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JANUARY 2019: Click here to read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I flew from Bogota, Colombia to Mexico City and stayed a few nights. One day, I decided to make my own way to the famous Teotihuacan Pyramids … ABOUT THE PYRAMIDS: Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of modern-day Mexico City. At its zenith, about the same time as the Roman Empire, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the Americas with a population of 125,000 or more … making it at least the sixth largest city in the world during this period. The city […]

Mexico – Teotihuacan Pyramids – Day Trip ...

DECEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Peru is the Peruvian New SOL (I will refer to them as P$s). At the time of writing, US$1 = P$3.36. We (my sister Diane, my brother-in-law Jeff, and I) had completed our tour of Machu Picchu and The Sacred Valley. And, our tour of Lake Titicaca. We ended up in La Paz, Bolivia. It was, now, time to make our way back to Lima on Peru Hop … PERU HOP: We had already used Peru Hop to get from Cusco to La Paz. We paid US$219 each for […]

La Paz to Lima – Peru Hop ...

DECEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Peru is the Peruvian New SOL (I will refer to them as P$s). At the time of writing, US$1 = P$3.36. The currency in Bolivia is the Boliviano (I will refer to them as B$s). At the time of writing, US$1 = B$6.90.  We (my sister Diane, my brother-in-law Jeff, and I) had just completed our tour of Machu Picchu and The Sacred Valley. It was time for us to head south to Lake Titicaca. We planned a 3 Island Tour from Puno, Peru and a Day Tour to Isla […]

Lake Titicaca – Peru & Bolivia – ...

DECEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Peru is the Peruvian New SOL (I will refer to them as P$s). At the time of writing, US$1 = P$3.38. It is impossible to do Machu Picchu and The Sacred Valley cheaply. This experience is going to put a big hole in your pocket. CUSCO: We were using Cusco as our base. OUR ACCOMMODATION: There were 5 of us, so we decided to rent a 3 bedroom apartment: the Departamento Plaza San Pedro. We paid US$60 / night for 8 nights (US$480) plus a US$10 ‘Cleaning Fee’. It […]

Machu Picchu – Peru – And The ...

NOVEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Bolivia is the Bolivianos (BOB). I will refer to them as ‘B$s’. At the time of writing, US$1 = B$6.95. I was making my way from Villazon to Copacabana. In Tupiza, I booked myself on a 4 Day / 3 Night Uyuni Salt Flats Tour. The tour ended in Uyuni. From Uyuni I wanted to get to Sucre. I decided to stop off in Potosi along the way … GETTING THERE: In Uyuni, I was staying at the Joya Andina Hostel which was only 1.5 blocks from the Bus […]

Sucre – Bolivia – Information

NOVEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Bolivia is Bolivianos (BOB). I will refer to them as ‘B$s’. At the time of writing, US$1 = B$6.91. BOOKING MY TOUR: I booked my 4D/3N Uyuni Salt Flat Tour in Tupiza. Please read my post on Tupiza for more details on how to find a tour, tour prices, and general tips / information. I booked the Standard / ‘Classic’ Tour with Natural Adventures. This takes you south from Tupiza into the National Park. You go as far south as Laguna Verde near the Chilean border before turning […]

Salt Flats – Bolivia – Part 2 ...

NOVEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Bolivia is the Bolivianos (BOB). I will refer to them as ‘B$s’. At the time of writing, US$1 = B$6.9. I was making my way from Villazon to Copacabana. Part 1 focuses on getting to Tupiza and finding a Uyuni Salt Flats Tour … GETTING THERE: I crossed the border at La Quiaca, Argentina into Villazon, Bolivia. This border crossing has many bad write-ups with many people saying that they suffered hours of delays. I had a good experience and got through in 5 minutes. Anyway, in […]

Salt Flats – Bolivia – Part 1 ...

NOVEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I was working my way up through north west Argentina into south west Bolivia. Cafayate is definitely worth a visit. I wasn’t so keen on Mendoza, Salta, nor Tilcara. Anyway, I planned to cross into Bolivia on Route 9 at La Quiaca / Villazon. I researched the internet for information and read some ‘horror stories’ about it being disorganised with multi-hour delays. Readers may find my experience useful for their own planning purposes … GETTING THERE: I started my journey in Tilcara. You may start from another location. TILCARA: I walked down […]

La Quiaca, Argentina – to – Villazon, ...

OCTOBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Argentina is Argentinian Pesos (ARS). I will refer to them as A$s. At the time of writing, US$1 = A$36.50 … NOT!!!!!! … Read on! When I first planned my Latin America trip 3-4 years ago, Argentina was too expensive for my GRANDPAcking budget … so, I excluded it. However, over the past 12 months (or so) the A$ has halved in value. This brought Argentina within ‘target range’ and I adjusted my plans accordingly … GETTING THERE: I made my way up from Mendoza to Cafayate then […]

Tilcara – Argentina – Where To Stay

OCTOBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Argentina is Argentinian Pesos (ARS). I will refer to them as A$s. At the time of writing, US$1 = A$36.50 … NOT!!!!!! … Read on! When I first planned my Latin America trip 3-4 years ago, Argentina was too expensive for my GRANDPAcking budget … so, I excluded it. However, over the past 12 months (or so) the A$ has halved in value. This brought Argentina within ‘target range’ and I adjusted my plans accordingly. My plan was to fly into Mendoza, bus north to Cafayate, and […]

Cafayate – Argentina – Information

OCTOBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Ecuador is US$s. The Galapagos Islands were on my ‘Bucket List’. SUGGESTION: I strongly suggest that, if you can, you should bring your own snorkelling equipment. This will give you the freedom to explore on your own … as well as bring down the cost of some of your day trips. Before we continue, let me be clear: The Galapagos Islands are one of the 7 wonders of the modern world They know it They make you pay for it You are a captive market They have you […]

Galapagos – Ecuador – (How To Do) ...

SEPTEMBER 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Ecuador is US$s. I stayed a total of 3 nights in Saraguro in a Double Room (single occupancy) at the Hostal Achik Wasi which was up on a hill about 500 metres from the town centre. I paid US$28 / night. My room was an average size and came with problematic in-room WiFi, wardrobe, cable TV (with no English Speaking channels), and a ‘Warm’ Water Ensuite (you need hot water at this time of year!). The only good thing about this place was the view … … and the […]

Vilcabamba – Ecuador – Information