Over the course of our journey, we came to know many places: some we loved, some we hated, some we felt like we could return to and settle our lives, and some places we were scared for our lives. Our experience was unique though- different travelers, at a different time, on a different trip could have drastically different impressions of these places than we did. But, impressions are all that you are left with of a place after visiting, so the following is a list, in no particular order, of the towns and places we liked the most and those that we cared for the least. Along those same lines, we sat down and brainstormed a list of other likes and dislikes of our trip- from gear that we thought was invaluable, to gear that we never used, to experiences we were glad we did, to experiences we regret missing. In short, the following is a list of la crème de la crème of our trip (as the French would say) and the crème that was not so creamy (as I would say).
Our favorite towns:
Morelia, Mexico – Charming colonial town with a towering cathedral in the middle of a huge central plaza. It seemed like no one ever had to work there- at all times of day the benches of the plaza were crowded with people relaxing and hanging out.
Mexico DF, Mexico – The big scary city turned out to be just the opposite. It’s a beautiful, vibrant and energetic city, with culture and history galore. This might not apply to the sprawling slums that surround the metropolis, but the city center was inviting as they come.
Antigua, Guatemala – A bit touristy, but rightly so. Cobbled streets and colonial ruins with the menacing shadow of a giant volcano as a backdrop. Antigua’s charm made up for the squalor and disrepair found in most of the other cities in Guatemala.
Montezuma, Costa Rica – Laid back small beach town. It is a bit inconvenient to get to, but that keeps the crowds away. The scenery is post card perfect, and the deserted beaches are a shell collector’s paradise.
Cartagena, Columbia – Our two week layover waiting for the truck couldn’t have happened in a better place. The old town, surrounded by its limestone fortifications, is a photographer’s dream. The far less touristy neighborhood of Gethsemani where the locals live is genuine and real. Add to that the best pizza in South America, and you can’t go wrong.
Baños, Ecuador – A relaxing, laidback village, with hot spring pools and waterfalls. Just the perfect amount of calm and safety after battling through the dirty, crowded, crime ridden streets of Quito.
Cuenca, Ecuador – A gem in southern Ecuador, overlooked by most tourists, with a colonial charm reminiscent of Morelia, Mexico. A valuable stop for any overlander needing vehicle repair- parts and labor were the cheapest we found in South America.
Cusco, Peru – Definitely a tourist hotspot, but well worth the crowds. A great place to feel lost in history- the Spanish incorporated, rather than destroyed, the Inca buildings, giving the long cobbled alleys a unique feeling of pre-colonialism that you can’t find anywhere else. Just be prepared to climb some stairs!
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – An oasis in the desert. Dusty streets and hot summer days are counterbalanced with artisan shops, boutique hotels, and air conditioned restaurants! The best, and only, town to stop at in the Atacama Desert.
Santiago, Chile – listen to the song “Like Castanets” by the band Bishop Allen… A home away from home for one of us.
Val Paraiso, Chile – The perfect ocean side retreat. Steep winding roads make it a little tricky to get around, but give the city a unique charm. There are no actual beaches in the city per say, but some amazing ones are just a short bus ride away in Viña del Mar
Mendoza, Argentina – Did anyone say “wine”? The BEST place in Argentina (or Chile for that matter) for a delicious glass of malbec after a relaxed bike tour, down long shaded lanes, from vineyard to vineyard.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – The Paris of South America. Our favorite city, in our favorite country.
San Antonia de Areco, Argentina – The home of the gauchos was refreshing in its simplicity, and slow pace of life.
Villa la Angostura, Argentina – A chill mountain town like you would find back home in Colorado. Less crowded and more charming than Bariloche on the other end of the lake.
Ushuaia, Argentina – Not just the end of the road. Ushuaia was stunning in its scenery- the town perched between the towering mountains and the shore of the Beagle Chanel. The feeling of being on the edge of the inhabited world was palpable.
Towns we did not love:
Unfortunately, a lot of the following cities shared the same unfriendly qualities- an ever present sense of crime, pollution, poverty, and a malevolent air that unconsciously made us want to move on. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the majority of capital cities are on this list.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – A sad example of what too many rich American tourists with a week vacation and a disdain for the local population and culture, can turn a place into. The bay is beautiful for sure, but as a money conscious traveler, probably only worth stopping to see one time.
Belize City, Belize – Not the capital anymore, but is still holding on strong to its dicey character.
