Category Archives: Peru

Our trip in numbers

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I’ve been thinking for a really long time about how to write this, the final post on our South America travel blog.  I thought about posting just photos, or writing some deep and meaningful post about what this trip has meant to me, to us.  I thought about writing a poem (bad idea) or summing up our trip with a review of our favourite moments, a highlight reel, if you will.

But the thing is, you can’t really sum up a trip like ours.  Four months of travel, challenges, new friends, new cities, old buses, lots of laughter and more than a few tears just kind of defies a nice, neat package at the end.

So, instead of a grand finale here on the blog, I’ll leave you with a list of numbers that we’ve composed.  Some of these numbers (the number of countries visited, for instance) come as no surprise at all.  Some of the numbers (the number of photos taken) were a little surprising to me.  It’s impossible to put a figure on what we learned and how much we appreciated being able to take this trip together.  But, we can count the number of bus rides we took.  So, here we go:

Total days travelled: 114
Number of countries visited: 8
Number of bus journeys: 20
Number of overnight bus rides: 5
Number of flights taken: 6
Number of train trips: 1
Number of ferry trips: 1
Number of broken pieces of luggage: 2
Number of things stolen: 2
Number of items lost: 4
Occurances of malaria: 0 (yay!)
Number of pictures taken: approx 3400
Number of dodgy South American haircuts received by Andy: 2
Cheapest meal eaten: US$2 for 2 people
Most expensive meal eaten: US$160 for 2 people
Number of sunburns: 4
Number of windburns: 1
Number of beaches visited: 5
Number of islands visited: 3
Number of volcanoes / mountains visited: 3
Number of canyons visited: 1
Number of doctors visited: 1

To those who inspire

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Sometimes in life you don’t know what you are capable of until you actually do it or you see someone else do it.  That is how we ended up in South America.  We had numerous friends who had been to South America (and been for a long time) that convinced us we could complete and enjoy a long holiday on the continent.

Our inspiration has grown since we’ve been in South America.  So many people that we meet have an interesting story.  So many people have done things we have not and have experiences to share.  Our journey through South America has been enhanced by these people who have inspired us:

Jose Miguel: Our guide from our Amazon trip, Jose Miguel was full of energy and knowledge.  He also had a wonderful story of how he had turned his life around to focus on what he was passionate about: preservation of the Amazon.

James and Briony: We met a couple of Aussies while traveling.  They turned out to be doing a similar sabbatical to us.  James and Briony are doctors who were backpacking and trekking their way across South America.  We shared stories and goals, usually over a couple beers.

Nestor: Nestor was our guide throughout our trek into Colca Canyon.  Nestor had been formally educated in the larger city, but he had returned to lead tourists into his native part of Peru with a point towards assisting the people who live there.  He was in amazing physical shape, and he could run in and out of Colca Canyon in an hour and 45 minutes.  Us tourists took over three hours just to get in it.

Petero: We rented a small cottage while on Easter Island.  Petero was a ball of energy and positivity.  He was the owner of our cottage.  He was one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and his view on life made us feel miles from home.

Andrea Connelly: We met Andrea immediately after she had been robbed.  The poor girl had had a shocking day.  We were impressed with how she pulled it together and recovered from the traumatic ordeal.  More importantly, Andrea had been living outside the USA and traveling for 19 months straight.  She would work remotely to earn money and that allowed her to live abroad.  She had lived in amazing places all over Europe, and she was currently touring South America.  Andrea demonstrated what was possible by ‘living abroad’ and how to overcome adversity.

Nils and Ilona: Another couple who turned out to be very close friends, Nils and Ilona were traveling and eating their way through South America, much the way we were.  They were very practical; saving money and planning their travels well.  They had completed the Trans-Siberian Railway and had nothing but encouraging things to say about it.  We shared many of the same views on life with Nils and Ilona.  We found ourselves intrigued by their travels and wanting more.

Bob Fetterman: We rented an apartment in Rio de Janeiro from Bob.  Bob was a nice guy who had moved to Rio and was loving the place.  He had a positive attitude toward life and Rio.  He seemed to be living his dream and enjoying the wonders of a new and different city.  Bob dismissed many of the fears we had about safety in Rio.  He was proof that life can be what you want it to be.

We could go on and on about the people who have touched our lives throughout our travels.  We’ve had to focus on the highlights to keep this blog post reasonable sized.  Many people have our thanks for their support and assistance during our travels.  We were touched by many.

 

 

What a difference!

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We’ve now been in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay for almost as long as we were in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.  And the difference between these countries is astonishing.

How is it possible that Bolivia, where homes are ramshackle structures made of rough concrete bricks, and people live off the vegetables grown on their little plots of land, shares a border with Argentina, where the populous sips red wine, eats huge steaks and strolls along shaded boulevards lined with cafes that would be at home in any European city??

Typical street scene in La Paz, Bolivia

Typical street scene in Buenos Aires, Argentina

It’s been a stark and sometimes disorienting change from the poorer northern countries to the affluent southern countries.  The quality of hotels and hostels has improved, the variety (though, not always the taste!) of foods has improved and the prices have skyrocketed!

And it’s not just the superficial things like cleaner streets or yummier menus that’s changed.  There’s been a shift in the attitudes of the people down here.  In Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia we were approached frequently by people trying to sell us things.  It was annoying, but we got the sense that these people were genuinely trying to work hard and earn a living for their families.  In the southern countries, we’ve seen a marked increase in out-and-out begging.  One morning, while we were walking in the middle of Buenos Aires, a really dodgy man approached us.  He stood directly in Andy’s path and said, “Moneda!”  When we ignored him he put his hand right in front of us and shouted, “MONEY!” as if by saying the word in English we might suddenly decide to give him a few coins.  In Peru we were hit up frequently, but those people were always offering services in exchange for money, not simply demanding money of anyone who looks like a gringo.

Buildings on the coast in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

Buildings on the coast in Vina del Mar, Chile

Having said that, there are huge pluses to being down here in the more modern northern countries.  One of the main benefits is the ability to drink the tap water here.  Andy and I are used to travelling in countries where the tap water isn’t delicious, but in places like Bolivia, where the tap water was often pumped into town from the lake… and the pump was right next to the sewage drain… it could be deeply unhealthy.  During our first few days in Chile, we continued to buy huge bottles of water every night as had become our habit.  Only after a few days did we realise that everyone else was drinking the water straight from the tap!  What a relief!  We happily refilled our bottles from the kitchen sink and for the first time in more than 2 months drank free water!

Ever so happy in Colca Canyon, Peru!

Happy (and full!) at the meat market in Montevideo, Uruguay!

The thing is, every country that we’ve visited has had pluses and minuses.  When we began our trip, I assumed that things in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay would be “better” simply because these countries are more modern, more like what I’m used to.  However, several times in the past few weeks I’ve caught myself craving the simple dinners of roasted chicken in Peru, or the ease of understanding the Spanish spoken in Ecuador, or the friendly and uncomplicated smiles of the shop keepers in Bolivia.  The truth is, everywhere we’ve been has been the best in its own way.  And everywhere we go, we’re SO happy to be right there.