Blogs from South America - page 5475

http://www.travelblog.org/gmaps/map_oJ.html Red Earth: The Northern states of Brazil must have a poorer budget for their roads as we experienced for the first few days after Sao Luis. Mud, dirt, sand was our lot with me trying to keep my bump off the seat for most of it! (minus that bit were we actually ended with our backs on soft sand -and that was after already a 4 hours ride on dirt and bitamen roads dodging portholes and mad bus drivers-). Tired, we retraced our steps back out of the sand road/track(?), opting for the ´highway´ this time. Mind you we were warned by a couple of Tcheks motorbike riders (travelling with 2 rescued kittens) that the roads could be a bit of a challenge... Even the ´highway´is a big word for it as we still come ... read more

The hostel seems to get busier every day, I keep on seeing new faces and had a nice conversation with a Brazilian girl this morning. After a bit of fuffing I made my way to the market in San Telmo. To use the underground I bought a ticket for ten journeys (or diez viajes). Unsurprisingly you also get beggars on the tube in Buenos Aires, and like in London some of them do a quick performance. The difference here is that here people at times do clap (without any sarcasm) and frequently give money. I went down Defensa street towards the market and saw a large number of artists performing. It felt like being in a Argentinian version of Leicester Square. I also saw a bit of tango near the market, but as Monica predicted it ... read more

Hier bin ich nun also. Ich kann es noch gar nicht glauben, dass ich in Chile bin. Santiago ist so, wie man es von einer suedamerikanischen Stadt erwartet, laut, hektisch, froehlich. Nicht besonders schoen, aber charismatisch. Die Menge der Sehenswuerdigkeiten haelt sich doch in Grenzen. Dafuer an jeder Ecke Samba und/oder Trommeln und unglaublich nette Menschen. Ich wohne im Hostal Bellavista, mitten im Zentrum von Santiagos Szeneviertel Bellavista. Das Viertel ist super, hunderte von Bars und Discotecas, und sehr sicher. Es sind eigentlich immer Menschen auf den Strassen. Das Hostal ist sehr gemuetlich und viele nette Menschen, mehr oder weniger in meinem Alter, wohnen hier. Ich schlafe in einem 4er-Zimmer und habe schon diverse Bekanntschaften gemacht, doch dazu spaeter mehr. Alles ist sauber und die Leute vom Hostal sind super nett und immer freundlich. Es gibt ... read more

Saturday 11 November Hello all, It´s 11am Saturday morning here. Have just enjoyed a nice long lie after our farewell night out for Sile. Vicki assures me Sile made it up at 6am this morning to catch her flight - needless to say I was out for the count having said my cheerios last night. Sile was working on voluntary programmes for the last three months, although was only in Ayacucho for two weeks. She said last night that she was ready for home after that length of time. I don´t feel like that yet, but I´m sure I´ll get there. Got up this morning full of good intentions re having a shower, but the water was freezing. Think I´ll wait and try again later. Did my washing (which is now hung out on the roof) ... read more

Last you heard from us we were taking a 7 hour flight from Chile up to Venezuela for a little “holiday” within our big holiday. First stop, Los Roques. An archipelago of picture postcard coral islands in the Caribbean sea off the northern coast of Venezuela. To get there you take a small plane to the main island of Gran Roque where we spent our first two nights before Bonnie and Steve arrived from London. Los Roques is hugely expensive so we booked into Dona Carmen one of the cheapest posadas on the island and signed up for a day of diving. The diving was amazing, in the morning we braved the currents off the west of Gran Roque and explored a great coral wall where the highlights were seeing an octopus and a turtle. The ... read more