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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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Brazil - Just let go and enjoy

Brazil - Rio de Janeiro & Ilha Grande

So Brazil is my country of origin. So I ended up spending quite a bit of time here. I will then give you a few tips on a few things and a few cities so its not an overload. I am also yet to explore its grandeur in full. São Paulo, I will save you for later my dear one.

RIO DE JANEIRO

I spent approximately a week in Rio, not followed by collectively so I will write below a quick guide.

Day 1 - if you are arriving by plane I advise you try and get into Santos Dumont which is super close to the city centre. From there you can get the VLT which is just outside the airport to Cinelandia and at Cinelandia you can cross the tracks and get into the underground so you can head southbound to Ipanema. Make sure when you buy the ticket (which will be a card) of the VLT you put enough cash for that day (around R$20 should do). If you arrive early and are staying in Ipanema or Copacabana (which I highly recommend as these are safer areas), go for a walk on the beach.

Botanical Gardens

Day 2 - When I arrived I headed straight to the Parque Lage and Botanical Park by Uber (they also have an app called Rio cabs which also works well and its like an Uber). But that depends when you arrive in the city. This trip could take you half a day or a full day depending how easy you want to take it. The Parque Lage and the Botanical Park are beautiful and you can have a coffee and picnic over there. On your way back you can also go for a wonder around the Lagoa (Portuguese for the Lake). I took the bus back but equally you can get an Uber back. Again make sure you miss the rush hour. As for food I recommend this adorable vegetarian / vegan place near the Botanical Gardens called Prana.

Mureta da Urca

Day 3 - Wake up early and head to Pao de Acucar. It’s a bit difficult to get there by public transport as you will need to get the tube and the bus so perhaps look into getting a cab there. You can also chose to trek up Pao de Acucar. You can either book with a guide all of it or you can do half by yourself. Equally you can just get the cable car (at R$100 for an adult (you have discounts for students)) all the way up. Enjoy the view and then go for a wonder around Urca, or better yet hand around until sunset to enjoy it at the wall (which they call “mureta”). There is only one bar around there and I advise you buy a few large beers (at R$10 if I recall right) and keep the tickets to reclaim later so you don’t have to queue again. I also recommend you order a portion of pasteis (cheese and shrimp are my favourite although meat is good too).

City Centre

Day 4 - Head out early to Cinelandia and check out the library, the royal gabinet and walk around this city centre. There also should be some walking tours leaving from the square in front of the National Library around 9:30am/10am. You can either walk towards the Tomorrow Museum or you can leave this to another day. Whenever you decide to go to the Tomorrow Museum (in Portuguese: Museo do Amanha), make sure you either buy the tickets for the Museum before or you arrive around opening time (10am) so you are not stuck in the queue for too long. This museum is definitely work it and at R$20 per adult its super doable. Then go and wonder around the market to the left of the museum (in fact between the tomorrow museum and the art museum which are on the same square area) and enjoy the view of that huge wall with these worldly colourful faces. If you have time you can also head to Santa Teresa that same day and do the Ruins Park and the colourful steps (Escadaria Selaron).

Escadaria Selaron

Day 5 - Escadaria Salaron (Escadaria meaning staircase and Salaron the name of the guy who made it) is the various steps up near Lapa made of mosaic. You have a lot of people there but if you head up to a park called Santa Teresa first you have a nice view of the city and then work your way down. Take your time and enjoy the views. Also be careful as the Lapa neighbourhood near the staircase isn’t super safe. You can then go for lunch at one of the many bars in the Lapa (look up places on Avenida Mem de Sa).

A Day at the Beach

Day 6 - You can look to do go and just chill at Barra da Tijuca beach or Ipanema or Copacabana. If you chose a weekend to go and chill at the beach you will see what Rio is truly like. Make sure you buy some mate (which is a typical Rio drink, sold anywhere really but the best one is at the beach from these guys with these metal like tanks). Make sure you also buy the ‘Globo’ snacks they carry around. Only then you can truly experience the Rio spirit. Also make sure you watch the sunset at one of these beaches as its stunning. Equally head down the Ipanema beach to the Pedra do Arpoador (the Arpoador Rock) to watch the sunset.

Cristo / Christ Redeemer

Day 7 - If the weather is good I would highly recommend waking up early and heading out to the Cristo. I got an a taxi with 99 but you could also plan to get an Uber. I would recommend booking a taxi back. Perhaps speak to the driver or pre-book the Uber as its quite busy and there are less taxis on the way back.

Saturday Markets

Day 8 - If one of your days in Rio is the first Saturday of the month you can head to the Lavradio Street Market. It is a vintage market in the Lapa neighbourhood. There is also the Rio cathedral next door that is a very interesting architecture (built in a triangular manner).

SAFETY / TIPS

In terms of safely I would say you stay in Copacabana or Ipanema. The Lapa neighbourhood is dangerous although a fun night out. But know that I only went out there with locals I trusted. Rio is beautiful but please be careful because it’s not the safest place so be careful and don’t stray too far from the safe areas (Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana) unaccompanied by locals you trust.

Other things to do:

Climb Sugar Loaf

Barra beach

Tijuca Park

Pedro da Gavea climb

ILHA GRANDE

You can take another 3-4 days or even more to head to Ilha Grande which is super close to Rio and super worth the visit.

Day 1 - All you need to do is get the 5am bus to Mangaratiba from the Rio bus station. You can buy the ticket online and get it on the day. I would recommend you arrive at the station around 4am. Once you get to Mangaratiba (a 1.5 hr drive from Rio getting you there around 6:30/7am), head to the port which is about 100m on the same side of the road that the bus will drop you off. There might already be a queue so just join. The boat costs R$17 one way. When you get to Ilha Grande you can buy the return on the day or do what we did which was to get a transfer back that included the boat and the bus back to Rio. The boat to Ilha Grande took around 1hr. When we got there around 9/10am we headed to our camping site. It was called Camping do Bicao. You can chose more expensive options but Camping do Bicao was super well equipped. When you booked with them (at R$30 per person per night for the camping space), you can ask to rent anything from the tent (R$120 per night I believe); mattresses (R$60 per night for a double); pillows and bedding (another R$30 per night I believe). They also have hostel rooms but they go quickly. Everything was clean and super well organised.

On the same day we arrived we had all our stuff up and organised by 11am. If you rent the tent they help you do it up and take it down for you so you don’t even need to worry about that. We then headed to the Poço (translated to Well but really just a pool of water) which is to the north of the island (20 minutes from the town). We then treked for an 1 hr to the Feiticeira beach and waterfall. Super worth it and doable with half a day. As we came back into town around 3pm we bought some food (I also advise you buy some food in Rio and take it with you as Ilha Grande options are limited and things are expensive). We also booked a tour for the next day called Meia Volta where you do half of the island (that’s what “meia volta” means). Most agencies do the same spots and cost about the same so just ask around and see which one you prefer.

Meia Volta tour

Day 2 - Meia Volta tour. Enjoy and take some food but the boat should have water. Also take a snorkel if you have one.

Lopes Mendez trek

Day 3 - Make sure you do not miss the trek to Lopes Mendez. Leave early in the morning - say 9/10am. Take at least 1lt of water per person and food. The trek took 2hours but its uphill then downhill. Plus its through the forest so although you don’t usually have the sun on you its pretty humid and super hot. Also make sure you buy your return ticket before you leave (the long boat at 45mins should come to R$15 and the fast boat at 30mins comes to R$25). If someone on the trek tries to sell it for more or doesn’t give you the less expensive options keep walking. Make sure you keep an eye out for anyone selling the tickets and ask how much. We bought our return tickets with a lady at the third to last beach before getting to Lopez Mendez. Normally they keep an eye out and ask people whether they have return tickets. If I were you I would buy the tickets in town for the 5pm slot so you can truly enjoy Lopes Mendez and the other beaches. We arrived at 1pm and realised that 4 hours was not long enough. On our last night we also headed into town to enjoy some music. Be warned that booze is expensive although we managed to find a tiny spot one street away from the Main Street selling stuff fairly cheap.

Day 4 - On this day we headed back to Rio early. We got the transfer (at R$110) including ferry and bus to Rio at 10am. If you decide to stay longer there are other beaches you can explore.

CRIBSHEET

In Rio Stay either in Ipanema or Copacabana. I rented an air B&B. There are also hostels in Barra da Tijuana which isn’t bad but a bit away from the city centre.

Places to eat:

- Mate and Globo biscuits at the beach

- Jockey Club by the Botanical Gardens

- Prana (address: R. Lopes Quintas, 37) by the Botanical Gardens

- Ella Pizzaria (address: Rua Pacheco Leao, 102) across from the Botanical Gardens

- Puro Restaurant (address: R. Visc. De Carandai, 43) again across from the Botanical Gardens

- Bar Pavao Azul (address: Rua Hilario de Gouveia, 71) in Copacabana. Amazing little bohemian split with amazing “pasteis” (fried pastries) and good vibes.

- Urca Grill (address: Rua Mal. Cantaría, 10). This place you got to go at the end of the day to watch the sunset sat at the wall - you will see what I mean because it will be hard to find a spot to sit. Get some beers and some “pasteis” and enjoy the view and the vibe.

- Confeitaria Colombo (address: R. Goncalves Dias, 32). This is a century-old cafe with an incredible colonial architecture, amazing traditional snacks, sweets and coffee. It’s in the city centre so perhaps go after a morning stroll / tour / museum visit.

Where to go:

- Christ Redeemer (half day)

- Mureta da Urca & Sugar Loaf (full day)

- City Centre (walking tour) (half day)

- Escadaria Selaron / Santa Teresa (full day)

#brasil #brasiltravel #riodejaneiro #ilhagrande #backpacking #travel #travelling #vision #visionworld #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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Chile - a land I fell in love with

CHILE - a country I thought I was going to spent 1 week but ended up staying almost a month. Land of deserts, of cities, of volcanoes and of Patagonia. Land of beauty, of Nobel prize winners, of culture and much more.

SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Day 1. (23.10). After border control it was a 45 minute drive to San Pedro de Atacama. The views were stunning. Chile is an hour ahead of Bolivia so we arrived at 12ish noon. I headed to Laskar hostal. After check in we headed into town to get money and exchange money. The town only has a few ATMs and all charge so take out a bit of money at once instead of a bit at a time. Then we rented bikes from Rutas Atacama that is on Caracoles street inside Licher - its like a stand. They do 3,000 pesos for 6 hours and double for 12hours. We then headed at 3pm to the Vale de la Luna. It's stunning but I would not recommend cycling as it's all uphill and it's quite a bit of a way. Either give yourself a lot of time and take a lot of good and water or take a tour. The entry is 3,000 pesos. At night I decided to cook and by the hostel there is a cheap supermarket and Vicents supermarket on Licancabur street is also a cheap option. For fruit and veg the agro market is a good option.

Vale de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama

Day 2. (24.10). Wake up at 8am and went to get bikes at 10am. I headed towards Pukara del Quitor but first I headed further into the Catarpe National Park on the other side of the river. Inside the park I cycled to Los Túneles, the Quebrada del Diablo and a white church at the end. Do the Túneles first then the Quebrada then the church. I got there for just before 10:30 and left around 1pm. It will take you around 3 hours to do the whole park comfortably. It costs 3,000 pesos to get in. Then Pukara de Quitor; the ruins of a fortress over 2,000 years old from the atacama civilisation. Here you will find the ruins, various miradores (1.7km walking to the furthest out) and a face sculpted into the rocks. It is also an awesome place. I had lunch around 2pm at the top of the mirador and was done for around 2:30pm and back in town for just after 3pm. The whole day took me just over 5 hours. Again make sure you take plenty of water and potentially consider doing the two places on separate days for a more chilled day.

At the last mirador of Pukara de Quitor

Day 3. (25.10). Today I booked a tour through Desert Adventures - based on one of the corners of Caracoles street in San Pedro. First stop is the Chaxa lake (2,500 pesos). Here you can find the salar of Atacama which unlike the Uyuni salar it was made during glacial times by the minerals dragged off the volcanoes. It hosts three flamingo types- the Chilean flamingo (pink and dances to displace ground for food in a step step motion), the Andean flamingo (black tail) and the James flamingo (yellower beaks). Then to the red stones (iron minerals) and it's lagoons and lastly a little town called Socaire and Toconao.

