-
This trip was born just a couple of days before xmas, when I remembered I had a BA 2-4-1 expiring in August and needed to use it up. Ultimately this journey will be all the countries in South America that I’ve not yet visited and takes in Ecuador, Panama, Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay over eight weeks.
Total will be 16 flights, 1 ferry and a 12 hour bus ride and a lot of Uber, plus 4 car rentals that I’ve still to arrange as I type this.
I looked back at all the notes I had from previous threads, and thanks to all the commenters on my insanity planning thread, particularly @JBP, @AFKAE, @Meta and @Cat’s report for Mindo and the Galapagos which for some reason had never really been on my radar.
Planning started by looking at IB availability from MAD using the excellent https://www.flighttimecalendar.com/ rather than BA’s appallingly bad Book with Avios tool. I knew I’d see limited dates booking this close to my preferred travel date but was amazed to find zero availability from Buenos Aires and other popular routes. Outbound was ok but returning was close to impossible.
Anyway I finally found MAD-UIO (Quito), and MVD (Montevideo)-MAD, on dates that fitted with what I could work with, checking daily to make sure those flights didn’t disappear. I had some constraints on the Galapagos tour dates again due to booking so close to departure.
Total booking cost using the voucher was an exceeding reasonable 50500 Avios and £249.40, for MAD-UIO-MVD-MAD-MAN. The very helpful BA agent had no issues ticketing the open jaw in business and adding the MAD-MAN in economy. I think I just got lucky with her. All my other flights were booked direct on their airline websites with cash. On a couple of occasions PE/J tickets were weirdly cheaper than economy with a checked bag so I opted for those.
Booked a separate MAN-MAD the night before for cash (and still waiting for BA to credit the Avios 15 days later as I write this).
Stayed the night at the Marriott Madrid Auditorium, used my new platinum status to take advantage of the lounge. Excellent range of food/snacks and good wine. (Free shuttle to MAD every half hour-ish). No upgrade even though the hotel was nearly empty. If I’d stayed when there was a conference I’m sure my experience would have been poor for the shuttle and the lounge due to overcrowding.
IB flight to Quito was perfectly adequate, a little stingy with the wine service but no complaints. Nice city, stayed at the Sheraton, booked a standard king and was upgraded to a suite without it even being mentioned. Not the most luxurious but akin to a Springhill. Good enough for me. Breakfast was great and the usual stealable amenities plus a few extras, good rain shower. Lounge food wasn’t as good or as expansive as the Auditorium but wasn’t bad and the wine was decent. They had good cakes/deserts for a pre-bed snack.
Did the usual walking tour the 1st day then next morning fought through the traffic in an Uber to catch the bus to Mindo. I’m not as adventurous as @Cat, so scheduled buses are fine for me. Mindo was a weird little town, but got to experience humming birds landing on my hand to feed which was amazing and so were the butterflies. Hiked some of the trails and got caught in monsoon style rain coming back down so rode back to Quito with wet feet.
Galapagos next. Flight package booked with the cruise (it’s very difficult not to) and it was Avianca, uggh. Virtually all flights from UIO go via GYA with an hour sitting on the plane at the gate whilst passengers deplane and new ones board. Smallest seat pitch in a long time, terribly uncomfortable when someone reclines into your knees and bounces on their seat for nearly three hours.
I don’t mind admitting that I really don’t like any kind of boat, so the idea of a cruise is not fun but sometimes you have to just suck it up. It transpired that my fellow travellers were an amazing mix of Brits, left wing Americans, Aussies and Czech, so were the crew and the guide and if anyone is heading that way I can highly recommend the Treasure of the Galapagos catamaran. Food was also excellent and surprisingly good coffee/milk (it was UHT of course but didn’t taste foul in the ristretto from the bean to cup machine). This boat has one of the lowest single supplements of any, just 10% (the rest charge 50-100%) and of the other 12 passengers, there were 3 more single folks.
