The journey is about to begin..

Only 6 more days until I am finally leaving the US and entering South America. I am SO excited that all my fears have slowly diminished. It might hit me the day that I leave but for now, no worries, just full of excitement! This is definitely the biggest adventure that I will ever experience so far in my life! IT'S FREAKING SOUTH AMERICA and THE AMAZON! I'd like to start off my traveling BIG! And what my friend was told, once you travel in South America, you can travel anywhere! So it looks like we will be expert travelers by the end of February!

We are pretty much ready for the adventure to begin! We are picking different places to stay so we can get a feel of Buenos Aires. Maybe a day or 2 in Mendoza/Andes! And with luck and time we can make it to Patagonia, the Pampas, and maybe even the Falklands! Then we'll get 2 days on the border of Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay. 1 day in Iguazù on the Argentina side and 1 day in Iguassu on the Brazil side. Then we will have 4 days in the Amazon! We picked a good tour that will be full of adventure and excitement and get as much as we can from it in the 4 days that we have. Then we will have a whole day in Manaus to sightsee and take in the city before the remainder of the trip in Rio. We did get the hostel in Rio during Carnival, which we were extremely lucky because we got it right in Copacabana near all of the action during this out of control celebration! We have plenty of time after Carnival is over to spend sightseeing and checking out the food and everything Brazil has to offer.

The ONLY thing I have been freaking out about is the rabies. There is a moderate chance that we can get it in the Amazon and to me, moderate=high! So I went to talk to a doctor about it just to voice some concerns and she said, which I had known already, that the vaccine is in short supply and that we wouldn't be able to get it before we left. I ended up leaving the office with the polio vaccine and meningitits vaccine (she wondered how I got away with not getting that vaccine during the college years!) So that leaves a total of 6 vaccines for this trip/needed to update a routine one as well. I did start the malaria Rx today. One down, 7 more to go. I was expecting it to affect me but I didn't have any side effects or anything. I'm hoping this won't be an issue for the next 7 weeks and throughout my life that the drug is maybe known to produce. I am also relieved because I found 3 different bug sprays (with DEET) that are 3-4 oz so that I can have them in my carry-on backpack. I will definitely be emptying those bottles in Iguazù and the Amazon! Other than that feeling great and I really need to start packing!

On to more good news...I got a job!! I didn't even have to interview for it! Although it is not something I wanted to do, career-wise and location-wise, I am willing to take it to get me back in the workforce with more experience. Especially now with the economy in bad shape, I think experience will be a major factor in the jobs that I am looking for, so I don't mind anything that gives me the opportunity for more experience.

¡Hasta luego!

The Anticipation is Killing Me

3 weeks from tomorrow I will finally be living it up in Argentina, Brazil, and even a few days in Florida! I am so excited, anxious, nervous, scared, ecstatic, etc about this trip! I'm sad we had to cut out Guyana, the Falklands, and even Chile, but that's ok, I'll be there someday. I'm hoping that we will have plenty of time to do all of the things that we want to do while out there. In Argentina, we are hoping to have plenty of time in Buenos Aires and still have time to see Patagonia, Mendoza/Andes, the Pampas, and everything else worth seeing in the little time that we have there. In Brazil, I cannot wait for the AMAZON RAINFOREST!!! If there was one place that I have ALWAYS wanted to go, it was the Amazon! I am so excited that I cannot even express how good I'm feeling about going there! Then we will be flying out to Rio for Carnival and of course Copacabana, Ipanema, the tropical beaches, Corcovado Mountain, the Reedemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and everything else Brazil has to offer us!

Planning has gone smoothly. We are almost done and finally able to start planning on what to bring. We are just looking for a place to stay in Rio during Carnival, which is extremely hard now because everything gets booked up quickly during Carnival. I have also narrowed my choices for which Amazon tour I want to do and should be taking care of that soon. And also looking for the best price for airpasses to get us going from Buenos Aires to Manaus to Rio. This is starting to become a little challenging because the prices are coming up a little expensive, but I won't give up until I find the best and cheapest way to get to all three locations. If anyone has ANY advice, it would be gladly appreciated!

Other than all that, everything is going smoothly. I should be picking up my visa/passport at the end of next week so I am relieved about that. I'm still a little frustrated about Kaiser and having to get my vaccines for the trip. I got the Hepatitis A vaccine and Tetonis shot (which by the way my arm is still really sore!) yesterday. Now just have to worry about the yellow fever vaccine and might also be stuck getting the typhoid vaccine too. I did get the malaria Rx yesterday so I'm covered with that as well. Scared to have to start taking it soon! The only thing now is that I have to wait to make an appointment for a consult with an Infectious Disease doctor so I can get my travel vaccinations and then I have to make another appointment to get my remainder vaccines. This process is a little frustrating because I really want everything to be taken care of by this week so I can stop worrying about my trip and relax before I go and have a FABULOUS time out there! I guess that's what I get for being the queen of procrastination (both a good and bad thing!).

But I think in the end, this trip will be so amazing and I will come back with a new appreciation for life! And the feelings that I want to travel even more! I have already been talking to my mom about going to Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean near Greece! I looked it up and it looks beautiful so I may be doing that this summer. I think I also want to plan a trip to Australia and New Zealand sometime in the winter of 2009/2010. And also maybe even thinking about going to France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey on a cruise with a friend sometime in the summer of 2010! Anyways getting to ahead of myself, but I just can't help it! Stay tuned for my upcoming Argentina, Brazil, and Amazon blogs!

Fun and safe travels to everyone!

