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Round the World Travel Guide

Where’s Dave? A Travel Update

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My last salsa class in Medellin
My last salsa class in Medellin. (photo: Troy Floyd)

Once again, my 6 months in Medellin Colombia have come to an end, and I find myself looking ahead with a mix of excitement and trepidation. I'm learning those two emotions go hand-in-hand with travel, regardless of one's experience.

Exactly two years ago last month, I wrapped up my 20-month trip around the world. Since then, I've split my time between living in the United States and Colombia, with short trips to Rwanda and Japan.

Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium

On the morning of August 8th, I packed my belongings into a beat-up Gregory backpack, and flew to New York City to attend attend a family wedding (and a Yankees game).

I've learned the US is the best place in the world to buy electronics. I ditched my 15″ HP laptop, which is built like a tank and has served me well the last 2 1/2 years, for a lighter, sexier 13″ Apple Macbook Air.

I also bought a Blackberry Bold 9700 to replace my stolen smartphone. I fully expect this Blackberry will get stolen too, which is why I didn't buy the most recent model, let alone an iPhone 4.

Tonight, restocked on gadgets and refueled on authentic panang curry with chicken, I'm flying to Quito, Ecuador on Aero Galapagos. I scored the flight through Priceline for just $403.

Once I get my bearings in Quito, my first priority will be to book a 7-night cruise around the Galapagos Islands.

After the Galapagos, I'm going to play it all by ear. The goal is to reach Brazil by early 2012, just in time for Carnival celebrations in February.

There are lots of cool things I want to do as I make my way across South America, including:

  • Hike in the Amazon rainforest.
  • Hunt for anacondas and fish for piranha.
  • See Machu Picchu at dawn.
  • Drive across the Bolivian salt flats, taking silly photos.
  • Ride a mountain bike down Death Road (Bolivia).
  • Drink Chilean wine in Santiago.
  • Get a photo on Easter Island.
  • Shake hands with the penguins in Antarctica.
  • Trek in Patagonia and climb a mountain.
  • Dance the tango in Buenos Aires.
  • Find out what's going on in Paraguay.
  • Check out the beach scene in Uruguay.
  • Learn to samba in Brazil.
  • Drink caipirinhas on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.
  • Marry a Brazilian swimsuit model….kidding….or am I?

Is there somewhere you'd like to see me go, or some activity not to be missed between Ecuador and Brazil?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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Comments

  2. AWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;) 

    Happy travels,
    Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra

  3. AWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;) 

    Happy travels,
    Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra

  4. AWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;) 

    Happy travels,
    Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra

    ps – $403 to Ecuador!? DANG! And I thought I was good for scoring a $215 RT flight to Curacao from Miami!

  5. AWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;) 

    Happy travels,
    Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra

    ps – $403 to Ecuador!? DANG! And I thought I was good for scoring a $215 RT flight to Curacao from Miami!

  6. “I fully expect this Blackberry will
    get stolen too, which is why I didn’t buy the most recent model, let alone an
    iPhone 4.” 

    It’s good to have realistic expectations because
    if your Blackberry doesn’t get stolen you’re going to be quite content.
    However, don’t be paranoid man. What happened in Medellín was due to lack of
    common sense. While in South America, if you’re not in la zona rosa of every
    place you visit don’t flash your “super play celu” around; the tweeting and
    texting can wait until you are in a familiar/safer place.

    “Is there somewhere
    you’d like to see me go, or some activity not to be missed between Ecuador and
    Brazil?”

    Well, as you know
    Dave I am a wilderness outdoor extreme sport kind of guy so from my perspective
    I recommend in Ecuador:

    Ecuador is famous for
    its mountains so if you have the time and energy I recommend that you submit
    Cotopaxi. At 5,897m, it is the highest active volcano in the world and no
    previous mountaineering experience is required. As long as you’re well acclimated
    it isn’t a very technical climb. In 2005 the price with guide, food and rental
    gear was around $200-250 USD.

    Now, I don’t expect for you to submit Chimborazo but due to the spherical shape
    of the earth it is the highest point from the earth’s core. You need to be in
    good shape and have mountaineering experience to climb this mountain due to its
    technical routes. It’s still worth a visit to the towns surrounding Riobamba to
    catch a glimpse of this beautiful mountain.

    Mountaineering not
    your thing? Still take advantage of the natural beauty that Ecuador has to
    offer!

    Go
    hiking in the Parque Nacional Cajas near Cuenca. It is an eerie páramo landscape that is so remote and beautiful.
    It takes about two days to cross it by foot. Cuenca is my favorite city in
    Ecuador by the way.

    Laguna Quilotoa. I
    don’t remember the name of the closest town but man this lake is incredible. It’s
    worth it just for the ride there (the scenery is spectacular). Take a day or
    two to hike around the lake.

    For relaxing:
    Vilcabamba and Canoa. There’s no doubt in my mind that you will be surfing in
    Montañita but take a few hours to travel along the coast to Canoa. After a
    several hour scenic bus ride along the coast (beautiful by the way) Canoa is a
    very relaxing surfing village. Vilcabamba is a village relatively close to the
    Peruvian boarder and is usually one of the final stops for backpackers in
    Ecuador before they head down to Perú. It is a very relaxing town that I
    recommend you check out. I don’t have enough room to comment about Perú or Argentina. Best of luck to you man!

    • Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll look into Cotopaxi more since you say it’s not a technical climb. It’s way beyond my highest trek to date, 4,300 meters, so I’m sure it’d still be a challenge.

  7. Woohoo Macbook Air! Loving mine for travel purposes :) Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you–can’t wait to read about it! 

    • After my first 12 hours traveling with the MacAir, I love it even more. Such a huge difference over my old laptop. My shoulders are already thanking me!

    • Thanks Matt, I could only hear so much about the rest of S America from other backpackers before I had to start seeing it myself. :)

  11. That’s interesting that the US is the best place to buy electronics. I would have guessed somewhere in Asia. Will you be in South America through February or globe hopping? Come on over and check out Changes In Longitude. It’s still evolving with new posts being added. I just started my Links page and of course have a link to Go Backpacking.

    My wife loves her MacAir but I’m still PC. Yet we still manage to get along.

    Cheers!

    • Yea, I was surprised to, but during my trip around the world I kept an eye on prices for electronics in places like Hong Kong, Chengdu China, and Bangkok. You might be able to get more obscure gaming stuff in these places for less (stuff not available in the US) but it didn’t seem like you’d save much on big ticket items like laptops or cameras.

      Appreciate the link, I’m going to make sure I’ve got one back to you right now.

  14. Sounds like a pretty incredible few months ahead of you! In Ecuador, I’d also recommend taking some time for the Quilatoa loop. There are lots of tours that take you to the volcano in one day, but it’s interesting to stay in the area for a few days, hit a couple of weekly indigenous markets, trek to the volcano from Chugchilan (Cloud Hostel is good). One of the more beautiful areas of Ecuador we saw. 

    Congrats on the new MacBook. Once you go Mac, you never go back…

    • Thanks Audrey. I’m beyond happy with the new laptop. It’s just so much lighter and easier to move around and carry than my old one. And it didn’t even cost much to insure — $149 per year, and that covers the total value of everything I’m carrying too.

  17. Sounds amazing! We are planning our own two month trip through South America and can only hope we get to do half the things on that list.

  18. Sounds amazing! We are planning our own two month trip through South America and can only hope we get to do half the things on that list.

  19. Your life seems so full and interesting, I envy you! Of course I mean I envy you in the good way… :)

  20. This is my firs time to visit your site and i really find it very interesting.More post. Thanks for sharing your wonderful website.

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