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Tetrix posted:I am awaiting answers to iamking's questions and I also have a few: 1. Yes, you can travel South America as a novice. If you think about it, traveling is easy. All you need is to find a place to sleep and eat. If you get lost in the city, you can always get in a taxi and show the driver the business card for your hostel. The actual traveling part is pretty easy as well. You get to the bus station and people will approach you to ask where you are going and they point you in the right direction. Its also so easy to meet other travelers in hostels that you can easily find a travel partner. I figure that what i just wrote is what makes most new travelers worried the most. But traveling is easy and anyone can do it. 2. Technically you can. But the answer is no and i cannot imagine why would you want to do that? Do you really believe that this is the only chance in your life that you have to travel in South America?
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Jun 8, 2008 20:10
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If it helps your planning, I think 2 days is enough for Iguazu. The bus from there to Buenos Aires is overnight.quote:I have traveled in Ecuador for 2 1/2 months, Colombia for 1 month, and Bolivia for 1 1/2 months so let me know if you have any questions about backpacking in those countries. Were you ever worried about your bus driving off a cliff? Apparently it's relatively common in the Andes.
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Jun 9, 2008 18:13
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dontpanic posted:If it helps your planning, I think 2 days is enough for Iguazu. The bus from there to Buenos Aires is overnight. I often see crosses with a few flowers on the sides of the highways that show where people died. What seems to be more dangerous is that the roads from city to city consist of two lanes (one going in each direction). Many bus drivers will try to pass slow vehicles by driving into opposing traffic which has made for many very close calls where we almost collided head on. Its far worse in Bolivia or Peru though. When i get home in a few months iīll post some videos of what the highway driving is like since there are sharp curves every 5-10 seconds on many roads.
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Jun 15, 2008 05:23
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I went to Peru for a week to meet my girlfriend's parents, not as a backpacker and here is what I thought. I had lots of fun, but it wasn't the culture shock I thought it would be(my first time out of the US aside from cruise tours in the caribean). Maybe I was expecting natives in loin cloths, but what I got was lots of traffic, people, and noise that all had spanish accents. 1st 2 days: Lima. Went to the American embassy to handle some bidness. Got threatened by Men With Machine Guns when I took pictures of the building. Visited Mar Di Copas and ate a hearty lunch of all the parts of the animal we throw away in this country. Did some other "essentials" shopping like pirate CD's and DVD's and apparently underwear. 3rd and 4th days: Caught a ride to the Pan-American Highway and thumbed down a bus to go to Pisco and Paracas. Pisco was a dump and Paracas was quite pretty. Never buy a tour. Just jump in a cab and offer the guy a few soles to guide you around. Was a fantastic guide, took us to a great ceviche restaurant, and basically showed us lots of cool places with only 2 or 3 times almost driving over a cliff. The only scheduled tour we took was to go see sealions and penguins which was very cool. Bring a hat with a wide brim that you never want to see again. Then we hitched back to Pisco and thumbed down a bus to go back to Peru. FYI, don't eat the mussels. Tore me up for the rest of the trip and I can eat 4 week old rancid meat without a problem. 5th day: Went to the market and downtown. It was drat cool. I wish we had markets like that here with with fruits and chickens and fish and cows and all sorts of poo poo. the only place that comes within a hundred miles of this experience is Jungle Jims in Cincinatti,OH. The only -eum type place I would pay to get in was the main cathedral. It was incredible. Unfortunately Superman was on a space mission when we stopped by the Palace of Justice. Also, there were riots then so we couldn't get into several places near the main square. 6th day: Try the guinea pig! It's like greasier dark meat chicken. Or if you've ever had squirrel, it's like that. We went to a country restaurant which was a neat experience. It's like going to the fair here complete with rides. And then we SALSA! Nothing beats salsa'ing to a live band. Starts at midnight, goes til 6AM. Pisco sours are good, but for the money I would stick with beer. I noticed that mixed drinks anywhere in Lima\Paracas would cost double what they cost in america(taking into account the exchange rate) where as beer was cheaper than water. If you want to go out earlier, there is an irish pub in the avenue of pizza that played American rock, complete with wierd accent-less english singing. And on the 7th day, we rested. Actually we went home. Obviously there is lots of stuff I left out like shooting pool and seeing all the posers with thier gloves and clip on chalks that couldn't drop a ball. Or mixing up my spanish and apparently trying to pick up shopkeepers because of it. Or finding out cold drinks cost more than room temperature drinks. Or the seranade on a combe. Or hell, the combe themselves. Nothing says fun like a Volkswagon van that has 22 people crammed in it. Chicha is very good. My girlfriends mom makes it. Also, the Malta beer has a very unique flavor. All in all, Lima was cool adn I had a great time, but its a big city and frankly I can find everything there in other big cities closer to home. Paracas and Pisco actually seemed like a different country whereas Lima seemed like Chicago with a spanish accent. But I only spent a 5 days there and lots of it was with family, so we didn't go out of our way to do the tourist thing. I guess I am saying your mileage may vary.
