FACTS
Here we try to give a quick overview of all the stations of our trip, hostals, busrides, etc.. We also give points to some stations, the best grade would be 10 points. The newest station will continuously be added at the top, thus this list starts at the very bottom with what we had to do before the journey even started.
02.05.2010 FLYING HOME
Our flight from Lima to Caracas, Venezuela, to Frankfurt and to Düsseldorf.Everything went well!
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28.04 - 02.05.2010 Lima
Hostal: HQ-Villa, on the border of Miraflores
PRICE: 9,- US$ / night / person in nice dormitory, -15% for PSF-voluntarios, incl. big breakfast.
FACILITIES: Several big dormitories with up to ten beds, very nice, very clean, nice bathroom, several doublerooms, very nice big backyard. Safe area!
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15.04. - 28.04.2010 Volunteering in Pisco Sin Fronteras
The circle of our trip is now closed. We started here seven months ago, and are back on the job. There are about 75 volunteers here at the moment and we are in this week moving into a new house. Nadège´s job is to paint the rooms in the house PSF was living in before, I am working on a new website. Pisco is fun again!
FOTOS
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15.04.2010 13 hour busride from Arequipa to Pisco
We made it back!
PRICE: 65 Soles / person
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13.04. - 15.04.2010 Arequipa
In Arequipa, we wanted to go to the Home sweet home, where we have been before, but they had no more free beds. We stayed at the Hostal del Sol, the house just next to the Home sweet home to the left. That was the best choice!
PRICE: 15,- Soles / night / person for two-bed room, nice bathroom, no breakfast
What can you do in Arequipa? Check it out further down this list.
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13.04.10 12 hour busride from La Paz to Arequipa
PRICE: 140 Bs / person
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09.04. - 13.04.2010 Adventure Brewery hostal in La Paz
We have been to the Adventure Brewery hostal before, on our way to the south, went here again and felt like coming home. Stefan celbrated his 38th. birthday here. Nice!
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09.04.10 6 hours busride from Cochabamba to La Paz
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25.03. - 09.04.2010 Cochabamba
We stayed for two weeks in Cochabamba, producing a fotografic documentary in the Museo Arqueologico U.M.S.S. and living in a family.
FOTOS
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25.03.10 9 hours busride from Potosí to Cochabamba
Very nice busride. We had the panorama seats in the front, 1+2. Very good street that goes through awesome landscape. Buscompany: Cosmos, bus starts at 8:45 a.m.
PRICE: 40,- Bs / person
FOTOS
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22. - 25.03. Potosí, highest town in the world at 4090 meters altitude!
LOCATION: Hostal "La Paz"
PRICE: 25 Bs. / person / night
FACILITIES: Several two-bed rooms. Two toilets, two showers sharing. Small room. Bed is hard.
ACTIVITIES: Stroll around town, see lots of students. Visit the theatre on the main square and sit on the roof of it, enjoying a nice view over the town in the sun. 5,- Bs. Visit the mines. Exciting and a little scary experiece but very interesting. An adventure. People are working in the mines like they did 300 years ago!
GOOD: Nice, lively town, the mines are great!
BAD: Its high and thus hard to breath, but you get used to it after a while!
POINTS: 10 for the mining tour.
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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22.03. Sucre to Potosí
Easy three hour busride. Aspahlt street is in very good shape! 17,- Bs. / person + 2,5 tax / person
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10. - 22.03. Sucre
LOCATION: La Plata, opposite of the mercado
PRICE: 20Bs / person / night in small matremonial room
FACILITIES: Several double and single rooms. One toilet on every level, two showers, only one has warm water! No internet in the hostal, but the locutorio is next door. Very good highspeed connection and cheap.
ACTIVITIES: Sucre is beautiful. It is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, the government has moved to La Paz. 250.000 inhabitants. A lot of students. The town is very lively and friendly. We took Spanish-classes at the "Instituto Cultural Boliviano - Alemán". For 2 persons, 45 Min. 10 US$. Very expensive, but also very good. Very systematic. Went to practice at the Recoleta, a café with an awesome view over the whole town.
GOOD: Nice, friendly, felt safe, get food at the market - that´s cheap, good spanish, pretty, lively. Hostal was friendly, cheap and very central.
BAD: Ten minutes we were not concentrating on our stuff, someone stole small bag and jacket in a bardirectly behind our backs. Many poor old people begging. Hostal was sometimes loud. The bathrooms not very hygienic, the bed very hard.
POINTS: 8
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09. - 10.03. Nightride in bus from Samaipata to Sucre
Most horrible busride. Gravelroad in a in very bad condition after raining season.
Got busticket at busstation at the street, not from agency in town.
Buscompany: Trans de Chequeño, tickets at the busstation at Samaipata (el señor)
PRICE: 100,- Bs. / person / semi-cama
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05. to 09.03. Samaipata
Very nice small village about 3hours taxiride from Santa Cruz. Awesome landscape, very relaxed, good restaurants (one is run by Germans, the bakery with awesome breakfast is run by French), friendly people. This is the weekend-village for the 5.000 most rich people of Santa Cruz and travelers.
