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Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
I spent last summer travelling around South America (I made a thread with tons of pictures, in the archives hopefully.

I went to Ecuador (& Galapagos Islands), Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

I won't go into too much detail right now, a) because Dusting Duvet is probably more knowledgable than I about most of them and b) because I should really be panic-writing an essay right now.

But if you have the money you must must must go to the Galapagos Islands when you go to Ecuador. They are absolutely amazing and definitely the experience of a lifetime.

I'll just post a few pictures from my time there:













On the Ecuador mainland I highly recommend Baños, a hot spring town with plenty of outdoorsy activities to do, and Otavalo, THE place to shop (worldfamous market).

If you want to get an authentic Panama hat (no, they are not originally from Panama) on the cheap then head down to Cuenca.

While you're in Quito you might as well do the tourist thing and head to the equator (Mitad del Mundo), however, don't just go to the big government monument (which isn't even on the equator anyway). There's a great little place on the road towards the new museum (on the real equator) that talks about how "the site of the real equator had been marked centuries before the French mucked it up by an pre-Inca Ecuadorian people of astronomers and sunworshippers called Coros (I think)who built a big temple on a hill right on the equator line. From there they followed out all sorts of equinoxial lines. Then they built all their important temples and sites on these lines. Now of course the Spanish then went and destroyed these, building their churches on top, so now the church spires follow the exact line of the sunset, which is quite amazing to see on video. "


DustingDuvet, when you're in Lima, check out Museo Larco and the amusing collection of erotic pottery! NSW!



Also, alpaca steak is absolutely delicious - and this coming from an extremely fussy eater. Cuy on the other hand...

I'm happy to answer any questions about any of the countries mentioned above, and I'll be keeping an eye on the thread as I hope to go back and cover all the parts I missed!

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Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

Kaiser Bill posted:

Is there any way to Galapagos other than airplane? And how cheap is a flight from Ecuador to Galapagos?

I can't remember properly, but flying is definitely the main and best way to get there.

There are 2 main airlines (TAME and Aerogal) but the prices are much of a muchness. TAME quotes current price from Quito - Galapagos as $379.48 (it used to be a little less during low season, but not sure if this is the case any longer). From Guayaquil - Galapagos it's quoting $326.62. I think most of the Quito flights stop in Guayaquil anyway (3hrs flight inc. stop from Quito - Baltra island). When you arrive you must pay $100 entry to the islands.

A trip to the Galapagos is very expensive (especially if you do a good, long cruise and get to the more distant islands) but it is so so worth it. It was definitely one of the highlights of my time in South America.

--

Also, for travelling around - bus and air are your best bet. Some distances might be worth flying, but it depends how much time/money you have and what you want to see along the way. My trip went Mexico - Ecuador (flight). Ecuador - Bolivia (flight). Bolivia - Peru (bus). Peru - Chile (flight). Chile - Argentina (bus). Argentina - Uruguay (boat/bus). Argentina - UK (flight). The long distance buses/coaches are very very good and comfortable, but not as cheap as you might think.

This thread makes me miss travelling so much!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

KosherNostra posted:

...Sure, you'll have a good time in Buenos Aires and it's more "european", I suppose (good choice coming to South America for that...), but don't go there stating you're going to "learn spanish"...



Ecuador? I've heard "so and so is known for the best Spanish" for about every other country in South America, the main ones being Peru and Colombia. So take that with a grain of salt.

I definitely agree with the first point. There's lot of crazy Argentine stuff (bloody "vos", it's madness!) that won't be useful/understood in a lot of other South American countries. Another thing to consider is that BA is a long long way away from other SA countries. If you picked somewhere more central like Ecuador it would be a lot easier to get to other countries and see more variety than if you started all the way at the bottom with BA and worked your way up (depends what you're going for/how long you want to spend there though).