Guatemala City, Guatemala – When even a small ice-cream shop needs to be protected by a guy with a shotgun, you know your city has a problem with crime.
Managua, Nicaragua
San Jose, Costa Rica – On top of the description stated above, consider the fact that a quarter of the travelers flying in to San Jose every year, that is over a million sleazy dudes, come to take advantage of the sex trade. The streets were crawling with prostitutes.
Colon, Panama – A snakes den of thieves and thugs.
Quito, Ecuador
La Paz, Bolivia
Uyuni, Bolivia – The jumping off point to enter the Salar, but that is about all it is good for.
Bahia Blanca, Argentina – Nothing but a rundown oil town. Buy some gas and get back on the road.
Punta Arenas, Chile
Best experiences:
Scuba diving certification in Caye Caulker, Belize
Candlelit caving and swimming the pools of Semuc Champey, Guatemala
Hiking Volcán Picaya at sunset from Antigua, Guatemala
Surfing the brake off El Tunco, El Salvador
Zipline adventure in Monte Verde, Costa Rica
World Cup qualifying soccer match in San Jose, Costa Rica
Paragliding (for cheap!) in San Gil, Colombia
Camping at 16000ft on top of Volcán Chimborazo in Ecuador
Sand buggy tour through the giant sand dunes of Huacachina, Peru
Hiking the ruins of Machupicchu, Peru
Crossing the blindingly white salt flats of the Salar de Uyuni , Bolivia
Bike tour through the vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina
Iguacu Falls on the boarder of Brazil/Argentina
Hiking Mt. Fitzroy, Argentina
Sailing tour of the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia, Argentina
5 day cruise through Chilean fjords on the Navimag ferry
Things we missed/wished we could have done/seen/visited:
Sail between Panama and Columbia through the San Blas Islands
The Amazon jungle
The Galapagos Islands
Swallow Cave, Mexico
Hike the W-Trail through Torres del Paine, Chile
Hike Volcán Barú in Panama, where you can view the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico at the same time on a clear day.
Volunteer at an archeological dig in Peru (or anywhere)
Victoria Falls, Venezuela
Fossil hunting at more places (need to investigate locations before departure)
Paraguay
Luchador wrestling match, Mexico City
Roatan Island, Honduras
Volunteer as a line handler for a yacht transiting the Panama Canal
Tour of Chuquicamata copper mine (world’s 2nd largest open pit mine) in Calama, Chile
Skiing the Andes, Argentina or Chile
Cruise to Antarctica from Ushuaia, Argentina
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Night tour of Iguacu Falls (only done once a month)
Dive the Blue Hole, Belize
Our favorite camping spots:
Top of Volcán Chimborazo, Ecuador
Puerto Oscuro Camping (2 miles south of Puerto Oscuro village), Chile
Bahia Concepcion, Baja Mexico
Wide open dessert west of Gaimen, Argentina
Lago Futalafuquen, Argentina
Isla Pescada, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Middle of Bolivian desert, 70 miles south of the Salar, Bolivia
Favorite foods:
Gaspacho – spicy fruit cocktail – Morelia, Mexico
Molletes – refried beans on bread with melted cheese on top – Mexico
Steak – delicious and cheap – Argentina
Arepas – stuffed, fried, cornmeal pockets – Columbia
Patecones – smashed, fired and salted plantains – Columbia
Fernet and cola – herbal liquor with Pepsi over ice – Argentina
Picadas – platter of assorted cheeses, meats, olives and bread – Argentina
Choripan – sausage sandwich – Argentina
Chorianas – pile of french-fries with steak, fried egg, and onions on top – Chile
¼ Chicken meal with beans and rice – Peru and Columbia
Liter sized beer – anywhere they have it!
Wine (especially malbec)- delicious and cheap – Chile and Argentina
Empanadas al horno – oven baked pockets of cheese and meat – everywhere, but Buenos Aires had the best.
