Rich in the Americas!
In and around World
OK, the idea is to spend 12 months travelling from Mexico to Brazil and all countries in between. Not sure quite how it's going to go but you've got to try these things!
Planned route:
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuala, Colombia (it'll be alright Mum & Dad!), Ecuador (this is nearly as dangerous Colombia and you don't seem to be bothered if I go here!), Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay (or the other way around, I always get confused which is where), Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Rich
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1
¡Viva Mexico!
Arrived in Mexico City and after a warning from a Dutch women sat next to me on the plane that if I used the metro to get to the centre that I´d be... Continue reading »
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2
Puebla
Had a brief walk around the Palacio Nacional in the morning before heading to the bus station and catching a bus for Puebla. It's only 2 hour... Continue reading »
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3
Oaxaca
Got up early thinking I'd get an early bus to Oaxaca. Arrived at the bus station to find that the earliest bus left in about 2 hours time!&nb... Continue reading »
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4
At last, the beach!
Had a 10 hour overnight bus journey (the longest I've had so far) to get from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido. Didn't sleep much and arrived at ab... Continue reading »
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5
Another pretty town with churches
13 hour bus journey, didn't sleep much, arrived at 8ish. Dumped my bags at the Magic Hostel (which is pretty good value at 50 peso for a dorm... Continue reading »
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6
Ruins in the Jungle
Headed to El Panchan, which is a 'hippy hangout in the jungle'. It's out of town but close to the ruins and it supposedly a better place to stay t... Continue reading »
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7
Carry on Campeche
The Lonely Planet reckons the bus station is about 1 km from the centre of town. It's not. And it's not good to try and walk it if you'... Continue reading »
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8
The Island of Women
Couldn't be bothered with staying in Cancun, it didn't look that great, so decided to go straight to Isla Mujeres. Walked around the town for... Continue reading »
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9
Tulum
Met Jamie and Paul in Tulum as they left Mujeres the day before me and were going to go to Playa del Carmen before coming to Tulum. We s... Continue reading »
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10
Lamanai ruins
Belize border control took absolutely ages. They can only seem to afford to pay 1 man to work very slowly. First impressions of Orange... Continue reading »
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11
Diving on the Barrier Reef
The whole point of coming here was to do my PADI Open Water as it's as cheap here as in the Bay Islands, Honduras. Decided on Big Fish as the... Continue reading »
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12
Hmmm
Had planned to get up early and catch an early ferry to Belize City so that I could get a bus to Dangriga and arrive there in decent time. Wo... Continue reading »
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13
Huh...
Well, not a great a place to get amongst the garifuna culture as the guidebook says. It's a town. With a dock. Some shops. ... Continue reading »
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14
This is much better
Caught an early bus to Hopkins, really couldn't wait to be out of Dangriga and see what else Belize has to offer (it's got to better than Dangriga)... Continue reading »
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15
PG tips
Wasn't in that much of a hurry to leave Hopkins and got to the bus stop about 9.15. There's only a few buses that go through Hopkins and no-o... Continue reading »
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16
Livingston, I presume?
As the boat was more than I was told it would be, my budget was screwed up and I didn't have enough money Belize money left to buy breakfast. ... Continue reading »
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17
Finca Tatin
Nice boat ride down the Rio Dulce. Most of it is in a canyon and the scenery is great. Finca Tatin is on a tributary river and not many... Continue reading »
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18
Flores and Tikal
After spending ages waiting for a bus in Rio Dulce and having to pay a lot to get on a 'Special Class' bus as no other buses had turned up, I arriv... Continue reading »
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19
Semuc Champey
After the great bus journey to Coban we had a fantastic minibus journey to Lanquin along twisty mountain roads. Had met 2 American guys who w... Continue reading »
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20
Oooh! The lake!
Spent a total of 12 hours travelling around Guatemala until finally ending up at San Pedro. We had to go through Guatemala City, which was re... Continue reading »
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21
Antigua and Volcanoes
Caught boat to Pana and then a shuttle bus to Antigua (once Jamie and Paul and managed to get their hungover selves out of bed). Went to... Continue reading »
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22
Back to school
Caught an early bus to Pana and then got a boat to San Pedro. Checked into Casa Elena and wandered about. Bumped into a couple of peopl... Continue reading »
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23
Super Chivos!
