Blog Posts

April was the first month where the macro (slowdown post-storm) outpaced micro (natural growth of the new business). Our local Tourism Development Authority is projecting 12-14 months before we're back to pre-storm demand. I didn't want to believe those numbers, but April (and an early look at May) make it seem more valid than I'd like. We'll see how the month develops, but last year May jumped for us, and so far this May isn't showing the same lift.

I did have one whole-house rental from a college friend of mine in April, which allowed me to take a quick vacation (or, as the IRS calls it, a "business trip") out to DC and check out Caravan Hostel. It's always good to lay eyes on a new hostel and see how other operators do it. Like it or not, I can never travel the same way again, as I'm always looking at these things through a hostel lens. I did get to have a nice chat with the owner and staff and pick up small things they do that I could potentially bring back. These range from tiny touches—like bedside nets for phones instead of shelves — to bigger upgrades like a security system that automatically sends each guest a unique code. This is my dream setup but it's not cheap and thus probably not happening in 2025.

I'm also excited about a new partnership we've formed with Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO), a great local-turned-national outdoor gear brand. It started from a desire to get some hammocks in the backyard in time for summer, and has blossomed into a great partnership. They've not only loaned us some hammocks and a stand for the guests to enjoy, but I'm writing a guest blog for their site about building community and we'll be collaborating on social as well. I've enjoyed meeting their team and am optimistic about their ability to put our brand in front of a lot of new eyeballs (they have a much larger following than me...for now). They're a great company, so if you're in the market for some outdoor gear, check 'em out!

April was also the wrap up of our spring intern, Cam, from Mars Hill University's business school. He split his time with us between The Lazy Tiger and Patchwork, and was a nice addition to the team. For the hostel, he helped put together and distribute a survey to young travelers to gather some data on what they look for when they book lodging. We'll have some content and website updates coming out this summer that will be fueled by this data, so it should be helpful. He was my first intern, and it was a good learning experience for me as I continue to improve as a manager and leader. And we also added our 2nd non-Ryan employee to help with weekend front desk work, Alex. Trying to look like a real business...

Here's to hoping for a strong May!

Numbers are wonky again due to the whole house rentals. It makes the occupancy look good, but I took payments for these back in November, so it's not shown in monthly revenue. I will need to separate these all out to get a cleaner read of progress, but that's down the priority list a bit. Soon, AI agents will pull down this data and clean it up for me.

Still majority of bookings coming directly, either through the website or folks calling. That could mean a few things:

1. Our website/SEO/PPC set up works well, or
2. We're not quite competitive or captivating enough on the OTAs

Probably a little of both. There are only 2 hostels on Hostelworld locally, and I'm pretty comfortable with how we show up there, but AirBnB just has so many options so there's more work to do there to move up the search rankings.

March has felt like a very busy month for me as a human, but occupancy-wise, the growth over February was not that crazy. It's a bit counterintuitive but the slower times end up being busier for me. It's like I know they won't last forever so I cram as much in as possible.

We've made some improvements around the property, starting with the parking lot. For new guests, the parking would be confusing, no matter what I mentioned in the email (that they likely didn't read). The spaces were lined with spray paint, which would inevitably wash off after a few rains. But no longer! A local friend helped me source some used railroad ties, and after adding some reflectors and new lighting, it's a lot clearer!

We also added name boards to all the rooms. It may seem simple, but it will help guests find their room, remember which room they're in, and talk about their room with other guests. It also helps when onboarding new people and I don't have to clunkily explain why I call it room 2 and room 3. Like a lot of things, it probably should've been done a lot sooner, but it's done now!

I built a Murphy bed in the owner's quarters so I can raise it up and actually have some semblance of a living room to hang out in with privacy. While living on site can be fun and certainly helps me be a better operator, it's not always easy to get downtime. I'd either sit at the desk in the lobby, which means I'm working, or awkwardly sit on my bed to watch TV, or squeeze a yoga mat in the walkway between the bed and the wall. No longer! Now the bed folds into the wall, the new loveseat pulls back, and I have a spot to sit comfortably. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way to not hear if a guest drops something in the kitchen or doesn't close the damn fridge. And poor dumb Chloe hasn't figured out why the bed keeps disappearing - she constantly thinks we're moving.

March also served as the 6-month anniversary of Hurricane Helene, and Good Morning America came down to do a full show and feature the region's recovery, and they raised a lot of money for some great organizations here. They shot live on site at Highland Brewing and I rolled the dice to get up at 5 and go stand in line to be part of the crowd. I ended up getting pretty lucky with my spot. My front row space happened to be right behind where they were doing their feature interviews, and I got a lot more screen time than anticipated! You know I was rocking the logo. I also brought a Tiger mask to wear, but the second I went to put it on, they politely told me that wasn't going to work. I didn't see any immediate spike in traffic or bookings from it, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. Someone did comment on how it appears I pushed many women and children out of the way for my spot. I WAS THERE FIRST.

I've also been working on some new local partnerships and hope to have more to share there soon - stay tuned!

A couple of these can be somewhat misleading. The total guest drop off is mainly due to no whole house rentals in March. The revenue number looks great but that's helped by deposits for future house rentals. These are non-refundable so I don't mind counting them as revenue now, and they help with cash flow, but that's why revenue growth looks so much crazier than March's occupancy.

I've tweaked/improved our AirBnb listings some, and we have seen a little more traffic from there recently. Still a small sample size, so we'll see if it sticks.

Another month of positive growth, but still firmly in the slow season. We had a little snow yesterday and I'll be very happy if that's our last. I'm ready to get outside!

I continue to try and spend more time focusing on sales and marketing, which shows up in a few different ways. I like taking any opportunity to get new people in the space to show them around, which helps them spread the word. I've started hosting a monthly coworking day with the Asheville Wanderlust Society. AWS is a group for travel lovers, both locals and visitors, that spun up last year to try and replicate the best of the Couch Surfing community. Talk about people that understand the hostel life. I've met some great folks and it's been cool being able to share the space with them.

I've also been thinking more about how to more effectively reach younger audiences. I like to pretend I'm still young, and after a fresh shave, I can damn sure pull it off, but we could definitely do a better job of attracting the youth. I spoke to a class of Entrepreneurship students from Mars Hill University about my story, and it was helpful to see what clicked and what didn't with that audience. In general, the college age kids in the US just don't travel as much (at least internationally) as some other countries, and so the hostel concept is still foreign to many of them. There's probably an education piece as part of any marketing effort that could help with this. Related to that, we're fortunate to be bringing on one of those entrepreneurship students as a Spring intern, and part of what they'll be tasked with is helping outreach to younger audiences. I'm not afraid to hire to try and supplement my weaknesses :)

I've also been using AI to help build some custom software to help the hostel operate more smoothly. First step: build out a daily info dashboard to replace the handwritten one in the lobby. The one we had was fine, but it was still manual work that I didn't want to do every day, or would forget to do, and my handwriting is awful to boot. Now guests can find the daily weather, events, helpful links and Wi-Fi info all in one place, and most importantly, it's legible. Several other fun software projects on the docket - more to come!

I'll also look to hire another part-time employee this month, which will be assisted by my other AI-led project, Patchwork, a platform that helps businesses fill part-time roles. I wrote more about it here, in case you're curious!!

The full green screen is good again. I did have a one-night whole house rental, which buoyed these numbers a bit. It reinforces the need to continue to be creative about different ways to generate revenue.

The beginning of March has been slow, hoping it will pick up again with some nice events in the next few weeks. We'll see!

When my part‑time remote role at Gumroad wrapped up at the end of December, I found myself with a bit more free time and a lot less income. I decided to finally try and build something I've thought about for months. Hiring for part-time roles is time consuming and it's hard to find the right fit. I've long noticed that existing job search platforms try to solve every employment issue, resulting in bloated, chaotic systems that just don't work for us. In conversations with several hospitality business owners, the frustration was unanimous—they were tired of sifting through endless listings that rarely delivered the right candidates.

That's what sparked the idea for Patchwork. I set out to build a lean platform dedicated solely to connecting local hospitality businesses with professionals seeking flexible, part‑time opportunities. On Patchwork, employers can post positions that are easy to manage, and jobseekers can find roles that align perfectly with their schedules—making the hiring process both efficient and effective.

I won't claim that Patchwork will revolutionize the industry or that it's destined for massive success. The truth is, I'm not sure what will come of it. But building an entire product from scratch, exploring a new customer base, and tackling a fresh problem has been a fun challenge.

One of the most exciting parts of this process has been rediscovering my passion for coding. With the help of AI‑assisted tools like Cursor, I've been able to get back into coding in a way that's both fun and efficient—something I hadn't experienced in a long time. These tools have allowed me to focus on creative problem‑solving rather than getting bogged down in repetitive tasks. I built patchwork and wrote probably 1% of the code. AI wrote the rest. It's getting good.

Looking ahead, I'll continue to improve Patchwork and if it gains traction, eventually expand it beyond Asheville. The goal is simple: save employers time by simplifying the search for quality, part‑time employees, and help professionals fill their schedules with the right opportunities.

Thanks for following along on this experiment. I'd appreciate any feedback, or if you have any questions about the process, don't hesitate to reach out!

One month into the new year and seeing some great progress. The hostel is still slow, as is town in general, but that's to be expected. Still hard to dissect how much is seasonal vs. storm-related, but as some data is trickling in, I think the forecast is better than some I've seen. For example, Asheville vacation rental occupancy in November (purposely excluding hotels as they had FEMA vouchers) was at 49% vs. 60% in Nov 2023. Asheville being down 20% YoY isn't good, but also not near as bad as some estimates have projected. And by comparison, my November occupancy was quite a bit higher than November 2023. Startup revenue growth can still happen in a tough macro environment, and I hope that trend continues. Still just trying to focus on what I can control.

I closed for 8 days mid-month to take my annual planning retreat. Last year I spent it on the Pacific coast of Mexico, but this year I scaled back all the way to the sunny coast of Florida (thank you in advance for your pity). It was part productive and part fun, as friends and family joined me towards the back half of the week. I could always look back and say I should've spent more time doing x,y, or z, but between the trip and a staff meeting before I left, we have some great ideas for the year and have the wheels in motion on a few.

For example, I've switched our room configuration around a little bit. One of the 8-bed coed dorms is now our female dorm, and the old 4-bed female dorm is now a coed (and slightly more expensive). Our female dorm occupancy was higher than coed and I wanted to open up more slots for ladies that wanted to book that room. Plus, now we can have a slight premium option for those that would prefer to have fewer roommates. This feels like a small but positive change.

We're revisiting our marketing strategy (or lack of one) too. It's not something that comes naturally to me, but several books have suggested to me that marketing is in fact important as a business owner. I'll take their word for it for the moment. We've sent out our first marketing email, targeting all past guests. The idea is to share events in the upcoming month, feature a new business, and in general, remind our past guests of the fun they can have in Asheville. Stats on the first email newsletter: 54% open rate, .7% unsubscribe rate, and 0 new bookings using the newsletter discount code. Got some good feedback generally on the newsletter but I hope that bookings number turns positive. One of the things that annoys me about marketing is not everything is attributable or measurable. I'm accepting it (for now).

As mentioned in that newsletter, we've launched part 1 of our rewards program. It's been an idea since I started, but I finally got around to setting up the technical plumbing to track it. We may change the parameters, rewards, etc., but it's good to have the data flowing automatically.

And lastly, we got our front yard monument sign installed (pic below!) This should help a lot with brand awareness; we've transitioned from a weird green house on the side of the road, to a weird house with a cool mural on the side of the road, to now a cool muraled house with a proper sign that will allow people to Google us as they're sitting in traffic. We have seen an increase in Google search traffic since the sign was installed, and that certainly can't hurt.

In general, I'm excited about the ability to move faster. The end of my other job helps that. AI helps that. Growing the team will help that. Excited to share just as many updates from February too. Thanks for reading!

Getting some more green on the board! Nice too, considering we were closed for 8 nights of the month. The crazy high YoY changes are mostly due to just how slow Jan 2024 was. That month, I had 10 guests and 2 of them were related to me.

Either way, this does show good growth. Back a year ago, people barely knew we existed. A lot of our January 2025 revenue was from local partner referrals and/or repeat guests. That's always a good sign, and something that should always help keep us afloat during Asheville's slow months.

Would love any feedback. Until next time!

I've always liked to-do lists. There's just something about crossing something off a list that is beautifully satisfying. I used to add the most trivial things to a daily to do list just to have more to cross off. But I never had any method to my madness, never had any consistency. I tried for a while to carry around a small notebook, but then I'd end up forgetting the notebook at home. Or worse, losing it.

So I've always had the desire to be organized and productive, but never had a reliable or repeatable productivity system, and thus wallowed in the throws of mediocrity. David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, appeared as a guest on the Tim Ferriss Show, and his brief description of the system struck a chord with me. So I bought the book and dove in. From early on, the system just made sense to me. One of the core principles of the book suggests that the brain isn't designed to keep a bunch of things in short term memory.

"Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them". - David Allen

It's why I was drawn to to-do lists in the first place. Francisco Saez describes the problem better than I could:

"Our memory, short and long term, has significant limitations, so it is not advisable to rely on it in order to retrieve important information when we need it. Using our brain to store information saturates it, since it requires a high level of neuronal activity to keep this information with no interferences. When using an external memory, we ensure we bring back exactly what we put in there and we reduce the stress associated with the need to be continuously remembering everything."

The last part is key to highlight. A system is only good if you trust it. And knowing that you don't have to rely on your memory to get something done in the future relieved so much personal stress for me. So I tore through the book fairly quickly, and started putting his productivity system to work. Rather than summarize the whole book, I'll point out the key points that stuck with me, and how I translated a book written in 2001 into today's technology-laden world.

First Key Principle: If it will take < 2 minutes, just do it.

It was embarrassing how many things that would take less than 120 seconds ended up on a list for me. It's usually the things that don't take long but we don't want to do: washing the dishes after dinner, starting the laundry, etc. But it feels good to go ahead and rip the band-aid off; things that can be solved this quickly don't deserve time on your to-do list.

Second Key Principle: Make your To-Do list items specific and actionable.

I was very guilty of putting large-scale projects on to-do lists. And of course, because the task seems monumental, it becomes much easier to delay. For example, instead of "Start Hostel", my Next Action List now has items such as "email Dale's banking contacts", "evaluate fonts for website", and "Finish Asheville travel guides". These items are far more actionable, and thus, far more likely to get done.

Third Key Principle: Check the system regularly.

Blindly dumping tasks into the inbox only works if they don't end up sitting there for days at a time. Every morning, I'll do a scan through my action items and decide what I'll tackle that day. It helps me keep a constant eye on what tasks I have in my world, and make sure things don't fall through the cracks too easily.

HOW I IMPLEMENTED GETTING THINGS DONE:

When a task comes in (it can come in many forms - an idea in your head, an email in your inbox, a missed call), I just dump it into a generic inbox list. That's where I can put items without giving them too much thought. If it's an idea, it goes on my inbox list; if it's an email I want to come back to, I'll star it in Gmail; if it's an interesting article, it gets a Chrome bookmark. Then, as time allows, I will iterate through the inbox and place it appropriately. A task can go to one of three systems for me:

• Calendar: if something has to be done at a certain date and time (meetings and appointments)
• Apple Reminders: Tasks that happen on some sort of recurrence (habits I'm trying to develop, chores, etc)
• Microsoft To-Do: pretty much everything else.

Now I'll describe what tools I use and how those systems look for me.

Calendar

This is pretty self explanatory...the only thing I'll make sure to do is add an appropriate alert to remind me to take action when needed. Unfortunately during a pandemic, this is fairly empty.

Apple Reminders

This has been such a game-changer for me in developing habits. This app was so far off my radar that I deleted it off my iPhone to clear space (which I didn't even need). But for repetitive tasks, I needed something simple and it fit the bill perfectly. I set up reoccurring lists based on the cadence with which the item needs to be addressed (daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly). This is the app I credit with making me someone who flosses (I definitely have mocked those folks in my past life), and makes sure I read, exercise, and meditate every day. On a weekly basis, I track metrics, like SEO stats for my website and Screen Time minutes on my devices. And on a monthly basis, I don't forget to pay my credit card bills.

Microsoft To-Do

This is where the real magic happens. It's where I run the majority of my life. and it's where the design will most vary by the needs and lifestyle of the individual. And Microsoft To-Do is ideal because it's a cloud application and easily accessible on my phone, iPad, or laptop. There's no excuses for me to not log in. In my To-Do Implementation, there are 5 main levels:

• Short Term To-Dos
• Sometimes/Maybe
• Major Projects
• Waiting On
• Other Auxiliary Lists

Short Term To-Dos: These are items that I can act on now. I have it divided into sub-lists based on the type of activity just for clarity, but all these items I can theoretically add to my Task List tomorrow.

Sometimes/Maybe: This list holds all the things I want to do in the future: Shows to watch, bands to investigate, places to visit, pie-in-the-sky projects, and more. This list is generally more fun than the Short-Term list, but for any number of reasons, isn't currently actionable or doesn't need to be acted upon in the near future.

Major Projects: This is where I keep track of the big picture items. If I know in advance that any process will have more than one actionable step, it goes here. There are long-term Projects, like 'Hostel - Financing' or 'Learn Piano', and shorter-term projects like 'Roast Coffee Beans'.

Waiting On: I didn't think I'd get much value out of this section, but it's often a nice reminder for me on who I need to follow up with. If there's nothing you can do on a Project, a task should go here listing what or who you're waiting on someone else to do.

Other Auxiliary Lists: I have a To Buy List, with sublists for groceries, generic, and gifts; I have a Hostel Planning List, as this system isn't designed for a detailed project plan; and a Keep Top of Mind list, where simple refreshers live, like 'Posture' and 'Assertiveness'. Not very actionable but a nice reminder in an app I check daily.

It's not an exaggeration to say this system has changed my life. But I'm nowhere near perfect. There are several items on my list that have been on there too long. There are items on my someday/maybe that should be acted upon or deleted. But I find comfort knowing that they aren't hiding in the depths of my memory, but staring right at me every time I open the app. It holds me more accountable.

What helps keep you accountable? I'd love to hear from you!

I recently completed a three day fast. Many people asked me why (which is a very reasonable question). So, I thought I'd summarize why I did it, what I've learned recently, and how it went down.

WHY I FAST

I've been reading and listening to podcasts about fasting a lot recently. I got really interested in it once I discovered the research about the processes the body kicks off while in a fasted state. From the beginning of our species up until a few hundred years ago, humans fasted regularly, so it makes sense that our bodies adapted to it and can still easily survive it. And I thought, what better time to give your body a kick start than the turn of the new year.