San Pedro Salt Flats

Day 4. (26.10). On my last full day at San Pedro de Atacama I went off to the Puritama springs (Los Termales de Puritana). The trip started at 8am and I was back at 13:00. Super amazing and relaxing!

Puritana Spring

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CRIBSHEET OF SAN PEDRO:

Hostal: there are many hostels in San Pedro. I stayed at Laskar.

What to do:

Vale de la luna - by bike: 1 day; with a tour: half day. If you do this by yourself take at least 2lt of water per person, a head torch (which you can get when you rent a bike); a bike; sunscream.

Pukara de Quitor Ruinas - I would recommend you do this with a bike as its so close to town. Make sure you take cash with you, water and sunscreen. You will have to leave bike behind and walk around the archeological site but that’s super doable in 1-2 hours.

Valle de cantarpe. If you decide to do this do it before Pukara as its further out and more tiring. Make sure you set out a good 4 hours and bring plenty of water, food, sunscream.

Tour de las estrellas. Book a tour to do this. I did not manage to do this as during my time there it was full moon so make sure you check the moon as a full moon won’t allow you to see the stars.

Alicancabur. This is the name of the volcanoes that borders Chile and Bolivia. You can do tour to the laguna verde y carácter.

Hot springs - Terma de Puritana tour. Either rent a car and go or go with a tour. I did it with a tour and its either in the afternoon or morning. So half a day.

Tebichinki

Laguna artiplanas y piedras rojas. This is a full day’s tour where you stop at the San Pedro salt flats and another two lagoons

Salt Flats. You can also to do the salt flats from San Pedro either dropping you off at Uyuni or coming back to San Pedro.

Rental bikes: Rutas Atacama

Tour company: Desert adventure ——————————

SANTIAGO

Day 5. (27.10) Today was a chilled day. Waking up breakfast and going round town for a bit before lunch and heading to Calama airport. I flew with Sky airlines. Landed and headed to the exit. You can get taxis or you can get colectivos for a bit less that leave you outside your hotel/hostel. These are outside the duty free before you exit the baggage area. Super easy and range between 6,000 and 8,000 pesos compared to an Uber at 14,000 and taxis a bit more. I got one named Delfor that dropped me off in front of the hostel. I stayed at Providencia hostel in Santiago.

Day 6. (28.10). On Sundays many streets are closed for the cyclists and runners. So its quite pleasant to walk around. I headed in the morning to the Santiago teleférico and went all the way up had this Santiago drink with durazno and maiz and lunch at belas artes followed by some yummy ice cream called Rosa nearer to the hotel.

View from the top of Cerro San Cristobal

Day 7. (29/10). I used this day for planning. You could look into heading to the Maipo maintains. I ended up not doing it. At the Providencia hostal you can find someone selling these tour.

Day 8. (30/10). I headed very early to Valparaiso. I would recommend waking up at 6am and being out by 7 ish. I left around 7:30/7:45 and made the 8:20am bus with Turbus to valparaiso. I bought the ticket at the station. Buses leave from station Pajaritos (line1/redline). Price varies but I paid 5,600 chilean return. The way back is an open return so you can show up and get any return and they leave every 15 mins. When you get to Pajaritos metro just get out of the metro and the booths to buy the bus tickets to Valparaiso are right there. Just ask around for the cheapest. They have two main bus companies: Pullman and Turbus. The trip to Valparaiso is around 1.2 hours. I got there around 9:40am and just made it for the 10am walking tour that leaves from Plaza Sotomayor. The guides of the walking tour are dressed in “where’s wally” like tops (red and white stripes) so its fairly easy to locate them. From the terminal de buses to the centre is a good 30 min walk. You can privately get a bus or taxi in. The am walking tour takes you up to the old prison and cemetery so it's an alternative route and I quite liked it. I then did the old town int he afternoon by myself but you can also get the same walking tour in the afternoon.

Streets of Valparaiso (Calle Uriola)

The afternoon tour goes to the German church luterana, and several viewpoints. I did it my myself starting at calle Uriola where you will find a bar and cafe called Al Alba that is super sweet. Walking up you get awesome street art. At plaza Sotomayor there is also a good café called 504. And for food near the port there is Buenos Aires restaurant that does good menu del dia. Other restaurants are Lupita, Pizzeria Ecuador - all at calle Ecuador. Be aware that Calle Ecuador is no longer the historical centre but according to my guide the area is still known as the bohemian side of town but its not too safe so be careful.

Rooftop space at Cafe Al Alba (Calle Uriola)

Day 9. (31/01). I quickly headed to the Universidad de Santiago station (red line) to buy tickets to Pucon with Turbus. I then headed back to the city centre - first to the Moeda station and the museum of lá moeda which is free until 12 noon. Then walk to the Precolombiano Art Museum and Plaza Mayor, up to el mercado and back down. Then I headed back to the hostel through Lastaria area and stopped at the park with the fortress at the top. I read a book there for 4 hours and then back for dinner and Halloween night out.

Day 10. (1/11) day of rest, home comfort and cinema. A family friend took me for coffee lunch and the cinema as well as dinner. Blessed to have been taken care of like that and enjoyed a nice family rest. You can also chose to go to the many wineries around Santiago on this day. You just get the underground a couple of stops and you can arrive in one of the many wine houses one of which being Concha y Torro.

Day 11. (2/11). After breakfast and a rest we headed for an early coffee at Lastaria. I then headed out on the red line to the Santiago Artesan Market further out round the corner. It was a pretty market and we had some food there. I was back at the hostel for my last night in Santiago.

Day 12. (3/11). I woke up and did the check out before heading to breakfast. We headed into the city and walked to Lastaria to get a coffee and then decided to walk to the Human rights museum. The walk was far - about one hour but there was always the green like tube straight back near the hostel. Later we did a trail up Cerro San Cristobal to watch the sunset. It took us over an hour to climb as we took the road instead of gravel route by mistake. We took the gravel route on the way back. We were at the bus station for 10pm as our bus was 11pm. Ways to Pucon: flight or bus. The flight is to Temuco or Calama and bus from Univesidad Santiago (10hrs).

Sunset at Cierro San Cristobal

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SANTIAGO CRIBSHEET

Hostel: Providencia Hostel

Things to do:

Lastaria area

Walking tour either by yourself or with one of those free walking tours (get info at the hostal)

National Museum

Precolombian Art Museum

Cerro de San Cristobal

Maipo treking

Wine tour at Concha y Toro

Mercado central

Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (get there with Turbus or Pullam from Universidad Santiago station)

Bellavista (especially during the night cool bars)

Restaurants:

Mercado central

Chipe Libre

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PUCON & PUERTO VARAS/MONTT

Day 12. (4/11) after arriving in Pucon and finding the hostel we had a nice chilled morning. The hostel (Chilli Kiwi) by the Poza was easy to get to. From the bus terminal (right out and on the main road right) or the city centre just follow O’Higgins road all the way down until you hit the lake (they call this part of the lake the Poza; in Spanish it means the puddle). Then when you hit the lake turn right and the hostel is right there. It has a beautiful view of the lake. Unfortunately, in November, the time we were there, it meant that the sunset was behind the buildings on the left and not straight across from the hostel. Apparently a couple of weeks back (so more October time) it was more central. The weather was very rainy so bought food and chilled at the hostel kitchens. Staying at Chilli Kiwi was an awesome choice as its by the lake. The rooms are clean and good and your rent can range from 9, 6 or 4 bed dorms. They also have a 2 bed dorm for walk ins as well as a 3 bed Harry Potter room, the caravans (20-22,000chl) and the tree house (32,000chl).

Day 13. (5/11). Woke up and headed out around 10:30am to Salte del Claro. Make sure you ask the route at Chilli Kiwi as they have a pretty comprehensive map. Here you walk towards a waterfall. Its beautiful and it will take you around 4 hours round trip. We got to the waterfall just after 12. Its stunning and even better due to the strong rains the day before. The path is fairly well signposted but if in doubt bear right when going through the forest at the end and have the river to your right. On the way back we got a ride back which sped up the trip.

Salte del Claro

Day 14. (6/11). Chilled in the am at the hostel and kayaked the lake from 1-3pm. It's 5,000chl per person and 4 hrs on the lake max time. Then back for my last night. During the am day bought tickets at JAC terminal, just off O’Higgins road, to Puerto Varas. As a rule, stay at Puerto Varas (at Maguoy Patagonia) and not Puerto Montt. Buses leave frequently from Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt.

Day 15. (7/11). Bus at 9am (9,500 chl) to Puerto Varas. I found out that Juan was also heading the same way as me so I glued onto him. Funnily enough we were to trek the next day together and meet again in Buenos Aires for some typical Colombian food - and who said you can’t be international in every sense of the word?!?! The trip took 4/5hrs. I then headed to the hostel (Margouya Patagonia (see leaflet below)). Then I went for a wonder round the town and bought food.

Day 16. (8/11). Wake up early and headed to Petrohue Park. The bus left from town (if you are at Margouya turn right out of the hostel, then right again at the main road as if you are headed into town and then left at the bottom of the hill by the fish restaurant; its just down there) and final stop was the park. The bus fare cost us 2,500chl each way and took 1.5 hrs. The trek was 4 hours all the way round. The full round trip is quite exhausting as quite a bit of it was volcanic sand which is not a joke to walk on. We were back for 5ish. Early night as I had bought a boat fare down the Fjords to Puerto Natalie’s (southbound only leaves on Fridays and Northbound only leaves on Mondays).

Petrohue park (me and our not so trustworthy but loyal guide - Rix!)

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PUCON & PUERTO VARAS / MONTT CRIBSHEET

Hostels:

Pucon: Chilli Kiwi

Puerto Varas: Maguoy Patagonia

**If you are by any chance going to: Valdivia, stay at Kauai central lodge; or Cochamo, stay at La Bicicleta Hostel; or Ancud stay at 13 Lunas Hostel; or Castro stay at La Minga Hostel or Palafito Waiwen (Chiloe).**

Things to do:

Pucon: climb the volcanoe; canoe on the lake; Salte del Claro other national marks/waterfalls. Make sure you ask at the reception at Chilli Kiwi and be around for the intro talk they do daily.

Puerto Varas: Petrohue Park; waterfalls. Just ask at the reception at Maguoy Patagonia.

Restaurants: to be fair I cooked a fair bit in Chile so just ask at the hostel the closes supermarkets which in all had one a max 10 min walk and enjoy the very cheap and good selection of wines.

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PATAGONIA

**Just a quick note here. You have a few options to travel down to Patagonia. You can either fly from Santiago or another airport near Pucon to Punta Arenas and then get a bus up from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales; or you can rent a car around Puerto Varas/Montt (there are a few caravan companies around or if you rather bike it there are a few options too); or you can do what I did and get on a boat (called NAVIMAG at Puerto Montt which will drop you off four days later at Puerto Natales). Of course, if you want to stop more often you also have a few other options like getting a boat with TABSA that takes you from Puerto Natales to Caleta Tortel and other destinations. Equally if you are travelling northbound these options are still the same. However, please note that NAVIMAG boats only leave from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales on Fridays and from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt on Mondays.**

Day 17. (9/11). Woke up at 7 and got everything ready. Headed out around 9 ish and got the bus at the end of the road (Calle Imperial). The fare is chl900 and it takes 20 mins to get to Puerto Montt. So I got in for 10am . From the station I got another bus (just ask around for the Costanera Shopping Centre/Holiday Inn) or you can walk (its probably 20/30 mins) where the check in was which is just down the road meaning I got in for 10:30 ish (this second bus cost me chl400). It's also where the Costanera Shopping Centre was. The boat left at 3:30pm so I could have arrived a bit later. But still. We were on the boat for 4pm and only left the port around 8pm. The whole trip cost me USD350 for four days/three nights all inclusive.

