Dos Gringos go to Switzerland

The personal travel agent of the Dos Gringos, European Division (Mr. John Schank), planned the perfect honeymoon. The first half of the trip (5 days) brought us to the magnificent Berner Oberland region of Switzerland. Rick Steves was our guide, and he did not let us down. Three nights on the cliffs of Murren, followed by two nights on the valley floor in Lauterbrunnen. Rain clouds and chilly temperatures did not hold us back, and our days were filled with mountain hikes that ranged from easy strolls with devastating views (Rick Steves uses the best adjectives), to more arduous climbs with gut wrenching traverses. Hold on tight, and don’t look down.

Our most action-packed day started with a morning paraglide off the cliffs of Murren and down to the valley floor (more than 2000 feet below), followed by a bike ride along a mountain river raging with glacial melt, which led us to a 1-hour paddle board excursion to cliffs that drop straight into Lake Thun, and wrapped up with a little experimental deep water solo bouldering over the water. The bike ride back up the valley was significantly more grueling than the coast down.

We are so grateful to have this opportunity to explore the natural wonders of the world. To slow down, unplug, and appreciate each other and the lifetime of wedded bliss we are beginning. It has been such a joy to be back on the road again.

Cheers to business class.  A first for both of us.

All aboard!

More cowbell!

Gimmelwald

Filling up at a water station, Swiss style

Fondue was required

Tennis with a view?

Two cows meet on a path for a little necking

Two bad ass bikers

Don’t worry mom, we didn’t go too high.  I promise.

Core muscles, engage!

Beers with a view, from Murren. Experiencing for our own, this reddit post which made it to the front page multiple times.

The movie The North Face features this hotel, as the wealthy patrons and journalists observe two teams of mountain climbers attempt the first ascent of the the north face of Eiger Mountain.

Luckily, there are lots of signs on these hiking paths.

The view from our first room.

Dos Gringos Get Hitched

It only took nine years, but it finally happened. The Dos Gringos got hitched. Friends and family braved the 108 degree heat index to celebrate this momentous occasion, with the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. Uncle Rick gave a beautiful sermon, Stuart tore it up on the turn tables, and the planning/ execution by both our parents was flawless. It was a day to remember.

(Thanks Samson and Angela for the pics)

Testing, testing, 1-2-3.

Does this thing still work? Thinking of dusting off the ol’ blogging skills for fresh tales from the Lone Star State. Stay tuned.

READY TO RIDE. (But we need your help!)

In honor of Earth Day, the Gringos are going on a little bike ride. Scratch that. We’re going on a BIG bike ride. 20 miles from one rock to another in New Haven, CT. We’ll be riding on a borrowed tandem named Bubba, and we’ll be riding with hundreds of other bikers from around town, all there to support our favorite Earth-friendly charities at an event called Rock to Rock.

Cody, Bubba and me.

That’s where you come in! We need all the help we can get in raising donations to fund our ride, and fund the non profit we’re riding for: The New Haven Urban Resources Initiative (URI). URI is responsible for planting ALL of the public street trees in New Haven. Our fundraising is going directly to support the purchase of tools to cut through concrete, and allow us to create tree pits in sidewalks that don’t otherwise have them. Have you ever walked down an urban street without a single tree on it? It’s remarkable the benefits – from shade and beautification to storm water management and wildlife habitat- that a few trees can provide.

A HUGE thank-you to all of you who have already donated. You rock!! If you haven’t donated yet, you only have a few short days to get on it- the ride is this Saturday! Click HERE to get to our donation page- it’s fast, easy and totally safe to donate online through our First Giving page.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/katherineromans/rocktorock2012

A few other items of note:

1. The URI team theme is The Lorax, meaning there will be decorations and costumes involved. “I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, I speak for the trees because the trees have no tongues!”

2. You give to us, we give to you. That’s right! You donate to our fundraising page and we’ll send you a little something as a thank you.

3. We’ve got a ways to go to our new goal of $2,000!*  (**thanks to everyone who allowed us to smash through our previous goals!!)

4. Did I mention that URI employs me? Check it out:

To sum it up, the wise words of the good Doctor (Seuss):

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” 

Thanks readers!

A Year Ago…

Veggie-cleaning in La Plata, Argentina

Here we are, a full year after boarding a south-bound plane and starting the Dos Gringos adventure. My, how time flies (I know I just lost an hour reading through old posts and comments). I happened upon a few photos today that never saw the light of day on the blog, and thought it would be fun to put them up. Cody, ironically enough, is back in South America for the anniversary, probably taking an overnight bus right now- true to our travel style.