OUT with the OLD and IN with the NEW

2009 is coming around and I have decided that this is the time for change. My new years resolution (which I really hope I can stick to) is out with the old and in with the new. I'm one who both likes and does not like change. I like the same things and things that are just the way they are. When I'm at sushi, I ALWAYS order salmon first. When I can't decide on what to order at the Cheesecake Factory, I just decide to get the usual Mediterranean Salmon (which by the way is superb!). And if it comes down to two in a restaurant, a usual dish and a new dish, I usually end up with the usual dish. It's not like I am afraid to try something new because I'm not, but I'm actually not sure why I do the things that I do. I'm one for adventure, hence my HUGE backpacking trip in South America in the new year! Definitely looking forward to try new things, the food, the culture, and the experience. I'm one for being active and being one with the wilderness and all that. Why am I the way I am? Why are most people like this? We all say we like change but when it comes down to it, some can actually do it and others can't.

I want to try new things. When I am at that new restaurant (I'm thinking Moroccan because I want to try something new and interesting), I want to order something that I have never tried before. When I go to sushi, I want to order eel first or even order a roll before I think about salmon. And this out with the old and in with the new does not just apply to only food, but it also applies to life in general, like traveling, sports, adventure, friends, jobs, and new people too.

I've graduated from college. It's my time to do things on my own; I have for most of my life, but this time it's different because I could be on my own now, any day, month, or year. I need to be more outgoing, get that dream job, take the next flight out to a different country, learn that new language (which I am in the process of doing now), take that chance, and experience everything that life has to offer. I have seen that movie "Bucket List" and how we should all write down what we want to accomplish in our life before we leave. But why make that list later on in life? Why not make that list now? We put things off because we think we can do it later, but what if we can't? Why not try something new? Can it help us or does it only hurt? I'm going to leave pondering that question and hopefully you will too.

Why do we do the things that we do?

Writer's Block..Letting it all flow.

Ok so I've been having a writer's block moment for a month now and still don't know what to write about so I'm just going to let it flow. I'm about to take my last final of the semester and will finally be a college graduate! I am so excited about that! I have been waiting for this day to come ever since I started going to college back in 2002. Wow how time does fly! I'm starting to get that nervous feeling that most people get when it is now time to look for a job in the real world. I think this makes me even more nervous now because of the economy. I just want to make something in the kitchen now and forget about what I am feeling for the moment! I also have to try and figure out where I want to live. Not sure where but I do plan on setting a couple days aside to figure this out and the job situation.

Next week I finally get to sit down with my lovely friend Nicole and start planning our South America amazing race! As the days come closer to when we want to leave, that is also starting to scare me too! Don't get me wrong, I am REALLY excited to do this. I have been waiting for a trip like this for a long time now. I think the anticipation is getting to me now. Adventurous is my middle name but I can also get pretty nervous easily, especially since this will be my first big travel adventure.

¡Quero viajar ao redor do mundo!

Almost crossing the finish line...

My life is a whirlwind...too fast paced! I will finally graduate in December..YA! But now the pressure is on to find a job, a new place to live, and save up money for my 2009-early 2010 travels..which I am still excited about. Besides my 4 country travels in South America plus Falkland Island in late Jan 2009-February, I have also made plans with a friend to go out to Greece and Australia (my dream!) in mid to late 2009! I'm also looking forward to an Alaska trip in early 2010! My life for the next 2 years will be filled of finally having some dreams of mine come true! I'm going from traveling to just Catalina Island and throughout other states in the US to traveling to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guyana, Falkland Island, Greece, Australia, and Alaska in the next 2 years! I believe this is definitely well deserved. So definitely looking forward to working 50 hours a week to pay for all of this!

Besides all of this, school is starting to become to overwhelming for me. It's too the point that my weekends are pretty much the same. School during the week. One day to relax. The rest of the weekend to type up the usual 3-6 papers a week. :o( Sometimes it goes by fast and sometimes I feel like I'm wasting away in my last semester of school when I should be enjoying it. I guess it also doesn't help that I can't concentrate on anything anymore because all I can think of right now are my dream travels and moving out and living a new life!

In food news, I tried the 4 cheese gnocchi at Spumoni in Stevenson Ranch and it was fabulous! Haven't tried this dish before and wow I wasted years by missing out on this! I also just discovered the Pampas Cafe in Northridge so I'm interested in trying that out, just to get a better feel of Argentine cuisine.

I'm also really excited about my 5k racing times this year! I feel like I am running 3x better than when I was at my best. The times have definitely improved and I feel that I am pretty much ready to race in my first 10k in mid-December. Nervous about it but excited to upgrade and try something new.


Do one thing a day that scares you.

It's a start..

My first blog...HELLO to all who will be reading (if any!).

Anyways, this blog is for me to just open up about my thoughts on love, life, my travels (have really only been to Catalina Island in recent years, but will soon expand my horizons to different places), and FOOD...the good, the bad, and what you should and should NOT try (the only thing on my mind at the moment is sea urchin...do NOT try it! Did not like it much but try escargot. It is definitely worth trying!)

I'm also looking forward to my VERY FIRST backpacking experience throughout South America in early 2009!! Over a month of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guyana, and Falkland Island! I am SO excited about this experience and really cannot focus on anything else! I can't wait for the Andes Mountains, Falkland Island, the tango in Argentina, Buenos Aires, yerba mate, Copacabana beach, Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, the samba in Brazil, the AMAZON RAINFOREST (my dream!!), Iguazu Falls, Georgetown, the people, the FOOD, the nightlife, the appreciation, and just experiencing new things that I will NEVER see in CA or the United States, for that matter. ADVENTUROUS is my middle name! :o)

¡Vive una vida por completo de la aventura!