However, I disagree with the second point and instead concur with DustingDuvet (based on personal experience only). I've been learning Spanish for about 10 years and was visiting SA having just spent a year in Mexico, so I was pretty fluent. I would say that Ecuadorian Spanish was by far the easiest and clearest to understand. Chile and Argentina were definitely the worst. Can't say for Colombia as sadly didn't have a chance to go there that trip.

Ecuador is a lovely country and you could quite easily base yourself in Quito to learn some Spanish and have great weekend trips off all over Ecuador while you improve. Depends what you're looking for in your base. Quito definitely felt more "South American", in contrast with BA, which, while a great place, didn't make me feel "oh my god, I'm on another continent and everything is soooo different". (Santiago de Chile is probably the most "European" of the places we went). I'm sure wherever you go you'll have a great time. But, if I were you, I'd get started on learning Spanish now so you don't struggle quite so much when you first arrive!




Vaccinations - I ended up getting rabies vaccines before I went out to Mexico as I wasn't sure if I'd end up in a hovel in the middle of nowhere. When my mum came out to travel South America with me she didn't bother with the vaccine as we weren't going to any really remote places where it was likely to be a potential problem (and therefore wasn't worth spending £120/$240 on). So it definitely depends on what your plans are for while you're there.

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is an excellent resource on travel health advice - worth checking out before you travel.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

idiotsavant posted:

Any advice about traveling to Argentina to snowboard? I'd be flying from California so I assume that it would be easiest just to rent gear there, but I'm not sure on the timing or the areas. LonelyPlanet said that most Argentinians take their snow vacations in July or August - it could be nice to be around for the winter vacation party crew, but then again it could also be nice to have uncrowded slopes. Suggestions? Where can I do more research?

Well, Bariloche is the most famous ski/snowboard place, so is probably worth a look into. I was there last August and the town was absolutely packed with massive groups of Brazilians, but the area in general was gorgeous. Can't comment on the actual skiing/snowboarding place (Cerro Catedral) as we didn't get a chance to go.

http://www.catedralaltapatagonia.com/ (in Spanish) has lots of info on the place. Looks like a high season weekly pass will cost you 855 Argentine Pesos ($283).

On a side note, I had great fun skiing (for the first time) on the volcano in Pucon, Chile. Not sure if it's any fun for experienced people, but you might want to look it up!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
I'll second what DustingDuvet said. Baños is definitely your best bet (and it's a lovely town, plenty to do. Definitely go to the hot springs!) But a limit of $50 is ridiculous for a weekend trip, I doubt you'll be able to do much away from Quito on that budget.

Do you mix with any locals on your course? If yes then speak to them and ask if they know any interesting, off-the-beaten-track places you could go, either in Quito or around.

Also, you shouldn't have any problems as a girl. I travelled around Ecuador with my mum last year (20 and 49) and we never had any problems. I would definitely put Ecuador as one of the least macho Latin American countries.

Ecuador was our favourite country - I'm jealous you're getting to live there for a few months!

Also, speaking as someone who spent almost every weekend for nearly 8 months making 12hr bus journeys (each way) to go visit places - it's not as bad as you think! I just travelled overnight, enjoyed two days in the place then travelled back overnight. It also means you save on hotel rooms! Granted, this was in Mexico and the buses there are pretty amazing, but I think Ecuador has some nice companies too. However, if $50 is the limit then this might not be a possibility. If you do decide to spend a little more then you might want to travel down to Cuenca - and then you can buy yourself an authentic Panama hat!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

ElroySmin posted:

So, I read the last SA thread planning my trip, so I might as well contribute what I can to this one. I just got back from almost 4 months travelling from Buenos Aires to Bogota...

Fantastic. Great photos! What was your best/worst bit?

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Double post!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
A friend of the family saved a copy of this article for me, and I thought you lot might have enjoy it too.

The Telegraph posted:

South America: Thrills and spills in the Andes

Many travellers to South America take a bus, but not many journey the full length of the continent on a bus, as Michael Jacobs did. This is what he learnt...

