Category: 2019 South America

I apologize for the delay between posts. It’s been a busy view days in Quito! (fun and planning)

Thursday, February 21 – transit from La Paz to Quito

Today was the long travel day. But I guess I was mentally prepared for it, so it wasn’t too terrible.

I arrived in Quito in the early evening. The elevation of the airport is 7,900 ft. Not quite in the league of La Paz, but a relatively high altitude airport. (note to Ed: I didn’t see any prop planes on departure from La Paz, but did see some on arrival in Quito) Quito’s population is 2.5 million, and it is the 2nd highest capital city in the world, just behind my last stop – La Paz.

I’m staying at a nice little boutique hotel in a fairly active and centrally located part of the city.

Friday, February 22 – Quito

Today I did my favorite thing when arriving at a new city – roam around on foot. I focused on the Historic City Centre, which was among the first World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, in 1978. Unfortunately, like Valparaiso, I found this area to be dirty and covered with graffiti. It’s too bad. Here are some highlights…

Saturday, February 23 – Quito

I spent the day on an excursion to the nearby town of Otavalo for their massive Saturday Market. A couple other stops were made along the way. The cost of the tour was $60 (incl a snack).

The market is full of stalls selling textiles, tagua nut jewelry, musical instruments, dream catchers, leather goods, fake shrunken heads, indigenous costumes, hand-painted platters and trays, purses, clothing, spices, raw foods and spools of wool. Unfortunately, as the city has become more of a tourist attraction, many of the goods sold in the markets are mass-produced in nearby factories and sold in the market by middlemen. (I didn’t buy anything)

Sunday, February 24 – Quito

Another full-day excursion was taken today. This time we headed out on a hike up Cotopaxi volcano. (Excursion cost: $60, incl breakfast and dinner) The volcano is 19,400ft in elevation, and it last erupted 3 years ago. (Wait, what?!?) We spent about 2 hours hiking up to an elevation of 16,000ft. Thanks to the fact that I had been acclimated to altitude since my arrival in La Paz, I felt great. Some of the others in our group struggled. It was a miserable day, raining most of the time (this is the rainy season). It turned to snow though on the way up, which made it kind of fun. At the end of the climb was a little lodge where everyone gathered to warm up. It had a pretty rowdy atmosphere, with everyone feeling a sense of accomplishment. So, in spite of the weather, it was an enjoyable day!

Tuesday, February 19 – La Paz

I’ll lead off with a picture of last night’s “supermoon”, taken from the balcony outside of my hotel room.

Today was fairly low-key. I spent a lot of time traveling around La Paz via their terrific Teleferico (cable car) public transit system. Using cable cars to move around this city makes a lot of sense, considering the brutal traffic, staggering hills, and poor air quality. The system consists of 25 stations along eight lines, and I hit 15 and five of those, respectively. Each journey along a line costs about 50 cents.

Here are some pictures from the cable cars and the stops on my journey…

Wednesday, February 20 – La Paz

Tomorrow I’m on to Ecuador, so today I’ve been relaxing and doing some trip planning (thought it would be a good idea to book a hotel for tomorrow night!). It’s going to be an ugly day. I depart La Paz at 4:30am, have a 10 hour layover in Lima, and arrive in Quito around 6:30pm. (Who booked this itinerary anyway! Cheapo Tim, of course! (The cost of the flight is $370)) I need to be at the airport two hours early, so I’ll be departing my hotel around 2am. The flight from La Paz to Lima is about 2 hours and the flight from Lima to Quito is around 2 1/2 hours. I didn’t spring for any seat upgrades on these flights. (figured I’d be sleeping most of the time anyway!)

More costs – La Paz taxi to airport: $10; Quito airport transfer booked through hotel: $35 (thought I’d splurge after the long day, and it’s only $10 more than a regular taxi). The hotel is booked for four nights, with the original rate being $60/night (incl breakfast), but I’ve earned a free night from Hotels.com, so that brought the rate down to $50/night.

I’ve planned a three week stay in Ecuador. I have no itinerary, but my main early focus will be booking a Galapagos Island boat trip. I’ve read where good last-minute deals can be had – especially if you have a flexible schedule (like me!).

