All posts tagged "transport"

Waiting at the gate for the flight, a couple Argentinian guys broke out their guitars and started jamming. The people in the waiting area went nuts! Digital cameras everywhere, people dancing, singing along, laughter, friendship. It was great. Then, on the flight, around midnight, a woman and one of the guitarists snuck to the front of the plane. He started playing his guitar, and she took the plane’s PA system and started singing into it. Everyone loved it! Made the flight go by real quick.

Waiting at the gate for the flight, a couple Argentinian guys broke out their guitars and started jamming. The people in the waiting area went nuts! Digital cameras everywhere, people dancing, singing along, laughter, friendship. It was great.

Then, on the flight, around midnight, a woman and one of the guitarists snuck to the front of the plane. He started playing his guitar, and she took the plane’s PA system and started singing into it. Everyone loved it! Made the flight go by real quick.

I am in Buenos Aires now. By bus, Buenos Aires is 40 hours away from El Calafate, where I just was. That’s not including a 5 hour stopover required in Rio Gallegos, and assumes that the bus doesn’t break down anywhere along the way. After spending over 70 hours on the bus last week, I couldn’t bring myself to spend the next 40+ hours on the road. So I bought a plane ticket. The flight is only two and half hours long! It felt great to go out Saturday night in Buenos Aires, knowing that I wouldn’t have arrived until Monday night if I’d taken the bus.

I am in Buenos Aires now. By bus, Buenos Aires is 40 hours away from El Calafate, where I just was. That’s not including a 5 hour stopover required in Rio Gallegos, and assumes that the bus doesn’t break down anywhere along the way.

After spending over 70 hours on the bus last week, I couldn’t bring myself to spend the next 40+ hours on the road. So I bought a plane ticket. The flight is only two and half hours long! It felt great to go out Saturday night in Buenos Aires, knowing that I wouldn’t have arrived until Monday night if I’d taken the bus.

John and I took a fancy Chilean bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago. It is a long way - the journey is meant to take 23 hours. Unfortunately, it took a chunk longer for us, since the bus broke down in the middle of the night, and we had to wait for a backup bus to pick us up. It was the first time any bus I’d been on in south america had broken down, and it was by far the fanciest bus I’d been on. (It had LCD screens! Air conditioning! Big windows! Blankets and pillows! Snacks, sandwiches and drinks included!) We were pretty tired once we got to Santiago, but I was determined to check out the city rather than spending the whole day resting in the hostel. We went for a walk around the bus station and through the city centre, and I took photos of street art. (Incidentally, we are staying in Barrio Brasil, outside the center, which is very quaint. You should stay around here if you come to Santiago!)

John and I took a fancy Chilean bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago. It is a long way - the journey is meant to take 23 hours. Unfortunately, it took a chunk longer for us, since the bus broke down in the middle of the night, and we had to wait for a backup bus to pick us up. It was the first time any bus I’d been on in south america had broken down, and it was by far the fanciest bus I’d been on. (It had LCD screens! Air conditioning! Big windows! Blankets and pillows! Snacks, sandwiches and drinks included!)

We were pretty tired once we got to Santiago, but I was determined to check out the city rather than spending the whole day resting in the hostel. We went for a walk around the bus station and through the city centre, and I took photos of street art.

(Incidentally, we are staying in Barrio Brasil, outside the center, which is very quaint. You should stay around here if you come to Santiago!)

We woke up at 5am to see these geysers in the early morning light. Our 4x4 wouldn’t start when we were ready to leave, and we darn near had to spend the night here, literally in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold.

We woke up at 5am to see these geysers in the early morning light. Our 4x4 wouldn’t start when we were ready to leave, and we darn near had to spend the night here, literally in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold.

Street art (and a bus!) by an underpass close to our hostel in La Paz.

Street art (and a bus!) by an underpass close to our hostel in La Paz.

Not all vehicles are what the seem in Bolivia. Here, a Hunda (Honda?) motorbike, and a Toyosa (Toyota!) 4x4. (Turns out Toyosa is actually the exclusive distributor of Toyota’s in Bolivia! Respect.)

Not all vehicles are what the seem in Bolivia. Here, a Hunda (Honda?) motorbike, and a Toyosa (Toyota!) 4x4.

(Turns out Toyosa is actually the exclusive distributor of Toyota’s in Bolivia! Respect.)

The crew for our boat trip from Rurrenabaque into the Pampas (grasslands) where we were hoping to spot some wildlife.

The crew for our boat trip from Rurrenabaque into the Pampas (grasslands) where we were hoping to spot some wildlife.

