe $8.

Practice your chop stick skills while in China! Don't worry if they aren't your forte, a waiter will see the struggle and offer you a fork. Alternatively, just bring the bowl/plate of food close to your mouth and shovel the food into your mouth.

Don't be worried if this all seems a little out of your comfort zone. Shanghai is incredibly diverse and you can get everything from Italian, to French to American. You can take in a delicious brunch in the French Concession neighborhood at Naked Bite on Wuyuan Road. Our waitress was British, we ate on the patio and enjoyed a quiet brunch on a tree-lined street.

Street markets are a fun place to try strange and unusual things. Why not drink a mystery beverage from an IV bag, or a steamed bun that looks like a panda? I did not try any scorpions, mostly because those guys you see above were still moving...

And if all else fails...

There is always McDonalds. Order by pointing at the English menu that the cashier will likely place on the counter. We stopped in after a long day on the Great Wall when we were too tired to bother with anything else. FYI - it tastes the same.