The bus was heading towards Colombia in the middle of a terrifying tropical storm. Swerving into deep mud, its wheels turned desperately for a few moments before the engine finally gave out. A few curses and the persistent rain were the only sounds at first to break the expectant silence. Then the earth groaned, and the bus and its shrieking passengers were pushed, as if by some supernatural hand, into the abyss.

The Hollywood horror film being projected on the small screen in front of me disturbingly mirrored the Venezuelan landscape through which I myself was travelling. I had only just arrived in South America, and had yet to become accustomed to the inappropriate films of terror and violence that the buses screened. I would have plenty of time to do so. I had come here to research a book on the Andes, and was intending to spend six months journeying the whole length of the world’s longest continuous mountain range. The most practical option was to travel by bus.

Taking what would amount to more than 100 public buses, I would drive through seven countries, and cross, in relentless succession, jungles, deserts, green valleys, vertiginous mountain passes, dense forests, glacier-fringed plateaux and every other possible type of extreme and sublime landscape.

But buses served not just as wonderful viewing platforms. They also became for me what inns had been to travellers of Don Quixote’s generation — places for strange and wonderful encounters. There was the regular chance meeting with the same handful of fellow itinerants, and the no less frequent discovery that the person sitting next to you was somehow connected with friends or relatives of yours from other parts of the world. And then there were the constant tales, with passengers often revealing the most absorbing details of their lives, from intricate love affairs to the sort of traumatic travel experiences I had always imagined to be inherent to any South American journey.

My Andean bus odyssey began in Venezuela in the middle of the tropical summer. This is a country where everyone seems to delight in warning you about the potential dangers of travelling there. I managed to escape Caracas unharmed, only to be told that Venezuela had some of the world’s most hazardous bus drivers, and that they drove their rickety contraptions at such speeds that wheels would sometimes leave the ground. But, as it turned out, my attention on driving up into the Venezuelan Andes was almost entirely absorbed by excitement at first reaching the mountains and observing the gradual transformation from their lush lower slopes to the bleak high-altitude moorland or páramo, where the sole vegetation was the triffid-like frailejón.

The only moments of anxiety came as we neared the guerrilla-infested borderland between Venezuela and Colombia. A Venezuelan friend thought I was mad to consider continuing by bus from the notoriously poor and sinister Colombian frontier town of Cúcuta. He said that the presence of a foreigner would almost certainly be noted by some potential kidnapper, who would alert his colleagues farther down the road.

Within minutes of entering my first Colombian bus I became indeed a witness to a terrifyingly vicious attack involving masked men gunning down innocent passengers — but only on the video screen in front of me. Colombia itself, with its old-fashioned hospitality and courtesy, instantly challenged all the disturbing and negative preconceptions that foreigners tend to have of the place. I was reminded of the Spain I had fallen in love with in the 1960s, but with the difference that Colombia proved to have one of the most comfortable and efficient public transport systems I had ever known.

There were buses at almost every time of day, and of every possible speed and size. The full range was apparent on arrival at Bogotá’s extraordinary bus station, which, like Bogotá itself, was nothing like the chaotic, seedy place I had imagined. In contrast it was a model of modernity, laid out with clarity, and with each bus company having its own clearly defined waiting area, where you were obliged to remain until your name was called just before the bus’s departure. There was also a heavy presence of policemen and soldiers.

This last feature (promoted as being por su seguridad, or “for your security”) was initially slightly perturbing. But it is thanks to measures such as these that Colombia is now a far safer place than ever before. Until the advent of the current and highly controversial president, Álvaro Uribe, few people of any means travelled anywhere in the country except by plane. Today, I soon concluded, the worst that was likely to happen to you if you stuck to the main roads and avoided travelling by night was a nervous irritability caused by a surfeit of unfailingly violent films.