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Jun 16, 2008 06:50
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Hey yo I'm going to be Salvador, Brazil the entire month of August. What should I be looking to do on my free time? Guides seem to skim over the state of Bahia or give conflicting information ("this attractions sucks" vs "no that attraction is awesome"). I will be volunteering, but as I understand I will have my weekends free (possibly 3 day ones). Where is a recommended short journey? DustingDuvet I like to think of myself as an open-minded, semi-traveled person and have little qualms about most nations. But I can't help but think Colombia still as having an absurd kidnapping and crime rate. What are some of your veteran traveler safety tips and guidelines? CatchrNdRy fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Jun 24, 2008 |
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Jun 24, 2008 00:59
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I know it's not exactly South America, but my question is pretty relevant. Do any of you guys have experiences traveling Belize? I want to start my world explorations with the Americas, and I already have plenty of really good information on Mexico (and thanks to this thread, South America) but I don't really know much about Belize or the rest of Central America.
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Jun 24, 2008 03:50
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CatchrNdRy posted:DustingDuvet I like to think of myself as an open-minded, semi-traveled person and have little qualms about most nations. But I can't help but think Colombia still as having an absurd kidnapping and crime rate. What are some of your veteran traveler safety tips and guidelines? Colombia is just misunderstood to be honest. As a foreigner, unless you are a a rich businessman, a politician, or work for an oil company, than Colombia is one of the safest countries for the day to day life of a foreigner. Colombians are the friendliest bunch of people i have met and go out of their way to help people. For instance, i have had go completely out of their way to walk me to a destination i am looking for, have had many Colombians that i met act as a guide for their cities and would not let me pay for anything, etc. I really notice the differences now that I am in Peru. As for a few tips besides the ones that are common sense (dont walk down a dark alley at night, etc.): If you somehow need to walk a few blocks at night in a dangerous place, run instead of walk. Bring a bunch of credit cards (3-5) and keep one in your wallet with the rest hidden throughout your belongings. Also hide some cash in different parts of your belongings too. If you need to pull out a map or feel lost, find a quiet place maybe inside a store or right outside against the opposite side of the wall to do it. If you find yourself at a shady intersection at night, watch your back as someone can easily come up from behind to attack or mug you. In shadier area, it helps to look confident by walking somewhat fast and not looking over your shoulder every second. Some cities like Bogota are known for dangerous taxi drivers who will rob you so you should either call a friend or pretend to call someone and say something like ĻI just got into a taxi am going to 100 west drive. The taxi number is 13jh3 and the drivers name is juan carlosĻ. This information is always available in the taxi and will make the driver less likely to harm you. When you are in a crowded enough place you should keep your thumbs in your pockets to protect your wallet.
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Jun 24, 2008 18:59
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I'm going to Peru for two weeks on Thursday. The first week is pretty much booked up with the Inca Trail, but the second week is wide open. I'm thinking of either taking a bus/train to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, or catching a flight to La Paz. Any suggestions, either about those ideas or other things I could do? I've already looked into jungle trips and I'm not really feeling them.