Sunset leaving Puerto Montt

Day 18. (10/11). I wake up on this boat and am surprised how well I slept. It's an interesting life on the boat but the bed, the showers and the amenities are very good. There are about 100 passengers and it feels full but not too crazy. Breakfast at 8am. Very well served the meals. The views are stunning. During the day there were talks of the route we were to take, a yoga class and materials around to colour in, knitt etc. The day went fast. There were talks about the route we were taking. The day ended going into the golf with a stunning sunset. The stars were even better.

Sunset on Day 2

Day 19. (11/11). Second full day on the boat. At dawn we had just crossed the golf and were back in the Fjords. The golf was quite calm and I only felt the boat rock twice. We stopped around 3pm at the Eden village with 3,000 people where only four people of pure blood of previous native people of this area. There was a talk about Torres del Paine - three entrances, bus in and a few options for day treks. We went through quite a few narrow straits. We went through the Cotopaxi shallow where the Leonides ship sunk (legend says there is another ship below it as it lies quite high above the water). We went through 89 wide straights with meter tall granite rocks. The day ended quite cold and the night was overcast so no stars.

Clear day through the Fjords

Day 20. (12/11). Last day on the boat. We woke up to an overcast day. We had breakfast and I did a bit of exercise and headed to the bar to write. The day eventually cleared. We docked at 4pm and it took close to two hours to get out. I then headed to my hostal: We Are Patagonia. The hostal was really good! Super comfy beds although a bit more expensive than the usual. Included breakfast which was very good. I arranged as well a rental car and shared it with two other people. Ask at the desk at the hostal for more information as they have the numbers for the cars. It also depends if you want to do day trips to Torres del Paine or whether you will be doing one of the treks (3-day or 8-day).

Leaving the boat (Navimag) at Puerto Natales

Day 21. (13/11). We woke up at 5am and headed out at 5:30am to Torres del Paine. The park is quite big and you can do the O in 8 days, the W trek in 3-5 and all of these need planning and booking if you want to stay overnight at the park. Although I was with some people who just winged it and did the towers one day, then the second drove to the middle to do the Britannia climb. The campsites have more flexibility as they may have last minute spots and you can rent tents at Puerto Natale’s from 2,000 to 5,000 for a 4 person and 3,000 for sleeping bags.

Getting to Torres del Paine National Park

What we did was rent a car and go very early to the Serrano entrance (there are three entrances). The Serrano is the most scenic route (the buses don’t use this route) with lakes. This road is not tarmacked but quite good. The entry to the park is 21,000chl and you can come in and out of the park up to three days. The parking is free. The day walks you can do are Torres (entrance on the east); the French valley and grey glacier (both entrances closer to Serrano). The last two start in the same spot so the guys I went to did grey and I did the French valley. For these two the Serrano entrance is the closest. You then park by Pahoe lake and get the ferry for 9am. Which gets in for 9:30am on the other side of the lake.

River running next to the treck to Vale Frances and Britannico

The trek

As the boat got in at 9:30am on the other side I started treking at around 9:40am. The map says that the first section of the trail up to the bridge is 2.5hrs but in brisk pace I made it in 1.5hrs. The views were stunning. Crossing the bridge you are by the French and Italian camps. Here is where the W joins. Across this very wobbly bridge to the other side I went. From there through the forest I got to the French mirador within one hour. From the mirador Frances to the británico I took about an hour as well but that's because a lady told me that the top closed at 13:00. But when I got there there was no gate. Asking around I heard that CONAF could have a guide shutting the trail if weather was bad maybe. The views at the top were absolutely stunning. Breathtakingly beautiful and no picture does it justice. So I got up there for 13:00, lunch for one hour and headed down at 14:00 to get back before 6pm for the 18:35 boat. We got to PN at 10pm. It’s a long day so take plenty of water and food. Make sure you take clothes for hot and cold/windy weathers and be ready to sweat.

The view at the top

Day 22. (14/11). Today I decided not to head out and do Torres del Paine as the Vale Frances was quite heavy and a full day. That's why I would recommend staying four day or three full days min in Puerto Natales so you can do Vale Frances one day and then do Torres on the third having a rest day in between. I then headed out for some food and chocolate. I was also recommended Patagonia Dulce (apparently best hot choc in PN) and La Gregario for coffee and chill. Also Pampa and Baguales as good bars. The afternoon went super fast catching up with people and resting. In the evening we sat round a table and chatted for hours. It was the best way of closing my Chile chapter. Thanks Chile!

Just an awesome group of people I met (two faces missing)

Day 23. (15/11). I was getting the bus to el Calafate at 7:45am. The bus ticket came to 20,000chl and the terminal was not crazy far. I travelled with Bus Sur and they were good.

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USEFUL INFORMATION:

Money: Chilean pesos

Hostels:

San Pedro de Atacama: Laskar Hostel

Santiago: Providencia Hostal

Pucon: Chilli Kiwi

Puerto Varas: Maguoy Patagonia

Puerto Natales: We Are Patagonia

Torres del Paine: book your stays with Fantastico tours or Vertice.

Info on Torres del Paine trekking options: -1 day - advise renting a car which goes at 40-45,000chl per day instead of getting the bus as with the car you can then get early for the first boat. You can then do Valle Frances one day have a rest the second day and on the third do Torres. I tried to do one after the other and it did not work.

- the W : 3-4 days. You must plan this in advance and book the campsites. In this case you will get in on your first day and do Torres or stay overnight at base and wake up early to see the sunrise and on that same day walk to the second campsite between Torres and the French/Britanico. On the second full day you will do French and Britannico to get to the third campsite by the boat. Your third full day you will do grey and come back on the 6pm boat, then bus back to Puerto Natales.

- the O: 8 days: Day 1 Get there in central camp at 11am and get there at 3pm. Stay at camp seron. Day 2. Set off at 9 am to camp Dickson. Day 3. Take easy morning. Short day and stay at perros. Day 4. From perros to grey. Start at 6am. Don't do Paso as with Conaf and need not book with three. Day 5. Walk down to grande or Frances and camp - Frances. Day 6 from Frances walk The Valley and come back pick up stuff and stay in cuernos. Day 7 walked to chileno or central - chileno no cooking. Day 8 do Torres for sunrise and go back get your bag and head down for the bus. Book in June for November and book meals throughout and for later stops so as not to carry too much food.

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#chile #sanpedro #desert #santiago #pucon #puertovaras #puertomontt #puertonatales #patagonia #torresdelpaine #thingstosee #thingstodo #journey #travel #visionworld #vision #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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Argentina - land of wine, of meat and of tango.

ARGENTINA - Land of wine, of meat, of tango

Day 1. (15/11). It took us half a day to cross the border between Chile and Argentina. Crossed the border and it was pretty fast. I then got into the bus terminal at Calafate, which I will warn you is a bit of a walk away from the city centre (about a 30 min walk). What you have to do to cross the terminal to the taxi side, cross the car park and stay on the road on your left all the way. You will cross a crossroads twice and eventually go downhill and arrive at a T junction. There you turn right and follow the road, cross a canal bridge and you will pretty much be on the Main Street. I would say the walk is safe during the day and fairy easy as its all downhill towars town. The hostal I stayed at was three parallel roads from the Main Street. Try and stay around there. At the hostal book a bus to Perito Moreno (800arg bus ride only; the entrance ticket price is not included) with Caltur. Try to book the day before as in that case the company picks you up at the hostal unlike if you book on the day where you will have to show up at the bus terminal. I then headed out to the market which is on the main road but further out and headed to a butchery before the market on the same road called El Turco.The meat there is of great quality and cheaper than in the market. I advise you get the Bife de Chorizo cut.

Perito Moreno route options, you can do the whole thing in couple of hours

Day 2. (16.11). We were picked up around 8am ish and it took us 1.5hrs to get to Perito Moreno. You are dropped off at the car park but before you stop to pay the entrance to the park which you can pay by card or cash. Cash is faster. Once you get there you walk around in these platforms. There area few routes: black, blue, yellow and green. We did the blue, yellow then red. The green is through the forest so you can't see the glacier so we skipped it. The bus picks you up at 15:45. We took food into the walk so you can eat and enjoy the scenery on the benches dotted around. We were back for 5pm. Then I bought tickets for a day in Chalten (1,600 and 3hr drive). If I had more time I would have stayed around 3 days to a week in Chalten.

Perito Moreno

Day 3. (17/11). The bus to Chalten got there at 11am and got to the start of the Fitz Roy trek for 11:30am. Be warned that with only one day there (arriving at 11am and leaving at 6pm you can either do the loop that I did and see a bit of each trek or commit to a full trek). From 11:30am-1:10pm I managed to do the first third of the trek where I stopped to look at Fitz Roy for 10 minutes. At the cross section at the top for the second third of the tweak where I went left down towards Laguna Madre y Hija, I arrived at the bottom at 2:20pm. The way was mainly downhill. By 3:30pm I was on the end of the walk/sendero and got to Chalten town in another 10 minutes and before 4pm I was back at the bus station. This meant that I had to wait around 1.5hrs for the bus. This trek was estimated at 6hrs but I did it in 4hrs at a fast pace. As it was mainly downhill allowed for a quicker pace. I estimated 1.5 hours for each third of the trek. I would advise you did the same to give yourself enough time. Below is a picture of the route map...

The actual walk is super beautiful...

Fitz Roy, Chalten

Day 4. (18.11). On this day I woke up and took a transfer to the airport which I booked at the hostal. I paid the driver after the ride. Bag drop off in 19 mins so no need to arrive too early. The flight took 2.5hrs. As I landed I connected to the airport Wi-fi and ordered an Uber. Be warned that the Ubers cannot come into the pick up area of the airport so keep an eye out on the street for your Uber. As I arrived at the end of the afternoon at Benita Hostal I bought some food at the nearby shops, a nice bottle of wine and had a chilled evening. When booking your hostal look to stay in Palermo area. It’s safe and close to a lot of stuff.

Floralis at the United Nations Plaza

Day 5. (19.11) I headed out early to see the street art in Calle Serrano. Then in the pm I headed to Buenos Aires' Recoleta area. First I saw the the Floralis at the United Nations Plaza that works with solar energy and it opens and closes depending on the time of the day. It’s a very slow movement so you won't really see it happening. Followed by the Facultad de Derecho and the Centro Cultural and an exhibition on film and Freud. We saw also some music open air on the green near the bellas artes museum and cultural centre and walked around the market stalls. Then back and to Rapa Nui for ice cream. Yum.

Centro Cultural, Recoletta, Buenos Aires

Day 6. (20.11). Visiting Buenos Aires city center highlights. La Liberia El Atendo Grand Splendid formerly a theatre; Palacio de Aguas Corrientes; the National Congress of Argentina; Casa Rosada former presidential house built in 1873; Puente de La Mujer designed to look like tango dancers; Plaza Dorrego in Monserrat and the San Telmo market up to the Kavanagh building being the tallest in Argentina in its time and lastly the Colon theatre and the Obelisk. From where I was based made sense. A bit of a zigzag but it worked. About 7 hours walk.

The Kavanagh building

Day 7. (21.11). Woke up went to get a subte card which costs 65 arg plus 35 arg charge. You can either get one by an underground station or, as in my case, right in front of the hostal there was a shop that sold it; just ask at reception. I then headed back to the corner of my hostel and got the 29 bus towards Boca (make sure it says Boca at the front as there are two 29s). Around 45 mins later I was getting off at Caminitos. Just keep an eye on mapsme or your offline Google to know when to get off or ask the driver. Caminitos is a small street and the Boca stadium in only a 2 min walk north. Maybe consider a tour which will last you around 3 hours I reckon. Just walk around and enjoy some free tango, lots of souvenir shops and awesome picture spots. From there we walked north to San Telmo for a photo with Matilda on her bench at Chile with Defensa street. From there to the CCK (a cultural centre by the Casa Rosada) then back home on the green tube line for an easy night.

BOCA stadium

Day 8. (22.11). Woke up and the weather wasn't too great but headed north past Bulnes to do a park route. Past the Las Heras Park then to the Botanical Park. Then north past eco Park and then across to the Paseo El Rosedal - this stunning rose park! Then back towards the planetarium, past the Japanese garden and then the floralis cultural centre and back. Short pit stop at the Buffala Heladeria - yum! Spent most afternoon chilling and packing as wel as buying last minute things.

