Some of my favourite travel moments are the ones that are completely unexpected. When I was planning the South American portion of my trip, I didn’t have any interest in going to the Amazon. When I was in northern Colombia and some friends were planning their trek through the jungle to Ciudad Perdida, there was nothing that could have convinced me to go with them. I can’t put my finger on exactly why I didn’t want to go, I enjoyed Tikal which is located deep in the Guatemalan jungle, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling it.
So when I was asked if that meant I wasn’t interested in the Pantanal, the large wetland region of Brazil close to the Bolivian border famous for it’s variety of wildlife, I agreed that while I couldn’t wait to get Brazil I was a lot more excited about other things.
When I arrived in Santa Cruz, my last stop in Bolivia before going to Brazil, I was so happy to be back in a warm climate that I could have been headed to any part of the country and I’m sure I would have enjoyed it. But that doesn’t change the fact that I had a better time than I ever could have expected in the Pantanal.
It was at least 30 degrees when we arrived in Brazil. Our transport to Pousada Santa Clara was the back of a truck, and it was a welcome surprise when one of the first things we saw when we got there was a pool. The hammocks strung around the grounds offered the perfect place to relax and the meals, all included in the price, were a bonus for those of us who were running out of money.
The activities that were included over the 3 days included horseriding, a night tour and a jeep safari, and the highlight was fishing for piranha. I’m a bit scared of fish, so we before we left I made a deal with a friend that involved her catching them for the both of us in exchange for me trying to speak Portuguese to help us get around Brazil. It seemed like a great deal, but I quickly realised it was all for nothing when I was told that fishing wasn’t optional.
We stopped at the side of the river, and I was relieved to find out that I didn’t need to put the bait on the hook. Basically all I had to do was put the line in the water and hope for the best. In my case, hoping for the best was that I wouldn’t catch anything, but it didn’t work out that way. The one tug on my line was a piranha, and even though I had some help taking it off, I’m still counting it as a catch.
After we finished fishing, we took the boat a little bit further along the river to a small beach. I got a good look at the teeth on the fish I caught, and was trying not to think about it when we went swimming the same river where the piranha live.
That night, the cook prepared the fish we caught as part of our dinner. One of the most unique experiences I have ever had, the day was one of the best I had in Brazil. But one thing I am positive about; piranha are no less scary after they have been cooked!
When packing for my trip, one item that I knew was essential was my salsa shoes. A few of my friends couldn’t believe that I was going to carry them around for 7 months, but I was planning to get a lot of use out them. I had taken salsa classes in Guatemala when I was there in 2010, and was looking forward to dancing in a few new places; in particular Cuba and Colombia.
I had only been gone a few days when I first got them out, when my friend Adrienne introduced me to Zanzibar in Santa Monica for Monday night salsa. The night starts at 8pm with a beginner class, and is followed by an intermediate class at 9pm. Both are run by 2 time salsa world champion Christian Oviedo. The social dancing that followed was the highest quality LA style salsa I have encountered since the Sydney Latin Festival. It wasn’t just limited to one style though, and I was happy to get in a few dances with people who preferred Cubana.
Another positive was that not knowing anyone didn’t mean you didn’t get any dances. My trip went full circle when I went back to Zanzibar on my last night in LA before flying home to Sydney. Adrienne had plans so I went alone, and I wasn’t disappointed. For travellers on a budget, Hostelling International has a property in Santa Monica which is only a 5 minute walk from the club.
My next dancing experience is probably my favourite one of the trip; Trinidad, Cuba. LA style was the first type of salsa I learnt, but I always found Cuban interesting and enrolled in a class in Sydney mid way through 2011. It paid for itself when my sister and I went out to the Casa de la Musica in the small city of Trinidad during our week in Cuba.
I arrived expecting to watch the band or the other dancers since I was travelling and didn’t know anyone, and was surprised when I was asked to dance shortly after we got there. The small, outdoor dancefloor, located on what is just an empty set of stairs during the day, was crowded and surrounded by onlookers. I tried to ignore the feeling of intimidation brought on by the high quality of salsa danced by the local girls and was able to hold my own with my partner. While both styles use the same count (breaking on beat 1), the Cuban dance replaces the linear movements of LA style with steps danced in a circular motion. Every time I watch Cuban dancers, I can’t help but be impressed by their ability to feel the music and move their bodies.
