10 latest experiences http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk en-us As soon as I told him I was going to Argentina, my friend Mikey wrote me this in an email: "There is one thing you must do. And this is not a recommendation. This is something you must do. There exists a place. There exists a magical, intensely spiritual, beauitful place. You will stay at a hotel for a few dollars and you will take a bus first thing in the morning to a National Park. You will enter the park and you will walk around. You will see birds and you will see trees. You will see many things. You will walk towards a noise. You might see an alligator as you walk on a suspended walkway towards a loud roar that grows louder with each step closer. And then you will see the falls. You will stand on the lip of the falls, gazing down into cataclysmic aquatic insanity. You won't be able to move. Do not speak the word Igauzu, you will see the falls, your heart will sing, and you will know all. You will spend the day looking at the hundreds of falls and you will never be t... Cataratas del Iguazú, Argentina jeaniekirk Fri, 07 Sep 2007 02:35:36 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/911 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/911 This may be my preachiest post yet, but it's at least an interesting issue...and we often face interesting issues as we bee-bop around the globe. So, I thought to myself, someone just may enjoy reading this. Burgers and French fries vs. Quinoa. The issue of the 'poor' Bolivian diet. Burgers and French fries aren't just a problem food for Americans. The more I get to hop from place to place around this globe, the more I see this 'American' meal settling itself in to the regular diet of the global underclasses. The issue seems to be, that all over the world, what is seemingly cheapest to produce en masse, and therefore eaten by poor city-dwellers, is also consistent with a terrible diet in a nutritional sense. I'll share my experience riding along a bumpy, dirty road in Bolivia travelling from the capital, La Paz, to Oruru where I would find a train to continue my journey south. For background, this bus trip to Oruru was the beginning of my 35+ hour trek back to Buenos ... La Paz, Bolivia jeaniekirk Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:29:14 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/886 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/886 Sandwich has been a place I've know since I was born. It has always been the home of my Grandma, and thus I've spent many winter days, summer days, holidays, and any days tucked into this town. When my parents moved to Sandwich, I figured the winters would be sleepy and the town would be vacated. When I moved in with them from Thanksgiving 2006 to March 2007, I realized that Sandwich goes strong all year long. There is a thriving community of old-time Cape-Coders (young and old) who make living over the bridge their specialty and seem to have a pretty good time. Sandwich is about 50 minutes to an hour south of Boston, on a good day in the winter when there's no vacation traffic. In the summer be prepared for a much longer journey, as the Cape seems to be everyone's destination in the greater Boston area come Friday afternoon. A roadway edit which changed the Sagamore Bridge's rotary into a straight shot right from the freeway onto the bridge has lessened that hassle some - b... Sandwich, United States jeaniekirk Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:30:49 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/859 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/859 Does a 13-mile trek down into a muddy red canyon, past scorching rocks and a Native American village, to a blue-green sparkling waterfall sound like your idea of a good time? Then this remote little gem is worth the hike. Havasu Falls is a large waterfall that you can only get to after a seven-hour hike down 13 miles into a canyon that eventually connects to the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Havasu Falls is also reachable by helicopter, but I feel that the true experience comes from the intense physical workout preceding the sight of this beautiful waterfall. Supai, United States jeaniekirk Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:15:15 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/858 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/858 I just moved to Chicago. I've been here for a little over one month now. What I knew about Chicago before I came: big blues scene, Midwest culture, right next to Lake Michigan, their subway system is referred to as the "L," and O'Hare airport is a major stopover in trans-American flight patterns. What I now know: Chicago Cubs fans rival my hometown Boston Red Sox fans for their team allegiance, Chicago has this crazy hotdog with all kinds of fixings and bright green relish that the city is famous for, Mayor Daley has pledged to make Chicago the "greenest city in the world," the city is set-up in a convenient grid framework, there are lots of distinct neighborhoods and you can easily live 'in the city' without being 'in the city' - meaning you can live in a family oriented, laid back area where running is easy and the people friendly. I am so glad to be here. Chicago, United States jeaniekirk Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:35:33 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/856 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/856 The little town of Trapiche lies north of San Luis, the city capital of