Day 9. (23.11). Wake up at 6:30am and left the hostal at 8am and made it to the airport for 8:30am. I checked in and dropped bags off. The duty free section of the AEP airport is tiny and no Havana inside so buy outside or better yet in the city as it's cheaper. Flight on time, 2.5 hours I was in Brasil.

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ARGENTINA CRIBSHEET

Hostals:

Calafate: Hostel Cambalache (its clean and the guys there super attentive, not the biggest but I liked it. You also get a discount on the restaurant next door).

Buenos Aires: Benita Hostal (or anywhere in Palermo really)

Restaurants:

Ice cream: Rapa Nui; Buffala Heladeria

Cafeterias: Cafe Tortoni; Florida Garden Cafe.

Things to do:

Calafate: Perito Moreno

Chalten: various walks

Buenos Aires: Recolletta area; Palermo; Liberia El Atendo Grand Splendid formerly a theatre; Palacio de Aguas Corrientes; the National Congress of Argentina; Casa Rosada former presidential house built in 1873; Puente de La Mujer designed to look like tango dancers; Plaza Dorrego in Monserrat and the San Telmo market (and Matilda bench); Kavanagh building; Caminitos/ BOCA stadium.

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#argentina #calafate #chalten #buenosaires #travel #travelling #thingstodo #thingstosee #food #journey #visionworld #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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Bolivia - The land of the Salt Flats and much more

Now onto my trip into Bolivia. A land where the people are kind yet proud. Which means issues can arise and no one wants to compromise. One of the highest places on earth. A land growing in exportation and a land of new insights.

Day 1. (16.10). From Peru, Puno we left at 8am bus to Copacabana. Arrived at the border at 11am and got to Copacabana at 13:00 (Bolívia is 1 hr ahead of Peru). I arrived and had lunch at a Coffee-Restaurant Gourmet "Ali" at Av 6 de Agosto. Order the trout lasagna; it's amazing. Then back near the white anchor for a quick singari sour - the bolivian equivalent of Pisco sour. At 2:15 pm boat to isla de sol Set off arriving at 3ish. I found the Intikala hostal (bol50) for single with bathroom but no paper, towel, soap or breakfast also no wifi (for bol80 all of the above included). I also had the option of inti pacha hostel. Off I went to walk to both viewpoints. Sunset was stunning even if overcast. I saw sunset at las velas restaurant and dinner next door to the hotel - quinoa soup for bol10. Would have loved to have walked back to last velas for some hot wine but with the thunderstorm and having to walk through a small forest alone in the dark I thought best not to. Next time. Also be aware that the north part of the island is shut for tourism due to a conflict that started 1.5 years ago between the communities in the Centre and North of the island. The Centre gets no income and the North has great tourism. Consequently the center stopped tourists crossing to the north as they don't want tourists. The North, in turn, does.

Isla del sol - south side

Day 2. (17.10). I woke up at 5 am to find that the sun was already up. It was overcast but the view from my window was stunning with peaks covered in ice. Back to bed for a 9am wake up. I checked out and off I went to see the red flag where you could not walk past due to the Northern conflict. It was a nice walk and a sad reality that tourists for a year and half now have not been allowed to go beyond this point to the Northern part of the island. Then back to the hotel and off to the other view point further south. By that point, the sun had come out and what a view. Now back at the hostel for 12. Watching the view with some muña tea and some peanuts. I will head down for the 3:30pm boat around 2:30pm. You have to pay for wifi here. So 24hrs without connection to the outside world, which was quite nice. I had lunch with an amazing view then ferry back for 3:30pm. Make sure you set off to go town (taking the left turn on the junction). It is hard to miss the way as there will probably be a few people coming up that way. On the way to the island we were dropped off at the temple and not the port (where we were picked up) as the climb up from the port is quite tough so make sure you carry as little luggage as possible. You can leave your big bags at the cafe by the big anchor (literally a large anchor in Copacabana). Just buy something there and they will keep it. Any doubts ask the Peru Hop guides if you are travelling with Peru Hop. Arriving back in Copacabana at 5pm we had 1hr. So we walked to the church which is quite beautiful with Arabic architecture then back down to get some food and our bags. Then 6pm bus to La Paz. In La Paz we stayed at Loki hostel, which, although known to be a party hostal was actually quite chill. The location is central but near some apparently dodgy streets. I had no issues and as the hostel is in a building which was formerly a hotel, being on the 3rd floor when the bar is on the 7th means you can’t hear much noise. The noise that annoyed us for two nights straight was coming from the street.

La Paz - view from Mirador Killi-Killi

Day 3. (18.10). First breakfast at Loki which was ok but not great so I would recommend going elsewhere in town although Loki is just easy. I then set off to get some money out from the ATMs right in front of the hostel. The hostel also does not do laundry but there is a laundry place across from the hostal that does laundry and delivers back at the hostel - 12bol per kilo. Today we went to see the Mercado de las Brujas which is just a collection of stalls. From there I went to get my Peru Hop top. Then calle Jaén and then the Killi-Killli mirador. I advise you get a taxi up there and back down. It cost up 10 bol up as we were half way there and 20 bol to get back to the hostel. We made it back for 11ish. We had lunch at Cafe Vida - vegan place with a delicious lunch set menu with soup and salad plus juice for 35bol. Then back at the hostel for some chill time until I went to meet Agnes for drinks at HP Bronze Coffee Bar. I had a quinoa beer which was super nice called Niebla brewed by the place. Then back at the hostel and on the way bought ceibo chocolate (Bolivian chocolate which is quite yummy).

Lunch bowl at Cafe Vida

Day 4. (19.10). Wake up at 8am to head out into La Paz to take the Teleferico. I took the orange line north (3Bol a ride) and stayed on it until the end, then bought another ticket to the White line and stayed on it until the end and lastly the Blue line (called línea celeste). On this last line you can either take it back to the centre of the city or out to the south of the city to connect with the green and yellow lines. The south of the city is the richer part of the city. The orange line is the longest and takes you up towards the mountains which is pretty awesome view. Then the white line is also quite cool as it takes you past the tall buildings. The blue line then drops you off just outside the centre, near the Wild Rover hostel. I then walked back stopping at the restaurant called Ali Pacha recommended by Agnes. The menu looked amazing, Bol100 for a set lunch menu that looked beautiful. I was just not in the mood so went back to the cheaper option: Cafe Vida. Bus at 9pm to Uyuni with Todo Turismo buses.

CRIBSHEET OF LA PAZ

Where to stay: I stayed at Loki which although known as a party hostal is like a 7 floor former hotel and I had no issues in my room. They also do individual rooms. My issues was on the street as both nights I stayed in La Paz there was a band outside playing until 11pm. The other options that other PeruHop travellers stayed at was Buckie Hostel and Adventure Brew B&B which were on Av Ismael montes but also pretty close to the centre.

For Restaurants: I went to Cafe Vida and loved it (vegan and delicious - BOL35 for lunch deal). I also ate at Loki but not the greatest food. Also gave a chance to street food which was ok. Other places I would try/ recommended: Bolivian Popular Food (Calle Murillo 826); La Casona (Av Mariscal Santa Cruz); Ali Pacha (Calle Colon No 1306); HB Bronze Caffeebar (Plaza Tomas Frías 1570).

For typical foods and drinks: empanadas (saltenas); sopa de maní (peanuts soup); plato pásenos (typical dishes); sackhta (dehydrated potatoes, chicken and salsa and pepper). Then for the drinks you have Singani sour (a Bolivian pisco sour); for beers look out for Pasena and Wari brands.

To do: city tours; the markets (La Lanza, de las Brujas; Rodriguez); teleférico with 7 lines); trekking (choro which starts at la cumbre up el chairs to come back to la Paz, taquesi until chulimani, three day trek from tiwanacota); Tiawanaco (archeological site at Bol100 entry, Chaqueltaia (5,200m mountain full day trek); vale de la Luna; Vale de las Animas (geological formations); Muele del Diablo (30 mins from la Paz and a 3 hr walk); Camino de la Muerte.

From La Paz to Uyuni: Todo Turismo buses.

Uyuni Tours: use FindLocalTours to look at the possible options. When you get to Uyuni there are lots of options but don’t opt for the cheapest as you need experienced drivers and that will cost you a bit more. I used Perla de Bolivia and had no issues (USD200 with all included plus transfer to San Pedro de Atacama).

Day 5. (20.10). Arrived in Uyuni for 8am. Some people headed straight to their salt flat tours which is definitely doable. I instead, checked in and relaxed. Watched Netflix at the hostel: Piedra Blanca. The hostel is clean and very nice only a bit outside the town but only 5/10 min walk. Went into town bought pasta and cooked it at the hostel. Relaxed day.

Day 6. (21/10). Wake up and breakfast was good. Left the hostel around 9am to get to the agency promptly. Arrived there at 9ish and waited around until 10ish when we set off to the train graveyard. From there we went to a salt making town which has souvenirs etc. I didn't buy a dragon but I should have or instead have props for the salt flats. We resorted to using a banana, which served as a boat quite well. Then lunch at the next stop at the salt flats and more photos. We stopped at another beautiful spot and took more photos. Then we stopped at a coral volcanic island for an one hour walk. We then stopped again for sunset and wine. We then carried on towards the evening hostel.

Sunset at day 1 at the Salt Flats

Day 7. (22.10). Day 2 of the sat flats. We woke up at our salt hostal at 7am and were out by 7:30am. We decided not to do the galaxies cave as it wasn't amazing and would cost us bol20. Instead we headed to the army of stones which are volcanic formations from when the volcanoes erupted and formed interesting shapes raised from the floor. We drove past the altiplano lakes and siloli desert to later stop to see the flamingos. We had lunch at a flamingo lake. We then carried on to the stone tree for 3/4pm then the red lake when we entered the national park (bol150). Almost at the hostel we passed the sol de manana geysers with boiling sulphur (volcanoes below the surface). We arrived at the hostel by the hot springs for 6pm had tea and dinner. The entrance to the hot springs was bol6. Some went some didn't as it was super cold but the stars were beautiful.

Day 8. (23.10). Wake up at 6am to leave at 7am. If you can wake up for sunrise and head to the hot springs, do. The sunrise is beautiful. At 7am we headed to the Salvador Dali desert (the paintings came first). The green lake followed with a beautiful view of the Licancabur volcano. From there we left the reserve and headed to the border. We arrived at the border at 8am and the Bolivian side was easy. At the Chilean side we took an hr or so. They stamp passports then check bags for food etc. From there into Chile.

Alicancbur - day 3 almost at the Chilean border

Thank you Bolivia.

Your world. My world. Our world.

#bolivia #copacabana #isladelsol #lapaz #uyuni #salardeuyuni #Vision #visionworld #travel #travelling #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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My trip around the land of the Incas and much more

After spending over two weeks in Ecuador’s amazing sceneries I headed back to Peru. In September 2016, I headed to Cusco and it’s amazing secret valley. I spent just under 10 days there and loved it. This time round I decided to do the coastal areas of Peru. With these two trips I managed to cover quite a bit of Peru; just the jungle remaining. Therefore, I outline below these two trips and their itineraries. Any questions just ask!

Cusco, the Secret Valley and Machupicchu

Arrival day: We flew straight to Cusco. We landed late at night and made our way to our hostel Cuscopackers. We then headed to Morena, this amazing restaurant just by the main square. We ate ceviche and a piece to complement - truly a must! It was then time for bed as we were truly exhausted.

Day 1. The next day before heading out on any tour we bought the Boleto Turistico that includes entry to 16 archaeological and cultural sites - S/130 (£31), valid for 10 days. We bought this at Avenida el Sol 103, office next to iPeru office, or you can buy it at entries to the sites. We then booked our tours with Hotel Ruinas agency before doing a Free Walking Tour (http://www.inkanmilkyway.com/free-city-tour-cusco-10-am) which started at Plaza Regocijo/Kusipata, in front of The City Hall (look for The FTF logo on the Yellow Vest). These leave at 10am/1pm/3.30pm and last 2.5-3 hours.