Interesting bus journey - bus kept on breaking down and was sat next to a coffee grower who I practiced my Spanish with. Surprised myself - g... Continue reading »
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24
Honduras bound
Left Rosie and Tanya, the English girls from Xela, and came to Antigua. They were going to San Marcos for a night and are coming to meet... Continue reading »
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25
Another country, another set of ruins
A nice air-con minibus to drive us to Honduras couldn't make the 4am start seem good. The packed lunch provided by the Black Cat Hostel wasn'... Continue reading »
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26
Roatan. Just dive it.
Took all day to get to Roatan. Said my goodbyes to Rosie and Tanya in San Pedro Sula and then hopped on to a bus to Roatan. The bus dri... Continue reading »
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27
Not much to say
Ok. So I did stay here, but only for 1 night. And I arrived about 7 or 8 at night after travelling all day from Roatan (I left at 7am I... Continue reading »
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28
World Cup in Leon
Hadn't wanted to spend the World Cup on Roatan and had heard that Leon was a really nice place to spend a few days. First place I stayed was... Continue reading »
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29
Just for 1 day
First impressions of Granada was that it was hot. Very hot. Granada's a lot like Antigua in Guatemala but without the bus loads of tour... Continue reading »
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30
Volcanic islands
Whilst waiting for Sam and Rob at the bus station (I say bus station, just a random, pot-holed patch of land that happened to have a few buses... Continue reading »
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31
Granada, take 2
Wasn't too sure whether to head back to Granada with Karen and Laura or stay another night on Ometepe with Rob and Sam. Early morning de... Continue reading »
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32
Not the most exciting place
Hadn't really planned on staying here but the buses in Costa Rica didn't seem to turn up on time and it always seemed overly complicated to get anywhe... Continue reading » -
33
Volcanoes and Hot Springs
The nice scenery on the bus ride from Tilaran was slightly spoiled by all the houses and hotels and massive signs for Real Estate developers along... Continue reading »
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34
Craphuita
Well, seeing as I got robbed, my view of Cahuita is slightly tainted. Nevertheless, there isn't that much to do and the town isn't that nice.... Continue reading »
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35
Enter the Bocas
OK, I only spent 1 night on Bocas. Wasn't really in the mood for laying on a beach (mainly because it was raining) and there wasn't much to d... Continue reading »
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36
The Panamanian city of Panama City
Splashed out a bit and flew from Bocas to Panama City. It's a lot quicker and I could watch the football before the flight.
It's nice t... Continue reading »
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37
Not so Grande
Like, it's alright and everything but we all thought we'd be leaving for the San Blas and not hanging around here.
After the long bus journey... Continue reading »
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38
The San Blas
After a really shitty journey, where everyone felt ill, no-one could do anything other than lie down and pray and one person threw up over the... Continue reading »
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39
Land a'hoy!
Finally, after what seemed a lifetime at sea, we arrived in Cartagena, Colombia.
The boat journey, originally only supposed to take 5 days, l... Continue reading »
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40
The first bus journey
Maria doesn't like buses. The last few times she's travelled she's flown. A lot. Bus drivers in South America aren't exactly... Continue reading »
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41
Quiet? Not quite.
The LP says something like this "quiet little fishing village with a nice beach".
