With low clouds blocking views and wet snow covering the streets, we decided to have a quiet Christmas and rest up. We even slept in til 10:30am! Hooray for black out curtains! Interspersed with attempts to get a strong enough…
A Diary of the “W” Part 2 : A Hike Through Frances Valley
Day 2: Camp Paine to Camp Frances and the Frances Valley I didn’t wake up to the sound of Stephanie’s alarm, but instead to a movement under my pillow. It darted back and forth and I wondered if it was…
Going Postal in Tierra del Fuego
With our boat trip done, we decided to explore more of the land beyond Ushuaia, and headed to Tierra del Fuego National Park, to test out our camping gear and hiking legs. The shuttle dropped us off at Lago de…
A very cold boat ride in Ushuaia
With our tour of the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia rescheduled from the night before, we packed on nearly all of our clothes (in hindsight, I should have added a t-shirt for a fifth layer) and headed to the boat. We…
The End of the World as We Know It: Ushuaia
I was woken up out of a deep sleep by the announcement that we would be landing in Ushaia in twenty minutes. I looked out the window and took in the stunning views. White peaks rose dramatically through the clouds,…
Two Minutes to get to Buenos Aires
I arrived in Toronto a few days before our flight to Buenos Aires, as I wanted to visit friends. On the day of our midnight flight, Marieke and I met up with her friends for a drink. As it was…
How to Start Planning a Backpacking Trip
So, you’ve just graduated University, quit your job, have an inordinate amount of holidays, or just very itchy feet. Whatever the case, you’re ready to travel, for a while. This is definitely not a guide for every type of traveler,…
Isolated on Isabela
Isabela Island was my favourite of the three. While the biggest islands in the Galapagos, it was also the least busy, without an aiport, and generally left off the schedule of all the cruises. It didn’t hurt that the beaches…
Santa Cruz- Galapagos Islands
Arriving at the Santa Cruz airport (Baltra) from Guayaquil, the first thing I had to go was go through a lot of security and customs. I had to pay (in American dollars) an entrance fee, a fee for the national…
Getting to The Galapagos on a Budget
For many of us the Galapagos Islands have always been a destination beyond our reach, a place that would only exist in the glossy pages of our parent’s National Geographics collecting dust on the bookshelf. This perception stayed strong for…