I’m attempting to write this on Monday at my hotel in Copacabana. I had an 11am checkout and my minibus ride to La Paz is at 1:30pm. The hotel only has internet available in the common area, and it’s rather slow. We’ll see how this goes! (the slow internet impacts the uploading of the photos)

Friday, February 15 – transit from La Paz to Copacabana

Scheduled departure time for my minibus trip to Copacabana was 7:30am. We hit the road around 8am. (LA factor – oh well!) There were only 5 of us making the trip, so we were able to spread out in the bus for the 3 1/2 hour journey. (One way transit cost: $19) It was a beautiful drive, with many views of Lake Titicaca. We even had a little ferry crossing. And we made a couple stops along the way for photos. Awesome!

Lake Titicaca straddles the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains. It is South America’s largest lake (by volume) and the world’s highest navigable body of water. Elevation: 12,500ft Max Depth: 920ft

We had a little ferry crossing at the Strait of Tiquina. It joins the upper and lower portions of the lake. The crossing runs between the towns of San Pedro de Tiquina and San Pablo de Tiquina.

Copacabana is a small town (population of about 6,000). In fact, it is so small that my iPhone weather app indicates my location solely as “Bolivia”! It appears to be totally dependent on tourism. Which makes it seem odd that most of the locals I interacted with were not very friendly. Maybe it’s the culture, or that they are shy. Just kind of weird.

After checking in I decided to climb Cerro Calvario (Calvary Hill), which is lined with small monuments representing the 14 Stations of the Cross. Pilgrims visit the Stations for prayer and penance.

Here are some pictures from the climb…

Following the climb I did a roam around the little city and stopped at a waterfront food stand for a late lunch.

Saturday, February 16 – Copacabana

Today I took a full-day boat excursion to a couple of islands on the lake – Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. (Excursion cost: $5. Cost for island entry: $1.50 each)

Isla del Sol is the largest island on the lake. The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, with fishing and tourism augmenting the subsistence economy. Isla del Sol is crossed by many trails, and in the religion of the Incas, it was believed that the sun god was born here. In Yumani village, the Escalera del Inca is a staircase leading to a spring once believed to be the fountain of youth.

Isla de la Luna is inhabited by a small village of about 80 people. Legends in Inca mythology refer to the island as the location where Viracocha ( the great creator deity in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology) commanded the rising of the moon. Archeological ruins of an Inca nunnery were found on the eastern shore.

We departed Copacabana around 8:30am, with the first destination of Isla de la Luna being about two hours away (in a very slow boat!). It was drizzling on departure, but pretty much stopped by the time we reached the island.

I am now writing this in La Paz, with a fast internet connection. Got a fair amount done in Copacabana though!

There was limited seating available on the roof of the boat. No one took advantage of this area on the first leg of the trip, due to the rain. But myself and few others took a chance on the 1 hour trip to Isla del Sol.

The return to Copacabana took about 1 1/2 hours. Once again I opted to sit above deck. It had warmed up nicely, so it was a fun trip back. We even had some entertainment!

We arrived back in Copacabana around 4:30pm. I hadn’t had any lunch, so it was a perfect time for me to head back to Kiosco No. 3 for some grilled trout!

Today was the halfway point of my trip. I guess the typical thing to say is that it “has gone by so fast”. But to me it actually feels about right. It’s been a hectic first half, so the one thing I’ve learned is that I need to slow down some for the second half. My two big adventures coming up are islands – Galapagos and Easter. Other than that, I have no set itinerary. I can say my average step count will be dropping. In fact, since my arrival in the high elevations of Bolivia, it has dropped considerably!

Sunday, February 17 – Copacabana

Today was a rest day. Really! I layed around the hotel room most of the day. Took a nap, did some reading. It felt good. I did go out mid-afternoon to run a couple errands and roam a little bit.

My hotel room balcony was the perfect spot to view the sunset. So, of course, it was cloudy every night I was there! Here’s the best I could do…

Monday, February 18 – transit from Copacabana to La Paz

Time to return to La Paz. But before I go I must lament the fact that I was unable to locate Barry Manilow. Sorry Kari!