We left Coroico early in the morning, took a 4x4 for a half hour to a nearby town where we got on a bus. The bus rode along the most perilous road I’ve ever been on. At any moment, you could look out the left window and not see any road at all, just a 100+m drop into a canyon. It was pretty scary. After three hours or so on the bus, we got into a boat to head downstream toward Rurrenabaque. The boat trip takes three days, including many leisurely stops to camp and explore the jungle along the way.

We left Coroico early in the morning, took a 4x4 for a half hour to a nearby town where we got on a bus. The bus rode along the most perilous road I’ve ever been on. At any moment, you could look out the left window and not see any road at all, just a 100+m drop into a canyon. It was pretty scary.

After three hours or so on the bus, we got into a boat to head downstream toward Rurrenabaque. The boat trip takes three days, including many leisurely stops to camp and explore the jungle along the way.

There is some fine art on some of the buses in Bolivia. Usually featuring religious themes.

There is some fine art on some of the buses in Bolivia. Usually featuring religious themes.

With Manoj gone, it was time to head to Machu Picchu. The only way to get there is by train, and the train from Cusco is really overpriced (around $150). Adam and I decided to head to a town called Ollantaytambo, the last town on the rail line before Aguas Calientes, by car. It cost us $20 for a two hour ride, which was actually a rip off compared to what the locals would have paid, but we got to leave immediately from our hotel bright and early (before 6am!) and go straight there, stopping along the way wherever we wanted. From there, we connected to the train for only $31. The train was pretty nice, but we were blown away by the gringos on board. They all spent the entire ride with their heads out the window, taking photo after photo of the scenery. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was pretty nice, but not so shockingly amazing that you needed more than a half dozen photos. After all, we were all on our way to Machu Picchu, where the landscape would be way prettier. Anyway, I caved in shortly before arriving at Machu Picchu, stuck my head out the window, and snapped the photo above.

With Manoj gone, it was time to head to Machu Picchu. The only way to get there is by train, and the train from Cusco is really overpriced (around $150). Adam and I decided to head to a town called Ollantaytambo, the last town on the rail line before Aguas Calientes, by car. It cost us $20 for a two hour ride, which was actually a rip off compared to what the locals would have paid, but we got to leave immediately from our hotel bright and early (before 6am!) and go straight there, stopping along the way wherever we wanted. From there, we connected to the train for only $31.

The train was pretty nice, but we were blown away by the gringos on board. They all spent the entire ride with their heads out the window, taking photo after photo of the scenery. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was pretty nice, but not so shockingly amazing that you needed more than a half dozen photos. After all, we were all on our way to Machu Picchu, where the landscape would be way prettier.

Anyway, I caved in shortly before arriving at Machu Picchu, stuck my head out the window, and snapped the photo above.

Some photos of us with our dune buggy and our sandboards.

Some photos of us with our dune buggy and our sandboards.

The next day, we organized a sand boarding trip to go rip around the sand dunes in Huacachina. Apparently they are the biggest sand dunes in the world, though I have some trouble believing this. I mean, the dunes in the Sahara must be pretty big, right?

Anyway, it was fun to rip around on the dunes. Our driver was a bit of a maniac, the seat belts were a bit wonky, and we didn’t have helmets. But it still felt relatively safe! It was really amazing how fast we could get on the flats (I can’t be quantitative since the spedometer didn’t work) and how aggressively we could drop down really steep hills without phasing the buggy. $12 well spent.

Riding around in a miniature taxi in Lima after a day of strolling the streets. Manoj and I ate a lot of street food.

Riding around in a miniature taxi in Lima after a day of strolling the streets. Manoj and I ate a lot of street food.

Most people do the trek in 4 days and 3 nights. We were finishing the hiking so early each day that we decided we’d rather finish the entire trek in 3 days rather than spending another night out in the cold. So on the morning of the third day, we decided to hustle and walk all the way back to civilization. Here we are right after making it back, in the taxi that took us from Cashapampa to Caraz, and waiting for a minivan to take us from Caraz back to Huaraz.

Most people do the trek in 4 days and 3 nights. We were finishing the hiking so early each day that we decided we’d rather finish the entire trek in 3 days rather than spending another night out in the cold. So on the morning of the third day, we decided to hustle and walk all the way back to civilization. Here we are right after making it back, in the taxi that took us from Cashapampa to Caraz, and waiting for a minivan to take us from Caraz back to Huaraz.

Our organized trek included three donkeys to carry almost everything, and an arriero to lead the donkeys to our campsite and set up our tents. It made the trek really easy - almost too easy.

Our organized trek included three donkeys to carry almost everything, and an arriero to lead the donkeys to our campsite and set up our tents. It made the trek really easy - almost too easy.