I’d never snorkelled before so diving into the sea (for the 1st time in over 20 years) was unnerving and then immediately seeing sharks swimming past was just incredible. The Galapagos is everything you read about and see in the pics. Gallery follows below, excuse the shaky video, I was trying not to drown and filming with my mobile as the waterproof camera I bought from ebay a year ago wasn’t and packed up after 10 mins as water leaked in 🙁San Cristobal to Guyaquil again on Avianca was uneventful. FCO guidance says travellers must transit airside due to local danger but there is no airside transit so you have to exit after baggage claim and go upstairs to the check in counters
Rapid check in with Copa and next stop Panama, I’ll try and add to this post weekly or so.
Galleries follow below, excuse the shaky videos, I was trying not to drown and filming with my mobile as the waterproof camera I bought from ebay a year ago wasn’t and packed up after 10 mins as water leaked in 🙁
Quito & Mindo – https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lo9bPr6T9iTgAsGS8
Galapagos – https://photos.app.goo.gl/yeFQouPLfrt6a6XS7Thanks for all that. We’re heading Galapagos in October. Booked Iberia MAD-UIO but coming home BA from SCL.
Avianca sounds like a cross to bear , as that’s part of our trip. Pics look great.
We’re doing 19 days touring Peru then on to RapaNui and Atacama desert. Looking forward to the rest of your trip report@davefl thanks for the trip report – it’s really interesting to learn about the planning that went into it. Judging by the phenomenal wildlife pictures from the Galapagos it has certainly paid off!
Good luck with the rest of the trip – I’m looking forward to following you around the rest of your South American odyssey 😎
When you say you don’t like boats do you mean sea sickness? OH gets it very easily so it has put us off Galapagos. We are doing QM2 transatlantic later this year but that has stabilisers and is waaaaay bigger.
When you say you don’t like boats do you mean sea sickness? OH gets it very easily so it has put us off Galapagos. We are doing QM2 transatlantic later this year but that has stabilisers and is waaaaay bigger.
My wife is the same. We went to the Galapagos in, I think, it was about 1989. We took a boat trip from a larger island to one of the smaller ones, 6 hours against the current with quite a bit of swell. Bless her she was throwing up for 5 3/4 of the 6 hour trip. We were backpackers then so might have been doing it on the cheap ☹️
Edit to add, I’m typing this on the Wellington to Picton ferry and it is completely flat calm. Absolutely gorgeous.
I should add this report is brought to you by Compeed blister plasters, Moskinto bite relief patches (way better than afterbite) and Vicks First Defence to fight off the germs that people kindly pass along on the way.
@Jill Kinkell We were booked in “premium” on Avianca as well by the cruise company. I’ve NFI what was premium about it. I wish I was doing 19 days in Peru plus RapaNui and Atacama but there’s only so much time and money.
Since this is the destination advice forum I should give you some for your trip. When you arrive at domestic departures at UIO, as you enter, the TCT desk is immediately to your left. You’ll need $20 cash and you need to fill in a form online before you get there. Once you have your TCT card, the inspection xray (cursory at best) is directly in front of you on the other side of the entrance. Once you’ve passed this and you have got your bag tagged with a plastic seal, you need to go to the boarding pass self service podium (there will be an Avianca rep to help you) and only once you’ve got all that can you go through into the bag drop area.
When you get to San Cristobal or Baltra depending where your cruise starts, the 1st desk is an immigration stamp and they take half your TCT card. The next desk is your national park fee which is $200 again in cash. Have it ready, don’t be fumbling for it and holding up the queue. These amounts may change before Oct.
If you want to withdraw USD in Quito, look for Banco de Guyaquil. Charge is only $1.50. Max withdrawl is $300 per day per card.
I can highly recommend the ATM Fee Finder app for use in most countries. It’s been really accurate. Be aware that some ATMs may be inside shopping malls which don’t open until 10am or 12pm.
@Guernsey-Globetrotter I am a planaholic but this one wore me out due to having to do it at such short notice. Still haven’t booked 3 of the 4 car rentals and yesterday I finally got round to Salta to find Sixt had sold out for my dates and Avis are double what I expected.
@masaccio Not in the slightest, I once had 3 hours “whale watching” out of Boston with 20 ft waves, pretty much everyone on board was sick apart from me. We only saw a seagull. I just don’t like any boat whether it’s a huge cruise ship or a dingy. I can just about handle a kayak on the smooth bay of Sarasota. Sometimes I just have to suck it up and I’m glad I did for the Galapagos. You’ll never get me on a huge cruise ship though although I may one day make an exception for an Antarctic visit.Thanks for the heads up on UIO. We are economy with Avianca. Our Galapagos /Peru trip is a long awaited pre Covid trip. Booked in 2019 for 2020…. but we know what happened then!