Wondering how much longer I could bear the sight of a blood-spattered Bruce Willis, I finally headed towards the Ecuadorian border after nearly a month in Colombia. The road south of the seductively beautiful colonial town of Popayán had, until the late 1990s, been famous for being subject to more terrorist hold-ups than any other thoroughfare in South America. The area remains what is still called in Colombia a zona caliente (a hot zone); but, as my bus made its leisurely way through mountain pastures and woods of a Swiss-like greenness, I found it difficult to believe that heavy fighting between guerrilla and government forces was taking place only 25 miles away. The passenger next to me guaranteed that I would be absolutely safe until reaching the Ecuadorian frontier town of Ipiales, whereupon I would be instantly besieged by Ecuadorians trying to get my money and belongings.

This seemed to me to be another example of the derogatory view most South Americans have of their neighbouring countries; but the man’s warning proved to have some substance. Whereas in almost every other respect moving from Colombia to Ecuador was like suddenly entering a convent, arriving at the bus station at Ipiales brought back to me early memories of Morocco, with representatives of rival bus companies manically trying to sell me a ticket and grab hold of my luggage. When eventually I got on a bus I discovered a marketplace atmosphere, with people of all ages streaming up and down the aisle offering everything from food to pirate DVDs.

The diet of Bruce Willis continued unabated throughout Ecuador, but there was something else to distract me from the country’s magnificent succession of snow-capped volcanoes. Near the beginning of almost every journey, after most of the vendors had gone, some generally well dressed person would stand up to address the passengers. Their leisurely introductions, filled invariably with reflections about the human spirit, made you believe at first that you were being harangued by some proselytising sect, while in fact you were being confronted by another and more sophisticated type of salesman, selling usually anti-ageing cream, homeopathic medicine or volumes of an encyclopedia. Some incorporated quizzes into their act, and even stand-up comedy routines. Nearly all displayed powers of oratory that held you under their spell.

It was not until I reached Peru that my mind as a passenger became increasingly fixed on the state of the roads I was on. Bus travel in Ecuador had been far too easy, with well graded, well surfaced roads, and services so frequent and obliging that you could hail a bus anywhere along the main thoroughfares without having to wait for more than 15 minutes. In Peru I could have had an easier time had I stuck to the coastal routes, which were served by ultra-luxury buses featuring fully reclining leather chairs and airline-style treatment. However, I was determined to keep as much as possible to the Andes, which meant following a meandering network of back roads in the middle of the Andean rainy season.

I began my Peruvian adventures on an over-filled bus seemingly held together by tape. From the hot and dusty lowland centre of Piura, with its confusion of taxis, motorised rickshaws and rundown, privately owned bus stations, I travelled to the distant mountain town of Chachapoyas, a place so remote that a nearby waterfall was identified only in 2006 as being the third tallest in the world. The main overland route took ages, but entailed largely asphalted roads. My true hardships began only on the return journey. Not wishing to go back the same way I had come, I was delighted to hear of a twice-weekly bus that would set me on my way to Cajamarca, where Pizarro’s conquest of Peru had begun. The bus was due to set off at five in the morning, and — if I was lucky — would cover a distance of just 100 miles by around 10 that night.

The road, a continuous dirt track barely wider than the small and inevitably battered bus, had to climb two passes of about 14,000 feet, and descend in between all the way down to the tropical Marañón river. I lost my nerve soon after beginning the first descent. The clouds had parted to reveal the road ahead as an exposed ledge clinging to a sheer drop. Mud and landslides frequently had us tilt at a precarious angle, and occasionally obliged the male passengers to get out and remove stones or push. Then one of the tyres exploded. To the sounds of brakes and screams the bus came abruptly to a halt inches before the precipice.

Predictably there was no spare, though this did not appear to bother the driver. Calmly he removed the inner tube, located the puncture, and cut out an old piece of rubber to cover it. He then pumped up the tyre, which exploded again. The process was repeated a couple of times until the tyre appeared to hold, though — as one of the passengers fatalistically commented — the likelihood of its giving way yet again was extremely high. The rest of the journey was like a recreation of the film Wages of Fear, with a climax of terror reached as we zigzagged up the second pass in dense fog and pouring rain, with the night rapidly falling, and the driver using one of his hands constantly to wipe the windscreen.