I say this "noisy little place with a rubbish beach". ... Continue reading »
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42
Better beaches
After the disappointment of Taganga we went in search of better beaches in Parque Nacional Tayrona. A 2 hour bus journey, 15 minute... Continue reading »
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43
A city of parks
Well after a bit of a heated argument in Santa Marta regarding whether to take a bus that arrives in Bucaramanga at 2am (Maria's idea) or whether t... Continue reading »
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44
Car bombs and castings
Hadn't planned on spending 2 and a half weeks in Bogota but it just kind of happened. Didn't really do any touristy things for the first week... Continue reading »
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45
Horses and ruins
Met a guy in the hostal in Bogota who lived in San Augustin and said that it was perfectly safe to take a night bus despite all the warnings in the... Continue reading »
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46
Fluorescent chicks
The first thing that hits you about Popayan is white. All the buildings are white. The second thing that hits you about Popayan is that... Continue reading »
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47
Pasto
Couldn't really be bothered with getting into the long-haul, crossing-the-border-at-3am kind of nonsense that some people try so decided to get clo... Continue reading »
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48
Mountain bikes and volcanoes
Dull journey gets us to a dull evening in Quito. Nearly didn't make it to Quito as the border guard was a bit overzealous and took... Continue reading »
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49
Washing clothes in the river
Oh my God! When the book says one of the highlights of Cuenca is watching the local women (I'm surprised they don't flock from miles around)... Continue reading »
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50
Climbing in the Cordillera Blanca
Ok, so a really lovely 26 hour journey involving 3 different buses and a taxi was all it took to get out of Cuenca and into Huaraz. Could hav... Continue reading »
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51
Dusty lumps masquerading as pyramids
On the advice of a Belgian guy (ok, ok, I know I shouldn't accept advice from Belgians but I thought 'What harm can it do?'), I found myself on an... Continue reading »
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52
Mud
A shitty night bus got me into Chachapoyas at 6am on Saturday - what a great way to spend a Friday night!
Spent the day wandering around the... Continue reading »
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53
Mummy!
I learnt this the hard way - that you have to ask more than one person the same question to get the right answer. Everyone has different opin... Continue reading »
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54
Buses and Oranges
The bus to Celendin only goes twice a week so it's pretty popular. This means that all the way down the aisle are bags of rice, maize and ass... Continue reading »
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55
I can't believe you forgot the sieve!
As long as there are oranges, there will never be a dull bus journey.
Luckily, I had oranges left over from the journey to Celendin. I... Continue reading »
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56
More Perro Peruanos
I've developed a bit of fixation with the hairless Perro Peruano, Peru's native specie of dog. They're ugly dogs and they know it.&... Continue reading »
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57
The City of Dreams
Ahh! The amazing coastal capital of Lima. It's a true beauty!
Well, maybe not, but it's not that bad either. I mean anywher... Continue reading »
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58
Lobos, pinguinos and lots of bird poo
Well, after tiring of happy hour, my friend Sylvia and I decided to head off to Paracas, poor man's Galapogas. I don't know whether the bus c... Continue reading »
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59
Return to the City of Dreams
We arrived back in Lima about 11pm and then just headed to the nearest bar.
My friend Col was arriving from the UK on Monday night so Monday... Continue reading »
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60
Cuzco
Flew into Cuzco and set about finding a place to stay. It's noticeably more expensive than other places but the Hotel Suiza wasn't too bad va... Continue reading »
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61
Machu Picchu
We arrived in Aguas Calientes late at night after waiting around in Ollantaytambo doing not much.
The hotel was OK except that ... Continue reading »
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62
Bit of R & R
Back to Cuzco on the late train followed and a bus and out for a few drinks.
Met up with a group of people I'd met in Lima and Trujillo and t... Continue reading »
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63
Ice mummies and rafting
Not together of course! That would be difficult even in South America!
Col's first night bus was a good one by Peruvian standards but i... Continue reading »
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64
The Lima trilogy
When you ask the price for a journey from a taxi driver, you expect a little bit of exageration and some bargaining. The taxi drive... Continue reading »
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65
Titicaca
After one of the most uncomfortable bus journeys I've had so far, I stumbled bleary-eyed into Areuipa's bus terminal. What had been a matter... Continue reading »
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66
Copa! Copacabana!
Not an original title for a blog entry about Copacaban, I'm sure, but hey, what do I care?!
Copacabana is nicer than Puno. It's no... Continue reading »
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67
Llama foetus and dirt
First impression of La Paz was of a sprawling, dirty city. And that's what it was really.