LOCATION: Centro Cultural de Samaipata
PRICE: 20,- Bs. / person / night in two-bed room.
FACILITIES: Several two bed rooms, big bathroom for boys and seperate for girls.
ACTIVITIES: Hang out on the Plaza, hike in the surrounding, visit the waterfalls, etc.. The perfect place to do some nice hiking and chilling.
GOOD: Hostal (not an official hostal, but it is as a hostal) is cheap, clean and very friendly, very quiet, muy tranquilo.
BAD: -
POINTS: 10
FOTOS
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03. to 05.03.10 - Santa Cruz, Bolivia
LOCATION: Alojamiento Santa Barbara, on Santa Barbara street, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
PRICE: 25,- Bs. / person / night in two-bed room.
FACILITIES: Several two-bed rooms, some dormitories. One bathroom for girls+boys, one seperate bathroom (shower + toilet).
ACTIVITIES: Walk in town, several places to eat. Surrounding of Santa Cruz is supposed to be nice. Look at church, Irish Bar. Lively Plaza de 24 de Septiembre.
GOOD: Hostal is cheap + ok, many travelers, nice chilling.
BAD: Town is lively but not pretty
POINTS: 7
FOTOS
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03.03.10 - Wednesday, on the bus in the Chaco, northern region of Paraguay
Arrival at the migration office at 2:00. Have to hand over the passports to an officer. Are calledone by one in a small hut. There are two officers. Nadège explains situation, we have to pay 40,- US Dollars each for stamp. Better than being sent back through the country to Ciudad Del Este!
Passing into Bolivia at about 7:00 in the morning. It is cold in the bus from air-conditioning, but hot outside. Migration office is just a wooden hut in the jungle. People are strict but friendly. We get permission to stay in Bolivia for 90 days!
Arrival at Sant Cruz after ~22 hours busride. Take taxi (13 Bovs.) into town. Staying at the Alojamiento Santa Barbara. 25,- Bov. (2,50 Euro!) / person / night in two-bed room.
POINTS: 8 for Hostal
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27.02. - 02.03.10 - Pension Da Silva, Asuncion, Paraguay
Went to the Ministerio de Migracion to get stamps. Could not get it at ministerio! Have to go to border and will get it there, that will cost 35,- US Dollars per person!
Take public bus (31) to terminal. Buy tickets to go to Santa Cruz. Bus leaves at 19:30, about 22 hours, 230.000 Guaraní / person, Semi-Cama with food.
We get 80,- US Dollars from Cash-machine.
POINTS: 9 for the Pension Da Silva, 1 for Asuncion because the sun was shining!
FOTOS
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26.02.10 - Friday
Busride from Puerto de Iguazu to Ciudad Del Este in public bus. Bus passes the migration office at border without stopping.
YOU MUST TELL THE BUSDRIVER TO STOP TO GET YOU MIGRATION STAMP IN THE PASS!
At the Terminal we where waved to take a bus to Asuncion.
6 houwould leave at 20:25 so it said on our tickets. There was one young woman from France with us and an Argentinian lady, waiting. At 20:30, we were all packed into a taxi. The taxi drove about 15 minutes to a highway crossing. We stopped and waited for the bus in the open wild. The taxidriver stayed with us. The bus arrived at about 21:00.
The ride was comfortable. They served a hot meal which was exellent! Two videos.
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23.01. - 26.01. Iguazu Falls, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Nice busride through jungle,
busride from Concordia to Iguazu 152 Arg. Pesos / person, 13 hours ride.
Stayed at hostal Irupe in three beds room, we had to share the room one night with a lady and another night with a man. 35 Arg. pesos / night. Very close to the busstation.
Falls de Iguazu:
10 Arg. pesos / person to go by bus from Puerto Iguazu to the falls.
Entrada: 85 Arg. pesos / person for foreigners!
Boattour: 100 Arg. pesos / person for 12 minutes. We didn´t do it.
Brasilian side: Busride 35 Arg. pesos, Entrada: 85 Arg. pesos.
Keep your ticket and you can visit the falls again the next day for half of the prize! (only on the same side).
In Puerto Iguazu: Nice restaurants with fair prizes for awesome parillas (BBQ).
POINTS: 10 - the Iguazu Falls are great, for me better than Machu Picchu.
FOTOS
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22.02. 1 hour bus (Flecha bus) to Concordia, Argentina
No problems at frontier
67,- Uruguayan Pesos,
fully climatized, take a sweater, or you will be freezing!
The bus arrived in Concordia at 11:30, the bus to Puerto de Iguazu would only leave at 19:30 at night, so we spent the afternoon hanging around in Concordia.
