M & M Travels in South America

Skeptical Mor

2007-08-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

Skeptical Mor
Originally uploaded by fritz_da_kat

Eating so much here in Buenos Aires... But please dont blame my overweight, its really irresistable! So cheap, and so tasty...

We are now here with Michael´s parents, and eating even more, since we are staying in an appartment in Recoleta, and its sooo close to everything...

On Wednesday we are back in the US! oh dear... its almost over...

Buenos Aires

2007-08-09T21:42:00.001-05:00

P1060960
Originally uploaded by mmtravelsa

Sometimes pictures speak better than words...

And you can see more pictures here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelmor/sets/72157601335325023

Dear beuatiful and civilized Salta (Argentina)

2007-08-02T13:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to your home country Mor Golan! (Only took me 30 years...)

We got here 2 nights ago. Wow, civilization. No more do we have to ask about hot water in the shower...
Salta is a very beautiful colonial town (a little european and a little andean), the people are very nice, warm, tranquilo and know to ask for their tip as well. :-)
Did we mention there are paved roads here? everywhere! amazing...

Yesterday we had our first experience of real Salta beef (lomo) with a bottle of Argentiniean Cafayate Malbec. We have to admit, that was an amazing meal. And only $23 us dollars... woohoo! Viva Argentina!

On the plaza, 9 de Julio, we met Roberto. This guy made his own wood saxofon (as you can see in the picture), and the sound is just amazing! Wish we could bring it to you Aba Shaul...

Today we went to a 2 hour four trax ride (traktoron=four wheeler) in the ¨jungle¨ of San Lorenzo, a few kilometers from Salta. It was freezing cold (yesterday was too warm to even sit in the sun! and today we froze our asses and hands and all... crazy weather...), but it was an experience, and it was fun.

And tonight, yes tonight, we are heading to our last destination for this trip - Buenos Aires. We are not really looking forward to 19 hours on the semi-cama bus (half bed), but cant wait to have family time with Mors family.

p.s. - Michael is feeling better, thanks for asking! ;-)

by the way, we stayed in this great hotel called Hotel Munay - http://www.munayhotel.jujuy.com/salta.htm and went with this tour agency called "Balance¨ http://www.balance-evt.com.ar/eng/novedades_eng.htm

Stuck in Chile - its chilly here...

2007-07-29T15:55:00.000-05:00

As was suggested to us (in many guide books and lametayel and many people) we finished our 3 days tour in Chile, in San Pedro de Atacama. oh well - that was a mistake...
on the first day we got here, we´ve been punched with too many problems and expectations been shuttered to pieces.
This tourist town, I swear, has a mafia to steal the tourists money as fast as possible and in any way possible. and it does! Hotel prices start at $40 a night, and its basically a shack without even heating or breakfast not included! and meals? NY prices! and this town doesnt even have paved roads, its all dusty everywhere you go... amazing.
so you can imagine how upset I was, when after 3 days of no shower at all, they shot down the whole water system in this little town, and i had no shower for another day! raging!
And then, no bus to leave here when we wanted.. and then Michael got sick... not a very good day to be honest...

The next day we moved to a different hotel (with smart people and a water tank of their own) and the sun started shining.
Since Michael was sick, I joined James (our friend from the Salars tour) to do some half-day trips around SP de Atacama. We saw giant salt mountains, and the Valley of the Moon (pics attached of the sunset and with the moon) and more big geysers, and weird animals (like this rabbit with horse tail and dog ears), and medicin plants and beautiful views.

Will leave here on Tuesday to go to Argentina (finally) - to Salta!

Salars de Uyuni

2007-07-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

To see all the pictures of the first day click here http://www.flickr.com/gp/9689397@N07/Nu9qq7

So...
we left around 11 am, joined our group and headed to the Salars. We´ve been planning for this trip for so long and it really was great.
Lucky us, we had a great group. A sweet and calm and quiet couple from Holand, Arian and Desiree, a great funny guy from England, James (who would go with us to Chile), and a young punky awsome girl from Catalunia named Julia. And us. Oh, and Ricardo the slow and quiet driver, with very good spirits.

