Sunday, October 4, 2015

Megan V.

   Last month I enjoyed a trip to Peru! It was great when I hiked the Inca Trail. I also enjoyed my time at the Inta Raymi. The Inta Raymi is a festival that had over 100 festivities! Another thing I enjoyed was the Islas Uros, which is a place with floating islands. Everything was just breath-taking there in Peru!
    The Inca Trail was a long hike but it was worth it! It took 4 days to hike the whole thing. Luckily I had a lot of water and food in my backpack I brought. Next time, if I go again, I'll put less in my bag. The first day hiking the Inca Trail was really fun! I did fall a few times, however, and I had some bruises the next 3 days, which was not fun. Anyway, I guess this hike is pretty popular in Peru because there were 499 other people there! They only let 500 people go at a time because if they had more, there would need to be more space. It was crowded and I couldn't really see what was ahead of me. Other than all of that, I enjoyed it! The next few days were pretty much the same as the first. I was so tired after that!
    After a days rest from the hike, I went to the Inta Raymi Festival of the Sun! Apparently, in the 1500s, when it was first introduced, people fasted for days before the festival. Anyway, today it is the second largest festival in South America! It was fun to see and it was a great experience! I'm glad I took this opportunity when I could! I saw the street fair, which included a sculpture of the Sun God, the reason for the Inta Raymi Festival of the Sun! I also saw the daytime exposition, and people dancing to music around the "Sun God". The day I went was June 24, which is the actual day of Inta Raymi.
    I spent my last day in Peru at the Islas Uros. The Islas Uros had floating islands that created itself. These floating islands were surprisingly not manmade. These islands were actually grew in the shallows of the lake right by these floating islands. It was so interesting to see. It was a fun trip and I want to go again!
http://theplanetd.com/images/peru-machu-picchu-llama.jpg
Today, I am going to tell you when I went to Chile. It was very exciting. I got to do a lot of amazing things. But the first thing I did was hiking. I was with my family and we were hiking one of the biggest mountains in Chile. I remember walking up the trail and looking at all the beautiful scenery. I remember walking by the beautiful trees and hearing the pretty birds singing. It was a very good experience.


After we were done hiking we decided we wanted to go to the beach. I personally LOVE the beach so I had a blast. As we arrived to the beach we all ran out of the car and ran through the sand looking for sea shells. We found a bunch. After sea shell hunting we ate lunch. We packed a picnic so we laid out our blanket and as we are eating this bird comes and starts to peck at my food. I got angry. Eventually the bird starts winning and gets my food. That was the end of lunch. After lunch I asked my dad if we could rent surfboards and go surfing. My dad loves surfing so of coarse he said yes. It was awesome. I am in the water with my board and my dad next to me and I see this wave right behind me and I start paddling as fast as I could. Then I catch the wave and see my family cheering me on. Then I am paddling back towards my dad and see a dolphin pop out of the water. It was really cool. I have never seen a dolphin before. I get out of the water and return my board back the place I got it from. Then it was time to go home.


At night we were just hanging around and we wanted to do something fun, so my mom suggested a hot springs. We were all like why not and go to this hot springs. As we arrived I see my dad jump right into the water I was nervous because I have never been to a hot springs before and didn't know what it was like. All I knew was that it was meant for relaxing in. So my mom hops in and then we finally get used to it. We were there for a while, and I have to say it was really nice after a long day. That was the end to my great adventure.
Image result for chile beaches

Sabrina Q

My Time In Argentina


  This summer I went to Argentina, South America. While we were there we stayed at a Hotel it was one of the prettiest hotels I have been to. The hotel had a spa, a swimming pool and it had an indoor basketball court. In the mornings we would either go down stairs to eat omelets or pancakes some juice or we could go across the street and get some empanadas.

  My favorite day was when we went to this really nice restaurant. I sat down right next to my brother and sister. the food was so good I wish I could have that for ever. It was really close to my birthday so I got a float I picked the Fanta float it was way better than the root beer float. when we got back to the hotel my mom hid a tiramisu and a cheesecake inside the mini fridge I was the happiest camper ever. 