The main benefit I was seeking was starting the process of autophagy, which roughly translates to eating one's self. At a cellular level, there's a separate process apoptosis, or programmed cell death. It's not near as terrifying as it sounds and it quite normal. The sub-cellular comparable process is autophagy. It's the body's way getting rid of old, broken down parts of cells. The mechanisms for triggering autophagy were just recently discovered by Yoshinori Ohsumi, which earned him the Nobel Price in Medicine for his troubles. Fasting does this because when your body realizes its not getting any more calories, it starts getting rid of things it doesn't need and won't have the energy to sustain. But it's not just the wild wild west where things just start shutting down – it's a regulated mechanism to recycle old cell components, destroying old and damaged parts and replacing with new ones. I chose a 3 day water fast because it seemed to be the right balance to gain benefits without losing excess weight.

Autophagy has several benefits that scientists are just starting to examine clinically. It's strongly believed that the failure to clean up these cells is a leading cause of aging. Two of the most devastating (and terrifying) diseases show massive buildups of old damaged proteins – Alzheimer's Disease and cancer. So, there are scientists who are trying to verify that autophagy (via fasting) may have the ability to purge these damaged cells before they grow into full-blown tumors.

Additionally, autophagy can help clean up the immune system in much the same way. It finds damaged white blood cells, recycles them, and upon refeeding, generates shiny new white blood cells. So, if there's something I can do that clean up any pre-cancerous cells and regenerate a new immune system, I figured it was worth a try.

While I wasn't interested in the weight loss aspect of fasting (in fact I was concerned about it), it is a really great way to quickly get into ketosis and really start burning fat. And aside from weight loss, ketosis (and the ketogenic diet) has a host of other benefits.

HOW I FAST

I put together a plan, bought my extremely boring supplies, and had my last meal. It went like this: Eat Thursday dinner, and not consume any more calories (technically I had ~60 every day, will explain) until Sunday dinner. To help with the mental aspect of fasting, I still had "meals" every day, which consisted of:

• Breakfast – black coffee with 2 TSPs of coconut oil (where the 60 calories come from). The caffeine and pure fat of the coconut oil help start off the day with an energy boost. If you can deal with a film similar to gasoline floating atop your morning joe, give it a shot. Fasting purists argue it's not fasting if you consume calories, but since it's zero carb, zero protein (the two things that may inhibit autophagy), I was fine with it. If you were fasting for the weight loss benefits, you might try skipping that, as it does contribute calories that would otherwise be generated from stored fat.
• Lunch – la Croix with 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar. The carbonation seems to help suppress appetite a bit, and the ACV helps regulate blood sugar and gives you a little flavor outside of water. Lastly, if you add the ACV like Emeril Lagasse adds spices, it's almost like you're cooking. BAM!
• Dinner – 8 oz of warm salt water. This is surprisingly delicious when you haven't had any sort of food all day, and sodium is the most important mineral to replace when you aren't eating. Like chicken broth. Without the chicken.

And then I'd drink water as needed throughout the day. I tried not to overdrink as I didn't want to unnecessarily flush sodium from the body.

How to Track Fasting - The Zero App

This simple (and free) app has been really helpful in my fasting journey. Aside from a timer that will keep track of when fasts began and how long you have til you reach your goal, they constantly post new research and information about fasting, so you can always stay up-to-date. So download the app and give it a try!

HOW FASTING FELT

I went in hearing stories all over the board from other random internet people (my main source for all important medical information). So, I decided to just do it and see how it felt.

The hunger actually wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, I was hungry, but the feeling of hunger plateaued around dinner time of day 1, and never really got worse. And after you're in a constant state of hunger for a while, you kind of grow used to it.

Energy level was ok. It is suggested that on the first morning, you go out for a long, but casual walk to burn through the rest of your glycogen stores and get your body into fat burning mode (and off carb dependence). It was raining so I just went and walked around Wal-Mart for a while. Great way to distract yourself too. On the last day I started to feel a little tired, but that may have just been me sad and missing my food. Many people say by day 3, they actually have extra energy and brain clarity (likely from being in ketosis) but I didn't experience that at all.

By far the hardest challenge of all was psychological. You really don't realize just how much our lives revolve around eating and drinking. Roommates cooking dinner – I'm heading to my room. Football's on TV, I want a beer. Hell, I thought Uber driving would be a great way to distract myself, and then I pick people up from the local Italian joint, along with their leftovers, and they proceed to tell me how good their manicotti was. Thanks, Gretchen.

On the positive side, I was quite productive. Think of all the time you spend either eating, shopping for food, preparing food, and eliminating food (sorry it's true). And sitting around watching a ton of TV (where you could possibly see a Taco Bell commercial) wasn't helpful either. Alternatively, you knock plenty of stuff off the to-do list.

And finally there is quite a sense of accomplishment once it's over. It's nice to know that if I ever needed to go without food, I could without issue. And it goes along with what I try to do regularly, which is intentionally practicing discomfort - so helpful to be prepared when you stumble into the unexpected discomfort instead.

HOW TO REFEED

For a fast of three days, strict refeeding protocol isn't as important as it is for longer fasts. But I still like to take care with my first meal. I generally will eat a carb-free meal (such as baked fish and sauteed spinach), to continue the benefits of ketosis for one more day. I will also refrain from alcohol for at least one more day, so I don't give my body anything else to worry about.

More Info

If you're hungry for more information, this is a very strong presentation by Dr. Jason Fung, a leading expert on fasting and health.

I started driving for Uber and Lyft four months ago and have given just over 400 rides. Now that's not nearly as many as some of the drivers who have been going full-time for years, but it's enough to have a good understanding of the system and what needs to take place for the system to run as smoothly as possible. I've gotten better as a driver and have observed the traits of a passenger that both make my life easier and allow me to get them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. So, I decided it might be valuable to share some of that wisdom with you, future passenger, in case one of these tips hadn't crossed your mind before. If your first thought after reading that is "Just shut up and drive me to my destination, clown", feel free to just click exit. And know that I'm hitting the speed bumps hard if you're in the back. Otherwise, check 'em out, and let me know what you think!

BEFORE YOUR RIDE:

• Be ready to go. Drivers don't get paid well at all for idle time (more on that later), so waiting for you to come downstairs and get in the car can be a real pain point. Both Uber and Lyft give time estimates on how far away your driver is. If you know you won't be ready, just cancel. Or if something comes up that causes a delay, at least message the driver and tell them you're on your way. The not knowing is the worst part.
• Let Drivers know of any special pick up instructions. The more information you can give the driver, the better. But the most helpful pieces of info are as follows:
  • Gate code for your apartment (and building number if your address just takes you to the front gate)
  • Business name – this is much more helpful than address for commercial properties (address numbers aren't always posted and are never easy to see)
  • Entrance location – this applies to apartments, hospitals, hotels, etc.…any large place with more than one pickup option, don't make your driver guess
• Share Your Location with the Driver. Nothing will make finding you easier for the driver than if they have your actual location. And it's not near as creepy as you might think, it goes away as soon as the ride starts, or you cancel.
• Give the Driver a chance to pull off the road. Picking up passengers in the middle of the road is illegal. That doesn't mean we don't do it sometimes, but life is much easier (and safer) if we can pull off the road. This isn't near as important in a residential neighborhood as it is in downtown Atlanta. So, if you're in a busy part of town, find a driveway, empty parking space, or loading zone to stand by.
• Understand your ride type selection. For Uber Pool or Lyft Shared, you have limitations in exchange for the lower rate. You can't change your address or add more than one stop. So don't ask your driver to go outside the rules for you. Remember, for these services, it's not just the driver, but other potential passengers, that are being inconvenienced.

DURING YOUR RIDE

• Talk or don't talk, it's up to you. I've heard of drivers complaining about passengers that don't talk or talk too much, but I suggest that they're in the wrong business. I feel like I have a pretty good gauge on if people want to talk or not, but not everyone is as blessed with a high EQ as me. So a good pair of headphone always helps send the right message if you want some peace and quiet. And one last request…if you want to sit in silence, go for it, but please don't sit in the front seat. That's just weird.
• Feel Free to give directions or share local driving knowledge. This may be another one that some drivers disagree on, but I will always welcome suggestions from passengers if they're offered respectfully. I trust passengers to know what intersections are bad at rush hour, or what lights take forever, far more than Uber's navigation. It factors in traffic, but it's not perfect.
• Keep clean. I'm not going to care if you're feet are wet when it's raining. Out of your control. But taking your trash with you is completely within your control.
• Share details of dropoff as you get close. Similar to pick up, if all we have is an address, it may not be clear cut. Both Uber and Lyft's navigation leaves a little to be desired on drop-off location directions, so a store name, side of the road, etc., is always helpful.
• No, you can't smoke in my car. Yes, that includes weed. Listen, man, I'm hip to the game. I'm down. But I use this thing to earn money. And not everyone loves the smell of tobacco or other green leafy substances.
• Don't make drivers wait in drive-thru. While on a trip, drivers earn ~$0.10 / minute. That equates to about $6 / hour. So it's quite a waste of drivers' times to sit in a late night drive thru. They offer UBER Eats for this exact reason. But if you're drunk and the munchies overtake you, at least offer the driver some food and drink for their trouble. A McFlurry makes me very forgiving.

AFTER YOUR RIDE

• Rate your Driver. The rating system is the best way to make drivers better. Rewarding a successful trip with a 5 star rating is a good way to encourage more successful trips. And if you have a bad experience, give a poor rating with details of what went wrong. Uber and Lyft can only police their drivers if they have all the information. Also, we don't know exactly who gave us what rating, so you don't need to worry about someone tracking you down for your feedback. And just to give you a data point to work off of, the average driver rating is 4.8.
• Tips are Optional, but always appreciated. I'll never get mad at someone for not tipping me. I (and other drivers) are fully aware of the agreed upon rates for every trip. That said, it sure is nice. And tips are definitely what make the difference between an average day and a good day driving, money-wise. So if you had a really good conversation, or just want to thank the driver for getting you home safe and sound, toss a couple bucks. And if you don't want to tip, try using the 'Give a Compliment' option. Drivers don't get any compensation for these, but it's a nice little boost to the ego to get some specific feedback on something you've done well.

That's it. Just a few tips to help you become the best passenger you can be.

If you don't have both apps, you should. Unless you're just protesting Uber for their corporate culture (which is your prerogative), I always check both before booking a ride. One is always a buck or two cheaper than the other, and there's really no reason to think one will give you better drivers, cleaner cars, etc. From personal experience, the driver sign up experience for both was very similar.

Are you in need of a private ride from an experienced driver in Asheville? Book an Asheville Airport Shuttle.

If you want to download one of the apps and sign up, you can use these links and get a small sign up bonus (I get a small bonus as well)

Uber Lyft

And if this inspired you to sign up for a driver. I'd be surprised. But nonetheless, I have some referral links for that too:

Uber Lyft

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

As I board the plane to leave Aruba, I have to finally admit that the adventure is over. For now, at least. But what an adventure it's been.

I crossed paths with so many great people, who carried along with them such interesting stories. They were all over the spectrum: kids who just graduated from high school taking a gap year before starting school, shorter-term travelers on winter break, college graduates delaying the real world before it even started, entrepreneurs with online businesses who only needed an internet connection, and retirees enjoying their newfound freedom abroad.

I saw many amazing places. In fact, the most common question I get is "What was your favorite place you went". It's a logical place for the conversation to start, so I don't blame anyone for asking, but it's not a question I'll ever try to truly answer. I walked and ran and hiked and swam and rode and flew through so many distinct environments, it's not fair to try and compare them. How would you even go about comparing the hike to Machu Picchu to a week in the Amazonian jungle? The solitude of Patagonia to the madness of La Paz? The metropolis of Buenos Aires to the desert oasis of Huacachina? I don't; and there's really no need to do so. I just tried to appreciate every different place for the unique experience it offered.

But I've written in plenty of detail in the past about the new friends I've met, and the beautiful places I've seen. What I would really like to reflect on is what I've learned, how I've grown, and how I'll use it to move forward. If I just went down to South America to party in hostels and chase women for 9 months, would it really have been worth it? Well…I mean…it sounds fun. And there was plenty of fun to be had. But for the personal and professional sacrifices I made, I wanted to be sure to get more out of this experience. So, bear with me as I ponder the meaningful changes I've witnessed.

I can comfortably say I speak Spanish. I don't speak it perfectly, or even fluently, for that matter. If a group of Spanish speakers are talking amongst themselves, there's a good chance I'll miss a lot of what they say. But I can have one-on-one conversations with people who otherwise would not be able to speak with me, and that makes me feel good. Listening to the taxi driver's story is a lot better than sitting in silence. And when called upon, I was somewhat able to translate for English speaking friends who hadn't quite picked it up yet. When I arrived in Santiago in August, thinking I was ready to start speaking Spanish, I was humbled quickly. So, my goal became to speak Spanish. For real. And I can call that a success. Learning a new language made the trip much more enjoyable, and is a skill that will benefit me as much as I seek out the opportunity to allow it to help.

I have an improved sense of independence and self-confidence. Not that this was an area that was majorly-lacking, but it's always reassuring to take a leap into the unknown and thrive. It's comforting to be able to show up in a foreign city, where I know no one and have nothing but a backpack and a hostel reservation, and survive. I can walk into a social situation as a stranger, and leave as a friend. And when I hit a snag, whether it's a wrong turn, missed bus, or broken ATM, I can adjust on the fly and solve the problem. I'm not a well-oiled machine; I still can get turned around and I still can be awkward or nervous, but I'm heading in the right direction.

I have learned not to worry or stress about two major categories: short-term inconveniences and things out of my control. Subway station closed? Throw in some headphones and walk it. Caught in a pop-up rainstorm? It'll end, and your clothes will dry. It's almost like free laundry. Tired after a rough overnight bus? Nothing a nap can't fix. I admit that this probably naturally comes easier to me than others, but I do believe it's a skillset that can be practiced and improved, and that practice won't stop just because I'm back in the states.

I've lessened the importance I place on wealth and material things. That doesn't mean that I'm returning as a hippy who wants to only live off the land, or that I won't continue to strive for financial success, but being without a lot of your things for an extended period helped me realize their status as a want instead of a need. There's an old writing called ''Moral Letters to Lucilius" where Seneca discusses something similar to this. He encourages practicing a few days a month in poverty, or simplicity. Whether it's eating only ramen, beans, and rice for a weekend, or wearing jeans and white t shirt for a week, so you realize how it feels. And I've seen this; once you experience a taste of poverty, and the sacrifices you need to make, you aren't so scared of that scenario, and it frees you up from the fear that you may get there. I don't know exactly how much I spent over the last 9 months (and I'm not sure I'll ever go through the exercise of calculating it out), but I could ballpark it at under $1500/month for everything. That includes lodging and food, but also buses, flights, excursions, and nights out. For one, I just want to put that out there in case anyone reading thinks they couldn't ever do something like this due to money. But also, to highlight how I lived. It often wasn't glamorous, and I wasn't always a beacon of health, but I did it on a tight budget, and if I ever need to, I could do it again.

All that being said, I come back to the US with a much stronger appreciation for some of the first world comforts I took for granted in the past. A few examples:

• A full selection of appliances – I won't have to google how to hand-wash clothes anymore, and a wrinkled shirt can just get a few minutes in the dryer instead of an iron
• Strong, readily available Wi-Fi – the Wi-Fi availability in South America might actually be better than I expected going in, but the strength and consistency left a lot to be desired. Now I can download Netflix whenever I damn well please
• Free water (with plenty of ice cubes) and quality napkins in restaurants – I've never been a big fan of buying water, but it becomes a necessary evil in some countries where the tap isn't the safest refill spot. It'll be nice to walk into a lunch spot, get a water with lemon, and leave unscathed
• Price tags in stores – knowing how much something cost, and not have to worry about if you're getting the gringo price
• Wide varieties of food – Listen, I love meat and potatoes and pasta and rice as much as anyone, but after 2 months of it, I'm excited for some southern-style breakfast, decent Indian food, or my sultry mistress, Taco Bell
• The ability to flush toilet paper down the toilet – 4 months of tossing used tissues in the bathroom trash can will harden a man. I even did it the first few times back in the states until I realized where I was. Definitely a bad habit that I need to break.

There's plenty more I'm sure, but it's safe to say I'm returning to the States with a very strong love of home.

I'm coming back to a fresh start, with some exciting plans in my future, that I'm sure I'll write about along the way. Coming in clean will allow me to break old bad habits and start up good habits, hopefully before I settle into old routines. So, I will attempt (again) to stop biting my nails. I will start back up a regular yoga and meditative practice. I will eat enough fruits and vegetables. And if I'm really strong, I'll waste less time on the internet.

I'm happy to be home, surrounded by those closest to me, with an exciting life ahead. The exploration doesn't stop now. Let's do this

I arrived in Cusco a few days ahead of time, still nursing a cold, to try and acclimatize to the altitude (Cusco sits at 3400 meters). I booked the tour through Wonderland Tours travel agency (and later learned that while there are over 1000 travel agencies, there are only a couple hundred tour operators, so I was farmed out to KB Tours) and was set to leave early Saturday morning.

THE TREK BEGINS

Packed with the pharmacist's best medicine, I boarded the bus at 4:30 AM and we drove 3 hours by minibus to our breakfast spot/launching point. We were allotted 5 kilos to be carried by mules along our trek, and my mule bag was about 7.5. A little trick from the pro: if you take an annoyingly long time to try and reduce the weight of your bag, they'll take it as is because they're tired of waiting #lifehack.

We circled up and got the awkward team intros out of the way – a group of 8 in total (the perfect size range IMO). Vera and Susie from Austria, Kristina and Iris from Germany, Marcela and Guilherme from Brazil, and Sanna from Sweden. For those counting at home, that's two guys and 6 girls. Shucks. Guilherme and Susie are both biologists, and I found it very interesting to get in on their conversations and learn a little about what we were seeing. And Marcela, a yoga instructor, informed us she was planning on practicing silence during the trek, a first for me. We had to choose a team name and humbly went with the Wirakochas, the Incan god/creator of all things. It matched our skillsets well.