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Jun 24, 2008 19:21
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Papercut posted:I'm going to Peru for two weeks on Thursday. The first week is pretty much booked up with the Inca Trail, but the second week is wide open. I'm thinking of either taking a bus/train to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, or catching a flight to La Paz. Any suggestions, either about those ideas or other things I could do? I've already looked into jungle trips and I'm not really feeling them. I donīt have any suggestions about places to go but keep in mind its something like over $100 for the Bolivian visa if you are American and you need certain documentation. A valid U.S. Passport is required. (must be valid at least 6 months beyond date of arrival, and contain at least one blank visa page.) One visa application form fully completed and signed. 1 Passport type Photograph. Copy of Hotel Confirmation, or letter of invitation from friends or relatives in Bolivia. Copy of Round Trip Airline Ticket or copy of travel agency/airline Itinerary. Copy of Bank Statement (copy of Credit Card also accepted). International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever is required (except for minors age under 1 year). Completed Cover Page and Credit Card Authorization forms (print from browser)
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Jun 24, 2008 23:51
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drat, my Irish passport gets me in with no visa and seemingly no other documentation, but my girlfriend is hosed (although she did go to Guatemala last summer, so maybe she has the vaccination). Thanks for the info.
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Jun 25, 2008 00:13
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DustingDuvet posted:I often see crosses with a few flowers on the sides of the highways that show where people died. What seems to be more dangerous is that the roads from city to city consist of two lanes (one going in each direction). Many bus drivers will try to pass slow vehicles by driving into opposing traffic which has made for many very close calls where we almost collided head on. Is that just something you have to deal with if you visit Bolivia or Peru?
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Jun 25, 2008 01:05
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DustingDuvet posted:Colombia is just misunderstood to be honest. As a foreigner, unless you are a a rich businessman, a politician, or work for an oil company, than Colombia is one of the safest countries for the day to day life of a foreigner. Colombians are the friendliest bunch of people i have met and go out of their way to help people. For instance, i have had go completely out of their way to walk me to a destination i am looking for, have had many Colombians that i met act as a guide for their cities and would not let me pay for anything, etc. I really notice the differences now that I am in Peru. Thanks for the advice, that is a pretty clever thing with the taxi. Back in crime ridden 80s NYC, my mom used to yell "goodbye" to a fake relative whenever that taxi would take us to the airport. Are Peruvians somewhat more closed off than most South Americans? How would you rank openness in the all places you've been?
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Jun 25, 2008 01:39
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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?
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Jun 25, 2008 17:14
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dontpanic posted:Is that just something you have to deal with if you visit Bolivia or Peru? Just Bolivia. Bolivia and Brasil are the only countries in South America I believe charge U.S. passport holders a reciprocity fee.
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Jun 25, 2008 18:14
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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!
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Jun 25, 2008 19:08
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KosherNostra posted:Just Bolivia. Bolivia and Brasil are the only countries in South America I believe charge U.S. passport holders a reciprocity fee. Hola mafioso, what I meant was is it possible to avoid dangerous mountain roads in Peru and Bolivia? It's good to know about the visa fee though.
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Jun 25, 2008 21:56
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KosherNostra posted:Just Bolivia. Bolivia and Brasil are the only countries in South America I believe charge U.S. passport holders a reciprocity fee. Paraguay also requires a visa in advance as well.