The first day is all about the Salar. We go on that amazingly huge salt flats, and you think it will never end. There are some mountaing far away, but you have the illusion its a different world out there... The salt formations are amazing and beautiful, and in the middle of it all grows an island with HUGE TALL cactus plants which are there for thousands of years.

The second day we saw many beautiful blue and white lagunes, and pink flamingos and even a little baby fox. Has lots of sun and bompy roads and cold outside and warm in the jeep... Oh and saw also the ¨Arbol de Piedra¨ - a trea made of stone... beautiful. At night we got to our basic camp, which at 4800 meters was very cold, right next to Laguna Colorada, that in the evening changes its color from red to blue. honestly! in Michael eyes he saw it... ;-)

The last day we woke up at 5 in the morning, to try and see the sunrise over the 5000 meters high gaysers, but our jeep had another puncture in one wheel, and freezing our bones, we stood there outside the jeep and danced the Macarena... seruiously, anything to get warm! We then moved very fast through all the rest of the arranged stops of the day. Gaysers, quick breakfast, quick feet dipping in the thermal baths, quick ride to the Green Laguna, and then off to Chile!

All in all, we saw amazing views, and even my Michael (who got sick from too much cold) would say it was worth it!

Bye bye La Paz - Hello Uyuni!

2007-07-24T17:55:00.001-05:00

Yes with little sadness we left La Paz, after 2.5 days of shopping and good eating and resting and internet and pictures... (and still had so much to do there)...

A few words about traveling by night buses - its not so much fun. Yes it saves lots of time and even money (no need to pay for a hotel...) but... you dont reallty get to sleep and if you do, it is full of waking up moments. Oh well - we safely arrived to Uyuni today.

Tomorrow morning we are heading towards 3 days in the Salars de Uyuni, a very cold and beautiful desert, and by Friday we will reach Chile - San Pedro de Atacama.

We wil write more than, promised!

Pampas... fantastic time

2007-07-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

So...

We just came back from 3 wonderful days in the Pampas of Bolivia (which followed 3 wonderful days in the jungle...)

On the way overthere we saw a sloth! the poor thing was a little wet from the muchas rain we had...We saw many aligators and caymans,

and Capibaras (in hebrew - Hagai?) and beautiful amazing birds on the river like hawks and kites and vultures, and monkeys. Oh, and yes there are pink dolphins in that rivers! they are mostly grey but sometimes you can see the pinkish tint for the older ones...

We also fished piranas fish and immediately later ate them (yes thats what Michael is eating...).

It was really amazing times that we had with Robin from http://www.balatours.com/ - who also stopped the boat many times to pick up a plastic bottle - yes an environmentalist!

The Jungle of Madidi National Park

2007-07-18T08:12:00.000-05:00

not mush time to write, cause we´re on our next adventure today already, but just a little note... (especially for you Chris Hahn!)

We are now in Rurrenabaque, came back yesterday from 3 days in the rainforest, in the Chalalan ecolodge (community owned!) and it was raining heavily (who said its supposed to be the dry season now...) but amazing still. we loved it there and we will go back there one day.
You can check about it here as well http://www.chalalan.com/

Saw some monkeys, caymans, tarantula, spiders, lots of crazy ants (Madidi means ¨ant¨ in Ketchua), amazing and wonderful treas with lots of medicin options, beautiful huge butterflies, even a tapir and lots of beautiful birds.

Did you know that sometimes, in the jungle, on the cacao trea, grows the vanilla vine!!!!!!!!! yeah its funny so im posing next to them.

plus - have you seen such huge trees before....

La Paz (a big city!) is actually smiling to us :-)

2007-07-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

We kinda like it here. We found a nice hostal, called ¨La Posada de la Abuelta¨, and we are trying to explore the city yesterday and today.
Tomorrow - we are flying to Rurrenabeque (in the jungle) to stay in the Chalalan Eco-lodge in the middle of the Madidi National Park, and then we will also do the Pampas over there.