Cusco City Centre

Followed by lunch at Jack’s Cafe. In the afternoon of this first day we did: the Cathedral, the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, Tambomachay, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, and Pucapucara. The tour included transportation and group guide, entrance to the cathedral and Qoricancha; Quoricancha and Sacsyhuaman. That evening we went to the Pisco Museum for some Pisces and antichurro.

Day 2. On our second day we did: Pisac, Urubamba then to Ollantaytambo. We climbed the ruins in Ollantaytambo and then, on our own, Pinkuylluna Mountain granaries (Qollqa). This is free, and it closes at 4pm. It is more or less 2 hour round trip. It is a steep climb but with a great view of Ollantaytambo. The entry is a bit hidden; it’s through small door on Lare Street up some narrow steps. That evening we ate at one of the restaurants by the main square some Cuy.

Day 3. We spent two nights in Ollantaytambo so on the first full day, our third day of travel, in Ollantaytambo we booked a taxi that took up to Moray and Maras - also a must! We ended the day at Chinchero; a town full of textiles.

Sacred Valley

Day 4. The following day we had booked ourselves on an early train to Machu Picchu that arrived at 9am into Aguas Calientes (the town of Macchu Picchu). I will advise you now to book your Machu Picchu entrance tickets and the train early on (we booked it two months in advance). We got to Aguas Calientes around 9am and headed up on the bus. Quick tip: buy the tickets for both days right there and then at the booth on the side of the road as the queues get big unless you think you will climb up there. We did the Sun Gate and the Inca bridge on this first day. We also stayed until the park’s closing the sunset was truly incredible.

Machu Picchu

Day 5. The second day in Machu Picchu started really early - aim for 3am queuing. That second day we left on the last train to Cusco so we trekked WaynaPicchu at 11am but would recommend booking an earlier slot as the longer route closes if you go later. We just managed to get there in time and sweet talked one of the guards to let us through. We enjoyed the rest of the day and headed back down before our train. We chilled at La Boulangerie de Paris; this amazing cafe on the other side of the river to the train station that is run by this French guy. Amazing stuff. Also before getting to Cusco that evening ask you hostal or hotel or arrange a taxi to pick you up as the Cusco station is far from the city centre. We then headed to our hostel - Millhouse, which is great and super well located. We stayed two nights.

WaynaPicchu

Day 6. The next day we took it easy and walked around San Blas area; Mercado San Pedro; and went to a few of the museums included in the Boleto Turistico.

Day 7. On the Friday, we climbed Rainbow Mountain...in the snow, rain, hail, fog, and freezing cold. Quick tip: Rainbow Mountain should be done last as its the highest you will get to (5,009m). To celebrate getting to the top despite all odds we had dinner at Uchu Peruvian steak, which was super yummy! We then headed to Prisco Museum for some pisco sours. They had their anniversary that evening and were doing 2 for 1 deals which is a recipe for disaster and a great night. We then left the next day around 12.

SACRED VALLEY CRIBSHEET…for those not interested in the essay above or those with little time...

For Restaurants:

Cusco: Morena; Jacks cafe; Nuna Raymi; and definitely Uchu Peruvian steak. There is also: Greens Organic; Qucharitas icecream; Cioccilina; Restaurant cafe bar pucara; The meeting place - waffles; Cafe loco.

Ollantaytambo: any on the square;

Aguas Calientes: all quite expensive but a must is La Boulangerie de Paris.

For Hostels/Hotels:

Cusco try and book Millhouse. On our first two nights in Cuzco Millhouse was booked out so we stayed at Cuscopackers which is good but a bit far from the centre. There is also Ruinas Hotel for those with a roomier budget.

Ollantaytambo: El Bosque Backpackers which is good and super close to the train station which is a bonus in the morning.

Aguas Calientes: Taypikala Boutique hotel. Make sure you contact them for someone to come and grab your bags at the station so you can head straight to Machu Picchu without having to detour to the hotel.

Travel:

PeruRail sells the trains to Aguas Calientes.

To do:

Cusco: walking tour and museums; the Cathedral, the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, Tambomachay, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, and Pucapucara

Pisac; Urubamba; Ollantaytambo (same day)

Moray and Maras (same day)

Must eats:

Savoury:

Ceviche: diced fish with lime with onion, chilli, sweet potato, corn and sometimes seafood

Anticuchos: grilled skewed meat, street food,often cattle hearth

Cuy: guinea pig

Salchipapa with sausages and potatoes

Lomo Saltado: stir fried beef

Papa Rellena: stuffed potato

Aji de Gallina: chilli chicken

Chicarrones: pork served with fried sweet potatoes

Rocotto Relleno: stuffed peppers super typical of Arequipa

Chupe de camarones: shrimp soup super typical of Arequipa as well

Chifa: Peruvian version of Cantonese-Chinese food

Sweet:

Alfajores - baked pastry

Turron - anise and honey nougat

Lucuma - cooked fruit in dessert - popular in juice, ice cream, shakes

Mazamorra - jelly with purple maize

Picarones - sweet friter, pumpkin and molasses

Tejas - candy filled with manjar blanco or choc

Suspiro Limeno - milk, egg white, port, cinammon

Drinks:

Pisco sour - pisco, limes, sugar, alcoholic

Chicha de Jora - yellow maize, alcoholic

Inca Kola - yellow soda

Chicha Morada - purple maize, sweet, non alcoholic

Now onto my second time in Peru - the coast!

Lima, Huaraz, Paracas, Huacacchina, Arequipa & Puno

Day 1. From Cuenca, Ecuador I got on the night bus (the company I got was Azuay) to Chiclayo, Peru. We arrived on the border within 4 hours into the trip. The border crossing took two hours. You go through the Ecuadorian side then back on the bus and then out of the bus and through the Peru side. Then onwards past Mancora and Piura to end at Chiclayo around 11am ish. I went straight to the main bus station (make sure to grab a yellow taxi and no other and agree on the price before jumping in) to find a ticket to Lima. I left on the same day to Lima with Allinbus at 6pm but there are earlier buses. I arrived in Lima at 6am. Again a 12 hour ride. Be warned that there is nothing to do in Chiclayo and it is not safe so if you can fly to Lima. When you get to Lima then think about getting to Huaraz as this seemed to be the easiest and quickest way around.

Day 2. After arriving in Lima at 6am I grabbed an Uber and made my way to Catalina’s place (friend of a friend). Remember to get out at La Victoria stop if you are staying near Miraflores which I recommend. I then went to Claro to get a sim (S/35 for sim plus 30 days of 3gig plus unlimited whatsapp and calls). From there I went to Huaca Pucllana which is an awesome archaeological site and from there to AMANO museum of textiles. My day ended walking at the malecon. I also ate at Punto Marisko (good priced ceviche and they have them around the city).

Day 3. Today the day started early at 9am in the centre of Lima. I grabbed an Uber which cost me USD4 approx., which is more recommended and cheaper than any taxi on the street. I got to plaza mayor and walked to the Convento de Santo Domingo followed by the Basilica and Convento of San Francisco and did the tour of the catacombs. The entrance is S/15 and you have a tour guide for 45 minutes. The Arab inspired dome and the courtyard is absolutely stunning. Pity no pictures are allowed inside whatsoever. From there I walked to the Church of San Pedro and then the Torre Tagle Palace. I did not manage to get inside the Tagle Palace as its only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, and if that happens to you just look up and admire its amazing balconies from outside.

If you end up doing all of this by lunch time you must eat at L’eau Vive del Peru which is in front of the Torre Tagle Palace. This is a house that was renovated and now the sisters of the household open its doors for lunch and dinner (lunch from 12:30 to 3pm and dinner from 7:30 to 09:30 pm). The proceeds of the meals goes to serving food to the poor. The meals are well served and although they have a la carte options the meal of the day is a three course for S/19. I then walked down Jirón de la Union street which is a pedestrianised road and arrived at Plaza San Martin where I went inside the Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima, which once hosted presidents and very important people; it was one of the first luxury hotels in the area. Also walk a bit further on to admire the Club National a members’ only club with astonishing architecture.

If by this point you are a bit tired and want a sit down and/or a desert please make your way to Pastelería San Martin (Portal de Gonzales 991) on the opposite side of the Plaza to the Hotel and order their Turrón de Dona Peppa. It’s absolutely delicious and a Lima thing. From there I walked down to the Museum of Art of Lima (the MALI). The entrance is S/30 and you can and should download the MALI App from your App Store (just search “MALI App”) and there you can see each room and listen to the explanation of various paintings and sections of the museum. The museum itself is not enormous but you can expect to spend around 1-2 hours there. The MALI also has an adorable cafe and sitting areas so make most of it plus it gives out to quite a nice park. By then it was 4pm and so I headed home by taxi.

MALI

Day 4. On my third day in Lima, I went for a morning walk to the street Petit Thouars where all the artisan markets are. I would recommend you walk all the way past the electronics retail shop called Hiraoka and then enter the Indian Market Miraflores. Then you can walk around this market then down the road as there are many others although this is the largest. Plus you want to figure out where you have the best prices. Baby alpaca numbers range from S/100 to S/200. Then you have your alpaca jumpers at S/40 to S/50. You can also find silver of all kinds. You can find rings at S/50 with very nice stones to small earrings at S/20. Then you have everything in between. I would recommend you look around before buying anything. If however you are going to Cusco then stuff there is slightly cheaper. This took me around 2 - 3 hours. Then at 1pm we headed for lunch at a buffet called Chifa Internacional on Av República de Panama. It’s an all you can eat with Peruvian food and Chinese food. Worth it!

Day 5. Trip to Huaraz. I would recommend that you leave your stuff at your hostal/hotel in Lima so you can travel light to Huaraz. I bought the overnight bus to Huaraz leaving from Javier Prado (which is much closer than the Terminal Norte especially if you are staying in the Miraflores area which I recommend). I chose to leave on a Wednesday night, arriving at 6am in Huaraz on Thursday and returning at 10pm on Saturday night, arriving in Lima at 6am on Sunday. The bus company is called Cruz del Sul and each way cost me S/90. This a bit more pricey than other providers but they have a really good rating and plus you would spend twice as much getting to Terminal Norte (where most providers leave from) than Javier Prado. The hostal I booked was Alpes Huaraz which is very well located and super well priced. I then booked my day tours with the hostal themselves which is much cheaper than anywhere else - S/35 max each. As I arrived on the bus at 6am and the tour to Chavin left at 9am so I was out of the door just before 9am and spent my day out at the archeological site which is incredible. Chavin was a civilization more than 3,000 years ago. Definitely a good choice to climate to the Altitude and honestly an impressive site. Once back I went to get some food at the market just down the road.

Day 6. On my second day in Huaraz I headed to Laguna 69 (it's name comes from some counting of seismic movements and earthquakes in the region). The trek is through beautiful forests, sights of far away waterfalls and a couple of smaller lagoons so it's beautiful. However, don't be fooled. The trek is 8km each way nd most of which, apart from the first 40 minutes or so and a bit in the middle, is a steady incline. So it's flat, up (zigzagged), a bit flat ish, then zigzag. I made it in 2 hours and there were about 7 other people up there with me. Everyone else arrived between 2.5 and 3 hours. I managed to then chill for over an hour and made my descend in 1hr40 ish. So although beautiful and totally worth it, be warned. I had no issues with the altitude but some did. You go from 3,870m to 4,604m in 2 hours. Double breath in and one out helps me just make sure you don't hyperventilate. I also took coca tea in my flask, gatorade, water, snacks and lunch.. Make sure you take water and food for lunch so the night before I bought all of this. The trek can take anything from 2 to 3 and a bit hours. The trek is demanding and fairly uphill but simply beautiful.

Laguna 69

Day 7. Today wake up at 8pm for 9pm leaving for Pastoruri Glacier. We stopped at a few places to see the lakes as well as the puyhual rumondi plant that grows here. The trek up was the last thing we did. Started around 12:45noon and we had 2 hours to be back. I made it in 49 mins and in comparison to Laguna 69 it's really easy. It's beautiful. We were back for 6 ish. Shower and bus back to Lima at 10pm.

