Blogs from South America - page 5674

Hola, I arrived in Santiago 4 days ago. When I got to my host families house I quickly realized that the lady did not speak ANY English. I had no idea what she was saying. Later I found out that they weren't expecting me until the 6th of January! The lady seemed Ok with it though. The house is small, but fairly modern. All the houses are gated and locked. The windows all have bars on them, and every house has a security system. The area I am in (Vitacura) is very nice and appears to be safe. I have been told it is one of the wealthiest communities in Santiago. The language barrier is a problem, but i am finding that my Spanish is quickly improving, and I can now sometimes understand the lady. Its ... read more

Ecuador - 5 Weeks I spent about 5 weeks in Ecuador stopping at Guayaquil which was a dump, then Monteverde for a week in a hammock in this nice beach town. From Monteverde I went to Quito, which has some nice areas to visit. I spent several weeks in Quito as I lost my passport and had to wait for another one, during my stay here I saw some students protesting and I got too close and experienced tear gas although quite diluted. I travelled, via Ambato, to Banos another cute little town situated at the foot of the active volcano, Tungurahua, I climbed the volcano on foot but didn't make it to the top as the ash was quite intense, there were farmers brushing ash from the grass so the cattle could eat and one ... read more

There had not been much excavation but there was still some interesting art work and some interesting shaped hills, hiding in the desert. Please click below for more details about my trip around Peru http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/blog-497136.html or around South America http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Hobsausage/Trips/3927... read more

If you cast yours eyes across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires the coastline of Uruguay beckons. The ferry trip across the river provides a marvelous opportunity to experience life in this beautiful country of three million people; which in world terms is famous for the obvious ... Uruguay is a two time winner of the World Cup! The country triumphed at the inaugural 1930 World Cup final played in Montevideo, and managed to double the dose with a second euphoric victory in the 1950 world championship of football staged in Brazil. Oh yes, and as an Australian it's hard to forget the final qualifier for the 2002 World Cup finals when Uruguay knocked the Socceroos out of contention, again in Montevideo. Let's briefly recap, constant reader, to bring you up to speed on ... read more

We were having a good old chat, albeit somewhat one sided. While waiting at the bus terminal in Foz do Iguazu a local approached and started speaking in an animated fashion. Man could he talk, and clearly it was an important message he had to share except for one small problem, I didn't understand a word he was saying! Not to worry, he just kept talking away while my facial expression changed from a look of non comprehension to positively idiotic. Finally a woman chimed in to remind him I didn't speak Portugese, and at least I understood those words. That's right bro, no fala portugese! Yet I was in great spirits as I prepared to board the bus to Rio de Janeiro. In fact I nearly burst into song "Woh ooh woh oh when my ... read more