TUESDAY NIGHTS ARE THE BEST NIGHTS

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Pelourinho, Salvador, known as the “Old Historic City” has one of the best Tuesday night parties in all of Brazil.  Every Tues night, percussion bands parade the streets and bring out a crowd of people from all over the world - where everyone is dancing, drinking, making new friends, and simply enjoying life!

Music is everywhere in the city, and stages are put together at the main squares. I had SO MUCH FUN dancing Samba in the streets, and then heading to a square to continue the dance party!  Salvador has so much flare and culture.  Highly recommended and one of my favorite cities to date.

SALVADOR HAS MY HEART

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Salvador- one my favorite places I visited.  Located in the northern part of Brazil in the state of Bahia, lies a beautiful, colorful city rich in culture.  I was instantly in love with Salvador the second upon arrival.  The rainbow city is booming with life, creativity, diversity, and soul.  The “Old Historic City” in Salvador is a traveler’s mecca.  I especially loved the old ornate churches that line the streets, and the people in Salvador are so so friendly!  (click below to scroll)

The first two nights I stayed in a hostel called: The Hostel Salvador.  This hostel is walking distance from the beach and night life.  It also has a beautiful roof top with a pool- you definitely get a bang for your buck!  The next two nights were spent in Hostel Gallery 13.  Located in the heart of the historic center, this hostel was my favorite.  Every night between 5:15pm-6:15pm the hostel owner hosts happy hour with free caipirinhas for all of the guests!  (One of the best caipirinhas I’ve tried, I might add)  This is a great way to meet fellow travelers, many of whom I am still friends with today.

The main restaurant I recommend is: Bar Zulu.  Bar Zulu is located in the historic center of Salvador (walking distance from Hostel Gallery 13) and it does not disappoint!  Their top dish is the Moqueca (meat, shrimp, or vegetarian) and the restaurant is vegan friendly.  The cocktails are all delicious, but I went with the caipirinha of course! 

(beaches & Bar Zulu below)

Get your Samba on…

If you are looking to go out at night, there is a row of dive bars right near the beach in Rio Vermelho (Salvador).  I had SO much fun going out here, but the city itself is dangerous- make sure you stick with a group of people that you trust.  Also, my friend and I made sure to remove all of our jewelry while we were visiting Salvador.  You do not want to stand out as a target for pickpocketers.  

Tuesdays:  The Tuesday night dance party was my absolute favorite!!  My next post will be solely on the samba dance party in the streets on Tuesday nights..

Throughout the week you can find outdoor samba concerts around the city.  Salvador loves to dance!  No wonder why I love this city so much…. <3

MORE COLADAS IN MORRO de SÃO PAULO

Morro de São Paulo, Bahia, Brazil

Morro de São Paulo- one of five villages on the island of Tinharé, Brazil.  MDSP is a place of pure tropical paradise- with some of the clearest waters and most beautiful beaches in the world.

Click pictures below to see slideshow

Morro de São Paulo is not a place I thought I would visit.  My friend and I were staying in Salvador, Brazil, planning on visiting a national park.  However, our itinerary quickly changed when the bus tickets to the park were sold out!  Since I met a few people who highly recommended the village, I immediately booked a round trip boat ticket to the magical island.

Since the majority of my trips are "backpacker style", my friend Kelsey and I stayed in a hostel called Che Lagarto.  Che Lagarto was more like a mini hotel!  We had our own room and bathroom- which is super rare for hostel life.  Surrounded by nature and the beautiful beaches, Che Lagarto is clean and full of travelers from all over the globe.  They have a lovely common area with hammocks and a game room, and a mini bar stocked with yummy traditional cocktails.

Since we only had 24 hours, we immediately changed into swim suits and went straight to the beach.  We did not have time for any tours, but were completely content with relaxing near the ocean, piña coladas in hand. 

One of my favorite parts about the island is that all of the restaurants are right on the beach!  One gets to dine by candlelight with toes in the sand.  These beachy restaurants make it a perfect (and romantic) place to watch the sunset.  And if you are looking to go out after dinner, nightlife on the island consists of traditional music and dancing on the beach until the early morning sun.

Oh, and the chocolate piña colada is HIGHLY recommended!

One thing I found interesing is Spanish (not Portuguese) is the first language on the island, even though Morro de São Paulo is part of Brazil.  There are not many Americans, for most of the tourists are from Argentina or Brazil.  

Poster at the hostel upon arrival- a sign?! ;)

HOT SPRINGS, THE GALAXY, + FLAMINGOS

San Pedro de Atacama (Pt. 3)

The Atacama Desert offers SO many attractions, that it is quite frankly difficult to choose which ones to see!  Along with the recommendations from my previous posts, here are three more of my top choices…

PURITAMA HOT SPRINGS

The Puritama Hot Springs is one of my favorite places in Atacama! (but mostly because I am a water girl) Nestled in the middle of the mountains lies an array of hot springs.  Walking down to the water is breathtaking.  The views are incredible, and dipping into the warm water surrounded by vegetation is nothing like I have ever experienced.  I am pretty sure I spent about two hours in the hot springs- I did not want to leave!  There are also showers/changing rooms available, as well as  picnic tables if you decide to bring lunch.