We´ll try to keep in touch from there.

Isla del Ice, Hail and Wind

2007-07-11T18:48:00.000-05:00

Yes exactly what you read - for the first time in many of years (thousands they tell us) , the Island of the Sun - Isla del Sol - was visited by 2 very important personas, who with them brought the wind... the ice... the hail... and the no-electricity!

It all started on a sunny day in Copacabana... Bolivia, at 4000+ meters on the shores of lake Titicaca. Michael and Mor, our 2 heroes, set sail on a good ferry to the Island of the Sun. The lake was calm, the sun was warm, and the captains were sober. All seemed good as our brave adventures set foot at the ¨Escaleras del Inca¨ (the Inca steps - all 1000 of them - thank goodness for the raising of the lake that covered 700 of them!).

.............. to make a looooooooong story short - that night the island was hailing, crazy wind and amazingly cold. Then one of them had a cold the next day... but on day three they conquered the island! Yes, after a three hour hike to the north they found the Sacred Rock of the Incas from whence the first Inca sprung, and they sailed back to Copacabana. But the sea gods were not done with our interepid heroes...

After an hour of smooth sailing the skies began to darken... the lake began to swell... and a torrent of rain and wind assaulted the vessel of our dynamic duo. The engines of the boat sputtered as the captains turned the twin outboard motors of the ship into the nearest port. The brave passengers disembarked on a small stone outcropping and began to hike. Ten minutes in the rain and the mud, ladden with their muchillas (backpacks) they trod. Soon they came upon a road where a van was awaiting them. The whole boat piled in. The windows fogged, and the vehicle groaned under the heavy burden of so many passengers. Slowly they scraped their way back toward Copacabana.

An hour and a half boat ride had now turned into a three hour adventure. A stranded group of Bolivianos began singing the theme to La Isla Del Giligan. But finally the van arrived in town, just a block away from the famed cathedral that had blessed it on some Sunday. (Yes they get their cars blessed by the priest on Saundays!).

Our heroes departed in search of warm showers... cold, wet, muddy, but in good spirits eager to tell the tail of their wondrous adventure.

Strike over - crossed the border! And hello Isla del Sol!

2007-07-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Yes on Friday we left the paradise in the sacred valley, arrived in Cusco and bought a ticket to Copacabana in Bolivia.
On Saturday morning we woke up in the bus, picked our bags, and traveled (by combis etc) to the border of Peru-Bolivia.
We arrived to Copacabana around 10-11 am, and decided to find a nice place with REAL hot showers! We found a great hostal and slept really good.

Sunday - and we´re off to Isla del Sol! It´s so beautiful here - thank you Hedy and Xoli for this recommendation.

beautiful picture of Michael on the shores of Copacabana

The sacred valley (or where we found the REAL people)

2007-07-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

this is a paradise here. we are in Chichubamba which is next to Urubamba and there is a strike on the way from here to Bolivia so we HAVE to stay here...

oh its so fantastic here so we really dont mind!

Thank you Juan, Rocio, Nena, Eduardo and of course Mariella! amazing times here with you at "El Huerto Paraiso".

Machu Picchu and the moon affect

2007-07-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

So we did it and got to the Machu Picchu (which you should say with the "c" on the Picchu pronouced otherwise you dont want to know what you're saying :-)).

We also arrived for the salida del sol (sunrise) and found the moon! amazing pictures there...

to Michael's happiness - he was also able to drag me (a little bit kicking and screaming) to the top of the Waynapicchu which is the high mountain you can see in the picture behind us. Also known as the Temple of the Moon. It was beautiful from there.

Hagai - we found the face! see if you can...

Bees and chocolate

2007-06-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

After finding Rocio and Juan and following our heart to Chichubamba - we were arranged to see how to make chocolate from scratch and also tame bees and eat their nutritious and delicious honey.