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21. - 22.02. Salto
Hotel Danaly, two cuadras from busterminal,
250,- Uruguayan Pesos / person / night in private room with private bathroom, hot water, ventilator, kakalake in shower, old bed.
cheap and ok,
POINTS: 6
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21.02. ~ 6hrs. busride from Montevideo to Salto
320,- Uruguayan Pesos / person, semi-cama
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17. - 21.02. Hostal Montvideo, Montevideo,
straight working on the blog, sorting fotos, writing "Gisela hat Hunger" in German and English, Nadège writing her story in French
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17.02. ~5hrs. Busride from La Coronilla to Montevideo with Rutas del Sol.
As always, the bus is about one hour late. OK
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26.01,10 - 17.02.10 La Coronilla, Coast of Uruguay. Working in the Tortuga-Project "Karumbé".
Very nice small town, very nice, friendly and professional people at the organisation, family-feeling, nice weather, even if we had some rain. Awesome working-location at the beach.
We lived on the local camping-ground.
Payment for working in the project (Three good meals): 150,- Uruguayan Pesos / person / day
Payment for living on the camping-ground: 160,- Uruguayan Pesos / 2 persons / night. We had a discount for long-term-stay.
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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26.01.10 ~5hrs. Busride with COT from Montevideo to La Coronilla (Hometown of Karumbé) Relatively comfortable, standard line bus, ~6,-Euros/person. Very friendly attendent on the bus, he helped us to get out correctly at La Coronilla.
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22.-26.01.2010 Montevideo, capital of "Oriental Republic of Uruguay"
3,3 mio inhabitants, ~ 1,5 mio in Montevideo, in 2007 Montevideo was supposed to be the city with the highest quality of living in all of Southamerica. Established in 1726 by the Spanish to protect Buenos Aires from European attacs. Montevideo hosted all the matches of the 1st FIFA World Cup on July 18, 1930. Its Estadio Centenario is considered a major stadium. The city is home to two of the most important South American football clubs: Peñarol and Nacional. Uruguay won this World Cup in 1930.
We live in the youthhostel, "Montevideo hostal", which is part of the Hostelling international network. There are not many people here, and those who are, are mostly at least 25 years old - look at us...!
15,- US$/night/person including breakfast in a dormitory with 12 beds. But we are the only ones in that room so far! The hostal has a piano which I have been playing half an hour just after we arrived. It has a nice little kitchen where you can buy sandwiches and drinks. An other kitchen is upstairs where you can cook your meals. There is even a small bar in the basement with a small but not professional pool-table.
Arrival at bus-terminal in Montevideo, taxi to the youthhostel (lonely planet) for ~ 100,- Uruguayan Pesos = 3,6 Euros, no cheating by the driver.
Walking from hostel to waterfront in ten minutes, at night walking through some streets. Many old, colonial-style buildings. Not very busy at the moment (vacation). Walking on the city´s main avenue the Avenida de 18 de julio.
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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22.01.2010 2+1/2 hours busride with COTS from Colonia to Montevideo
comfortable, had air-conditioning on all the way, it was cold in the bus, several passengers, including us put on warm sweaters.
160,- Uruguayan Pesos = 6-7,- Euro / person, buses go almost every hour.
Driving through the countryside: It looks like northern France or Westphalia. Very green, a little hilly, many fields and cows. Typical pampa! The big herds of cattle have made Uruguay the richest country of Southamerica for many years. Now, that is Chile. Biking is very popular. By arriving at the outskirts of Montevideo (10-20km) we saw many small, shabby houses. Not really favelas like in Lima or BA, but almost.
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21.-22.01.2010, Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Colonia is situated at the Rio de la Plata, on the other side of Buenos Aires. In 2004, it had about 21.000 inhabitants. It was founded in 1680 and is thus the oldest town of Uruguay. The old-town part was declared to be a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Much of the old-town is renovated and very nice. I had an urgent feeling, to go back 100 or 200 years to live there in that time. Colonia used to be the port for smuggeling things into Buenos Aires. It has some ruins, old cobblestone-streets, small 200 year old houses, which are now artist-galleries and a beacon which you can climb.
The accent in Uruguay is the same as in Argentina, with ll, j, y and ll sounding like sh. We lived in the hostal "El Espanol", in a ten-bed-compartido for 14 US$/night/person. The hostal has a small portio with comfortable hammocks. There was only one problem: The ventilator on the ceiling was running all the time, at night also, we didn´t know how to stop it, it was cold in the room and I was freezing.
We walked around the old streets and along the waterfront. We sat on the porch of a restaurant at night and had a beer. The atmosphere was very relaxed, the waiters were friendly, but more distant than in Buenos Aires. The Uruguayans are supposed to be even more proud of their European heritage than the Argentinians. It is true, the feeling is very European, with many VWs, Audis and even some Mercedes. One bad part of sitting on the porch was, that many youngsters on their old motorbikes were passing by on the cobblestonestreet between the water and the porch of the restaurant, making annoying noises while showing off with their small motorbikes. Two or three days in this town are
enough!