The first morning hike wasn't too bad – 3 hours of "Andean flat" (which just means it's not completely uphill) to arrive at our day 1 camp. Camp consisted of tents, which were conveniently set up for you before you arrived underneath a metal roof. Maybe that counts as half-camping, not sure…but the roof was immensely important as it rained almost every night. After our lunch (which, again, were massive portions), we did an hour hike uphill to the glacial lagoon. It was tough, and it was then I saw probably the most impressive athletic feat of our trip. 7 of us were going slow, taking breaks, etc., and Sanna power marches up the hill without stopping. She was beating the guide. Oh, to be 20 again. But the hike paid off in the end as we arrived at a gorgeous blue lagoon at the foot of snowcapped mountains. It reminded me of my time in Patagonia three months prior. After spending an hour or so up there, soaking my feet in the ice bath and taking the first of many group photos, we headed back to camp to close the day. And this when we saw the first benefit of having a yoga teacher in the group – the first of several of our own private classes. We were all in need of a good stretch and she delivered. I also found it impressive to be able to teach yoga in your 2nd language (she would suspend the silence practice to teach). Every day before dinner we'd have a tea time, to take in some coca tea and snacks to help with the altitude, and our guide Edgar would go over the plan for the next day. Edgar, or Chavito as his friends called him, was just a legend. He pronounced mountain like "meow-ntain", which always made me smile, without fail. And he has this laugh, maybe more of a giggle, that would light up the damn room. I wanted to record it and set it as my alarm clock but never could catch him at the right time. Such a Peruvian treasure. So, after tea time and another massive calorie-replenishing dinner, we all crashed before 8 to mark the end to a long first day.

Another early wake up to start day 2 – 5:00 this time. But they woke you up with a quiet "Buenos Dias" and coca tea delivered to your tent, about as effective of an alarm as one can have. Day 2 was known to be the hardest day of the trek, and it started with a 7-kilometer, steep uphill climb, to the highest peak of the trip, at 4630 meters. I stayed near the back of the group and took my sweet time. Not like I've ever been in stellar aerobic shape, but with the cold still sitting in my lungs and the air getting thinner by the step, I wasn't winning any race to the top. That said, this wasn't a hike you wanted to rush through either. The scenery was gorgeous. We started hiking through lush green valleys and ended at snow covered mountains. And there were plenty of stops to take a picture (another pro tip: anytime you get tired, just stop and take a picture of something…No, I'm not tired, just inspired). 4 hours or so later, we reached the peak and earned a well-deserved break. And this is when Edgar taught us more about the Incan culture. He led us through a proper Incan ritual, giving thanks to the mountains, the glaciers, and Mother Earth. Normally so jovial and laughing, he got very quiet and serious for the dedication. It was cool to see his other side for something that was obviously so important to him. At the end, he thanked us for joining him in the ceremony and respecting his culture, but it was him who deserved the gratitude, for opening his heart and welcoming us all into his world. From there, we had 17 kilometers more downhill to our next camp, and of course, the last 3 hours or so was through pouring rain. At least I had proper footwear…Sanna and her tennis shoes were in bad shape by the end of it. As day two finished, I thought the team had truly come together and gotten close.

With the most challenging part behind us, we set off on a leisurely walk on day 3 morning. Relatively flat and in lower altitude, we hiked through the rainforest (or tropical forest, or cloud forest…I don't remember the right term, the biologists can correct me) and learned a bit more about local plants and wildlife. Lesson 1: the cochineal insect which is sold and crushed to make dye for fabrics (or in our case, face paint). Lesson 2: the Angel's trumpet flower, which can be boiled and made into a hallucinogenic tea for ritual ceremonies [not to be taken lightly…Edgar told us the story of the tourist who bribed the cook to make him some of this tea, drank too much, went completely crazy (swimming through grass, fighting with massive rocks), had to be sedated by the cops and then rushed to the hospital in Cusco to save his life]. At lunchtime, our hiking was done for the day, well, for most of us. Sadly, this was where we said goodbye to Guilherme and Sanna (who both booked the 4-day tour instead of 5). And as they marched on, the 5 remaining girls and I had to settle for 2 hours in the natural hot springs. Anytime anyone asks you to soak in a natural hot spring, the answer should always be yes. Two hours got us healed up and relaxed, and I could've easily done about two more. That night, we all had a few beers around the bonfire, and I believe it was at that time I became Marcela's official translator (somehow, we were on the same wavelength and I could understand her hand signals better than most…I need to try my hand at charades again and put these skills to use). I was surprised that despite the fact she wasn't talking, we were still able to get to know her pretty well. The key is lots of yes/no questions.

Day 4 started easy as well. It came with options for the morning – hike three hours to Hidroelectrica, or get a van to take you ziplining and then drive you to town. I actually would've done the hike as I've been ziplining before and it's never blown my mind, but everybody else in the team was pro-ziplining and hiking solo didn't sound fun (plus, you can't split up the family, right?). Alas, I ended up being happy I went; the guys at Vertikal Ziplining had a cool course set up and sent you down in all different positions, finishing with the super condor. After ziplining, we arrive in Hidroelectrica for lunch and then start our walk along the railroad tracks towards Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. It wasn't the most exciting hike, so I tossed in the headphones and took some Ryan time. We got to our hostel (yes, an actual hostel with a shower and a bed and everything) early in the afternoon so we all squeezed in a nap before we met for our final Wirakocha family dinner. It was there that Marcela finally broke her silence; it was an impressive 4-day run and quite the display of self-control, but I was happy to be able to have a normal conversation with her again.

The final day arrived bright and early, as we left the hostel at 4 AM to hike up to Machu Picchu, with the idea being we get there right as the park opens, and right at sunrise. For one final test, we climbed stairs for 45 minutes straight (a good time, with Vera's #slowandsteady leadership setting the pace) and got to the opening gate in plenty of time ahead of the 6:30 opening. We entered and straight away I was in awe. It was even bigger than I imagined, and at that time, peacefully quiet. As the sun came over the mountains, with the fog looming, it felt truly magical. Edgar started giving us some history of the site, but I found myself distracted, looking around in wonder and imagining what it would've been like to live there 700 years ago, how unfathomably difficult it would've been to build it with the tools they had at the time, and how satisfying it must've been when American Hiram Bingham "discovered" it again in 1911, when he was led to the lost city by a young boy as his tour guide. After Edgar led us around for a 2-hour tour, we had a few more hours of to explore the nooks and crannies and take some classic tourist pictures before starting the almost 12-hour journey by foot/bus back to Cusco.

Overall, a brilliant five days and one of the highlights of my travel career. The tour company and our guide took great care of us, natural beauty surrounded us for 5 days, and I couldn't have asked for a better group to share it with. If you ever get the chance to come to Peru, or if Machu Picchu has been a bucket list item for you, make it happen. And I would highly suggest going on one of the treks instead of just taking the train there. Much better value and a much more complete Incan experience.

RURRENABAQUE

After arriving to the La Paz airport in one piece, I made my way to the gate, down the jetway, and onto a bus to take us to our plane. I heard the plane was small but its lack of size exceeded my expectations. A single prop plane with 10 rows of 2 seats split by an aisle, and no cockpit door to prevent us from hearing any bell or alarm that may sound, it was the smallest plane in which I've ridden. The flight was uneventful, and we taxied to the Rurrenabaque airport, which is a term they use lightly. It was one building where the departure and arrival sections were split by a mosquito net, and the security checkpoint consisted of manually (and casually) searching your bag. I went from the airport to my El Curichal, where I'd stay one night before heading out in the morning.

THE JUNGLE

I booked two separate three-day tours through Fluvial Tours, the Jungle and the Pampas. They presented two very different types of excursions, and I didn't want to choose, so I splurged a bit and booked both. Yet they didn't know, even the day before, on which I would go first. Luckily they had similar packing lists. I got to the office that morning to find out Jungle was first stop, and my group was me and 4 British kids on gap year after high school. Not my ideal group selection…19 year olds just seem to have different priorities while traveling, but they seemed cool enough. We hopped on a 3-hour boat ride up the river into the jungle, and hauled our stuff and food for the trip 15 minutes through woods and rivers to our camp. Good news: they told us we should rent boots cause they had gotten a lot of rain recently, so we were prepared. The bad news: they gave me two right boots and of course I didn't try both on because the first one fit perfectly. So for the next few days I had dry, yet crooked, feet. After getting settled and eating lunch, we went out on our first of three jungle explorations. Very unstructured in nature, our guide Eliberto would just lead us through the jungle, creating a path with his machete as necessary, and teach us about any animals or unique plant life we came across. Trip 1 was a little light on wildlife (and this was expected…the Pampas is billed as the trip to see a large variety of animals) but we did see a few massive macaws, and learned a ton about the different plants and how the natives (like our guide) would use them. For example, we saw the tree sap they'd put on the end of a stick and throw into a small pond, which removed the oxygen from the water and killed the fish. Angling made easy. That was our last adventure for day 1, and after dinner, we just relaxed until bedtime, which comes early with no electricity.

Our second day was much more active - within the hour we ran into a family of yellow monkeys and chased them around for a while. And in the next few hours, we saw an iguana, wild pig, a few tarantulas, and a deer run off. We sampled some bark from the tree which the natives use to cure malaria. Extremely bitter, it took about an hour for the taste to leave my tongue, but I'm telling myself it's pretty much like I took a vaccine against malaria, so it's worth it. At least I think that's how science works. After dinner, we grabbed our flashlights and went into the darkness for a nighttime walk for wildlife. What it turned into was a spider excursion. Big spiders, small spiders, all terrifying. I learned what a tarantula's web looks like (and would later see one on the roof of both our bedroom and the dining room – fortunately this was while we were leaving).

After breakfast on day 3, we sat down with our guide Eliberto and made some forest jewelry. It brings you back to elementary school arts and crafts time. Rings for the hombres and necklaces for the chicas, all out of acorns and seeds found from the woods just outside of camp. I'm not necessarily a jewelry guy but I'll wear this ring proudly for the rest of my trip (or at least until I lose it). Eliberto was just the type of guide I'd want for a voyage into the deep jungle. He was born in the jungle 60 years ago, and has made it his life. He spoke very little English (which gave me more helpful practice as a translator) but loved sharing his passion and knowledge of the rainforest. He only had two years of schooling (where he would have to walk an hour through the jungle to attend). He said "If you ask me about the stars I can't explain them…but I can tell you about the jungle. I know the jungle." He also claimed he cured his own rheumatoid arthritis by drinking a tea from the jungle for 12 straight days, followed by downing a bottle of whiskey (clinical studies soon to follow, I'm sure). But his belief and passion in the powers of nature were important factors in the experience. After our last lunch, we hauled our things back to the boat for our ride back into town. Right when we got on the boat was about when it started absolutely pouring down rain. And this wasn't one of them fancy boats with cabins underneath…no, we were in the elements. But one thing I've learned and try to reinforce is not to worry or stress about things out of your control, especially the weather. Any rain you're in is just water, and any inconvenience due to it is just temporary. Like Luke Bryan so eloquently put it, rain is a good thing. So, we arrived back into town, a little damp, and I went back to the same hostel for a night of rest before the second excursion.

THE PAMPAS

I come back to the tour company office the following morning to meet my new group for discovering the wetlands – a Japanese couple and a triad of nice, young, good looking Australian girls (I can't catch a break, right?). You never know how it will be as a solo traveler when you get paired with groups of people who already know each other, but we got along great and couldn't have asked for a better group to explore with.

For this journey, we took a three-hour drive along unpaved roads, stopping for livestock in the road as required, towards the riverboat port. Close to our destination, we stopped for lunch, when we realized our driver had disappeared. Waiting around impatiently for 20 minutes or so, he finally showed up again, being dropped off by a car outside the restaurant. Judging by the sheepish smile on his face, our working theory was it was his local girlfriend. Unable to confirm though.

When we arrived at our boat, we met our guide Taz, and set out to look for wildlife as we headed towards the lodge. Taz handed around a bag of coca leaves (very popular amongst Bolivians for help with altitude sickness and an energy boost) and a bag of baking soda, which maximizes the effect of the leaves (not a bag of cocaine, as one unnamed Australian thought). We cruised up to a tree on the river that was filled with yellow squirrel monkeys. Taz calls my name and tosses me half of a banana to feed them. The plan in my head was to calmly break it into a few pieces and feed them peacefully. They had a different idea. I turn around and the monkeys are rushing the boat; probably 4 or 5 jumped on me and one lucky winner ripped the banana out of my hands, as the others retreated, disappointed and hungry. It was hilarious and terrifying all at the same time – I have a video that I'll post, although I wish I could dub over the sound to make my screams sound much more manly.

We got to our lodge, a series of huts elevated over the water, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I had a private room. These last two stays in the rainforest were also my first experience sleeping in mosquito nets (the Aussies thought that was weird), and I'd be fine not doing it again. They're lifesavers in an environment like this, but are as effective as keeping in heat as they are keeping out mozzies. We got a quick tour of the facilities, which included introduction to their "pet caimans", one over 12 feet in length, who hung around under the dining room for meat scraps or clumsy tourists.

We had our first meal on site which, just like the jungle tour, was massive. One reason I'd recommend Fluvial Tours was the sheer amount of food they give you. Prepared by a nice lady that stays on site, they're classic Bolivian meals with meat, 3-4 different carb options, and heaps of fresh fruit and veg. All you need to do is justify it by the calories you burned hiking and there's no food guilt. After dinner, we went for our first round of nighttime caiman searching, as their eyes hover above the water and eerily reflect the flashlights, but we didn't have much success. Back to get some sleep for the next full day ahead of us.

After breakfast (consisting of three different types of deep fried donuts), we went out to search for anacondas. Now this doesn't mean ride around in a boat as our guide looks for anacondas…no, we put on our mud boots, and walked around in marsh, purposefully seeking massive predatorial snakes. As we got started, we asked Taz what we should do if we find one. "Uh…step on his head and grab him by the tail…or just call me and I'll come over". I just decided to blindly trust Taz with my life, and went in full steam ahead into the marsh. It's one of those feelings where you don't really know if you want to have a successful search or not, and since it was wet season and everything was flooded, it was truly like searching for a needle in a haystack. For better or worse, we left without finding an anaconda, but we also with all our limbs intact.

The afternoon excursion called for swimming with dolphins and fishing for piranhas. As we got to the spot to swim with dolphins, there wasn't much activity, but we jumped in anyways to cool off. Taz, how do we know there are no piranhas in here? "No, it's very safe here no worries". Again…blind trust. After a quick dip, we went to the piranha fishing spot, which looked unnervingly similar to where we were swimming fifteen minutes earlier. There wasn't much technique to piranha fishing – put some raw meat on a hook and throw it in the water. Not the smartest of fish. Due to the rainy season, we were met with limited success here as well (one fish between everyone on the boat), and after trying 4 or 5 different spots, we called it quits to go watch sunset with a few drinks. After the sun went down, we grabbed a few bottles of wine for the road and returned to camp. We split up the one piranha we caught as an appetizer, and it was a surprisingly clean tasting fish. After we had "finished" it, I watched Taz take literally every single piece of meat off the bone and give us back the skeleton. Apparently, he had plenty of experience eating piranhas. The post-dinner round 2 of caiman searching was a bit more successful – Taz pulled alongside a baby and grabbed it out of the water for us to hold. The moms only watch after their babies for the first year and then leave them to discover the world for themselves, so we returned him to the water and wished him luck. We capped the night off by enjoying the last glass of wine and good conversation in hammocks – a level of comfort that I wish I could bottle up and return to often.

Our last morning started with a 6 AM wake up call to experience the morning sounds of the pampas. Navigating just by oar, you got to hear the jungle awaken and the birds, monkeys, and other wildlife welcome the sunrise. Probably the most tranquil experience of my trip thus far, yet bittersweet because you knew it was coming to an end soon. We had a second go of swimming with dolphins, and had more success. Although it isn't Sea World where they're swimming up to you before doing backflips for treats – it'd probably be more appropriately named "swimming kind of close to dolphins". And as long as you could ignore the peculiar smell in the water and not worry about long term health concerns, it was a cool experience.

One last boat ride back to the car, and we said our goodbyes to Taz. I won't soon forget that man, he had such a fascinating story. He also only had a few years of schooling, but had somehow managed to learn five languages and travel the world helping research rainforest life and spread his knowledge. When I think of overcoming adversity and making the best of your circumstances, he will always come to mind. And when I combine the experiences I had with the great people I met, this week of exploration will be one of my favorite experiences of my travels, and the memories will stay with me forever.

COCHABOMBA

Since I had to kill some time for my yellow fever shot to become effective, and didn't want to spend all 10 days in La Paz, I made a short stop in Cochabomba, Bolivia's fourth largest city, kind of on the way to La Paz. I took a night bus to get there, and like most Bolivian night buses, it got in at the convenient time of 4:30 AM. Luckily, the nice staff at Running Chasky woke up and let me hang out in the common area until the room was ready. After a quick nap, I woke up and met Angels and Peter (blog here), who turned into my mini crew for the next few days to explore the city. The highlight here was the hike up to the statue of Cristo de la Concordia which overlooks the city. It's the tallest Christ statue in the world, just a few meters taller than the one in Rio after which it is modeled.

LA PAZ

The next morning, Saturday, Peter and I hopped on a bus to La Paz, our home for the next week. I had heard a lot about the Wild Rover hostel in La Paz so we went straight there, and booked in a 20-bed dorm room, the biggest I'd slept in to date. Typically, the more beds in a room, the cheaper it is, and this was no exception, at $7/night. I wanted to be sure I was in La Paz by Sunday, which is when they have their weekly Cholitas Wrestling event. Cholitas are Bolivian women who dress in traditional garb (sweaters, long skirts, and a Charley Chaplin top hat), a tradition that is passed down from mother to daughter. And every weekend, you can watch these ladies come out, show off their best moves, and body slam each other for a few hours. We showed up and we're given a ticket for entry, with vouchers for a free snack (popcorn), beverage (3 swigs of coke), souvenir (a mini Cholita doll), and two bathroom trips. Yea…if you had to go more than twice, you better start bartering your toy for an extra ticket. I hadn't attended a wrestling event in almost 20 years, but it was a blast. They had 4 or 5 matches, each with an eerily similar storyline of good gal/bad gal, with an evil referee thrown into the mix as well. Definitely a worthwhile stop if you're in La Paz at the right time of the week.

On Wednesday, I went mountain biking down Yungas Road, better known as Death Road. The voyage started with a 7:15 AM hostel pickup to drive the hour or so up to the top of the mountain. The first 45 minutes were on paved road, which was good, because I pondered for a while and couldn't remember the last time I had ridden a bicycle. After that stretch, we veer off onto the dirt road and for the next two hours, road down the true death road, that weaved down on the side of the mountain, overlooking a picturesque green valley. The ride is only as scary as you want it to be. Ride with a company with decent bikes (and brakes), and you can control how fast you go and how close you are to the edge. They did have an incident the day before I went where one of the trail drivers (the van that follows behind the bikes with everyone's stuff) got startled by a biker swerving in front of him and the van fell off the road to the valley below, killing the driver inside. Passing by the accident site as we rode down was a sobering reminder to not screw around and be fully aware of your surroundings. Aside from that tragedy, it was an incredible few hours – a combination of adrenaline and beauty that you don't get to experience every day. And lucky for us, due to a mudslide, our trail van couldn't pass a certain point until they cleared the road. This meant we got "bonus time" on the bike, or the last 20 minutes riding uphill on a road shared with everyday traffic. In a week that different feature a ton of strenuous physical activity, it was probably good for me.