Michael (my brave man) has also held them in his hands! and loved it! (maybe we should consider a new profession...)

Oh and here we are of course eating the BEST (mejor) chocolate on this planet.

We love it here so much. so we are staying... :-)

Ollantaytambo and more riding horses!

2007-06-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

We stayed in this Inca village (the most preserved left!) in the Sacred Valley of the Incas for 2 days before heading to Machu Picchu. It was very quiet, with good lovely peacfull people and a welcome change from the throngs of people trying to sell us stuff in Cusco.

Here we also met our next chapter - Juan and Rocio - the administrators of the hostal where we stayed called "Andean Moon" - highly recommended.

We were welcomed to Ollantaytambo with a drunky grandpa and his little grandkids who loved posing and looking at the pictures of themselves. There is also a video of them saying "hi" :-)

One of the best parts of Ollantaytambo (aside from the great hot chocolate at "KB Tambo" and incredible stone work ruins) is the use of water that flows around the city in an ancient aquaduct.

Also in Ollataytambo is the second most impressive ruins of the Incas. Here is a carved face of the "teacher" who by the legend taught the Incas everything they know...

Here we also first tried Chicha - the beer made of maize. not recommended... but the taste is so different that its worth a try!

and i forgot to mention the 4.5 hours of riding on horses! YES ME! we were riding to PumaMarca and here is a picture to proove it!

The Salinas with Fritz and Angela

2007-06-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

With our Galapagos friends, Angela and Fritz (their blog is here linked) we decided to go trekking a little in the sacred valley. We rented a taxi driver for the day, who took us everywhere and waited us while we trekked.

We made the right decision!

Of course the valley is beautiful. At about 2500 meters sits this beautiful valley with lots to see and to do, and many hidden areas and beautiful views and places.

One beautiful Inca built ruins are at Moray. This is suposingly where they experimented in making different types of maize (corn). These circles are really amazing and the sound inside... we were lucky enough to hear someone play the flute at the bottom. What a sound...

Then we set out to see with the couple (pareja) the Salinas. These are Inca built pools that divert the salty river (yes salty river!) into salt. They are still worked with today using the same technique as they did 500 years ago.

Cuzco - the Inti Raymi

2007-06-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

We arrived on Sunday on the Inti Raymi festival of the sun when all the touristas come to see it and we walked/ran with the crowd up to the hills where the Inca walls of Sacsayhuaman are and where the parade of the festical went to.
This actually was fun, since we were really not too many gringos, but many many locals who cant afford the redicolus prices of watching the festical closely.
During the show (which was indeed far away and hard to see) the mob decided to ignore the policemen (which had clubs!) and ignore the marked area and just march closer and closer to the event. That was very exciting and funny. They just walked past the policemen! Which just stood there and tryied stopping and wacing their clubs but no use... the mob was stronger!
Came back to have Almuerzos in a local resturant where they completely changed our order... well i guess we need to learn more spanish fast!

Cam back to the hostel and tried taking a nap to the sounds of the nearby fiesta... Then went to meet Angela and Fritz (whom we met on board the Galapagos ship)! You can read their cool blog here http://travelrats.blogspot.com/.
We dont like Cuzco. Or maybe it doesnt like us...

Leaving Huaraz

2007-06-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

We will miss you Huaraz. We really will. We still dont even know how much.

