sexta-feira, 26 de fevereiro de 2016

South America trails - part 1/2

     Many English speaking and north European young travelers follow the routes and suggestions of some guide books, like the Lonely Planet, when visiting South America. I will not follow any guide book but I will enumerate the best spots to visit/activities to participate in. You can do it in a different order or leave some places out. The possibilities are numerous!
     This was in fact my first long travel as a truly backpacker and the following report describes the highlights and the do’s and don’ts of such a trip, and is dedicated to my nephew J.M.T.R. who once expressed his wish to travel through that magnificent continent.
     On planning such a long trip is essential of course to consider: how much time you have; how much money you have to spend on it; priority places to visit; the time of the year; safety aspects (avoid war zones and/or areas under social conflicts); health and food aspects; and other things…

        Don’t forget to take with you: sleeping kit for public transports and some hostels (should include: neck pillow, ear plugs, eye blind, duct tape – very useful to cover bus speakers that are always too loud and never have quality sound – …); Swiss knife or equivalent (remember to store it with the luggage, and not in the hand-luggage, when traveling by airplane); flip-flops (to rest your feet & use in the showers); fork & spoon & cup/dish (you’ll never know when you’ll need to prepare your own food; I, myself, planed to do camping so I took a mountain stove and bought locally a little gas can; fast cooking pasta soup is available on mini-supermarkets); first aid kit (should include at least: band aids, Compeed for heals & toes, aspirin, Brufen, digestive pills/salts, antiseptic, cotton & Betadine, diarrhea & constipation pills); headlamp; batteries (check your batteries are charged); pen and paper; a book; photo/video camera; batteries charger; voltage adapters (check it at http://mochileros.org/enchufe-voltaje-frecuencia-viajes/); small locker (some hostels provide room for backpack storage or phone charger, but you’ll need a lock); nécessaire/toiletry bag (include: brush and tooth paste, small soap, shampoo sachets, toilet paper and ‘humid towels’); water, cookies/cereal bars (you may wake up in a place and have no breakfast at hand); take enough money, several currencies, split it and hide it well on your body (remember you have to declare amounts of money superior to 10.000 USD, but you will never need this much).

        Remember, before your trip: check your passport is valid for more than six months after the date you are supposed to return home; get informed about vaccines needed on the countries (or areas of the countries) you want to visit; cut your hair & nails if you are going to be out for longer than one month. Also, at some borders (Chile, Argentina…) your luggage will be examined: remember to declare any food items you are carrying which are listed on their regulations (like meat, plants and seeds, cheese…).
        You will have the sensation that you are carrying too much weight and, at the same time, that you would need to pack some more stuff: do not take too much clothes (3 t-shirts, 2 underwear shorts, 1 swimming suit is enough), you’ll be able to wash them and/or buy new (cheap); one pair if soft boots or sport shoes and one flip-flops or sandals.


        10 Basic Rules of a traveler (valid for most Latin American countries):

        #1 Have a plan A (even if rough) and a plan B; and even a plan C, for your routes (you’ll have to do changes on your original plan not to get stuck on a small village waiting for the next bus, or because you are tired or got sick…). In short, be flexible.

        #2 Always carry your full travelling kit next to you (you will be doing long trips on buses or airplanes, and sharing rooms with other/foreign people).

        #3 Never accept the first offer (this is especially valid for accommodation, buses and taxis): always look for more and compare prices and conditions.

        #4 Never believe at first the information people give to you (especially in Peru-Bolivia-Ecuador where people are very ignorant & careless): ask again and again to confirm any relevant information.

        #5 Avoid reserve (tours and accommodation) from a distance (by phone or internet): except some cases (like the ‘Inca Trail’ tour and the ‘Wayna Picchu’ access, where the entrance is limited and book with months in advance is needed) you will get a better deal locally and directly, preferably with those that run the tour (avoid intermediates).

        #6 Do not look for tourist offices (unless you just need a local map): these are often closed (in Peru and Bolivia they’ll send you to the ‘tourist police’ which is not the same thing) or on the hands of bureaucrats who are not experts and/or do not care. Go better to travel agencies and get informed as if you were to take part of the tour (but remember they’ll try to sell you their tour). You can get a city map (and information about spots, markets, and so on) on your hostel.