From that time onwards in Peru I was tempted to do what bus drivers invariably did at the start of any trip: make the sign of the cross. Fortunately, by the time I reached Bolivia, the dry season had begun, and a long-awaited replacement to what guidebooks always refer to as “the world’s most dangerous road” (from the high Andes down to the jungles of Las Yungas) had just opened. It was none the less with a cheery sense of having emerged alive that I left Bolivia for Argentina, and entered a world of secure roads, safety regulations and well maintained buses that provided unlimited cups of free coffee, curtained-off sleeping facilities, and even films in which Bruce Willis did not appear.

The main challenges facing me as I headed towards South America’s southernmost tip were caused by the onset of what threatened to be an extremely severe winter. Bus services, ever more infrequent, were often suspended by poor weather, and did not exist at all after April along Argentina’s celebrated Route 40, which skirts the Andes all the way from the Bolivian border down to the very end of Patagonia’s largely uninhabited wastes. Thanks to an extraordinarily complex series of often split-second timings involving interminably protracted border stops and even the odd ferry, I crisscrossed my way down the mountainous Argentinean-Chilean frontier, and was even able to enjoy, in sub-zero but brilliantly blue conditions, a long stretch of Chile’s Carretera Austral, a final continuation of the Pan-American Highway that peters out amid fjords, forests and glaciers.

But however much I wanted never to lose sight of the Andes, the limitations of winter transport forced me endlessly to return to the interminably straight roads of Patagonia’s unchanging flat and empty pampas. The buses themselves became ever less frequented, so that finally even the showing of films was suspended for lack of anyone to watch them. Seated on my own on the top of double-deckers, at times for up to 30 hours at a stretch, I found myself engrossed by the powerful effects created by the hyper-real clarity of the light. And I thought how metaphorically fitting it was that my long journey, begun in the heat and vibrancy of the tropics, should now be nearing its end like this — in the middle of winter, and alone.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/2982738/Bus-travel-in-South-America-Thrills-and-spills-in-the-Andes.html

Seriously, what is with horror films being shown on buses? Mexico is the worst for this.

Also, his descriptions of the Peruvian bus journey from hell reminds me of the worst 6 hours of my life, stuck on a bus about 2cm from certain death in the Mexican copper canyons. Never again! :cry:

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
:argh: So jealous! That sounds spectacular.

I'm currently waiting to hear about a job that would have me living in Cusco, Peru for a year starting January. Fingers and toes crossed!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Unfortunately I didn't get it. Which is fair does, because they were advertising for someone with 1years travel industry experience, which I don't have. Still, they recommended I go for the tour leader job, which I might at some point.

And because I didn't get it, am now thinking about pushing my spring 2010 Central America trip forwards to February 2009, looking at guides and flight prices as we speak!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

DustingDuvet posted:

That sucks, i am sorry to hear you did not get it. What company was it with? Over the past few years I have bookmarked a bunch of internship opportunities fro Gringos in Latin America. A lot of these companies/organizations are also hiring people for full-time jobs. Let me know what type of job you are looking for and I will see if I find anything that may interest you.

Either way, a trip through Central America should be great. Keep us updated on your plans!

It was with Tucan Travel, they've got a lot of Latin America based tours, so I may well end up working for them in the future. I guess I'll see whether I like Central America enough to guide there for a year or two!

I would like to hear about ALL of the opportunities you've noted down. Frankly, as long as it involves using my Spanish, earning enough to live on and me living abroad, I'm interested. I've been haunting gumtree for about 2 years now, but it's rarely Latin American related jobs.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

DustingDuvet posted:

I have heard of that company before. Let me know what your email is and I will send you my bookmarks file.

Cool cool, it's sapusscat@googlemail.com. Thanks!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Just wanted to say: awesome choice. The Galapagos Islands are absolutely amazing and are probably the best place I've ever been to. Make sure you choose a longer cruise - over 7 days, preferably even a couple more. Definitely not the 3-4 day ones as you hardly get to go anywhere. Smaller boats are better, but the rooms are obviously smaller and maybe not so romantic for a honeymoon. But the advantage of having only a small group outweighs any disadvantages.