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Jun 26, 2008 02:18
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dontpanic posted:Is that just something you have to deal with if you visit Bolivia or Peru? Its something you have to deal with any Andean country including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, etc. The reason being is that its pretty difficult to build multi lane highways through the Andes, especially for developing countries. Its even worse in Bolivia where the roads are in such poor condition. You ought to look into riding a bike down the death road from La Paz to Coroico! CatchrNdRy posted:Are Peruvians somewhat more closed off than most South Americans? How would you rank openness in the all places you've been? I dont think i can really answer that question since i have only been in Peru for about 3 or 4 days and only in Lima and Cusco. But having been to Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia for a few months each i would say Colombians are the most open and friendly. They are genuinly happy to see tourists in their country and really show it. Bolivians in a way are more shy but once you get to know them they are a kind bunch. Ecuadorians are somewhere in the middle. But that still leaves most of South America whom i have not commented on and i am bias. So you are better off not listening to me. On a different note, I just got back from seeing the Machu Pichu today and it was fantastic. Tomorrow i may go bungee jumping. Come to South America and you can all do really cool stuff like that too. R2ICustomerSupport fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Jun 26, 2008 |
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Jun 26, 2008 02:30
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I am still thinking about a trip to South America in early September. I have narrowed it down that I want to do Lima, Ica, Huacachina, Machu Picchu, and then Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. I could have as much as 20 days to do all of this, and I would be staying in hostels. Does anyone have a suggested itinerary for doing this, especially one that will minimize the back and forth transportation that it would entail? The only way I could see it happening was Lima-Ica-Cuzco then back to Lima to fly to Buenos Aires, and then Buenos Aires to the Falls, stay a little while, and then back to Buenos Aires to fly home. Any tips?
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Jun 26, 2008 02:54
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I'm currently studying abroad with my university in Quito. I've been here for about a month and have a month left. Here are some things I did that I loved: - Shopping in Otavalo - Visiting la costa: Montanita is the nicest part, I think - A day at the hot springs in Papallacta ($USD 7 entrance fee, 2 dollars on the bus each way) - Mindo - Visiting la selva: this is something rather difficult to do, but I went with the university to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon and it was absolutely amazing. I would check out areas near Coca; there seemed to be other areas that might be more open to tourists than a research station. I, however, have some questions for anyone who knows a lot about Ecuador! I want to make the rest of my time count. I only get to go travel on weekends because I have classes Monday - Thursday. Any trips I do have to be between 3 PM Thursday - evening on Sunday. Because of that, it kind of sucks to have a 12 hour busride. I don't have the money to go to Baņos or go rafting; after Montanita, any trip has to be under $50 at this point. Also, I am female, which can complicate travel issues in terms of safety, though I can travel in a small group. Where else can I go that won't cost too much? Another question - having visited La Mariscal, I'd like to also check out some more traditional Ecuadorian clubs or bars, but without putting myself at too much risk (I can go with a group, but there are still areas we shouldn't go). Any names of specific bars, clubs, or general areas that have more local appeal but are still safe for gringos? Thanks!
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Jul 5, 2008 09:16
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Eucibius posted:
The one trip i would recommend taking your budget into account is to Banos. Its something like $14 round trip by bus, $4-$8 a night in a hostel, a few $ for the hot springs there, and $5 to rent a bicycle for the day to do the ride from Banos to the jungle in Puyo where you then return by bus. Any decent trip will cost over $50 because you actually need to eat, sleep, etc. Otherwise, you ought to do some touristy things in Quito (Teleferico, the church, etc.). I did not really try much nightlife outside of La Mariscal but there is a club called Blues thats pretty good and not in that area.
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Jul 6, 2008 01:43
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I'll second what DustingDuvet said. Baņos 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!
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Jul 6, 2008 09:18
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Hey, in Mid-August I'm going to go to Peru for free (my Dad needs to go on business, so he's making it a family vacation). We have a fairly packed itinerary through his company, but there is a little bit of lee-way, especially towards the end. Some questions - 1) What's the nightlife like in Cusco? From what I've read its alright, but is going out alone (I'm the only one in my family 'of age') a legitimate possibility? 2) We are also staying at Puerto Maldonado, but we have a choice of lodges there, Posada Amazonas or Reserva Amazonica. Has anyone seen either of these places? Suggestions? 3) I really want to see the Nazca(sp?) lines; how accessible are they from Lima? Is it a possible day trip, or am I going to have an excuse to come to South America again? Just as a little background, every year my father's company has a recognition celebration for their top salesmen, and it is part of his job to do a site inspection of the various hotels and attractions, this time it happens to be Peru. As much as I would like to stay in a hostel, we are actually going to be staying in pretty nice hotels (my mom would probably start crying if we stayed in a hostel or cheap hotel  ). As a basic itinerary, We're going to spend 3 days in the Sacred Valley/ Machu Pichu, 2 days in Cusco, 3 days in Puerto Maldonado, and a day in Lima. Any suggestions would be fantastic.
