Wanderlust Wendy

South America

South America

Chile, Atacama Desert

Chile’s Atacama Desert: Road Trip Across the Driest Place on Earth

December 15, 2019

At the end of our whirlwind Workaway adventure, we treated ourselves to an epic trip up North in the Atacama Desert. We had decided against Patagonia since we didn’t have sufficient time to do proper hiking and had already spent ample time on the Argentina side.  As fate would have it, the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth, was…

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Valparaiso, Chile

City Guide: Wander in the Artsy Hills of Valparaiso, Chile

December 10, 2019

A Workaway experience that turned awry unexpectedly took us to Valparaiso for three weeks, where we worked on a different Workaway project. This hilly seaside town surprised and delighted me in the best way. Our three-week stay here allowed us so much time to expand beyond the usual tourist bubble, and see this unique city for all that it has…

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Santiago, Chile

City Guide: Discover Cosmopolitan Santiago, Chile

December 7, 2019

We traveled in and out of Santiago numerous times during our month-long stay in Chile. I loved the artsy cosmopolitan vibe that the city exudes. If you get a chance to visit Santiago, here are my recommendations!  Accommodation In total, we were in Santiago 3 different times, and we stayed in three different AirBnBs that were all near Lastarria/Bellas Artes…

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Cabo Polonio, Uruguay

Explore Montevideo and Coastal Uruguay

December 5, 2019

Journey from Buenos Aires to Montevideo via Colonia Express After three whirlwind weeks in Amazing Argentina, we headed to Uruguay. Xav’s brother has lived near Montevideo for over a decade and visiting his family for Christmas shaped our winter plans in South America.  I had booked tickets only a few days in advance via Direct Ferries. The most economical option…

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El Chalten Mount Fitz Roy

Argentina 3-Week Itinerary Summary

November 30, 2019

Argentina is an incredible country, and we packed in as much to see as possible during our time here. I was never much drawn to wildlife sightings. Experiences like safari or whale watching were never of interest. Argentina changed all of that for me. My world has been opened, and our encounters with wildlife have granted me a newfound appreciation…

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Argentina Patagonia Part III: 5-Day Road Trip from Trelew to Puerto Madryn

November 22, 2019

Day 1: Rental Pick-up & Overnight in Trelew From El Calafate, where we sighted the impressive glacier and the infamous Patagonia mountain range, we headed East to Trelew, where we begin another road trip to see penguins and other beautiful wildlife.  Learn Manual Shift Driving Before Arrival We picked up our rental car at Trelew airport. An Asian-American couple ahead…

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El Chalten Mount Fitz Roy

Argentina Patagonia Part II: 4-Days Around El Calafate

November 15, 2019

Day 1: Traveling from Ushuaia to El Calafate  For part II of our Argentina Patagonia adventure, we took a short 70-minute flight from Ushuaia to El Calafate. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the flight was delayed until we arrived at the airport. The short journey, unfortunately, took us 6-hours door-to-door. I’ve heard flight delays can be common since the weather in Ushuaia…

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Beagle Channel Boat Tour in Ushuaia, Patagonia Argentina

Argentina Patagonia Part I: 4-Days in Ushuaia

October 29, 2019

Day 1: Travel from Salta to Ushuaia We concluded our whirlwind road trip in Northern Argentina and headed South to explore Patagonia. The first stop was to Ushuaia, a city located at the furthest southern point of the world, and thus claims its “End of the World” title. Argentina is approximately 3,600km (2,300 miles) in length. Traveling from North to…

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Northern Argentina Road Trip

Northern Argentina Road Trip from Salta

October 15, 2019

After a few days of settling into Argentina in Buenos Aires, we flew up north to Salta to begin a whirlwind of a four-day Northern Argentina road trip. If we had more time, I would have doubled the length of this itinerary and spend two nights in each destination. Whenever possible, I try to spend more than one night at…

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La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina

4 Days in Colorful​ Buenos Aires

October 5, 2019

On our full-time travel, we picked destinations based on our global set of friends and families. Xav’s brother lives in Uruguay, so we decided to escape winter and migrate down to the Southern hemisphere. We kicked off our three-month South America tour with a 4-day stay in Buenos Aires, visiting a good friend from grad school on her Foreign Service…

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