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South American Explorers |
NAME: Hans Waarle
hwaarl@yahoo.com
DATES:
8 Dec1999 - 11 Jan 2000
EXCHANGE:
1 US$ = 3.48 Nuevo Sol
WEATHER:
Rainy season; good nonetheless
TERRAIN:
differs
TRIP RATING: 7
COUNTRY:
Bolivia and Peru
ROUTE:
Route: Miami-Lima-Cuzco-Arequipa-Puno-La Paz-Cuzco-Quillabamba
Transport: diverse means of transport. Mostly buses and planes
Cost: 2 persons = $3000 ex. flight to/from Peru
Comments:
- Travel light and try to leave stuff you don't need for a while with e.g.
friends, a hotel or wherever.
- Buses have very different levels of comfort. E.g. Arequipa to Puno is so
bad, one sincerely fears for the kidneys. But Puno to La Paz is no problem
at all; one could sleep on the way. Ask around before you go, what sort of
road you can expect and make sure you reserve a seat in the front of the
bus, if the road is probably bad.
- Planes are so cheap, it's often not even worth worrying about taking a bus.
Exception: trip to La Paz, as this is a very beautiful route. Coming from
Cuzco, you might want to fly to Juliaca and then take the bus onwards.
That's cheaper and more fun, but two days extra.
- If you're staying in a town for a while, and you have logistics problems
(i.e. how do I get to my next destination): do not worry about that
yourself. Go out and find a travel agent that employs young people speaking
a good deal of English. You'll recognize after five minutes whether they're
helpful or not.
They will help you with a local program, after which they're extremely
helpful in arranging virtually anything: planes, trains, buses, hotels,
connections etc. with no extra charge. They're better than the LP in
helping you out. We have had extremely positive experiences with travel
agents in Cuzco, Arequipa, Puno and La Paz this way.
HOTELS:
Good hotels are usually in the Lonely Planet book for Peru, and vice versa.
ESSENTIALS:
In terms of your dietary habits:
- You should realize, that Peru in average is situated at very high
altitude (3000 meters or higher). This implies less oxygen for your body,
which also means your body has a problem with digestion. Whenever you're
staying somewhere for a couple of days, ask at what altitude you're living.
- Do not eat too much "heavy" food with a lot of fat, oil etc. Your body
does not have enough oxygen to efficiently convert that into energy. You
will run short of energy the next day, although you swallowed an unhealthy
amount of calories. Instead, take light food that has a lot of sugar and
minerals: eat a lot of fruit, carry sweets and candy and take them as you
go during the day. Sugar is ten times easier to digest and you won't get
tired so easily.
- Realize, that salt is expensive and thus sparsely used in Peru. But your
western stomach is used to very high levels of salt. Too little salt
therefore results in a great loss of water, because your body cannot hold
it, and with the water a lot of the nutrition dissolved in your blood
disappears also. Ask for extra salt if you go out for dinner and combine
that with at least one bottle of water per day (1.5 l)
In terms of luggage: here's a few items that are easy to forget but essential:
- If you're a photographer: bring a lead bag against aggressive X-ray, and
have your roles developed in Peru (plenty of one-hour services)
- Have a closeable bag to wrap up your backpack. This prevents damage to the
gear and people poking around in your stuff.
- Have at least two copies of your passport in different places (bag,
jacket, etc.)
- You should have a pouch to put around your waist in which you keep cash
dollars, your pass, tickets etc. It should be flat and close to invisible,
preferably behind your trousers, at the height of your belt. Do NOT put
that sort of stuff in your backpack. On buses, airports etc. you're likely
to loose some of that.
- Make a list with numbers of your passport, credit cards, bank cards,
insurance, traveler cheques, phone numbers of your bank, your insurance
company, etc. Print it out a couple of times and hide it at a few spots in
your luggage and leave one with someone who stays at home.
- Bring toilet paper...
- Don't worry too much about bringing clothes. Two jeans, two shirts, etc.;
one to wear, one in the line for being washed.
COMMENTS:
Visit the SAE; they have the best maps in the country and are really
really nice people.
About SAE: Membership Services: Join/Renew : |
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South American Explorers |