    Nuestro ultimo dia que esavamos a y yo fui a nadar en el hotel cuando yo fue a la piesa yo vi mi familia con todas las equipages. fuemos em el avion y fuimos a la casa. Cuando llegamos a casa nos deshacer todo y nos fuimos directamente a la cama.
That was my amazing trip
                                                                       Sabrina Quiros




Mike M

         My vacation in Argentina


   Hi my name is mike. I wanted to tell everyone about my trip to Argentina. Me and my family had a great time. we saw the great Iguazu Falls, one of many wonders of the world. The guys in Argentina wear t-shirts and jeans or dress pants and dress shirts while the girls tend to wear ladylike clothing. 

   In Argentina the have a delicious spread called Dulce de leche which is used on bread, toast, pancakes, and even Ice Cream. Alot has changed since Argentina was first founded cause Italian, Spanish, and European migration. music and art has a lot to do with the recreation of Argentina. although Africa has also helped it has mostly benefited from Italy, Europe, and Spain.

   Argentina has been a great experience for me. i met new people and made new friends. i helped those who needed it and learned a lot about Argentina culture. i had lots of fun and would gladly go again.      



Makya L.

My Adventure


This week I went to Chile. I saw many things and learned a lot. My first adventure was amazing. I went hiking. While I was walking up this huge mountain I noticed all the beautiful scenery and the noises the pretty little birds were making. It was amazing.
My next adventure was the beach. I LOVE the beach. My whole family does, but me and my dad especially love surfing. So as we are at the beach and now eating lunch this bird came by and started pecking at my sandwich. I got really angry. Eventually the bird won and was flying off with my sandwich. After that dramatic lunch I saw a little shop that let you rent surfboards. I yelled at my dad and told him we need to surf in Chile. He gave in and we went surfing. I got this really pretty surfboard that was purple and my dad got a green one. As we are running to go hit the water I see a dolphin jump out of the water. That made me even more pumped to get into the water. After about an hour of amazing waves we decided to go on our new adventure.
When we got back to the hotel we got a little snack and to finish the day off my mom really wanted to go to a hot spring. We looked it up and found one really close. We were all excited to go to this hot springs. As we arrived we look at the water and my sister was about to jump in and my dad said, "Wait! You have to make sure the water isn't to hot." It wasn't and we had a relaxing time. That was my adventure and a guide for you of things you can do in Chile.


http://www.aboutchile.com/beaches-in-northern-chile/totoralillo-beach/


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Jack G

     I just got back from an excellent trip to Ecuador. It was beautiful and breathtaking. I first visited Quito, Ecuador. In Quito, I visited my cousins who recently moved there. Quito is a very large city and is full of markets and people. It is located in the center of Ecuador because it is the capital. There are a lot of attractions and activities to do. One of them is a Cotopaxi Tour from Quito which I had a lot of fun doing.

     The Cotopaxi Tour is a very exciting thing to do there. It is a 2 night trip taking off from Quito in a small group up through The Avenue of the Volcanoes and drive to Mt. Cotopaxi, which is the largest active volcano at over 19,000 feet high! We then hiked up 200 more feet to reach some of the most beautiful glaciers in the world!!! After that, we drove to a small town where we rented mules! We rode the mules on a long trail to reach a giant hidden lake at the top of a big mountain. We pitched one giant tent and spent the night there with out professional guide. The next day, at about 10 A.M. we set out on a trip to explore more of Ecuador on our mules and then went back to the village, returned the mules, and drove back to Quito to catch up on our rest. There was a lot of Spanish and I learned a lot.

    The very next day, Monday, we met up with my cousins at their apartment in Quito and put our money together and took a cruise to the Galapagos Islands. The cruise lasted 9 days, Monday to the next Wednesday. It was beautiful and relaxing because we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Galapagos Islands were full of beautiful trails and wildlife. I even got to hold an Iguana! On the way back, I got seasick and ended up spending all of Tuesday sick in our room. The experience was great and I was able to spend time with my cousins who I rarely get to see!