GOOD: Very nice atmosphere, very historic, relaxed, calm, nice sunset,
BAD: Expensive, loud motorbikes and cars all along the waterfront
POINTS: 7
FOTOS
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21.01.2010 Ferryride from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay with ferrybus (seacat)
PRICE: 112,- Pesos / Person (if book 10 days in advance, it´s only 94,- Pesos)
takes ~90 minutes, comfortable, with seats like in plane, and you can buy little snacks, very fast ride on catamaran
No problem at customs, only passport-check, no fee, 90 days in Uruguay
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21.12.2009 - 21.01.2010 Buenos Aires
Flatshare - piso-compartido
http://www.pisocompartido.com.ar
PRICE: For 2 people, one month in double-room: 330,- Euro
FACILITIES: Two bathrooms, three toilets, 24h hot water, three doublerooms, two single rooms. Kitchen with wireless internet, TV with 20 channels in Spanish only, refrigerator with freezer, gasoven, microwave, no dishwasher, washing-machine in other appartements sharing, balcony to street.r busride from Ciudad Del Este to Asuncion, 50 Argent. Pesos / person. Bus is ok, they serve dinner.
From busterminal in Asuncion taxi to Pension Da Silva next to Plaza Uruguay, 35.000 Guaraní. Pension is nice, there is no sign at the door, indicating, that this is a pension. Pink house, ring the bell.
TRY TO AVOID PARAGUAY. GO AROUND!
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25.02. - Thursday, Puerto de Iguazu,
Second visit to the Falls, in sunlight! No rain, beautiful weather. Entrance for 45,- Pesos only, but you need to prove, that you yourself !!! have been there the day before. Best is, to go and get stamp for second day on the first day, if you are going or not!
In sunlight it is even better! Really amazing! Very good metal-trails to get really close to the water! Amazing!
A boattour very close to the falls costs 100,- Pesos / person for a 12-minute ride. It is supposed to be really good, we didn´t do it.
In the evening: Parilla (mixed meat from grill) at our favorite restaurant up the street + good red wine.
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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24.02. Puerto de Iguazu,
waking up at 6.00, taking first bus (Practico) to Iguazu-falls-park on Argentinian side, 15 Min. 10 pesos/person includes ticket back. Rain
Parkentrance: 85,- Pesos / person, for foreigners!
The falls are beautiful, amazing. Even in rain. We had Panchos, bought before. They sold Panchos in the park, 22,- Pesos.
FOTOS
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23.02. Arrival in Puerto de Iguazu
Hostal Ituré, Hostal "Sony", about 100 meters from the busstation down the street.
25,- Argentinian Pesos / person / night in 4-bed-room. First night with two french girls, next night with one journalist and psychologist lady, third night with an older couple. Little privacy!
Did not go to the Falls this day.
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22. - 23.02. 13 hours busride from Concordia to Puerto de Iguazu, Argentina
304,- Argentinian Pesos / person, semi-cama
In Concordia, we had to be at the office of the buscompany at 20:00. The bus
LOCATION: Dr. Thomas de Anchorena/Corrientes, Abasto, across the Abasto-mercado shopping mall with restaurants, cinemas and many stores. Five minutes walk to the supermercado, five minutes walk to disco, two minutes walk to Subte.
ACTIVITIES: Parties at night in BA! Shopping, Steakeating, Tangoshow, Sightseeing of colonial buildings.
GOOD: Nice location, cool disco, nice kitchen, good internet, cleanuplady 2x/week, cheap for BA. People in Buenos Aires are very relaxed, friendly, helpful, no stress! (stay away from poor quarters/favelas). BA is the capital of a well devolped country.
BAD: Loud parties in the other appartements (get earplugs)
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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20.12.09 - 21.12.09 Bus Mendoza >> Buenos Aires
Comfortable nightbus, 12 hours, semi-cama, 30,- Euros/person, arrival at the huge terminal, taxi to flatshare: 25,- Pesos
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16.-20.12.09 Mendoza, hostal El Independencia
PRICE: 45,- Argentinan Pesos/person/night in dormitory with eight people, incl. breakfast
FACILITIES: Dormitorios and private rooms, no private bathrooms, use of kitchen, wireless internet, TV, bar for beer and wine
LOCATION: 50 Meters from the Plaza de Independencia, center of town, many bars/restaurants
ACTIVITIES: Shopping, relaxing in parks, many outdoor-activities like hiking the Andes (Aconcagua) or wine-tours by bike, etc.
GOOD: Very relaxed atmosphere, one night was big BBQ (35,- Pesos/person) including meat and wine (all you can eat + drink), very central
BAD: Not much to do in the hostal
POINTS: 9
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16.12.09 Busride Santiago de Chile >> Mendoza
PRICE: 12,- US$ You can also pay in Chilenen Pesos
Border: with control, but easy
GOOD: Nice busride, exciting landscapes, easy
FOTOS
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14.-16.12.09 Santiago de Chile
HOSTAL: La Casa Roja, Compartido, very busy
PRICE: 10,- US$/night,
GOOD: Very nice colonial style huge house, pool, ping-pong, kicker-table, free internet, nice dog, hot 24h shower,
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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13.-14.12.09 24 hour busride San Pedro de Atacama, Chile >> Santiago de Chile
PRICE: ~35.000 Chilenen Pesos = 50,- Euros/Person
GOOD: very comfortable, semi-cama, good streets
BAD: Expensive !!!
FOTOS
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13.12.09 San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Nice little touristy town, there are many hostels.
No Visa-machine! (change Dollars in internetshop)
No problem on border from Bolivia to Chile.
Busterminal from here to many towns in Chile / Bolivia / Argentina.
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11.-13-.12.09 Tour through the Salt-flats and Atacama desert
PRICE: 550,- Bolivianos / person
Agencies make arrangements. With eight people including guide in comfortable Jeep through the desert. See the saltflats and lagunas. (Colorado, Verde, etc.)
GOOD: Good guide, awesome nature, spectacular views, good food, good eco-lodges. Very roots.
BAD: Sit in the Jeep for many hours.
POINTS: 10
AWESOME!
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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11.12.09 Uyuni, Bolivia
Hotel Avenida, 20,- Bolivianos/person, doubleroom, sharing bathroom, no breakfast
friendly, uncomplicated.
POINTS: 9
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10.-11.12.09 8 hours busride Oruro >> Uyuni
horrible, worst busride we had, washboard-gravel-roads
TIPP: Take the train from Oruro to Uyuni !!!! They only go on some days.
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10.12.09 Oruro
only one afternoon,
ugly, cold, windy, unfriendly, not even coffee. Only one restaurant, was ok.
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10.12.09 four hours busride La Paz >> Oruro
PRICE: 15,- Bol./person
OK
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09.12.09 La Paz
Adventure Brew hostal, house II, "the Annex".
PRICE: 50,- Bolivianos/person/night
wireless internet, good breakfast, rest as before
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08.-09.12.09 18 hour busride Rurrenabaque >> La Paz
as before, scary :~)
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05.-08.12.09 Rurrenabaque
HOSTAL: Claryvel
PRICE: 15,- Bolivianos/person in dormitorio, 20,- Bol. in doubleroom
GOOD: Friendly, washing possibiliy, cheap (Hostal-owner: Esteban)
POINTS: 9
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03.-05.12.09 Pampa-Tour mit Enin-Tour (Indigena-Tour) three days
http://www.indigenatour.com
PRICE: 450,- Bolivianos/person + 150,- Bov. parkentry
First day: 3 hours jeep, 3 hours boat with amazing wildlife,
Night: Sleeping in bunkbeds in dormitorio in ecolodge (running water, electricity only from six to nine at night from generator)
Food: There was a lady with us, who was cooking. Very, very good!
Second day: Five hours walking in the Pampa, in search of the Anaconda. We found one! In the late afternoon: Fishing Paranhas
Third day: In the boat up the river for more naturewatching. Very nice! Back down the river to starting point in the afternoon. Back in Jeep, arrival at Rurrenabaque in the evening.
Alternative TIPP from a friend: Mashaquipe eco-lodge, quote: "The wildlife was stunning and un-interfered with like in the Pampas"
GOOD: Wildlife, good guide, good food, good lodge, beautiful sunset
BAD: Cold shower (still ok, because it´s very hot)
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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26.11.-01.12.09 Volunteering at Parque Jacj Cuisi,
part of Inti Wara Yassi National Parks
www.intiwarayassi.org
LOCATION: From Rurrenabaque in boat over the Beni-river, one hour collectivo/taxi out of
Rurrenabaque in direction of Ixiamas, left of street in jungle. Don´t take taxi! Take collectivo and tell driver where you want to get off.
PRICE for volunteering: 50,- Bolivianos/day/person
FACILITIES: Electricity only from generator, not for everybodys use, no running water, bathing, dishwashes, etc. in the river, the waterquality is perfect, the best drinking-water we ever had so far, much better than bought in plasticbottles.
Jacj Cuisi is the newest of three parks of the organisation Inti Wara Yassi. They care for wild animals (monkeys, pumas, jaguars, etc.) who have been in captivity in private homes, circuses, etc..
ACTIVITIES: Longtime volunteers take care of wild animals after they have gotten used to them. Shorttime volunteers, like us, help building the park. Trailcutting in the jungle with machetes, builing houses (kitchen, hospital, cages), digging for new fountain, etc..
GOOD: Beautiful nature, great wildlife
BAD: Some longtime volunteers should work on their social skills, volunteering-tasks are not quite clear, the organization could be better.
POINTS: 6
FOTOS
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26.11.09 18 hour busride La Paz >> Rurrenabaque
PRICE: 60,- Bolivianos/person, this bustrip does NOT go from the big, main busterminal !!!
Wild wildlife, in the Andes and in the jungle. 16 hours gravelroads. Can be dangerous, we enjoyed it. Shaky.
POINTS: 8
FOTOS
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21.-26.11.09 La Paz
HOSTAL: Adventure Brew hostal, house I
PRICE: 60,- Bolivianos/person/night in dormitory for eight people incl. bathroom with very good shower, wireless internet, TVs with DVD-player, big choice of movies, get one beer for free.
ACTIVITIES: The Adventure Brew hostal really is a brewery. They have a wide range of beers, which are sold in the bar at the top. The bar is nice, you have an awesome view over La Paz. The hostal cooperates with different agencies, that organize biking tours or hiking tours, etc. (adventure). Go to the witch market, good shopping possibilities in La Paz. Visit the area around the University.
GOOD: Nice hostal, friendly, meet people, good food + beer, nice view.
BAD: -
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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21.11.09 Three hours busride Copacabana >> La Paz
PRICE: 15,- Bolivianos
From the wilderness very abrupt in the big city!
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17.-21.11.09 Copacabana at lake Titicaca
LOCATION: Hostal El Emperador
PRICE: 20,- Bolivianos/person/night in doubleroom, no breakfast
FACILITIES: Several rooms, with/without bath/shower, sometimes only cold shower, but in the afternoon its warm, simple but cozy, nice tower to watch over the town to the water.
ACTIVITIES: Walking up the Stations of the cross on one mountain and up to the radio-towers on the other mountain. There is a backroad winding up the hill. The view is amazing. Take a boat to the Isla del Sol, 20,- Bolivianos back and forth, stay there overnight! Visit the floating islands, but they are very touristy.
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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17.11.09 Busride Puno >> Copacabana
Crossing the border from Peru to Bolivia. No problem! If you ask, maybe you get the permission to stay in Bolivia for 90 days. We asked too late!
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16.11.09 Puno
ACTIVITIES: Visit the floating islands, take ride in human-paddled carriage
Many people said, Puno is full of tourists, its not nice. We thought it was ok. This is a good way to visit the floating islands.
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16.11.09 Five hour busride Cusco >> Puno
PRICE: 50,- soles/person
Nice Anden countryside
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12.-16.11.09 Cusco
HOSTAL: Home sweet home
as before
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8.11.09 Cusco >> Machu Picchu
(Aguas Calientes, at the bottom of the mountain of Machu Picchu)
5 hours busride from terminal de Quiabamba / Estation de bus to Santa Maria. Taxi/Collectivo from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa. Taxi/Collectivo from Santa Teresa to Hydroelectrica. Walk along the traintrails to Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes only exists, because the tourists, who want to visit Machu Picchu need a place to stay at night and eat.
HOSTAL in Aguas Calientes: Hospedaje Las Bromelias
PRICE: 25,- soles/person/night in private doublebedroom incl. bath, no breakfast. No atmosphere.
FACILITIES: Several doublerooms. No dormitories.
ACTIVITIES: Go to the hot springs (aguas calientes), touristy shopping, many restaurants. We wanted to visit the Machu Picchu museum, but the entrance-fee was 20,- soles so we didn´t go. Visit to MACHU PICCHU: Two hours from Aguas Calientes straight up the mountain, or take a bus for 20,- soles/person/ride.
GOOD: Many restaurants, cheap hotel, 10 POINTS for Machu Picchu but not for Aguas Calientes.
BAD: Very touristy, locals try to trick you
POINTS: 6
FOTOS
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6.-7.11.09 Cusco
HOSTAL: Home sweet home
http://www.homesweethome-peru.com/
PRICE: 20,- soles incl. breakfast.
FACILITIES: Several dormitorios, with maximum five beds, maximum capacity: ~30 guests
Some private rooms. Use of kitchen, bathroom sharing, had some problems with warm water, this hostal is privately owned, the owners are not there, the people who work there are very, very nice and friendly. Service: If you book from somwhere else and tell when you will arrive by bus, you will be picked up by a private driver for no extra fee. Very nice view from the balcony of the hostal over the town. Can leave luggage here during trips.
ACTIVITIES: Cusco used to be the center of the Inka-Empire. It is the base to visit the most important Inka-ruins like the sacred valley or Machu Picchu. Cusco itself is a very beautiful city with many attractions to see. Entrance fee to visit the main cathedral: 25,- soles/person.
Visit: The bars "Bullfrog" and "Kilometro zero" with life music. Get the entrance-ticket for Machu Picchu here, 124,- soles/person. MC Donalds in Cusco.
GOOD: friendly, clean, nice, use of kitchen, good breakfast
BAD: Sometimes cold water, have to walk up steep steps with little oxygen, people at Plaza de Armas are sometimes annoying
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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06.11.09 ~ 5 hours busride Arequipa >> Cusco
Exciting busride, beautiful countryside, the wild!