It was resurrected and hopefully we’ll get away . We’re doing a fancy option as a package which includes several nights Quito and 7 nights on a ship doing the rounds. I think we got a great deal for our Peru element with Trailfinders. The rest( Rapanui and Atacama) I’m planning the lot myself. On paper it’s all coming together very nicely. Just hope flights don’t scupper it!Lovely reports @davefl I am saving advice for Galapagos. It’s high on the list.
@davefl – re car hire in Salta, it is quite difficult as nobody has many cars. The rental lot is tiny. Sixt rents some pretty clapped out cars – we had a very dodgy Duster from them a couple of years ago. We have usually found Hertz to be the cheapest, but you need to be on the local site and try code 08G1995 You can contact the Hertz desk at Salta airport directly by WhatsApp +54 9 3875 94 1583 Cactus is also a popular local firm – it also does rentals for industrial projects, so you can sometimes have booked a normal car but get a white pickup with an orange flashing light!
If all else fails, you can get the Flecha Bus to Cafayate picking it up near the airport so you don’t have to detour to the city.
Thanks @Meta
Thanks @JDB I locked it in with Avis. Bus wouldn’t work as I want to stop at some of the hiking and view points along the road to Cafayate. Hertz are on my shit list for a multitude of reasons so no chance I’d rent with them again
Yes, car is better for that. Once you get into the valley proper you will want to stop a lot! In addition to the classic stops at the Garganta del Diabolo and the Anfiteatro, there’s a hike about 24km before Cafayate called La Yesera (you will find on Google maps) – it’s circular although the last bit is on the road so many do it with two cars or the people at the little shop (Tienda de La Yesera on the map) often drop people back. It’s a little difficult to find because the wind erases the tracks in the sand, but worth trying.
Further towards Cafayate, after Las Ventanas (the ‘windows’ in the rocks) there’s a right turning and you will probably see a white wooden cross you can climb up to. It’s usually incredibly windy up there but amazing views of the valley you have just been in and the next one.
From Cafayate town, there’s a a fairly difficult (at least if you go all the way) hike to the waterfalls – you are obliged to take a private guide, but they are supplied by the municipality and very cheap. In that same direction there is a winery called Finca de las Nubes. It’s much more ‘real’ and less touristy than others and has very good simple inexpensive food served on a terrace or garden with lovely views as it has a bit of elevation vs the town (already at 1650m). Opening days seem a bit erratic, so worth checking in advance.
Thanks @davefl enjoy your trip. I’ll be checking in on your exploits now and again.
Second instalment:
Flying on Copa from GYE to PTY was uneventful. I should have paid up for their Business seat as it was a nice 2+2 armchair configuration but I suffered in the back however there was at least 3 inches more legroom than the Avianca flights. Copa seem way more professional in every aspect than Avianca and Latam – more on Latam later.
It goes without saying that Panama City isn’t the real Panama just as Manhattan bears no relationship to the variety that exists in New York state. Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn and I would recommend against choosing it. Nothing bad but just in the wrong place, nothing decent around in terms of restaurants and it’s a long way from anywhere. Breakfast also poor.
There’s not much to see apart from some ruins from the original city named Panama Viejo. The museum/visitor center is good, the big tower is impressive and that’s about it apart from being a quiet place to sit and contemplate the brutality of certain invading countries.
Half day trip to see the vitally important canal and watch the 3D Imax. The facts and figures are mindblowing, go look them up if you want to, but if you think the Panamanian government will allow US ships through for free and give up $2B a year revenue then you’re as crazy as the person demanding this is.
Copa again flying Panama to Cartagena. Everything once again was smooth. I like Copa, their IT works, staff are great, planes are clean (even seatbelts are folded neatly before passengers arrive.
Following @Gordon’s lengthy immigration experience at BOG I’d decided for hopefully a quick entry via CTG. No such luck, 90 mins in the queue. Thankfully no chance of stolen luggage from the belts as the airport staff had piled them neatly and checked your stub against the bag before you were allowed to leave the baggage area. I wish more airports with lengthy immigration queues such as JFK would do this.