   On Wednesday we decided it was probably time to head back home but we needed to find one more exciting thing to do in Ecuador, so we flew down to Guayaquil and spent the day there touring the most populated city in Ecuador with more than 2.5 million people. There were markets and attractions everywhere! On the flight home, we passed over a huge ocean and I was so scared that we were going to fall but the plane held up. I can't wait to tell my amazing Spanish teacher about my trip and to go back again. That was the best trip of my life. I love Ecuador!
Picture of Quito, Ecuador with MT. Cotopaxi in the background. Photographer not found.
Picture of tour around Cotopaxi. Photographer not found.
Cruise to Galapagos Islands. Photographer not found.

Ensley S.

          Me and my family are on vacation in Columbia, and  we are staying for 5 days. Yesterday, me and my family visited The Bogota Botanical Gardens in Columbia. It was very fun! There was lots of pretty flowers and palm trees. There was an artificial waterfall and labs for studying plants and flowers. It also has a library. The garden is the only one specialized in preserving and collecting Andean species of flowers.The garden is 19.5 acres are full with collections of plants grouped by their original ecosystem. There was a lot of plants and good places to eat. For lunch we had ajiaco. It was like chicken soup with chicken, potatoes, corn and more. Then we walked around some more, and spent we spent the whole day there. then we decided to go back to the hotel.

          Today we got up early and had a beach day. I packed Colombian food, a towel, sunscreen, just everything you would want to take to the beach. We had lots of fun swimming in the ocean. Then we decided to would be super fun to go snorkeling, so we did! I saw lots of beautiful fish and animals. There was a eel and sea plants. It was super fun. After me and my brother built sand castles. We then had lunch and we had Tamales. They are cooked corn cough with meat, chicken, and vegetables. After I decided to relax and read. Then I took some pictures. We swam in the ocean for a while and then i heard a scream! I looked over and saw a huge shark! It was super scary with lots of sharp teeth. No one got hurt, that was good. After i stayed out of the water for a while we watched the sunset and took some pictures. Then we went to dinner at a restaurant. I don't remember what it was called. Then we went back to the hotel, watched a movie, and fell asleep.

         Today, we went on a tour of the jungle! We got up early and drove to the jungle. It was a long drive but worth it. There was this long path surrounded by big trees and you couldn't really see above you! because there was so many trees! I saw some monkeys and some other animals. I was walking on the path and all of a sudden i walked into a huge spiderweb! Ewe, it was so gross. After walking for a while we stopped and ate lunch. It was very good.Then we kept going, and I can't believe I saw a Jaguar! It was so cool. We also saw many birds and plants. After our tour was over, we went swimming, again. Then we went to dinner to celebrate our last day, but I was sad we were leaving. After dinner we went to our hotel and went to bed because we had a long day of traveling tomorrow.

     
       

Sophie S



 A week ago I came to this brilliant country, I went to three amazing tours sights in The Beaches of Paraty, Carnival in Rio and the City of Salvador De Bahia. Two days ago I went to the a beach in Paraty. The beach is located 300 Km from Rio, It's a highlight of the Costa Verde in the town Paraty.On the beautiful Beach's you will find natural swimming pools they are the amazing  made by volcano rock. Also the hillsides are covered in dense topical forest, it is so humid and cool it certain gives you chills up your back. At first when you arrive you get very confused because you don't find any houses but when you go the summer cottages,the center of the village, and the rush of the lukewarm water you never want to leave. I know i didn't want to!


Also another beautiful place I visited in Brazil is the Carnival in Rio, There are two routes in the Carnival one of them is all filled with amazing Salvador Versions of blocos. You can pay to join any of the trios groups i did, you get

 a costume that means you have to the privilege to dance. It is amazing where you dance within velvet ropes along the city where floats and lights,live everywhere within this route is it one of my favorite things i did in Brazil!! The ether route is more family packed with everything you can imagine! Music is one of the key events of the whole Carnival. They can also party forever, it is all night but totally is worth it. It really gives you a rush and memorable it really is a one of a time thing.