La Paz is home to the San Pedro prison, famous in South America and the subject of the book Marching Powder. Originally designed to house around 600 prisoners, it currently holds over 2,000 inmates and their families. Yes, here, there aren't any cells and few prison guards, and the prisoners can have their families including children live with them inside. An ex-prisoner, an American named Crazy Dave, gathers at the square every day to tell stories of his 14 years inside the beacon of drug trafficking and corruption. Certainly eccentric and possibly insane, Dave had some wild tales of his time locked up. Until a few years ago, they even used to offer tours to visiting tourists, until a reporter uncovered that young travelers would go for the weekend and turn it into a weekend coke binge…with the drugs produced at one of several labs inside. Just hearing of a prison system like this continues to underscore that Bolivia is as far from the US as anywhere I've been so far.

Now I knew that Wild Rover was known as a party hostel, but didn't really have the full understanding until I got there. Our first night was Saturday so I thought maybe the multiple happy hours and bartenders standing on the bar yelling 'FREE SHOTS' was just a weekend thing. Nope. After more or less a repeat performance on Sunday night, I realized they played for keeps there. I also admitted that if I wanted to get a decent night sleep, I needed to get out of the 20-bed dorm (which also for some reason had a massive skylight in the middle for a nice, natural, 7 AM alarm clock) and into something a bit more normal. Not that it made us celebrate life any less – two other patriots and I still took home the 'Drink for Your Country' title on a Tuesday, and gave a stunning rendition of Jumper by Third Eye Blind on Karaoke Thursday, but at least I had a decent place to escape to when necessary.

When I arrived, my plan was probably to leave for the rainforest on Friday, but I arrived to discover Wild Rover was an Irish-owned hostel and Friday was St. Patrick's Day. They had a full weekend of events planned, and I didn't have that much time (or liver capacity), but I wanted to see it on the big day. The place was filled with Irish travelers (they stayed for free on SPD) so I felt like I was celebrating in Dublin South. They led a parade during the day accompanied by a Bolivian marching band and accordion player (no idea how you even find an accordion player in Bolivia), and yelled out Irish drinking songs that I tried to learn but mostly clapped along. I would've loved to know what was going through the locals' heads as they watched a bunch of gringos march through the city. All we were missing was Guinness on tap (they had Baby Guinness shots which sufficed). It was a good way to cap off a week of pretending like I was still in college and my body was made for this type of thing, but I was more than content to pack my bags and hit the road. Next stop was to fly up to Rurrenabaque, the access point to the Bolivian rainforest. And of course, my cab ride to the airport had to be eventful in true La Paz fashion. There was construction on the way and I guess my driver was just trying to make good time (which I appreciated), but at one point he swerved into the construction lane to pass a few cars, and apparently cut off a motorcycle attempting to do the same. He slammed on his brakes and laid on the horn, and while passing him on the left, managed to kick off the side mirror of my cab. It was at this point I was praying my driver wouldn't retaliate (and I'm not sure he didn't want to), but the bike sped away. I had fun in La Paz but this confirmed it was time for me to get the hell out of there. On to the rainforest!

TUPIZA

Last time I left I was walking into Bolivia, finally legal, and on my way to Tupiza. My initial plan was just to use this as an overnight sleeping spot before heading to Uyuni in the morning. But the way the transportation worked out, I ended up having a full day before I needed to catch the train. I took this time to ride my first ever horse. It's weird to think I rode a donkey (as part of our annual donkey polo tournament in college) several times before I rode a horse, but it was time to change that. And like most other things in Bolivia, it was cheap (~$9/hour). I booked through my hostel, Hostel Butch Cassidy (highly recommended, great breakfast spread, including pancakes) and it ended up being just me and the guide and we went on a 3-hour journey through the canyons and valleys of Tupiza. She gave me an authentic sombrero to wear, but she didn't account for the impressive size of my head, so it was flying in the wind most of the time. Me and my horse, ole Cara Blanca (white face), were a work in progress. She didn't seem too upset to see me go, and I respect her more for it. Classic hard-to-get.

I went into town to grab lunch and wait for the train station ticket office to open, so I passed some time by people watching in the main plaza. Carnaval was still ongoing, and the little kids were the main stars on this day. And these 6/7/8-year-old boys were complete savages. They were armed with the same foam cans that I had in Tilcara, yet they seemed to use them much more like a weapon than I. They would wait until the innocent girls were about a foot away, then spray them straight in the face and eyes. The better part was the parents on the sidelines cheering them on. I was cracking up. When I had enough fun, I went to go get my train ticket for later that evening. There's three options to choose from: executive, salon, and popular. They all were reasonably priced (especially from what I'm used to paying in Argentina and Chile), so I decided I'd go with the best seat they had to offer. Yet when I got to the front, the man informed me all they had left was popular, so I accepted without much of a choice, and pleased that I'd be able to take a 6-hour train ride for about $2.50. I'm not sure why that price didn't cause me more alarm, but it very much should have. What transpired next was by far my worst transportation experience to date.

I load my bigger pack into the luggage hull and take my carry on into the popular cart to find my row and seat. Instead what I find is numbered 3-person benches facing each other. By the time the train departed 20 minutes later, our 6-person area had 5 adults and 3 kids. 15 minutes into the ride, a smelly drunk walks up, starts flirting with one of the ladies, and decides he'll sit with us as well. Now we're at 9 people. This cute little five-year-old kid is sitting in the legroom between the two benches, using my leg as a pillow. I couldn't really be bothered by this – he was a cute kid and it wasn't his fault we were in this situation. Then they pass him the 2-liter bottle of juice to pour himself a glass. Whyyyy? Of course, he spills some on me. He shoots me an apologetic look and I am quick to tell him it's ok and forgive. But he does it again. Okay, that's enough juice kid. Obviously with the current seating situation, any sort of iPad or laptop entertainment is out of the question, so I just try to close my eyes and sleep. A few times I wake up and look outside to see we're not moving, but figure we're just waiting for stations to clear. I find out later that we were waiting for them to clear the landslide over the tracks, and we didn't move for three hours. When we stopped at a station around 1:45 AM (only 15 minutes from our original ETA), I optimistically got up and grabbed my bag. I asked a passing passenger if we were at the Uyuni station and she laughed. No, you have a long way to go. At this time, the gaggle of kids had left, but their seats had been easily filled with more Bolivians. One of them had a pretty strong funk but I couldn't identify the guilty party. Though at this point, I was far past caring. Three restless hours later, we get to Uyuni a little after 5 and it's time for me to find my hostel. Never will I step foot on a Bolivian train again.

UYUNI

The main (and really, the only) reason to come to Uyuni is to explore Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat at over 4,000 square miles. There are a few tour options, but I opted for the one day tour of the flats that returns you to Uyuni the same day. The town of Uyuni itself is tiny, and built almost entirely for tourism, which means overpriced, average restaurants, and not much else to do. The one day tour allowed me to see the main attraction, and still get back in time for the bus to Potosi that same night. First, we went to an old train graveyard, where trains brought by the British during early mining operations lie resting in peace. They were abandoned there in the 1940s when the mining industry went south. Interesting to see but I was ready to see the main draw. We arrived to the entrance to the salt flats around an hour later, and put on our boots like true salt flat explorers. Formed by the evaporation of prehistoric saltwater lakes, the flat contains a few meters of salt crust. When dry, it's salt as far as the eye can see. But perhaps the coolest feature is when the area gets rain, the flat floods with a few inches of water, and turns into the world's largest mirror. The combination of complete flatness and lack of surroundings makes the horizon disappear. It also has the wonderful effect of making you feel extremely small. Don't get me wrong, I got some cool pictures, including the one featured in this blog, but I enjoyed just sitting in admiration even more. The original plan was to stay for sunset, but a storm rolled in and we decided to head back instead of try to wait it out, which was fine by me. It guaranteed that I'd get back in time to reach my bus (not train, never again) and we had more than enough time to take pictures.

POTOSI

I arrived into Potosi late that evening and checked into Casa Blanca Hostel without issue. The next day I used to relax a bit, but as I was thinking about dinner, I found out it was the hostel owner's birthday, and they were making homemade pizzas if I wanted in. All I had to grab was something to drink. It turned into a classic great hostel night, where a bunch of people, who have nothing in common other than the location of their bunk beds, come together and share in tons of beer, wine, and laughter. We had fun, and it's safe to say I slept through breakfast the next day. I finally dragged myself out of bed, and that following afternoon, I went on a tour of the mines of Cerro Rico. We went to get geared up with coveralls, boots, and a headlamp, then went to the miner's store to buy gifts for the miners, which consisted of coca leaves, juice, grain alcohol, and dynamite. It was troubling that you could buy a stick of dynamite for under $3, but my inner masculine desire to see stuff blow up won, and that's what I bought. We get to the entrance to the mine, turn our headlamps on, and get in to start exploring. Over the next hour, we climbed unstable ladders, tried to avoid breathing in too much silica, and helped some miners haul rocks to the exit. It's pretty hard to explain how I felt about the mine tour. It was a unique experience and really cool to see it first hand, but at the same time it was eye-opening and sad. We ran into a 15-year-old kid in the mine, who had been working for three years. And the only reason he was working in the mine was to help his dad, who had developed lung disease from his 30 years in the mine. It's a vicious cycle in a town without much other work. And our guide seemed to be encouraged that only 12 people died in the mines last year. Overall, I was glad I went but it certainly made you appreciative of the opportunities we are provided as Americans.

SUCRE

The next day I was off to Sucre, and I used yet another different type of transportation, a shared taxi. For a three-hour taxi ride, it worked out to $7 per person, so I decided to ride in comfort through the winding Bolivian hillswith three strangers instead of on a bus with 40 strangers. My four days in Sucre were relatively uneventful. It's the constitutional capital of Bolivia, but most government business is conducted in La Paz, and Sucre is a much more laid back colonial city. I met up with some friends from Potosi my first night there, and woke up the next day sick, which curbed most of my appetite to get out into big excursions. One thing I was finally able to accomplish was getting my yellow fever vaccination. When I went to the travel doctor in the states, she surprisingly told me it would be much cheaper abroad, and it's still the same vaccine all over the world. And since I plan to enter the rainforest in just over a week, I was running out of time if I wanted to be adequately protected. It took a silly amount of time due to typical South American bureaucracy, but $14 and a few hours later, I was immunized without any real side effects.

I haven't written in a while, and I have some time to kill on a Bolivian bus, so this may be a bit long, but I feel like I've had a lot happen since the last post. I spent a few more days in Mendoza after Dad and Sarah left but I laid low for the most part. I stayed in Mora International Hostel, which had a cool open air layout. The downside of that is the inability to keep mosquitoes out. Add to that the fact that our room had no AC, so keeping windows open was necessary, and you get into a tricky situation. There's not a much worse alarm clock than a mosquito biting you in bed. And I've always had blood that, to mosquitoes, is some sort of combination of honey and crack, so it was open season. No Zika contracted…yet.

I went to the bus station the day before leaving to buy my ticket for the 20-hour journey to Salta. The lady showed me the options, and pointed out one bus that was offering a promo price. I always jump at a deal, not worrying to much about the quality of the bus at the time. This would be my third overnight bus, and I've had both good and bad experiences on the other two, so I never know exactly what to expect. But I walk on this bus and the entire bus is filled with luxury leather recliners. I'm talking an actual comfortable seat that belonged more in a home theater than an airplane. It damn near brought a tear to my eye. It may seem simple, but it's hard for me to describe what kind of morale boost it provides when you get a little unexpected gift like that. So, I rode in style and got a decent night's sleep as I continued to head northward.

SALTA

Wide-eyed and full on average bus food (nice seating doesn't mean complete first-class service), I checked in to La Covacha close to Salta's city center. That afternoon, I just killed some time walking around the city's main square. Here is where you begin to see the Spanish influence in Northern Argentina, as all the cities are founded around a central plaza, all featuring the main church on one side and the cabildo (city council) on another side. But the most interesting feature on this square was the MaaM (Museum of High Mountain Archaeology). It's a small museum, but it is one of two museums in South America that share a common display. High in the peaks of the Andes near Salta, the Incas would perform rituals where they would sacrifice their best-looking children for the gods, and bury them on the mountain tops alive after a wedding ceremony. This museum actually has the mummified remains of three children (which were preserved well due to temperature and climate on the mountain) on display in their natural state. Definitely a bit creepy, but very interesting to see. And maybe the one time in history where it pays to be a little on the ugly side.

Salta is also the home of some incredible local quick eats. The empanadas were good as expected (probably the best I've had in Argentina), but their tamales were the true hidden gem. Corn (so it's healthy) flour stuffed with meat, onions, and more wrapped and cook in corn husks – just a little small helping of greatness. They are certainly one of the foods I'm going to bring back to the States and figure out how to make at home. The last night, when I had no real plans, the owners of the hostel invited me to join their family in an asado on the rooftop terrace. Well…actually…a girl that was staying in my room invited me and at that point they kind of had to go along, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. And as usual, it was an absolute feast. A potato salad and mixed greens accompanied serving after serving of grilled meat and plenty of red wine. Near the end of the night, the conversation switched to the women's rights protest in Buenos Aires over their ability to sunbathe topless. As more wine was consumed, the speed of their speech increased as well, so I didn't understand all of it. But 'tetas' is easy enough to translate and hand gestures universal, so I picked up on enough context. Everyone seemed to be pretty pro-sunbathing. I've always been a women's rights activist and it won't stop now.

CAFAYATE

The next day, I called a bit of an audible on my original plan due to some recommendations, and headed 4 hours back south to Argentina's second biggest wine region, Cafayate. The drive down through Quebrada de las Conchas is known to be very scenic, but what they didn't tell me was it was full of hairpin turns and the buses are still intent on making good time. This trip has had its highs and lows, and losing my lunch in a coach bus bathroom qualifies as the latter without a doubt. As I try to always look on the bright side, I just see it as making more room for empanadas, tamales, and vino.

I checked into Casa de Huesped, which was a simple hostel but had a really cool layout. Their outdoor seating area, featuring breakfast tables and a few hammocks, laid underneath grape vines which the hostel uses to make their own homemade wines. The next day I set out to do some tastings at some of the local vineyards. I hit 4 in total, with El Esteco being my favorite, but these 4 kept me much more sober than the three in Mendoza…these were actual tastings instead of full-glass samples. I enjoyed the wines and vineyards of Cafayate, but I still prefer the ones we visited in Mendoza if I had to compare the two. For starters, I prefer red wines, and Cafayate's specialty is the torrontes grape, which produces a white wine anywhere from semi-sweet to dessert-levels of sugar. Secondly, the Mendoza wineries were more equipped to give tours and happily showed off their craft and knowledge, whereas the Cafayate wineries seemed to give the tours out of necessity, almost reluctantly, than out of desire. One advantage Cafayate had was its surrounding scenery. The town sits next to the base of the mountains, which allows for a great visual while sampling. All that said, I'm definitely glad I came and would recommend it for wine lovers and amateurs alike. Accomplishing what I wanted to, I left after two days to head back north on plan, bound for the northwestern most province in Argentina, Jujuy.

JUJUY

With Carnaval approaching, I knew I wanted to be in Jujuy to celebrate due to its reputation in Argentina. There are several towns in Jujuy that offer Carnaval celebrations, but I settled on Tilcara as it seemed to be the most popular from what I gathered. This time of year, people from around the country storm this otherwise small town, and it becomes very crowded. Online, I could only book a hostel through Saturday morning (the main party being Saturday) so I figured I'd just figure out that day as it got closer. On Wednesday and Thursday I went on a few hikes around town. I went to Pucara de Tilcara, which is a collection of ruins dating back to the 12th century, and were rediscovered in 1908, with a lady from Buenos Aires also traveling solo. It was cool to explore the ruins, but I did find it a bit odd that the highest point on the mountains was a monument, dedicated not to the ancient settlers, but to the archaeologists instead. The next day I hiked solo to Garganta Del Diablo, a rock formation created millions of years ago by shifting tectonic plates, with a waterfall at its peak. Although my favorite view was on the way down, looking across the valley at the multi-colored mountains (due to the different mineral types formed over the years).

Over Thursday and going into Friday, I experienced probably my first bout of real homesickness. Not to the extreme of 'get me out of here now' but I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I was just kind of in a funk. It had probably been two weeks since I had spoken more than a sentence or two in English, and that wears on you. Due to some indecisiveness on my part, I had little success finding a place to stay Saturday night, and had started to plan to leave for Bolivia Saturday morning (thus missing the party and the reason I was there). Just a bit of a cold streak if you will. But as things tend to do, I got a little momentum on my side going into the weekend. On Friday afternoon, a girl at the hostel told me she saw another hostel with availability for Saturday night, so I was able to book that and stay as originally planned. A good crew checked into the hostel Friday night, and we had a blast at a local peña, a restaurant and concert in one with folkloric music, including some sort of horn that was 8 feet long. Plenty of cerveza and dancing to go around.

I checked out on Saturday morning to go to my other hostel, and Jan, a French guy from my previous hostel, joined me. He had to run around to chase down his friend so I was kind of just hanging out when a few of the others at the hostel invited me to join them at the party. I couldn't turn that down…sorry Jan. We got there as it was just getting ramped up. It was situated in an open field with some big speakers and a bunch of vendors. Before long it was shoulder to shoulder and all hell broke loose. The best way I can describe it is I got to act like a kid again. It's an all-out war, with the weapons being paint, spray foam, and handfuls and handfuls of powder. I've said it before but I think it's important that regardless of how old we are, we still find time to let loose and play. This hit the spot. I don't know anything about Brazilian carneval, but this would be tough to top.

