The lost Inca city of Machi Picchu is one the world’s wonders. The fact that it wasn’t discovered until 1911 speaks to its spectacular setting. To explore it, hordes of tourist take a train plus bus from Cuzco every day… But it’s still possible to reach Machu Pichhu emulating the experience of the ancient Incas, who walked kms and kms through the Urubamba Valley to their sacred city.
Continue reading “Machu Picchu, better when you’ve earned it”
I arrived in Arequipa on a bus from Chile. My main reason to stop in this city was the famous Colca Canyon. And while I did do some cool hiking and rafting there, what really surprised me was the city itself. Nicknamed “the white city”, Arequipa is a gorgeous colonial town, with a large Plaza de Armas in the center, built of volcanic white-stones (thus the name). The well-preserved, colorful Convento de Santa Catalina is a beautiful place to get lost, and the frozen mummy Juanita at the Museo Santuarios Andinos is a mandatory visit for those who like “weird stuff”. The city is surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes, completing an idyllic picture.
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Salvador Allende’s last words before being killed in the Palacio de la Moneda still manage to give me chills. Santiago de Chile’s downtown exudes history, but it is also terribly polluted and overly americanized. As I walked around the Plaza de Armas, Catedral, Cerro Santa Lucia and Mercado Central,and saw all these stressed people, I couldn’t but feel nostalgia of Buenos Aires.
Continue reading ““History is ours, and people make history””
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In the Lonely Planet guides, there is a section at the beginning called “The Best”. In the Argentina one, it puts the Argentinians at the top of the list, and rightfully so. I’ve spent the last week travelling by bus from Iguazu to Buenos Aires, visiting numerous places, and chatting with truly pleasant and interesting people.
Continue reading “Chatting with Argentinians in Buenos Aires and Misiones”
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Before finalizing my tour of Brazil in Iguazu, I spent 24 hours in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. Enough to hate it, though also to recommend it to everyone. The urban planning is impressive, and the architecture really cool, it’s surely a one of a kind city. But it’s also a city without a soul. There is no historical downtown, walking to places is mission impossible, locals and visitors (mostly business ones) seem bitter…
Continue reading “From Brasilia to Iguazu, extreme contrast”
Last night I flew from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador de Bahia, where I had responsively booked a hostel that I knew how to get to. But the flight got super delayed, so by the time we landed, buses weren’t running anymore. So I made friends with some yankies and suggested sharing a car – first tried to make friends with some Brazilians for a free ride, but no luck 😉 I walked up to the guy that was renting cars for Hertz, who wouldn’t have clients that late, and convinced him to take us for half the price of a taxi. We dropped off the yankies at their hotel by the beach; they were so lost and happy I had helped them that they gave me enough money for the full fare… woopy! But from there on, everything went wrong
Continue reading “Salvador de Bahia, where I got scared (mom don’t read this post)”
I spent the last few days in Rio de Janeiro, the so-called Cidade Maravilhosa. Long enough to understand how special this place is.
Bona Travels 