Archive | August, 2009
We Had One…One Night In Rio
We had two…two glasses of champagne. Well, we do have champagne tastes but, unfortunately, a beer budget….so we substituted with beer on the beaches of Rio. And it was actually four nights… To say I was anxious as the bus made its way to Rio de Janeiro would be an understatement. Every guidebook and website [...]
Continue reading...The Amazing Power Of Nature
25. August 2009
We arrived in Iguazu Falls in the middle of a rainstorm, not knowing that the worst of it was yet to come. That night I saw biggest thunderstorm I have ever seen. The storm cells circled the town for hours on end, flashing lightning, crashing thunder loud enough to shake the house, and dropping rain [...]
Continue reading...The Dreaded Overnight Bus
22. August 2009
Some backpackers take overnight buses to avoid having to fork over the cost of a room. Some use them as a time saving device, to quickly get from one place to another. And some must take them just for the bragging rights of how many hours they’ve clocked in a darkened, rolling funhouse. I’m not [...]
Continue reading...I Heart Buenos Aires
19. August 2009
At first, I was a little scared of Buenos Aires. I mean it’s a city of 13 million people! I worried that we would get lost, that we would get mugged, that we would be overwhelmed. I needn’t have worried – we spent 10 days and could have stayed longer we loved it so much. [...]
Continue reading...Like A Rhinestone Cowboy
13. August 2009
Riding out on a horse, in a star-spangled rodeo. Much of central and northern Argentina is pampas…long stretches of flat, flat grassland punctuated by estancias and small towns. In the late 1800’s these fertile grasslands were ruled by gauchos. These South American cowboys are held in folklore much like their North American counterparts. Quiet, stoic, [...]
Continue reading...Meh In Mendoza
9. August 2009
Although the drive through the Andes from Santiago to Mendoza was breathtaking, taking us straight up one side of a mountain and then slowly easing back down the other side, we found Mendoza itself a bit lacking. It seems that, in the summer, there would be plenty to do. But, in the winter, the city [...]
Continue reading...Chi-Chi-Chi-Lay-Lay-Lay!!!
6. August 2009
CHI-CHI-CHI!! LAY-LAY-LAY!!! Universidad de Chile!! Viva Chile!! 6700 strong, they chanted…the entire game!! A small crowd, too be sure, but passionate none-the-less. Fair warning: I am not a soccer, errr…football fan. In fact, I don’t exactly know much about the game despite having played a little myself during high school. But, being in Latin America, [...]
Continue reading...Settling Into Santiago
3. August 2009
We settled nicely into Santiago, even getting ourselves an apartment. We knew we were going to be here for 4 or 5 days and heard that renting a short term apartment would be possible. It is more than possible and is somewhat economical too, considering we can cook meals (which, after 2 months of travel, [...]
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Wanna-be expat. Giant Stepper. 
Welcome to OneGiantStep.
I'm Gillian. In 2009 my partner, Jason, and I set out to travel the world for a year.
Now we're looking for something more long term; a place outside of our 'home and native land' to hang our hat; another Giant Step along the path.
Come along as we figure out where to go and how to get there.
29. August 2009
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