I went on the Samba with https://www.angermeyercruises.com and highly recommend it. (Hot showers, oh so nice!) I highly recommend seeing Isabela and Fernandina. Take lots of suncream as the sun is really strong, even on overcast days. Also, I'd highly recommend a waterproof camera, I used an Olympus one that took some great shots of turtles and penguins while we were snorkelling. It even survived being dropped onto the shallow floor of a volcano cone (Devil's Crown) and just lurked there until I realised and swam back to pick it up.

Quito is alright. Some nice churches to see. There's the old town and the new town. Definitely stay in the old town and go for a little wonder. I probably wouldn't spend too long there, but if you did want to add in another day, you can always go visit Mitad del Mundo - the equator site (which is actually in the wrong place, but there's another site actually on the equator).

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Hey, I didn't do the Amazon, but I did cover bits of 6 countries in South America. I'm a girl and I travelled with my mum - at the time aged 20, mum aged 49. We never felt threatened or in danger. The worst we got were a lot of stares, what with us both being so pasty white and having blue eyes. It's quite a macho culture, so it wouldn't be surprising if a guy yelled "hey beautiful" at you, but that's about it.

The only advice I'd give is the same I'd give for any place in the world: don't flash your cash or valuables and try not to wander into any really dodgy looking areas. Also, try to learn some of the language - it improves the experience by an unquantifiable amount.

It'll be a fantastic experience! If you're not going to the dorms route, bear in mind that many places will only manage two, maybe three beds to a room, so you'll probably have to split into two. I'd also advise that you are really sure that you can bear spending X amount of time with all of your companions. The good thing about a 4 is that you split into two twos, but try to make sure that you all have common ideas about what you want to get out of the trip. If one of you wants to visit all the good museums and the others all think it's deathly boring, then that's a potential problem.

(Bit off topic, but from one girl to another, I would HIGHLY recommend that you and your friends get on one of the contraceptive pills that you can take consecutively. Having your period when you're travelling about all over the place is a bit of a nightmare. It's also inconvenient having to worry about packing all that stuff, as it's unlikely that you'll find your favourite brand or style in the shops over there.)

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Man A:

Speaking Spanish is a fantastic way to get the most out of your trip, and if you're any good people will be genuinely amazed and excited by you speaking to them in their language. It also makes getting from A to B soooo much easier - and haggling is more fun as well!

I actually specialise in selling Peru and Ecuador, but it is high end so I'm probably not very useful for helping out with backpacker costings. However, I would just say beware of trying to cram too much into too little time. Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia in 2 months? It's a HUGE place and not only is there a lot to see within each country, there's are some really big distances if you're not flying.

I think that you can kiss Galapagos goodbye - cruises are super expensive. The first time I went was 2 years ago, when the $ was 2:1 to the £ (so super cheap to travel) and it still cost me nearly $2000 for 7 nights on the cheapest boat. You've also got your airfare ($400~), transit control card ($10) and national park entrance fee ($100).

The Amazon is also expensive to get to and stay in, but there might be some more backpacker style options that I don't know about, so you'll have to look into that. One thing that I am constantly reminding my clients is that you go to the Amazon for the Amazon experience, not because you are guaranteed to see tons of animals every day. So don't go there with a massive check list expecting to tick it all off.

Cuenca is absolutely poo poo on a Sunday - completely closed up, so avoid being there then. It's an ok city, pretty, but nothing super special unless you like buying Panama hats (which I do!).

Banos - keep an eye on this before you travel. The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office are currently advising against all travel to the area as good old nearby Tungarahua volcano is rumbling again. When it gets going it can cause serious landslides etc. In fact, when I went to Banos 2 years ago I ended up having to hike over a mountain with a 20kg backpack because a landslide had blocked off the road in to the town (and I am not a fit hiking person).

