Destinations

Argentina

March 13, 2021by awaywithlivLeave a Comment

When I first decided to go to South America, I had a few people spit back words like “cartels”, “kidnapping”, “drugs”. I don’t blame them. People often only remember the negative events associated with a place and fail to look at the beauty. Now when I look back at my trip, only three words come to mind: tango, steak and wine (lots of wine).

Looking back at the seven countries I’ve traveled to last year, Argentina was probably my favorite. This trip made me realize how insanely small the world truly is. I’ll get to more of that later. Unlike my first trip, I booked Argentina on a whim and barely did any research. All I heard about Buenos Aries was that it was often described as “the Paris of South America”. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I was sold. I landed on Valentine’s day (how fitting) and was instantly in awe of the the architecture and rich culture surrounding me.

Where to stay?

I stayed at Milhouse Hostel. They have 2 locations in Buenos Aires and one in Cusco, Peru. The sister locations in BA are about less than a 5 minute walk from each other and often coordinate events together. I specifically chose this hostel because of all the activities the hostel itself organizes for their backpackers. This saved me a lot of time researching on what to do and gave me more time to make new friends. Many friends back home are always wary when I mention I’m a fan of hostels. They’re cheap and allow you to meet a ton of people. However, safety is always a concern. Unlike a few others I’ve stayed in, this hostel is strictly for guests only and no one from the public is allowed to come in and use their bars.

What to do?

Take a tango dancing class. You can not visit Argentina and not bust out your moves (or in my case, at least try)
Go to a ~~soccer~~ fútbol game. Now, I’m not big on sports games but when I tell you, going to a South American futbol game was UNREAL. The energy, the communal chants, the feeling of having your team win was euphoric. I was lucky to have tickets booked directly through Milhouse and we got a chance to watch Boca Juniors play and win. Now, I wear my CABJ jersey proudly. Viva la Bocccca!!
Spend a morning at Mercado San Telmo. Step in, get lost going through the antiques and you’ll find the best empanadas in BA here. Although I wasn’t able to visit a winery during my time here, I was able to do some wine tasting at the market. Any reason to day drink is a good one right?

San Telmo market. Clearly I only came for the wine and empanadas

Walk through La Boca. This vibrant neighborhood is an absolute must! Remember most are small businesses so bring cash. Ladies, I wouldn’t go here at night. Be cautious and if you don’t have someone to go with, go early afternoon!
Yes, you’re in the land of beef but you must try the pizza fugazetta. No questions, just thank me later. I’m a proud New Yorker and lived off of New Haven pizza during my college years so I know good pizza when I taste it.
Speaking of the land of steaks, how can I visit and not have one? Growing up in a Hindu, beefless family,I started to appreciate the finer meats later in life. One, of the best dinners I’ve had was at Don Julio Steakhouse. Reservations are booked months in advance so be cautious or try to get lucky as a walk in. I went with 2 new friends I’ve made (shoutout to Will and Noah) and we each ordered steaks, appetizers, 2 bottles of wine and dessert. Our steal of a dinner was only $60 a person.

Recolete Cemetary- Not for the faint of heart but if you love all things ghost related, definitely visit!
Ah the night life. If you are able to explore the nightlife, I highly recommend doing so. I’ve had my share of fun nights turned into mornings around Europe but South American energy is on a new level. Now, as my inner 25 year old grandma sips on tea and gets ready for bed at 8PM, it’s nice to look back and remember the tales of my younger glory days.
Cafe Tortoni- this is the oldest cafe is Buenos Aries. It gets pretty crowded and lines start forming pretty quickly so take advantage of the quiet hung over mornings and get your breakfast fix. It’s gorgeous inside and as soon as you walk in, you feel like you were transported back in time. I almost felt underdressed but who cares? I sat back, sipped on my cafe con leché and took in the beauty of this place.

If I had a few more days, I would have visited Mendoza and gone to Patagonia. Patagonia has been a life long dream of mine and hiking the W trek was my 2020 goal but clearly the universe had other plans. Remember when I mentioned Argentina made me realize how small the world is? Story time. I was walking on the street and heard an American accent behind me. I introduce myself to this random guy named Will and we became friends during our trip. When I got back home, I connected some dots through the power of social media and realized Will and his family grew up with one of my best friends. Story #2) Towards the end of my trip, I was introduced to another girl from New York. Long story short, we actually lived a block from each other in Queens. We probably walked right past each other so many times but it took being in the same foreign country for us to meet. HOW WILD?