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Jul 8, 2008 14:14
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Jesus Is A Streaker posted:Hey, in Mid-August I'm going to go to Peru for free (my Dad needs to go on business, so he's making it a family vacation). We have a fairly packed itinerary through his company, but there is a little bit of lee-way, especially towards the end. I can offer some advice for the nightlife. In Cusco, you will want to go to Loki Hostel where they have a bar and its really easy to meet other travelers and go out to the clubs with them (Mama Africa is great). In Lima, The Point is a great hostel and they also have a bar to meet people. You do not have to stay in the hostels to go to their bars and its very normal and common to go their alone as its the same thing as being a solo traveler, which there are many. http://www.thepointhostels.com/ http://www.lokihostel.com/
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Jul 8, 2008 23:01
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Jesus Is A Streaker posted:I really want to see the Nazca(sp?) lines; how accessible are they from Lima? Is it a possible day trip, or am I going to have an excuse to come to South America again? - I'm currently in Cuzco. There were huge protests and a strike (paro nacional) today that shut down a lot of stuff, including the railway to Machu Picchu.  I'm on the last part of my trip through Ecuador and Peru and plan to spend the remaining three weeks evenly divided in Cuzco, the Lake Titicaca region (Peru only), and Lima. If anyone has advice for alternative tours or places to visit, I'd be grateful. I'm particularly interested places with a bend toward social justice, independent arts and music, and local cultures. Also, if anyone has any advice on stuff to do during the fiestas patrias in Lima, I would definitely appreciate it.
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Jul 10, 2008 03:36
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Thanks, Pusscat and DustingDuvet. I'll look into Banos and Cuenca and see about expanding my budget. This weekend I'm going to Chimborazo to ride the Devil's Nose and visit Rio Bamba. Everything I've heard about it is really nice. If I'm lucky I'll get to go through the cloudforest there and see the cascadas!
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Jul 10, 2008 03:40
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CatchrNdRy posted:Hey yo I'm going to be Salvador, Brazil the entire month of August. What should I be looking to do on my free time? Guides seem to skim over the state of Bahia or give conflicting information ("this attractions sucks" vs "no that attraction is awesome"). I see that nobody has answered your question. I am going to Salvador tomorrow for the next week so iīll give you some advice when I get back to Rio. Does anyone know of a good hostel in Salvador?
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Jul 14, 2008 19:27
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DustingDuvet posted:I see that nobody has answered your question. I am going to Salvador tomorrow for the next week so iīll give you some advice when I get back to Rio. I would be ever so grateful you walking travel-guide you. From readings it appears that Morro de São Paulo, Praia Do Forte and Itaparica are the near by highly recommended nearby spots. I think the first is party and the other two are kick back.
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Jul 14, 2008 22:06
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Eucibius posted:I went with the university to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon and it was absolutely amazing.