Machu Picchu is pretty cool, and if you don't do the Inca Trail then climb up Huayna Picchu for some amazing views looking down on Machu Picchu. Steep and slippery climb, takes about 2hours to go up and back again and access is limited to 400 people split over 2 time slots - so you have to go early morning to bag a slot.

Lima is pretty drat boring and I wouldn't spend more than a night there. If you are there for longer, the coast is quite pretty but I think a trip to the Erotic Pottery section of the Larco Herrera museum is a must.

Foodwise, you have to try guinea pig just to say you did - but it doesn't taste any good. Alpaca on the other hand is delicious and should be eaten at every opportunity (llama is not good, so avoid that).

Security wise just don't flash your camera about, keep your money stashed in various places around your body. Shoulder bags that you can hang just in front of your body are much easier to keep an eye on than backpacks. Scan copies of all your important documents and email them to yourself and family. I also have colour photo copies but if you have a copy on email, even if all your stuff gets nicked you can still download a makeshift copy.

Finally, in Peru you do need to bear in mind the altitude as people do get sick so it's really important to slowly ramp up, acclimatising, rather than flying in from sea level and then doing the Inca Trail. Drink lots of water and coca tea - which tastes like poo poo but does seem to help a little.

Whatever you do I'm sure that you will have an amazing time.

For everyone: my top tip for travelling is to get a little USB multi card reader. This is great because when you're trying to upload lots of photos in some lovely internet cafe, you don't really want to have your camera on display hooked up to the computer where someone could easily nab it. Also, the card reader seems to be a lot faster. Took one on my last two trips and I'm never going back to cables - so much easier!

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
^^^^

Sounds like you were lucky enough to just miss all the flooding in Machu Picchu.

For anyone else who is travelling to Machu Picchu, the word that we are getting from our guys out there is that they are having to redo large sections of the train tracks in to Aguas Calientes and that it'll be unusable for another 7-8 weeks. We're pretty wary of this and not even considering booking clients to travel out there until May. Just something to bear in mind if you're heading to Peru in the near future.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
^^^^

I changed currency into Costa Rican colones. If I remember right, the cash point in Manuel Antonio is actually not in town and you have to either taxi/bus/or slog it up the hill to find this bank seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I think it's near the old passenger plane restaurant, if that helps. In La Fortuna I think there were a few banks with ATMs.

The public buses are fine and generally much cheaper than any tourist service. For example there's a tourist shuttle from Tortuguero to La Fortuna which was $45, I did it by public bus (admittedly 7 bus changes) and it cost under half of that.

However, one thing to bear in mind: the roads in CR are poo poo. Really poo poo. Prepare to have the life bumped out of you.

Manuel Antonio is pretty drat touristy (as is Costa Rica in general), but I actually really enjoyed the national park and saw loads of stuff there. Go early in the morning. Lots of the bars/restaurants have good happy hour cocktail deals if you're looking to drink.

Also, don't get your hopes up about seeing Arenal volcano - it was one of the top things on my list to see in Central America, explosions etc. but it was shrouded by cloud both nights I was there, and according to the locals it's pretty commonly unseeable.

In La Fortuna there is an amazing hot river; rather than go in the expensive hot springs, ask a taxi driver to take you to the hot river where the locals go and enjoy it for free. A bit of a scramble to get in, but lovely once you're there.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

John Adams posted:

I am currently planning to spend 10 days in Peru this June thanks to this thread! I'm looking to spend a majority of my time in the vicinity of Cusco. It's going to be my first time travelling alone internationally, so I'm quite excited! I might be travelling with a friend of mine, but they are not sure on that yet.

Any advice that has not already been posted in here yet, or any Peru/Lima/Cusco specific advice would be appreciated!

Definitely take a good few days in Cusco before you start doing any trekking as you need to be careful to acclimatise. Try coca tea, tastes like poo poo but helps with altitude sickness.

If you are doing the Inca Trail you will need to prebook as there are only 500 permits a day and they sell out fast.

