Once again, my six 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.
On the morning of August 8th, I packed my belongings into a beat-up Gregory backpack and flew to New York City to 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 two and a half 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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WanderingTrader says
August 15, 2011 at 12:27 pmYour flight was one way wasn’t it?
Dave says
August 15, 2011 at 8:32 pmYep, one way
Maria Alexandra says
August 15, 2011 at 12:57 pmAWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;)
Happy travels,
Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra
Dave says
August 15, 2011 at 8:33 pmYou can meet me in Brazil for Carnival ;) I also might be back to the Tampa area for Xmas to visit my parents.
Maria Alexandra says
August 15, 2011 at 12:57 pmAWESOME action shot over there Dave!! Hope we can meet someday so I can test those salsa skills of yours ;)
Happy travels,
Maria (latinAbroad) Alexandra
Maria Alexandra says
August 15, 2011 at 12:57 pmAWESOME 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!
Maria Alexandra says
August 15, 2011 at 12:57 pmAWESOME 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!
Kevin Post says
August 15, 2011 at 7:54 pm“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!
Dave says
August 15, 2011 at 8:37 pmThanks 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.
Anonymous says
August 15, 2011 at 11:13 pmWoohoo Macbook Air! Loving mine for travel purposes :) Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you–can’t wait to read about it!
Dave says
August 16, 2011 at 3:21 pmAfter 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!
Matthew Karsten says
August 16, 2011 at 12:00 pmSounds like quite a list of adventures! Looking forward to your posts on the quest for a Brazilian swimsuit model bride. :)
Matthew Karsten says
August 16, 2011 at 12:00 pmSounds like quite a list of adventures! Looking forward to your posts on the quest for a Brazilian swimsuit model bride. :)
Dave says
August 16, 2011 at 3:21 pmThanks Matt, I could only hear so much about the rest of S America from other backpackers before I had to start seeing it myself. :)
Andi Perullo says
August 16, 2011 at 1:33 pmGO YANKEES! And your future itinerary sounds incredible!!!
Dave says
August 16, 2011 at 3:22 pmThanks Andi, can’t wait to see what the rest of S America holds for me.
Michael says
August 16, 2011 at 8:40 pmThat’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!
David Lee says
August 16, 2011 at 9:02 pmYea, 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.
Leslie (Downtown Traveler) says
August 17, 2011 at 3:05 amLooks like a fun itinerary! Very cool you plan to learn the local dances everywhere you go :)
Ryan says
August 17, 2011 at 3:32 amHmmm… Brazilian swimsuit model… Pave the way, padrinho! :)
Audrey says
August 17, 2011 at 9:37 amSounds 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…
Dave says
August 18, 2011 at 1:48 amThanks 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.
Nomadic Samuel says
August 19, 2011 at 4:56 amDave, best travel wishes in South America. My 6 month backpacking journey in 2010 was $%f*ing awesome!
Dave says
August 19, 2011 at 3:05 pmThanks Sam, looking forward to seeing and doing as much as I can!
Jaemin Yi says
August 19, 2011 at 7:20 amAwesome, awesome picture up top Dave. Looks like you’re killing it on the dance floor!
Dave says
August 19, 2011 at 3:06 pmThanks Jaemin, credit to Troy who took the photo in a way to capture the motion!
PostcardFromBK says
August 20, 2011 at 8:05 amSounds 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.
PostcardFromBK says
August 20, 2011 at 8:05 amSounds 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.
Dave says
August 21, 2011 at 1:10 amIt’s ambitious for me too. I’m sure I won’t get to it all. Where do you plan to go?
Dave says
August 21, 2011 at 1:10 amIt’s ambitious for me too. I’m sure I won’t get to it all. Where do you plan to go?
Kate House says
August 23, 2011 at 7:04 amYour life seems so full and interesting, I envy you! Of course I mean I envy you in the good way… :)
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bed and breakfast luray says
August 25, 2011 at 5:08 pmGreat experience you have had. United States is very
beautiful and has hot tourist spots. Virginia is also one of the beautiful
states of US.
Steven says
August 26, 2011 at 1:38 pmThat’s what I call a pro dance spin. It seems you’ve got it going on!
Dave says
August 28, 2011 at 8:42 pmI’ll be back to Colombia, probably for a few months next year :)
Michael says
August 28, 2011 at 9:17 pmSucks you’re not in Colombia while we’re there! Bad timing on us :/
Dave says
August 29, 2011 at 10:56 pmYea, would’ve been fun to hang out. I’m sure you’ll have a great time!