gfinesilver's VirtualTourist Home Page

I am a travel addict currently in my Colorado mountains. View my travel history below to see where I've been, it's a pretty long list.

I have begun my own travel company, Argento Travel so I have been working on that in the past year or so, and have recently finished my first trip.

My next trips will be in Central America. I am very excited to see some of the southern jungles of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica in March where I haven't been before. Then I'll go back to one of my homes, Guatemala to do another trip there. Yay!

January - Home for the snow
the 2007-08 ski season was one of the best in history and I was at home in Aspen to appreciate it to el máximo.

January to April - San Francisco
Back to my new favorite city to spend the beginning of the year happy happy. I did give myself some ski days at Kirkwood, very important. I learned a lesson: Colorado snow is better.

May - Greece
I signed up for a short 6 month guiding contract and it was back to Europe baby. This time revisiting Greece which quickly became my new favorite place. I ran one trip on the mainland to the Classic sites and another to the islands. How aweful.

June to October - guiding Europe
Did trips thru Italy, hiking trips in the Alps and one final trip in Greece. Even though the season wasn't so busy, it was one of my best. Lots of wonderful people and I was really on my game.

July - Personal visits of Germany and Switzerland
I went to see my cousin in Southeastern Bavaria in her new beautiful house near Tegernsee. Then saw a long lost friend in Zurich and quickly discovered that it is the most comfortable country in the world in which to travel.

September - Personal visit, Croatia, Serbia and Romania
After finishing up a trip in Venice I headed to Croatia and checked out Krk and Zagreb which is an amazing capital city. Then on to Belgrade for some crazy boat discos and up into Transylvania in search of Vlad.

November to December - Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. My first trip
After a quick stopover in Florida, I headed to Santiago to pick up my first group with my own company to take them down to Patagonia. We visited both the Chilean and Argentinian sides and ended back in Buenos Aires and quickly stopped to see Iguazú Falls. The trip was perfect and it was a wonderful launch of my business. I had to give myself some vacation so I popped over to Uruguay to check out some beaches and a more relaxed city.

January to February - Buenos Aires and Patagonia

March - South and inland Brazil

April to May - Buenos Aires

May to September - U.S.A.
Aspen, Denver, New York, San Francisco

September - Chile and Argentina
Ski and Research Trip to Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Portillo, Las Leñas, San Martín de los Andes, Bariloche and Ushuaia.

November - Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
As a favor to my old company I led a 17 day trip in Central America. It was pretty much a pain in the butt because it is not my favorite itinerary and not one I will repeat any time soon. 17 days for four countries is too short.

Thanksgiving - Kent, Washington
Happy family time in the Seattle area.

October to end of year - San Francisco
I moved to San Fran with my awesome Sister

December - Aspen
Home with my family for Xmas and new years and some incredible skiing

January to February - Central America
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Mom visits.

February - Colorado Vacation

March to April - Central South America
Perú to visit friends. Then two trips across the continent as guide.
Bolivia - La Paz, Uyuni, Potosí, Sucre, Santa Cruz
Brazil - Pantanal, Corumbá, Bonito, Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro

April to October - Europe
Spain - Madrid, Córdoba, Seville, Tarifa, Ronda, Valencia, Barcelona, Pyrenees
Italy - Alps, Rome and Amalfi Coast
Switzerland - Alps and Geneva
France - Alps around Chamonix/Mt. Blanc
Greece - Crete
August Trip with Sister - Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence, Split and Hvar

October to December - Patagonia, Chile and Argentina

January to March - Fundraising in Cali and Colorado

Beginning as a Tour Guide
In April I flew to Lima to begin training as a Tour Leader with G.A.P. Adventures, a Canadian tour company. Training was held in Perú, Bolivia and I finished in México and Guatemala where I started on my own.

Central America
I led group adventure tours throughout the zone, up and down and back and forth like a pendulum. But I got to travel to all these cool places-
México - D.F., Puebla, Oaxaca, San Cristobal, Palenque, Mérida, Cancún, Playa del Carmen.
Belize - Caye Caulker, San Ignacio.
Guatemala - Tikal, Poptún, Rio Dulce, Lanquín, Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Monterrico.
Honduras - Roatán Island, Comayagua
Nicaragua - Granada, Omotepe
Costa Rica - Monteverde, La Fortuna, San José, Nosara, Tamarindo

September '03 - U.S.A. East Coast
Massachusetts - Hanover, Boston, Scituate, Martha's Vineyard and area
New York - Greenpoint, Brooklyn baby
New Jersey - chillin in Dunnellin with good friend Johann

September to November '03 - Dominican Republic
I started in this little village of Muñoz at a stupid guesthouse I'd found online. After securing a job in Cabarete, I explored the island and places like Sosúa, Puerto Plata, Bayahibe, Bávaro, Samaná Peninsula and Rio San Juan.

