Author Archives: Jean Nguyen

Buenos Aires: The Overrated City

“I’m worried that 11 days won’t be enough time for Buenos Aires,” I told an Argentinian friend, who lives in Cordoba. Everyone says there are endless activities in Buenos Aires (BsAs). “It’s just a big, ugly city,” he simply responded. … Continue reading

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Bariloche

Bariloche, the “Lake Tahoe” of Argentina, is packed in the summer and winter seasons with internationals and locals. Having the only true ski resort and village in the entire South American continent, Bariloche boasts quite the reputation for its terrain … Continue reading

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Cerro Fitz Roy

El Chalten, the sleepy quaint town 215 km (2.5 hours) north of El Calafate, is home to the awe-inspiring peak of Cerro Fitz Roy, whose famed silhouette helped inspire the logo for the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia.  As we approached … Continue reading

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Glaciers

No trip to Patagonia is complete without a close encounter with at least one of the several glaciers in the southern region of South America. And, like in Punta Arenas (and mostly in Torres del Paine), the weather was in … Continue reading

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Torres del Paine

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’ve never actually backpacked in the woods for multiple days at a time.  Sure, I’ve done a lot of hiking, but I’ve never had to traverse valleys and mountains with sun and rain while … Continue reading

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Punta Arenas

Our main destination for the start of our South American journey was Torres del Paine Nacional Parque, which meant the following itinerary: – A long flight from San Francisco to Santiago, Chile (with a layover) – A 4-hour flight from Santiago (central … Continue reading

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First Class to Santiago

Currently there are no direct flights to Santiago from San Francisco.  Since we were flying via United, our best options were flights with a layover in Houston with Continental Airlines or a layover in Toronto with Air Canada.  We ended up choosing … Continue reading

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Packing and Preparation for South America

From December 28, 2014 to March 11, 2015 (about 2.5 months) we took a “break” back home in San Francisco. As sad as this sounds, the California drought made our winter in Northern California like a fantastic summer vacation. The daily sunny … Continue reading

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Living in a 16′ Trailer for Three Months

Well here you go.  Thanks to www.tripline.net, I was able to create a map of our complete route while touring around the U.S. for 3.5 months. We set out during the late summer of 2014 from Northern California and finished at the end … Continue reading

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Big Basin Redwood State Park

Once we approached Santa Cruz, we were so close to home.  But I didn’t want to go home. Not yet.  I wanted to take Scromp to the giant redwood trees of Big Basin Redwood State Park, up in the Boulder Creek wilderness. … Continue reading

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