Travel and Adventure

Saturday, while walking the dog, I noticed a sign at the Convention Center regarding the Los Angeles Times Travel and Adventure Show that would be open through the weekend.  So I planned to go on Sunday.  What a good idea! Considering the fact that I really want to go visit and maybe live in Argentina and that I had also decided to apply for a job in Peru, high up in the Andes Mountains, very close to Machu Picchu, I thought I'd go get information about South America.  

I was not disappointed.  There were so many booths organized by region: California, the rest of the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Asia, Europe, etc.  I didn't want to waste my time on places I'm not interested in visiting right away but my curious got the best of me and I visited almost every booth. 

I started with South America and spoke with people representing Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Panama.  I mentioned the potential job to a lady from Peru.  She gave me a lot of info.  I'm so excited.  There are also teaching positions with homestay opportunities, which wouldn't be right for me.  I'd have to live on my own. But it was nice to learn of other opportunities.  The lady also gave me a little wool llama decorative pin.  It's really cute.  Everytime I look at it I want to go to Peru.  Of course, Argentina has been on my mind a lot and I wasn't disappointed by all of the travel information provided.  I got maps, brochures, etc.  There was also information on cruises around the cape. I feel like quitting my job, grabbing a backpack and flying to South America.  Of course, I'd have to figure out how to take my baby Valentin with me...  Here's the CD cover of that organization that sets up teaching positions and homestays.

There are some really fantastic travel agencies that specialize in ecofriendly, socially conscious, and volunteering tours.  i-to-i travel has opportunities to volunteer in a number of social organizations or on archaeological sites.  Here's their information: