Troy Freeman
In March of 99 I went to Australia on a 1 year working visa. With no plan and no idea what to expect, I went with my eyes and mind wide open. I soon realized that extensive travel was something that I wanted to continue doing for the rest of my life. After 11 months in Oz, a month in Thailand, and 10 days in Hawaii I returned home with strong ambitions to set out on another great adventure as soon as I could. Only...it took a while. I soon realized that money really does make the world go around and it helps me get around it. So 5 years later and my electrical apprenticeship over, I am heading to Central and South America to explore as much as possible in 4 months...who knows maybe longer. Should be pretty exciting and challenging considering I know as much Spanish as my Dora loving 2 year old niece, and every time I go away to Mexico on package holidays I end up eating nothing but immodium and bread...but I am up for it. I will try to post as many journals as possible so you all know where I am and how warm I am away from the Canadian winter. Bye for nowTroy
Travel Blog Posts
all things must come to an end
Published: April 6th 2006South America » Uruguay » East » Punta del Diablo
April 6th 2006
My last entry I had just arrived in Bariloche. Bariloche is what i would call the main hub for travelers setting out to Patagonia. It is a beautiful little town set around a large lake and surrounded by breathtaking snow capped mountains. With all the mountains and lakes in the area it's a haven for trekking enthusiasts. Myself along with Jim and his girlfriend Jynx hiked some of the near by mountains and apart from the cold winds coming off the lakes I enjoyed it but I was finding that I just wasn't that impressed. I had followed the Andes mountains nearly their entire length and I think by then it was a bit of over kill. With my Patagonian adventure just beginning I was forced to make some heavy decisions. Continue south through Patagonia ... read more
Argentina...wine, beef, and beauty queens
Published: March 15th 2006South America » Argentina » Buenos Aires
March 14th 2006
After a few busy weeks in Bolivia we thought we would make our way south to Argentina for some R&R, but first we needed a stop to break up the journey, so we decided on a small mining town named Potosi. I honestly didn't read up on the town too much but had heard from other travellers that it was a quite a unique place. We arrived early in the morning and after finding a decent hostel we were able to arrange a tour of the local mines that were still in operation. I realize that it sounds bizzare that we were able to visit mines that were still operational, but after all this is Bolivia we are talking about. First we were taken to the local miners market where the miners buy their materials. It ... read more
Bolivia...Top Of The World!!!!!!
Published: February 25th 2006South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » Yungas Road
February 25th 2006
After visiting Machu Picchu, and Cusco I headed South to Bolivia to explore a country I new very little of. The only thing I knew was that it was land locked after losing several wars to Chile and Peru over the past centuries. I feel bad for Bolivians because after losing so much land over time what they have been left with is very unworkable. In Bolivia if you aren't in the jungle you are in the mountains. Having little to offer the world as far as trade and of course years of corruption the Boliviano has been left very weak. The people of Bolivia are the poorest people I have ever encountered, but the majority are modest, humble, and happy. There are bad people wherever you go but in Bolivia crime seems to be more ... read more
February 5th 2006
I can't believe I spent over 2 months in Columbia, and every day was worth it but my initial flight date came and went on February 2nd. I was able to extend the flight to the maximum 180 days but I wish now I could stay longer, as there is so much to see and do, and at the rate that I move I know I will miss a lot of things that I want to see. Realising that I have just over 2 months left I made a tough decision and decided cut out Ecuador and booked a flight to Lima Peru on the 29th from Bogota. After one last memorable weekend with some friends in the small city of Yopal 6 hours outside of Bogota I headed back to the capital to catch ... read more
Venezuela, and my return to Colombia
Published: March 3rd 2006South America » Venezuela » Andean » Mérida
January 22nd 2006
With my Columbian visa nearly expired I decided to cross the border to Venezuela to acquire a new stamp for Columbia and explore a bit of the other black sheep member of the South American family. The plan first and foremost was to renew my visa for Columbia and then get an idea of whether I would want to return to Venezuala for more exploration. I boarded a bus from Buceramanga at 6 am to the border city of Cucuta, which was 6 hours by bus. With only 2 hours sleep from the previous night I wanted to sleep but there was no way it was going to happen. The whole stretch of road traveled weaved through steep mountains reaching heights of 2-3000 meters. It was my first drive through the mountain ranges of the ... read more
January 5th 2006
Sorry for the hasteness of this posting. Even on an extensive holiday like this you can find laziness over the christmas holidays. In my last entry I was leaving the Pacific coast en route to Medellin. The 14 hour bus ride came and went with no problems and I found myself in the large bustling metropoolis of Medellin. Medellin is famous for a few things. Primarily it was the home of the large cartel of Pablo Escobar. Escobar was a drug Baron in the 80´s that ruled the city and much of Columbia. He was eventually gunned down by police agencies, but he apparantly killed thousands some say millions of people and displaced several thousand others. He did however sink a lot of money into Medellin making it a beautiful modern city that already sits ... read more
December 10th 2005
To say Colombia has a bad reputation is common knowledge to most people in the world...it´s a little like saying the Sens will lose to the Leafs in the playoffs...people just assume it (yeah Ill probably regret saying that in May). The stories of Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel in the 80's to the ongoing kidnappings of politicians, businessmen, and tourists through the last few decades have perpetuated a fear into most of western society. The problems of Colombia can mostly be attributed to the cocaine industry, crooked politicians, and the ongoing battle between the gurillas, the government and the paramilitary, that has lasted for decades. The Gurillas made up of a few differen't rebel groups occupy nearly 40 percent of the country, and are the ones responsible for the kidknappings that are reported ... read more
Panama it may never get better than this....then there was first class
Published: November 24th 2005Central America Caribbean » Panama » Panamá » Panama City
November 22nd 2005
Costa Rica was a great place to visit and the unbelievable amount of different flora and fauna was a treat every day, but when I travel I am just as interested in getting to know the people and cultures as I am the land. Costa Ricans are good people but they seem to be verymoney hungry and not very friendly in comparison with all the other countries I have been to thus far and by the end of my stay there I was looking forward to meeting people who didnt look at me with dollar signs in their eyes. As I approached the Panama border I began to think about my knowledge of Panama...I couldnt come up with anything. Now I kind of wish that I knew nothing about every place I go to because ... read more
November 8th 2005
Hey everyone...sorry I have been out of touch for the last 2 weeks. I really have been busy and the down time I have had seems to have been in places with no internet access. The last time I wrote I was in the surfing town of Tamarindo on the north west coast of Costa Rica. After Tamarindo we headed to the capital of Costa Rica... San Jose. San Jose is a typical modern metropolis, but not without its own charm. There are lots of parks to walk through, the people are warm and receptive, and there is a very active night life. I had a lot of fun there but unfortunately I had to say goodbye to some good people there. The way the tour is set up people are given the option to continue ... read more
Nicaragua/Costa Rica
Published: October 26th 2005Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Southern Pacific Coast » Granada
October 26th 2005
THings are going great...we are now in Costa Rica after being in my favourite country so far. Nicaragua was so great. The weather wasn't very good but the people and the places we were in were amazing. First we went to Grenada where we stayed in the nicest hotel there. It was quite posh, and we got some funny looks when we all piled in with our back packs and muddy shoes. The town has so much character and history behind it. You could spend a few days just walking around looking at the historical sites. There was one cathedral that my friend Edd and I were visiting that was completely torched in the 1700's but is being restored. The original cement face of it is still scorched but inside is completely finished. We were walking ... read more
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