It seems like my dancing wasn’t too bad because I was asked to dance again by the same guy. The best part was the next morning when I met some people in the hotel who had seen me dancing and thought I was from Cuba. I’m not sure how they got confused, but it makes for a funny story with my favourite style of salsa.
I didn’t take any classes in Guatemala last year, meaning that the next time I danced after Cuba was in Panama. I had seen salsa classes offered the first time I went to Bocas del Toro in 2009, but it was a different dance that was part of my visit last year. The style of salsa I saw danced in the clubs was a little bit different to both the Cuban and LA styles, and a little difficult for me to follow. After unsuccessfully trying to teach a friend how to dance bachata, it was merengue that I ended up dancing the few times I went out in Panama and Costa Rica. Simpler than salsa, merengue is the easiest and in a lot of ways the most fun Latin dance style I have learnt.
Arriving in Cali, Colombia meant going from the easiest dance I have learnt to the most complicated one I have attempted. Nicknamed “running salsa” by my friend Zoe because of the fast footwork involved, everything about this style of salsa was new to me. New basic steps, a new count, a new turn structure and most importantly a new way to move your feet.
It was a challenging dance to learn, and after a week of classes I only managed to master the basics. I think it would take about a month of daily classes to properly understand the dance, but I think that would be a good reason to return to Cali.
I also incorporated a little bit of bachata into my classes in Cali. Colombia was the only place I went in South America that bachata was popular, it was almost unknown in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. I wasn’t surprised about Brazil; they have their own style of dances that seem completely unique to Brazil, but I was a bit surprised when the DJ at a club in Cuenca, Ecuador didn’t even have one bachata song in his playlist. Originating in the Dominican Republic, it turns out that it is a lot more popular in Central America than South America.
After I left Colombia I was expecting my next opportunity to dance would be in Brazil, so I was surprised when I arrived in Cuzco, Peru and found that a few of the clubs offered free salsa classes. When I met people from South America at salsa clubs at home in Sydney, they often danced a different style of salsa to what I knew. Anticipating this, I met with a funny look when I was asked to dance in Cuzco and said I only knew LA and Cuban style.
The instructors in Cuzco taught both of these styles, and one of them pushed me to work on styling, something I have always avoided when dancing at home. It is still not my favourite part of salsa, but I did learn a few new things that aren’t too hard to include.
When I arrived in Brazil, I had never danced samba but knew a little bit about the two styles. The samba seen during Carnaval is referred to by the locals I met as “samba drums” and is danced solo usually by women, while the other style is danced with partner.
I left Brazil before Carnaval started, but I did get the chance to go to a party in one of Rio’s favelas, Vigidal. The party had a samba band, and the locals living in the favela tried to teach us the dance. I think it is going to take a lot more classes for me to pick it up!
At the end of the 7 months, my salsa shoes were broken, but definitely worth the valuable space they took up in my backpack.
There is a lot to learn in the world of Latin dance. Next time I go back I want to improve the dances I already know, master Cali salsa and try some of the countless styles that are still relatively new to me; Brazilian zouk, chachacha and cumbia.
Before I arrived in Puno, I changed my mind about 100 times about whether or not to visit Los Uros, the group of floating islands made by the Uru people from reeds. My friend Zoe told me it was the main thing I needed to see when visiting Lake Titicaca. When reading about it online, the tours sounded like a big show put on for tourists, almost to the extent of being fake. Some comments mentioned the way of life being portrayed as not being true to the way the Uru people live today, with families wearing traditional clothing while tourists are present, but changing back into their jeans as soon as you go. But that being said, it’s a floating island! Definitely not something you see every day.
When I arrived in Puno, I had decided to go and tried to book a tour through my hostel. The next day I realised there had been some miscommunication, and the tour wasn’t booked. I thought that was a sign not to go, but remembered Zoe had told me she just walked down to the dock and took a boat to the islands. I decided to try that and walked down to the lake. I found a boat almost straight away, and even better the price was 10 soles less than the tour.
After a 30 minute trip, we arrived at the island and were given an explanation, complete with props, on how the islands are made. After that, we were free to walk around and take photos, and had the opportunity to buy handcrafts. The reviews of Trip Advisor suggested we would be almost forced to by something, but that wasn’t the case. What we didn’t really have a choice on, was taking the “optional” boat ride to another island, for an additional 5 soles (a little more than US $1). On the way over, the children from the island sang to us in about 5 or 6 different languages. It was an interesting sensation walking on the reeds, which felt spongy in some places and almost bouncy in others.
