Post 30: Plan Brazil

Fellow adventurers,

Brazil will most likely be the biggest challenge of all, from its different language to its huge geography, but I can imagine it will be one of the most rewarding of all.

As mentioned in the Uruguay post, we will be entering via Chuy on our way to Porto Alegre. We will catch a flight from there to Igaucu Falls. Then by bus to Curitiba, for a train ride through some of the last Atlantic region coastal rainforests left on earth. Rio comes next before heading to Belem on a very long distance flight for the hopefully much needed reprieve of a boat ride down the Amazon to the city of Manaus, the last stop on our four plus month trip.

We should be arriving in Brazil around Carnivale time, which will most definitely be a hindrance in terms of transportation (of which there will be none), time, and money. Crime seems to be an issue and we will make our best attempt to avoid places that are statistically more risky, but for the most part, I think we will be alright. There is a possibility that we may end up in Brazil with more time or money than had previously thought we would have. If this is the case we will definitely explore our options and see more of this vast country. We have also discussed the possibility of departing the continent via one of the Guyanas. Very tempting...more on that later.

Map and details after the break:

Post 29: Plan Uruguay

Fellow adventurers,

I have a feeling Uruguay is going to be one of the highlights of this long trip.

We will be crossing from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento on the other side of the River Plate by ferry. Colonia is an old, as you guessed it, colonial town founded by the Portuguese. After a few days there, we will head to the capital, Montevideo, for about a weeks stay. We plan to rent a car for the last part of our time in Uruguay, to travel from Montevideo along the coast into Brazil. Pinapolis, Punta del Este, La Paloma, Punta del Diablo and Chuy will all be explored along that route.

Map and details after the break:

Post 28: Plan Chile and Argentina

Fellow adventurers,

We have combined these two nations, plans wise, due to us crossing the border several times between each of these Patagonian nations.

We will be starting this leg of our journey in the north of either country, depending on time, and where we decide to exit Solar di Uyuni, Bolivia. If we decide to see Solar di Attacama, we will head through to the Chilean border in the desert. If we decide to go the way of Argentina, we will travel to the famous border city of La Quiaca (the furthest northern city in Argentina). We will have to travel south to the city of Salta and then onto Mendoza/Santiago from there.

Santiago de Chile is our starting point, from there we will cross the Andes into Mendoza. The bus ride is apparently very scenic. We plan on spending a good bit of time in Mendoza because of all the good things we have heard about the region. After Mendoza we will travel through Patagonia, spending a good amount of our time in Bariloche before heading to Puerto Moreno and Tierra Del Fuego. We will have to cross the border back into Chile to see Punta Arenas and Torres Del Paine National Park. Our last stop at the bottom of the world will be the furthest most southern city in the world, Ushuaia. Our last stop is the River Plate, and Buenos Aires. We plan to rent an apartment in the city and spend atleast a week there before departing for the cities of Colonia and Montevideo on the other side of the river.

Overall this should be the longest leg of our trip and hopefully one of the best.

More after the break, plus details to come:

Post 27: Plan Bolivia

Fellow adventurers,

J and myself have seen Bolivia once before, from the shores of Isla Amantani on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. The bedroom of the local home we stayed at that night had a window framed on a view of the  Andes towering across the worlds highest navigable lake. Since then, I think its safe to say, we have had an itch to return.

So we will return this way via Peru and this time stay on the Bolivian side of the lake at Isla del Sol. It will hopefully be to our advantage this time that we have acclimate to the elevation. I look forward to chewing on some coca leaves to help me alleviate any of my ails.

We should be spending Christmas in La Paz. The Yungas Road will have to be accomplished as soon as we get to that region so we dont miss it before the probable delay around Christmas. After La Paz is Cochabamba, Sucre for New Years, and then the gold mining city of Potosi,. We will take the first trip through Uyuni we can after the New Years. Our goal is to make it into Chile or Argentina by January 5th.

Map and other details after the break:

Post 26: Plan Peru pt. 2

Fellow adventurers,

Our 4th leg of the trip, Peru, is a land we have already spent a good amount of time in. In 2008 we explored Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Puno, Lake Titicaca, and Iquitos over 18 days. It was, hands down, one of the best trips I have ever taken internationally, and in saying that, I must acknowledge the influence it has had over us in choosing to not only return to, but explore all of South America. We were put in awe by the kind souls and vast cultural richness we experienced from the Altiplano to the Amazon.

This time around we are simply catching a few things we had missed previously, and heading through to Bolivia.We will start in Lima and bus it down to the Nazca Lines. We should not need more than a day there before heading to Arequipa, Peru's 2nd city, where we will be for around 4 days. Puno is our last stop, as Peru's gateway to Lake Titicaca. We explored the Peruvian side of the lake and its islands in 2008, so this time around we will be concentrating on the Bolivian side, most notably at Isla del Sol.

map and other details after the break: