09.17.21
To borrow the title from a wonderful song in the play “Hamilton,” my 6 weeks in South America were truly “Unimaginable.”
When I left the US in February 2019, I had a mental list of where I wanted to travel in the world. Latin America, which includes Mexico, South, and Central America, were lower on my bucket list, but sometimes perceptions change hard, and my perceptions of South America have made a dent.
Being stuck in Mexico for 15 months due to Covid made me anxious to get back on the road, and since I had business events in the United States over the summer months, it made sense for me to stay relatively close. June 28 was my last day in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, and since I had heard so much about the city of Oaxaca, that is where I went for about 3 weeks. Like many times before, I used Oaxaca as a home base while I went to the cities of Mazunte and Zipolite, which I loved. They were very mellow beach towns and even though the water there was rough and it was an 8 hour bus ride away, it was absolutely gorgeous.
A few weeks later I found myself landing in Quito, Ecuador, my first footsteps in South America, and the first south of the equator. I had a vision in my mind of the Andes mountains and the west coast of the new continent was really the only place I wanted to go. High elevations never stopped me, and I had a vision of the mountains, the clouds, and standing at the center of the world, divided between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. I was able to enjoy them all.
I was very, very lucky that I stayed with a gentleman in Quito who turned out to be a very good friend. Edison and I hit it off from the very beginning, and though he was half my age, I considered him both a brother and a son at the same time. And we shared many philosophical and relationship conversations along with our love of motorcycles. I was able to rent a motorcycle for 3 days and he and I hit the road that he knew very well and enjoyed some of the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen in my life. Even with the higher elevations and the colder temperatures, I had a grin on my face the entire time.
The only other town in Ecuador that I wanted to visit was Cuenca, which I had heard much about. The 8-hour bus ride through some of the most amazing roads I’ve ever seen was worth the inconvenience and the time, and I found Cuenca to be a charming little town. I connected with many fellow expats, picked their brains, and compared notes about why they settled there, and we all shared our experiences along the way. I did several awesome hikes to elevations I had never hit before, and overall, it was a beautiful time.
I later returned to Quito for a few days and then on to Lima, Peru, where I connected with my love, Kathleen. She and I took a two-month hiatus while she spent time with her son and grandchildren, and I executed the urge to travel by myself. As an only child and a very comfortable solo traveler, I needed to go through that experience myself, which was challenging in its own way on our relationship, but overall made us stronger than ever.
She, like many, were drawn to Machu Picchu, and though it was on my list, it was not a must do visit. Truthfully, I like things easy, and getting to Machu Picchu is anything but! It is way out of the way, and from Lima you must get to Cusco, then on Machu Picchu. Long story short, and you can check out my prior blogs, we did just that and Machu Picchu was pretty awesome, though not the spiritual aha moment that I was anticipating or looking forward to.
After our visit there, we stayed at the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed at before, the Vertical Lodge, and we enjoyed the brilliant starlight with a 180° night view through clear glass. Through the generous contribution of friends, she and I were able to stay at a place that would normally be beyond our budgets, but unless we ask, we never receive, right?
When we finished that leg, it was just a matter of tying up loose ends and getting back to Cusco, then Lima. Overall my 43 days in South America, which ironically hits the 6 week goal that I started with when I left United states, made me interested and more likely to return. I developed some friendships in Ecuador, and will almost assuredly go back, plus many people told me about Medellin, Colombia, and certain places in Argentina that are worth visiting. Now if we can only get past this Covid stuff …
For those of you that followed my journey in South America and Mexico, thank you so much! Nothing pleases me more than when I hear people say that they are inspired to follow our footsteps, and I want you to know that I am here to help guide you if you wish. I have had several calls both seeking information and giving information, and if you have either to share, please let me know. Godspeed.
Seven things I learned about South America:
1) There is beauty there unlike anything I have experienced before. Mountains that rise up to the heavens, starting from valleys that are lush and green. As a lover of volcanoes, I was able to exercise that love, too.
2) Even though I only experienced a little bit, there is more variety of wildlife and insect life down there than anywhere in the world. Just the country of Ecuador has more species than many continents.
3) The cost of living and the price of food are insanely inexpensive. Same thing with taxi rides and most attractions.
4) Distances don’t mean anything; it’s time that matters. It can take you 8 to 10 hours to go just a few hundred miles! That shocked me when I first ran into it, but it became a way of life, and came to realize that buses are pretty much what moves most of the population.
5) The time of year is not always an indicator of temperature, either. It can be the equivalent of summer in the city of Quito, but within a 90-minute drive you go over a mountain and its winter. The two countries I visited are both active seismically, so elevations can be extreme and altitude sickness is something to always be mindful of.
6) English is usually adequate to feel comfortable in South America, especially in the larger cities. Once you leave those, it’s hit or miss.
7) Some things are backwards down there! Aside from the fact that water flows down the toilet counterclockwise, sometimes hot and cold-water handles are reversed in the shower, too. All my life, which has been exclusively in the northern hemisphere, hot was always on the left. You cannot count on that down there!
MISC: Traveling in South America (currently) can be challenging. As an example, to enter Paraguay, US citizens arriving by air may obtain a visa on arrival which is good for ten years. The fee is $160 USD, credit cards are not accepted, and border agents only accept crisp, new bills that are free of any ink marks, blots, or tears. If paying with $100 denomination bills, series CB and D are not accepted. (That is all verbatim from their guidelines)
Let’s hope the world, and South America, return to easier traveling soon.