Same trip as Friday – 3 1/2 hours in a minibus, with 5 passengers ($19 one way). But this time at the strait crossing we were able to ride on the barge with the driver, and were even allowed to get out of the minibus to take pictures!

On the way into La Paz the driver stopped to let us take these amazing pictures of the city. I’m hopping to ride the cable cars in the next couple days.

The picture below is from my hotel in La Paz. I meant to post it earlier, but forgot. I’ve experienced this in other places, and I’m sure some of you have as well, but others, probably not. (It was the same in Copacabana)

Thursday, February 14 – La Paz

Today I went on an excursion to Tiwanaku. It was a full-day trip to a Pre-Columbian archaeological site, one the largest in South America. The Tiwanaku Culture began as a small settlement which later evolved into a planned city between the 5th and 10th centuries. The political dominance of Tiwanaku began to decline in the 11th century, and its empire collapsed in the first half of the 12th century. The site was first recorded in written history in 1549 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de León.

The drive from La Paz took about 1 1/2 hours. The cost of the excursion was $33, which included entrance fees and lunch (no excursion lunch scam today!). Considering the entrance fees alone amount to $14, I thought this was a great deal. The day started out partly cloudy, but the skies started to darken as we completed the tour. And then at lunch it poured! Good timing!

Here are some pictures and a few comments from the day…

Tomorrow I’m heading to Copacabana for the weekend. I’ve read that the internet service there is slow, so I may not be able to post any updates until next week. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, February 12 – transit from Santiago to La Paz, Bolivia

My day started with the 2:30am trip to the airport. I booked a car service through the hotel for the ride. It was kind of expense ($37, and you know how I hate spending money on taxis!), but I figured at that time of night it was the safest route.

The flight to La Paz took about 2 1/2 hours (I think I told you the cost of the flight previously, but just in case, it was $181). And after I wasted money on my last seat upgrade, I chose to roll the dice on this flight. It worked out fine, I had a window seat in the very last row of a full flight. Seriously, it was fine!

At an altitude of 13,300 ft, the La Paz airport is the highest international airport and the fifth highest commercial airport in the world. And, of course, the safety warnings regarding the arrival are about taxi scams. They have “official airport” taxis, which are the recommended method to get into the city. So that is what I used, and was actually happy with the fare for the 30 minute ride: $10!

I arrived at the hotel around 10:30am, fully expecting a 2-4 hour wait for my room. But it was available immediately. Awesome! I really like the hotel. I have a room that overlooks a quiet courtyard. I also like the rate: $51/night, including breakfast. I originally booked it for two nights, but added one more after I checked in.

Food and water concerns are now in play in Bolivia. The usual precautions: no tap water, ice, peeled fruit, or raw vegetables. Another health warning here is altitude sickness. I’ve visited other high elevation areas (hike to Machu Picchu, Nepal, Bhutan), and it’s never been a problem for me. Until today. It hit me hard! Headache, light headed, and slight nausea. One recommended remedy for altitude sickness is coca leaf tea. They offered it in the hotel lobby, so I tried a couple cups, but to no avail.

I think the lack of rest is one of the factors that contributed to my being impacted by the high altitude. I had the early checkout from the hotel this morning, and I’ve been pretty much on the go in the several days leading up to the flight. So, I need to remind myself to take rest days along the way! And speaking of that, I booked the next segment of my trip to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. My hotel here in La Paz has a sister hotel in Copacabana that is right on the lake. So, I booked that for three nights starting on Friday. They gave me a great rate of $71/night (incl breakfast), which is less than I could find online. I plan on kicking back there. (and here in La Paz too)

Wednesday, February 13 – La Paz

I awoke after more than 11 hours of sleep feeling pretty good. Nice! My plan was to have a low-key day, but I wanted to mail a card to the U.S. Fortunately, the post office isn’t too far from my hotel. And it turned out to be an interesting experience. I had sealed the envelope, but because the letter was to be sent out-of-country, the contents needed to be inspected. So we had to cut open the edge of the envelope and then tape it back shut. I was also asked to provide my passport, but I had left that at the hotel. Luckily, the woman that was helping me was very nice and just let me tell her my passport number. I guess that is also part of the documentation process when sending mail overseas. Anyway, the letter is now on its way. When, or if, it arrives is yet to be determined!

