Peru,

 Yesterday I visited Chiclayo. It's a six mile hike. I did some farming chores with the local community. The fertile country side allows people to do this.
  Next I went to The Valley of White Lilies. It's the capital of the department of Apurimac. And it's famous for its superb cuisine.
  Last I visited the Peruvian Cuisine. It's one of the best cuisines in the world... In-The-World. Its food dates back to the pre-Inca and the Inca time period, serving patatoes and corn much like what the Incas farmed.
 

                               Cole K.

Chile

By Jake D.

Period 4 

     I just got into Chile and I'm going to the Atacama Desert which is pretty much the whole Norrthern Chile. There is also big mines there in Chuquicamata, Calama and other parts of altipano that produce a lot of copper and other minerals. Both Incan and Spanish influences can be seen in its villages. Both Incan and Spanish influences can be seen in its villages and religious festivities, which attract visitors throughout the year. Well I wish I could stay here some more but I have to go see more of Chile.

     I just got into a place called the Patagonia and some words to describe it would probably exotic, remote, vast, infinitely, beautiful, wild and untamable. This place has some breathtaking views, though it is easy to lose yourself in this area which is roughly the size of Britain (240,00 km2) but has a less than one inhabitant per km2. Over 50% of the Patagonia is a Protected Wilderness Area. There are a lot of things to do there such as fly-fishing, trekking, cycling, mountain climbing, rafting, kayaking and even horseback riding. There is a lot of stuff to do here, but I've got to go see some more places in Chili.

     Now I'm off to the islands and Chili's territory contains over a hundred islands. Easter Island, aka Hanga Roa as it is called, is one of the most exotic places in Chile. It is thousands of miles from the cost so it is pretty far out in the pacific. There are massive stone monuments called moals over from over 800 years ago, and they are scattered all over the volcanic landscape surrounded by beautiful beaches. There's another big island called Robinson Crusoe Island, part of the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, was hit hard by a tsunami in February 2010. Also Crusoe has a lot of flora and birds including there main food source the rock lobster. Its history is full of stories of corsairs and includes the first includes the first naval combat of World War 1, when a German cruiser sank off the coast. Well I hope you liked Chili as much as I did, this is one place that I would like to come back to.

ARGENTINA

Argentina   BY: Michael M.

 Argentina is a place to let your dreams come true. In fact I have been there. The most handsome explorer in the world, which would be me Michael M. explored three most fabulous parts of Argentina. The Cuyu desert country, The Buenos Aires ( city) , and last but not least Cordobia.

       First we are starting off with the Cuyu desert country. Its beautiful but extremely dangerous and the cool part is that the weather changes every season. Make sure you are prepared because there is no water to drink in that desert or else its bye bye to you. In those days as a 20 year old explorer sadly  I was really dumb to not bring any food or water with me. Yes, I know that's sad. But I had an adventure with my rumbling hungry tummy. It was incredible. There was life all around me. Such as snakes, armadillo's, desert owls and tons more. I took notes on the animals I saw what they were doing. That's it for the Cuyu desert Country.

       Next stop was Buenos Aires a city. When I took my first step on the city ground I first saw a huge crowd in the distance and my buddy says this is how it looks like everyday at the market place. Thinking in my head " GREAT". People wore really different clothes than compared to AMERICA. All men wore robes and women wore dresses. I tried some amazing food such as fried seaweed. Hey its not as bad as you think. Since I did not no a lot about Argentina I did not know there language, I think it sounded like Portuguese or something. They also had very different machinery, they had three wheelers. It was like another world . After that long day of adventure my buddies and I stayed at a really awesome hotel with free servings I was really full for the first time of my adventure. I really loved visiting that place.

Last but not least I visited Cordobia. It was so beautiful and I mean it " BEAUTIFUL". It was like Heaven. There were beautiful mountains reaching the blue sky. All I saw for the clothing was what farmers always wear. We drove up the mountain to visit the most beautiful mountain site. But thanks to my buddy Pedro we got stuck in the most discusting looking mud puddle ever. We decided to keep on going on !FOOT! But oh well its life. 1hour of hiking later we finally reached the site it was so beautiful that I was going to faint. This was it a glance of Argentina's mother nature. We hiked back down to our jeep. Its gone. our 5,000 dollar rented car is gone. Tired we hiked back arguing down the trail and I see our jeep with an officer. He told us you have a ticket for leaving a rented car in a middle of no where. We drove back to our hotel tired. Atleast I did not pay for the ticket.

This was it visiting the beautiful Argentina. I got to say it was fun. Visiting the Cuyu desert, the Buenos Aires, and Cordobia. And just to let you know that be prepared of where you are thinking to  go.