Didn't really take to La Paz. Part... Continue reading »
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68
Bolivia's Salt Flats. They're flat and salty!
I was impressed by Bolivia's buses. Not so much by the road the bus went on, but 1 out of 2 isn't too bad.
Met Helle and Rob and we hea... Continue reading »
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69
A world away from Bolivia.
Pavement cafes! Good coffee served everywhere! What's going on?!
Well, you've just arrived in Argentina, that's whats going on!Continue reading »
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70
Wine, good food and great company
It took us ages to find a place to stay in Mendoza. It's more expensive than we thought and we ignored the offers at the bus station. 2... Continue reading »
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71
What a city!
Well, my bus arrived pretty early and I headed to the underground station. First impressions of a place are never usually that good as bus st... Continue reading »
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72
Mighty hot
Thankfully Colonia is small. If we'd had to walk any further to see the sites, I think I would have had to carry some sort of portable shower... Continue reading »
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73
Not much sight seeing, plenty of shopping
Back to BA and a bit of sight seeing, but to be honest, we mainly shopped and relaxed in parks and cafes. Aussie Rob had to head to Chile to... Continue reading »
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74
En La Bolsa, baby!
Overnight bus to Bariloche and another lovely meal, this time included champagne, steak and cognac! That's what you get on Via Bariloche, my... Continue reading »
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75
Jazz, baby! Yeah!
A short bus journey and a long walk and I was comfortably installed in possible one of the nicest hostels I've stayed in. Not only... Continue reading »
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76
Doing bugger all.
Now, when you travel you go through phases. At the moment I was just in a phase of not really wanting to do much. I was feeling tired a... Continue reading »
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77
Sealions and freezing water
Another excellent service provided by the impeccable Via Bariloche got us to Puerto Madryn early on Thursday morning. After discove... Continue reading »
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78
Don't mention sheep shagging
Donated by Sweden as a sign of friendship in the mid-50s, this Welsh settlement looks almost exactly unlike Cardiff. It's also not that inter... Continue reading »
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79
Icy lumps and thieving b@astards
Andesmar are crap. On each of the Andesmar buses I've taken their service is just rubbish. This time round, rather than sell us tickets... Continue reading »
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80
Fitz, donde esta?
Strange little place, El Chalten. I had a picture in my head of something approaching a lovely Alpine village. Cosy little bars, log ca... Continue reading »
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81
This is where being clever gets you
I thought I was being clever when I decided to leave a bag of things in the hostal in Bariloche. It turned out, however, that if I wanted my... Continue reading »
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82
Bit of shopping and some drinking.
2 1/2 days after leaving Chalten, I arrived back in Buenos Aires. Decided to stay in the centre this time, rather than San Telmo as you spend... Continue reading »
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83
Cider, cider everywhere
Didn't get off to a good start really. Overslept and then had a mad rush to get to the ferry terminal on time. Which I did manage, just... Continue reading »
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84
El Nuevo Ano cometh
No such nonsense of missing the ferry this time. All ran perfectly smoothly and I found myself back in BA, staying at The Clan (which is chea... Continue reading »
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85
Iguazu
Tour guides don't usually mention that Iguazu falls was built by Vikings as visitors rarely believe them. They should belive them, it's true.... Continue reading »
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86
Come again?!
This was the first time I've been to Brazil and people had said that if you understood Spanish you'd understand Portuguese. Not so! It'... Continue reading »
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87
Heo?
- Heo?
- Errr?
- Heo?
- No entiendo.
- Heo de Janeiro?
That's when I found out that if a word in Portuguese star... Continue reading »
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88
Shame about the weather
I didn't know the weather in this part of Brazil could be so cloudy at this time of year. Nevermind, you live and learn. The first few... Continue reading »
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89
Home sweet home
It was a rainy day when I left Ilha. Met a German girl and 2 English guys on the ferry and we headed for Paraty. The first hostel... Continue reading »
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90
Final stop and a trip down memory lane
Well, it's been a year. 14 countries have gone by via countless bus journeys, a fair smattering of boat trips, the odd flight and a bit... Continue reading »
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