Now all I had to do was take a bus to the Bolivian border, buy my visa, and then take the 2nd bus to Tupiza, about 2 hours north. Easy enough, right? I knew beforehand that this could be tricky for a few reasons. First, Bolivia is one of the few countries in South America where people from the US need to pay to enter (reciprocity for us charging Bolivians) and second, a yellow fever vaccine, which I don't have, is technically required. I knew you could pay the fee at the border and didn't have to do it beforehand. The tough thing is you must pay in USD and have exactly $160 because they aren't giving you change. I did some reading and people said there was an ATM at the border that could give out dollars. Cool…just need to find that ATM. So, I'm going through the process, filling out the paperwork, and I get to the grumpy lady that wants the money. I tell her I don't have it, I need to find the ATM, and here comes a lot of confusion. She doesn't really understand me, I don't really understand her, she has my passport and tells me I need to pay before I get it back, I tell her I completely understand I just need to find that ATM, she mutters something else. Eventually someone else in line says go ahead into Bolivia and get some money and come back. Looking back, I'm sure I was in the country 100% illegally (allegedly). So I wander in, without passport, to go find an ATM. Of course, the one in town only gives out Bolivian pesos, so then I need to find an exchange house to rip me off and convert them into USD. I go back to the office, cash in hand, and there's someone else working there. Great. I tell him my passport is here and I need to pay for my visa and he starts looking for it, nervously, without any success. To make a long story just a tiny bit shorter, I end up jumping back and forth between two offices a few times, recompleting paperwork, and getting a new stamp because my previous one was annulled (which I'm sure will make me stand out to every future immigration officer I meet). Almost four hours after when I arrived at the border, I legally entered Bolivia again and got on my way. Stressed out, I went to buy a beer from a street vendor and it was about 65 cents. Then I remembered why I'm in Bolivia. Should be a fun few weeks.

But with that I say goodbye to Argentina. A country in which I've spent 5.5 of the last 7 months, and they've been a blast. Many Argentines that I met said I've seen more of the country than they have, and I just look back and appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to accomplish that.

BACK TO BUENOS AIRES

When my flight touched down in BA, I almost felt like I came home. Not quite the same, but after about a month straight of figuring out a new city every three days, it felt so comforting to arrive to a place where I knew where I needed to go and what I needed to do. I had a few days before Dad and Sarah arrived, so I used that time to catch up with old friends who I hadn't seen in a few months. My friend George put me up in a spare bedroom of his which was just what I needed. He also had two lovely ladies from Canada staying with him who kept great company (and made great finger foods for the happy hours). Thursday I met up with a few friends from my TEGOBA group for some shawarma and coffee. On Friday I met up with Candela and we went to a Mundo Lingo event, the language exchange at local bars. I had a great time and it reminded me that I should've attended more often when I was in BA before; it's such a great way to practice language, but in a setting where everyone else is open and willing to do the same. On Saturday, I grabbed beers with my old roommate Nestor, the one person in Buenos Aires who had to put up with me more than anyone else. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see everyone I would've liked to, but if any of y'all are ever in the States, my door is always open.

I welcomed Dad and Sarah Sunday morning, fresh off their long, miserable first-class flight spent eating 4 course meals and drinking champagne. Poor kids :) It was wonderful to see family in a foreign land and I had a great time introducing them to my second home. We stayed at a really nice hotel in San Telmo, where I slept in a huge bed for the first time in a while. They got to see some of the Argentinean culture: exploring the San Telmo market, taking a tango lesson and seeing a full tango show, and being amused at how late they eat dinner. They got to sample the food (steak, empanadas, choripan, provoleta) and were even adventurous enough to try mollejas (sweetbreads, or, more familiarly, gizzards). I don't believe they'll be repeat mollejas consumers. And they were able to see the beautiful architecture of Buenos Aires, and appreciate it much more than I could. Although once the two construction nerds start talking about the different concrete techniques, they start to lose me.

MENDOZA

Wednesday morning, I said goodbye to Buenos Aires (at least for the foreseeable future) and we hopped on a plane together to Mendoza. We arrived at Casa Glebinias in Lujan de Cuyo, a nice wine region 20 minutes outside of the city center of Mendoza. It's a beautiful boutique hotel with an on-site restaurant, wine cellar, and pool. Not what I'm used to, but really nice. The first day we were responsible and only went to one restaurant before we came back to get ready for 1884, Francis Mallman's top-class steakhouse. Incredible meal. The next day was our full wine day, where we went to the first winery, Vina Cobos, at 11. We learned quickly that the "pours" at these wine tastings are more like "glasses". Not that we were complaining, but I was probably down 2.5 glasses of wine after the first winery at about noon. We went to a lunch/wine pairing at Bodega Lagarde, where they did a 6-course meal with a wine pairing for each course. Here they didn't even bother asking if you wanted more; they treated an empty glass as a nuisance, and they knew the solution. Really good meal, really good wine, really bad prep for going to our third winery. We certainly had a nice time at Carmelo Patti, but I'd be lying if I told you I had any notes (or memories) of the different wine varietals the little old Italian man offered us. So, Pro Tip for anyone planning a Mendoza vacation: two wineries per day is probably a safe bet. Not long after arriving back at our hotel did we cancel our dinner reservations and settle for a nice pool-side "nap". Friday was our day to take a driving tour of the Andes, all the way to the entrance to Aconcagua National Park. As tends to happen with these massive mountains, there was a collection of clouds surrounding the peaks which skews your view, but it was nice for us to see a different side of Mendoza province, and our driver Gino gave us some nice history of the region, the country, politics, and everything in between.

They flew back home early Saturday morning and I've moved to a hostel in the Mendoza city center for a few days. I really enjoyed having them here, having them experience a world and a culture much different from what they're used to. It was a nice refresher, a pleasant reminder of home, that should hold me over nicely the last few months until I return to the states for good.

I make some really stupid decisions sometimes. I'm just fortunate that it hasn't come back to bite me yet, but more on that later.

PUERTO NATALES AND PUNTA ARENAS

Leaving El Calafate, I arrived to Puerto Natales in the evening. Puerto Natales is a nice small city on the water that serves as the launching point into Torres Del Paine National Park, and not much else. Many people do multi-day hikes (5 or 8 days) but I elected to just a few day trips to the park instead (50% due to lack of camping equipment, 50% due to waiting too late to reserve camping spots). I arrived to my hostel, Hostel San Agustin, and was greeted by the hosts, three older local women with very limited English. They were nice ladies but real sticklers for the rules; and treated everyone there like they would their child. I witnessed one scold a German couple for trying to get seconds on yogurt for their cereal (probably to help wash down the stale bread), yelling "this is not a buffet!". Not a long-term model for success in my opinion but to each their own. I went off to the local market to get some stuff for sandwiches, and due to metric conversion error, I ordered entirely too much below average ham. So, I got to enjoy that for 5 meals over the next 3 days. The next day I went on a full-day van tour of the park, which allowed me to see most of the highlights in a relatively short span. I realized fairly quickly that I was the only gringo and English speaker on the trip, including the guide. He spoke clearly enough for me to get about 50% of his message. That's enough for context which is sufficient. But the park was the real star of the day. Absolutely gorgeous - you can tell immediately why it's such a popular destination for trekkers and tourists alike. Massive granite towers falling sharply to power waterfalls leading down to the distinctly blue glacial lakes - a powerful experience. Also, the weather pleasantly held out for us, which isn't a gimme around these parts. On the way back to Puerto Natales, we also stopped at Mylodon Cave, a massive cave turned archaeological site where the skins of the now-extinct mylodon were found, which led to a large-scale excavation and lots of new information about extinct species from 10000 years ago. The cave now isn't really anything mind-blowing, but I had previously read about the cave in Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia, so it was cool to see in person. The next day I got to the bus station, backpack filled with the appropriate supplies for a day hike to the base of the famous towers, to catch the 8:30 bus to the national park. That's roughly when I figured out the bus actually only leaves at 7:30 AM and it was long gone. I had (incorrectly) assumed that they started at 7:30 and ran every hour. This was probably the most frustrated I've been to-date, simply because there was no one to blame but myself. Resigned to my fate, I went back to the hostel to regroup. As previously mentioned, the town is really a gateway to the park and doesn't offer much itself, so my options were limited. I used the newly-freed time in my schedule to catch up on some photos that needed to be uploaded, some emails that needed to be sent out, and a nap that needed to be taken. I also caught a local museum dedicated to the natives of the area, which was a cool exhibit and pleasant surprise. The next morning I left Puerto Natales to head to Punta Arenas, Chile's first major Patagonian sea port on the Strait of Magellan.

In Punta Arenas, I got to El Fin Del Mundo hostel to a more welcoming environment in a much larger city. A lot of people visit the Penguin colonies from Punta Arenas, but knowing I'd do a similar excursion from my next stop in Ushuaia, I passed and had a relatively relaxed 3 days. I took an early morning hike to the national park (I was the first person there) which had incredible views over the city to the waterway. I saw a ton of wild rabbits but my quest to find wild foxes or pumas continue to come up empty, sadly. I also met an Australian and a German with whom I could have a completely respectful and level-headed political discussion. It's refreshing to know those are still possible nowadays.

USHUAIA

To get to Ushuaia, there was a 12-hour bus-ride. It wasn't too painful because it was broken up by a ferry ride across the Strait of Magellan, where we were able to get off the bus and stretch our legs a bit. It was also my last border crossing for a while (Thank God...because they always seemingly take way longer than necessary for the actual security measures that are performed). I stayed in an AirBnb, since the selection of decent hostels in town are limited, and it turned out to be a great decision. Javier was a very gracious host from his home in the hills above the city, I got some good Spanish practice, learned about his upcoming venture to take his rebuilt VW bus from Ushuaia to Alaska, and hang out with two really cool pups - a younger golden retriever named Amber and a 15-year-old warrior named Darkie. Darkie, almost completely blind and deaf, had seen better days but still gets around pretty good, even if at a much slower pace.

My first day took me to Tierra Del Fuego National Park for a hike along the Beagle Channel. The hike was cool, taking you through the forest and along the coast. The forests are a lot different down here, being comparatively very young (only ~10000 years since the last glacial period) and only feature plants that have adapted to the extreme climate. That said, it ended up costing over 40 bucks including the shuttle and park entry, so probably not worth it from a value perspective. I did get to be a super tourist and have my passport stamped from the End of the World (for a small fee, of course) so I'm still happy I went.

The following day I set off towards the Martial Glacier, a hike you can, or should be able to, reach from the city by foot. I didn't quite reach the glacier, per se. To make a long story short, I got lost and went in the completely wrong direction once I got up into the mountains. I'm not sure why it took me an hour to realize there was no one else on the path towards a relatively popular tourist destination, but by that point it was too late. To put a positive spin on it...well for one I didn't die. Secondly, I've seen several much more impressive glaciers in the last month, so going on my own unique path through muddy and abandoned cross-country ski slopes was probably a much cooler adventure. A few hours later when I got back to the internet I saw a map and saw where my route went wrong. It could've been easily avoided had I done a bit more planning beforehand. Where winging it goes wrong, I guess. No real worries though.

Monday was the highlight of Ushuaia and what I had been looking forward to for days now: my trip to Isla Martillo to visit the Penguin Colony. I avoided looking at pictures to keep myself pleasantly surprised and pleasantly surprised I was. We started at Estancia Harberton, where we looked around their museum of full skeletons of all kinds of marine birds and mammals. We also got a tour led by a local biologist. She told me that Killer Whales are really dolphins and after that my mind was so blown I couldn't really focus on the rest of her talk. After getting off our small boat that took us to the island from the estancia, it was impossible not to smile. Penguins EVERYWHERE. The guide estimates that there are 5,000 couples (not including this year's offspring) and, due to the years of tours, our presence didn't bother them a bit. This allowed for some great photo and video opportunities, and the ability to get within a few feet of these little balls of joy. I'd say the one downside was the pesky "rules", like no petting, no hugging, no taking any back as souvenirs. Talk about the no-fun police. But all-in-all, an amazing experience. The tour company I used (Piratour) is the only one authorized to lead hikes on the island, where other companies must stay and take pictures from the boat. So as we were leaving and another rival company's boat pulled up as close as they could for pictures, I looked down my nose and laughed as pompously as you might expect, extremely happy with my decision to pay the extra bucks for this tour.

My final day I went to the Ushuaia Prison museum, where Argentina used to keep its most violent criminals in a penal colony, similar to how Britain used Australia. It was a nice activity for a cold and windy day, and it's very well documented in English. They even maintained one wing completely as it was when the prison was open, which serves as a healthy crime deterrent.

Now back to my really dumb decision making. For some reason, I got it in my head I was going to walk to the airport from my AirBnb. Even looking on the map it seemed a bit far but I figured I had a few hours this morning and could get some exercise while saving on cab fare. Dumb. Just really dumb. For some reason, I chose to ignore the maps navigation that suggested it was more like a two-hour walk, or the fact that I would be carrying between 40-50 pounds of luggage on my back, or the fact that it was up and down dirt road hills. An hour into the march, when I realized I was still nowhere close, I started to panic a bit. But I was too far away from the downtown area to find a cab at this point. I stuck my thumb out while walking, which every single car seemed to treat as me offering them congratulations on their driving, because no one even thought about stopping for this friendly gringo. I was positive I was going to miss my flight at this point, but thank God, the Ushuaia airport is tiny and I got their five minutes before the hour cutoff. I've had enough time on this plane to cool off (both figuratively and literally as my sweat-stained shirts start to dry) but I was self-loathing for a while there. Lesson learned, I guess.

I'm typing this on my plane back to Buenos Aires, where my journey first started. It will be great to see old friends, and then in 4 days, welcome Dad and Sarah to South America. Really excited to see some familiar faces.

Well, I survived the 24-hour bus ride. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I got lucky and the bus was only about half full; the seat next to me was open and gave me the proper space to stretch out. The ride was also baby-free which was a nice touch. I was able to get almost a full 8 hours of sleep, and with Netflix downloads (life saving for me these days), podcasts, and my book, I passed the time without too much heartache. The bus company (Marga/Taqsa) even gave me a halfway decent dinner…or my standards have just fallen. They first brought me a tray with a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, a dinner roll, and a container of orange jello. I was about halfway through that delicacy when he brought up a warm aluminum container filled with chicken and rice. I have no doubt the chicken was frozen at some point but it was a nice surprise nonetheless.

I arrived in El Chalten mid-afternoon. El Chalten is a tiny and relatively young town, only founded in 1985, and driven completely off tourism. It sits in a small valley surrounded by mountains, which creates a perfect path for hurricane-like wind gusts, which can be a bit frustrating as you're carrying both of your packs and trying not to fall over. After checking in at Rancho Grande hostel, I got out and did a quick 90-minute hike to a small waterfall, and started walking back just as it began to rain a bit. This wasn't a great sign as if you have bad weather, El Chalten becomes much less interesting. If you can't hike, there's not much else to do besides eat and drink. That night I met up with my friend Nacho who I met in Bariloche, and one of his friends who were also in town, at a local restaurant. We split a massive picada plate (think charcuterie), which included my first helpings of ostrich and wild boar. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. After a beer and a bottle of wine, we split up and I walked home in the now-much-stronger rain storm.

I woke up the next morning to surprisingly clear skies. A well-timed break in the weather, since this is the day I had planned to hike the most well-known trail in town – the hike to Mt. Fitz Roy. On just a granola bar for breakfast (which I'll explain later), I set out on the four-hour hike. The first hour or so was a little tough, but when you reach the peak of the first hill, you have an amazing view of the mountain peaks towering over the valley below, and for the next few hours, you walk with constantly beautiful sights. The last hour was the toughest part, an even steeper climb over rocks, but absolutely worth it. Probably my favorite hike so far, with absolutely stunning views, and the finish didn't disappoint. After a 30-minute break at the top, and refilling my water bottle with fresh glacier water that would make Bobby Boucher proud, I headed back towards town. The following day, I had another day of decent weather and hiked towards Cerro Torre, a slightly less taxing hike towards the other tall peak in the area, with another glacial lake at its base. I hiked with Isaac from Holland, and he worked up the stones to go for a dip in the lake. Crazy Dutch…When we got back, we went to a local happy hour, where a 5 piece Argentinean folk band surprised us with a live performance.

The one challenging aspect of this town was the complete lack of ability to get cash. I heard it was a pain but was cutting it to close to my bus departure in El Bolson to fix it, I figured it couldn't be that bad. I was wrong. They had 2 ATMs in town; one doesn't accept cards with chips (is the alternative even a thing anymore?) and the other one regularly runs out of money. I went down at 8 on Monday morning when the bank opened (or was supposed to), and waited till 9 before accepting that maybe the teller just wasn't planning on showing up that day. Without a withdrawal, I had barely enough cash (when combining Argentinean and Chilean pesos with my $20 remaining in USD) to pay for my hostel and bus ticket out of town, so I was skimping on food hard. I found one restaurant that took credit card, so my plan was just to eat a big dinner there every night. Of course, on my last night in town, I was able to withdraw a little money from the ATM, and later found out my hostel did accept credit cards, so all the worry was for naught.

I took the 2-hour bus ride to El Calafate, and the first thing I did after checking in at iKeuKen hostel was find a farmacia for my cold. Heavy dose of Sudafed in hand, I went to Laguna Nimez, a wildlife reserve right on the coast of Lago Argentina. Upon entry, the guy at reception told me to watch out between stations 7 and 10 as the birds of prey were nesting and they could get protective. I figured he was just saying this to add a little excitement to a bird sanctuary. It's rare, he said. Wrong. Not until station 13, but I swear to god this bastard dive bombed me. I'm glad no one was around to hear the pitch of scream I let out, but it was an effective enough deterrent to save my eyeballs from certain gouging.

The other highlight here, and main reason people come, was the visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the world, and one of the only glaciers in the region that is expanding in size rather than shrinking. It was amazing, and one of those things where pictures don't really do it justice. Hard to capture the sheer size, and the best part to me is sitting and listing to the thunderous cracks and crumbling of the ice as it falls 70 meters to the lake below. It's awe-inspiring, if not a little haunting. I capped off the afternoon in the café on-site, where they will serve you whiskey over a chunk of glacier ice, and it was 5 o'clock somewhere, so I partook. I ended the evening by meeting up with some old friends with Valparaiso over a few beers, and am about to get on the 5-hour bus towards Puerto Natales, Chile, the base to reach Torres Del Paine National Park. Hope the weather holds off.

After an easy 7-hour bus ride to Bariloche (I never thought I would just shrug off 7 hours on a coach bus but it's not too bad with Netflix letting you download content now), I had one day to simply relax and get situated in the hostel as the weather was a bit rainy. I woke up the next day and set off to hike Cerro Campanario, an uphill but relatively short hike to, in my opinion, the best view point in Bariloche. Here, you can see all the surrounding lakes and mountains in the region, and fortunately for me the sky cleared just as I reached the top.