What an exciting trip i went on just this weekend! I went to see Bolivia in South America.The first thing i did was see the shoreline at Mamore River in Trinidad. The water was perfect and the sand felt good on my feet. A little history behind the beach: Padre Cipriano Barace Founded the city La Santisima Trinidad on this beaches shores! Next i visited Santa Cruz. Did You know it was moved several times until it finally rested on the shores of the Pirai river?
            Next on to Potosi!!I think that ill visit Cerro Rico first. I hear they give Mine Tours! I hope there isn't ghosts of the dead miners! there was in the last mine I went in... then ill go head to the cathedral. their cathedral was built in the early 16th century and finished in the early 1600s. Nearly a Hundred Years Later!! On to the next city!
             I decided to go to Sucre next. I figured I owed it some for passing right through it on my way to Potosi. So get this: were not the only ones with a declaration of independence! up on the main plaza is the house where Bolivia's declaration of independence was written. When I went into this vacation I didn't expect it to be as good as it turned out!

                                                                                             -Quinn

Justin's visit to Peru!

                                                         MY VISIT TO PERU
Justin J.


                     In my visit to Peru I saw many amazing things! The people there were so friendly and kind they were absoluetly amazing people. When I was in Peru I even caught a soccer game. I also visited many places including ancient Inca villages to famous Peruvian restaurants.


                   First off lets start with the cool places I went too. The first stop I made was in Cusco or Machu Picchu, it was one of the most amazing places i've ever seen or been too. Walking through the Inca buildings, they were made of complete stone and clay, there were even symbols on the walls that told stories! The second place I went too was Lima. Lima is one of the brightest and liveliest cities ive ever seen. There were shows of people juggling torches and people swallowing knives. The final place I visited was the Nazca Lines, it is an ancient desert floor with carvings over 50 kms! We had to be 1500 feet in the air to see all of the carvings.


                  Second of all I wanna tell you about is the food I had ate in Peru. The food I had in Peru was very different than the type of food in the U.S. I went to a very famous restaurant there called Mangos. Mangos was a very delicous restaurant I had a very good burtio and quesadilla, it was very spicy and my mouth was on fire by the time I finished it.



                 Finally let me tell you about the clothes people had worn in Peru. There were many different types of clothes I saw people wearing. One type of clothes were the womens' dresses. They wore a very silk like dress made with ruffles at the bottom of the skirt on the dress. The men wore a robe like outfit it was very long and usually white.


          Overall my trip to Peru was both interesting and fun I hope that I will have the chance to go there again some day!

                                      Chile  



     This week in Chile was one of the best travels I've had in years. First, I went to Santiago de Chile. This city seemed much like New York with a lot of buisness buildings. the food was crazy there they go bannanas over hotdogs. That was one of the first foods I ate and, it was better than hotdogs in America. there was guacamole, diced tomatoes , and mayo that was salad size. 

     Then I went to Easter Ilsand. The heads were scattered everywhere so it was almost like a hike. And I wonder how those people got the heads up with out the technology we have now. There wasn't much traditional fodd but, ther was a whole lot of sea food. I had seared Tuna with yams and it was okay. The dish tastes like a steak tasting like tuna.

My final stop was at Portillo. I stayed at the hotel because i was so tired and this place was amazing. I checked in really fast and the people there were really nice. The next day, I went to the water park in the holtel. it was like a brand new but better Roaring Springs. Ther was a lunge cnter where you can just relax and the real action was the slides. there was one that timed you and my time was 50.02 sec. My trip was really fun and I hope to go there again.
Daniel R.

Hello,
Right know I am resting in my hotel room in Vene Zuela. After a long weekend of hiking, biking and sightseeing I am well ready for a rest. The first sight I saw was the chroni beach. I had fun making a sand castle but decided my building choice was a little close to the water. My next destination was the sabana waterfall. Its being 3,000 didn't make me want to dive in. Tommorow I am planning on visiting many other places. So until then good by!
Brooke J.

                                                  My trip to Peru

                        When I went to Peru I ate some foods that most likely would not be peoples first choice in America. One was Cuy. It well it is a guinea pig. They will served baked or barque,with its head on,and it is served whole. It was very bony. Another popular food was a pepper named Aji de Gallina. 

                      A Popular visitor attraction is Machu,Pichu  it is a very very pretty place. It is in the mountains. They're have been many books about and many celebrities have gone. Their are plenty of secrets to go around their.

                     Huayna Picchu, Peru. Ever heard of it. It is a mountain in Peru of an elevation of   8,924. You can actualy walk of to the mountains. It has lots of earthquakes though.