The last place I went to is an amazing city named Salvador De Bahia. The city has an amazing roots and culture . There is no other place like this it is the descendants  of  African slaves. They have preserved their beautiful heritage of over 500 years. There are African rhythms all around the city. Salvador is the country's Afro Brazilian jewel.  I have to admit it all first timers beware you can get very confused. The street names change quickly without warning.  Good maps of Salvador are available at the Bahiatursa Tourist Office in Pelourinho. Many tours of the city are offered as well, of the historic Pelourinho, important museums, and more. The city is historical amazing and beautiful I highly recommend it. In conclusion the trip was a success to the Beach's to Carnivals to cities.{all pictures belong to blogger.com}

Chipper P. Colombia

Colombia
 
       Amazing tourist attractions of Colombia in South America are great and it was one of the most fun filled times I have had in my life and you should definitely go too.Colombia is a beautiful place with many great landmarks such as the Amazon Rain Forest and the beautiful mountains.  


     One of the amazing places I want to tell your about is the Caribbean. The Caribbean has over 700 islands and it is a beautiful place even though I clearly haven't seen all 700 islands. It is also very nice tropical weather during the dry season but during the wet season is very rainy.


    You should also visit the capital of Colombia, Bogata it is very beautiful and has over 8 million people in the city and is considered one of the largest 25 cities in the world and is the largest city in Colombia. It also has the famous Gold Museum and the museum was great it had so many historical sightings I almost passed out I was so happy So visit Colombia now!!!
  

Ethan D.

     I returned from visiting Brazil and I saw A LOT. I have been to Rio de Janeiro with its tall mountains and its famous monument of Christ the redeemer. Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful city full of about fourteen-million people. When I was in Rio de Janeiro I also got to hang glide all over the city it was the most beautiful site i have ever seen. I also got to eat a weird Brazilian delicacy called the all fruit smoothie with all the fruit juices in Brazil. The all fruit smoothie was the best smoothie i had.        Next after i went to Rio i got to go to the carnaval in Brasilia which was awesome. i got to see a lot of  costumes, floats, dancing, and other fun stuff. i also got to see the winning float which was a beautiful color full parrot which was flapping its wings. The clothes everyone was wearing the most weirdest things especially in the parade, there was this one guy that was wearing a tree costume.
      The last thing i got to see is the GINORMOUS Brazilian soccer stadium. It was the biggest stadium i have ever seen I also got to see the Brazilian team play against the china soccer team and they beat them 54 to 31! That is the story of my trip to Brazil.

http://odb.org/2015/06/30/christ-the-redeemer/
tinysilverstars.worldexpress.com
livedesignonline.com
www.besttourism.com

Bryn C

        If you need a place to plan a great vacation, then you should defiantly go to South Africa, Brazil. It was the best  trip I have ever taken. My three favorite places to visit where the Amazon Rain Forest, the Ipanema Beach and parasailing over the Christ the Redeemer statue.
       My very favorite thing I did was go on a Cruise through the Amazon Rain Forest. I have never gone on a cruise before, but was very satisfied on the Brazilian Cruise. The sounds of the rain forest were spectacular and not like anything i have heard before. The toucans caw was my favorite sound I heard in Brazil. The animals were so exotic and foreign, yet so amazing.The Amazon is truly the worlds greatest bio system.I really enjoyed seeing the 20% of the worlds species that are in the Amazon.
      The second awesome thing I did was parasailing over Christ The Redeemer. It was so huge that if I were to stand on his hand, I would be the size of an ant. I got to see the whole city from up in the sky. I was so close to the bird I could have touched them. The ocean was so beautiful to see from up above. I spent two hours up sailing and would have easily go for two more hours.
      The last place I visited was the Ipanema Beach. I have been to many beaches but my absolute favorite beach is the Ipanema by far. It was very beautiful from the ground view too. There is a lot of sand that stretches along the shore. I went surfing, wake boarding, and body boarding. I really liked to play in the sand  and I built a gigantic sand castle.
     I had the best time ever in Brazil and would easily go back in a heart beat.I hope you will consider going to this wonderful place!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Eric F.

