Hayley in Wanderlust: My G Adventure

 

Waterfall selfie, because obvz.

 

When I first burst into the Covent Garden branch of STA, I had no real idea what I was doing. I was simply a woman with a dream, who was bored of saving and talking about it but had no idea how to make it happen. All I actually wanted was to book flights, what I got was a whole lot more.

 

G Adventures are a Canadian company that run tours all over the world. Mine was called 'In search of Iguazu: Rio to Buenos Aires'. It was a tour that would last 17 days and take me through three countries (although, in true Hayley style, I didn't realise I was going to Uruguay until I'd checked in to my hostel in Rio... Good work). In a nutshell, our route was:

Rio - Ilia Grande - Paraty - Iguazu - Mercedes (Ranch stay) - Montevideo - Colonial - Buenos Aires.

As a first time solo traveller, I liked the idea that my first few weeks would be paid for and organised for me. It was a good way to fall into the pattern of travelling around and gaining the confidence to then be able to go off and do it on my own.



From Rio, our first stop was Ilha Grande, or 'paradise' as I like to call it. The island is largely uninhabited with many of it's secluded bays and beaches only reachable by hiking through the jungle or by boat and THERE ARE NO CARS! Tropical climate, picture perfect beaches AND no cars?! I had to be dragged away! Ilia Grande is home to Brazil's second best beach, ' Lopes Mendes'. You can hike to it or catch a speed boat for 40RS return. I (contrary to popular belief) really wanted to do the hike there, because there's something captivating about the jungle... but I was way too hangover so gave it a miss. I still haven't entirely forgiven myself. The island has a whole host of cute restaurants and boutique shops and a nightclub that jets out into the sea until the early hours too. I'd go back in a heartbeat.



Next stop was Paraty, a colonial town about two hours from Angra (where you catch the ferry to Ilia Grande). It's hard not to instantly fall for Party's charm. It's cobbled streets and prettily painted colonial houses are hard not to love, plus Caçhaca originated here- I was instantly a fan. Highlights include Thai Brazil, which is still hands down the best meal I've eaten since being away and Arte Caçhaca, a bar that resembles the garden of a student house. Littered with plastic chairs and tables and few beaten up sofas, the bar offered the most incredible array of Calpis (including one with nutella) and the owner simply the loveliest guy, remembering us from the night before and giving us a plate of free sardines (they weren't really my thing).

 

The two biggest highlights from the tour though, came back to back with a trip to the Iguazu Falls and then a Ranch stay in Uruguay.

I don't think I'll ever see anything as awe-inspiring and beautiful as the Iguazu Falls. Our tour included tickets to both sides and I probably can't recommend it enough. You only need a few hours to do the trail on the Brazilian side, which gives you the most amazing view of the falls as a whole. The Argentinian side needs a whole day, but it's absolutely a day well spent. Walking down Devil's Throat allows you stand right on top of the falls, the upper and lower trails give you a greater perspective of just how big the falls are and the boat tour takes you up close and personal with the water. The national park is home hundreds of birds and animals and over 800 species of butterfly. The place is kind of impressive.

 

Following the falls we made our way to Uruguay where our first stop was a two night stay at a ranch. There was another G group also staying at the same time as us (doing the same tour but starting in Buenos Aires), which gave meal times and the evenings a bit more life... Not that our group needed it. The weather was perfect, and the sun must have gone to my head because I played a game of football (my toes still hurts, it was two weeks ago) plus they had three dogs who pretty much just wanted to play or be cuddled all day. I'll never understand cat people.

 

We then spent two nights in Montevideo, Uruguay's capital and I saw approximately four streets of the city. Our hotel had been upgraded, there was a rooftop pool and it was 25 Degrees. As if in was going anywhere. But the rest of the group hired bikes and went for a tour around the old town which they all told me was beautiful. So far, everything about South America is beautiful, I'm going to have to find another adjective...

 

Colonia is another small colonial town that mirrored Paraty. The cobbled streets and mixture of Portuguese and Spanish style buildings are an ode to the way it was fought over for years. You don't really need more than one night here, but highlights include walking up the old lighthouse and getting a stunning view of the town and of the world's largest river and ice cream from 'El Cali'.

My style of my tour was 'yolo', which meant it was of basic standards, but more often than not felt like so much more. It included all of my travel and accommodation as well as some of meals. Our CEO (Chief Experience Officer) was a guy who clearly loved his job and the continent and the group were something else. Big thank you to all of them for some of the funniest nights, and more horrendous hangovers I've ever had. Looks like I'll be taking a trip to Melbourne at some point in the near future, since I am now friends with a whole army of Australians.
 

The tour ended in Buenos Aires, where I am now staying for about a week... But that's a story all of it's own.

- xo

Hayley in Wanderlust: Rio de Janeiro

First stop on my South American adventure is the dream destination; Rio de Janeiro. Admittedly, I was a pretty crappy Rio tourist. Having such a vast city as my first stop on this solo tour, it's easy to say I found it more than just a little bit daunting... But I still tried my best.



It wouldn't fit in my backpack

I stayed in Oztel, a hostel in the neighbourhood of Botafogo. It made Lonely Planets top 10 hostels in the world a couple of years ago, and it's easy to see why. Quirky décor, super friendly staff and a chill bar gave the pace a great atmosphere, and made introducing myself to new people easy, something I was unbelievably stressed about! Its bar is also open to the public giving it more than just a hostel vibe. The downside however, is that it means drink prices aren't super backpacker friendly. At RS16 for a caipirinha, I bought cheaper on Copacabana, but ho-hum.




