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Hi everyone,
Last month I left my job and decided I needed to see something of the world before I get too old! I've always wanted to visit South America but wasn't really sure how best to use the ten weeks I have available. After spending a lot of time trawling through travel guides and web sites and generally being indecisive I finally came up with a vague plan of where I'm going to go. I'm leaving the last few weeks fairly open - I prefer it to be that way in case I get recommendations from people I meet and decide to change my plans.
So my loose itinerary is this:
- Fri 26th May - 2 weeks in Ecuador. Leave Manchester headed for Quito, Ecuador. Here I will spend 2 weeks taking an intensive one to one Spanish course that should brush up my limited knowledge of the language. This will help me to get by in the other countries I visit (apart from Brazil and I don't know much Portuguese).
- Sat 10th June - 4 weeks in Peru. Fly to Lima where I will join a 24 day organised tour of Peru, taking in many different places of interest, including Nazca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Taquile, Puno, Cusco and walking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Then 3 nights in the Amazon Jungle, and back to Lima where the tour ends. After that I probably need a couple of days in Lima to relax before I head off again.
- Thurs 6th July - A few days in Bolivia. Fly to La Paz and have a look around. Then maybe go to Uyuni, get on a tour to see the vast salt plains in a 4x4 and stay in a salt hotel.
- Mid to end July - Brazil and Argentina. Fly to Rio and decide where to go from there. Have a good look around the city and soak up the atmosphere, maybe have a couple of days on the beach. Possibly fly to to São Paulo for a day or two. At some point I'd like to see the Iguazu Falls and jump across to Argentina for a short time. Maybe even get to Buenos Aires if there's enough time, but I'll have to see how it goes.
- Tues 1st August - Back to Manchester. Say goodbye to South America and fly back from Rio. Later in the month I'm off to New Zealand, but that's another story and another blog.
So there it is. Ten weeks sounds a long time but there's so much to see and I don't want to miss anything. I've already had to cross a few places off my original list, such as the Galapogos Islands (too expensive), Venezuela (fascinating but allegedly rather dangerous), Patagonia (too cold at this time of year), Chile (would need a trip of its own) and Easter Island (much too far from the mainland).
I'm hoping to be able to update this blog as I travel around, and also add pictures if I can. Come back here soon so you can find where I am and what I'm doing, or subscribe to my blog so you'll be emailed whenever there's an update.
Bye for now,
Paul
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Jane Sullivan
non-member comment
Bon Voyage!
Paul, Ben forwarded me your blog. Sounds like an awesome trip, and I'm sure you'll have a great time. All the best. Make sure you update your blog to let us all know about the 'loco' people, and don't forget to post photos of all of the Brazilian strip joints you frequent. ¡Buen viaje!