We don't learn from history, do we?

"When fascism comes to America it will come wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
- Sinclair Lewis

"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison

"Of course the people
don't want war. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who
determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the
people along. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked
and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger."
- Hermann Goering

"The great masses of the people... will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one."
- Adolf Hitler

"What luck for rulers that men do not think."
- Adolf Hitler

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin
Franklin

"I
believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties
than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks
to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by
deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the
banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children
wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing
power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to
whom it properly belongs."
- Thomas Jefferson

We strapped on our trekking shoes and started to explore Rio.

The trains were clean and efficient:


Then we wandered around and ran across a market

And we found this gem of a cafe


Generally, Rio had a lot of beautiful buildings that we suffering from mild neglect. It´s definitely more architecturally interesting than NY

Our first hostel was nice and clean... a little too clean. Reminded me of a super sterile internment camp. We got our of the airport without a hitch, and plopped down our tired bodies into the beds. There were a grand total of 4 people that we could count. We figure it wouldn´t be much help in terms of social stimulation, seeing as only one of them spoke english. We are now safely in Mello Yellow, through a series of some mildly unfortunate events.

So... happy to report that we´re safe, and starting our next leg of the trip!

A tourist's first interaction with a country begins and ends with their Taxis. After a long flight, and upon arrival, everyone just wants to relax and get to their destination without a hassle.

In Chile, we've lost a watch, my beloved hoodie that I got in Maui on our honeymoon, and an excessive amount of money due to the questionable business practices of the cab drivers. The negative interaction alone is enough for me to dissuade anyone from going to Chile. Easter Island is ridiculously expensive because they rob tourists for all their worth. Santiago leaves you stressed out because you're worried about the next person who will take you for your money.

I don't like to travel while constantly looking over my shoulder, and my experience with Chile has left me with that nasty aftertaste. No matter how pleasant the city is, if you're getting robbed each time you go to a different location, you're just not going to like the place.

On a happier note, we walked around Santiago Central upon the Lonely Planet's recommendation. By now we should know better, that the LP is nothing more than a general guide, and it makes you wonder if the people who wrote the book actually went to the cities they're supposed to be experts on. But I digress... After the walking tour of the major shopping center we went back to the hostel, freshened up, and made our way into Providencia. The neighborhood was nicer, and a little more residential. We discovered a restauarant on the 18th floor of this highrise, and had our last look at Santiago at night.

Parking Brake

Totally Taboo

Artistic depiction of the first boat on Rapa Nui

This one has eyes

But  how else are you going to fit two people on a quad?

The day we went, it was a 12. SPF 70 baby

These are the only 7 that face the shore...

Beautiful Coast

We rented ATVs for the second day and had another fun time. This time we only rented one, and it was a totally different experience riding in the back. We finished off seeing all the major landmark Maoi and also did a bit of snorkling. With the visibility, there wasnt much of an advantage to diving, except for the bragging rights. Im happy to be getting off the island.

Travels have been great, due to the many interesting people we have been running into. Emails from everyone also take the edge off of homesickness.

Since we have started traveling, JC and I have been sleeping in bunk beds. Our first night in Buenos Aires, we had two sets of bunk beds in our room. Tonight, we were asked to split rooms. I think wé are done with bunk beds... and will be getting matrimonial beds from now on. I am also thinking of calling in that NICE HOTEL card really soon.

Perhaps its island life... and with blogging, perhaps its the international keyboard.

Whatever it is, Im having a blast, but wish y'all could be having a blast with me.

Promise, pics when we get to the next stop with wifi.

 Yesterday we rented 4x4 Quad vehicles and drove around the island. I has a blast! We took about two hours to get to the other end of the island, where we found a beautiful little beach. We basked in the sun, and washed off all the kicked up dirt and drove again. I maxed out at 75km per hour, but i think it was actually faster. I want one!

We took pictures of the beautiful scenery, and many of the Maoi statues. There are a few formations that I want to see, and I think we´ll just hike that within our last few days. It´s a little overcast today.. meaning a few big clouds, otherwise I´d try to make it over to the big beach somehow.

Our companions on our trip were two Irish guys who were a pleasure and a blast to chill with. They´re also our bunk mates and we´re glad that they´re not the type to stumble in piss drunk at 3 am.