We took the ¨Cruz del Sur¨fancy bus to Lima We saw Lima just for a few minutes (from a passing taxi when the driver agreed for extra 10 soles to give us a little tour of the center, it has beautiful monuments) . We then drove to the airport and catched the earliest possible flight to Cuzco.

climbing a mountain - Vallunaraju - GO MICHAEL

2007-06-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

so we did it - well, some of us...
we got up early, had breakfast, arranged equpiment inside the muchillas (which was amazingly heavy) and headed out the door of our friends in Andean Kingdom.
Of course, as all in Huaraz, it all starts with a dirt (¨curcar¨) road going up the mountain from the middle of the town. We are climbing and going higher and higher... then after 2 hours or so our new guide Ricard stops the taxi, and he and his brother Samuel leave the car, with us still napping behind them. We put it all on us (dammit heavy) and start climbing. not vertical wall, but yes pretty steep! we keep climbing for 3.5 hours. we reach the base camp when its almost night fall (which makes our guide nervous and he is charging ahead not waiting for us...). we have a quick dinner (soup and pasta) and we try to go to sleep.
we are now at about 4800 meteres hight, wearing silk underware, cotton, fleece and a dawn coat and FREEEZING our asses even inside the -45 degrees sleeping bag we rented.
At 12:30 after midnight, when my clock is not even trying to ring its alarm, we wake up to the sounds of our guide and his ermano cooking breakfast... its pitch dark (beautiful stars) and amazingly cold and I decide I´m not doing this. At this point nothing can change my mind and the 3 of them take all the equipment and start climbing the mountain.

Here I´m leaving room for Michael to describe his experience (11 hours!!!). I stayed on the base camp and slept in coldness and alons, a little scared but mostly for my love. they returned at 11:30 am, and in Michael words ¨this is the hardest thing I ever did in my life, I´m so happy you decided to stay...¨.

He did it! My man climbed a glaciour. I can tell you I´m sooo proud.

Photo Left: The Man

Photo Right: The Mountain (two peaks like the head of a bull)

Huaraz - Ice climbing indeed!

2007-06-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

So, to get more acclimated and to reach even better goals, we decided to head out to the Patoruri glaciuor (sp?) and not just go there, but go and climb its big wall of ice!
And we did!
Again with Julio and the Andean Kingdom team (as we are doing all our trekks with them).
Left early in the morning, and reached the icy top around 1-2 pm. It was really great. not too much walking, and it was a little colder today (even snowy) but it was fun. You need to have thos special boots, and special pointy things attached to them. And you also have a helmet, and an ice axe in each hand, and you need to move your butt up! and as close to the ice as possible!
Its lots of fun.

and here´s a picture of Michael climbing! YES! And one of Mor´s so you would believe me we did it!

Did I mention we LOVE Huaraz? its such a small pretty town, with nice people, cheap and great food!

Huaraz - Laguna 69

2007-06-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

So, everybody said ¨you have to go see it¨ (and by everybody that matters I mean Hedy and Xoli...) - and we are good children - we went.
We thought we were acclimatized... oh well... we learned how to pant! like dogs really! and to you who know Mor, I have done much more serious treks than this one... but when you have all the air you need and you´re not at 4800 meters high, it should be very easy!

It was totally worth it. The color of this lagune is soo damm blue you just want to go swim in it... its 2-3 degrees c!

Our guide Julio (guia) was great and we would indeed recommend the Andean Kingdom people - Luciana and Andreas. http://www.andeankingdom.com/?idi=eng

p.s. - we are staying in a great Hostal called Montanero and wooden floors, right in the center, really nice people, recommended!!!

Sad news - we love you grandpa Izzy

2007-06-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

on the way to Huaraz in Peru from Ecuador we found out the sad news about pop Izzy Weitz passing in peace in his bed in Savannah. We are sad, and wanted to be with the family sitting Shiva at the Weitz house.
Glad we had time to say goodbye to pop who was ill and had a great long life.
Tried saying our farwall from here. Love to the Weitz family.

if you want to sign the guest book online here is the link
http://www.legacy.com/Savannah/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=89121142

Laguna Quilotoa

2007-06-14T21:33:00.000-05:00

We found it. The place that is worth going to Ecuador for... !!!

Its called the Laguna Quilotoa and its right next to the Quilotoa tiny village just a few hours south of Ecuador. The people there are real village people, little community, everybody knows everybody. There is no shower, no heating in the rooms, and only one stove in the common area.

Food was good, but the children - amazing. so cute and smart and quick and happy to give and get.

