Archive for the ‘Cribs & Hood’ Category

**Watch in HD** On day 1 of volunteering at Paseo Los Monos Monkey Rescue Center in Puyo, Ecuador my camera was confiscated by Sambo, the alpha woolly monkey. He told me I could have it back at the end of the week, but not before he put together this short video explaining his life at “the Monkey Ranch”. If you notice any shaky footage you need to understand that monkeys don’t use tripods. Read all about my experience at Paseo Los Monos Monkey Rescue Center. Special thanks to all animals and volunteers who made this week one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Also, thanks to Nick Greco for translating Sambo’s dialog. Having trouble loading the video? Try watching it on the T2T Youtube Channel

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While I’m happy to be home visiting friends and family for a few months, putting together this little piece really made me miss life back in Medellin. The music, food, language, culture and women… I fell in love with Colombia in the 5 short months of living in Medellin and I can’t wait to get back soon. I shot all the clips for this Medellin time-lapse video the day before returning to the States. I sat for 25 minutes at 20 different locations around Medellin and Envigado. I wish I had more footage of the housing and neighborhoods but for safety measures, I decided against. I actually ventured across town and up to one of the hoods of Medellin that afternoon to film, but with some advice from a local friend, I never took the camera out of my bag. Next time. As you can see at the very end …

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Here’s a quick tour of my apartment in the Envigado neighborhood of Medellin, Colombia. I live with a Colombian woman named Elsie, her two boys David (20) and Camillo (20) and as of last week, a Canadian girl named Rachel (who’s doing the filming). As you notice in the video, I can’t stop laughing because in true Latin fashion, Elsie and her friend are directing me from behind the camera on what I should and shouldn’t film. When I told her I was going to shoot this video she got so flustered she ran into the kitchen and began moping the entire house. So please, after you watch the video make sure to leave a comment about how clean the house looks (in Spanish) to put Elsie at peace. Missed the last one? Check out T2T Cribs: My Apartment in Buenos Aires

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One of the greatest aspects of living in Colombia (Medellin, Colombia in particular) is the breathtaking countryside and traditional pueblos that lay just beyond the city’s reach. On any given day, you can jump on a bus and trade the hustle and bustle of downtown Medellin for the tranquility of rural landscapes and traditional villages, tucked away within the incredible lush green mountains that confine the city. Last Saturday night I was at the Nacional vs Cali football match in central Medellin and struck up a conversation with a Colombian girl named Jennifer, who was back visiting her hometown from Toronto, Canada. She told me that she was heading to Cisneros in Northeastern Antioquia (province) on Monday to visit family and asked if I wanted to join her. Based on my infatuation with Colombian pueblos and inability to say “no”, I quickly accepted her offer before she could think twice. …

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Waiting for my connecting flight at the airport in Santiago, Chile, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down alone and reflect on this amazing adventure. I think about how hard the last few weeks have been. I think about the life-long relationships I’ve made and the memories that I’ll take with me forever. I think about the sleepless last few nights and the surreal cab ride to the airport. Although it was painful, the goodbye came with a great feeling of accomplishment. I think If saying goodbye was easy it meant nobody truly cared. Maybe that’s the advantage of backpacking. You can travel to a lot of places in a short period of time and never get too close for it to really hurt when you leave. For me however, this trip was more about just seeing monuments, taking pictures and trying the food. “The Tourist 2 …

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The first goal once I arrived in Buenos Aires was to find an apartment. While I looked relentlessly on craigslist from my hostel the first 2 mornings, my friend Carolina helped me look for places at PisoCompartido.com.  Once I found a few places that fit my criteria, she helped me call. When people started talking to fast in Spanish I would hand the phone off to her like she was my manager at a call center. I ended up looking at 4 places and corresponding with at least a dozen others. After two straight days of hunting I decided on an apartment in Recoleta with two awesome Columbians named Sergio and Mariangela (cousins). Sergio, 26, works in Real Estate, studied advertising at the University of Palermo and loves futbol (favorite team in Buenos Aires is Velez). Mariangela, 25, studies visual arts at the University of Cine and loves Bikram yoga. I hope to go to the matches with …

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First Impressions of Buenos Aires, Argentina: I am staying in an area without a lot of tourists. I ate alone the first two days/nights because I don’t know anyone. However, I haven’t allowed myself to step into an English speaking bar, restaurant or shop yet. I am struggling to communicate with everyone. I tried to order Mate at a restaurant the other night and I’ve learned, you just don’t do that. It’s like going to a restaurant in the US and asking for a cigarette as an appetizer. No pain no gain I guess. I consider Buenos Aires to be a Silver Fox. Rugged and aged with a lot of great stories to tell but still energetic and good looking. The entire city, from what i’ve seen, looks like a scrapbook. Buildings, sidewalks and even monuments have graffiti on them. Some is just simple text and others have amazing works …

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I decided to book a hostel in Buenos Aires for the first few days in Buenos Aires so I can search for apartments, meet potential roommates and jump on the beds before I move in. I put together a Buenos Aires hostel checklist and read a bunch of reviews from hostels in Buenos Aires from other travelers to help me find the right place to kick off my adventure in Argentina. My Buenos Aires Hostel Checklist: Hostel Location – Close to sites, transportation and action (go to google maps and get close to the area you want and search ‘hostel’ and see what pops up). I looked at major landmarks that I wanted to be near like the Recoleta Cemetary, Parques de Palermo and the city’s subte (subway) system. Hostel Room Rate – I’m going to book a private room because of all the technology gear I brought so I’m …

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