November '03 to May '04 - Dominican Republic, Tangerine Hotel
I worked as a customer service agent at this hotel in Beautiful Cabarete for several months, enjoying the beach, making lots of new friends and partying it up Caribbean style con mucho ron. Mom, dad, sis and friends all came to visit. How wonderful.

May to June '04 - North America
New York with friends and Chicago for Sister's graduation.
Missisaugua, Toronto and Montreal.

June '04 - Cuba
10 days in Havana at a guesthouse getting to know this fascinating city. Trips to Viñales and nearby beaches. Lack of money forced my departure to

July '04 - México
Cancún for some fiesta, Playa del Carmen for some relax.
Mérida, Valladolid, Cobá, Tulum with new Italian and Californian friends.
Ticul, Puuc, Uxmal, Campeche on my own ruins frenzy.
Palenque to relax in a hammock for a week then San Cristobal for fun.
Bus and boat across Usumacinta River to Guatemala.

August '04 - Guatemala - Petén
Destination: El Mirador - Deep Jungle Trek to ancient ruins.
Destination: Tikal - 24 straight hours in the ruins

August to September '04 - Guatemala, Antigua
Feeling a need to qualm a sense of responsibility to humanity, I settled down in Antigua for several months to do some volunteer work in the capital and surrounding villages.
While here I took trips to Monterrico, Lake Atitlán and in to El Salvador.

U.S.A.
Fundraising in New York and D.C. and back home to Colorado

Summer 1999 - Europe Roadtrip
France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Switzerland with dad, sister and friend Colin in Renault Laguna
-Paris, Epernay, Brugges, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Cologne, Bonn, Emmeten, France, Spain, Morocco, Germany, Czech Republic in car with just Colin.
-Castelnaudary, Foix, Andorra, Lleida, San Sebastien, Bilbao, Córdoba, Ceuta, Tetouan, Zurich, Munich, Schwandorf, Regensburg, Pilzn, Prague
France and Italy on own
-Frankfurt, Lyon, Toulouse, Izaut de l'Hotel, Nice, Genoa, Florence.

1999 to 2000 - Italy Study Abroad
Two semesters of study in Florece. Lots of art history and Italian in 3 different schools.
Trips from here around Italy to Venice, Padua, Mantova, Milan, Turin, Parma, Pavia, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Cinqueterra, Castelfiorentini, Elba, Ravenna, Tuscan Towns, Rome, Naples, Calabria and Sicily.
Christmas in Munich and new years in Berliin stopover in Prague.

March 2001 - Italy
New York and Florence for Spring Break!

November 2001 to February 2002 - Backpacking South America
Colombia - Bogotá and Medellín
Ecuador - Quito, Otavalo, Mindo, Cotopaxi, Montañita, Machala
Perú - Máncora, Lima, beaches, Paracas, Nazca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cuzco, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Puno
Bolivia - Copacabana, La Paz, Tiwanaku, Coroico, Rurrenabaque, Oruro, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni
Chile - San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago

February to June 2002 - Chile Study Abroad
Classes at 2 local universities in Santiago.
Trips to San Pedro de Atacama, Viña/Valparaiso, Pucón, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and Mendoza.

June to August 2002 - Continue the trip
Argentina - Mendoza, Las Leñas, Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazú
Paraguay - Ciudad del Este
Brazil - Foz, Rio de Janeiro, Campos, Porto Seguro, Arraial d'Ajuda, Salvador, Cachoiera, Morro de Sao Paulo, Rio, Home

January 2003 - Israel
Birthright program free trip to Mitzpé Ramon, Elat, Dead Sea, Masada, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Lots of kids, lots of fun.

April 2003 - Utah
Paria Canyon Hike with housemate and friend deep in a Slot canyon connecting to the upper part of the Grand Canyon.

July 2003 - Roadtrip
With friend Scott, Las Vegas, San Clemente, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, Tijuana, Rosarito, Tecate, Mexicali, Sedona, Phoenix, Durango, Ouray

1985 - England
Trip with Mom because she couldn't leave me home
1987 - México
Family trip with Dad and all his side of the family to Mazatlán
Summer 1993 - France
Paris, Castelnaudary and the Midi-Pyrenees region with good family friend, Claude
April 1995 - Greece
School trip with my 9th grade class. We visited mainland, Peleponnesus and Crete
Spring 1996 - Hawai'i
Spring break trip with my dad to Maui. All over the island especially Hana
Spring 1997 - Caribbean
Princess Cruise with family to Bahamas, Jamaica, Caymans and Cozumel
August 1998 - France
One week with friends in Aude and quick trip to Costa Brava and Pyrenees followed by three weeks volunteer work in small village, Izaut de l'Hotel
September 1998 - Boulder
Gotta start college!