On the second island, we had the opportunity to buy lunch or more handicrafts (I didn’t), then headed to a third island where we saw people catching fish and making ceviche.
Overall, I didn’t find the experience as “showy” or “fake” as I was expecting based on the comments I had read. The children singing did feel very rehearsed, however we weren’t dressed up in traditional clothing or forced to buy anything, and the guy who explained how the islands are made didn’t hide his Northface jacket. I didn’t feel that we were being presented anything fake, and it was an interesting day. I’m not sure if this is because I didn’t do an organised tour with a guide, but I think taking the boat over was the best option anyway.
Since my last post, I’ve been in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. I’ve seen floating islands, salt flats and been fishing for piranha.
Today I arrived in Rio, and I’m staying for the next week. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to post a few entries, but I do have a few things planned. Rio is great for running, the beaches are amazing, and I want to do a favela tour, see sugar loaf mountain, the Lapa steps and a day trip to Buzios. It’s going to be a busy week!
I can’t believe I only have 17 more days in Latin America. I’m already planning my fourth trip to this part of the world, I’m definitely hooked!
I can’t say enough amazing things about the Inca Trail, and because I can’t say much at all in Spanish I want to add to my previous post. Earlier this year (because it’s still the afternoon of the 31st in Peru) I went “glamping” in Santa Barbara. That is “camping” in a huge tent with beds, electricity and wifi.
The Inca Trail wasn’t like that at all, and we were actually camping, but I still think we were quite spoiled. Each group is accompanied on the trip by porters. My group was 14 people, and we had about 21 porters looking after us. The porters carry all the camping equipment and food, as well as 6 kilos of personal items for each person, for example sleeping bags and cloths. All we needed to carry was a small day bag and water. The porters (generally) arrive at the campsite before anyone in the group, and set up the tents and start cooking. The same happens for lunch breaks, and we weren’t even expected to help clean up or wash dishes. At most campsites and lunch places, there are bathrooms that included flushing toilets. Some also had cold showers. Overall, I think we were very well taken care of.
When walking the trail, there were some challenging points. The first and third days, we went past various Inca ruins on the way to Machu Picchu. The second day was 11km walking, and didn’t pass any Inca sites. The walk up to Dead Woman’s Pass was the toughest part of the trail. After leaving the campsite at 8am, it was about 40 minutes walking uphilll to get the first rest point, where a number of local women sell drinks and snacks. I stopped there for a short break, then powered through the rest of the climb to the top in another 40 minutes. This part of the trail included a lot of steps, and it was definitely hard work getting close to the top, but I enjoyed the challenge. It was cold and cloudy at the peak, so I only stayed for a few minutes before heading down to the next campsite. Dead Woman’s Pass is 4200m, and that night we camped at 3600m.
The third day passes three Inca ruins and is a combination of up and down sections. It started raining quite heavily before lunch, and continued while we were eating. Five people in my group were walking around the same pace, and after lunch we were allowed to separate from the group. There was an intersection with a choice to go the long or short way to camp, with the long way including another Inca site and amazing views. After a brief stop at the intersection to dance to “Party Rock Anthem”, we went the long way, and as the rain had stopped and the clouds lifted,were treated to stunning views of the river. We could also see the train going back to Cuzco from Aguas Calientes town. We took some group jumping photos and on the way down to our camp encountered some llamas, one of which didn’t mind being pet.
In the morning, we got an early start to walk the short remaining distance to Machu Picchu. If there is one word to describe the 4th day, it is rain, and lots of it. When we woke up, it was raining, when we started walking, still raining, and it didn’t stop the entire morning. We reached the Sun Gate, which is the point to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. There was no sun, but we did get good views of the site. About 10 minutes later, it was completely covered in cloud. We walked the remaining 20 or so minutes to Machu Picchu, and by this point were all soaking wet. We took a few photos with Machu Picchu mountain and the ruins in the background, but it was too cloudy to see much. We left the site and attempted to dry off while having a coffee, before going back in for a tour of the site. I almost skipped it in favour of heading to Aguas Calientes, because I was completely miserable. It had stopped raining, but we were freezing cold and there wasn’t much we could do to get dry. It was worth going though, because Machu Picchu is a fascinating place, and very different to the Mayan sites I have seen. If I wasn’t so cold, I would have spent more time exploring, but after the tour I went back to take some more photos above the ruins, then got on the bus for Aguas Calientes. Dry clothes and pizza for lunch worked wonders, and after taking the train back to Cuzco, my group went out for a night to celebrate.