        #7 Expect poor conditions (especially in Bolivia where they have the saying: “everything is possible; nothing is granted”): better to be positively surprised than disappointed. And be patient: transportation is seldom on time (sometimes there is no timetable) but is regular; roads are not like you are used to; on computer keyboards the @ sign is often under Alt+Q (although it shows there next to the 2) and all other signs (like: ?, &, / …) are all mixed up!

        #8 Avoid arriving on Sundays: many official institutions (tourist office, post office, banks) are closed; also check out for local holydays.

        #9 Be prepared to abandon (give away) some old clothes & equipment: you can buy some cheap stuff locally (shoes, t-shirts, razor blade, soap…); you will find spots (hostels, cafes, stores) to leave or exchange books.

        #10 Always keep an eye on your luggage: at the bus terminal (sometimes you will have to give your bag away) watch it until the personnel puts it inside the bus; when traveling, give it a look when they open the trunks, in case there are strangers around (if possible choose your seat at the same side of the luggage trunks).
 

Highlights:
 
          Ecuador (5 regions: Galapagos islands, coastal lowlands, Andean highlands, Amazon rainforest)
- Galapagos islands (I know the trip is expensive and that nature and iguanas are to be seen, but I have no idea)
 - Jungle tour (best to book it in Quito; minimum 3 days, costs above 250 UDS)
 - Hot springs: being the best at Baños de Agua Santa and Papallacta, among others…
Cuenca, Riobamba, Quito, Otavalo (market and Cuicocha crater)

 (Ica) (Huaraz)


 (Riobamba) (Quito)


(Quito)



(Otavalo)








 (Cuicocha, Otavalo)


Peru
- Cusco: Machu Picchu and the Inca trail; Moray Inca ruin; Inca's sacret valley
- Puno: Titikaka lake and the artificial islands
- Arequipa: Nasca (not worthwhile if not seen from over 500 meters; if including airplane tour becomes very expensive); Colca canyon (best spot to watch condors; includes hot springs; long drive; a bit expensive); rafting (1 hour down river, 40 minutes away from the city); El Misti volcano (a few minutes from the city; don’t do it if you don’t have experience or if you are not fit)
- Lima: visit cerro San Cristóbal; the Plaza the Armas and the Miraflores neighborhood in front of the beach (for me this noisy city is just a stop-over on your way to somewhere else)
- Ica (3 hours south of Lima): sandboarding & buggy tour
- Huaraz: trekkings, mountains and lagoons, are the attractions (look for a smaller village to stay since Huaraz is just an uggly starting point)

 (Cusco) (Puno, Titikaka)
 (Lima) (Puno)

 (Lima) (Machu Picchu) 








(Arequipa)

       Bolivia
- La Paz: death road by bike (a must); mountains (Huayna Potosi, 6.088 mts., is the icon, and trekkings); Chakaltaya (the old ski resort) + Moon Valley (landscapes, very good mountain experience of 20 minutes walk for beginners; drive through town to the south side; very inexpensive); use the red cable car to watch the city;
- Santa Cruz: haven’t been there but I heard people are really nice and different there.
- Uyuni: salted desert tour (3 days tour - or 4 days if included volcano ascent – this one, little above 4.000 mts. is recommended for people with little mountain experience) is a must (prices very affordable, book locally from 700 to 900 bolivianos, about 100 to 120 usd; 1USD=7Bob; expect some disconfort)



 (La Paz)

        Chile
- S. Pedro de Atacama (hot springs, desert and lakes tours)
- Antofagasta
- Valparaiso (beach resort)
- Santiago de Chile (cerro Santiago)
- Pucón (Villarica lake and volcano)
- Chiloé island (typical fishermen houses)
- Torres del Paine National Park

 (Santiago Chile) (Atacama)






(Villarica)


Argentina
- The clouds train (from Salta, 217km)
- Iguaçu waterfalls
- San Rafael
- Mendoza
- 7 lakes route (Bariloche, Villa la angostura, Arrayanes National Park…)
- Valdez Peninsula (whales, penguins and sea lions watching)
- Los Glaciares National Park (Fitz Roy, El Chaltén…)

(Patagónia, volcano & lakes)
 
Next, on part 2: 'South America trails – my route' ...

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