Argentina was the most random trip I’ve taken but it stands out as the best. I loved it so much that when my company first said we were going to be remote for the rest of 2020, I immediately started looking at apartments in BA to rent for a few months. I’ve always wanted to experience living abroad and the thought of taking afternoon strolls through Palermo, and speaking my broken Spanish made my heart sing. I’d like to thank the travel ban for bursting my bubble real quick.

As with most travelers, this pandemic has forced us to shift our focus and instead of longing for the next trip, appreciate the present. I’ve found a silver lining in having life slow down and instead of being bitter about possibly not completing my 30 before 30 list, I’ve learned to be thankful for the beauties of this world I have been fortunate to witness that many people might not ever.

Destinations

Switzerland!

April 11, 2020May 6, 2020by awaywithlivLeave a Comment

Oh Switzerland, the one place that I can always go back to in my mind and instantly feel a sense of peace. Although I said goodbye to Copenhagen almost teary eyed because of all the unexpected fun I had and new friends I was leaving behind, I knew I wanted to end my week focusing on self reflecting and be off the grid for a few days. So I hopped on a train and made my 18 hour journey to my next location. Yes, I could’ve flown and saved time and money but I wanted to experience traveling internationally on a train. This meant taking five different trains to my destination.

My itinerary included: Copenhagen–>Hamburg, Germany–>Zurich–>Luzern–>Interlaken–> Lauterbrunnen. When I said I wanted to get off the grid, I meant it. The only train ride that I did splurge on was a first class ticket from Hamburg to Zurich. And boy let me tell you, being welcomed with wine and a bed to sleep on during an overnight ride was well worth it.

I had some time to kill before I before I made my way to my hostel so in true spontaneity fashion, I went hangliding! Booking through Hang Gliding Interlaken was such an easy process. They picked me up at the train station and had me up in the air in no time. Apparently they were named #2 on best adventure tours in the WORLD. Sign me up!

To be completely honest, I questioned what I was doing for a split second. One of my biggest fears in life is heights but I had to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. I’ve also always lived with the thought “If it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.” So, if hangliding does claim me, at least I’ll have died somewhere breathtaking like the Swiss Alps.

Where to stay?

I stayed at Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen. One of the reasons I chose this was because of the short walk from the train stations and cable cars. To top it off, the view was breathtaking. I woke up every morning feeling like I was in a fairy tail. The people here are some of the nicest I’ve ever met. One night when I was at –a the only bar in town, I had lost the back of my earring. I mentioned it casually to the guy sitting next to me and before I knew it, I had five strangers on the floor with their flashlights on trying to help me look for it.

One of the highlights of my trip was the hike I did through the Jungfrau region. As I said earlier, the hostel was a short walk up to the cable cars. (Cable cars are not for the faint of heart- but hey I flew over the Swiss Alps the day before so I could conquer anything at this point). I took a cable car up to Grüschalp and began hiking to Mürren, Grimmelwald and eventually back to Lauterbrunnen. One of my favorite parts was absorbing the charm of these little towns. Every corner was so picturesque. From what I recall, it was about 11 miles and the hike took me about 6 hours. I did stop for pictures and for a ham and swiss ( I mean, obviously). This was the perfect day to get some thinking done and absorb the beauty that this world has to offer. Being the chatterbox that I am, this was very different than what I was used to but it was quite the experience being able to be in your own thoughts, breathe in the freshest air you’ll ever take in and only hearing the sound of cowbells at a distance.

What would I do differently? I booked all my tickets in advance through Rail Europe. The only caveat was having to wait for my train tickets to physically come in the mail and carry them with me through my journey. It was a lot of emotional distress trying to not to lose all 10 separate train tickets (round trips because ya know, I had to come back eventually)

Pictures! I rely on my iPhone and tripod for all my pictures while I travel solo but my pictures simply do not do this country justice. I was trying to pack as light as possible and not draw any attention during my first trip by myself but in hindsight, I would bring my DSLR to capture the beauty of the Alps. So if you have a higher grade camera, please bring it with you but just be sure to bring a lock when not in use.