Cody's first yerba mate. La Plata, Argentina

Buenos Aires has a fantastic bike lane system, if you ever visit. While out for a ride we came across an urban wildfire. Unexpected, to say the least. Buenos Aires, Argentina

The top of Torres del Paine. It was a cold sunrise! Torres del Paine, Chile

 

We certainly met a lot of goats... Paraderas del Sur, Chile

Caving (kind of), San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Victory! We went to great lengths to catch a soccer match while in the Amazon basin (Puerto Maldonado, Peru)

Waiting for a bus with Katrin and Nathan (Pan American Highway, Chile)

Looking back over the whole time, it’s pretty remarkable to remember the people we met, the things we saw and did, the adventures we had… could it be time to dust off the ol’ hiking boots and hit the road again?? =)

The Gringos do America. Next Adventure: New England

Fresh from a few Mandu Happy hours (there is nothing like an aloe sojutini to cure what ails you) and some much-needed rest, we’re on to our next adventure: relocating north of the Mason Dixon line. We made the reconnaissance road trip north with Ms. Katie Schank, who, along with her lovely parents Bob and Debbie Marages, would be our guides to all things Connecticut. After a brief interlude to watch the demoralizing defeat of the U.S. Women’s team (we resisted the urge to take the loss as a bad omen), we made it to Middlebury in no time. Side note: for all of those GPS-haters out there, there were several sympathizers in the car, especially after our Garmin tried to route us through Canada on our way from New Jersey to Connecticut.

What followed was a whirlwind tour of the apartment market in New Haven, which is a renter’s dream compared to cities like D.C. No long applications, no worries about someone snatching an apartment out from under you, no open houses where you’re competing with 25 other people to make a good impression. It was a breath of fresh air. In the end we saw some nice places, some dumpy places, and some very… artistic places.

The search for the perfect apartment took us to a few... gems.

After two days of hunting we settled on the ideal place, walking distance from school and a stone’s throw from downtown New Haven. It’s huge- so visitors will always be welcome! Here is a quick mini-tour of our new digs. I’m a fan of all of the windows.

Entry room/living room. Windows!

Dining room (windows!).

Kitchen.

Bedroom (more windows!).

The awkward lease-signing shot.

 

Top 10 things to do in South America (according to the Dos Gringos)

In no particular order, because it was too difficult to determine rankings among these 10 unforgettable experiences…

–Tayrona National Park: Fresh in our minds, as our last adventure on the trip, it was less than two weeks ago that we were hiking through the jungle to reach the beautiful, secluded beaches of Tayrona.  Surprisingly full of wildlife, and able to retain a peaceful atmosphere despite it’s popularity, this National Park is the gem Colombia as far as we’re concerned.

Our favorite beach at Cabo San Juan, didn't discover it until the 2nd day

–The Cochamo Valley: Still quite undiscovered, the granite peaks and verdant forests of this valley remind some of Yosemite Valley in California, without all the tourists.  The Gaucho Trail, used for centuries by South American cowboys, is part of the trail system in the Valley which links small communities, accessible only by foot or caballo.  The refugio where we stayed was certainly a highlight of the trip.  Rustic but incredibly clean and comfortable, and extremely well run.

Our reward for a 5 hour hike through mud and muck was sweet views of these bad boys

–Wine tasting in Mendoza: Firmly on the world’s radar as a special place for wine, a visit to just a few of the better wineries in the area was enough to convince our palates.  If you can appreciate a good glass of red wine, visiting Mendoza is a must.

The best part - tasting!

–Torres del Paine National Park:  If you like to hike, this is the highlight of Southern Patagonia.  There’s no need to worry about getting lost, as the trails are heavily traveled.  In addition, the ability to drink water straight from the streams without treatment, and the relatively low altitude, make this a hike easily done by novices like ourselves.  The scenery is incredible.

–Valparaiso: The only city to make this list and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso is well-known for its street art and colorful building facades.  Some compare it to Venice, Italy; it is a place where you can wander for days, always discovering new places, thanks to the complicated topography and numerous pedestrian pathways.

The view right out our front door in Valpo, a dimented clown emerges from the sidewalk

–The Inca Trail: The 3 days of hiking, with beautiful mountains and lesser known ruins, are almost more impressive than Macchu Picchu itself.  Watching the sunrise from the Sun Gate on the final day was the climax of the trek, and an unforgettable one at that.  Top it all off with the satisfaction of completing a challenging hike, and an appreciation for the ingenuity and determination of the Incas.