I would recommend doing the Inca Trail in the dry season, but it’s still worth going if you can only make it in rainy season. The last day was the only one out of four that we got almost non stop rain. I would like to do the trail again, but my competitive nature makes me want to enter the marathon and try to finish it in one day. There is an 11 hour cut off, so I think it’s an achievable goal. For anyone who is thinking of visiting Machu Picchu, I think the Inca Trail is the best way to see it.
Hace 2 semanas, hice el Camino Inca. Esto era algo que siempre quise hacer, y ahora que lo hice.
En el primer día, el grupo caminó 12 kilómetros. Habia algunas montañas, pero no era difícil. El segundo día era un poco más de dificil. Tuvimos que caminar a 1100m hasta el punto mas alto en el Camino Inca que se llama “Dead Woman’s Pass”. La guía nos dijo que podíamos caminar por separado, porque algunas personas en el grupo eran más rápidos que otros. Yo caminé a “Dead Woman’s Pass” en una hora y media, y llegue a la campamento a las 10 de la mañana. Un chico del grupo estaba caminando enfrente de mi, y cuando llegué el no estaba alli. El caminó 2 horas en la otra dirección y tuvo que regresar al campamento. Cuando supimos el era bueno, nos reimos de el toda la tarde.
El terce dia era mas divertida que los otros. Vimos 3 ruinas incas. Antes almuerzo, habia mucha lluvia. Estabamos tomando fotos en una cueva donde la lluvia empezo. Despues almuerzo, habia mas lluvia y el camino era resbaladizo. Cinco personas visitamos la ultima ruina inca antes Machu Picchu. El visto del rio era espectacular, y nuestro fotos eran locos.
El dia final, habia mas lluvia que los otros dias. Nos levantamos a las 4 de la manana y empezamos a caminar a las 5. La lluvia continuo toda la manana hasta llegamos a Machu Picchu. Teniamos frio cuando exploramos the site, pero nosotros no pudimos negar que era increíble.
Despues el tour de Machu Picchu, yo volví al lugar para fotos, porque las nubes estaban pasada. Tomé algunos fotos que eran mejor que los fotos de mas temprano en el dia.
Quiero regresar a Machu Picchu en Junio o Julio cuando el clima es mejor, y quiero correr el camino inca maraton, tal vez en 2013.
My original reason for going to Merida was to see the Catatumbo Lightning. I didn’t end up going, but had a better time than I expected to. Merida is located in the mountains, and is often referred to as the adventure sports capital of Venezuela. Every day I spent there was a unique experience.
Day 1 - ice cream
Merida is home to the store listed in the Guinness World Records for most number of ice cream flavours. I skipped flavours like rice, garlic and meat in favour of chocolate, but it was definitely something you don’t see every day.
Day 2 – hot springs in the mountains
I didn’t have time to go on one of the multiple day hiking and camping trips in the Venezuelan Andes that depart from Merida, but did take a day trip to one of the nearby peaks. Included in the trip was a short walk to hot springs situated in the side of a mountain. In contrast to the cool air that comes with the higher altitude, the warm water in the pool was welcoming after a month of cold showers. The location was second to none, offering stunning views of the surrounding hills while you soak.
Day 3 – lunch with Majo
When travelling by overnight to Merida, I met a local girl called Majo. She invited me to her house for lunch with her family. We ate a Spanish dish called Cayos a la Madrileña. After lunch we went to her friend’s house, and drove to some of the towns in the outskirts of Merida to try locally made yoghurt, honey and wine.
Day 4 – paragliding.
I had never been interested in going paragliding, but after some photos when I arrived in Merida I had my heart set on going. A friend made sure that I realised I would be “running off the side of a mountain”, but for some reason that didn’t deter me. It turned out that we didn’t really have to run off the mountain, after a few steps that were virtually on the same spot, we took off and were gliding above the mountain and river below. Even without a lot of wind, we moved quite fast, twisting and turning down the side of the mountain. I loved every moment of it, and will try and go again in Peru.