If you are in the Sacred Valley then try to hit Chinchero market on a Sunday.

If you're not doing the Inca Trail, stay the night in Machu Picchu and go to the ruins early morning or late afternoon, when most daytrippers are arriving/leaving by train.

If you're doing some souvenir shopping in Cusco expect to haggle a lot.

Get a taxi or join a tour that goes up to Sacsayhuaman - pretty cool massive Inca site with ridiculously large stones.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
If you are pushed for weight then a good tip for guidebooks is to hack out the parts you don't need (i.e. not travelling to Venezuela? Cut it out) and then tear out places after you've been through and no longer need the info. I usually carry a tiny craft knife to make this easier.

If you think about it you're probably not going to use the guidebook again, and if you were going to go back to South America then you'd probably want the new edition. (Note: I went to Central America in Feb 2009 with a new Footprint that had been released in...Feb 2009 and the info was already out of date, particularly hotel prices).

This way you are not lugging about a brick of a book with a load of useless information. Also, never buy your guidebooks in a bookshop, Amazon usually has them for around half the RRP price.

Too Fresh - I think 30 days in Ecuador might be a little too long. I think you might struggle to fill that time, unless you're planning on going to the Galapagos and hanging around in an attempt to get on a last minute cruise. If you're looking for ideas of things to see in Ecuador/Peru then give me a shout.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
Any of you guys been to Paraguay recently?

I'm getting to go on an all expenses paid trip in 2 weeks (I love love love my job in the travel industry!), but I have a couple of questions:

Currency - I know it's the guarani. Should I order some from a bank here or just take USD and change when I'm there? [I'm only going for 10 days]

Power plugs - 2 flat pins or 2 round pins?

Temperature wise - anybody been there in May? Weather websites are saying mid 20s and around the 10s for nightime (celsius).

Any particularly good souvenirs? Local handicrafts etc?


Also - Venezuela. Incredible country but my god the planes are the worst. I have travelled a lot in Latin America but never have I had to keep my eye on the screens so much as with those domestic flights (I took 8 internal flights in my trip there. ARGH!) - they just kept changing gate with no annoucements, despite having staff standing at the check in desks.

If people are in Merida in the 2 weeks in the run up to Christmas then an absolute must is to attend the ridiculous Carretas. They basically shut down a major road and throw a massive party. People make their own go karts from pieces of wood, and there are some mega trains designed to carry up to 100 people. You then hurtle down this hill with only a wooden stick as a break. I nearly broke my foot when one of the mega karts ran over me. Ridiculously dangerous but hilarious.

I've got loads of Venezuela advice if anyone needs it.

Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?
A bit in Asuncion, Filadefia (Chaco), Encarnacion, Ciudad del Este and across to Iguazu Falls.

I guess I need to find some lightweight, breathable smart clothes for the business parts!

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Pusscat
Apr 1, 2005

What's new, Pusscat?

masterfly posted:

Would anyone be able to recommend any interesting train rides in Ecuador? Seeing as the one in Riobamba is gone, what else is there that's considered relatively exciting? Destinations can be anywhere, really. I've only seen Guayaquil and now I'm currently in Cuenca.

I've asked around and people don't seen to know anything. I haven't taken a train ride on this trip yet and I'm getting the itch!

I expect that this is probably a bit late for you, but just in case...

There are lots of train options in Ecuador besides the Devil's Nose (supposed to be up and running again by October, but looking increasingly unlikely).

Around Guayaquil there is the recently restored Duran - Yaguachi steam train. Weekends only if I remember rightly.

There's also the Quito - Latacunga train which runs through Cotopaxi.

Another, more touristy train is up in the northern regions. It's called the Chaski Antawa Messenger train and it toddles along from Ibarra to Salinas. If you're looking for somewhere nice but not too expensive to stay in the region try Hosteria Pantavi.

This is the offical trains website to check stuff on: http://www.ferrocarrilesdelecuador.gob.ec/

Hope that's useful!

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