Im thinking of going on a massive trip to south america in 2009. Ive never backpacked.. im just scared it will be lonley and shit. Ill hang out in youth hostels and so forth but i don't want it to be shit. I pretty much want to see the sights, experience the culture, learn some spanish and have fun with local people and travelling people. Suggestions? And what should i take. Im thinking.. clothes, camera, ipod, CV's (USB stick), adress book and wallet.
I PROMISE you won't be too lonely if you're in hostels! Make sure you stay in dorm rooms...when I touched down in Ecuador I was terrified, since I'm not very outgoing or anything, but within about a day or two I was out going to pubs and restaurants and exploring the town with people from the hostel. Backpackers almost all have similar personalities (since you have to if you're living out of a backpack taking cold showers for months!)- laid back, open minded, good sense of humor, easygoing, friendly. Where are you going in S America? I went to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia for 3 months. I took 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of hiking pants that zip off into shorts if I need them to, 2 tshirts, 1 pair of pj pants, 1 skirt, and a few pairs of socks and undies. Cheap mp3 player (lifesaver on 12-hour bus rides, but don't take anything too expensive...it'll probably be broken, lost or stolen at some point), digicam, connector cord for the digicam to the computer (loads of internet cafes in the cities), address book, ID, passport, credit card WITH A LIMIT just in case, proof that you had your yellow fever shot. Small sizes of tylenol, sleeping pills (if you can't sleep on buses), chapstick, ear plugs, shampoo, and soap/instant hand sanitizer. Sounds like a lot? It really does NOT take up that much space! That's about everything I brought and it was perfect. Ummm LonelyPlanet S America on a Shoestring is great to have just because if you need a map or get into town at 5am and can't go out hunting for a cheap hostel, the book can tell you where to go! Hot showers for me were available at about 3/10 hostels I stayed at in Ecuador, 2/9 in Peru and 4/5 in Bolivia (I was seeking them out in Bolivia, though!). You can most likely find them anywhere if you look hard enough, though, but cold showers really aren't THAT horrible! Spanish lessons are cheap and easy to find in most places, though if you don't speak any at all definitely make sure (triple check) that your instructor can speak some english! Same goes for tours. Ecuador- See "Old Town" in Quito, Montanita is a cool hippie beach town, Cuenca is beautiful with cobblestone streets, Izchaluma Hostel (I think that's how you spell it) in Vilcabamba is basically heaven and a greeeeat place to relax (do a day-long horseback trek into the nearby mountains! it's INCREDIBLE). Banos is very friendly but boring past a day or two, Mindo (2 hours from Quito) is gorgeous but I'd go with someone so you can do cool hiking and tubing stuff! Peru- Mancora on the north coast is another gorgeous hippie beach touristy town, Huanchaco (catch a cab from Trujillo...it's cheap and direct) has awesome surfing and great people, Lima is awesome to explore if you're staying in the Centro part of town, and Cusco is mind-blowingly awesome for meeting people and partying every night of the week. Machu Picchu is amazing and so, so beautiful. Definitely do the day trip if you can- it's like, $150 and more than worth it! And The Oasis (near Ica...take a cab) has these wickedly-groovy sandboarding and dunebuggying tours through the desert! The sunset in the Peruvian desert is breathtaking. Bolivia- The Salar de Uyuni is soooo beautiful, but cold so bring hats and sweaters and gloves! La Paz was awesome and I met the best people there. Rurrenabaque Pampas tours let you sit on a motorized canoe and go down the river for hours, see anacondas and pink dolphins and stuff, stay in a camp out in the middle of nature...very very cool.
Hey - I'm going to be hitting Latin america January 2009! I only have about 5 months there and im doing a couple of volunteer programmes - but other than that looking for people to connect with and get to know a bit before i meet up with them!! Its good fun! I plan on getting into Chile jan and then back packing across and around and i fly out of Mexico city!! overland all the way... Other than that start and end no plans!! Drop me a line Gem
