i'm posting, i promise!

Well I'm finally getting around to blogging... not that there has been a dearth of topics to write about, rather a dearth of time & motivation. Here were are, in an Argentinian town called Obera. This is probably the least touristy place we've visited; we' re only using it as a point from which to access the farm where we'll be living and voluteering for about two weeks. After volunteering in Arequipa (which I miss dreadfully), we traveled through northern Chile for a week, which didn't leave a particularly warm and glowing impression on me. It was certainly interesting to explore a new place, but I would much rather have been in Peru or Argentina. The first shock in Chile was how expensive food and hostels were in relation to Peru. We bought a very nice (although somewhat small) and reasonably priced tent in Iquique which, within a few nights, paid for itself. We spent more time camping than staying in hostels in Chile.

The second town we visited was San Pedro de Atacama. If anyone is considering stopping by, I strongly urge you to reconsider. It is a place completely and utterly devoted to tourism/ripping people off. Sam and I would have stayed for only one night if not for the fact that departure buses fill up immediately. We hit up the bus station within hours of arriving and the earliest we were able to leave was three days later. Even stranger than having to wait days for a bus, there are only two usable ATMs in the entire town and often neither one of them contains cash. Furthermore, the bus companies only accept cash payment in Chilean pesos. Sam and I were lucky that we came with plenty of money, but a friend we met there didn't fare so well. She was very desperate to leave San Pedro but didn't have the requisite cash and, for days, the ATMs were empty. She finally lucked out when other friends lent her the money, without which she might have been stuck there for weeks (which isn't unheard of). At first, I wondered how a tourist town could possibly thrive without a constant stream of cash for the tourists. Then it struck me in a slightly conspiracy theory-esque way... in San Pedro, the only restaurants and hotels that accept credit cards are the most expensive. If unable to procure Chilean money and stuck in that miserable town, one's only option is to spring for the ritzy, credit-card accepting accommodations, which in turns brings more money to the town. Additionally, if you can't come up with the cash to snag a bus, you're stuck paying those high prices until you can find an escape route. The only positive experience in San Pedro was spending time with two Argentinians we had met earlier in Chile. They were also very economically oriented and we ended up cooking amazing dinners with them every night. One day, we went cave-exploring with them outside of town and enjoyed a moonlight walk back.

Once we entered Argentina, we spent a few nights in Salta, a city in which I wish I could spend more time. We took an incredible stair hike up a mountain, where a beautiful view and a delicious stout were waiting for us. We befriended a delightful Brit named Debs -- she accompanied us on the hike, out to dinner, and later to a museum. I'm keeping a list of the people we hope to visit after this trip, and it's starting to seem as though we'll have each of the Western European countries covered by the end.

After Salta, we had an uneventful two days in Resistencia. The town was fairly uninteresting so we decided to see Friday the 13th in a lovely air-conditioned movie theater. It reminded me of Florida... movies and air-conditioning. After, we traveled to Puerto Iguazú and experienced the breathtakingly glorious Igauzú Falls (we'll post pictures as soon as possible... in the meantime, definitely check it out on google images). We met a large group of Israelis at our hostel and spent a few hours chatting with them. They didn't seem too keen on Obama. Talking politics with Israelis can be difficult.

I'm running out of time here so I'll wrap it up. In a few hours, we're meeting Marcello and Kim and traveling to their farm where we'll become acquainted with the whole family (the farm animals, insects, plants, possibly other volunteers). I'm very excited. I think it's just the thing to take the edge off of the homesickness I've been feeling since yesterday. Sam & I aren't sure when we'll next have Internet access, but it'll be no later than two weeks from now.

Hope everyone's enjoying the snow up north! To be honest, I would love a few non-tropical minutes right about now...

Love,
Ally