After I decided that Angel Falls and camping in the Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada were out of my budget for this trip, I started looking at what else I could do for a few days in Venezuela before going back to Colombia. Before I left Australia, I had read about a few of the beaches on the section of the coast to the west of Caracas, in particular the ones near the towns of Puerto Colombia and Chorini in Henri Pittier National Park. It seemed like it would take a bit of effort to get there; night bus from Merida to Maracay, chicken bus from Maracay to the bus terminal between the two towns, then a short walk to Puerto Colombia, but was definitely manageable and on the way to Caracas.
My initial plan was to spend two nights in Puerto Colombia, but that changed when all the buses to Maracay were full and I had to spend an extra night in Merida. One day later, I was on my way for a whirlwind trip to the beach. When I arrived in Maracay, I found the bus to Puerto Colombia with a bit of help from some locals.
The phrase “getting there is half the fun” has never been more accurate. The way to Puerto Colombia is through jungle covered mountains, first heading up to the cloud covered peak, then back down to arrive at the beach. The narrow, winding road, portions of which have been damaged by landslides, means that three point turns around the corners and near miss accidents are frequent. The drivers of the buses, pimped out with stereo systems that blast salsa music, spend most of the journey pulling down on their horns to warn of their presence, which does little to deter the cars speeding around the curves in the opposite direction.
Lonely Planet says the trip takes 2 and a quarter hours. I’d say 2 and a half to 3, but anyone who has read Do Travel Writers Go To Hell should know to take guidebooks with a grain of salt. The drive back even included a stop for petrol just before the terminal. When I arrived in Puerto Colombia, I was starving, having not eaten breakfast or lunch that day. I decided to skip the beach in favour of finding some food, which wasn’t hard to do with all the posadas in town. Venezuela is still developing as a travel destination, but this definitely felt like one of the country’s backpacker hangouts.
I wasn’t leaving the next day without a beach trip. I wasn’t in a hurry to get to Caracas, but was estimating that I needed to leave Puerto Colombia around 1pm. The way to the beach is over a small bridge on the eastern side of town, followed by a short walk down a paved road. When the beach came into view, it was obvious straight away that it was worth the effort I put in to get there. The sand was lined was palm trees, and the backdrop to the beach was the impressive mountain range we drove through on the way. The water was warm and was good for swimming, and as I was leaving I saw a few people go out with surfboards. The setting of the beach at the foot of the mountains was spectacular, and is up there with Santa Catalina, Manuel Antonio and the Pearl Islands as one of my favourite beaches.
This, along with Merida, wasn’t really in my initial plans for Venezuela, but going there turned it into a better trip than I expected.
This time yesterday I was ready to cut my losses and go back to Colombia if I got stuck in Maracaibo another night. Maracaibo is the second biggest city in Venezuela, about 2.5 hours by bus from the Colombian border. My advice? Avoid it. There is nothing to see and parts of the city are complete chaos.
If you are coming from Santa Marta in Colombia and trying to get to Merida (like I was), chances are you are going to get stuck there for a night. The bus from Santa Marta arrived too late to connect with any night buses to Merida. I think it would be better to try going to Caracas first and then back to Merida, or entering Venezuela through Cucuta (Colombia).
Either way, I’m in Merida now and 24 hours in Maracaibo was more than enough. This city is smaller and a lot nicer, with plenty of things to do in the surrounding area that I plan on checking out in the next few days.
But before I get there, here are a few of the good, bad, confusing and completely random experiences I have had in my first 48 hours in Venezuela:
1. Exchanging money on the black market in a jewellery store in a mall.
2. The most expensive McDonalds ever, $14 for a Quarter Pounder meal!
3. The air con on the overnight buses is like Antartica.
4. Getting Winnie the Pooh stickers as a present from a med student called Ana who I met in the bus terminal in Maracaibo.
5. Visiting the store in the Guinness book of World Records for most number of ice cream flavours. The weirdest ones I saw; ajo, carne, arroz and queso.
6. My new friend Majo from Merida thinking I introduced myself as “Porn” on the bus last night. I think I’m going to pick a Spanish name and use that from now on.
7. More military checkpoints in the past 2 days than the 4 months I have spent in Central America.
8. Waking up to what sounded a lot like gun shots in Maracaibo (I don’t want to know).
9. The first time I’ve been scared in Latin American traffic chaos when the taxi driver forced his way through a busy intersection (Maracaibo again).
10. The empanadas here are nowhere near as good as the ones I’ve had at home!
It’s been an eventful few days, and I haven’t even made it to Caracas yet..!
Australia