Carne al Pastor – juicy, seasoned meat slowly cooked on a spit – Mexico
Ceviche – raw tuna with cilantro and lime – Central America
Cazuela – brothy soup or stew with a big piece of meat, potato and a whole corn cob – Chile
Maiz- grilled corn on the cob with chili powder and lime juice – Mexico
Alfajores – chocolate coated cookie sandwich – Argentina
Gorditas – spicy beans and cheese inside a grilled tortilla pocket – Taxco, Mexico
Asado – sausage, chicken and steak on the grill – Chile
Provoleta – huge chunk of melted cheese in a bowl with bread for dipping – Argentina
Pastel de Choclo – sweet corn based casserole dish – Chile
Pebre – a non spicy pico de gallo type salsa eaten on slices of bread – Chile
Pasole – hearty soup made with hominy – Mexico
Blended Mojito – just like a regular mojito, but with extra mint and ice, put through the blender to make a delicious minty slushy – Guatemala
Capresse Tomato (not the actual name) – a huge beefeater tomato cut into thick slices, but not all the way through so that they stay together but fan out a bit, then all the slices are stuffed with minced garlic, fresh basil, plenty of mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and then the whole thing is baked/broiled in the oven till melty and delicious -Brazil
Açai – dark purple sorbet made from frozen açai berries, topped with fresh bananas, granola, and honey – Brazil
X-Burger Completo – pronounced “chee-burger”, a hamburger topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, a fried egg, slice of ham, corn, and shoestring french fries – Brazil
Fijou – black bean soup – Brazil
Pasti de chocolate y banana – small deep fried pocket of fresh bananas and Nutela – Brazil
Capivodka Maracuja – muddled passion fruit with sugar, ice, and vodka – Brazil
Things we brought that were GREAT:
Full tool box – nothing beats having the right tool when you are broken down in the middle of the Chilean desert.
Parabolic side mirrors – small mirrors that glue on to your normal side mirrors, but that offer a much greater field of vision- particularly helpful when driving through the craziness that is most South American capitals.
Engel refrigerator – small 12v refrigerator that runs off the auxiliary battery- great for keeping meat and cheese fresh wile camping and for cold drinks after a long day of driving.
Bug spray – 100% DEET jungle juice from REI. We usually poured some of this into an OFF 25% DEET spray bottle to cut it a bit and get a percentage somewhere in between.
Hand held GPS – even though the Garmin maps for Central/South America were not very detailed, it was still a huge help.
Paper maps for each country/region – better for planning routs, and for comparison to GPS map.
Guide books for Central/South America (2 of each) – getting one for each and every country is a bit too much, but having two for each region let us compare what they said and let us decide what was most relevant. (Rough Guide and Lonely Planet were our favorites. Frommers and Foot Print weren’t so great)
SPOT Messenger tracking beacon – let family and friends see exactly where we were when we pushed the button. Great way to keep people informed and interested in the trip.
Plenty of tampons – these are hard to come by south of the boarder.
REI quick drying camp towels – good for camping and hostels.
Electric tea kettle – perfect for boiling water for tea, soup, and to make pasta in- just make sure that you get one with the correct power requirements- we wanted to use it in our truck, while camping, but our inverter wasn’t large enough for the tea kettle we bought, so we ended up only being able to use in hostels. Get one that works in your car!
GSI Non-stick cook set (now made by REI) – simple and easy to clean with just a paper towel- no soap, no water, no scrubbing, no rinsing, no drying- now that’s my kind of cleaning!
Multiple debit cards (that link to multiple accounts) – incase one gets stolen or lost, and in case you need to withdraw more money in one day than your card’s daily limit.
2 mini laptops (1 primary, 1 backup) – how else can you write a blog on the road??
Extra external hard drives – always backup your photos!
Gas can – Gas stations are few and far between in some areas. We also had a rule that we would fill up the truck when the tank reached half full, just to be safe.
Travel alarm clock – when we needed to catch a ferry or flight, we didn’t want to chance it.
Local US phone number through Skype – made it really easy for family to call us from home. They could leave a message that we would get later when we logged into skype, or we could have the call forwarded to our world cell phone and answer it just like normal (we didn’t do this too often because we rarely set up our world phone in every country we went through).
Lock box- we bolted a large metal tool box to the floor of the truck behind the passenger seat to put all of our important papers and technology. Wouldn’t stop someone who stole the truck, but would definitely help if someone just smashed the window and tried to quickly grab anything they could.
Big LED MAGlight – used 3 D-cell batteries, was bright as hell, and lasted the whole trip.
Colman Dual Fuel Lantern – can run off of gasoline or white gas, and since white gas is rarer than gold in South America, it was perfect. Make sure to bring plenty of extra filament sacks/bulb things.
Extra batteries – 2A, 3A and D sizes. They are hard to find, and expensive.