Arrived at the Ermita which is a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property. I almost felt guilty checking in as I’d had my 1st ever best price guarantee success reducing the nightly rate by nearly 50% and also is as common to hotels across a number of South Americans countries there’s no VAT for foreigners. Room was lovely, balcony even better and the sea view I was “upgraded to” at check in was there as long as I stood on my toes, looked over the balcony wall and down the side of the hotel. Chocolate plate on the desk was a lovely surprise and appreciated. Free water bottle filling service at reception/in the bar gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Cartagena itself you can keep. It’s a party and cruise ship town, that was painted brightly after it became a Unesco world heritage site (according to my guide) so it’s all pretty noisy and fake for tourists. Marrakech without the snake charmers. I really hated the constant hassling by both taxis and illegal bike taxis. Never experienced anything like it on my travels, even in Cairo. I could just be sitting on a bench reading and 2-3 taxis a minute would pull up and blow their horns.
Half the places I tried to find on Google maps no longer existed (ice cream shops and more) and less said about the food the better. I have a hatred for mayonnaise – when I go to a delightful pub with great atmosphere, order a burger and there’s two differently named choices, one with mayo and other sauce, one without anything…. I order the latter and find both sides of the bun drowned in it, I’m done!
Goodbye Cartagena or so I thought!
Cartagena – Bogota, Latam flight in PE (domestic business), CTG was heaving on a Sunday afternoon, few seats to be found and the VIP lounge was rammed, so didn’t feel like wasting a dragon pass voucher to stand in the lounge with no booze.
Found a seat, waited until what should have been boarding time, then walked to the gate. As I got there Whatsapp pinged with a flight delayed for logistical reasons message. Turned out my plane had gone tech, further delays every hour on the screen then a gate change. Finally cancelled 3 hours after the scheduled departure. Latam sent no further updates after the 1st one which is pretty poor and Flightaware didn’t update either.
Latam auto rebooked me on a 9am flight the following day but I had no idea where to retrieve my checked bag from. Nobody in terminal spoke any English, so went out via the security entrance, was diverted back in by one staff member, then back out by another. Queued at the Latam check in desk to be told another desk was handling it. Crossed the terminal to that desk and was behind the entire plane load of people with no idea what was going on. After 90 mins one helpful lady told me someone was actually handing over bags so managed to get it back.
After 8 flights in 2 weeks on this trip and over 270 lifetime flights, my luck had to run out sometime. This was my first ever at the airport cancellation.
Whilst waiting I’d booked myself into the Hampton since it was reasonably cheap. I’ve no idea if Latam will pay out for this as I subsequently read on their website that they have to choose the hotel. I made a full claim with attached receipts, after 3 days I got a message asking for receipts and “bank statement” which I took to mean bank payment details. I submitted everything again and am waiting for a reply, it’s been 3 days each time so far.
Hampton Cartagena is in the new city, 17 storey block with the lobby on the 16th floor, welcome amenity was a bottle of water and some salty biscuits and the room can only be described as “modern travelodge” in fit and finish. Nothing like the Hamptons that I’m used to in the US. Breakfast surprisingly was better than the US with at least 4 hot choices plus lots of fruit. But the worst shower I think I’ve experienced in any hotel. Some water came out but didn’t appear to hit me wherever I stood. Was spoilt by the Ermita which had probably the best rain shower I’ve ever had.
I got bitten all over last night, not sure whether it was at the airport or the Hampton but I can highly recommend Moskinto patches over my usual standby of Afterbite. They really are excellent.
Re-ticketed Latam flight took off 15 mins late, 1/3rd full, and I’m the only person in a premium economy (2 rows of 3+3 with middle seat blocked). Their premium gastronomic offering is tea/coffee/juices, a packet of crisps and some chocolate biscuits. Asked for coffee con leche and got it black! Latam can’t even get coffee right.
Next stop Bogota and things don’t get much better.
