Jean Nguyen

  • Argentina

    Buenos Aires: The Overrated City

    April 15, 2015 - By 

    “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. I assumed that as an Argentinian outside of BsAs, he was just resentful toward BsAs the same way many if not most Americans are toward San Francisco. My parents also visited BsAs last year for 2 weeks and despite being avid tango dancers, they seemed to not care for BsAs either.  I took their opinion of BsAs with a grain…

  • Argentina

    Bariloche

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    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 and is slammed during the snowy months. In the summer months, local families and teens flood this city to enjoy the only “nightlife” in Patagonia along with outdoor gems such as hiking, boating, mountain biking, camping, paragliding, and rafting. Boutiques, breweries, chocolate shops, and restaurants are scattered throughout. Backpackers, tourists, and city dwellers can all easily find something in the…

  • Argentina

    Cerro Fitz Roy

    April 1, 2015 - By 

    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 El Chalten in the fleeting sunlight, we were able to witness the spectacular outline from the best seats of our bus: Upon leaving the bus terminal, everyone is welcomed with this sign: Food in both restaurants and markets are expensive because everything is hauled in, and lodging can be equally as expensive as lodging in El Calafate.  We originally booked a…

  • Argentina

    Glaciers

    March 30, 2015 - By 

    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 our favor when we visited the glaciers: blue skies and sunshine. The afternoon after our return from Torres del Paine, we departed Puerto Natales, Chile and headed for El Calafate, Argentina. ARGENTINA!!! WOOO! We didn’t check into our hostel until a quarter before 9pm, but we had planned ahead and notified the hostel staff of our interest in booking transportation…

  • Chile

    Torres del Paine

    March 26, 2015 - By 

    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 carrying all my food and accommodation on my back.   All it took was incredible stories and photos, a different country, and a well-visited and straightforward backpacking route to convince me to jump aboard an approximately 100 km journey by foot.  Getting to Torres del Paine in Patagonian Chile was quite a hassle (a couple of flights, several cities, and numerous…

  • Chile

    Punta Arenas

    March 23, 2015 - By 

    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 Chile) to Punta Arenas (the southernmost town of Chile) – A 3-hour bus ride from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales (the nearest town to the park) – And finally, a 2-hour bus ride from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine Nacional Parque Instead of completely skipping through Punta Arenas and heading directly for Puerto Natales, we spent a brief amount of…

  • Chile

    First Class to Santiago

    March 14, 2015 - By 

    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 Air Canada for a couple reasons: 1. I was able to book flights using 1/2 the normal amount of points (55,000 instead of 110,000 for business first class) on a date that worked for both of us (March 12). 2. Air Canada’s 2-class 777 was decent enough. I know this is going to sound snobby, but I conduct extensive research on aircraft…

  • California

    Packing and Preparation for South America

    March 11, 2015 - By 

    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 70-degree weather allowed me to do what I love most during the short time span I had at home. I got to cycle and run in my favorite place in the world: Spring skydiving with fluffy white play things is another favorite. We enjoyed wine country with our best friend. Spring vineyards and flowers are so beautiful. We got to hang out with the…

  • Uncategorized

    Living in a 16′ Trailer for Three Months

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    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 of the year back home.  The greater part of the first month was spent in California and the national parks of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, where the autumn months are most enjoyable.  In the second month we hurried through the cities of the Midwest, Northeast, and a bit of the South with the goal of escaping the region’s brutal cold.  By the third…

  • California

    Big Basin Redwood State Park

    December 29, 2014 - By 

    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.  There was so much more to California than just the picture-perfect beaches.  Our days of state or national parks and hiking trails were finally drawing to a close and Big Basin Redwood State Park was our last park before finishing up with Christmas at a friend’s in Napa. An early arrival was required in order to reserve a campground and hike a longish…