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02.-06.11.09 Arequipa
HOSTAL: Home sweet home
http://www.homesweethome-peru.com/
PRICE: 25,- soles/night/person in dormitory
ACTIVITIES: Arequipa is a nice town with many colonial-style houses. The Plaza de Armas is beautiful. There is a pedestrian area in the center of the town. The market, constructed by Gustave Eiffel, and the surrounding streets are very lively and interesting to stroll around. There is the possibility to hike up the Misti 5900m high, the big volcano in the surrounding of Arequipa.
GOOD: Beautiful town, touristy but not too much, a lot of bars, a lot of restaurants, good and not too expensive, and some really cheap ones also.
BAD: Some locals are a little annoying to tourists, trying to sell stuff on the street.
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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02.11.09 Busride Cabanaconde >> Arequipa
We were already on the bus, but had to leave again, because we had no tickets. It was on a saturday, and the bus was full of people who wanted to go from the small villages to the bigger town and to go to church on Sunday and it was halloween.
Two hours from Cabanaconde >> Chivay, four hours from Chivay >> Arequipa
PRICE: 30,- soles/person
Very bumpy ride!
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30.10.-02.11.09 Cabanaconde
Valle del Fuego
>> as before
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30.10.09 Hiking up Llahuar >> Cabanaconde
7 hours hike. Very hard way up. Steep rough path. From 2000m altitude to 3300m altitude, the further up you get, the harder it is to breath.
FOTOS
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28-30.10.09 Llahuar in the Colca Canyon
LOCATION: Down at the bottom of the Colca Canyon, about 8km, 1200m down from Cabanaconde,
PRICE: 25,- soles/person/night for doublebed in class-A private room incl. breakfast.
FACILITIES: Three private doublebed class-A private cabins, some dormitory cabins with up to eight beds. No running water but free use of naturally hot-spring pools. You get everything without paying, the bill comes in the end.
Very nice eco-lodge at the bottom of the Canyon. No electricity, running water only from the river. Very nice hot springs with naturally warm water (30°C). Nice, friendly older lady lives there and cooks. Food is good (trouches, esp. trucha) and rice. Drinks, water / beer / wine is expensive, because it has to be transported down to here by donkey.
ACTIVITIES: Hiking in the area, fishing, realxing, watch wildlife. An eagle was hunting and chasing a pigeon right in front of us in the canyon. I saw a fox. If you are lucky, you can see Condors.
GOOD: Amazing wildlife, quiet, awesome hot springs, not many tourists, friendly hosts, good food.
BAD: Steep and rocky path and the sun is hot. Hard to get back up.
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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28.10.09 Hiking Cabanaconde >> Llahuar down in the Colca Canyon
AWESOME but not so easy. Takes six hours to get there, and that is enough. Hot and steep, but most amazing, beautiful, breathtaking. See Condors.
FOTOS
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27.09.09 Cabanaconde
HOSTAL: El Valle del Fuego, la maison des francais, restaurant + seperated hotelrooms 30 meters down the street
LOCATION: 50 meters from the Plaza de Armas in Cabanaconde
PRICE: 10,- soles/night/person in doubleroom with shower, no breakfast. You can have dinner in the restaurant which is good, 12,- soles/person.
FACILITIES: Nice rooms with very good 24h/hot water showers. Best showers we had so far! Many flies! Very comfortable countryhouse-style restaurant, one big main room with two fireplaces, good food, good drinks, nice locals, very roots!
ACTIVITIES: Hiking in the area. See Condors. Pure nature! The countryside, surrounding Cabanaconde is also beautiful. Over hundreds of years, the inhabitants have built many terrasses to grow coca and other crops.
GOOD: Awesome place, Mathieu the french guy knows the area very well, has good tipps where to go, cheap good rooms, good food, awesome nature, hiking is amazing.
BAD: Food is a expensive. Hiking is hard, because the sun is strong and hot and after going down to the bottom of the canyon at 2000 meter, you have to return to an altitude of 3300 meter, which is really hard, if not used to.
POINTS: 10
FOTOS
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27.10.09 Six hours busride Arequipa >> Chivay >> Cabanaconde (Colca Canyon)
PRICE: 30,- soles/person
GOOD: Awesome view, the deeper you get into the Andes, the more fascinating is the view, thin oxygen.
BAD: Very bumpy ride, there are only patches of asphalt left on the street. The bus broke down and we had to wait in a small village for the next one, but it came, we had to stand for two hours in the full bus. Was still ok.
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26.10.09 Arequipa
HOSTAL: Home sweet home
PRICE: Dormitory with five beds, 20,- soles / person, breakfast 5,- soles
FACILITIES: Several dormitories, sharing bathroom. Also some private rooms with bath.
Familyfriendly. Bookexchange. Nice terrasse on roof. Free internet, free TV. Comfortable. Travel agency in the house. Washing possible.
GOOD: Comfortable, friendly, close to center of town.
BAD: Said 15,- before, had to pay 20,- in the end.
POINTS: 9
FOTOS
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25.-26.10.09 10 hours over night busride Nasca >> Arequipa
PRICE: 50,- Soles/person with Andeña (Cruz del Sur: 90,- pesos)
Almost lost backpack.
TIPP: Don´t go at night
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22.-25.10.09 Nasca / Nazca
HOSTAL: Friend´s house
PRICE: 20,- Soles / person incl. breakfast
FACILITIES: Several dormitories, several doublerooms. Had doubleroom. Comfortable! Bathroomsharing. Nice terrasse to sit, chill, have dinner / breakfast. Washing available.
ACTIVITIES: Check out the market in Nasca, take a plane over the Nasca-lines (minimum 50,- US$ /person), walk to the big ruins of an old Inca-temple, take a tour to an old Inca cemetary with mumies in taxi.
GOOD: Nice, relaxed town, not expensive, some activities are possible
BAD: Flying over the Nasca-lines is too expensive, town is a little boring.
POINTS: 7
FOTOS
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22.10.09 Carride from Pisco >> Nasca
Got ride with friends in car. Visited Mirador on the Panamericana. 2,- Soles per person. Saw "hand" and "turned around tree". Not very exciting. Beautiful desert.
FOTOS
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20.09-20.10.09 Volunteering with "Pisco sin Fronteras" in Pisco
Hard, hard work. Demolition, construction, cement-pooring, digging, etc.. Good organized. Good food. Living conditions/housing is poor, but it doesn´t matter. Wireless internet / TV for DVDs. Very good enthusiastic atmosphere with 30 to 60 volunteers from almost every developed country/continent like Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, etc. Awesome experience!
POINTS: 10
HIGHLIGHT !!!
FOTOS
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16.-20.09.09 Lima
HOTEL: Lexus in Miraflores
PRICE: 75,- Soles for a room for two persons with bath
> was arranged by friend from Lima, there are cheaper possibilities.
Big city, very busy, a lot of smog. A lot of nice bars/restaurants. We met John who picked us up at the airport with a friend in his car.
FOTOS
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15.09.09 Plane: Marl >> Düsseldorf >> Frankfurt >> Caracas >> Lima
Stefans mom took us from Marl to the airport Düsseldorf very early in the morning. The plane in Düsseldorf could not take off because of bad weather. We took the train and just barely made it to the plane in Frankfurt. Lufthansa. The flight was good. We arrived in Caracas and even our luggage had made it. First impression of Caracas was not so nice. The airport was hectic and not very friendly, we didn´t understand a single word and were shy. We met an older man from Austria who lives in Bolivia for more than twenty years. He took away our nervousness a little.
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BEFORE THE JOURNEY:
15.06.09
Booked flights from Düsseldorf >> Caracas >> Lima with Lufthansa for the 15th. of September 2009
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05.05.09
Got E-Mail anwswer from Pisco sin Fronteras, that we would be welcome whenever we wanted to.
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02.05.09
Wrote E-Mail to Pisco sin Fronteras, that we would like to work there for two to three months, starting September 2009. Wrote the same mail to Karumbé, Tortuga-Research-Center in La Coronilla, Uruguay.
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Several months of research on the internet for cheap volunteer-organisations in South Amercia. Found www.volunteersouthamerica.net. Decided for 10 best of, decided for PSF to be the first one to write E-Mail to and Karumbé in Uruguay the second one.
Equipment:
- Backpacks
- Tent
- Hiking boots
- Hiking socks
- Sleepingbags
- Iso matrasses
- Hiking pants
- Fleece pullover
- Headtorches
- Lonely planet "Southamerica on a shoestring" (in German)
Medicaments:
- against diarrhea
- against vomiting
- adhesive tape
- parcetamol
- tiger balsam
- mosquito repellent
- sunscreen + aftersun
- antibiotica
- Netbook (was of very good use, free wireless internet in almost all hostels)
- external harddisk
- small digital camera
- Videocamera (we sent it home after a while)
- Video editing software Magix
- big good digital camera (for nice pictures!), it broke on the trip, we bought a new one.
Bring stable bag for camera!
Vaccination shots (please meet a doctor first!)
- Hepathitis A,B
- Rabies
- Yellow Feever
- Diphterie
- Tetanus
- Tyhpus
- Cholera solution to drink
- Malaria prophylaxis
MONEY:
- cancelled the bankaccount, opened up a bankaccount for online-banking only (ING-DiBa) including a free Visa-Card, international Credit Card is good! (Visa, Master). Visa works fine!
- changed Euros to have 200,- US$ cash.
BUEREAUCRACY:
- Passportpictures + some extra to take with you
- New Passport
- New Personal Identification Card ID
- International driverslicence
- 1 year health insurance for travellers, ADAC 500,- Euro / person
- Flightticket for one year, back and forth, 1130,- Euro / person
- put handy-contract into pause for one year
- scanned all documents, safed scans on online-server and on USB-Stick
- take copies of passport with you
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Very helpful for us to find the Volunteer-Projects to work was this website:
http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net