This Is Africa

Our sojourn through continent number two began after a turbulent flight from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg. Upon arrival, customs officials took it upon themselves to thoroughly remove and search all contents of our backpacks, including our personal pharmacy and feminine products. "What do I do with this?" asks the clueless inspector. Devon: "YOU don't do anything with that." Anjali, on death bed: "It's a feminine product." The inspector continued to open a capsule of white powder (looks like coke, actually acidophilous) and dumps its contents uncerimoniously onto the table next to our underwear and six months of first aid supplies. After retrieving our bags, we waited for our airport pickup, uncertainly standing on a curb waiting for a white car. Turns out all cars in South Africa are white. During the flight, Anjali was hit with the nausea and intenstinal problems that would define her next few days. Needless to say, waiting on the curb was a testiment to her will power: Will I get sick now or can I wait until I safely make it to a bathroom? Ironically, a bird decided that this was the perfect moment to relieve himself on poor Anjali's unsuspecting head. Barely mustering a "Little help?" plea to Devon, Anj lets Devon deal with it and was then bedridden for two days. Though a rocky start, our time in South Africa improved dramatically over the next three weeks.



Best of Jo'burg:



1. The Apartheid Museum - two hours was not enough time to soak in all the information and history this incredible museum has to offer.



2. Tour of Soweto Township with our guide, Mandla, who grew up there. A reality check in terms of how far South Africa has come and how far it still has to go.



3. The Lion and Rhino Park, better known to us as the Lhino and Ryan Park. Once you say it this way, you can never say it correctly again. Highlights include playing with lion cubs (Devon sustains injury. Has scar as proof.), the Vultures Restaurant (a smelling pile of bones) and being introduced to the Professor of Ugly, the hideous Maribou Stork.



After our disasterous flight into Africa, our next trip to Cape Town was uneventful. We had the pleasure of staying with the family of a friend of a friend, Nazerine, who treated us like royalty and accepted as family. After weeks of hostel-jumping, staying in a real home was a welcome change. Nazerine, her sister, Atoofa, and their friends Brando and York showed us the best of Cape life: sights, nightlife and food. Due to their hospitality and fun-loving nature, our initial 10 days in Cape Town turned into 3 weeks.



Best of Cape Town:



1. Climbing Table Mountain and taking in the 360 view of the entire region.



2. Biking through the winelands - Stellenbosch and Franshhoek. Cape Town's winelands give Napa Valley a run for its money.



3. Seeing African penguins in Simon's Town. No snow in sight.



4. Being official tourists and taking the Red Bus City Tour of Cape Town. Sitting atop an open air, double decker bus, visiting such sights as the District 6 Museum, Castle of Good Hope, Camps Bay beach and driving along the lovely coastline.



5. Spending an afternoon at Clifton Beach, baking in the sun, surrounded by beautiful Capetonians.



6. Climbing Lion's Head on Christmas Eve, enjoying a picnic at the top and listening to Christmas carols on the Blackberry.



7. Treating ourselves to high tea at the uber swanky Mount Nelson hostel on Christmas Day. Then pretending we're guests and spending the entire afternoon by the pool. Turns out we stayed in Room 207.



8. Drinks at Neighbourhood or Cubana. Clubbing at Hemisphere or Tiger Tiger.



9. Having a braai (South Africa's version of the barbeque).

10. Sailing to Robben Island and having historical tour led by ex-inmates.

Highlights Reel:



1. After spending our first 2 days in Jo'burg in bed, we thought our first days in Cape Town we'd be up and at 'em. Our friends made it a point of showing us a great time our first night...We didn't emerge from our room until 2pm the next day. And ate brunch a 4.

2. Eating the game platter at our favorite haunt, Arnold's. We sampled crocodile, springbok, ostrich and our favorite, warthog ribs. We dined their so many times we started receiving complementary bottles of wine.

3. Going to the swanky club, Hemisphere, in the best of our backpacker's attire. Bouncer asks Naz why she couldn't get her friends better shoes. Random man to Anjali: "Where are you from? I can tell you're not from Cape Town." Anj: "What, the shoes? I've heard this line before."

4. Looking so comfortable at Arnold's that we were mistaken as hostesses. Results in meeting the cousins John and Jon Pierre, who regaled us with stories from their home countries, England and France, and bought us dinner.

5. After our free dinner, we met Brando for cosmo's at posh bar, Asoka. Quote of the night goes to Brando: "Three rounds of cosmos: 360 rand. One round of chocolate cake shots: 60 rand. Drinks at Asoka: Priceless." Next morning at brunch, "Dev, how much was the bill last night?" Devon: "How would I know?" Brando and Anj: "You said, and I quote, 'I got it guys!'"