I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to do a little roaming around the area close to my hotel. (forgot to mention the temperatures here are in the 50s) Here are some pictures…

The day was not without incident though! One of the arms on my glasses broke. Fortunately, I had brought along my old pair as backup (Traveler Tip!), and the prescription isn’t very different. I need to vent though! This is the third time in just under six years that these glasses have broke. (I guess after six tears though I’m probably due for some new glasses – and getting my eyes checked!) They are Silhouette brand, made from titanium and supposedly indestructible. Right! To be fair though, my previous pair of glasses (the ones I will now be using for the rest of the trip) are also Silhouette, and I’ve had no issues with those. Must be a more recent problem with quality. So, in addition to Traveler Tips, I am now also offering a Consumer Tip: avoid Silhouette glasses!

Saturday, February 9 – Santiago

Today I took an all-day excursion from Santiago to the neighboring cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, both located on the Pacific Ocean. (Excursion cost: $50)

The day started out early with a 7:10am pickup at my hotel. (Really? I’m on vacation!) We then picked up other customers and were on the road at about 8am. It was an 1 1/2 hour drive to Valparaiso. And what a difference in the weather in that short trip. Very warm Santiago turned into cool Valpo (per the local lingo), thanks to its proximity to the ocean.

Valparaíso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its dozens of steep hillsides containing endless streets and cobblestone alleyways with colorful buildings. It was a neat place, but I also found it dirty, with much graffitti, and sidewalks covered with dog poop. It that way it kind of reminded me of Rome, except of course without the benefits of things like the Colosseum, St. Peter’s, the Pantheon, etc.!

Vina del Mar is located adjacent to Valpo, but they couldn’t be more different! VdM is a very clean resort town with a casino, highrises on the beach and flowers in the lamp posts. I was impressed! Apparently others are too, as I was told that beachfront apartments can go for seven figures (in USD!).

Traveler Tip: Typically on a full-day excursion like today’s, lunch is not included in the price. When that is the case the group is usually taken to a high-end restaurant where a couple hours is spent dining. I’m guessing that the tour operator receives a commission for this, and I know the tour guide’s meal is gratis. That is what happened today. However, I opted out. It was great. I had two hours to roam around VdM on my own, with my own agenda.

Sunday, February 10 – Santiago

A pretty low-key day (as Sunday’s should be!). I took a walk through the parks lining one of the city’s major thoroughfares and ended up at the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.

Monday, February 11 – Santiago

Today was a busy day – spent entirely in my hotel room working on trip planning and booking! A dirty job, but it’s got to be done. I have now booked my flights from Bolivia to Ecuador and then Ecuador back to Santiago in mid-March. I also booked a hotel for my arrival tomorrow in La Paz (smart!). I still need to come up with a game plan for both Bolivia and Ecuador though, with the one major known activity being a Galapagos Island adventure. I’m thinking I’m going to book that last-minute (to save $$).

I have a 6am flight tomorrow to La Paz. I need to be at the airport 3 hours early, so that means a 2:30am departure from my hotel. Ugh! It’s my own fault though, I chose that flight! (and not just for cost, but also because it was the only non-stop)

Thursday, February 7 – Santiago

It was kind of warm today, high of around 90 degrees, but I still ended up spending a lot of time walking and exploring the city (one of my favorite things to do). My first impressions of Santiago? I was spoiled by Buenos Aires! That’s not fair, I know. Unfortunately, the architecture in Santiago has been influenced by leaders trying remove references to history and having to rebuild due to earthquakes. I found some impressive areas though, and I really like the neighborhood in Providencia where my hotel is located.

Here are some pictures from my day of 27k steps…

Friday, February 8 – Santiago

Another 90 degree day in Santiago. But it’s a dry heat! I ventured to the northwest of the city centre to explore some green space.