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Jul 17, 2008 23:16
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BUMBACLOT posted:I know it's not exactly South America, but my question is pretty relevant. Do any of you guys have experiences traveling Belize? I want to start my world explorations with the Americas, and I already have plenty of really good information on Mexico (and thanks to this thread, South America) but I don't really know much about Belize or the rest of Central America. I hope I'm not too late, but I spent a day or two in Belize City. I don't know much about the city so I can't tell you much. I didn't find it particularly exciting, but this may be do to the fact I was with my family. What I can tell you, though, is that Costa Rica is where you should be going. I just got back from a month travelling there and it was amazing. Also, the island of Roaton (sp?) off of Honduras is gorgeous. I have also heard good things about Guatemala City. I would probably avoid Nicaragua. Panama is supposed to be nice, especially Bocas del Toro. I wanted to go there but didn't make it any further south than Puerto Viejo. I don't really know anything about El Salvador, sorry. I would highly suggest Costa Rica. I can get more in depth about it if anyone would like. DustingDuvet, I couldn't help but to chuckle at the website of The Point hostel you've mentioned. On the spanish language version, 'The Point' isn't translated. I wish it said something like 'Vengan y Quedense en La Punta'. mCpwnage fucked around with this message at 10:02 on Jul 19, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 09:54
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As a high school graduation gift, my dad and I traveled to Peru for two weeks. We spent the first week in the south traveling around Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Very nice, but I'm sure you all have already heard enough about that area. If you want to see photos, I have a Flickr set of the trip to southern Peru. The only thing I have to say is when visiting Machu Picchu, don't spend the night at Aguas Caliente. It would have been possible to take the train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, climb Huayna Picchu, explore the ruins and hike to the Inca bridge and be back in Ollantaytambo or Cusco all in the same day. We didn't plan the second week, so after reading the guidebooks and talking with tourists in the area, we decided to head north and visit Chiclayo and Chachapoyas. We're both history and archeology fans, so we mostly focused on visiting ruins. Day 1 Visited the Sican, Bruning and Tombs of Sipan museums. Sican and Bruning weren't very interesting, but the Sipan museum was amazing. The entire museum is devoted to the excavation of a single tomb, object by object. It was more like an art museum than anything. Also visited the site of Tucume, a massive complex of adobe pyramids and platforms. A thousand years of erosion have melted the bricks, but the structures are still recognizable.  About a third of the Tucume buildings, as seen from the only natural hill for miles. All of the mounds in the picture are the remains of pyramids.  A Viringo, an ancient breed of (mostly) hairless dog that was in steep decline a few years back. Several of the museums in the area keep these dogs on site. Day 2 I got hit by a bad case of Atahualpa's revenge. It was a hell of a lot worse than I thought it would be, due to the really bad dizziness and headache in addition to the classical symptom. I decided to stay in the hotel room and rest for the bus ride later that day while my dad explored the city. He says the witch market with various potions and animal parts for sale is an interesting visit. At 7:30 we got on the overnight bus to Chachapoyas. Day 3 We arrived around 4am, checked in to our hotel and went to sleep. We woke up around 8 to try to visit some sites, but were informed that the road out of town closes down every morning at 6 for construction. We made arrangements for the next two days, then caught a cab to Levanto, a pleasant nearby village. The cab dropped us off at Yelape, a very overgrown set of ruins. We poked around for a while then walked to Levanto. After hanging around in the plaza for a bit, we walked back to Chachapoyas on a pre-Inca stone trail. The trail has seen heavy use ever since its construction and was pretty eroded. Fantastic views along the way, a 3 hour downhill walk to the road then uphill on a paved highway back to Chachas. My dad sprained his ankle, so we caught a pickup back to town once we hit the road.  Levanto's Plaza  Horses tied up near the trail Day 4 We went to Kuelap, the main attraction in the region and what drew us here in the first place. It's a three hour trip each way from Chachapoyas, and we went with two other tourists and a guide around 5:30am. We stopped briefly to view Macro, a cliffside city before slowly ascending a scary but beautiful road to Kuelap. It's a fortress city built on top of a 50 foot tall platform designed to look like part of a natural ridge. We took the standard route around the fortress, then up a set of stairs onto the platform. The fortress is about half a kilometer long, so we spent plenty of time wandering around and looking at the buildings, carvings and interior walls. After the fortress, we had a late lunch in a village on the way back before returning to Chachapoyas around sunset.  