6. Devon wakes up on Christmas morning to a large photo of Taylor Lautner hung from the bunk above her, setting the tone of the day. Chistmas dinner at Cape Town Backpackers with fellow hostel guests sporting outrageous hats. Devon as a pirate, Anj in a Pamela Anderson-esque, porn star hat.

7. New Year's at Brando's. Devon records music video unbeknownst to participants, Anj, Brando and York. Coming soon to Youtube. Next morning, stuffed in a truck, in the same clothes, for a night in the beachside town, Hermanus. Persuading woman to do our laundry in exchange for a dinner bell from San Francisco. Hitting up a club named Bojangles, frequented by the 18 and younger. Devon, mistaken as a "colored girl," was a hit with the male crowd.

8. Spending 3 hours to upload 17 photos at Geek Cafe. Check them out at www.photobucket.com/devon87
Out of severe boredom, Anj changes her profile status to "touring the world's worst computers." Is then promptly friended by the internet cafe attendent.

9. Suicidal Blackberry leads to change of pace in our lives appropriate for Africa.

10. Leaving Cape Town on a truck called Frank. Spending the nex 26 days on Frank.

Desperate times.....

1. Going commando, not out of choice but because of lack of underwear.

2. Blow drying underwear, so you don't have to go commando.

3. Using pink and fuzzy hostel blanket as a towel, so we can wash the travel towels that smell like mold.

4. Running through torrential downpour in Buenos Aires, seeking Bloody Mary fixings after staying out clubbing all night, so can enjoy Ava's last full day in B.A.

5. Pandora-ing Christmas carols on Blackberry multiple times, most notably at the top of Lion's Head in Cape Town.

6. Chicken instead of Turkey on Thanksgiving.

7. Seeing Lua Nova in Sao Paulo, instead of sightseeing.

8. Washing underwear at Namibian bushman camp.

9. Taking a fiber pill. And then taking 3 when 2 no longer work!

10. Reading "Blazing Star" and "Breaking Dawn" on a truck called "Frank."

11. Wearing New Years dress for 48 hours and every laundry day without underwear.

12. Washing Calvin Klein/Gap bra twice in 3 months. Only HAVING one bra each.

13. Losing 1 of 5 pairs of underwear. Leads to bigger freak-out than having ipod stolen.

14. Tears over leaving single pair of pants in bushman hut.

15. Sleeping on floor of hostel. Results in getting face sat on. Still better to getting rained on.

16. Sleeping in threadbare cocoon with myriad coats draped over us. i.e. using rain coat as blanket. Comes in handy when tent floods.

17. Three of us lying naked in tent on trek to Machu Picchu because clothes need to dry.





..... lead to desperate measures.

Worst day thus far

Topping the list...leaving Argentina and attempting to enter Sao Paulo. Our catastrophes were as follows:

1. Devon gets in taxi cab and Anjali is left in the hostel wondering where her travel partner has disappeared to. And the problems begin.

2. We pay for an expensive cab ride to Argentina's international airport where we look for the airline "P. Luna" carrying our massive backpacks and precious alfahores. After asking around, not only did we discover that our airline is, in fact, called "Pluna," but that we were also at the WRONG airport. Apparently flying to Brazil is not considered international.

3. Upon arrival at the domestic airport, we realize that our flight is actually an hour EARLIER than we had anticipated and we are in serious danger of missing it.

4. Although we were surprised to actually make it out of Argentine and into Montevideo, Uruguay, our layover, our troubles had only begun. After her extensive tour of South American bathrooms, Anjali still found herself struggling to get out of the stall. Finding herself stuck, she hollered to Devon for help. Since Devon's Pu-no days were over, Anjali then had to wait for her rescuer to finish up and release her.

5. With far too many stresses for one day, we decide that coffee is our only remedy. However, we are then faced with currency conversions and how much breakfast we can actually afford. The language barrier posing a problem, we attempt to purchase too much and, with a daunting line forming behind us, are forced to return most of it. Of course the coffee was terrible.

6. We make it to Sao Paulo! Success! Spoken much too soon...after a very expensive and alarmingly long cab ride, we find ourselves in the wrong city on a street with the same name as the one we are looking for. Who knew we had to specify the zip code when ordering our taxi even though we clearly showed our Hostelworld printout with the full address...Having now paid for two unnecessary taxis in one day, we are approximately a million dollars behind budget.

7. We eat pizza, drink wine and indulge in 3 alfahores, though we swore we'd save them for Africa when we'd really need them.

Argentina - Living like queens

Argentina: November 18-December 6.