Next stops: Santiago, Chile (Sun 3/3) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazi... a few days later.

I can´t wait to post picks!

Its our second day on Easter Island, and I´m having a good day. We were forced to upgrade to Business Class for our flight from Santiago to Easter Island which provided us with the most comfortable sleeping accommodations in what seemed like ages. The chairs reclined back, and for a moment I wished our flight was a lot longer.

We landed at about noon, after the 5 hour flight. The adorable golden retriever that worked narcotics loved my bag, and as a result, ended up being detained while they searched my bag. My coconut shampoo burst somewhere along our 2 day travels from Mendoza (Sun) to Santiago (Sun) to Easter Island (Sun). My blog on that will be uploaded as soon as I can connect my little eee pc.

In a hurry to get to the shuttle to our hostel, I lost my passport. I had it when I was being searched, as the nice people requested my documentation. I realized it was missing when I was in the shuttle. After searching, repacking, and heading back to retrace my steps at the airport, nothing showed up. I left my contact information with the airport (15 minute walk from hostel) and left.

We left the airport and were supposed to stop back off at the hostel before continuing our day. We had a difficult time finding our hostel as none of the streets are named. The only way we were able to get back was to retrace the tour the shuttle gave us of the town before getting to the hostel. We took the LONGEST possible way to get back.

This morning, we headed back to the airport and realized how close everything was, if we actually knew where we were going. I walked into the terminal, and back to teh security area, where immediately, a few official looking people looked up.

¨´passaporte?´´

They shuffled JC and I into the back room, and I thought I was going to have to fill out more paperwork for the report. Instead, they had my passport! Oh happy day!

We took some pictures and will be leaving the island on the 2nd. Easter Island is the belly button of the world!

I miss everyone.

Went hiking at Catedral Cerro with some new hostel mates. Hostel 1004 in Barilohe. We started out as two American backpackers trying to take the time to figure our schedule for the rest of our trip. A few days into heavy planning with WiFi, guidebooks, and recommendations from everyone, we had our itinerary.

Then the internet in Bariloche went down.

Three whole days of planning later, our perspective suddenly changes, and all our itineraries are now being abandoned. So... ignore the dates of the previous entry.

Separately, this hostel has become a second home of sorts... but it changes really quickly. It's my first time in a Hostel like this. The first few days, it was 3 Americans, the Dane, and the Quebec. They all checked out yesterday... and today, it was a new set of people that seemed to also have that magic bond. Maybe it's in water around here. Or maybe backpackers and long term travelers are cut from the same tree.

It's sad saying goodbye to everyone. We won't know if we're ever going to meet them again.

It sort of makes me miss everyone back in NY... or perhaps I just like the stability of the relationships.

At the close of this post I'm going to be spending my last night as a guest at this hostel, then checking out to hop on a 16 hour bus to Mendoza. Then catching another bus to Santiago in order to catch a flght to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) on Tuesday Morning.

*sleepy now* and melancholy.

** Internet down in Bariloche for days... it just got back up.***

02 21- Had our first Tango lesson in Bariloche.
02 21- Walked to the bus station
02 22 - Went Kayaking

Our tentative schedule
Sunday 2/24/08 Depart Bariloche, Argentina
Monday 2/25/08 Mendoza, Argentina
Tuesday 2/26/08 Santiago, Chile
Wednesday 2/27/08 Rapa Nui, Chile (Easter Island) - 6 Days
Monday 3/2/08 Santiago, Chile
Tuesday 3/3/08 - 3/19/08 Itinerary gap 17 days
Thursday 3/20/08 Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - 10 Days
Sunday 3/30/08 - 4/2/08 Itinerary gap 4 days
Thursday 4/3/08 Lima, Peru - 2 Days
Saturday 4/5/08 Cuzco,Peru
Thursday 4/10/08 Inca Trail, Peru - 4 Days
Monday 4/14/08 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Iguazu Falls, Brazil and Argentina
New York
London

It's 2:00pm in Bariloche, considered to be the Swiss Alps of Argentina. There's a pristine lake surrounded by beautiful mountans. We woke up to the winding of the bus and spectacular mountains.

This is all after a 36 hour bus ride from El Calafate where we trekked the Perito Moreno Glacier. Pics are in our photo album. Now we're taking about 5 days in Bariloche to regroup, recover, and plan the next few legs of our trip. It's still just February!