Day 8. Arrived back in Lima at 6am. I then went into town to speak to PeruHop (this company that does bus routes and I would super recommend it!). I then went to visit the Malecon, then the Barranco District (unfortunately the Pedro de Osma museum was closed but even the outside was worth seeing it) then Chorrillos and El Olivar Forest to end the tour at this amazing café - lá Bonbonniere (http://www.labonbonniere.pe/carta/postres/). So yum! If you go order Guarguero and the hot chocolate!

Day 9. Today I headed out early and was at Museo del Larco at 9am. This is an amazing museum. It is near the archeological museum but I was so taken by it that I spent nearly three hours there. The actual collection is not huge but super interesting. A lot of Nazca (1-800 AC south) and Mochica (1-800 AC but north) stuff as well as Chimu (1300-1532 AC) with amazing gold stuff. The gardens are stunning and one could just sit and chill there forever. In the afternoon the sun came out so I off to the malecón for a walk!

Day 10. I had bought the PeruHop route from Lima to La Paz with first pick up at 6:30am at the Dazzler Hotel on Prado. You can get picked up in various spots in Lima, which is super awesome. The bus is clean and there are all sorts of travellers on. Backpackers, more luxury and everything in between.

The first leg of the route was to Paracas but we first stopped at Pachacamac or more like drove slowly past it. Then the Chincha Tunnels. This place is beautiful but the tunnels built for slave black market are terrible. From there another hour to Paracas. In Paracas we had lunch at the Paracas Restaurant - on the top floor where there are some amazing views. As a PeruHop traveller you get 20% off the food there although food is a bit pricey (s/31 for ceviche with discount). Then we went to the national parks in buggies and watched the sunset. Then I was back at the hostal for late afternoon. I stayed at Kokopelli Paracas hostal (s/32 for 4 bed dorm - PeruHop also gets discount there and s/32 was the discounted price) and then dinner at Misk'i - I had the quinoa and avocado salad which was well served and super nice (at s/20). The food at the hostal is cheaper for sure.

Paracas National Park

Day 11. We set off at 10:45am from Paracas to the national park (you also have the option to do the islands (Islas Ballestas) but if you have done Galapagos it is not really worth it). We then headed to Huacachina arriving around 2pm. At 3:30pm we were booked in for the buggy rides and sandboarding. If you want a driver that is a bit crazier ask for adventure and tip well. We then watched the sunset at the top of the dunes. Followed by dinner. Absolutely amazing day!

Huacacchina

Day 12. I decided to do the Pisco tour which isn't that worth it. Maybe should have gone with the guys to Nazca for the flight. When back chilled by the pool then had drinks with the guys and waved them off. I then moved hostel from Bamboo to Carola Hostal. This is more party but has a pool and my 10 bed dorm only has four people with me.

Day 13. We headed out early to Nazca, and after two hours we arrive in Nazca. We then waited another two hours for our flight. Definitely worth it if you have the time and the cash (USD60). We then waited until 6pm so four hours to the overnight bus to Arequipa. Here we go!

Day 14. Arrived in Arequipa at 6am after a hectic trip. There were heavy winds and issues on the roads. We arrived at the Dragonfly hostal not much later, dropped our bags, had breakfast and made it to the free walking tour of the city that left at 9:30am. The meeting point was by the Chicha restaurant near the Monastery. The tour took 2.5hrs. It was good but the tour guide’s English wasn't great. The other option was to wait until 10am in the same spot and do the Inka Milky tour (which also does a 3pm slot). After that I checked in, showered and went for a walk. I grabbed some food first at La Lúcha sandwich (the traditional which I highly recommend) near plaza de armas then some Queso helado and then bed.

Arequipa

Day 15. Wake up at 7am for breakfast and some admin. At 9 I headed to the Museo Andino just round the corner to see juanita (this frozen child from inca times) named after the American who found her. The tour is over an hour and super worth going with a guide (tip basis). Afterwards back at the hostal for some downtime until 11 ish when I headed out to Yanahuara district to see their church and the viewing point. I walked all the way there and the walk itself is a nice chilled walk - about 20 mins. Afterwards it was lunchtime and I headed to a picanteria called La Nueva Palomino with great food. Then uber back to the market to get some fruit. This was already 2pm. Around 3pm I headed to the Monastery. I would also recommend getting a guide here (I paid s/20). If you are in Arequipa on Tuesday or Wednesday do both day and night at the Monastery - meant to be amazing at night as well. I was looking forward to dinner at La Trattoria de la Monasteria just outside the Monastery but it was closed - next time.

Day 16. Early wake up for the bus to Puno. After leaving Arequipa at 5am we stopped for breakfast at 11am then again at the highest lake in Peru for pictures a bit later. We made it to Puno for 13:00. Once arriving in Puno in the afternoon I had a quick lunch then headed to the 2 hour tour of the Urus islands. You can a 2 hour tour, or a full day, or two days with a home stay. I found that the two hour was interesting and we saw the islands and the people. Perhaps a full day would mean you see a bit more.

PERU COAST CRIBSHEET...…for those not interested in the essay above or those with little time...

Restaurants:

Lima: Punto Marisco; L’eau Vive del Peru; La Bonbonniere; Pastelería San Martin (Turrón de Dona Peppa); Chifa Internacional on Av República de Panama

Huaraz: street food (by the supermarket)

Arequipa: Monasterio, La Lucha,

Hostals:

Huaraz : Alpes Huaraz Hostal

Paracas : Kokopelli Backpackers Hostal (where I stayed); Los Frayles Hotel; Paracas Backpackers Hostal (all of which have discount with PeruHop)

Huacachina: La Casa de Bamboo (where I first stayed and also has PeruHop discount); Carola Lodge (where I also stayed); Bananas looked pretty good too. Be warned that Carola is more a party hostal. Bamboo has no pool.

Arequipa: Dragonfly Hostal (where I stayed); Casa de Avila; Flying Dog; Wild Rover (party hostal) (all of which have discount with PeruHop)

To do:

Huaraz: Laguna 69; Chavin; Pastoruri Glacier; and various other walks

Lima: AMANO museum; MALI museum; Huaca Pucllana; Convento de Santo Domingo; Basilica and Convento of San Francisco; Church of San Pedro; Torre Tagle Palace; Plaza San Martin; Malecon; Barranco District (Pedro de Osma museum); Chorrillos and El Olivar Forest

Paracas: National Park

Huacacchina: Oasis (sandboarding and buggy)

Nazca: Nazca lines

Arequipa: free walking tour; Monastery; Museo Andino

Puno: Uros islands

Thank you Peru!

Your world. My world. Our world.

#peru #lima #machupichuperu #paracas #huaraz #arequipa #puno #travel #travelvision #Vision #visionworld #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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My trip through Ecuador - a land of extremes

Oh Ecuador. A land of many extremes. Not only do you have luscious green landscape throughout its hills and mountains but they have amazing volcanoes one of which is the tallest active volcano in the world. They have the jungle and also the sea. The Galapagos is a place of wonder. Ecuador is place truly unexplored. It is beautiful and its people are helpful and proud of its beauty. I truly enjoyed my time in Ecuador and wish I had more time for it. I advice 3-4 weeks for Ecuador.

The North - Quito, Cotopaxi, Quilatoa, Otalavo and surrounding areas

Day 1. I landed in Quito early in the morning and got a taxi into the city. I pre-booked a taxi and it was USD 20. I would recommend doing this as to be honest the bus option did not seem extensive. It was quick ride. Once getting into Quito, I got dropped off into my hostal: Secret Garden Hostal. The hostal is clean and well located. Probably the best thing about the hostal is its rooftop bar. Book in advance as this hostal is well known. During the day, as I got in for midday, I decided to walk the old city. There are quite a few churches you can see (a few that charge to enter but no more than USD3 each). I also had Poncho - this hot milky/eggy drink. It is very large so be warned. Walking around Guayaquil street you find lots of different things so just explore. There is also the Basilica which is beautiful. The city is rustic but has its beauty. Later at night I watched the sunset at Secret Garden’s rooftop bar.

After watching the sunset I went to meet Carolina and her husband, Pablo. They took me to see the Virgin Mary up close (apparently the only Virgin Mary with wings). We then went to walk at La Ronda, which is this adorable area of the historical centre which although quiet when we went is apparently super busy at the weekends. From there we went for dinner at one of Quito’s many rooftop restaurants. I had Locro Soup which is a potato soup with cheese and avocado - probably one of my favourite dishes here.

Day 2. On my second day I went on a tour to the Quitsato sundial - also known as the mitad del mundo. Don’t get confused with the monument that is also named as the Mitad del mundo. Through scientific studies and pin pointing sun rise on various surrounding mountains this has been deemed as the 0”0”0 of the earth. It is on the equator line. Interestingly enough the equinox happened on 21 September, two days after my visit here. We then made our way to the Cuicocha Lagoon, which is inside one of Ecuador’s 53 reserves. The volcanic lagoon trip was on a boat. We then continued on to the Otalavo market. This is a market area with traditional clothing weaves. The day ended at the cascada de Pegucha and Lago San Pablo. I did all this on a tour (Mystic Ecuador Agencia) who are super nice and super attentive and would recommend doing it as a tour if you have little time. You can probably get to Otalavo market by bus but the market isn’t that extensive so explore the surrounding area. If you like condors they have a reserve 30 minutes from Otalavo.

Quitsato Sundial

Peguche Waterfall

Day 3. On this day I got on another tour to do Cotopaxi Reserve treking and Quilatoa (also bought through Mystic Ecuador travel agency). If you have more time maybe consider going to Secret Garden Hostal at the Cotopaxi reserve where you can horse ride, trek and do a whole load of other activities. You can also train to climb Cotopaxi volcano - the largest active volcano in the world. From afar its stunning and probably awesome to be climbed as well. The morning started with an overview of the fact that Quito is surrounded by a ring of fire - i.e. lots of volcanos. We then went on to Cotopaxi which is a good hour and half drive away. We were lucky to see it free from clouds. We also walked around the lake of the reserve which was stunning. We then went on and drove to Quilatoa crater lake. Again this is an active volcanic crater lake in which you can swim or take a boat on. The climb down is 30 mins but back up is 2hrs. Then we made our way back to Quito for 7pm ish.

Cotopaxi Volcano

Quilatoa Lake

Day 4. Early wake up to catch flight to the Galapagos. At the airport I find that STA bought me an air ticket only valid to Galapagos born individuals. A little of bit of information: if you are born in the Galapagos you have a different ID from that of those born in mainland Ecuador. You are Ecuadorian but being born in the Galapagos you also have a separate ID where you are given separate rights from those born in mainland Ecuador. For example, you have cheaper flights, cheaper entry fees (in fact halved). Only Galapagos born people can work in the Galapagos and own land. So I had the wrong tickets. The lady at the TAME desk was super helpful and just worked out the difference for me and got me on a quicker flight. The difference came to something like 125 pounds. So please make sure you buy the right tickets to avoid this as I have heard you may have to buy completely new tickets or pay way more than the difference. Also as soon as you get to the airport, before check in, find the Galapagos migration booth where you have to pay a migration fee (I paid USD20 but apparently it should be USD50 for internationals so not sure what happened there) and they check your bags. They won’t give you your boarding pass without this. The queue can be lengthy and they are slow so do this as soon as you get to the airport.

After the airport ordeal I had to wait at the lounge until 8am to embark, so be warned that the flight can be delayed. I thought the plane would be late but with a quick stop in Guayaghill for fuel (please note all flights stop in Guayaghill for fuel so maybe travel down the country through Baños, which I wish I had done, to Guayaghill and travel from there to Baltra), we were back in the air and made it to Baltra for 11:30 am. Once you land you get walked through to customs. There you pay another USD50 tariff. I would recommend going through this as soon as possible as there are queues. I did exactly that, got through customs as soon as possible and waited for my bag. Also note that you have to declare whether you have any foods, whether you have any camping gear such as hiking boots or whether you had been to a zoo or reserve in the last 72 hours. I answered yes to the second as I had hiking boots on, circled the bit that said hiking boots and pointed it to the guy that takes the papers as they scan your hand luggage but it was super relaxed. Also note that two days before your fly you can send foods out to pick up when you get there as food is expensive out there. Maybe give your flight provider a call to ask details. Also when buying flights, buy flight into Baltra and out of San Cristobal. My flights were from Quito to Baltra and from San Cristobal to Guayaghill.