The next day, I went with 3 others from the hostel on the trek towards Refugio Frey. It's a refuge at the top of the mountain where people can sleep, use as a base for their campsite, or simply grab food before the hike back down. The hike up was just over 3 hours, and was pretty mild for most of the way. The weather at this point was fantastic – I was able to rock just a t-shirt. We got to the top and enjoyed a better-than-expected ham and cheese sandwich, and watched a few psychos rock climbing up a ridiculous rock face at the very peak before starting the walk back down. I enjoy the random and sometimes ridiculous conversations that spur up on these longer hikes. For example, out of one guy's refusal to believe in the marketing hype of trekking shoes (he wears his Vans to hike), we created the concept for a new product line: Vans Extreme, a potential rebellious outdoor shoe line. The working slogan: 'F*ck trekking shoes. F*ck everything. Vans Extreme." The nonsense you come up with to fill 6 hours of quiet without Wi-Fi is good for the soul, even if it doesn't lead to profitable business ventures. Also, learned the basic rules to the Irish national sport of hurling around the dinner table one night.

The hostel here (Penthouse 1004) was fantastic as well. When you secure the top floor of an apartment building with a balcony overlooking the lake, it's kind of hard to screw up. But they built out the space great as well. Huge and well-stocked double kitchen, great common area for socializing, and nice private bathrooms. Well worth the 5 extra bucks it'd cost you over some of the other hostels in town.

The next day I took a 2-hour bus ride to El Bolson, a smaller town to the south. I sort of planned for this leg to be a more relaxed leg, in between bigger hiking stops, and it was truly the perfect spot for it. The hostel here (La Casona de Odile) was recommended to me by someone I met at a previous spot with the caveat "it's the kind of place that makes you not want to leave the hostel" and she was right. It has a ranch feel to it with several guest houses on a huge plot of land 3 miles outside of town that backs up to the river. Also featured: a wild lavender garden, an organic farm, hammocks everywhere, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 horse, and a new restaurant/bar on site with homemade beer and live music every night. Just an incredibly well-thought out and executed hostel. Everybody would be well-served to spend a long weekend here and unwind.

I did have one day out of the place, where I took a bus down to Lago Puelo National Park, hiked up to a great viewpoint and through the botanical garden, and finished with a meal along probably the bluest lake I've ever seen. I also saw what I believe to be the biggest wild pig I've ever seen, and immediately started scouting my possible escape routes. But we came to an understanding, he just wanted to eat and I was cool with that. Beautiful park with plenty of activities if you're looking for a nice day trip from El Bolson.

I've had a really nice 6 day run in this region, and for the most part, I've had incredible weather (sunny and low 70s). Now the real adventure begins – in 2 hours I board a 24-hour bus ride down to El Chalten in the heart of Patagonia. There's no way to spin it…this bus ride is going to suck. Terribly. But hopefully, with the aid of too much melatonin, I can get some decent sleep and wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready to go.

Need a hostel in Pucon? I HIGHLY recommend the Chili Kiwi hostel.

I took my first overnight bus of the trip from Valparaiso into Pucon, a 12-hour trip per their schedule. The buses aren't so bad; I had pretty much an airport seat that reclines a little bit more. And then right as the bus is about to depart, a mom and her newborn baby sit down in the seat next to me. I was ecstatic. But believe it or not, that baby slept silently the 2 hours until the family got off mid trip. Kudos to those parents. The bad side is when they got off, another family got on and sat the row in front of me. And that damn baby must have had a fear of the dark, because it cries for every ounce of nighttime (like when people sleep), but come sunrise, it quieted down again. Like some sort of sick joke.

I say I'm solo traveling, and technically that's true, but in the hostel world you're seldom alone. And in Patagonia, people typically either go from south to north or vice versa, taking similar paths. So, I've met several friends that we've kind of hopped around together on similar schedules. Marta and Thomas are two friends I met in Valparaiso who came down to Pucon with me and stayed in the same hostel, Chili Kiwi. The best-located hostel I've stayed at yet, it was right on the lake front in the heart of downtown. I only planned to stay in Pucon for 2 days, as the main thing to do was climb the volcano and get in another hike. The one tricky part about the volcano is that you need good weather to be allowed to trek. When it's cloudy, rainy, and/or windy, visibility drops and it becomes dangerous. So of course, the 2 days after I arrived were predicted to be rainy. At that point, I either had to decide to leave without doing the volcano or extend my stay. I chose the latter, removing Valdivia and Chiloe from my itinerary. My list of places to visit has already changed twice and will probably continue to change. Flexibility is the plus of not booking far in advance; the downside is lack of hostel availability. So halfway through my trip in Pucon, I had to switch to a different (non-lakeside) hostel, where my friends Tal and Ishai were already staying.

But in the two rainy days, we were still able to get some hiking in. We went to the national park for their "3-hour hike" and finished about 6 hours later, but it wasn't too difficult outside of the footing becoming slippery due to rain. It stayed cloudy most of the time but we still were able to see a few waterfalls and get in some exercise. A highlight had to be listening to everyone sing Disney songs in different languages. Just thinking about "Bear Necessities" in German still makes me laugh. This was also the moment when I realized trekking in my year old running shoes wasn't going to cut it. Actually found some hiking shoes that weren't outrageous at the North Face store in town. I'll just have to settle with wearing last year's model. Ugh.

And finally, on day 4 in Pucon, we could summit the volcano, and it was well worth the wait. It started with meeting at 6 AM to get geared up and drive to the mountain to arrive by 7:30. The sky was clear and the sun was out. The climb went from about 1400 meters and 2800 meters straight uphill. I heard it compared to climbing stairs for 4 hours straight. They gave the option of cutting out an hour of the climb by taking a ski lift for about $15 USD. I turned down the opportunity because I paid to hike and I was going to hike. The sick part of it was: that entire first hour you're hiking on loose rock and gravel right underneath the ski lift. A passing reminder of missed opportunities with each passing chair. As we reached the top, we put on gas masks as the air is pretty toxic up there. The government only allows hikers to spend 10 minutes at the peak. I got as close as I comfortably could and was able to see lava, which is hit or miss on this hike as well. And then the real fun began...we got to sled most the way back down, either on our ass or this little plastic sled, using our ice pick as an oar. Awesome time. For someone who doesn't trek a ton, it was pretty difficult for me, which makes it that much more rewarding I suppose. I do wonder how anyone truly likes ice climbing. Like...I get it if you like the challenge, the validation at the end of the route, the views along the way, etc. But there's no way someone actually likes methodically plodding up a glacier. Or maybe I'm just too much of a city boy. Regardless...so glad I stayed and did it, and got the one day where it was perfect (the net day, people's trips got cancelled an hour from the top due to lack of visibility, so they didn't even get the satisfaction).

I then spent the next two lazy days in Puerto Varas, a nice vacation town on the lake.

Puerto Varas hostel recommendation - Margouya Patagonia Outdoor

I just relaxed (and ate) a bit here, and arrived to a rainy Bariloche this afternoon.

"A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn't play has lost forever the child who lived in him and who he will miss terribly" - Pablo Neruda

When I was initially starting to plan this trip last year (that feels a bit weird to type), I didn't know much about Chile at all and started seeking out recommendations. So many things I read and heard pointed me towards Valparaiso. And now, after my last two weeks on the Chilean coast, I can confirm, every single one of those recommendations was spot on. Most people I met in Valparaiso don't spend anywhere close to two weeks, but I did intentionally to give me some extended time in one place, especially during the holidays, before setting out on a month of traveling around through Patagonia. My plan was for those 2 weeks to be relaxing and calm. While I had tons of fun, relaxing and calm wouldn't be the proper way to describe it. But with weather constantly in the mid-70s and sunny with a slight breeze overlooking the water, it's my type of city. I've found a direct correlation between proximity to water and my mood...I need to keep this in mind when I get back to the real world.

A few highlights from my stay in Valparaiso (at Mitico Hostel):

• I had several days aimlessly wandering the hills discovering the endless varieties of local street art. It's nice to see something more artistic than someone tagging their name with a spray can
• Rumbling, bumbling, and stumbling my way down the sand dunes, followed by getting my first surf lesson. As we were on the bus to the surf spot, I was secretly picturing myself being a natural. I have no idea why, it's not like my athletic prowess and shown itself in any other sport, but I had quiet confidence. Yea I was wrong. Shocker.
• Seeing sea lions compete with seagulls for dinner 20 meters off the beach
• On December 24th, had the privilege to sit through both a Christmas Eve potluck, as well as my first Chanukah dinner celebration. My Israeli friends even made a Hanukkiah out of a toilet paper roll, bottle caps, and candles. Traveler's creativity on display
• 5 days of lounging on the beach, with varying levels of sunburn
• Hanging out with Beto, our mostly-lazy yet effective guard dog
• Seeing the 2nd of Pablo Neruda's Chilean homes, this one high up in the hills overlooking the bay
• Getting more confident with my Spanish with each passing beer
• And the perfect way to end the stay, the massive New Year's Eve celebration. There were 15 barges filled with fireworks along all the local beaches from Valparaiso to Concon, and through the hostel, we gained access to a 10th floor balcony for one of the best views in the city. After that, the party spills out onto the streets and lasted until sunrise when the military came to clear the streets (last part is strictly hearsay, I didn't quite make it to sunrise).

I met some amazing people through the hostel (seems to be a pattern developing, which makes me happy). But I can already tell how different the second half of my trip will be from my first leg in Buenos Aires. For the most part, the people you meet will be for a few days and then you say your goodbyes. It's not as much about trying to develop friendships as it is meeting new people, having some laughs, sharing stories, exchanging travel advice, and simply enjoying the company. I'm not sure one's better than the other, but there's a vast difference between the hostel/backpacking lifestyle and immersing yourself in one place for a few months.

And I suppose I should quickly reflect on the New Year, as people tend to do this time of year. It seems especially important for me, given the last 6 months I've experienced and figuring out what the future may hold going forward. 2016 was obviously the most unique and possibly the most impactful year of my life from a personal standpoint. I took a blind leap of faith that quitting a good job and leaving a good home was a worthwhile investment of my time and money, and I still expect that by the end of this trip, it will be my most worthwhile investment ever. I've never been a big resolutions guy, but I have a few general goals in mind as I look forward to 2017:

1. Always try to catch myself when I identify something as challenging, uncomfortable, or potentially awkward, and bust through the proverbial wall to see what's on the other side
2. Keep an open mind, and try to avoid saying no as much as possible.

If anyone has a resolution or something they're working to improve and wants someone to help keep them accountable, let me know. I love hearing about how people are trying to develop and happy to help in any way I can.

I hope everyone had a very Feliz Navedad and Año de Nuevo. Pucon summary coming soon.

Well, my return to Santiago was a successful one. I stayed in a different hostel than the first time around (Kombi Hostel) which turned out to be a great decision. The staff was just fine, the showers were inconsistent, but the location was right in the heart of the nightlife district and I met some incredible people in my 3 days there.

I had a few sights to see left on my list from the last time I came. I went and saw a few museums (Pablo Nerudo's Santiago home, the National History museum),both of which were good, and help highlight how truly different The last 500 years in South America are vastly different from our history up north. The fact that there are tons of people still alive who remember what it's like to have a dictator take power by force is eye-opening, and makes our political "crisis" seem tame. I also finally got to check out the Central Seafood Market and get a massive bowl of fresh ceviche for $6, which was incredible.

But I'd say the highlight overall was our day trip to Cajon de Maipu on Saturday. I hadn't planned on going, in fact I hadn't even heard of the place until the day before, but the beauty of not having a schedule is the ability to call audibles and change plans on the fly. I went with my buddy Will that I met in the hostel and three of his friends, well now I guess I can say my friends. We took the Metro -> Metro -> Bus route on public transport, about an hour and a half worth of travel, to this area on the outskirts of Santiago. We stopped to have a few empanadas for lunch and then arrived at Concada de Los Animas, a natural park of sorts. We ziplined twice over the river and then walked down to the riverbank. It was running to fast to swim (and it was more brown than I'd prefer) but cool to see nonetheless. Would've been perfect for someone who knew what they were doing in a kayak. After we left there, we simply started walking down the road and exploring. We found a shop that sold chocolate and massive hand-made wooden artifacts. Great combo. We stopped at a few random swimming pools to see if we could negotiate our way into a quick dip to cool off, with no success. And I was finally able to try Mote con huesillo, a sweet peach flavored juice served over a cup of wheat (a texture kind of similar to Golden Crisp cereal). Very sweet but pretty refreshing in these hot December days (still feels weird to say). And not to mention my three new friends didn't speak much English, so a great couple days of productive, yet tiring, Spanish practice. It's these little random adventures that I love, and it's why I try to say no as little as possible.

I got into Valparaiso on the Chilean coast 2 days ago. The city is absolutely gorgeous right on the bay, maybe my favorite city so far just from a scenic perspective. I'll stay here through Christmas and New Years before heading south. And I'm going for my first ever surfing lesson today. A day without broken bones that leaves me with a little bit of dignity will be considered a success.

Here I am, back in the comfortable confines of my Atlanta home(s), for a quick hiatus in my travels. I've had such a fun and long overdue two week stretch catching up with friends and celebrating Christmas a few weeks early with family. Now, with just a few days left before I fly back down south, I wanted to take some time and reflect on the last few months, and try to review what I learned, loved, missed, and regret.

I can start with the language. It ended up being more challenging than I thought for a few reasons. First, I probably thought I was better than I truly was when I left in August. Apparently, a few months on Duolingo 10 years after studying Spanish in high school wasn't adequate. Who knew? Secondly, Argentine Spanish (both dialect and accent) were more different than I expected. And lastly, understanding spoken Spanish is just hard for me. Unless I'm asking people to speak at an unnaturally slow pace, there's a good chance they'll be met with a confused look. One thing this trip has taught me is that I need to be a much more active listener. No multitasking when you have to dissect every word. I fully admit I wasn't a perfect Spanish student over the last few months. I could've refused to speak English to everyone I encountered, and forced myself into the uncomfortable situations that make you grow more often. But when you're living in a foreign land, there is a certain comfort to having a nuanced conversation in your native tongue. I think I found a healthy balance, while acknowledging that I possibly could've done more. I spent time every day studying at home, and while effective, being in a school setting may have been more productive. I took a few weeks' worth of classes but at $200/week, I couldn't really afford to continue that through my whole stay. I learned of free classes led by local schools a few weeks before I left, or in other words, a few months too late. Oh well…I'll know for next time. So, in summary…sure I'd love to be fluent after 4 months. But that wasn't a realistic goal. I'm comfortable with where I'm at right now, and look forward to building on the skill. The challenge is part of what makes this fun.

The other biggest challenge of moving to a new place is finding a new social circle. I never really moved as a child, and attended a college where my brother was already well established and several close friends came along with me. For the first time in my life, I had to start from scratch. And for someone that has some introvertistic (Spellcheck tells me this isn't a word but I'm going with it) tendencies, it's a much-needed exercise. Overall, I'd say I was successful. You'd think trying to make new friends while knowing you'll be leaving soon would be tricky, and it was, but I just tried to have as much fun as I could and learn as much as I could with the little time I had. And I met some amazing people. The cool thing about traveling is you don't necessarily meet people with whom you have everything in common. And from that lack of commonality comes a different perspective. In fact, for me and most of my friends, the trait we shared was a desire to see the world, seek new horizons, and learn from one another. This trip also reinforced my belief that people are inherently good. I constantly came to people looking for help, and I was given what I needed time and time again. And while there's a good chance I'll never see a lot of these people again (although I hope that's not the case), the generosity and compassion of my newfound friends will not be soon forgotten.

Another reason I wanted to go to South America is I wanted to experience a life different from what I was accustomed. I've said this before but as a straight, white, upper middle class male in America, I think I'm a part of every majority group possible. I've always considered myself an empathetic person, but moving to a foreign land where suddenly, you're the one that sticks out, has definitely given me new perspective. Not to say I faced any true plight, but it was still a valuable experience to see and I encourage everyone who can to put themselves in awkward or uncomfortable positions. The other thing living in South America taught me was that I took certain luxuries of living in a steady first-world country for granted. For example, the quality (or availability) of appliances makes life a little bit tougher. I felt like an idiot when I had to google how to hand-wash clothes. You can't program your oven to stay at a certain temperature in 5 degree increments. And your heater isn't controlled by a thermostat…it's simply either plugged in or it's not. I just try to remind myself that, while the US isn't perfect, comparatively, we have it pretty good. With that said, they definitely have some things figured out down there. Buenos Aires has a ton of green space in the city and the citizens take full advantage of it. they have perfected the production of expensive ice cream and cheap red wine, and their mass transit options put MARTA to shame (living car-free was a great feeling).

Living without a job is probably as cool as it sounds. It's amazing to be able to set your own schedule and be as selfish as you want with your daily plan. Life is generally less stressful when the only deadline you need to worry about is making sure you check off all the cool stuff on your to-do list before you move on to the next city. It does have some downsides though. I mean not getting a paycheck is not ideal, and I did sometimes find myself lacking a purpose. One takeaway is that even if I won the lottery tomorrow, I couldn't go lay on a beach forever. I'd still need to find a place where I can contribute and make a difference. So eventually I'll work again…still trying to figure out what that may look like, but luckily, I have some time.

The second half of my trip will be quite a bit different from the first. In contrast to the first leg where I stayed in Buenos Aires and set up shop, I plan to spend the next few months traveling around more, staying for a week or two per place as opposed to months. I'll sacrifice the ability to get an in-depth understanding for a city, while gaining the opportunity to see a lot more of the continent. My rough itinerary has me spending time on Chilean beaches through New Years, in Patagonia for January, followed by moving north through smaller cities in Argentina, into Bolivia, northern Chile, Peru and possibly beyond. The timeline will be determined mainly by how my bank account looks, so fortunately I've become talented at living frugally. Hopefully this wasn't too much rambling, but I wanted to provide some insight into what my life was like. As always, open to questions or comments, and I welcome any visitors that want to take a break from the daily grind and come down South.

It's been a while since I last posted, and in lieu of a post with a central theme, I thought I'd just give a brain dump on where I'm at mentally and emotionally as the first leg of my trip starts to wind down.

I've spent lots of time following the election and the aftermath over the last week, and part of me sympathizes for friends and family back home who have a harder time getting away from the wall-to-wall coverage than I do. On election night, I watched along on CNN (which they broadcast in English), and stayed up til about 5:30 local time until his speech was wrapped up and I had read an excessive amount of election coverage breakdown. In fact it was the first time I've seen the sun rise sober in a long long time. At one point, I had planned to write a long post based solely on politics/division/views from abroad/etc, but instead I'll mention a few quick things to ponder.