Un lugar que deberias a eir en Venezuela es Los roques Archipelago es el parque nacional de venezuela. Otra parte que deberias a eir es a la isla de margarita porque muncho biento, la agua esta calmada y no esta muy ondo para que los que quiren a prender a windserf y tambien ay otra forma de a serf es con un papalote. La playa mediana alamejor es una de las mejores playas del pais. En la playa ay tortugas marines a dejar sus webos. Rio de agua es un rancho de echologio, tienen munchos tipos de pajaros y animales.


El presidente de Venezuela es Nicolas Maduro el nacio el noviembre del 1962 y tiene 52 anos. Yo  pude a conocere su casa esta bien grande. Orita en Venezuela estan en tiempos de crisis. Salto Angel truena es el mas grande cascada es 979m (3211ft) y cay 807m (2646ft) es casi 16 mas veses quen Niagara falls. Venezuela comparete munchas influencias del Caribe en los sabores tequnicas de cosinar y fruitas como el platano estava servido y en toda la comida.


La poblacion es 28,946,101, they have the same branches but 4 more they are Electrical branch, citizen branch, major political, and military branches. En 1498, Christopher Columbus era el que encontro Venezuela. Gas natural -179 trillion cubic ft.

protest swell in Venezuela 
country psy ops

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Jaycee C.

My Brazilian Vacation


This week I came to the fun Brazilian country. My family and I went to the Salvador de Bania Overview, Serne Parati, and Rio.  I will tell you about these three places that I thought was very interesting.

Salvador de Balina Overview is the nexus of an incredible arts movement. There is no other place where descendants of African slaves have preserved their heritage as well as the Salvador. Salvador is the country's Afro-Brazilian jewel. Also, at night, capoeira circles form on plazas and open spaces, while the scent of bean and shrimp fritters and other African delights fills the evening air.

Another place I loved was Rio! Rio has beautiful golden beaches and lush mountains.  Rio is also called Rio de Janeiro. It is the 35th largest city in population. Rio has one of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of "Christ the Redeemer" atop Corcovado mountain. It is an Art Deco Statue of Jesus Christ in Rio that was created by a French sculptor, Paul Landowski. The statue is a symbol of Christianity across the world.

Last but not least, Serene Parati. There are hundreds of beaches. My favorite beach is the Trinidade. Serene is always bustling with activities. People doing beach parties, to nightlife, and a buzzing music scene.  There are so many to colonial architecture in South America such as houses and churches.  The town is so alive at night with many excellent restaurants and music venues to from.

My 2 week trip to Brazil was unforgettable and very interesting. It was fun to see how different it is here in America than in this amazing state of Brazil.    THE END
Photo cred: www.blogger.com/




Ella K.



                 I visited Columbia last week and  stayed for a few days. The first day I went to the Amazon Jungle. It was quite a long but very fun and entertaining walk. I walked down this short pathway and around the corner was a huge waterfall!! I looked down and I was standing on a bridge with a river below me. After that, I went down some other cool pathways and then accidently walked through a pathway of spider webs and a bunch of tailless whip spiders! So I ran out and decided to eat some lunch. I had some Ajiaco. It's pretty much like a different version of Chicken soup. After that, I went back to my hotel and just rested.
            
              The next day, I woke up early and decided to go to the botanical garden. When we first got there, I went to the rose garden and saw the 70 different varieties of roses. Next, I went to the greenhouse and saw the aromatic and medicinal plants. There were these really nice tourists that led us around the gardens and showed us where everything is and explained what it is. I also went to the Andean Forest, saw the 600 palm trees, and stopped for a snack. The food was delicious. I had Frijoles con Garra. After I ate, I went to a yoga class. It felt really good to stretch after a long walk.  I then took the bus back and hung out for the rest of the night in my hotel. 

              The next morning I woke up later and was more in a lazy mood. I thought the perfect thing for being lazy was to go to the zoo. I was on my way to the zoo when suddenly, a jaguar ran right in front our car! I didn't get a super good look at it since it ran by so fast but out of what I saw, it looked tannish orange and saw all of its black spots scattered around its fur. Once I got to the zoo, they announced that everybody had to leave the area because there were two running free jaguars. I was scared that another one was going to pop out in front of our car. I got back to the hotel and was bummed that we couldn't go to the zoo. Instead of going there, we drove around and explored what was around the area. There were many people but they seemed pretty normal to me. That day wasn't the best day that we had on that vacation.
  