Before you can get your suitcases all of the flights’ dispatched bags get checked by a sniff dog. Once the dog has finished sniffing your bag, head immediately outside and look for the bus that goes to the Baltra crossing also known as ‘bote’. The bus I got was literally outside as you turn right out. If you are like me testing fate by having a 2pm ferry to Isabela make sure you get the first bus out. Also don’t forget that to get on the bus you need a ticket. So drop your bag by the bus, make friends with the guys of the bus saying you are getting the tickets. The tickets are USD5 each. The bus will take you to this boat that crosses you from Baltra to Santa Cruz. From the bus you get onto the ‘bote’ that costs you USD1. Once on the other side you either can get the bus or you can grab a taxi. One taxi will easily fit four people with luggage so if you are less than that try and make a friend on the bus or, like I did, speak to the bus operators and find a buddy to share the ride into Santa Cruz with. The taxi normally comes to USD25 into Santa Cruz. The bus is way cheaper but leaves intermittently and not that often.

Once you are in Santa Cruz (you want to ask for the Molle - i.e. the ferry port) if you are taking the ferry. I travelled with Neptuno but there are a lot of options around. I had pre-booked as I had a contact out there but saw people just walking up to the ferry boats and being added on. I also forgot to say that from landing at 11:30 and arriving at the port around 13:20 it takes you almost two hours to get you to Santa Cruz from the airport if everything goes your way, so be mindful of that. The ferry takes 2 hours so we arrived in Isabela for 4pm. From the Isabela port you can take a taxi, USD1 per person to any hotel. I then went to my hotel - La Gran Tortuga, checked into a room with three bed that could fit five people then went for a walk. I was booked on a tour for the next day with Pahoehoe agency to the Túneles (which I highly recommend) quite early so had some food at Coco Surf and went to bed early.

Santa Cruz Muele

Day 5. My only full day in Isabela started at 7:30 am at Pahoehoe tours to go to the Tuneles. These are lava rock formations that with time turned into bridge like tunnels. We walked over these rock formations and saw Galapagos’ blue footed boobies. Then we got back on the boat and headed to another spot for snorkelling. There we saw white tip, black tip and Galapagos sharks; huge sea turtles; a sea horse and a group of over 10 yellow rays. Make sure you take all the cameras you have - waterproof and otherwise and a change of clothes as the water was freezing and you want dry clothes when you get out of the water. We came back at 1ish pm.

The tunneles - giant marine turtle

Once back to Isabela, I rented a bike and cycled (USD 3 per hour or USD 10 until 6pm) to the centro de crianza where they have the baby tortoises and the flamingo lake. Park at the bottom and walk up through the reserve, which is quite nice. However, I did all of this quite quickly so maybe if you don’t have a lot of time and rather take things slower maybe cycle up. This was followed by a speedy cycle to the muro de lagrimas. On the way to muro de lagrimas I stopped at Playa del Amor; Túnel del Estero; el Estero and Cerro Orchilla and on the way back at Poza Escondida; Poza verde and Poza de las diablas. Some of these stops are more worthwhile than others. For example the Playa del Amor is 100% worth the stop. Once back I went to the Concha de Perla (just round the corner from the Isabela muele so 10 minutes from the town) and snorkelled there. My day ended at around 6:30pm. By 21:00 I was packed and in bed ready for my rest before my 5am wake up for my 6am ferry back to Santa Cruz where I would have two nights there.

Day 6. Wake up at 5am and taxi at 5:20am to get to the muele on time for 6pm departure. The 6am ferry to Santa Cruz arrived just after 8am. I then walked to my hotel, Hostel España, which is literally a 5 minute walk from the muele. Check in was only at 10:30am which worked out to be beforehand but in the meanwhile I sat on their hammocks, called home and read a book - the early starts were getting to me. I then got to my room, changed and headed out to Tortuga Bay, which is very well sign posted. At the top you have to check in (no need to pay for anything). The walk is about 30 minutes long and super chill but take food and water as there is none there.

Arriving there just walk around. It’s pretty self explanatory. We then came back around 2pm and went for lunch at one of the restaurants at the Kiosko area. They call it the Kiosko areas and its really a street with one restaurant next to the other. We had the lunch especial which works out at USD5 per head. It’s well served and a very good price for the Galapagos. Just pick one but a local advised me that his preferences were Renato. We then went on to the Grietas. To get there you need to go to the muele (the port area) and find one of the first docking areas on the right and jump on a water taxi but first check its going to Las Grietas. It is something like USD0.80 per head for the water taxi and its like a 2 minute route. Getting there just follow the signs to first the Playa de los Alemanes then follow on to the signs to Las Grietas. Swim around and come back the same way. At night we headed back to the Kioskos for some lobster and pez brujo.

Day 7. Today wake up was a bit later; 7am for comfort. My pick up time for today’s tour was 8am. We went to Santa Fe Island and snorkelled twice: first with the fish, turtles and sharks and secondly with the sea lions. The last stop was at a beach - isla secreta. Here we saw some more iguanas and some sea turtles. We then returned to land around 3/4pm. The tour was lovely although the weather was not great.

Day 8. Today the wake up was 6am ish to be at the muele at 6:30am for ferry to San Cristobal at 7am. It took 2hours - standard. Getting there I got to where I was staying, dropped my stuff and headed to la Loberia - this is a beach just past the airport. Just take a taxi there - it cost me USD3 and walk to the beach - in and to your left. There are lobos marinos at this beach. You can also keep walking past the beach and this will take you to a trek. Just follow the white posts. The trek is rocky so don’t do it if you are not confortable. The views though are stunning. Then just walk back and enjoy the beach for a bit - at least that is what I did. I then decided to walk back into town which took me about 20 minutes. Back in town I walked to the other side of town to El Centro de Interpretación and there I waked to the playa punta Carola then the Mirador and looped back around. There is a nice swimming spot at the Mirador end so just make sure you take your snorkel.

La Loberia trek

Day 9. Trip to Leon Dormido with Sharksky. Here we went to the beach just across Leon Dormido which is beautiful. We then went diving at Leon Dormido. We saw hammerhead sharks and silky sharks. They are stunning creatures and came pretty close. We also saw turtles being cleaned by fish. It appears that Leon Dormido area is in fact a cleaning station. Also its walls are beautiful and full of colour and life. We also saw a eagle ray on our first dive and a black tip. Yet nothing compared to the hammerheads that ranged between 3 to 4 metres. The day ended at 3pm ish. I came home, had a shower and watched the sunset over some San Cristobal beers (Endemica). What a way to end a wonderful week in the Galapagos. San Cristobal thank you very much, you have won my heart over and is for sure my favourite of the islands in the Galapagos. I shall be back.

Leon Dormido

Day 10. Today I woke up at 6ish am and went for a run to Tijeritas and swam with the turtles (about five of them). There was also a pup sea lion chilling on the platform which was adorable. He was just chilling there. I then ran back, changed and went to get the GoPro footage from the day before. I then went in search of a beer brewed only on San Cristobal called Endémica. I finally found it and bought 12 - 10 as a present and 2 for me to take on my flight. I then walked back through the Malecón and went for breakfast at Fresco cafe - my favourite little spot in San Cristobal for great food! Their avocado on their home made nut bread with fried eggs on top was my fave. So yummy! I then had to unfortunately head off to my flight. I really didn’t want to go and wish I could have stayed.

The airport at San Cristobal is super close and so much easier than Baltra so I was super grateful I flew out of there. The flight was delayed but we go out eventually. Arriving at Guayaquil I headed north a couple of blocks and left by the petrol station and by the second block I saw a company called Azuay travel that was heading to Cuenca. I was going to use Atrain but their times were a bit later and this one was leaving there and then. The trip took about 3hrs through some banana plantations and other small towns. It was a pretty ride and the roads were good. It also cost me USD 12. I then arrived in Cuenca and got a taxi to the city centre (costing me USD 3) - I just got on a marked taxi. Just keep an eye on your maps as my taxi driver got lost. I then arrived at Check Inn B & B and settled for the night after finding a little shop that sold USD1 pizza slices. Tomorrow Cajas!

Day 11. Today wake up was at 6:30 am for breakfast at 7:30am and I was out of the door just after 8pm for Cajas national park. Make sure you prepare or buy some food and take water. The bus to Cajas leaves apparently on the hour from the Terminal Terrestre (which is what they call the bus station). Just google it or get a taxi, its pretty close to the airport. I was lucky enough to arrive as the bus was leaving so I was in Cajas for 9 ish but we didn’t start property tracking at 9 because the bus didn’t drop us off at the proper entrance so make sure you keep an eye and remind the bus driver where you are getting off. I was with two Germans and we managed to hichhike back down otherwise it would have been a long walk. For a day trek you really only have route 1 or route 2 options or a combination of the two. Route 2 is the steepest but with the best view.

We decided to do route 2 (the green route) then 1 (pink route), which in the end ended up being route 2 and a bit of route 1. Route 2 goes up to 4,967 m or something like that so its pretty steep and by the time you are done with it you are pretty spent. We ended up taking route 1 for a bit to the Bosque bit as it is this really lovely forest - looks enchanted. Then we walked back on the loop towards the start cabin. We finished around 14:30 (so with a start at 10:20 am that was 4 ish hours of trecking with some rest and pictures). The bus was meant to show up at 15:00 but it showed up at 15:30 so be prepared to wait in the cold for a bit. We even attempted to hichhike again but were not so lucky this time. Back we went to the market and I bought some fruits and water. Now back at the hostal, showered and ready to rest. Tomorrow Cuenca time.

Cajas National Park

Day 12. This day was spent in Cuenca which is a super chilled city. I did the 10am free walking tour from the Itur information centre by the main Park Sq. It takes two hours and it's super worth it. It takes you all around the city. Also be aware that the tours only run Tuesday to Saturdays. You end at the Panama Hat store where you can buy super worth it Panama Hats - which as you will learn are hats that are not from Panama but from Ecuador. Later in the day I headed to the bus station by taxi and got on the late bus to Chiclayo, Peru. The trip from Cuenca to Peru took 10-12 hours. The border crossing also can take a bit of time. We were there for 2 hours. Also if you decide to go as far south as possible like me and get off to Chiclayo get to the station there and buy the first bus out to Lima as that town is not great. Or better yet, fly from Guayahill to Lima as the north of Peru was not one of my favourite places. Or instead stop at Trujillo which is meant to be a bit better than Chiclayo.

Cuenca

Cribsheet - For those with little patient or little time to read the essay above...

Hotels/Hostals:

Quito: Secret Garden Hostal

Isabela, Galapagos: La Gran Tortuga (where I stayed) but other options are also Sierra Negra and San Vicente

Santa Cruz: Hostal España (where I stayed) but other options also include Hostal Dejavú and Gardner

San Cristobal: Hostal Galapagos or Pimampiro or Casa de Nelly or Royal Bambú

Cuenca: Hotel Check Inn

To see/ to do:

In the north:

Quito: city centre

Cotopaxi

Quilatoa

Otolavo

Mindo

In the Centre:

Banos

Galapagos:

Isabela: Tuneles (need a tour); Muro de las Lágrimas;

Santa Cruz: Playa de las Tortugas; Grietas; Santa Fe (need a tour)

San Cristobal: La Loberia; Leon Dormido (need a tour); centro de interpretacion

In the south

Cuenca: free walking tour; Parque Nacional Cajas

Food:

Quito: San Blas Italian; Cafe Caribe; Secret Garden and Vista Hermose

Isabela: Coco Surf

Santa Cruz: los Kioskos

San Cristobal: Fresco Cafe

Cuenca: Raymipampa; Tutto Freddo

Tour Companies:

Quito: Mystic Ecuador

Isabela: Pahohoe

Santa Cruz: various (speak to hotel)

San Cristobal: Sharksky

Currency: Dollar

Must eat: Locro (soup); poncho (drink); ceviche (seafood); Pez Brujo (fish); lobster (in the Galapagos (they go for USD20 each)).

