Hayley in Wanderlust: Córdoba and Mendoza

I (sadly, and with the mother of all hangovers) left Buenos Aires and headed west to a city called Còrdoba. 

 

It seemed like a logical stop on my way to Mendoza, before heading into Chile, and I'd heard that it was a large student town with lots going on. I figured two nights and three days would be enough time to check the place out.

 

Còrdoba is a really beautiful city, and so obvious it's densely student populated the second you get into the centre. I stayed in a small but friendly hostel, called 'Che Selguaro', which was close to bus station and served pancakes for breakfast. Something I am rapidly learning about backpacking is that the breakfast a hostel serves is of HUGE importance... It's food that you (usually) don't have to pay for! I spent my first day wandering around the city centre, exploring it's main plaza, plethora of shops and beautiful churches.  I get the feeling I will be doing a lot of church and cathedral visits whilst in South America. They're just so detailed and pretty, and I like that each one is different. The following day, I wandered along the canal and generally pottered about. Truth be told, there isn't a lot to do actually within Còrdoba and the excursions were really pricey. If I could have (you gotta be 25) I would have hired a car and driven out to the mountains. There was a group staying at the hostel who did exactly that and they said it was 100% worth it. 

Being a student town, bars and nightclubs are plenty in Còrdoba, so on my last night there a few of us went out to explore the nightlife. In true Argentine style, the clubs were dead at 2am, and filling up nicely by 3. A lot of them offer deals on drinks and entry. We didn't have to pay to get in, and our group got two free beers. The club had a band playing live, which was a lot of fun and broke up the amount of Reggaton being played. 

I woke up the next morning, hungover, having to check out and waiting around for my night bus to Mendoza...

 

 

 

It'll come as no shock that I went to Mendoza. It was pretty much the only place in Aregntina I was determined to visit. Wine makes up approximately 87% of my bloodstream, and it was important I visit one of the world's most important wine regions. 

I stayed at the 'Hostel Lagares', which is beautiful, clean and super well run. It was, however a little bit quiet. A lot of hostels in Mendoza offer free wine hours, and sadly this one didn't, but it was still a very comfortable three nights sleep and money well spent.

I arrived on Saturday at midday, so spent my afternoon exploring the city. Mendoza is home to MASSIVE park, called 'Parque San Martin' which houses a theatre, a zoo, a university campus, a lake, a sports village and a football stadium as well as a golf course. I walked around the place for FOUR hours and still didn't make it to the amphitheater. Oops.

 

On Sunday's, all the wineries are shut, which I didn't realise so I extended my stay for one more night, and had what I can only describe as my ideal Monday instead. I caught the bus from Mendoza to Maipu (AP$22, £1.70 return) and bumped into two of the boys I'd shared a room with in Còrdoba. I'd been ready to spend a Monday drinking wine in my own (I don't have a problem, I swear), so was happy to have people to do the wine tours with. We hired bikes from 'Mr Hugo's' and set off. There are loads of bike hire places around the main road, go in and talk to a couple to see who will give you the most for your money. We visited 'La Bodega Rural' for our first glass, the place had wine barrels you could swim in (SO much better than an actual swimming pool) and the Malbec was delicious. We went to a beer garden for lunch, and then the boys went off to do a tour of a winery whilst I decided to cycle around in the sun and visit a wine bar instead. 

I can't believe I'm already done with being in Argentina and heading into Chile. I've fallen a little bit in love with the place, especially since the air in Mendoza smells of wine, and what isn't there to love about that?

-xo

Hayley in Wanderlust: Buenos Aires

 

They say that when it comes to love, you'll know when you know. If that's the case then I've found 'The One', because Buenos Aires is quite possibly, the city of my dreams.

 

The first few days spent in the city we're the final few days with my darling G lovelies, so on our first night it seemed only fair that we introduced yourselves to the city with a bang. No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without taking in a Tango show. Essentially, Tango is the It Girl of dance. Sultry, sexy and utterly flawless. We paid AR$600 (around £50) for our evening at 'Complejo Tango.' The evening included unlimited wine, a three course meal, a tango lesson, a tango show, unlimited wine and a hotel transfer to and from (did I mention the unlimited wine?) Easily the best money I spent in Buenos Aires, the food was gorgeous (my veggie option actually had a few of the meat eaters wishing they'd chosen it over steak), the tango class was hilarious (I have the rhythmical ability of frog being electrocuted), the show was mesmerising and to top it all off, we practically fell out of the venue and into that evenings bar. Best. Night. Ever.

The next day a walking tour was a struggle, despite the fact that I had a beer to help me push through, and made me grateful I had more time to walk around again and take it all in.
 

Following the groups departure, one of the other 'BA stragglers' and I headed to our new hostel, and spent the next few days exploring.