Panama https://photos.app.goo.gl/7hbuJX2t4r6KF4Bc8
Cartagena https://photos.app.goo.gl/LBV5DtDfyuqUfQxu7Oh dear, chin up! I may be missing out, but I’ve no desire to visit the places you’ve just been to, so sounds like I haven’t missed anything! I’m slightly worried about your experiences with LATAM…. All our internal flights are with them and some in PE as they were actually cheaper than economy. So far had one flight change but it hasn’t made any difference.
Enjoy Bogotá , am enjoying the report…, but feel your pain !I had nothing but good experienced with them. They also have an English Whatsapp and phone number. They sorted me out twice very quickly (one was airport cancellation).
If you want to withdraw USD in Quito, look for Banco de Guyaquil. Charge is only $1.50. Max withdrawl is $300 per day per card.
I can highly recommend the ATM Fee Finder app for use in most countries. It’s been really accurate. Be aware that some ATMs may be inside shopping malls which don’t open until 10am or 12pm.Do you mean the ATM Fee Saver app? Sounds like a great idea, but just installed it and it doesn’t show any ATMs in my town, which doesn’t give me confidence in it.
Thanks
I had nothing but good experienced with them. They also have an English Whatsapp and phone number. They sorted me out twice very quickly (one was airport cancellation).
I did WA them and the reply was that we don’t accept WA messages from your country code!
If you want to withdraw USD in Quito, look for Banco de Guyaquil. Charge is only $1.50. Max withdrawl is $300 per day per card.
I can highly recommend the ATM Fee Finder app for use in most countries. It’s been really accurate. Be aware that some ATMs may be inside shopping malls which don’t open until 10am or 12pm.Do you mean the ATM Fee Saver app? Sounds like a great idea, but just installed it and it doesn’t show any ATMs in my town, which doesn’t give me confidence in it.
Thanks
Sorry yes that’s it. But it only works in certain countries and not all areas 🙁 Where it does work it’s excellent.
Thanks, will take a look next time I’m abroad.
If you want to withdraw USD in Quito, look for Banco de Guyaquil. Charge is only $1.50. Max withdrawl is $300 per day per card.
I can highly recommend the ATM Fee Finder app for use in most countries. It’s been really accurate. Be aware that some ATMs may be inside shopping malls which don’t open until 10am or 12pm.Do you mean the ATM Fee Saver app? Sounds like a great idea, but just installed it and it doesn’t show any ATMs in my town, which doesn’t give me confidence in it.
Thanks
Sorry yes that’s it. But it only works in certain countries and not all areas 🙁 Where it does work it’s excellent.
I use one of these for mosquito bite relief. Works pretty well.
Everything about Bogota felt right. Priority bag tag meant it was actually off first (unlike everywhere else on this trip where it was demoted to dead last seemingly by spite). Uber worked, the Sheraton was absolutely delightful. Having advised them on the app that I wouldn’t be checking in until around 11am because of the previous night’s cancellation I was absolutely amazed when the folio only showed 2 night’s stay rather than 3. That was a lovely gesture. Was also granted a 4pm checkout with my Platinum status.
A plate of macaroons in the room was followed by turn down service at 2.30pm with chocolates, further macaroons an hour later, then housekeeping with towels/water etc.
The lounge wasn’t as good as Quito but still very good, and on the second night the attendant vanished around 8pm as there were no more guests and conveniently left the bottle of wine by the counter.By the time I got to the hotel I’d started to come down with germs that I’d likely picked up in the many hours I spent at Cartagena airport. 1st a sore throat and then generally was wiped out for the next week.
Bogota itself had a great vibe, did a couple of walking tours. It’s one of the best cities in the world for street art but nothing more to say as it’s just a nice place to spend a few days. No clue why anyone would pay £500/night for the Marriott when the Sheraton for £100/night on the same block is perfectly acceptable. They both have an excellent free shuttle to the airport. Only drag is that they’re a 25 min Uber ride from downtown.
Back to Bogota airport for a 10.30pm flight to Asuncion. Thanks to the 4pm checkout I was reasonably refreshed but still feeling terrible. The Latam diamond lounge had enough wine to keep me going, and we boarded on time. Very weird pricing from Latam on this, approx £800 for an economy seat with checked bag, but only £620 for business with lounge access. The route is only flown 3 days a week, and 4 days before departure they emailed offering $280 if I would take a later flight. Well that was a big fat no, the next flight was in 2 days time and I was only going to be in Asuncion for 2 days.