The wall surrounding the fortress  Details on an interior wall  Someone was filming a commercial at the ruins Day 5 Another very early morning to beat the construction. After a two hour drive and a half hour walk, we arrived at Karajia, a set of painted cliffside tombs shaped to look like famous warriors and crowned with the skulls of their enemies. Looters have long since removed gold and artifacts, and the archaeologists got the mummies. Very  and one of the highlights of the trip. There was still plenty of time, so we visited Pueblo de los Muertos, another set of cliff tombs. These were a short but difficult (one of the other tourists with us this day broke her ankle) hike down a hill then across a narrow ledge built to support the tombs. The tombs and the way the Chachapoyan culture built them into the cliffs were amazing, as were the carvings in the walls and the human bones still scattered around the site.  Looking back at the tombs  A jawbone sitting on the cliff The tourist who broke her ankle said it was only a minor sprain that didn't hurt badly, so we decided to head to one more tomb site, whose name I can't remember. It's near the towns of Lamud and Luya and down a road currently torn up for sewer construction, but that's all I can remember. Bring a tripod and a good set of binoculars (I left my tripod in the truck ) because these are only visible across a valley unless you've brought rappelling gear. Four of the twenty or so sarcophagi visible in the valley. And with that, our trip to Peru was over, except for a twelve hour ride back to Chiclayo then a flight to Lima. The rest of the photos from the north are in another Flickr set. The only problem we had was the difficulty of visiting ruins independently. Kuelap would have been possible by taking a series of minibuses, but Karajia would have been very difficult. Pueblo de los Muertos is locked to prevent looting, and a key obtainable from the local cultural office is th only way in. For those two days, we ended up going with a group for about $20 per person including transportation, guide, tickets and food. Food and hotels are a lot cheaper than in the south for the same levels of quality. Private and public transportation is cheap but dangerous and slow. If you're planning a trip to Peru or Ecuador, I highly recommend visiting the Chachapoyas area and the rest of northern Peru. We didn't have time to visit Cajamarca in the mountains or Trujillo on the coast, but heard very good things from all the backpackers we met. There are ruins and ancient cities much larger and more spectacular than Kuelap in the jungles and mountains to the west of Chachapoyas. If you have the time, it's possible to hike in and spend a day to several weeks exploring them. A bit south of we were and easily reachable by bus are Revash and Leymebamba. Revash is another cliffside tomb complex, similar to Pueblo de los Muertos but larger and in better shape. There's a museum in Leymebamba with a few hundred mummies found in the region, as well as the artifacts looters missed. Gocta waterfall is another sight, either the third or the fourteenth highest in the world and surrounded by caves that still have mummies lying in them. It was visible way off in the distance from Pueblo de los Muertos and would make an interesting day trip.
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Jul 19, 2008 21:21
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These pictures are great, thanks for sharing. What would you say the Peruvian locals were like? I keep hearing how aloof they are as compared to most of South America.
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Jul 21, 2008 06:33
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Hey all... ex-pat Canadian goon now living in Chile (the fiance/wife is an astrophysicist stationed with the European Southern observatory here). I've been here a while and will be here at least until Jan 2009. Been to Peru, Argentina, etc. Whoever said Valparaiso is one of the most beautiful cities in the world- my fiance and I are planning on getting married there in a few weeks. Anyways, we live in the safest, most developed area of Santiago; floor to ceiling glass doors on a twenty foot porch at 19 stories up, and an extra bedroom we literally don't use. I love south america and want everyone to visit it; if you aren't a total fuckwad get in touch with me and you can crash in the spare while you check out Chile; I've done some couch surfing myself and hope to pay back the good karma. Also, check this poo poo out: http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l286/bushidoboy000/Machu%20Picchu/ << Machu Picchu
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Jul 21, 2008 15:36
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CatchrNdRy posted:These pictures are great, thanks for sharing. What would you say the Peruvian locals were like? I keep hearing how aloof they are as compared to most of South America. I donīt know what you mean by "aloof", but I would say that Peruvians are really chill. On the other hand most of South Americans are amazingly chill. When we were in Lima my girlfriend didnīt wear half of her wardrobe because she felt that Peruvian men could not stop looking at her cleavage. We also had a somewhat funny story where the entire staff of a hostel peeped into our room because they heard she was sleeping naked. Which I do not have to explain was a bad idea in a ten person hostel room, even if there is no one else there. She did not sleep naked again obviously and we changed hostels the next day. Still get hell for that. Sorry for the terrible answer. Peruvians in my view are aloof, but not really significantly aloof. Good to see this thread is still going, if indeed it is. Have to get some pictures up.