I think one of the things I love about it here is the way the people fully embrace that their history has not always been a pleasant one, but show unflinching pride in their struggle. Monuments like 'El Obelisco' and the fact that the biggest road in the city is named after their day of independence show that.

 

Buenos Aires is made up of many different neighbourhoods, and each one has it's own characteristics to fall in love with. The brightly coloured streets of La Boca tell a totally different story to the luxurious streets of La Recoleta and Palermo. We were told not stray from the three main streets when in La Boca, so we didn't, but the place never seemed unsafe. Obviously the colourfulness of the place won me over, and surrounded by Tango once again, I swore my new life's ambition is to remain in BA and become a professional Dancer. I'll send you all a post card once I've made it.
It's also worth taking a walk to Plaza de Mayo and seeing Casa Rosada and the balcony from which Evita gave her famous speech. You will have 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' stuck in your head for the rest of your stay. 

You're welcome.

 

Truly though, this is a city that lives for the night. Nobody eats dinner until at least 9:30pm, bars don't get going until close to midnight and nightclubs are empty until 3am, when everyone starts the party. Don't expect to get in early but do expect to be hangover the next day.

Following our first hostel, we moved to the better known 'Milhouse' hostel. There's actually two of them, and it's easy to see why they have a notorious party reputation across South America. Both hostels have licenced bars and take it in turns hosting that night a party before moving on to the club of choice. Drink promotions means you probably won't remember a whole lot the next day, and with two vodka & speed's (no, not the narcotic, but the Argentinian version of Redbull) for AR$70 (about £5.30) you won't sleep either.

 

Separately, we caught up with a few of the other girls from the G tour who were still in BA and went for drinks in Palermo's Plaza Serrano, yet another part of town that pretty much never sleeps and sort of reminded me of Camden because everything just spilled out on to the pavements. The waitress in the bar recommended we go to a club called Mika, which was within walking distance. Entrance was AR$80 (about £7) and included a free drink. The place was massive and had two dance floors, one room that played Reggaton (my Spanish singing is coming along wonderfully) and another that played a lot of European and American dance music, meaning I was able to sing along in my own language too. Clearly, being able to sing along to the music in a nightclub is of paramount importance to me. 

 

Honestly, I was a little bit heart broken to leave Buenos Aires. The last time I was this sad leaving somewhere, I was moving home from Manchester. I could stay and (attempt to) find myself a little job and head straight to Ecuador in June, the show must go on. Time to throw all my crap back in my back into my backpack (which, btw, I am now bored of. I miss luggage with wheels) and head west to the wine country and then into Chile.

 

-xo  

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

Hayley in Wanderlust: The Prologue

Approximately six months ago I booked a trip I have been dreaming of my entire life. It was spur of the moment (sort of), I'd been saving since I graduated and moved home in July and was bored of my life. Ideally I would have waited until I had a little more money saved - I only went in to start building a plan -  but it's funny what desperation and an overwhelming need to shake up your life will do to you. The travel agent probably thought all her Christmases had come at once. I practically emptied my savings account onto her desk.
Oops.

Checked in an almost ready to go.

Fast forward to now and I can't quite believe that I leave tomorrow. It's actually happening... I'm going to South America. I can't explain it in a way that doesn't make me sound like a pretentious princess, but I was born to make this trip. Some people get vocational callings in life. They know from the word go that they're supposed to teach/fight on the front line/cure the sick/help those in need. I don't have one of those. I have no idea what I am supposed to do when I finally join the adult world... All I know is that I won't settle for anything less than being the best. The question is, the best in what?

But South America and travelling and seeing the world? This is my calling. For as long as I can remember, for reasons I still don't know, I have felt this deep rooted need to travel to a continent I have zero connection to. It's a part of who I am. It's in my bones and blood and DNA. It's why I get out of bed in the morning and it's the only thing I have never been willing to compromise or sacrifice. It's the only thing I'd ever have given up my life in Manchester. I was inches from my dream job, but this dream wins every single time. No matter where I've been in life or who I've been with - it's the only part of me that's never changed.

This time tomorrow, I'll be on my way to Rio (so long as, you know, my flight isn't delayed or anything). I've never been so terrified, like, pant wettingly scared. The only thing more terrifying than getting on that plane tomorrow would be if a tarantula appeared over my laptop and started crawling down the screen towards me. I have considered, on multiple occasions over the past few weeks, cancelling the entire thing and have begun to hyperventilate anytime anyone asked when I was leaving. I never could though, not go, I mean. If I backed out now I'd loose the friends I've done nothing but bore with details of my trip since I booked it in October.

It's almost time for my biggest adventure yet; I hope you'll all join me.

My name is Hayley Devlin and I am going to travel the world until there is nothing left to see.

- xo

Oh, Tits!

In a plot twist we never saw coming, today boobs actually are news. After a short holiday, Page 3 has retuned to it's usual spot on erm, Page 3 and tits for breakfast are back on the menu.