After 5 hours of turbulence we arrived on schedule at ASU. My bag was dead last on the belt with its priority tag flapping merrily. So by the time I got to the hotel (Hilton Tribute) is was nearly 7am and I had a walking tour booked for 8.30am. Temperatures during my stay were approaching 40C with a UV index of 12. I didn’t know there was a 12 but I subsequently had a day where it was 13.
Asuncion’s old town has been neglected for 50 years. I have no idea what the gleaming new town is like but they really need to resurrect the old glory as in its day it must have been magnificent. I spent most of the 2 days in bed, only venturing out for the walking tour and a visit to the chair museum (where I was refused entry by the lady that answered the door) and the worst botanical gardens I’ve ever seen. Since it was valentines day. All restaurants were pre-book only, and I ended up at burger king. Music from street bars and motorbikes revving until 4am didn’t improve my mood.
The Palmaroga Tapestry looks great but isn’t. They were completely uncontactable prior to my stay. When I checked in at 7am having paid in advance for 3 nights all was well. The next day my stay showed 2 nights on the app. I asked for it to be fixed at reception, at checkout and subsequently by email and they agreed each time but nothing has been done so I’ve so far been screwed out of 8000 points and a qualifying night. I will complain to Hilton but I need to wait 14 days.
Next morning it’s off to Salta on Paranair. This is a new route for the airline, just twice a week and I’m on the second rotation since it began 2 days prior. Everything as slick as could be expected and then it’s an easy if time consuming car pickup at the Avis desk at Salta airport. The agent was lovely but despite Preferred status every form and piece of info had to be filled in and photocopied. Then we went out to inspect the car. He took his own photos, marked all the damage on the form, gave me a copy and then we had to go back inside for him to process payment and deposit seperately.
Time for my first time driving in Argentina – Roads were a little crowded and confusing getting out to Route 68 to Cafayate but thanks to Google Maps all was fine. Stopped at the various viewpoints such as Garganta del Diablo and El Anfiteatro. I’d planned a quick hike in one of the canyons but I could see all around that storms were closing in, forked lightning in the distance and it was getting towards 6pm so I dashed for Cafayate as my hotel reception closed at 8pm
Never experienced anything like the rain when I arrived in Cafayate. I didn’t realise there was a car park around the rear and the ramp in front of the hotel was full of cars so I parked across the street. Huge mistake. I waited for a gap in the rain, jumped out of the car, grabbed my rucksack and tried to cross the road but the water was halfway up the wheels of the car. I went down the street, managed to cross one part, but then became trapped on a corner, watching the water nearly come up to the sills of the car.
The person who’s house I was sheltering under the eves invited me in but I declined and ultimately ended up taking my shoes and socks off, rolling up my jeans and wading shin deep through the raging waters across the corner to the hotel where I dripped all over their reception.What a welcome to Cafayate. Waters subsided after about 2.5 hours, and I made it into town for my 1st decent Argentinian steak of the trip.
Next morning, I set out on the renowned unpaved route 40 heading north to Molinos. Well, stupid me didn’t realise how inappropriate my little Toyota was for what was now a series of river crossings, and roads which had turned to stretches of mud. (some of it shown in the pics). Took around 4 hours, crossing 8 rivers, and very nearly did both a Clarkson and a Hammond in various places (Top Gear reference for those that haven’t watched their antics)
I tried to get to Colome winery via the road from Molinos but as I turned on to the road was met by a farmer driving a tractor pulling a police pickup truck, carrying a dozen locals in the back who I assume were trying to get to town to do their shopping. The only way across the raging river was to be pulled by said tractor in a high wheelbase vehicle, so I quit whilst I was ahead.
Haicenda Molinos turned out to be an absolute gem of a hotel. Dating back to the 1700s with authentic blacksmith made ironwork for door catches, hinges etc. It turned out that not only was I their only patron in the restaurant that night but I was their only guest in a 20+ room hotel. Breakfast was set for one, and I think they were very disappointed when I just wanted a croissant and coffee. Every hotel wants to make eggs for my breakfast
I realised the night before that the rain had taken out two bridges between Molinos and Cachi, I had less than half a tank of petrol and there was only one alternative route to Cachi and one gas station en-route (a road that was worse than the previous day on Route 40) Made it to the petrol station after 2 hours, and FFS, no credit cards, only Pesos accepted, so on I go for another hour to finally get to the only petrol station in Cachi. Thankfully they took cards. The queue for the pumps was so funny, an ambulance, tractor, motor bikes, and a garbage truck, plus knackered cars and pickups.