Argentina was an instant change of pace from Peru. Upon arrival, we employed Ava - Anjali's sister, who studied abroad in Buenos Aires this past semester - to be our tour guide, beginning with an outstanding meal at La Cabrera. A food lover's dream, this culinary indulgence began with complimentary champagne and chorizo as we waited for a table amidst a large crowd of a hundred watering mouths. Dinner included incredible steaks accompanied by a variety of sauces and side dishes washed down with a bottle of Trapiche Malbec. The week continued with an abundance of fabulous meals, great drinks, raucous night clubs that lasted until the wee hours of the morning, and some healthy sight-seeing around the city. We ventured outside BsAs to Iguazu Falls where we were thoroughly doused in water as we traveled, Indiana Jones style, to the bottom of the Falls. We spent the day walking around the park, finishing at La Garganta del Diablo, (The Devil's Mouth), a massive whirlpool that is arguably the most impressive sight in the park. Although the town of Iguazu was less than impressive, our hostel was more like a resort.

Back in the city, we celebrated Thanksgiving in our lovely apartment in the trendy Palermo neighborhood. Though we had to settle for chicken instead of turkey, we cooked all day and produced an extensive feast including stuffing (with chorizo!), sweet potatoes and apple pie topped with dulce de leche. We enjoyed the leftovers for the next few days...After showing us the best of Buenos Aires, Ava departed and we left for a few days in Mendoza. For two days we biked through vineyards, enjoying a number of wineries and tasting all sorts of wines, liquors, cheeses, olives and chocolates. Although challenging at times, our biking was much improved as we sustained no injuries and Devon did not crash into a wall (even after a dose of absinthe!)We returned to the city and finished off our to-do list, including visiting the modern art museum, La Boca neighborhood, and of course returning to our favorite local parilla, Des Nivel, while staying at our old haunt (from 4 years ago), Tango Backpackers. In short, we adore Argentina and can't wait to return in another 4 years. Or move here permanently.

Best of Argentina:

1. Best hostel - aside from our incredible BsAs apartment, Hostel Inn at Iguazu Falls for its free towels, large pool, parilla and Carnival-style Brazilian show, during which we were invited on stage by a woman clothed in an elaborate thong. We politely declined.

2. Best restaurant - a tie between the posh La Cabrera and perfectly Argentine Des Nivel

3. Best new taste - Trapiche Malbec, Cachavaz alfahores (dulce de leche cookies - so good we bought some for the road) and humito (corn) empanadas

4. Best adventure - biking through Mendoza tipsy off of fine wine and absinthe that we sampled at 11am, and Gran Aventura in Iguazu, drenched by thousands of liters of water

5. Location to return to - Buenos Aires! (for the third time)

6. Best cultural experience - staying up for 24 hours, clubbing with Argentines and watching the sunrise over the water at Caix, a club that stays open until 12pm

7. Best "we're so American" experience - trying to buy a turkey in a BA supermarket and being laughed at, so making stuffing with chorizo, apple pie with dulce de leche and drinking sangria. Just your traditional Argentine Thanksgiving food.

8. Best bar - Milion (mansion converted into posh bar) for Kir Royales and basil daquiris

9. Best local fashion - the rat tail, as sported by both men and women

10. Best reason to never be a vegetarian - Argentine steak for breakfast, steak for lunch, steak for dinner. We watched a vegetarian of 15 years lose her resolution over a carne empanada. Who needs vegetables when the cows are grass fed?

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Adios Peru

Having learned the hard way which bus companies to trust, we had a much more successful ride to Arequipa from Puno. In short, we toured Arequipa, trekked in Colca Canyon and returned to Lima via Cusco. Back in Lima, we began saying our goodbyes to Peru including dining on Lima´s finest culinary offerings. We actually enjoyed anticuchos - grilled cow hearts on a stick - as well as more ceviche and fish dishes at local joints. Accompanied by Paulo, one of the owners of our hostel, we got the local scoop on what to do and, most importantly, what to eat. To conclude our Peruvian adventure, we have compiled a ¨Best Of¨ list...