Plenty of sunscreen – also hard to find and expensive.
Machete – never had to use it, but gave us a great sense of protection. Short of wielding a gun, I think this is the best deterrent you could pull out of your sleeve if the banditos come a knocking on your tent in the middle of the night.
Tons of Ziplocks – all sizes.
Podcasts – download as many as you can before you leave – This American Life, Radiolab, How Stuff Works… they can really take the boredom out of a long day of driving. (we wish we had brought more).
Ropes and straps- small and large sizes, bungies, zip ties, ratchet straps.
Small shovel – can use it to dig yourself out if you get stuck, or, much more often, use it to dig a poop hole.
DSLR Camera- if you are spending all the time and money on such a great adventure, you might as well take a nice camera, and get some nice quality photos. It kills me when I see some shmuck standing in front of some incredible vista, say on the over look of Iguacu Falls, and he pulls out his cell phone to take a photo! In 60 years when your brain is fading, and all your souvenirs are lost, photos will be the only thing you have left of your trip, and they will be the best way to bring back all those amazing memories.
Waterproof camera- Some of our most fun times were spent in the water- great to get photos of them!
Little hatchet- good for chopping small wood for campfires.
Tire plugs and 12v air pump- we got quite a few flat tires- using the tire plugs and pump let us get back on the road quickly and easily without having to break out the jack or put on the spare tire. One thing to remember is to try and find the puncture quickly, and get it plugged before you lose too much air, else the weight of the truck on the flat tire can cause the bead to break, and then your pump will be useless because all the new air will escape out of the gap between the tire and the rim. Sometimes, if I was having trouble finding or fixing the puncture, I would put the jack under the axel before the tire deflated too much to preempt this situation.
Spanish dictionary- always handy south of the boarder.
Clear Tupperwear storage containers- rugged and durable, and you can see the contents inside and on the bottom to limit digging around needlessly.
Comfortable camp chairs- you will use these almost every day, so it doesn’t hurt to put down a little more for the nice ones.
Small foldable camp table- a lot of people use their tailgate as their table, as did we, but it is really convenient to have an extra flat space to prep or eat food, play a card game, or set down your cocktail while watching the sunset.
Walkie Talkies- If you are ever considering leaving your travelling partner for even a few minutes, which you will have to quite often, a reliable way to communicate will save a lot of headaches, will provide a sense of safety, and might even be a life saver if something were to go horribly wrong. Get the most powerful and longest range ones you can afford, the advertised broadcast ranges are usually grossly overestimated.
Document binder with 20 copies of each important document– this is a real headache saver at all border crossings, where inefficient and even absurd procedures require multiple copies of every document, most of the time necessitating you to leave whatever government office you are in and go sometimes blocks away to find the only copy machine in the area. Mind you, will still have to do this for many of the forms that the immigration or police officials give you, but your life will be a lot easier, trust us. I might even consider bringing a mini portable scanner/printer so you never have to go looking for a copier, but this would be a definite luxury item.
Warm cloths- You would be amazed at how cold the warmest sounding places can get- the coastal mountains of Costa Rica in the summer time: freezing.
Things we brought that we didn’t need/use (wouldn’t bring next time):
Surfboards- we only used our boards a handful of times, but that’s not to say that most other travelers didn’t use theirs every chance they got. We aren’t surfers, and though I still love the idea, and would love to learn, on this trip we should have just rented boards when and where we felt like it. If we ended up loving it, we could have easily bought boards on the way- in the end, our boards just turned out to be expensive and inconveniently bulky hood ornaments. Maybe next time…
Hair blow dryer- Kacey didn’t use her blow dryer once, not once, the entire trip. It didn’t help that our power inverter wasn’t powerful enough to run it.
Guitar- Another one of those idealic hobbies that I have drug around with me everywhere since college. I had grand ideas of relaxing on every beach at sunset playing a few original tunes, but the reality is we were always busy doing other things. Again, maybe next time…
Board games- specifically Scrable, we just usually spent our free time doing other things.
Knitting supplies– another hobby relegated to the back shelf. But Kacey still wants to learn…
Painting supplies– Can you see a trend here? All our hobbies just didn’t have time to flourish. I think the main lesson here is that we were traveling too quickly (for a variety of good reasons though), and we need to learn to slow down and enjoy our down time more on the next trip.