Highly recommended!

We also went down to the water and climbed back on horses! Be proud of me Lauren!

GALAPAGOS!!!

2007-06-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coachweitz/

Wow. People of this earth - you all have to go.
Yes its expensive, and yes its far away - but in a few years it will be gone and you can now have seen it with your own eyes!
Theres nothing like these islands. Its snorkling and diving among huge schools of fish, swiming and playing with playful young sea-lions, watching sea-iguanas swim , freezing your butt while watching huge sharks below you. Its cold and then immediately scorching hot, and its a boat that makes you sleepy and awake on the same time. Its stepping your foot in what seems like a land that no-one has gone before. Its also watching the Blu-Foot Bobbie do his love dance (stepping its feet and opening its wings and wisteling like a real israeli "ars") . Next to that bird, there is the Freegate bird - while the females fly above to their easiness, the male creates the nest and then invites them to make out with him by inflating his red chest baloon (looks like a HUGE heart) and opening its wings and clacking his beek - we have videos of these all! And then, the albatros also doing their love game - clacking like a gun machine! Right next to the blow hole that is the primar producer of rainbows in this world... :-)
And the extra amazing thing - these animals are not afraid of us! they are completely fine being 1 meter away and doing their thing.

We were a little sea-sick (thank you Jean and Julian for the patches - they saved us!) and now back in Quito we are a little land-sick... you know, everything seems to move...
Met some great people on the boat, especially Angela and Fritz which we will see again in Cuzco (they are traveling for 14 months!). Had good food on board with some crazy everyday schedule b/c Juan the guide wanted to make sure we get to see everything. Also saw the infamos Lonesome George - the HUGE land turtle that lives in the Darwin center and cannot find the right female for himself.
Diving - we did some, also had a little scary problematic incident (well, Mor did..) and we then realized that snorkling is almost as good or sometimes even better!

All in all we had an amazing time, and very very happy we did it. Very much recommended.

Right now we are trying to upload the pictures so you can see some. Hopefully later on!

Arriving in Quito Ecuador!

2007-05-31T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!
We arrived last night for our first day today in Quito, Ecuador, and also 1st day of our big trip! YEAHHH
The little we got to see from Quito last night and today is not too pretty. We are staying in a little nice simple and clean Hostel called "Casa Helbling". http://www.casahelbling.de/
Today and tomorrow we´re planning on taking it easy (they say the pollution and the altitude might make you sick...). We´ll walk around the new city today, and the old city tomorrow. on Saturday planning on Otavalo crafts markets (just for you Julian :-)) and on Sunday we beging our trip in the Galapagos. can´t wait!!! should be amazing. we will be there for 8 days so probably not too much access to interent and phone (from June 3rd - June 11th).
But if you really want to see where we´ll be - check this out! http://www.scubagalapagos.com/

Neshikot!

mor on beach

2007-05-24T16:51:00.001-05:00

MoR with her new haircut... resting in Tybee Island.
(can't you see i'm not a new yorker anymore? ;-)

Leaving NY and vacation in Savannah

2007-05-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

Here it is. Our new blog. Our first and only. fun! well - i guess we'll see about fun... you will be the judges.
I (MG) am here in Tybee Island in Savannah, at a fantastic apt on the beach, with Michael's parents and sister Lauren. We are doing our best with resting. meaning eating a lot... sleeping, walking on the beach and coming back to the pool to rest some more. trying to be good and excersize and eat healthy as well.

Leaving NY... we did it. it wasn't easy. no sir. it was very stressful, but we did it. it happened, and we're beyond it. now moving to the next step! Savannah and time to rest here with the Weitz family, plus a wedding - Ben and Suzie this weekend.

And then, in less then a week - Wednesday the 30th of May - we will be leaving Savannah with only 1 backpack each, and flying into Quito, Ecuador! here we come Galapagos!

Stay tuned for the next 3 months of travels! pictures will be posted as well!

Mor and Michael