My next stop was Parque Metropolitano de Santiago. The park covers around 1,800 acres, making it the largest urban park in Chile and one of the largest in the world (for reference, Central Park is 840 acres; the combined Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens is 625 acres). The park contains San Cristobal Hill, with an elevation of 2,900 ft. On one side of the park, a two stage cable car system takes visitors to the summit, on the other side a funicular is used. I was on the side with the cable car, so let’s do this! (This is now my 3rd cable car / chair lift ride of the trip!) And it turns out I showed up at the park at an opportune time, as it was half-price Friday for the cable car ride. My cost for the round trip journey? $2!

Wednesday, February 6 – transit from Puerto Varas to Santiago

I flew today from Puerto Montt to Santiago. Puerto Montt is about a 20 minute drive from Puerto Varas. To get to the airport I ended up booking a ride through my B&B. That was probably a mistake. The cost was $30! I should have done more research on something like a shared minibus service. Likely would have been half the price. The cheap me is mad at the lazy me!

Although it was only a 90 minute flight, I went again with the upgrade to an exit row seat with early boarding. The price went up this time though to $10! And it turned out that the flight was only about 3/4 full, so I could have gone without the upgrade. Another wasted expenditure!! This day is not going well!

Flying into Santiago it seemed pretty hazy. I was wondering if it was smog, or maybe some dust in the air? Sadly, it turns out it’s the former. I did a little research and discovered that the air quality in Santiago is the third worst of major cities in the Americas. Lima, Peru is the worst, followed by La Paz, Bolivia (my next stop, great!). Cudos though to the baggage handlers at Santiago airport. My bag was waiting for me by the time I exited the plane, made a bathroom break and reached baggage claim. Nice! (Good luck with that happening in Houston!)

I haven’t talked about safety in a while mainly because it hasn’t been an issue. Since Buenos Aires, I’ve solely been visiting small tourist towns where crime hasn’t been a concern. Well, that changes with Santiago. I noticed signs in the baggage claim area warning travelers to book their airport transport using the the vendors within the baggage claim area, and to not use taxis waiting outside the arrivals area. I read about this problem as well. It involves a scam of overinflating fares to the city (even when meters are used). So, following that advice, I was able to book a shared minibus transport to my hotel for $11 (as opposed to $30 for a taxi). My cheap self is starting to cheer up a little!

Upon arrival at the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised. A nice place, including a good size room with a little kitchenette, a small indoor pool, and fast internet. All for only $59/night, including breakfast! The cheap me is ecstatic!

I spent the rest of the day going for a swim, working on my journal, and watching a movie.

Sidenote 1: All of the places I’ve stayed so far have been 100% smoke-free accommodations, which is both surprising and awesome!

Sidenote 2: I’ve watched a little TV on the trip. Mainly the NFL playoffs and some stuff online, when the internet speed permits (which isn’t very often). I discovered though that I still have online access to HBO and Showtime, even though I cancelled my cable when I left Madison on January 9th. So, with the excellent internet service at this hotel, I took advantage and streamed a movie offered on Showtime, Den of Thieves. Wasn’t too bad.

Sidenote 3: It was 4 weeks ago today that I departed Madison. It’s been a busy month, but I still have 7 weeks to go! I have gotten a little homesick though, so thanks again to everyone for their comments. It’s nice to hear from you!

Tomorrow my exploration of Santiago begins!

Monday, February 4 – Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas is a small tourist town (pop. 40k) located along Lake Llanquihue in southern Chile’s Lake District. It was founded in the 1850s by German immigrants. And I just happened to arrive during a massive heat wave! Yesterday it was around 90 degrees, and today was more of the same. (For reference, the highs beginning on Wednesday will be in the upper 60s – and apparently even that is warm for this time of year!) So, of course nobody has air conditioning. It didn’t turn out too bad though, as it cooled down significantly at night. I left the windows open when I went to sleep, and after starting with just a sheet on my bed, had to pull on a blanket in the middle of the night. (see related travel tip below) Plus, I prefer this heat to the alternative – Puerto Varas averages 200 days of rain per year.