Sunrise on Machu Picchu, viewed from the Sun Gate

-The Jungle: We went to the jungle to see wildlife and feel at one with nature.  Luckily, we decided to do our visit with a volunteer program, as opposed to a guided tourist trip.  A much more affordable option, volunteering also provided us with more opportunities to learn about and see wildlife in the jungle, as we went on a night walk almost every evening (something tourist guides are reticent to do).  We also got the chance to bond with fellow volunteers, and form friendships we won’t soon forget.

One of many species of frog we saw during the week

–Lake of the Condors: This was truly the hidden gem of the trip, and the most challenging hike.  Nearly 40 km in one day, luckily we didn’t know this going into the trek, and we had a horse to carry our belongings and sometimes our bodies.  The reward for the grueling hike was having a beautiful mountain lake all to ourselves, and getting hands-on experience with a newly discovered archaeological site.

The Laguna. Muy tranquillo.

–Pisco Elqui: Another place off the beaten path, this part of the world is known for it’s clear night skies, and unparalleled star gazing.  It’s also known for it’s pisco production, a colorless brandy made from grapes.  Stars, brandy, and camping…a great combination.

Campsite Lion Enclosure. We felt like it was a scene straight out of the zoo.

-The Bolivian Altiplano and Salt Flats: This was certainly the best deal of the trip.  $150 for a trip that lasted 2 nights and 3 days.  The scenery was incredible, so much that this entry deserves two pictures.  I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Cody and some flamingos (in the distance. I swear they're there). Can you feel the cold?

Our tour buddy, Allison, is about to eat Cody.

Return of the Dos Gringos

If you haven’t already heard, the Dos Gringos have returned to the land of the Free.  Thank you for following the blog while we were away, and for all the comments.  Over the next week or two, we’ll post about some of our favorite memories, things left undone, and our impressions of South America.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone before our next conquest – New Haven, Connecticut.

Bags Packed, Ready to Fly

See you stateside!

Return to Bogota, and Bus Rides in South America

It’s official: the Gringos have completed their last South American overland bus journey, and in typical long-distance bus ride fashion. The ride from Santa Marta, on the Colombian coast, to Bogota, in the central mountains, is normally a mere 18 hours, certainly nothing to sneeze at but not nearly as long as some of our more gruelling trips. Here are some of the high and low-lights of the trip(s).

– A Few Extra Hours, Free of Charge! Who wants to ride only 18 hours, when you can ride 24 for the same price?? Those 6 extra hours were mostly spent at mystery stops- places along the highway where we quite suddenly and unexpectedly skid to a stop, and remain stopped for anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours. Sometimes you learn what the hold up is, sometimes you don’t. We seem to have run into more of these mystery stops since leaving Chile.

– Traditional Music, at a Louder-than-Traditional Volume. Every bus driver has his own preferences here, but the average ride is set (when there isn’t a movie showing) to a delightful mix of traditional South American musical fare. All include songs lamenting unrequited love, most feature the acordian prominently. This ride was no exception, and we even got to enjoy the soundtrack at louder than life volumes.

– Street Food, Brought to Your Seat. Just when those extra 6 hours were starting to make you feel like you would certainly starve to death before arriving in Bogota, in walks an empanada/arepa/snack food vendor that will happily stave off starvation for a little longer. Having said person rest their backside against your shoulder as they tend to your neighbors across the aisle is, of course, an added benefit.

– Movies, Movies, Movies! There are always quite a few movies to be squeezed into such a long trip- unfortunately they are usually of the non-stop gunfight genre, and are, again, louder than ideal. The Mechanic has been a popular one of late- we’ve been treated to it twice (once in English, and on our most recent bus ride in dubbed Spanish!) in the past week.

– The Feeling of Flying. If mystery stops are where time is added to bus rides, the middle of the night is when the minutes are shaved off. If I had a nickle for every time I woke up to the feeling of weightlessness- the bus seemingly having become completely airborne as a result of taking a hill or curve at sound barrier breaking speed- well I would be a rich gal. Needless to say, we’ve survived every ride to date, despite the scares!

For all of the exciting features of South American bus rides, we have been absolutely amazed at the ease and efficiency of travel down here. We’ve ridden the huge majority of the length of South America in buses of various shapes and sizes (we were short by just a few quick hours of making it all the way to the northern most part of the continent), and have had smooth experiences the entire way.