1. Best hostel: Hostel Kokopelli in Lima

2. Best restaurant: ceviche in Lima at a hole-in-the-wall market stand in Barranco neighborhood

3. Best new taste: the surprisingly delicious anticuchos

4. Best adventure: Machu Picchu trek, obviously

5. Best new friend/local resource: Paulo (our BFF from Hostel Kokopelli)

6. Location to return to: Cusco and the Inca trail

7. Best cultural experience: meals with our homestay family on Isla Amantani, Lago Titicaca

8. Best "we´re so American" experience: bus to Arequipa from Cabanaconde (Colca Canyon) - zero personal space, lots of jostling, and a rendition of "Happy Birthday" playing on the radio

9. Best bar: Kokopelli´s bar and Paulo´s spicy pisco cocktail

10. Best local fashion: Amantani ensemble complete with embroidered blouses, skirts, jackets, belts and shawls

Poo-no OR Poo, no!...full disclosure

Our see and do all tour of Peru continued with an uncomfortable bus ride from Cusco to Puno. Unfortunately, we were completely misled and found ourselves on a completely different bus than what we signed up for. As usual, the bus left at an ungodly early hour and, powerless in our post-trek state of deliriousness, we were stuck in this unpleasant situation. After the four hours we were told it would take to get to Puno came and went, we were relieved to finally catch sight of Puno and Lago Titicaca. However, our adventure had just begun...because our bus abruptly side-swiped a mini-van and further confusion ensued. The large bus sustained no injuries; the modestly sized South American style mini-van did not fare as well...

We fled the bus terminal as quickly as possible, cursing the San Luis company as we went, and made our way to Hospedaje Virgen de Copacabana. Though Lonely Planet described this hostel as charming and quaint, when Emily asked us from the taxi how the hostel looked, the only word that came to mind was ¨dilapidated¨. Once inside, we found an odd collection of Cabbage Patch style dolls with a surprising Christmas theme. The owner was a kind older woman, but we felt like we were staying with a friend´s (quirky) great aunt.

Skipping ahead, the next day we set off for a two day tour of Lago Titicaca that included three islands: Uros, Amantani and Taquile. Uros is the famed collection of floating island with a foundation made of reeds. Walking on the cushy reeds is like stepping on a large sponge; we amused ourselves by bouncing around and trying on the local fashions complete with embroidered skirt, hat and blouse. Later that afternoon we sailed to Amantani for an overnight with a local family. We were met by Liz, the 15 year old daughter of the island´s leader, who prepared us a delicious lunch of quinoa soup, potatoes and queso fresca (Peru´s favorite, and only, cheese) accompanied by a vegetable medley, followed by muña tea (similar to mint and equally refreshing). We hiked to the top of the island to see the ruins of a temple to Pachamama and watch the sun set over the Lake. Once again we were forced to adapt our lesbian couple persona as we found ourselves in such a quintissentially romantic situation. To complicate matters, we could hardly force our muscles to walk the relatively short path to the top of the island after four days of the Inca´s version of the stairmaster. Back at the house, we met the rest of our host family and dined in their tight kitchen consisting of a hole in the dirt wall filled with kindling and iron pots boiling over with a Peruvian version of chicken noodle soup and quinoa. We enjoyed this along with rice (again) and a Spanish-style tortilla, akin to our notion of an omelette. Our hosts took us to a ¨fiesta" where we were dressed up in traditional Amantani skirts, blouses, jackets, elaborate belts (much more like a corset) and shawl head covering. Escorted by Emily, our hombre, we arrived at the dance in style. Four men played traditional live music as we were loosely taught a folk dance that involved ferocious pulling and turning across the dance floor. Thoroughly exhausted, we fell into bed after 20 minutes of removing clothing and another 10 minutes of navigating our way to the outhouse style bathroom that was quite a distance from the main building. It consisted of a stone basin that for all intents and purposes did not appear to flush, thus garnering our sympathy for whomever got the lucky job of dealing with our ever-present digestive issues.

Day 2 of our Lake tour began with hearty pancakes, a swift goodbye to the family, and a boat ride to Taquile. As the most touristy island, Taquile felt much more economically stable and commercial. Our guide took us to lunch where we feasted on trucha (trout) and learned about...um...the local population? Too much dramamine...

We returned to Puno with a renewed sense of how different our world is and bought bus tickets to Arequipa for the next chapter of our Peruvian adventure.

Highlights reel:

1. As our title suggests, our respective digestive systems had reactions to Puno spanning both ends of the spectrum. Once again, Anjali spent her time touring Puno´s "bathrooms", toilet paper in hand, while Devon jealously waited outside.

2. Unfortunately, Anjali can never return to Puno because, on one of many bathroom exits, she managed to tuck her skirt attractively into her hefty travel underwear. Though Devon tried to give a girl a hand, the situation could not be remedied. Free show. We need to start charging.

3. On our island tour, we met 5 Spanish women of various ages traveling together through Peru. In conversing with them, they gave us the inspiration and hope to continue traveling with friends in the future.

4. To make our mothers proud, we performed a series of yoga poses for Emily´s timed camera in front of the setting sun and Pachamama´s ruins. We elicited many stares from the other tourists. Free show. We need to start charging.

5. We upgraded bus companies and made it to Arequipa sans accident. Goodbye Puno, forever Poo-no in Devon´s mind.