Breakfast turned out to be a two hour affair. Shortly after I sat down I was joined by two other couples who were guests at the B&B. I ended up having wonderful conversations with the two english speakers in the group. One, Eduardo, is a biology professor at the University of Chile in Santiago. He spent his senior year of high school as an exchange student in a small town in northern Minnesota, having arrived speaking minimal english. Very fascinating guy, and he gave me some great tips on sightseeing in Santiago. The other guest, Guerillmo, is a law student at a university in Vina del Mar, near Valparaiso, Chile. He spent two years in the UK while his mother worked on her PhD. Also gave me some good info on visiting Valparaiso. Finally, our hosts kind of hinted that is was time to wrap up breakfast! I’m really enjoying this aspect of the trip – interacting with the many friendly locals that I’ve met along the way.

Following breakfast I stopped by an excursion office to book a couple trips and did some walking around the town. (Also went to a bank to use the ATM, where they were very helpful in getting me through the spanish menu!)

In the afternoon I took a half-day excursion to Osorno. It was about an hour drive to the base of the volcano. Upon arrival, there was an option to take a chair lift in two stages to higher elevations. Of course I did both! The cost of the excursion was $30 and both segments of the lift were $25. Funny story: there were about 15 people in the group – myself and a couple from Switzerland, the rest were from latin america (LA). When we arrived at the volcano we were left to explore on our own, with our bilingual guide telling us to meet up at 5:20pm to go back to Puerto Varas. The guide then took us three non-LAs aside and told us the real meet time was 5:30, with the earlier time stated to take into account the “LA” factor. Well, the Swiss couple and I were back and ready to go at 5:20. The rest of the group showed up at 5:45!

Promised Travel Tip: I mentioned leaving the windows open during the hot weather in Puerto Varas. Well, there is a drawback to that – outside noise. My solution – custom made earplugs. I happened to buy these when I was working in London. They were made by taking molds of my ear canals (I had to have the wax removed first!). Kind of pricey – I think $150-200, but one of the best investments I’ve made. They fit and work great! I’ve used them countless times while traveling. And not just in open window environments. We’ve all stayed at hotels with thin walls or located on noisy streets.

Finally, here are some Chilean peso banknotes. I know what you’re thinking, Tim’s rich! NOT! The conversion rate is about 650 pesos to the dollar.

Tuesday, February 5 – Puerto Varas

Today was a full day excursion to Isla de Chiloe. The island is known for its old world culture and traditions. And the Churches of Chiloe were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000. It was about an hour drive from Puerto Varas to the ferry that went to the island. Below are some images from the trip with a few comments. (The excursion cost was $58)

Sunday, February 3 – transit from Bariloche to Puerto Varas, Chile

I’m writing this as I watch the Super Bowl at my B&B in Puerto Varas. The NFL is everywhere!

Today was my bus trip over the Andes into Chile. Before I get into the details, a bitch session! When checking on the trip, I spoke to both the reception staff at my Bariloche hotel and a representative at the city’s tourist office. I told them I wanted to take the bus to Puerto Varas. Their response was that I needed to take the bus to Puerto Montt and then transfer to a local bus for the 15 mile trip to Puerto Varas. Ok, thanks for the info. Ticket to Puerto Montt bought. Fast forward to this morning. I’m waiting to board and happen to notice the electronic sign on the front of the bus scrolling through the stops along the route. As expected, the last stop is Puerto Montt. But, the second to last stop is…Puerto Varas! So, I talk to the bus driver and he confirms that I will be able to exit at Puerto Varas, even though my ticket is to Puerto Montt. Unnecessary extra effort averted! (no thanks to my friends in Bariloche!)

Now, on to the trip! I was actually looking forward to a day of kind of doing nothing. Just relaxing, enjoying the scenery, and maybe doing a little reading. That’s basically the way it turned out, except it was all scenery watching and no reading!

We departed Bariloche at 10:15 and arrived in Puerto Varas at 5:45. Seven and a half hours. However, we spent one hour at Argentina border control and another hour and Chile border control. So, a little over 5 hours on the road. Not that bad really.

Interesting arrival in Puerto Varas. There is no bus station, just a bus stop (this is a pretty small town!). After being dropped off, I’m standing on the corner using Google Maps to try and figure out the location of my B&B. While I’m doing this a women drives up and starts talking to me (in spanish, of course!). I really have no clue what she’s talking about. Ultimately though I realize she’s offering me a ride! Very nice. Gracias! For a price. Oh. How much? Four dollars. Sold!

Here are a couple pictures of the B&B…