Category: Peru

13 Lessons learnt from South America

11/12/2014

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Things I learnt from my small trip to Argentina; Bolivia and Peru. Do not take it too seriously :)

In Argentina, change money on street and not in official exchange places. In banks, 1 Euro was 10 pesos while on street one could buy up to 20 pesos for 1 Euro.
People in Bolivia seemed not to be able to distinguish between left and right. They would always wave their hands without really pointing the correct direction.
When asked for directions and how much time it takes to get to certain places, we got answers varying from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Do not trust people when it comes to time.
Chicha morada, a drink made from dark corn is awesome. Fernet, a drink from Argentina, has become one of my favorite drinks. And ceviche, a raw fish from Peru, is delicious!
When taking a tuc tuc or a cab; ask locals first how much the fare should be. Only then get in the cab/tuc tuc and tell the driver upfront how much you are willing to pay for the ride. This way you will be charged as local and they will not be able to rip you off.
Mosquitos in jungles are very annoying and their bites take weeks to go away. Not to mention the itching that comes with it.
When taking overnight buses make sure you have some warm clothes with you. Often times it gets very cold in the bus during the night and you wish you had taken that extra jacket with you. Some companies will provide you with a blanket but not all of them do that. Also, buses in Bolivia are hell!!!
It is common to have limited hot water or no hot water at all in Bolivian hostels. Ask before you check in.
I recommend taking a bus to Machu Picchu in the morning to be one of the first people to enter. Many people try to be at the entrance at 5 am when it opens in order to avoid all the crowds in the afternoon. They also decide to climb the mountain and not take the bus. What happens, however, is that those who took the bus arrive at the destination before those who decided to climb :) So I would prefer to take a bus to Machu Picchu and then relax and climb down in the afternoon without rushing.
Local food is awesome and people are generally friendly except of a few cases in Boliva when people when asked about something did not answer or pretended they did not see us which was strange.
You will be asked not to flush toilet paper down the toilet but put it in a trash bin provided. Apparently plumbing in south america is not used to handle toilet paper.
When renting a car in Bolivia, make sure that you have an international driving license and that you car has all the necessary attests to be allowed on roads.
Prices are often in US dollars and not in local currencies.

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13 Lessons learnt from South America

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New trip planned for October 2014 :)

WAW-MAD-SCL-AEP-SLA-LIM-SCL-MAD-WAW

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