STARGAZING

One of the last tours I signed up for was the stargazing tour.  Since you are located in the middle of a vast desert, the sky is completely clear- you get to see the entire Milky Way!  The tour was about two hours and very informative.  However, I must add that I did get cold by the end, since it starts at 10pm.  After the tour (which is all in Spanish), you get to view the sky through advanced telescopes- viewing stars and the planet Saturn- up close! (Because it was nighttime and the stars are so far away, I do no have any pictures!)

LAGUNA CHAXA

I recommend checking out Laguna Chaxa close to sunset.  What is so incredible about this place is you get to see flamingos in the desert, and the colors of the sunset are beyond STUN-NING!  The sky looks like it is on fire!  For about $4 you get a small tour and a history about the flamingos.  Truly incredible!

Click pictures below to see slideshow

MAGIC IN THE DESERT

San Pedro de Atacama

The Atacama Desert- a magical place that exists between the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coast Range.  San Pedro de Atacama is the driest, non-polar desert in the world, composed of sand, salt flats, rocky terrain, and dried lava flow.  (I must say, some of my pictures really do not give San Pedro de Atacama justice, for it is one of the most breathtaking destinations I have ever seen!)

How to get there: The Atacama Desert is a short flight north of Santiago.  You first fly into Calama, and from there take an hour bus ride into the town of San Pedro de Atacama.

Since I was traveling backpacker style, I stayed at a hostel called Hostal Rural- located in the town center (last pic above).  The hostel was in a great location- super close to restaurants, shops, and attraction hubs.  The town itself was tiny- comprised of mostly  dirt roads and clay huts.  The aesthetic and authentic feel of the small, but lively, town made me feel like I was in a different world.

Since San Pedro de Atacama is known for it’s breathtaking landscapes, I recommend booking tours upon arrival. 

The first tour was the Tatio Geysers- a tour not for the faint of heart!  The bus picked me up at 4:30am (yes, in the morning!) and we arrived at the geyser location around 6am in time for sunrise.  The geysers were absolutely amazing, however, I was FREEZING.  The temperature was about -5 Celsius, and I definitely did not bring enough clothing for the arctic temp.  I was beyond cold during the duration of the tour, but still managed to take some pictures.  (see below!)  Once back on the bus, we were able to warm up with some hot tea/coffee.  Our tour bus took us around to some other hidden gems in the desert, and eventually to a tiny town called Caspana- a town with only 400 people.  The weather change is drastic (however, I went in July when it was winter) where the temperature is freezing at night, but about 23 Celsius during the day.  I highly recommend to bring a mix of clothing- be prepared for frigid temps, as well as very dry, warm heat.

Below is a video from one of the tours through the desert.  Pictured in the background is an active volcano!

Atacama from Natalie Thomas on Vimeo.

COLONIA, YOU'RE CUTE

Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia, Uruguay is such a fun little destination to explore.  Only a three hour boat ride from Buenos Aires, Colonia is one of the oldest towns in the country.  Located on the coast of Uruguay, I had no idea what to expect, plus I did not know much about Uruguay in general!

When I arrived on land I felt like I was in a different world!  The quaint town is full of charm and history.  Lining the cobblestone streets is an array of homes, restaurants, and boutique hotels- all of Portuguese and Spanish influenced architecture.

My main recommendation: Rent a golf cart!  This is an affordable way to drive around Colonia and to easily see the city in a day!

Main attractions: Puerta de la Ciudadela, Plaza Mayor, House of the Viceroy, & Calle de los Suspiros.

#thenowwithnat

HOLA, BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The first night of my trip was an absolute world-wind!  I flew into Buenos Aires, Argentina and had less than 24 hours to explore the city.  With that being said, my friend Kelsey and I thought the best way to quickly see the city was by bike!  The tour we booked was through BA Bikes - a four-hour tour that takes you all over Buenos Aires.  We made multiple stops where our bike leader was also our tour guide, providing historic and culture facts about the diverse city.

My favorite neighborhood we biked through was La Boca.  La Boca is comprised of the most colorful streets in all of Buenos Aires!

After our bike tour, we went back to Milhouse Hostel to get ready for dinner.  Even though I was there only a night, this hostel provided a fun environment and is booming with backpackers from all over the world.  (They also have a hostel in Cusco!)

My only dinner in Buenos Aires was at La Cabrera Sur La Cabrera Sur, which I HIGHLY recommend!  Kelsey and I split a steak dinner, where the portion size was enough for four people.  {Not to mention the wine is amaze}.  Imported from Chile, we split only $25 for a bottle of Malbec, which is equivalent to $100+ in the United States!

Mas vino, por favor!