     Natalee F.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Peru_Machu_Picchu_Sunrise_2.jpg

Sophie goes to Chile

                                                           Sophie
I went to Chile and did some amazing things over their!
Me and Paige climbed the Torres del Paine their were Clerno, and Paine,and especially Torres of Paine!!!! :D We spent the night at hotel lago grey! And in the morning we went to Andes Mountain
horsebackriding!! I rode a pinto!!! On the way to Easter Island we saw a whale and some seals!! On the boat some experts showed us injured sharks and penguins that they were transporting!!! it was soo sad!!! I am glad we got to see them though!!! Some natives performed a dance or 2 on the boat!!!

Then we cruised over to Easter Island were we visited famous Moai statues and looked at 
gorgeous crater filled with stunning water and Ahu te Pito Kura a house or something made by the natives!!! Did you know that most of the statues actually are mostly underground?????

Since I love to fish we went to Chile Patagonia Fly Fishing we stayed at The inn of the brown trout or
La Posada de los Farios Lodge!! Only 6 guests per week and allowed so we were pretty lucky!!!!


These are  experiences, I shall never forget!!!

Sophie







coastal_fishing.htmlcoastal_fishing.html

                                                                 My trip to Brazil

                 Hey everybody! Today i just got back from Brazil it was so much fun! I went to The Capital, Rio de Jarerio! it is beautiful! I saw the Christ Redeemer! it is so big but so pretty! I also went to the Rio Carnival! man Brazil people are crazy! i even got to ride on float!!! that was the highlight of the carnival! However the highlight of my whole trip was going to the world Cup! it was so awesome getting to see woman teams from all over the world play each other! Go USA!!
               When i was in Brazil i also eat a bunch of crazy foods!! one i eat was pine nuts. its a common snake in Brazil! it was surprisingly really good! I even tried chicken hearts! it was a Brazilian delicacy! It was really good to! a dessert i had was Brigadeiro! i was in heaven when i eat it!! it was seriously that good! well those were just  my favorite food eat!            
                I also got to go to the amazon rain forest! it was amazing! i saw a bunch of different animals! I went by a beautiful waterfall it so awesome!!! I saw so many weird plant and trees! The creepy thing I saw though was when I was walking i walked right by snake! I almost stepped on it! i screamed so loud! But after that i had a pretty good time there! I probley should have worn more bug spray  though.Well that was my trip! i hope to go bake again! -Cassidy.

Columbia

Columbia

     Columbia is known for its awesome coffee and pure emeralds. When i went i got to drink the coffee and see the pure emeralds which made it famous. I also saw that the Columbia is tropical and has thin-building lined streets.
     I went and saw many rain forest which is practically the whole country. One of the many rain forests i went and saw was the Amazon Jungle. It was beautiful! The most beautiful flowers you have ever seen in your life. They were called the May Lily.
      I also went to Providencia and Santa Catalina. Very beautiful places. The sea was very clear, and even though it is one of the "most romantic places in the world", i had fun there alone. The native language is Spanish so it was hard to understand some of the things the tour guide said but that made it even more fun. I to finish all this off I has quesadillas for dinner.Darian

Venezuela

Guess what!!!

Right now I am in Venezuela! It is amazing! I've only been here a day but it has been packed with tons of activities.

This morning, I woke up and put on my bathing suit. I grabbed a fresh tortilla with melted butter on it from the store across the street from my hotel. It was probably the best, yummiest, tastiest thing that I have ever eaten. After breakfast, I went straight to the Playa Grande (Big Beach) also known as Choroni Playa (Choroni Beach). It was a wonderful day so I layed on the soft, warm sand for about and hour. The Choroni Playa has amazing water and a beautiful view. I highly recomend it.

At about eleven, I left to go to the Medanos de Coro (Sand dunes of Coro). It was amazing!!! I really liked seeing the amazing sand. It may seem childish, but I really enjoyed sliding from the top of these dunes, all the way down. It was fun, but boy was I dirty afterwards! Lot's of Venezuelans were doing it too. You know, I thought that people would wear weird stuff in Venezuela, but they mainly just wear normal stuff like us. T-shirts and jeans, the usual. But, as you can tell, this place was a desert. It got really hot, really fast. I decided that, since I was all dirty now, I would go to another beach and this time take a dip.

On my way to the Los Roques Archipelago National Park, I stopped by a little shack and ordered an empanada. It was so delicious! I didn't have time to savor though and soon set off to the national park. I was very, very glad that I had decided to come here. It was the most beautiful part of Venezuela for sure. I swam and snorkled all day long. It was so fun!