A cloudy but still perfect Copacabana

Speaking of Copacabana- go. To me, all the buildings along the beach front looked fresh out of an 80s music video, which only added to the magical fact that I, Hayley Devlin, was on Copacabana. Be warned though, you will have that episode of friends where Rachel is a bridesmaid and starts singing it at Barry's wedding stuck in your head, but it's Copacabana. You can't go to Rio and not go, even if Ipanema is nicer (and it is).

Food wise, check out Blue Agave off Ipanema, it's a reasonably priced Mexican place that offered a veggie burrito, which surprised me greatly. So far, veggie food has been relatively easy to come by in Brazil. I've always accepted that at some point I'm going to have to stomach it and probably eat chicken, but I'm happy to put it off for a little while longer! A lot of the restaurants offer veggie options, even if they are limited and I spotted tofu being sold in one of the Rio supermarkets... Maybe this will be easier that I though?



Cristo Redentor

Botafogo, where Oztel is located, is a nice neighbourhood where I felt more than comfortable walking around on my own. It's home to plenty of bars to keep you busy at night too. Saloon 77 is a biker bar two doors down from the hostel that played cool music and was open late. Meza, is a bar and restaurant that served Caipirinhas with a twist and the food menu looked amazing, so it's definitely worth a try.

Sightseeing wise, Rio offers some of the best. Christ the Redeemer was one of the biggest reasons I've wanted to visit and it didn't disappoint. I went with a couple I met at the hostel and the views were spectacular, even though it was a partly cloudy day. I also took myself to Sugarloaf, which was just as amazing and gave you totally different views of the city, making both attractions worth the RS62 entry. The only thing I didn't get to do that I was desperate to, was hand gliding. All of the quotes I received for it were at around RS550 (about £118) and when you're on a £250 a week budget, I just couldn't justify it. Busses and taxis in Rio were cheap, making me further despair at the price of transport in London. The busses are weird though, many have two members of staff, a driver and another conductor who sits to the side, takes your money and lets you through a turnstile. Busses in Brazil have turnstiles. Mind = Blown.

Rio lived up to all of my expectations and so much more. The beaches are beautiful, the people are super friendly and I always felt safe, which was probably the biggest shock of all. As with most cities, I get the feeling that in Rio, you generally only get trouble if you go looking for it or leave all of your stuff unattended. I'm so glad I started my journey here.

Until next time...

-xo

The Importance Of Being Blair

Perhaps one of the greatest fictional characters of our generation, Blair Waldorf (from Gossip Girl, just in case you've been under a rock since the dawn of time) is woman who knows what she wants. Yet, her great outfits (not Serena great, but still great) and perfect hair have nothing on the little pearls of wisdom she imparted on us all during the six series that changed life as we know it. They're words to live by from the biggest, baddest bitch around, and if they we're good enough for Blair, they're good enough for me.

'Destiny is for losers. It's just a lame excuse for letting things happen to you instead of making them happen.' - Blair Waldorf

Look me in the eye and tell me that isn't some real talk right there.

So kids, I've pulled a Blair and about a month ago I fobbed off destiny because destiny. Is. For. Losers.

It was a calm Monday morning, the week before I had interviewed for two internships in London and had heard nothing back, having been told I would have heard before the weekend. 'Never mind', I thought to myself, 'I have other plans'. As you all know, I have been saving for my South American adventure since I moved home in June, and thinking that I hadn't got the internship of my dreams, I decided enough was enough. What was supposed to be a follow up planning meeting at the STA Travel in Covent Garden, turned into me spending my savings and booking my flights.

I'm going to south America. On my own. For four months.
Metal? Yes.
Scary? Certainly.
Brave? We'll find out.

Because, and here's the thing, I was always going to find a reason to stay. From a guy, to my dream to career, to my incapability to save money- if I hadn't have just booked it, I'd still be sat here erm-ing and ahh-ing.

London - Rio - Buenos Aires - Santiago - La Paz - Lima - Quito - San José - LA - London.

Naturally, there will be a blog, because I know you'll all be keen to keep up to date on my where abouts and making sure I'm still alive. I'm a weird mixture of excited and petrified but I sort of can't wait to make this dream a reality. I figure you're only 21 and completely free once, wasting this opportunity to travel the world would be criminal. I'm 99.9% sure it'll be the making of me, so long as I can stand the hostels!

Instantly my mind went into money saving mode, planning how I could pick up extra hours and be the best waitress ever (I'm a horrible waitress, it's a good thing I can chat to people if I'm being honest) so I could save every single penny possible. It was gonna be great, I was going to save like a demon and have the most amazing four months ever...

24 hours after booking my flights, I get a phone call to say I'm being offered the position of social media intern for one of the UK's biggest charities. Unpaid.
But how could I say no? TELL ME HOW?!
I said yes. I haven't had a day off in four weeks, I'm constantly exhausted, I rush from the centre of London back to Bucks two nights a week to make it to Friday's for a 7pm start, and I work all day Saturday and Sunday; but I love it.

I'm happy, I'm focused, I'm making my dream come true and I'm investing in my future.

It's living proof that Blair was right. You don't need destiny. You just need to get off your arse and make life happen.

-xo