The long and slow (speed limits) road through Parque Nacional Los Cardones on Route 33 is absolutely spectacular and if I only had one day I’d skip route 68 to Cafayate and just do that. Llamas running, jumping over fences and across the road as I was driving was a bonus. I didn’t realise they’re as mobile and agile as deer.
Salta – Well if just goes downhill. The apartment I’d rented via Vrbo was absolutely disgustingly dirty, The pics on the listing must have been at least 10 years old. The cleaner hadn’t even removed the leftover food from the fridge from the previous occupant. Anyway I was exhausted so went to bed. During the night I rolled over and felt something hard in the bed. After pushing at this “thing” it dropped to the floor and it was a knife!!! As in “knife and fork, cutlery”, that had been placed underneath the base sheet. I can only assume it was the previous occupant as an indicator that the bedding hadn’t been changed. Next morning I woke to more biblical rain, roads flooded (see pics) and I just wrote off the only day I had in Salta until evening when I managed to get on a 6pm walking tour which I can highly recommend. Met a young Russian guy who wanted to share a table for dinner and had the most unbelievable portion of Skirt steak that I’ve ever seen or tasted (it was approximately 2 feet long and 4 inches wide), and some really good chat, excellent service and wine. 5 free refills on some lemony champagne cream thing that the waiter insisted on bringing us.
Next morning it’s an Uber to the bus station at 5.30am for s a 12 hour bus ride from Salta, across to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. I was prepared for a long journey, but I wasn’t prepared for 12 hours where the only stop was 2 mins for a driver changeover at the halfway mark and then an hour and a quarter at the most chaotic immigration/customs post I’ve ever experienced.
However it did mean that I didn’t need a 12 hour day trip to Salinas Grandes and I saw plenty of amazing scenery from the front of the top deck. At one point the bus hits 4170m/13700ft in elevation which is approx 770m higher than Cusco in Peru, so was a little breathless until we started to go downhill.Quick footnote on trying to get Argentinian Pesos – I’d had a nightmare trying to get $100 USD bills in Panama. The ATMs in Ecuador and Panama only dispensed $20. So I had $500 in 20s that I needed to swap. The hotel couldn’t and recommended one bank in Panama, they refused, recommend ed a different one, 1st teller said no, made me go to a different one, who finally agreed.
Then when I finally got to Argentina I headed 1st to Cafataye, then Molinos, and it wasn’t until the final evening in Salta that I managed to find one of the cambio guys to finally swap my bills at the blue rate. I had the misfortune to have to use the ATM at Salta airport and one near Salta in a small town (because I needed to get the car valeted before I took it back to Avis), both absolutely fleeced me in charges with the max withdrawal being the equivalent of £18 and the Atm fee a massive £8.Paraguay https://photos.app.goo.gl/7KZgGfVSggWHEovCA
Salta Province https://photos.app.goo.gl/jyNFkVt6kNiamYf99Next up, Chile.
I think this has been debated on HfP before, but “macaroons” or “macarons”? I firmly believe these are two completely different sweet treats, and I suspect the hotel gave you the latter?
I think this has been debated on HfP before, but “macaroons” or “macarons”? I firmly believe these are two completely different sweet treats, and I suspect the hotel gave you the latter?
How can there be a debate? They are different things. Both delicious but visually difficult to confuse despite similar names.
@davefl loving this series. Race Across the World introduced us to what we were missing and you are reinforcing that. We spent a month in Central America a couple of years ago and hit the big beasts of Chile and Peru last year. We are very much looking forward to a more relaxing approach to the continent over what I hope is a long and happy retirement.
Thanks @davefl quite an adventure. Hopefully your luck picks up in Chile.
Only once been at a hotel where we were the only guests. It was in Tanzania and quite surreal as the staff were still great but we felt self conscious at dinner as they were always waiting for us to finish each course.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