Oh sorry! Have to go to dinner with my friends now. I think I will try Lengua De Res (cow tongue). If you have to go somewhere, definately go to Venezuela. :)

-Victoria Y.

http://paradiseintheworld.com/los-roques-archipelago-national-park-venezuela/
http://digerible.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/medanos-de-coro/
http://fotoela.blogspot.com/2012/11/las-mejores-playas-de-venezuela.html

Argentina

                I am freezing from the Perito Moreno Glacier. It is amazing there the big cravasse's and how deep they go done into the ice. Also, seeing all of the wildlife on the sandy beaches laying down and getting warmed up cause it was so cold I would do the same thing. The first activity was after we looked at the glacier we went sport fishing in fast and clear river caughting fresh salmon. The second activity we did there was skiing at the winter center there it was amazing there. The third activity we did there was taking a tour of ecosystems. It was fasinating seeing mammals sun bathing and seeing penguins swimming and diving into the water.That was one of my favorite thing to do there.

                  Man now I am so hot from begin in the high evolation and the heat. I am now at Calampaya a desert that is amazing because it is so hot but there is snow covered volcanos and that was amazing. The first activity that we did was a tour of the canyon it was beautiful. The second activity we did was sport fishing in the clear river that is in the Andes Mountain Range I caught tons of fish. The last but not least we went and tried different fruits that were very sweet and sour. That is the second place were we went while we were in Argentina.

                 The last but not least place  I went to was Iguazu Falls it was so cool and beautiful. The first thing we did there was take an tour of the falls  the guide was so cool and nice. The second thing I did there was take a rafting trip which was so amazing from the big rapids and how long it was it took forever to get done with the trip. The third activity I did was I stayed in a old log cabin that was rustic and old from the humidity and the water from the falls. The other thing I did was mountain bike on the trails right by the river and falls it was amazing.

                 The very last thing I did there was say good bye to every person I met, and I will never forget my experience here with the culture and the people. By Jesse R 

Part of Salta
www.austinlehman.com

My trip to Bolivia

 

          I finally got to go to Bolivia! This has been something I have always wanted to go there. I got on the plane for 13 hours, then the plane finally landed. The weather there seemed  perfect. A little humid, but I did not mind. I picked up my luggage and and waved for a taxi. When one came I hopped in a told the driver where my hotel was. Once I got checked into my hotel and was in the room I unpacked but immediately headed out.     
                                                                       
      Today was one of the last days in Oruro for the Carnival Festival. The carnival festival was like nothing I had ever seen before! It was crazy all over! People dancing in strange costumes, even though it was weird it was still wonderful to watch. While I was there I bought some Bolivian clothing and jewelry. I also felt daring and tried some native food. I tried Humintas a la olla, or in other words corn tamales. That was the best food in the world! I was so happy that I had tries those. After a long, long day of flying and being at the carnival it was time to take a rest.
 

      The next day I decided to make a meal and bring it to the Pirai River, in Santa Cruz, to eat there. On the way to the Pirai River I met a very nice girl, about my age. Luckily see spoke English and Spanish so I had someone who actually knew what everything said. Her name was Sophia. The hike to the river was about 1.5 miles long. But when you had somebody with you the miles fly by! When we reached the river we sat down and started eating. Luckily I had made a little too much saisi, rice and beans, for myself so we had just enough for the both of us.   

 

      Sadly, this was my last day in Bolivia. I had so much fun trying new food, buying Bolivian jewelry, hiking and meeting somebody new. This was defiantly the most memorable trips I have every had. I will being coming back to Bolivia when ever I get the chance.

                                                          Oruro Carnival Festival

                          http://incaserv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/carnival_oruro4.jpg 

     Phoebe W.                                                        

My Trip to Brazil

      

           After years and years of waiting I finally got my chance to go to Brazil! I packed up as fast as I could making sure to remember my passport. When I got to the airport I could hardly wait. After a long flight I made it to Rio de Janerio. Before I could do anything I had to find a hotel. Once I found a hotel it was time to get some food in me, then it was time for sight seeing. This is were my amazing trip begins.

      
           Trying to find a restauraunt in Rio de Janerio with something American to eat is hard. So I had to try something new. In Rio de Janerio they have alot of street carts, I went to a Tapioca Stand where I had a Tapioca Cake. It was like a crape with a enormous amount of filling. After that it was time for sight seeing. I planned my trip perfectly, when the World Cup and Carnival were at the same time! The World Cup wasn't until tomorrow so I had to find something else to do.  Lucky for me my hotel was right on the Guanda River. The river was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, I saw it right at sunset so that probally added to the beauty. There was some old man by me at the time he told be that the river was one of the most important rivers in Rio de Janerio, because it supplies more than 9 million people with water. That ended my first day of sight seeing, tomorrow was going to be a whole different story.