#travel #traveller #vision #visionworld #ecuador #galapagos #yourworld #myworld #ourworld

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yourworldmyworldourworld-blog1 · 5 years

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My month in the Seychelles

Some of you may know that after quitting my job as a lawyer in the city of London I headed to a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean; the Seychelles. A place that at first was foreign to me but by the time I had to leave I felt like like a piece of my heart stayed; a piece of me stayed. It will always be a place where a lot of opportunities and ideas started. It also showed me that I could tan; coming back home my mother did not even recognise me.

Before telling you all about the amazing things that the Seychelles has to offer I will give you a quick background as to why the Seychelles. I knew my first leg was going to be spent doing some volunteering work in marine conservation before jetting off on my round the world trip. While doing my research I came across GVI. A family friend mentioned her son had gone to South Africa with it and enjoyed and a work colleague's brother had taken his advanced PADI with GVI and now was an instructor in Mexico. I also wanted to take my PADI open water and my advanced. So I combined the two and headed to the Seychelles for 4 ish weeks to do exactly that; to take Padi verifications and survey the marine life in one of Seychelles' marine reserves; Cap Ternay. So that is how it all started!

Now to some information on how my month in the Seychelles went and some tips if you find yourself here.

I arrived in the Seychelles before my time at GVI to undertake my open water. I did this at Dive Seychelles at Beau Vallon (by the Berjaya Hotel). Beau Vallon is a short drive from the airport and really adorable little town with an amazing beach. Within two days I had my open water thanks to one of the awesome instructors at Dive Seychelles. Dive Seychelles also helped me organise accommodation a short walk away from their dive centre. I arrived on a Wednesday and did my open water on Thursday and Friday. If you can arrive in Beau Vallon on a Wednesday, do, as they have a market on Wednesday nights which sells great food! Also quick tip for those thinking of taking your open water at Dive Seychelles: do your e-learning for your open water at home at your own pace and then do your practical in the Seychelles. This saves you in accommodation and food etc. plus you don't want to be taking exams when it's beautifully sunny outside.

After my lovely stay at Beau Vallon and maybe a too heavy Friday night with some Takamaka rum (Seychellois rum, which I don't touch anymore), Saturday we joined GVI. In the first week we were briefed and taught the way - how to compress; how to take care of the kit; cooking and cleaning duties. We did our advanced on the first week too.

My first weekend off I got on the bus in the closest town to base (Port Launay), which was still a good 30 minutes walk (No. 13 for the short route or No. 9 for the long route) to Victoria (see bus routes here). In Victoria we bought sim cards, which I recommend as not everywhere has wifi (I went to Airtel which I found out worked perfectly well, others went for Cable&Wireless). We then went to eat at Dolce Vitta, just round the corner from the Clock Tower (which is this 3m clock in the middle of a junction). We went on a Friday so one of the specials was lasagna which I highly recommend. If, however you are a vegetarian, the pizzas looked yummy too! They also sell amazing ice cream - the owner is Italian so makes sense! The next day we went to Royal Anse beach with the No 5 bus that also left from Port Launay, which is also lovely. Our intention was to head to the south beaches - Takamaka, Baie Lazare but decided to jump off as and when. I didn't mention before but the buses cost 7 Rupees (more or less £0.40) which is super cheap but make sure you have 25 Rupees or less on you as they don't have change for larger amounts. So hopping on and off didn't seem too bad compared to the £1.50 bus rides in London.

Came Sunday (our weekends were Friday and Saturday as a lot of stuff closes on Sundays) we were off to volunteer and play with the kids who lived at Presidents Village. We had lunch prepared by these amazing women who take care of the kids. I was exhausted but also grateful for the experience. Some of the kids there were orphans and other were there because they have problems at home.

For the following week I was obsessed with sunsets at Cap Turney Bay - the GVI base bay so here is one for you to appreciate...

La Digue

On my second weekend I headed over to La Digue. This was definitely my favourite island. To get there you need to get a ferry from Mahe or Praslin. We got a ferry from Mahe, which only leaves twice a day so check online the timetable. The ferry is ran by Cat Cocos (http://www.catcocos.com/). I would recommend reserving your ticket by emailing Cat Cocos at [email protected]. Just email them with date, time and passenger's full name and they will be happy to reserve your ticket and you can pay on the day when you collect it from the office at the port, which is a 10/15 min walk from the Clock Tower in Mahe. The ferry never seemed to be fully booked so you can also opt to showing up and buying right there and then with no reservation. We got the 05:55 am No 9 bus from Port Launay, which was super on time, arriving at 06:35 into Victoria. If you get out on the second to last stop that's by the port you will find that's a shorter walk than getting off at the bus stop at Victoria. You know this is your stop when you start seeing the port and it is right after a large ish roundabout. A lot of people will get off here.

We got our tickets for the 9am ferry (queuing starting at 8:30am) and went for a nice brunch at Dolce Vitta. Do be aware that shops don't open until 8am on the weekdays. We could have arrived a bit later but as we hadn't done the trip before wanted to make sure we got there with plenty of time.

At La Digue, we stayed at Calou Guesthouse, which I couldn't recommend more. The night came to €55 per head and we each got a double en suite. The rooms were clean and had both air con and a fan. The place also had wifi which was a bonus and although we were told it was only available at reception we could also get wifi from our rooms. The staff was lovely and super welcoming - as soon as we arrived we received fresh lemon juice. The ladies were super helpful and truly attentive. Prior to arriving they also checked if we wanted a buggy transfer from the port which I recommend you book which picks you up at the port and drops you off at the guesthouse. The guesthouse although not far from the port becomes a bit of a walk in the heat. The ride cost us €5 for the ride (not per person). They also have a bike service on site at the guesthouse - bikes are 150 Rupees for one day or 100 Rupees a day if you rent them for more than one day (a day being mid night to mid night and not 24hrs from when you rent). Again I highly recommend you rent a bike. They give you a lock and take a deposit of 500 Rupees which you get back when you return or you can offset that against the cost of your bike rental. The island is tiny so you can cycle everywhere. We arrived at 11:30am on a Friday did our check in, dropped our bags off and headed out at 1pm. From 1pm to sunset (18:20 during June) we cycled from the guesthouse, turning right out towards the Jetty at La Passe and up towards Anse Fourmis which is the end of the tarmac Road. We stopped as and when at the various beaches along the way, which are each more beautiful than the next. You can also easily spot some giant tortoises along the way which is super awesome.

We ended the day a couple of beaches over from the jetty for sunset. We got changed and went for dinner at Fish Trap just by he jetty. It is expensive there but the food was very nice and very well served - I could have probably shared between two my dish. Next time I would try out the other places towards the Jetty.

Next day we woke up at 5am for sunset at one of the south beaches but unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunset as this was more towards Anse Fourmis. Also bear in mind that when you come down the tarmac roads on your way towards the beach, before the tarmac road ends take the right hand side fork onto the dirt path, which we initially missed, as this leads you to the beach otherwise you will end up in the middle of a field and have to trek through leaves to get to the beach, like we did. Even seeing the sun rise above the clouds throw it's rays over us, the only people on the beach, was stunning. We rode back, in the light this time but be warned, its a steep climb on the way back - we actually walked our bikes up the first hill.

We got back to the guesthouse, had breakfast at 8am (fruit, cereal, toast and omelete, fresh juice - all included on the price and well served), did our check out and headed out again to Source D'argent.

To Source D'argent you need to turn left out of the guesthouse then right at the junction by the reserve and follow the road past Reunion and take the right when the road forks after you go past the school and the Church. This is a reserve and you need 115 Rupees in cash for entry. Don't skip this - this place is 100% worth the entry price. The reserve has loads of giant tortoises, some apparently older than 100 years old. It also has this adorable jetty when you come in that is great for phtotos. From the Jetty to the tortoises past the vanilla plantation field you get to the entrance of the Source D'Argent beaches. Park your bike and go explore. The beaches are stunning with granite boulders stretching up to the skies. There is a path behind the beaches so you can walk from one tiny beach to the other, past these beautiful boulders. Even when you hit the last beach, when tide is low, you can walk to the next beach and climb on the rocks and see the next beach. Don't forget also to take with you a souvenir from this gentleman who had his stall near where you leave your bikes - just after the little bridge you cross to go to the beaches. He sells some lovely pearl handmade jewellery. He lived in Rome and all. I didn't catch his name but his things are stunning! We got back to the guesthouse, who kept our bags and returned the bikes.

We left La Digue on the 14:15 ferry. I left but my heart stayed. Truly, La Digue is a paradise. It's tiny and easy to navigate. There are like 5 cars in the whole island, which is simply amazing. Cycling surrounded by forest or with boulders on one side and the sea on the other, with chickens running around came sun or rain the experience was one of a kind. The beauty of his place will stay with me forever. I cannot believe how blessed I am to have been able to have seen such a special place. So thank you La Digue. And to you reading this get on the plane and go there. But remember; take nothing but memories and leave nothing but footprints or bubbles (underwater)!

Praslin

The following weekend I headed to Praslin. We booked two nights at Charlie Amazing Villas. We got the early bus into Victoria and the 7:30am ferry. We arrived at Praslin for 8:40 and rented a car at the port which I advise. The car came to €50 per day (24 hrsm the hour you pick up the car to the same hour next day). We finally found Charlie Villas, which is fairly tucked away off the main road. If you get to the massive hotel with the golf courts you have gone too far. We managed to find it because a gentleman told us it is by the wall that is being built. A bit cryptic but we managed to find the wall being built. After check in we headed to Cot d'Or beach and checked out the so said amazing buffet breakfast at Paradise hotel at whopping 300 Rupees a head. We chilled at the beach - which also has the Octopus Dive shop which was recommended to us by the staff at GVI. If you are at GVI, mention that as you may get a discount. Following that we headed to Anse Lazieu, which was by far the nicest beach on the island in my opinion with amazing little beaches and cool little bars - the nicest is the one at the end of the beach up some stairs.

On Saturday we headed to the Coco de Met National Park to check out its awesome grounds that seem to cover half of the island. If you are GVI you get free entry but make sure you get the staff at the base to email the reserve a week in advance so they have you on their list. The National Park has Seychelles’ infamous Coco de Mer. Coco de Mer is only found in the Seychelles and only in two of its islands and it's this amazing seed that grows to 18-20kg.

After that it was time for the beach at Anse Lazieu which is stunning, then home for sunset and night in with friends. We ended up going to the beach and enjoying the wonders of the bioluminescent seagrass.

Next day it was a day to rest, return the car and getting the ferry back home.

That meant that I only had a week left. The week was busy with surveys and diving. Thursday, on our day off, we rented a car and headed to Police bay, Intendance beach, the Hypermarket, sunset at Sunset beach and beers at the 1787 distillery in Eden. Police bay was awesome and Intendance was even better. The water is crystal clear with quite a few waves so quite different from the Northern beaches which do not really get too depth. Intendance also had an awesome juice bar. To get to these it is quite easy - just drive south on the main road. For Police Bay keep going straight all the way down. You have no option but to park outside the metal chain and walk to the beach which is just a 10 minute walk. For Intendance you have to take a right by the hotel sign.

On Saturday I was back in Beau Vallon for two days. I enjoyed it as much as possible. I did not want to leave and when I had to I couldn't help but have tears in my eyes. I can truly say that the Seychelles has stolen a piece of my heart. This place comprising of 150 islands in the Indian ocean of which not many know about is paradise. It has an abundance of marine life and one of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. Not only that but the people are friendly and truly invested in their country. The push for a clean future is truly inspiring. They have banned plastic bags, plastic cutlery and plastic straws. Perhaps a lesson to us all.

My world. Your world. Our world.

Leave nothing but bubbles...

#travel #traveller #travelling #vision #visionworld #yourworld #myworld #ourworld #seychelles #indianocean #islandlife #ladigue #praslin #mahe

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