Excessive amounts of extra engine oil– What was I thinking? Every car in South America needs oil just as much as our truck, why did I think it would be so scarce? I would bring enough for one change just incase of emergency, but don’t go nuts, you’ll definitely be able to find more along the road.
Big beach blanket- we thought we might spend a lot of time lazing on the beach, but any time we went to the beach, we usually just brought a light sarong to sit on- way easier to pack, carry, and dry.
World GSM cell phone– Unless you are spending a few months in each country, or have a SIM card that works in all countries, this was really just a big hassle finding and buying new cards every week or two. On top of that, we just used wifi from our hostel or a café to skype whoever we needed to call. That being said, now days they make smart phones that can connect to wifi hotspots pretty easily and use skype, so if your phone can do that than it might be worth bringing. We are going to try this on our next trip- New Zealand.
Waterproof bags (so many)- we brought more dry bags than you would normally take on a rafting trip- why? I don’t know. Maybe I thought the truck might find itself on a sinking ferry sometime? Who knows, but the truth is you only need a few small ones for things like your camera when you are out on a boat or canoe or something.
Excessive number of reading books– we both love to read, but there is only so much time in the day, and considering all those other hobbies listed above that we likewise didn’t have time for, you really only need a few books on your shelf. You can always trade them for new ones at hostels on the road. Additionally, there is now the Kindle (see below).
Dual fuel Colman camping stove (MSR wisperlight was better)- the idea is good, can run off white gas or gasoline like the lantern, but it just didn’t ever work very well for us- took forever to boil water, and was generally a pain in the ass. They make a newer version with a griddle and a burner that runs off those tiny propane bottles that I might consider, but then you have to find propane bottles…
Large bed sized bug net– this was also a good idea, but usually more of a hassle than it was worth- bugs inevitably found their way in, and figuring out a way to attach it to the usually concrete walls of most Central/South American buildings was frustrating to say the least. Just take your malaria meds if you are really that worried about it.
Tire inner tubes for river tubing– I thought this would be a great plan, but we only ended up using them once (in Guatemala, where you could rent them anyways) and they took forever to inflate with our tiny air pump.
Soccer ball– These are always great fun, and I would probably still say to bring one, we just never used ours.
So many Nalgene bottles– I think we brought 8, for what reason I don’t know, maybe if we went on a really long hike? You really only need 1 each.
Things that we wish we had brought:
Mace shooters– A small plastic device with two charged canisters of mace and a grip/trigger similar to a two finger version of brass-knuckles. Our friends the Ramblewriters had these, and they seemed really convenient and safe- much better than a mace spray canister.
Leave in hair conditioner (instead of regular kind)- makes showering a lot easier.
Keen sandals or Chaco sandals– we spent a lot of time on rocky beaches and rivers- would have been nice not to have to worry about our flip flops flopping off.
12v electric fan- would have been a godsend on those hot humid nights in the jungles.
More underwear-the only piece of clothing you really need to change regularly. You can never have enough.
A big container of garlic powder– we went through this like water, and it is damn expensive south of the boarder.
Amazon Kindle– As much as we love paper books, the Kindle really is ideal for traveling. You can have thousands of books in something smaller than a notebook, and the batteries last forever. It took me awhile to be sold on their merits, but now I am a true believer, at least for traveling purposes.
Things we are glad we didn’t bring:
Guns- In our opinion, you are just asking for trouble (and a hefty jail time) at every border crossing if you try sneaking through a gun. If you declare it, I doubt they’ll let you through and you still might end up in jail. Most any circumstance where you would possibly need one can be avoided (especially if you don’t have a false sense of security that the gun would give you) and if you ever did pull it on someone, they probably have one too, which will almost certainly end up poorly for you. Better to just play it safe and avoid sketchy situations.
Drugs- You would have to be a complete moron to carry drugs with you in your car in Central or South America- I can just imagine how stressed out you would be at all the police checkpoints and border crossing- again, think lifelong jail sentence. If you really need it, you can find them locally.
Dogs- Our friends brought a dog for safety, which I think it gave them, and they were extremely happy with. But we are glad we didn’t bring one purely from a logistical standpoint. You would have to feed it, take it to the bathroom, you couldn’t leave it alone for more than a few hours at a time, and there are tons of tourist sites and hotels that don’t allow them, not to mention the paperwork and quarantine restrictions for every country. I would say that if you want your household companion to come along, bring your cat.
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