Even though I'm out of the US, I still feel fairly connected to US through social media and the like, and the split in our country truly worries me. Whether it's race, class, income level, or level of education, sides seem to be as far apart as I can remember in my young life (I can still call myself young for 27 more days). Across the board, regardless of affiliation, there's an increased level of defensiveness and a troubling lack of empathy. And while I don't think Fox News or MSNBC are going to be changing their programming strategy anytime soon, we can all make an effort to empathize and understand those who disagree with us. One method I'm using to do this, and one which I can highly recommend, is a series of podcasts called 'Intelligence Squared US Debates'. They have several years worth of topics on a wide variety of subject, and they bring in well-educated and (mostly) civil people to debate their side. It's a great way to get an introduction to subjects about which you may not think you know enough, and it's fairly heavily moderated so you can actually hear debate on policy, which we've been so sorely lacking recently. Give it a shot with an open-mind and let me know what you think.

Outside of that, I'm getting very close to the end of my stay in Buenos Aires, having 2 weeks until my feet will land on US soil. This whole time I've been so excited to meet new people, develop relationships, and so on. But as I get closer to the departure date, my mindset has started to change. I'm not sure I can even eloquently describe it but it is slowly starting to become me getting ready to leave versus living life day by day. I suppose it's a feeling people feel every time you move but as someone who has lived in Atlanta the vast majority of their life, it's not one I have often faced. My goal over the net two weeks is simply to have as much fun as I can, mark some final things off the Buenos Aires to-do list, and soak in the experiences unique to this place which I'm sure I will miss soon after I get off the plane. That being said, I am excited to see friends and family soon. The comforts of home will be welcomed, if not the cold weather.

Hasta pronto!

Argentina is nice enough to allow anyone from the US to come here for free now. Your passport stamp acts as your tourist visa and it's good for up to 90 days. When an expat like me decides to stay longer than 90 days, one has a few options:

• Leave
• Do nothing and pay a fine once you actually leave (a surprisingly common way to handle it)
• Go to the immigration office and pay a fee to get it extended
• Visit another country and then get a new stamp (and thus 90 more days) upon return

I elected to go with option 4. I would prefer my status to be legal in this country, even if they don't have an active deportation force. And if I'm going to spend money to renew my visa, I'd much rather see a new place doing so rather than just seeing the inside of a government office. A lot of people who take this route just go to Colonia, Uruguay. It's an hour-long ferry ride from Buenos Aires so it's an easy half-day turnaround. But from all accounts, it's a quaint town with not a ton to see. So I went the extra length to Montevideo and turned it into a mini-vacation (from my vacation).

FROM BUENOS AIRES TO MONTEVIDEO

There are a few ways to get from BA to MVD. It's a real short flight, but it isn't the cheapest option. There is a ferry that goes straight there, offered by Buquebus, but it's 5 straight hours on an old converted cruise ship across choppy waters. Hard pass. So I elected for Colonia Express, which offers a hybrid trip (ferry to Colonia and bus to Montevideo). The boat ride was easy enough, and included a free cup of shitty coffee. At least I think it was free? If not, oops. The bus took us through desolate areas of farmland (much like Argentina, Uruguayan people are outnumbered by cows) and into Montevideo in about 2.5 hours.

LAID-BACK VIBES

I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days in the city and I hope to spend more time there at some point in the future. I think part of the enjoyment was its sharp contrast to Buenos Aires, so it truly did feel like a vacation for me. It's much less populated, the people seemed to be friendlier, and it sits right on the water, which has a way of calming anyone down.

I checked into my hostel (Buenas Vibras on Maldonado), which was a really pleasant stay. Ordinary rooms with bunk beds as you'd expect, but probably the nicest hostel bathrooms I've come across, and all of the staff were great. There weren't many other guests there (probably as it was Sunday - Tuesday), so I hung out with the staff and watched a few movies after sundown. I would highly recommend staying at Buenas Vibras if you're looking for a budget option with an upscale feel.

Two days gave me enough time to get a feel of the city and a little bit of the culture. For one, I thought the porteños of Buenos Aires liked mate until I arrived into Uruguay. They take it to a completely different level. I'd estimate 95% of the people I saw in public had their mate and thermos with them. And as a Uruguayan explained it to me, it's not just that they're passionate about the drink (or that their coffee is awful across the country). They view it as always having something to offer and share with another, whether it's a friend or a stranger. I tried their famous sandwich, the Chivito. It's more or less a massive steak sandwich topped with ham, egg, cheese, and anything else you can imagine. I also bought a small bottle of the preferred liquor - grappamiel - a spirit made from grapes and grains. Somewhat similar to whiskey, and then infused with honey, served over ice with a lemon. Pretty refreshing and a nice good bedtime kick.

Honestly, my favorite part of the trip may have been the free walking tour. Sometimes these things aren't worth your time, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone stopping in Montevideo for a few days. The guide, Valentino, was very well educated, spoke four languages, and was very interactive with the guests (maybe because he was working off tips). The tour gave some history of the monuments in the Old City, which gives some context instead of you simply taking a picture and moving on. But more importantly, he gave a lot of insight into the culture and how it developed due to their circumstances. For example, Uruguay is entirely a country of immigrants now (all native tribes are either no longer or moved), which explains why the people are more welcoming to tourists and/or outsiders. Also cool to hear how they balance their liberal laws, like legalizing marijuana and gay marriage, with keeping their much more religious and conservative neighbors Brazil and Argentina happy.

All in all, I'm very glad I took the few extra hours to come to Uruguay's capital in lieu of a quick visa run to Colonia. I saw a much more interesting city and learned a bit along the way. Now that I'm back in the big city, I'm prepping for the Halloween Run 5k on Saturday night. It will be my first race that doesn't involve drinking before and during competition, so I'm excited to see how it goes.

Getting to an Argentine soccer match has been near the top of my to-do list since I got to Buenos Aires. However, due to some security concerns, it has become seemingly harder for tourists (or anyone that is not a fan/club member of the home team) to get into games for Boca or River Plate, 2 of the more popular teams in the country. Luckily, I continue to run into great people willing to help. Two friends, Bianca and Nahuel, whom I met at the running group mentioned in my last post, invited me to join them at the Racing Club match last Saturday as they faced Arsenal. Racing Club is one of the biggest and most popular clubs in Argentina, and their stadium is located on the outskirts of the capital of Buenos Aires. A few legs on buses later and I was there. I met up with them and Nahuel's brother and we were ready to go.

We got there over two hours early due to notice online that they would stop selling tickets at that time (which turned out to be false). After we bought tickets (About $22 USD), we had some time to kill, and there's no better way to pass time then a little cerveza in a nearby park. The tailgating scene didn't really line up to SEC football Saturdays, but it was a perfect day outside so it could've been worse.

Even though our tickets were the cheapest option, they got us to to the best section in the house: right next to the hooligan's section. The flags, the banners, the chants, the screams, the jumping, the yelling, I got to see it all. I'll be damned if they didn't sing or chant for almost the entire game...impressive stamina. I just wish I would've studied up and learned a few songs beforehand. We (yes I'm already speaking of them with 'we') won 1-0 over Arsenal in a game controlled by the home side. Considering that Racing are undefeated with me an attendance, I'd be surprised if some sort of marketing deal doesn't arise for me.

Let's Go, Racing!

Not drug-related, I promise.

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS

I was googling around for a running club in Buenos Aires to have another way to meet new people and give me some added motivation, when I saw a recommendation for some group called the Hash House Harriers. I started doing some research on the group, and saw their motto: "A drinking group with a running problem" - I figured I'd fit right in. I found their corresponding Facebook group and reached out, seeing if there was anything I needed to know. The response:

Do you like to run (doesn't have to be fast, and you can walk if you need to, nobody minds), can you follow a trail of flour, and can you drink beer - Oh, and you must be able to enjoy a good laugh, and great company

Say no more. I'm actually fairly proud of myself for making it...old Ryan wouldn't have made the trip for a few reasons. Each run is hosted/planned by a different Hare every time, and this time it was hosted in a bit of a suburb outside of the city. For me, that meant a 20 minute bus ride followed by a 40 minute train ride to get there. To add to it, when I woke up at 8 to start getting ready, it was raining pretty steadily. I did a quick check to confirm it wasn't cancelled (it wasn't, they rarely are, apparently), packed my bag, and headed out.

Before the run started, all of the visitors and virgins (first-timers) introduced themselves to the group, and luckily, I wasn't the only one. Typically the person planning the path will go out ahead of the group and drop flour on the ground marking the route, but rain makes that ineffective. Therefore, this was a "live hash" where the leader runs with the group. This means one thing...you better keep up.

One thing I didn't know before we took off - how long the run would be. I found at at the halfway point, after running for probably 3 miles and doing my damnedest to keep up with the fast group, that this group usually runs about 10 Km...which is excellent news for the guy who has been running 3 miles at a time recently. It was all doable as there were a few breaks to let the back group catch up, and the one beer stop halfway through. I joined the back group on the second half because I'm aware of Einstein's definition of insanity. We got a tiny bit lost but we eventually made it back to the house with ice cold beer awaiting.

After each run, they have call outs for virgins, visitors, the leaders, and anyone else who may have broken a rule (some of which seem made up on the spot), where everyone in the middle drinks while the others sing and shout. It had the feel of an English pub during a soccer match. And of course, when the run was over and we were wrapping up, the sun was shining bright.

All in all, it was a great experience, and I hope to catch at least one more run with the group before I leave. There are hash groups all over the world, so it gives one a great way to meet some friendly faces in a new place, as well as developing running friendships in your home city. I continue to be amazed at the warmth shown to me by strangers. There have been so many times in this journey when I've gone into a group knowing absolutely no one, and time and time again, I'm greeted with warm smiles and great conversation. Definitely something to keep in mind if you're ever on the other side of that scenario: be as welcoming as you can to strangers...it will mean much more to them than you realize.

From what I've seen, potentially nothing is more authentically Argentine than a Sunday asado. An asado is a gathering of friends and family with its key component being meat roasting over a fire. They love their beef here, and for good reason. I mean the country has more cows than people. Along with ample amounts of slow-roasted dead cow and pig, you'll find baguettes for making sandwiches, provoleta, picadas, and usually a nice Argentine malbec to wash it all down. For many around the country, it's a weekly tradition - rain or shine, and something they take very seriously.

NATIONAL ASADO CHAMPIONSHIP

Yesterday, the city of Buenos Aires hosted the first official Asado Championship in the city center. There were representatives from each of the 23 provinces as well as from the capital city of Buenos Aires. Blessed with a beautifully sunny 70 degree day, the festival was packed with thousands of people. Along with the competition, they had street vendors, live music, and many different grilled meat options for consumption. I went with a tapa de asado sandwich (meat, bread and sauce - straight to the point). The team from the province of Mendoza emerged victorious, but, honestly, no one loses on a day like that.

And now I'm hungry.

As October starts, it means I've been abroad for two months and I have two months left until my first trip back to the States. It's weird because you want to say time flies, and at times it does. But at the same time, when I reflect back to my first week here, it seems like forever ago. I imagine it's because it has been more than just a two month span; my knowledge and comfort level of the city, lifestyle and culture has grown considerably. I don't feel as lost when hopping on a bus or train. I don't feel as timid when asking for help. And I continue to look forward to additional progress.

I love it down here and don't regret a single thing, but there are certainly times when I miss home, and this weekend had plenty of them. The Ryder Cup was amazing, but it would've been better celebrating with other Americans, chest-bumping and drinking Budweiser. I love seeing photos of the annual Appleton beach trip, but I hate not joining in on the laughs. Or even the simpler things like seeing a dog that looks enough like Chloe, or speaking with someone back home who needs a hug and not being able to give it to them. I embrace every new day I have here, but I will also try not to take for granted the special parts of life back home.

On that note, I've purchased my plane ticket back to the US for my halftime break. I'm flying back on 11/29 and will stay through 12/14 before embarking on the second half of my journey. 4 of those days will be spent in New Orleans, because apparently one trip this year wasn't hard enough on my liver. Outside of that, I hopefully will get a chance to see many friends back home along with plenty of good old-fashioned family time.

LA BOCA

The Buenos Aires government has a really nice offering of free walking tours around the various barrios of BA, and I finally rolled out of bed early enough to make it to my first one last Wednesday. Well, kind of...I got there 15 minutes late but it's completely the bus's fault and not mine at all. Luckily, it's easy to track down a tour guide in a bright yellow jacket surrounded by Gringos (they hadn't gotten too far).

La Boca is very different from many of the other barrios around Buenos Aires, at least ones that tourists might visit. It started as a shipyard many years ago, mainly due to the location on the mouth of the Riachuelo River. In the mid-1900s, upon his return from Europe to Buenos Aires, artist Benito Quinquela Martin devoted his time and money to improve his boyhood home of La Boca. He added vibrant colors to many of the buildings, as well as built a school and a dental hospital for the children of the neighborhood. Due to his paintings, La Boca is easily identified by the colorful buildings and outdoor murals. It's also home to Argentina's most famous soccer team, Boca Juniors. We walked by the stadium, but it's hard to really get a good look. I definitely plan to return for a game if possible. Today, La Boca is a very working-class neighborhood with a lot of petty crime. It wouldn't be a place where any tourists or expats would want to live, but it's a nice visit during the day to see a different side of Buenos Aires.

ANOTHER WEEKEND OF LATE NIGHTS

Friday I met up with TEGOBA (The English Group of Buenos Aires). I was introduced to them by a friend from my Tuesday group, which has some overlap. It was nice to meet some new people (especially several local Argentines who have been going to the group for years as a way to socialize and keep their English fresh). We met at a local cafe, went for dinner around 11, and stayed out til 2:30 or 3. They were a really fun group, and I look forward to meeting with them again. Saturday was another night on the town with my roommate, and when we left the bar the sun was coming up. Obviously this means I logged about 30 total minutes on Sunday not laying in my bed. Everyone needs an occasional rest day.

A FEW THINGS TO COME

A question I am asked often - "Trump or Clinton". I usually simply laugh, to keep from crying. But I've had a few discussions with Nestor about American politics, and I'm excited to let him see the circus firsthand as we watch the debate tonight. It will be interesting to hear his first impressions.

I'm also in dire need of a haircut. I've held on as long as I can, but it's getting a wee bit mullet-y for my tastes. Since my listening comprehension in Spanish is still a struggle, I have a few options - A) I can walk in with a picture of what I want, or B) I can just tell them to surprise me. Leaning option B. If I see her pull out the trimmers I'll get nervous. Updates to come later this week.

I've been slacking a bit on my posting frequency; I shoot for at least once per week but I let it slip a bit. IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

CHURCH RAVE

Last Saturday, I had an a true Buenos Aires night out. My roommate is pretty big into electronic music so I went with him and two other people from our old hostel to a rave in an old abandoned church turned bar. In typical BA fashion, the doors didn't even open until 2 AM, and we got home around 6:30 in the morning. Four hours of DJs and strobe lights would've been hell on an epileptic, but it was an absolute blast. As expected, I was completely worthless the next day; I have no idea how porteños do this on a regular basis. Years and years of practice I reckon. I suppose I'll have to remain dedicated to the cause, ya know, for personal growth and what not.

HIGH QUALITY COLD BEER

I had several different people recommend I check out Antares, an Argentinean craft brewery with a few locations in town. I finally checked it off my list last Thursday. The last time I walked past their Palermo location, it was packed with a line out the door. One of my teachers told me we needed to get their right as it opened to get a seat, so my buddy Clinton and I did. It wasn't quite that dramatic but it filled up shortly thereafter. I've drunk my fair share of Heineken, Stella, and Quilmes (Argentina's version of Bud Light/Coors Light/Miller Lite) so I was looking forward to enjoying some beer with some depth to it. Combine that with some quality bar food for a good price and it's safe to say I will return.

TIGRE

The following afternoon I took the train to Tigre, a suburb of Buenos Aires set along the convergence of three rivers. It's an effortless hour-long train ride from BA, which makes it an easy and pleasant day trip. With the weather finally starting to look up, I thought it'd be a great way to spend a Friday. The clouds wouldn't retreat for an extended period of time, so I decided to hold off on the river cruise for a subsequent trip, but I was able to check out the market, take some great pictures, and enjoy some beer and ice cream along the river. I'll certainly visit again, and would recommend it for anyone visiting Buenos Aires as well.

FINALLY FOUND THE FOOTBALL BAR

Another Saturday, another opportunity to find The Alamo, the ever-elusive football bar. After realizing that the bar had just changed names, I locked down the coordinates and set out on my quest. I arrived just in time for the start of the 3:30 CBS kickoff, and watched it in between a Bammer and an Ole Miss fan, which made things fun. The bartender explained why they changed names; apparently they have do it it relatively often as they attempt to "bend" the rules set upon them by the Buenos Aires government, and need to avoid repeat fines and getting shut down. You gotta respect the hustle. I convinced them to change one TV to the Auburn game and boy, what a joy that was! Looks like I'm in for another season filled with disappointment. I've decided I'll just find out whatever Argentine soccer team is the best and start rooting for them. I have no shame - I just need to see some wins this fall.

I've just spent today streaming some NFL games and nursing the wounds that come along with staying at a bar for 8 hours. But I had fun and met some cool people, so I continue to have a lot to be thankful for.

HOME SWEET HOME

Yes, last Thursday, my roommate Nestor and I finally moved into our apartment, which we will have for the next three months. While the previous AirBnb I inhabited was great, and the host was very helpful, it's nice to have a place to actually call your own. Settled in the cozy Palermo neighborhood (closer to the Recoleta side), it's a nice two bedroom apartment on the top floor of a 4 story apartment building. We have a really large balcony that will be perfect once it finally warms up (and God I hope that's soon...I hate the damn cold rain). It's not completely perfect...there are a few features I wish we had. There's no washing machine, so I recently googled how to hand-wash clothes (For those wondering....it's wash/rinse/dry). While the kitchen is nice, it's missing a microwave. And the shower leaves a little to be desired. But all in all, we found a nice, clean place, capable of hosting a few fiestas, in a safe neighborhood with plenty to keep us busy.

SCHOOL'S OUT

Friday was my last day of school, at least for now. I've got a good bit of material that I can work on reviewing over the next few weeks and can go back for one-off lessons if I feel like I need to. They even presented me a fancy certificate (all in Spanish, big words, some sort of sick joke). All in all, I'm pretty happy with the decision to take the classes. I learned some things that would've been much more difficult on my own, and it probably accelerated the process a little as well.

