Month: September 2015

Chillin’ Out in Chile

Instead of a presents under the tree for Christmas this year we’ve decided to give each other  a vacation, the experience of somewhere we haven’t been. South America is calling and we’re headed to Chile to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year. Our days will be spent with sunny hikes, warm beaches, crystal clear skies and plenty of Chilean feasting. (photo source) Our first stop will be Santiago. Traveling abroad over Christmas can be a little tricky. You need to keep in mind that many shops, museums and restaurants will be closed (especially if you’re staying in a predominantly Christian city). As far as food goes, your best bet is to have your hotel make dinner reservations for you in advance since they’ll be aware of the best options that will be open. With businesses closed for the holiday there will certainly be plenty of time for strolling. Santiago looks to be pretty picturesque so I have not doubt we’ll keep ourselves more than busy. We’ll be spending two nights in the Providencia neighborhood of Santiago at Le Reve Boutique Hotel. The neighborhood …

The Wonder of Cape Town and the Winelands

After wrapping up our safari in Botswana I didn’t think there was any chance that our trip could get any better. If you had told me I had to pack up then and there and leave for home early I would have been content (well, actually I’d be quite peeved if I were asked to leave early, but the safari was simply that amazing). The coming days were to be spent exploring Cape Town, diving with Great White Sharks and driving for several days through the western cape wine country. With each new location the experience simply got better and better. Landing in Cape Town after connecting in Johannesburg from Maun we grabbed a taxi to take us to our hotel in Camps Bay. It was definitely a good thing that we didn’t decide to rent a car at that point. Not only was it nighttime with pretty aggressive drivers on the road, there also ended up being a whole slew of construction and road closures which we never would have navigated successfully. Our driver got us to our …