Chile north of Santiago

Does anyone have anything to offer
T Reply to this

Kari,
There are plenty of beaches north of Valpariso and a variety of towns and places from the "high end" adjacent to
Vina to the north, to the more rual further north. All seems nice. In Santiago, the a hostel on Plaza de Armas
is a good place to stay. Talk to Olga Rubio, she's Spanish and has been living in Chile for awhile. She and her
friends are a good contact to meet.

Traveling alone is OK, I met a few girls doing it, no problems related to a female traveling along. Just be smart about it. Gringos in Latin America are like Peacocks. There are a lot of poor people and their profession is
stealing. I have been traveling in Latin America for 30 years and I can tell you, safety is a bigger issue today.
Most are pickpocket types, but it is getting more violent every year, especially in Ecuador. The Colombians have spread their treat to all parts of SA. Now Colombia is a lot safer, and one of the best countries. I really like Ecuador, it cheap,
good climate, not too touristy other than the Galops. On beach everywhere is Latin America you have to be
extra careful.

BTW I went in the Amazon from Cusco, It's a good gig. The headwaters of the tribs to the Amazon are
like big streams and the evaluation is 3'k ft, so it's not too humid.
Also the thing about gringos hasn't changed in 30 years, the only time I was quiered though was in Santiago,
and the was weird, hustling donations. I noticed all the hostels fly all flags except the US. So be it. The
first thing I was taught in Int'l Bus grad school was no one likes the yanque.

Good travels chou

Tim Reply to this

OK Kari, then you are home free.

I know the Pacific side of SA. Peru today is too touristy for folks like me. However, in Cusco I can recommed
a great Tourist Agent if you like. They were recommended to me from a great life long friend from Taos NM. However the Amazon
connection in Parque Manu is too cool. The proper price should be about $100 a day.
But if you have time, you can do it on your own. We were short on time so we booked
a gid. I think it was called Eco .. A German Phd student whom I met in Piura PU, while leaving EU talked about it in such a way I knew I couldn't miss. Anyway it was good, good karma. One of the all time best gigs... and
I have hiked the Darien, hitchhiked the Sahara .... the reason it was so good was the karma
of our 11 person group and the 2 tour guides.
Colombia has always been bitchen, but dangerous, today I think it;s ok
As I wrote, Ecuador was a burn, the tote bag rip off cost me $us800. and screwed with
my mind. Well, all is well in travel and can be expected.
Plus everyone I talk about the rip off to, seemed to have a similar story once I got them to
open up. So be very careful. I let my guard down for 10 seconds and it cost me. If I was solo
it wouldn't have happed, but I was also looking out for my daughter's stull.
I still think Eucador is super cool, I am trying to get a gang together to invest in rual property
in southern EU. There life was mello yellow as Donovan sang it, if you can get my drift.
Follow your dream, follow your heart, be alert, be smart and enjoy IT ALL WORKS OUT FOR THE
GOOD IN THE END....
Se vale la pena la vida Ojla que tu vida es lo que quiesera, quiero que si.

BTW I also know of some gringas who had unwanted sex advances. I had many with queers, (I have
blond hair, and in Mexico, they think all blond are marricones, "butterlys, so at time I had to
swap them off as if they were flies. Discuss-ting so I can somewhat relate to gringas in SA. The good news
is that, to the best of my knowledge, if a person takes care, she can avoid
the problem. I know of gals who were raped in Guatemala, Peru and know of here-say
in every other Latin American countries. So always be on guard and don't take risks.
Follow your internal sense.

As you may have noticed I don't use the word trek, for to me, a trek is crossing the Sahara or something the
the Darien. It;s to put everything is perspective. I am not slamming on anything or anyone but to me
Machu Piccu is not a trek. BTW I hiked it 35 years ago and then it was adventure. To begin with,
it took 10 of travel and hiking to locate the trail. ... But still it doesn't measure up to the Sahara nor the
Darien.

Follow you dreams and heart.

Suerte
Timo

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