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Jul 22, 2008 02:02
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CatchrNdRy posted:These pictures are great, thanks for sharing. What would you say the Peruvian locals were like? I keep hearing how aloof they are as compared to most of South America. It was the first time I had been in South America, so I wouldn't be able to compare them to other South Americans. My dad has traveled around around the continent some, and spent 3 years working in Central America back in the 80s. He didn't have any complaints about the locals. The Spanish was a lot more formal than what I had been speaking during my Spanish classes at school. This was a big plus for me, and I had no difficulty understanding anyone during the whole of the trip. I live in Seattle, and the people in Peru remind me of the people up here. We're kind of formal and shy with strangers, but will quickly warm up in conversation. Of course, talking to kids of my own age was lively and informal pretty much from the start of a conversation.
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Jul 22, 2008 06:36
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Why not, pictures from Southern Peru: Terraces at the ruins in Pisac just as the sun was setting.  Moray, thought to be an Incan scientific center. Because of all the different seeds found and the very different microclimates at the site, it was thought to be a place where the Incas bred different varieties of crop to grow throughout the empire.  Salineras, a working salt mine that lets tourists in to look around. A tiny spring feeds water to the pools via a very complex system of boards and channels. The insanely salty water evaporates in the pools to be collected by hand.  Looking over to the Ollantaytambo ruins while hiking.  Machu Picchu was really expensive to visit, but definitely worth it. The national cultural agency keeps a herd of llamas on site to add to the atmosphere.  The view from on top of Huayna Picchu, the peak in the background of all Machu Picchu photos. The hike up is an interesting but thigh destroying trek up a set of stairs the entire way, but the view is incredible. If you're going to do it, arrive very very early to Machu Picchu and head directly to the hike entrance, because they only let 200 people up at a time.  Stonework on some buildings in Cusco.  While taking pictures of the architecture in Cusco's main square, about a thousand farmers and their families marched in and began circling. From theirs signs and from speaking with them, they were protesting a lack of government regulation to gold mines going up in the area where they lived.  Cusco's cathedral
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Jul 22, 2008 07:01
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Question about power sockets in Brazil and Peru. Are they just like US plug sockets or do they have different voltages? Do you need a special adaptor for them?
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Jul 22, 2008 10:57
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Whitefish posted:Question about power sockets in Brazil and Peru. Are they just like US plug sockets or do they have different voltages? Do you need a special adaptor for them? Both countries use the same as the US plug sockets. I never had any sparks fly or broken mp3 players after charging my stuff so I have to assume the voltage is near the same as the US.
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Jul 22, 2008 15:05
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DustingDuvet posted:Both countries use the same as the US plug sockets. I never had any sparks fly or broken mp3 players after charging my stuff so I have to assume the voltage is near the same as the US. Peru uses the British 220V/50Hz standard (and I assume most other countries there do as well). Most battery chargers for laptops and such will list a voltage range on the charger, and most can handle this voltage. I would not plug something like an electric razor into the socket unless the AC adapter lists this voltage. Also, the receptacles are not the same as US receptacles. They're similar, so a US plug might fit into them, but it's going to sit loosely, which is a fire/shock hazard. Edit: Also, I didn't see a single receptacle there with a ground pin, so three-prong plugs won't fit at all. Papercut fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Jul 22, 2008 |
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Jul 22, 2008 18:33
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Papercut posted:Peru uses the British 220V/50Hz standard (and I assume most other countries there do as well). Most battery chargers for laptops and such will list a voltage range on the charger, and most can handle this voltage. I would not plug something like an electric razor into the socket unless the AC adapter lists this voltage. So can you buy Peruvian plug adaptors out there or are they hard to come by?
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Jul 23, 2008 23:10
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