South America

To celebrate this Travel Tuesday I am attaching a video I created on my mac for my group of friends (and me) that went on a fabulous trip to Panama in December. See the scenery, the locals and underwater dive shots.

Turn on your sound, enjoy and hopefully be taken away to Panama! Happy Travel Tuesday!

Today I am honored to have a fellow travel writer guest posting on Travel. Write. Repeat.

Brendan van Son is a world traveler that originated in Alberta, Canada and is currently traveling in Chile and documenting his adventures, tips and helpful information discovered while there.

Please enjoy the below post and read his other work on his website and if you Twitter, follow him: @brendanvanson

Thanks Brendan for this post and Travel. Write. Repeat. looks forward to future guest posts from you!

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7 Things you should to know BEFORE traveling South America

1. Mexican food is from Mexico

It amazes me every single time someone makes the comment “How come I can’t get proper Mexican food here in Peru (…or Ecuador, or whatever)?” This is basically the equivalent of someone wondering why they can’t get good Thai food in China. Only the difference between Bangkok and Beijing is shorter than Santiago and Guadalajara. The truth is that South American food isn’t anything like Mexican. You are much more likely to find a steak or a pizza than a taco. And for spicy food in general should probably look elsewhere, maybe Thailand. Other than the occasional chili or rocoto the food in South America is generally tame.

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2. Not everyone speaks English

I know many travelers start their journeys in places that nearly everyone speaks at least a little bit of English. But South America, with the exception of the Guyanas in the North, were not colonized by the French, Dutch or England, and thus, had no reason to adopt it as a second language, very few people speak English. People in South America speak Spanish, Portuguese, and in some cases pre-European languages like Quechua. We in the travel world seem to have a little bit of an Anglo-centric view about how the world works, but the truth is that if you travel here it is in your best interest to pick up a little bit of Spanish and/or Portuguese before traveling; not only to make your life easier, but also as a means of respect towards the local culture. Most cities offer night classes for Spanish, and some also offer quick “Spanish for Travelers” courses which are great. Another good idea is to spend a week in a Spanish course in your city of embankment; Quito, Ecuador provides lots of great courses for good value.

sunset over old town

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3. The Inca Trail doesn’t only go from Cusco to Machu Picchu

Many travelers seem to be under the illusion that the Inca trail runs solely between the Inca capital of Cusco and Machu Picchu. The reality is that this is merely a small section of a greater spider web of trails that covers basically all of South America from as far north as Colombia to as far south as northern Chile and Argentina. In fact, the link between Cusco and the lost city of Machu Picchu was probably not even a part of the main Inca Royal Highway. And as one local guide once told me, “there are thousands of Machu Picchu’s scattered around the Andes of South America, it’s up to you to discover them.” The Inca trail networks off to many of these impressive sites including Choquequirao.

Choquequirao

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4. Carnival is not a Rio thing

Maybe drawn to the allure of the white beaches and skimpy bikinis, or the wild parties, people from all over the world flock to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. What they often come to find is that Carnival in Rio is far from authentic, and instead is filled with drunken tourists confused by the amount of drunken tourists in Rio, and they watch the colourful parades from between six and sixty rows deep. Although this may be what some people are looking for, if you are really looking a more personal and engaged experience you can head to one of many different places. In fact, Rio probably isn’t even the best place to do Carnival in Brazil. Salvador de Recife in the north of the country provides all the partying and dancing you can ask for with a little more natural character and charm. The Caribbean Island nation of Trinidad and Tobago might provide the most colourful and authentic carnival experience anywhere. In fact, you don’t even need to be in Caribbean to enjoy Carnival. Both La Paz, Bolivia and Tena, Ecuador have unexpectedly interesting Carnival processions.

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5. Montezuma WILL get his revenge

This next piece of advice boils down to mental preparation more than anything. When the Spanish conquistadors defeated the Aztec people in the Central Mexican valley, it is said that the Mexica leader, Montezuma, may have mistaken Hernan Cortes to be the mythical Aztec God Quetzalcoatl. The Spanish used this mistake against the Aztec to gain trust, and in turn break it. The story now goes that Montezuma has been getting his revenge on foreign intruders in Latin America ever since through the form of violent diarrhea. The truth is, for the most part, this one is unavoidable. It is just a matter of your body not being used to the bacteria in the foods in South America. Basically, your body has not yet built the anti-bodies to defend from them. Exacerbated by the fact that toilet paper cannot be flushed in Latin America, there can be some less than faltering nights spent in and around the bathroom. And nearly everyone who has traveled Latin America has a very good “poop” story.

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6. Colombia does not have to be avoided

Of all the countries in South America, it is Colombia that may have the biggest tourism potential. Although it lacks a “wonder of the world” quality piece of architecture or nature, it provides all the beauty and adventure necessary to appeal to tourists. Colombia’s Caribbean coastline may be one of the most visually stunning places in all of South America, and small white sand beach islands of San Andres and Providencia are as good as any Caribbean Island destination. The city of Cartagena has perhaps the most appealing colonial district in the hemisphere as well. The rural highlands of the country too will leave visitors in awe. Although it is true that there is still a contingency of insurgencies and counter-insurgencies throughout the country, the majority of them are concentrated in very rural areas that you, as a tourist, are unlikely to visit anyways. Unlike Pablo Escobar’s Extraditables who made political statements by kidnappings in the early 1990s, the current insurgents are more interested in gaining legitimacy than kidnapping for political purpose. In general, travel in Colombia is actually much more safe than in places like Brazil where robberies of tourist buses are somewhat common.

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7. The Pantanal and not the Amazon is the best spot for wildlife viewing

The mystique of the Amazon draws thousands of travelers each year. Its basin is enormous and draws water from six countries. But the truth is that the jungle is too thick and too vast to make this a wildlife sighting area. Moreover, most of the Amazon’s animals are nocturnal. So unless you spend time visiting an animal sanctuary you are unlikely to spot too much of interest. Also, the Amazon River itself is so wide that a boat cruise from Manaus to Belem will do little to allow you to spot river side wildlife. As you cruise down the Amazon you may feel more like you are in the middle of a large lake or sea than a river. On the other hand, the Panatanal which stretches itself across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, is the most bio-diverse place on earth. And on top of it all, it is much less dense than the Amazon, which makes access to animal spotting much easier, not to mention more productive.

Pantanal

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The author, Brendan van Son