Let’s talk money. Switzerland was probably the most expensive country I’ve been to. I would’ve set aside a bit more or not have bought so many beers in Copenhagen in exchange for wining and dining myself in Switzerland. Although, I was content with all the ham and swiss I had, looking back, I wish I was a bit more versatile in my meals. Did someone say gruyère?

I ended my Swiss adventures in Zurich the night before my flight. I stayed at Linda’s Hostel and chose this because it was in the heart of the city. To be honest, it was one of the lower rated hostels I’ve stayed at but it was just for a night and the location made up for it. If I could, I would have included another day in Zurich because there was so much the city had to offer that I wasn’t able to experience.

Nonetheless, I had an incredible time in Switzerland and would highly recommend it to anyone traveling solo or with a companion. I sat by the Limmat river before I left for the airport, taking in all the adventures from this life changing week. I couldn’t believe I had finally accomplished doing something I’ve put off for so long. My first solo trip set a fire in me that I don’t think will ever go out.

Destinations

Denmark

September 28, 2019September 28, 2019by awaywithlivLeave a Comment

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I embarked on my first life changing solo trip. It all started with one quick google search of “safest countries to visit as a female alone”. No literally though, that’s exactly what I did. All it took for me was to take one glance at the list and pick the first one.

Denmark will always have a special place in my heart. Not only did it kick start my solo travels but it’s a place where I can easily picture myself living. Copenhagen was everything I dreamt of and more. First thing’s first- one of the first things I did when I got there was take advantage of the lack of an open container law. I went to the nearest 7-11 (ah how basic) and ripped open a nice cold can of Carlsberg. I can’t begin to describe how incredible that first sip was. Do you taste that Olivia? Yeah, that’s liberation for ya.

Now that you have a can full of happiness in hand. What’s one to do on their first day in a new country by themselves? Go on a walking tour! Seriously, if you are ever in a new city, especially in Europe, I HIGHLY recommend looking up their free walking tours. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the city you’ll be staying in, meet new people (some who are also traveling alone) and get great tips from a local. I used Copenhagen Free Walking Tours. I did the Classical Tour of Copenhagen on my first day and the Grand Tour the next. On my tour, I met a few great people that instantly made me feel at ease. We ended up exploring Christiana together and getting dinner afterwards.

Where to stay?

This was my first experience staying at a hostel and Copenhagen Downtown Hostel set my social butterfly standards high. If you’re only looking for a quiet place to rest your head at night, it’s not the place for you. But if you enjoy chatting with the stranger next to you and ten more before you know it, then yes! Not only does it have a bar that is open till 4AM, they host free concerts and the setting of the lounge area makes it very easy to meet new people. I was incredibly sad while checking out after my three night stay here. I had the best time with the best people at this hostel. I’ve even met up with two new friends I made months later!

A glimpse of some incredible people I met at the hostel.

What to do?

Walk through Nyhavn, and explore the different restaurants. This is the most photographed place in Denmark. Take advantage of a photo op and have yourself a mini photoshoot. You can also take a boat tour through the river. Copenhagen Free Walking Tours should give you a discount 🙂
Eat open faced sandwiches! Lots of them. Stop into Heering for one after walking through Nyhavn.
For all my cheesecake lovers out there, go to Bertels Salon. I repeat, GO TO BERTELS SALON. You’ll find every possible flavor of cheesecake there is and then some. Being a lover of all things pistachio, I had to take the bite out of the green cake that was calling my name. It was delicious. Thank you for asking.
Spend an afternoon at Tivoli Gardens. Your inner child will thank me later. It’s a must for people of all ages. It’s an adorable vintage amusement park that you can get lost in for hours. I didn’t go on any rides but I spent the afternoon gushing over the architecture and the vintage roller coasters. Apparently Walt Disney himself found the inspiration to create Disney World during his visit to Tivoli. How cool is that?!
Ride your bike through the city. Copenhagen is notorious for being a bike friendly city. Nothing makes you feel more like a local than cruising through the city streets ringing your bicycle bell unnecessarily.

If I had another day, I would’ve taken a day trip the countryside or to Malmo, Sweden (it’s only a 20 minute train ride) but three and half days in Copenhagen were just enough before I ventured off to Switzerland.

Posts about the next five countries I’ve visited this year will be up soon. Stay tuned! 🙂