QUEST FOR FOOTBALL

And finally, Saturday came and college football season was here again. I had heard there was one expat bar here that showed football (both college and pro). I was a little bit skeptical, and i'm very particular about how I watch my Tigers, so I decided to head over for some of the late afternoon games and if I didn't' like it I could leave and stream it at my house. Well I get to where Google maps says it is and it's not there; it's a different bar name. I search again and there's another bar with a similar name a few miles away so I take a bus over there, to find the place closed. Obviously not it. There's another bar labeled as an American bar somewhat close (Sugar Bar) so I decide to give it a shot. When I walked in, they had baseball on the TV which gave me some hope since they were showing US sports. But when I asked them to change it to some football, they said they couldn't get it. At the very least, this 'American' bar sold Budweiser on tap, so I took down a couple of those with my burger for old time's sake. After dinner, I gave up and returned to my apartment to watch the game.

I caught up with one of my friends who originally told me about the bar this week, and apparently it was the first bar I stood outside of, they had just changed their name. Thanks for the heads up. I guess next time I'll learn to actually walk in. I'll give it another shot this weekend.

Just as the weather is starting to get nicer, I've come down with a nasty cold. I need to rest up and get better before Saturday comes...

For me, at least. Last Thursday I met up with my friend Monica, another member of the weekly expat chat, and her 4 international students. We went for some dancing lessons at La Viruta, a local milonga. We started with the beginner tango class, which was similar to the one I took part in a few weeks ago. And I do fine, until the teacher yells at me to stop looking at my feet. THAT WASN'T PART OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT, JULIO. After tango was over, we took a short break, where I drank a beer and the rest drank coffee or coke (I forgot this was an actual school event for them ...oops). After the break started the salsa lesson, which requires just as much coordination, but with a faster rhythm as well. Ideal. Looked like a fool for a while but it was fun to get out and move a little bit. As my stepmom Debbie used to say, "You're either the one having fun, or the one watching somebody else have fun".

The weekend was fairly low-key; it poured rain Saturday which brought in the cold weather so I hibernated for most of the time. Monday, I met up with Mary, a girl I met in Santiago and has made her way down to BA. We, along with a few others from her hostel and some other Argentinean friends, went to a show by La Bomba del Tiempo. You may have seen the video on Instagram, but they're an 18-man percussion group. They're self-directed, each member rotating in as leader, and it's led entirely by a large collection of hand signals. Not sure if it was the beer talking or what, but by the end, I was pretty sure I knew most of the signals and could've joined them on stage. Next time. We went to a bar down the street afterwards (I'm still not sure how it was chosen) to grab one last beer or four. Luckily as we walked in, the band was just starting. What band, you ask? Well, a 3-piece Israeli polka band, of course. After a while we moved up front to get a good look, eventually joining in on whatever dance they were jigging to (I just spun around in circles a lot). And their was free pizza too. Good times.

Nestor and I found an apartment finally, and we move in tomorrow. It's been a good stay at Tomas' house, but it'll be nice going somewhere I know I'll be a bit longer term. I'll be sure to give an update about the place when I get settled in.

I've had a nice week since the last time I updated so I'll try and hit the true highlights, while trying to avoid telling everyone about every time I aimlessly walk around the city. Tomas, the guy who lives at my AirBnb, returned to the city on Friday (he works in the country during the week). He kindly invited me to join him and his friends for dinner that night. Dinner was great – one of the weirdest collections of foods I've seen at a dinner table in one sitting – chicken tenders, meat and cheese plate, guacamole, sushi, sardines…I think the avocados make it a healthy meal, right? Tomas' English is pretty strong; the other three guys, less so (a common theme for me nowadays, as expected). So I did a lot of listening, but I picked up on the highlights, including one of the guys Martin expecting a new child and moving to Chile. Which probably explains why he brought 4 really nice bottles of wine. It was my pleasure to celebrate on his future child's behalf. After I had my first experience with Fernet Branca, a liquor popular amongst Argentinian youngsters, we called it a night around 3.

I'm starting to get back into a workout routine, but without a gym, I'm having to get a bit more creative. The running part is easy - there are tons of parks nearby my AirBnb for me to burn off the extra empanada. Strength training is a bit trickier. I've found a park nearby that has a pull up bar and a few other apparatuses so that is now where I work on my form. Now you may be thinking the same thing I think regularly…that I'm not exactly what you picture when you think 'guy who works out in public parks'. But you make do with what you have. I've found that letting out a good grunt occasionally helps earn people's respect.

Last night I attended my first Mundo Lingo event in town. Mundo Lingo is an organization which puts together language exchanges for people from all different backgrounds to come together and practice speaking in their non-native tongue (and where the flags in the picture come from). It's a bit like speed-dating, except the first priority isn't se..err...finding true love. I had a halfway respectable chat with a Colombian hombre in Spanish for a while and enjoyed a few brews. Ended up weaseling into a conversation in English (whatever, it was a moment of weakness, sue me) between some American kids who just came down for an exchange program and a few Argentinians working on their English. One of the girls in the group encouraged me to finally stop being a coward and helped me take my first bus ride in the city (didn't have a ton of other options anyways as the subway had stopped running). But it was harmless and it was nice to check it off my to-do list.

And finally today, I met up with Graciela. She's great. Graciela is a woman I met at my weekly Expat group meeting (at Starbucks no less, how very Expat of them). She's probably in her mid-60s, and was born in BA but moved to San Francisco for many years before moving back here in 2005. I was mentioning to her at our last meeting how I couldn't get anyone to break my 500 peso bills, which is all the ATM was giving out, and she offered to go with me to her bank to help me break them. She said while we're at it, I can show you around my neighborhood to see some other banks that would give out lower denomination bills. It turned into a 3-hour crash course in how to be a more effective gringo in BA. I learned not to buy fruits, veggies, and meat at supermarkets. She showed me the best supermarket to go to (the one I've been using is "crap", apparently). But we walked probably 50 blocks, had a lovely chat, and I learned a ton. I've now deemed her my adopted Argentinian mother (not to her face…yet). She always warns me about very motherly things, like how to not get pick-pocketed, or to not eat the Chinese food with extra MSG. She's actually going back to the states in a few weeks, but it's so nice having someone with experience here and is so willing to help.

I'm researching on the easiest way to add a comments section to the blog, but until then, I welcome anyone's feedback – comments, questions, things you'd like to hear more about, things you'd rather never hear again, etc. Email me at jryanappleton@gmail.com or any of the social media networks. I'd love to hear from you!

As of yesterday, Ken has left to return to the real world, which sort of marks the official start of my solo voyage. It really was great to have a friend along the way as I got settled, greatly reduced the number of panic attacks I'm sure. Weekend was great. Ken and I befriended several South American bros from the hostel, pregamed til about 3 in the morning then went to get hogwild in da club. We needed to stop at the ATMs to get some cash, which as it turns out, is a real problem in this country. They run out of pesos a lot. Of course that night was no different. I borrowed enough from my Chilean buddy NoNo to get cover, hoping to buy drinks with cards inside. They didn't take cards (which honestly was probably a good thing at this point), so we took a lap or two to check the place out then went back to the hostel. The night ended probably around 5:30 or so, which is fairly normal down here. I'm not built for that type of schedule without an adjustment period. I felt the consequences of that night for several days, but it was a hell of a good time. And as a nice cherry on top, one of my new friends from the hostel needs a place for the same time as I do, so we can look for a shared spot, save some cash, and actually have some camaraderie at home. As Michael Scott says...it's a win/win/win situation.

On Monday night before Ken left, we took in a complete Argentinean tango experience. We started it off with a quick 30 minute group tango lesson to learn a few basic steps. The instructors were great, but I could tell by the end of the 30 minutes he was pretty nervous of how quickly I picked everything up. Understandable. This was followed by a candlelight dinner (very romantic) where I finally took a break from eating beef. The night was capped off by a 90 minute professional tango show with live music, singing, and dancing. A good send off for Ken and a great introduction to the tango culture for me.

As of yesterday, I've moved into an AirBnb and out of my hostel for 2 weeks until Nestor and I find a place for longer term. You really take things for granted like sleeping in a queen bed without 5 roommates until it's gone. It's so refreshing to have some space to spread out and sleep comfortably. The guy who owns the joint is out of town on business, so his parents, who are staying here for two days, let me in and welcomed me with open arms. While their son speaks good English, they aren't as fluent. But they're such nice people. We'd speak in Spanish, and I'd get the gist of our conversations. But two things were consistent: 1) every time the mother would come home, she'd give me a big 'HELLO!' in her best English and 2) our talks would always end in a smile. Somehow a language barrier has the ability to bring out the true kindness in people. When communication isn't easy, it forces you to become a better listener and put forth the effort that you may otherwise not give in a common conversation. The experience is certainly impactful for me, and hopefully I can make an impact on others as well.

Getting to the end of the first week and the comfort level is rising. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a lost little puppy at times, but now it's more like a lost puppy who can get back to a street he knows and find his way again.

I'm starting to appreciate the importance of decent conversation. While I'm working on my Spanish (more on that in a bit), it'll be important for me to keep in touch with some English speakers to stay sane. I've done a decent job of that this week. I met up with an Expat group on Tuesday which I found online. A collection of ~15 people who have moved here from around the word and speak English. The crowd is generally a little bit older than me, but seem to be good people that could be very helpful for me on this journey. One lady, who is the dean of a program for international students, mentioned helping me get involved with some of the events her students do. Another guy has a lead on a place to stay. So it will definitely be an event I attend on a regular basis to continue to learn.

Last night, I met up with a friend of a friend who I was introduced to, a good Australian bloke (sorry I can't help it I become Australian pretty quickly) and we had a few beers. A younger guy, he's gone through the same things I'm going through now so he had some good insight, and was an all-around good mate.

I've also done my fair share of wandering, just getting the hang of where everything is, the different neighborhoods, finding decent affordable restaurants, etc. When you're traveling alone in a foreign country with no real schedule, your to-do lists change quite a bit. Wednesday, for example, I wanted to walk to Puerto Madero (the nice district right on the water), about 5 miles away with the route I was taking, check it out, and then buy a metro card and take my first journey on the BA metro.Well I go in to buy a pass and the guy asks me for my passport, which I obviously don't have on me. So my 5 mile luxurious stroll turned into about an 11 mile march out of pure stubbornness. But damn did that pizza and beer at the end of it taste delicious.

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, my Spanish just isn't where it needs to be. So Thursday, I went over to a Spanish School and met with the academic director to discuss classes. This led to a proficiency exam on the spot with fill in the blank and a paragraph to write at the end. I had the same nerves I haven't felt in 10 years about not studying enough for a test. Whatever level my bombing of that test put my into, I'm apparently the only student in it next week. So instead of 4 hour daily group classes, I get 2 hour daily personal sessions until someone else enrolls at my level. Shit's about to get real. It isn't super cheap, but I believe a very worthwhile investment.

Now the weekend is here, and I'll experience BA nightlife (which is supposed to be absurd) for the first time. I'm going to find out what this town is made of. More likely, it's going to find out what I'm made of.

Starting from last Monday, it's been a bit of a whirlwind for me. I've been so busy getting everything ready that it didn't really give me the time to get nervous. Probably for the best. But when you combine the stress of selling a car, moving out of a house, and packing for a 4 month stay, safe to say the stress builds. But I made it to Thursday. I had one final dinner with mom, got to the airport in plenty of time, grabbed a beer with my buddy Ken, and took a deep breath.

We got into Chile early Friday morning and hit the ground running until I left this morning. It wasn't a city with a ton of major tourist attractions, but we got in a good mix of in-town hiking, sightseeing, and patio day-drinking. It was nice having Ken there to kind of ease into this solo travel, instead of jumping in head first. He left Sunday to go check out a few other cities before meeting back up with me in BA on Saturday.

Arriving down here has also made me realize that my Spanish has a long way to go. The Chileans were really cool with it but I'm definitely limited. Best example: Yesterday I ordered some mystery meat (chitlins?) sandwich by accident. But to be fair, I think the gentleman was trying to tell me I wouldn't like it. I think. Anyways...I at least made it 3 bites in. Oh well, chalk it up to experience.

Just got to BA this afternoon and am able to relax a bit. I'm in the Eco Pampa Hostel for a week before heading to my airbnb for a few. The Eco Pampa has been a really nice stay. The staff speak many languages and are very helpful with recommendations or booking reservations if Spanish is not your native tongue. They also have a cool patio and herb farm on their roof for enjoying some fresh air and getting a different view of the city. Check them out!

I'm leaving for Buenos Aires in just a few days, and I'm starting to feel a mix of emotions. I'm excited to start a new adventure, but I'm also sad to leave my family and friends behind. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm ready to take on whatever challenges come my way. I've been preparing for this trip for months, and I've been doing my best to get everything ready for when I leave. I've been packing my bags, saying goodbye to my friends and family, and making sure I have everything I need for the next few months. I'm not sure if I'll be homesick, but I'm trying to prepare for the worst.

I'm also starting to think about what I'll miss about the US when I leave. I'll miss my family and friends, the food, the culture, and the way of life. But I'm also excited to see what new experiences and opportunities await me in Buenos Aires. I'm ready to embrace whatever comes my way, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me.

I'm also starting to think about what I'll do when I get to Buenos Aires. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a place to live, or if I'll be able to find a job. But I'm ready to take on whatever challenges come my way, and I'm excited to start a new adventure in a new country.

I'm also starting to think about what I'll do when I leave Buenos Aires. I'm not sure if I'll stay in Argentina or travel to another country. I'm not sure if I'll go back to the US or try and find a job in another country. I'm not sure if I'll go back to school or start a new career. But I'm ready to take on whatever challenges come my way, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me.

Mark that off the bucket list. I finally got the chance to do it. I took a kayak on an 8 hour drive to its (hopeful) final resting place.

When my mom said she wanted to take it down on her car, I laughed. She drives a Mazda 6. It's built for hauling soccer balls, not watercraft. She said "Don't worry, I saw on the internet where you can make a rack out of a pool noodle and some ratchet straps". Oh. Good. She's got it all figured out.

So I showed up at her house yesterday at 10 AM, and well, we were on the road by 12:30. Two noodles, 4 straps, and countless offers of help from Mother later, it was on there. And I'll be honest. I was proud. That baby wasn't moving.

Just got to BA this afternoon and am able to relax a bit. I'm in the Eco Pampa Hostel for a week before heading to my airbnb for a few. The Eco Pampa has been a really nice stay. The staff speak many languages and are very helpful with recommendations or booking reservations if Spanish is not your native tongue. They also have a cool patio and herb farm on their roof for enjoying some fresh air and getting a different view of the city. Check them out!

Yesterday I got my 3rd and final epidural shot in my back, conveniently only 2 hours after the actual appointment time *deep breaths, Ryan, let it go*

The shots definitely do provide some relief. And I'm not sure how weird this makes me, but there's something intriguing about watching them give you the shot through the x-ray machine. The length of the needle can be a bit bothersome, but it's cool watching the medicine flow exactly where they want it to. But when doc starts saying "Ok, tell me if the pain shoots down your leg...", that means the pain is about to shoot down your leg. Just a heads up.

When I first went to the doctor in January, I would've said you were crazy if you told me this issue would still be lingering 7 months later, but alas, here we are. I can say it's definitely gotten better - I don't fear sneezing anymore, which is nice. It's really just developed into more of an annoyance. I was worried it would bother me in Colombia, and it really never impacted me. All I can do now is take my meds, get my stretches and work outs in, and let it work itself out.

Well my life without a job has officially started. Definitely a weird feeling. But first I should reflect back on where I left. When I think back to my last semester of college, going through the interview process, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I wanted a job. A job that paid a good salary so I could pay my bills and buy cool stuff. A job in a big city in the Southeast, preferably Atlanta.

I interviewed with several companies, some ending better than others. And then I went into the Home Depot interview process (with something like 25 other developers from other colleges there) and thought I crushed it. But I still didn't really know what I was interviewing for (a generic IT Developer position). Turns out, I did crush it, enough at least. I finally got the offer (the only offer I ended up getting that cycle), I was excited but more so relieved. I checked the boxes...I got a gig in Atlanta with a good salary so I could pay my bills and buy cool stuff.

I started working on a software I had never even heard of, but somehow managed to figure it out, mostly due to having a very helpful and patient manager. Through out my years at HD, this pattern continued to repeat...meeting and working with amazing, helpful people. It's what allowed me to be successful. My strength has always been building relationships with good people and learning from them as much as I can, and Home Depot was no different. But beyond that, I met so many people that I can truly call friends. Maybe I initially thought that work friends were just for keeping me sane while at work. But I'm as close to these people as I am anyone. I've laughed with them, traveled the world with them, and had way too many beers with them. It's what made leaving last Friday tough. But I find comfort in knowing regardless of where any of us are working in the future, we'll always remain friends.

Now back to the present. I'm doing my best to make these 3-4 weeks before leaving as productive as they can be. There's always a fine line between being productive and being busy. But there is a difference...I want to do more than just 'not sit around', time spent needs to be focused on accomplishing a goal. My two current goals are: get as prepared for my trip as possible, and spend as much time with friends and family as I can. I feel pretty good about what I've accomplished so far, but it's still only 2 days in. I'm also working on developing a morning routine, but I'll post about that later.

That's enough for now...until next time, I'm logging off.

Well I've gotten to the 'Set Up Blog' item on my To-Do list, so here we are. I wanted to set up a blog to document my experience abroad for several reasons - to serve as a helpful resource for would-be future travelers, to keep friends and family at home apprised of my whereabouts, and to have a portal to share any life lessons I pick up along the way with people who don't have the good fortune to go on a life-changing trip such as this.

Speaking of to-do lists, my current one (or three) give me a fair amount of anxiety. It's like that feeling you get when you're packing for a weekend getaway and you can't remember if you packed your bathing suit. Except you multiply that by 4 months, and instead of going to Destin you're going to a Spanish speaking country 5,000 miles away.

The to-do lists really break down into two categories - shit to do and stuff to bring. Luckily there isn't much that I could forget which isn't replaceable or unnecessary. I don't plan on taking many things...clothes and electronics mainly. I've tried to become less reliant on "stuff", which is far easier said than done, and I don't always practice what I preach. But the less time I spend on materialistic things, the more time I will have to fill with new people, new stories, and new experiences.

But I still feel like I have so much left to do before I leave. Luckily, after next week, I'll have 40 more hours per week to get stuff accomplished. Get my house ready to rent, find lodging, find work, sell my car, figure out health insurance, pack up my stuff, move my stuff...the list goes on. All the while still wanting to take this last month and spend time with friends and family that I'll miss dearly while I'm gone.

It's a lot to remember. But have no fear...I have to-do lists.