          The next day started with a hotel provided breakfast, then it was off to the World Cup. France and Japan where the two teams playing. I did not have a preference on who I wanted to win all I knew is I wanted to get on the big screen, which I did. The  game seemed to go on forever, but in the end France won. The long time I spent sitting in the sun at the game really took it out of me. So for the next two days before the Carnival I had to get my rest.


          The day of the Carnival was finally here, I had been waiting my whole life to see this parade and especially to eat all the great food during it. The parade was one of the most amazing things I think I will ever see in my life I will never be able to forget the fireworks, music, costumes, and dances. During the parade I took many pictures so I can always remember what I saw. After the parade it was time for me to catch some sleep and leave Brazil the next morning.


           On the flight home I kept wondering if I will ever get to see Brazil again. I will never forget all the wonderful things I saw, ate and did. But like all great things my trip had to come to an end.



      

                                http://toptravellists.net/rio-de-janeiro-landscape-brazil.html
-Jaynie VQ



                                       Bolivia

      Bolivia is a very tropical fun place to go. you can explore all of the beautiful sites like the "Santa Cruz sits within Bolivia’s tropical region is also the most prosperous city in the entire county."  (enchanting travels.com).

     
La Paz is a beautiful place and it is the highest capitol city in the word. it is one of the 5 cant miss places in Bolivia following Coroico the place that will whisk all your worries away. also the pampas the place where you can get up close and personal with myriad wild life.one of the other places is the Copacabana imagine sitting on the highest navigable lakes in the world. Salar De Uyuni has the largest and highest salt flats in the world.


Bailey L.

My Adventure In Bolivia

Yesterday in Bolivia,  I visited 3 different places! I visited the Amazon Forest, Titicaca Lake and the Road to Death. My favorite place was Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America! 

Lake Titicaca was my favorite because I got to hang out on the beach and relax. I ate Empandas De Queso. It's a sugary desert in Bolivia. Wow it was so good.

The Amazon Forest is a scary place. I saw monkeys, birds and so many animals I've never seen before. My favorite part about the Amazon forest was the Toucan. It was the most colorful bird I've ever seen!

The Road to Death is a road connecting the Amazon Forest to the capitol of Bolivia. 300 to 400 people have died on the road every year. The Death Road is 5 feet across and is only accesible to scooters/motorcycles. I would not reccomend taking the chance on The Death Road.

In conclusion, Bolivia is a tropical place to be. I saw Lake Titicaca, a relaxing time, the Amazon Forest, a scary but beautiful sight to see, and I saw the beginning of The Death Road, not somthing I would recomend going on. I have a had a fun day in Bolivia!

Kyle L.

The Death Road

I just came back from my trip to Vene Zuela. On my trip I visited many different places including choroni beach. It was a great place to relax and build a sand castle. My next destination was the Gran Sabana water fall. With its 3,000 ft. hight we hiked to the top, and were about to plant our flag when we were caught and sent to the bottom.

My next destination was the beautiful capital of vene Zuela caracas. As soon as I stepped in to the crowd of 4 million inhabitants I was lost in a city of beaty. I spent my fortune on a flamingo show  a goldbead from the market, ( which got stolen soon after I got it) and some coal and iron which I have no use of. My trip encouraged me to look around. I think I will soon come again to that country but excuse me, I think I think I will go explore Brazil know.

Dylan R.

          I just got back from my amazing trip to Chile in South America. It was so much fun. I went to the Robinson Crusoe Island, Patagonia, and La Serena. they were all just so beautiful adn relaxing.

          First I went to Robinson Cusoe Island. It was very beautiful. When I was there I went scuba diving and saw the sea life that lived there. There were pretty moutains that surrounded the big body of water. I hope I can go there again one day.

         Next I went to Patagonia. It was very rocky and moutainous. When I was there I went hiking on the huge rocks. I also went rafting in the water. When i was done kinking and rafting I was very tired and went back to the hotel for some rest.

        Last on my trip to chile, I went to La serena where I got a nice message next to a bon fire. I also got to drink hot cocoa and and sit in the hot springs. La Serena is a very beautiful place to go.

       When i was in Chile i could not believe the fluent spanish every used do communicat with others. Good thing I took spanish so i could also communicate. The things people wore was not much different to what we wear here is the US.

        I had a lot of fun in Chile. I hope I can go there again some day and do some of the other very fun things I did not get to visit on my trip this time. Emily V.


      

A picture from Robinson Crusoe.
http://www.chile.travel/en/where-to-go/islands/robinson-crusoe.html