 In conclusion, the trip was really fun and one of the best trips I've had. I would love to come back and visit Columbia again.

Emily T.

    I just got back from Peru and let me tell you all the things I did there! The first thing I did was to the ocean and relax on the beach side of Peru. Aw , it was so relaxing! Also I am GLAD I did not feed the sharks lunch. I also went on a lot of nature hikes (they were like walks though) just seeing the nature made my mouth drop. Everything was so exciting in Peru on the nature hike new animals and new kinds of trees! And again everything made my mouth drop. I also had some AMAZING food! You know when people say Yolo I really like that  because while I'm on the earth I might as well try all the foods I can! it was really cool  to see how they made their food in Peru some of it looked very appetizing some of it did not compared to America's food. There was this one food that was so good I can't remember what it was called but it was the most mouth watering, creamy goodness with a hint of salt and a lot of spices from Mexico to go with it you have to try all the food there and try to find it!! I hope you can go sometime! I promise you if you go to Peru you will LOVE it so much!






  Emily T.

Ella E.

     This summer my family and I took a trip to Venezuela, South America for our annual famaily vacation. This is my first time ever leaving the country or using my passport. The first place we went to is Margarita Island, which is famous for their amazings club, shopping centers, and beaches which is awesome for tanning or swimming in the ocean. My dad typically stays in the hotel when my mom and I shop, but surprisingly he didn't, he was so amazed by the structure of their builds. He's a building and concretion manager so he is very occupied by that when my mother and I were shopping. Something that was even more amazing than the shopping center was the hotels that occupied that island, some quit tall and skinny, some long and wide, but something that made them all alike was how beautiful they were. Personally, I enough the our hotel for two main reasons; number one, it as right one the beach, so I could watch the surfers crash into the biggest waves I've ever seen. Number two, I had the biggest swimming pool in world only 23 steps away from my hotel.

     The next place we visited was Angel Falls, apart of Canaima National Park. This water fall drops from the table top of a mountain over one-thousand meters. One thing that I found interesting, was the fact that you're only able to access it by air. When we got to the very top of the mountain, my older sister Macy threated to push me out of the helicopter if I would "shut up." We were up there for about one hour, admiring all the adorable giant otter.

     The last place we went on our trip to Venezuela was Coro and the Sand Dunes. It was one of the first colonies. The city has over 600 building which is a fusion from the Dutch and Spanish architectural techniques. These Dunes aren't only accompied by people, but also animals such as lizards. Our tour guide told us not to get near the lizards because some are very dangerous.

      To conclude, my families trip to Venezuela was defiantly a memorable one because of all the places we've visited and all the interesting facts that these places have in their history. 







Picture Credit: Blogger

Jordan c.

                                                                      My trip to Chile!


When I went to Chile I visited a lot of places! On the first two days I went hiking in some of Chiles most beautiful mountains! We hiked one day and the other days we rode our bikes in the mountains paths! We met some of the people who live there they were all very nice! Our family had a blast in the mountains! then we drove to our hotel and stayed there for the rest of the day.






In the morning we got up and drove the beaches. At the beach we built a sand castle! It was tall and got a lot of attention! we also played in the water we body boarded in the huge waves it was awesome! We also walked a cross the beach with my family! We fond sea shells there were so many we brought them back to the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the day! The next day we went back to the beach before we had to leave for something else. We played in the sand and the water one last time and after that we walked along the beach and found five big conk shells on the beach! We went back to our hotel room and went to look at the water falls.




When we went to the water falls they were amazing! They were so tall they were taller than five stories tall! We hiked up to the water fall it was a long but beautiful walk our family had fun on the walk when we got to the top we just looked amazed! When we got back down we drove to the nearest diner and I loved my food! Then after dinner we drove back to the hotel and the next morning we flu back to our home in America! I had a blast in Chile and I would love to go again some day!
http://www.aboutchile.com/beaches-in-northern-chile/bahia-inglesa-beach/