the Argentine province of San Luis. Trapiche is mostly residential, but it is also a camping destination with campsites running along the borders of the town. These campsites seem to be up and running only during summer months, for when I came upon them in May with a tent and a sleeping bag there was no one to welcome me in besides two wandering ponies grazing in the deserted grassy nooks. This is not to say campers should stay away; with a bit of walking there are beautiful spots to lay your head beneath the stars. Follow signs for the “7 cajones” and you will walk down a dirt road, past a honey farm and an alfajores factory, until you reach a small river. Along this river is where I made camp and I think it was better than any campground would have been. It was peaceful and natural and beyond everything, beautiful. Do keep in mind that there are no toilets at this site, and no running water other tha... El trapiche, argentina, Argentina jeaniekirk Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:16:12 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/452 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/452 Uyuni is COLD! Especially if you brave it during the cold winter months as I did; coldest is May-July. Beyond its freezing nature, Uyuni is an interesting place and, of course, gateway to the Salar de Uyuni: the largest salt flats in the world. If you take a look back at Uyuni as you leave, once you’re at a higher altitude than the little city, you’ll see that it really is quite tiny and stretches itself in the shape of a diamond about two kilometers in one direction and maybe three in the other. It’s dusty and there is hardly any hot water, but the pizza in Uyuni is delish. Uyuni, Bolivia jeaniekirk Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:44:54 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/449 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/449 Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas is not in your Lonely Planet. It is, however in the Rough Guide to Argentina. It is off the beaten track, but worth the effort to get there. The parque is known for its huge red gorge, but that wonder takes up just a fraction of the park. More than a national park, I think it should be referred to as a wildlife sanctuary as most of the park is out of reach of the ordinary passer through. Indeed, most people who see the gorge enter the park on a bus and spend just enough time gazing at the red muddy rocks so that they can snap a photo or two and then are back on the bus and on their way. I recommend a different way to visit this park in the northwestern corner of the San Luis Province of Argentina. It takes a bit more effort, and the tourist office in the San Luis bus terminal will probably tell you that you can’t do it, but heed not their advice: it is totally doable. What getting to the park requires is taking a bus from San Luis ... Parque nacional: sierra de las quijadas, Argentina jeaniekirk Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:58:09 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/448 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/448 The road north from San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina (capital of the province of Jujuy) to Bolivia is called RN 9. It takes you up through the center of what guidebooks call ‘Northwest Argentina’ and also along the most beautiful mountain range I have ever seen: La Quebrada de Humahuaca. Lonely Planet calls the range “a painter’s palette of color on barren hillscapes, dwarfing hamlets where Quechua peasants scratch a living from growing maize and raising scrawny livestock.” I would describe it more emphatically: these mountains literally have every color of the rainbow stained along their rocky sides and the small towns and houses that dot their flanks stir intrigue and sympathy. Tilcara is only a three-hour bus ride north of Jujuy’s capital, but it creates for itself an entirely different world. An artists’ haven situated right in the beautiful hills, Tilcara is home to many Argentines from all over the country who wanted to make a home in the gorgeous northern mou... Tilcara, Argentina jeaniekirk Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:15:25 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/445 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/445 Ahh, Mendoza. Whether it is for a weekend or a year, I recommend Mendoza to anyone travelling in Argentina. The city is in the far west of Argentina, about 14 hours from Buenos Aires (straight west) and just east of the beautiful Andes. Mendoza gleans a lot of tourists for its fame as gateway to the wine of Argentina; the majority of Argentina’s vineyards are in the Mendoza province. As a bonus, many are in within convenient day trip distance from Mendoza ciudad and are often catered to on fun bike tours. There are various companies who offer a wine and bike tour around the wineries of Maipu, a wine town just outside of Mendoza. A bike is a great way to visit wine country, because you are forced to be aware of everything around you as you drive around on the rough roads. You can't fall asleep on a bike. The wineries usually offer a tour of their premises and then a wine tasting of a variety of their wines at the end of the tour. Most wine and bike tours include lunch and run ab... Mendoza, Argentina jeaniekirk Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:52:25 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/jeaniekirk/experience/438 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/438