Up and down the country people celebrate the fact that The Sun has taken this galiant and defiant step to defend a great British institution (I've honestly never understood that, tea and crumpets are a British insitution, soft porn in a family newspaper? Far less so). I can practically hear them dancing around jabbing their pins into voodoo dolls in No More Page 3 t-shirts. This is, surely, a victory against the jealous prudes who were offended by boobs and wanted to banish all glamour models... Right? 

I mean, yes. The Sun has got what in wanted. Print journalism is dying, so if you'd had everybody talking about you for days you'd cash in on it too. The Sun have never exactly gone about making their money through good, well balanced journalism so we can't expect them to start now. Old habits do die hard, after all.

It's just that, this doesn't feel like a loss. It feels like a speed bump. For the first time in a long, long time people were focused on how women are presented in the media. Whilst some debated whether Page 3 was the place to start, one thing that did become clear was that people were uncomfortable with the way things are right now. Magazines like Heat & Now make their money from body-shaming, magazines like Vogue make their money by filling their pages with models who's weights are achievable. Victoria's Secret make their money by flaunting the exclusive beauty and bodies of their models and The Sun makes it's money by sexualising women. In the meantime, the male body only appears to be flaunted whenever David Beckham strips into his H&M undies or David Gandy has dipped into the blue Sicilian waters for his latest campaign. The male body is flaunted no where near as often as the female body - it's just normal for a woman to have all these different publications tell her how she should look and what her worth is.

It's funny, I'm writing this whilst on my lunch break at work, where I have spent the morning combing through our twitter feed (I'm social media intern, not a mega skiver). Last night the Department of Health announced that it would take Standardised Cigarette Packaging (where all cigarette packs would have the same colours and font, in a way to remove attractive packaging the way they have in Australia) to a vote before the next general election. Some people are NOT happy that health freaks are our to ruin free speech...

I'm starting to think there's no pleasing some people. If we're going to argue over how powerful cigarette branding is, then we're OBVIOUSLY going to argue over whether or not Page 3 is a bad thing.

The Sun had the opportunity to be seen as progressive for the first time in it's circulation. Whether they'd been planning to bring the page to an end or not, they could have never printed tits again and people would have been none the wiser about if it was their plan. Instead it is still acting like a small boy on the playground playing a game of 'show me yours and I'll show you mine' because 'We had a mammary lapse' - really?!?

I've seen more wit come out of a three year old. 

So, I was wrong. We did not win the battle and that's ok...

Winning the war has always been more satisfying anyway.

-xo

We May Have Won The Battle, But The War Rages On

Today, #Meninists everywhere are in mourning. No, not for their sanity, dignity or humanity but for Page 3 (or so I imagine). It seems as though media Mogul and long term fan of breasts, Rupert Murdoch, has decided to rather quietly pull the feature from The Sun, it only took him 46 years. Well done, Rups! 

The reasons are unclear and a spokesperson from The Sun is yet to comment, but their sister paper, The Times, has respoerted that it's over - and I'm pretty sure that's as close to an answer as were ever going to get. 

 

There's no denying that the No More Page 3 Campaign had something to do with it. Murdoch may have been tweeting that he thought it was old fashioned, but the campaign was a platform. It was a spring board for those, up and down the country, from all walks of life, to come forward and share their stories. I don't think anyone expected the impact Page 3 could have. Women and men came out in their hundreds of thousands to sign the petition. Hundreds of thousands. If you think that this was work of some group of 'fucking feminists' then you, my friend, are wrong. This is a battle that has been won by everyone. 

As for those wonderful people at NMP3 HQ - thank you. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Thank you for your loyalty to the cause. Thank you for waking up every morning and still believing in this. Whilst 3rd Year and being a graduate took over my life and my involvement sadly became less and less, that awe-inspiring group haven't rested. They developed and they've grown. They've adapted their stance. They created a movement. 

I'm not sure what happens next. The media is still horrible at portraying women properly. You've only got to glance at a magazine wrack to figure that out. Chances are, they'll just show celebs in their bikinis or in their latest underwear collections. It'll be called progress (and in so many ways it is) but women's bodies will still be the only thing of inportance. Young girls will still grow up being catcalled, my friends and the millions like us will still walk into bars all over the world and have their arses pinched by those who wrongly believe it's theirs for taking. Our mothers will still worry if we walk home alone at night. But it's a start. 10 years from now, no one will think it's normal to have half naked ladies in the paper, no one will be sitting awkwardly on the Tube with boobs in their face. It's a tiny drop in a massive ocean, but drops create ripples, and some ripples are infinite. 

This has, in no way, eradicated sexism. It in no way means that the stigmas around sexual violence that affects both it's male and female survivors have disappeared or that we've solved the global pay gap. 

It's 2015. You can catch a commercial flight to space and for now it seems, there is No More Page 3.