STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Sunshinegirl · Kate Spade

South America

halleybird · Hermes

pm emery. She spent a month in argentina last year. Have fun!

emery · BCBG

OMG! You have to go to Argentina! It was so amazing. I spent about a month and a half there. I went to Buenos Aires, and was there for 3 weeks, and I still hadnt seen everything I wanted to. There are so many different areas that all have their own vibe to them. Then I went to Calafate which is 2 hrs from the south pole, I went to Iguzazu Falls which is on the Argentina/Brazil border, and just all up and down the country (Mendoza, Bariloche). The exchange rate when I went was 3 pesos/ 1 dollar, so I was really able to live it up. All I needed to travel there was a passport, but I know with Brazil and Chile you do need a visa. I loved the European feel of Buenos Aires, although, the people are a bit stuck up in the city (it reminded me of new yorkers, I think everyone is just busy). Anyways, it was an amazing trip for me, and I think you would enjoy it too! Let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to answer them!

Sunshinegirl · Kate Spade

emery,

Thanks and yes I will be emailing you often in the near future. How easy is it traveling from one country to the next in South America? Did you drive or fly to your different destinations.

Yes, Buenos Aires is first on my list of places to go. I'm not sure when we are going but do you have any recommendations as to when we should go? I know that SA's seasons are the reverse of ours so it would be winter during our summertime which could be great if i want to ski. But i think i would prefer warmer weather to have some adventures in the rain forest.

I was looking at this place in ecuador: www.ecuadorcloudforest.com
It looks so cool.

So many places to go! And yes, i want to go to Patagonia too.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

I was in South America for 2.5 months this year. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. It's an amazing place.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

Just wanted to add I did a lot of traveling between the various countries, and have a lot of info about how to go about it. Including how to get around the visa in Chile.

emery · BCBG

Iguazu Falls is a rainforest in Argentina, so it was tropical. The waterfall make Niagra Falls look like a joke. It was beautiful there. I flew from place to place, it was affordable compared to flying within the US. And for snow, you could go to Bariloche which is in the Andes. It was a cute little swiss feeling ski town in Argentina (yes, I said Swiss), and best of all---- they make amazing chocolate there. I didn't explore all of South America, but I do know Argentina pretty well. I wish I would have seen more, but having such an extended period of time in 1 country really made me feel like I understood the country and that was an experience I am not sure many people have during a "normal" vacation. Anyways, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions while planning your trip.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

I did both flying and traveling by bus. I was a bit wary of the long bus rides at first, but especially in Chile and Argentina I would almost recommend them over planes. You can take buses that have fully extendable seats so you can actually lie down and sleep, with little curtains around your area. In Argentina they also showed movies and fed us on the buses. If you take an overnight bus you're not losing any precious sightseeing time, and you're also saving money on the hotel. Plus you can get to places not as easily accesible by plane. My friend and I took the bus between Cusco and Puno, then Puno down to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. We also took the bus between Mendoza and Buenos Aires, and took the bus from Iguazu on the Argentinean side up to Florianopolis, Brazil. From there we took the bus to Rio de Janeiro. Buses felt really safe, and I'm really glad we decided not to fly everywhere.

That being said, I would recommend taking the plane for the REALLY long distances, such as Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, or San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago in Chile. Those are 30+ hour bus rides. If you're going to fly to a lot of places (3 or more) I would suggest doing the LAN airpass. It means you have to fly LAN roundtrip from the US, but my friend and I loved LAN. It was one of the nicest airlines I've flown on. And the airpass made the flights very affordable.

Let me know if you have any questions!

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

Wow, the exchange rate there right now is so awesome!