Ever considered going kitesurfing in South America? If not, it’s time to reconsider! Many South American countries are full of river dams. Where there’s a dam, there’s an artificial lake. Where there’s an artificial lake, there’s oftentimes real strong winds. Many of these kitesurfing lakes are rather obscure for the kite community, yet are famous Read more >
Author: Iris Veldwijk
Ecuador’s National Font: Hobo
Perhaps you think I’m imagining things, but I swear by it: Ecuador has a national font! And that font is Hobo. It all started when I entered Ecuador from Perú. My first place of visiting was Nuevo Rocafuerte at the Napo river. While I hadn’t noticed the presence of this particular font yet, I did Read more >
Quilotoa Caldera Hike
If you’re only here for an overview of the hike and preparation tips, click here. Months ago I heard for the first time of the Quilotoa Caldera, a collapsed volcano in Ecuador with a crater lake in the middle. The pictures looked incredible and I wanted to visit. A few sprees on Wikipedia and my Read more >
Munching at Quito Food Festival in La Gasca
Quito Food Festival address: Avenida La Gasca with Gaspar de Carnival. Open Monday – Saturday 12:00 – 22:00. On my way back from Quito’s cable car, I spotted a sign from the city bus: Quito Food Festival. I made the snap decision to abort my mission to get home. Was I just hungry? Or hangry? Read more >
How Many People Can Visit All Countries On Earth?
You might have heard of some people who have visited all 195 countries on earth. Whoa! How do they do that? Isn’t this hugely expensive? Could a person like you or me visit all countries? Possibly, yeah, but if you think money is the greatest obstacle to visiting all of the world’s countries, you’re wrong. Read more >
Iquitos, Perú to El Coca, Ecuador by River Boat!
If you came to this article from YouTube and just want to know the price to travel this route by river boat, scroll down or elegantly click here. The “downside” of traveling to a jungle city only reachable by river boat, is that you know you’ll also have to leave it by river boat! Last Read more >
Atacama, Andes & Amazon: Lima to Pucallpa
OK, maybe Lima’s desert is not called the Atacama, but the “Peruvian Coastal Desert“, but this was the more poetic choice for obvious reasons. The 20th of April I left Perú’s capital Lima for a city named Pucallpa, a journey of 789 kilometers, four nights and five days. A map for reference: I wanted to Read more >
How to Become a Ninja of the Lima City Bus
Public transportation isn’t my expertise at all, but over the last few weeks in Lima (writing a new Digital Nomads Guide!) I had to learn and master the art of navigating the Lima City Bus system. A big thanks to Marian Knittler for letting me use his photos for this article. Check out his photography on Read more >
Should You Flush the Toilet Paper? A Flowchart.
I made a little something after encountering a clogged up toilet and a hostel cleaner who looked frustrated. Perhaps you never even considered your toilet paper’s destiny… but should you flush the toilet paper? I made a cool flowchart to help you determine whether to bin it or flush it! Follow these easy steps: But Read more >
Mudslides and Floods on the Road to Lima, Perú
Always wanted to drink soda first thing in the morning? Before breakfast? I never had that ambition, but here I am in Lima – the capital of Perú – and there’s no running water. Nothing from the tap and all bottled water in units of less than 20 liters is sold out. This is supposedly everywhere Read more >
71 Reasons to Visit South America in 2017
Whether you’re a hitchhiker, a digital nomad or a holidaymaker, South America is absolutely phenomenal. Let’s not hold off on that long-desired trip to the southern hemisphere any longer! Here’s your randomly ordered justification to go ahead and get south the coming year: 1. Pick up fifty shades of Spanish! South America is very Read more >
Take It Slow: 20.000 km Hitched in South America
Over the past few months I’ve been trying to get a better insight into how long my hitchhiking trips have been. It has also inspired me to take a look at the current leg of my three-year trip and tadaaa! turns out I was about to cross the 20.000 kilometers hitched mark in South America alone. That’s actually Read more >
A Sandy Hike to Cabo Polonio in Uruguay
A few weeks ago I went to the famous Cabo Polonio in Uruguay, an off-the-grid town. It’s not connected to the water or electrical system, supposedly. The lighthouse at the tip of the cape is connected, somehow. Anyway, that’s some stuff I read on Wikipedia before going there myself. An unusual level of preparation for Read more >
Ghost Town Glory
Punta del Este, Uruguay. Not to be confused with Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. It’s a town at the end of the widest river in the world, the Río de la Plata. East of this point is the official start of the Atlantic ocean. The first time I heard about Punta del Este was back in Read more >
The Road Less Hitchhiked
Yesterday I started moving towards the Argentinian border from Rocha’s pretty beaches in Uruguay. The department of Rocha is famous for those, domestically and internationally, and it’s the dream for many to live there. During my stay in Uruguay I’ve been sticking to the coast and border regions mostly and haven’t seen that much from Read more >
Springtime in Uruguay!
My 90 days are almost up, but dude, I’ve had a good time in Uruguay! What’s all this excitement about? Probably the not knowing what to expect and the fact that this hemisphere of the earth would slowly, but surely warm up in the course of a few months come spring. Near the end of my stay Read more >
Mind of a Hitchhiker: The Game!
Introducing a new feature on my travel blog: Mind of a Hitchhiker: The Game! Take me to MOAH: The Game! If you’ve never hitchhiked, this is your chance to enjoy a soft introduction into the art of stopping cars. The current version needs a keyboard (i.e. proper computer, no phone/tablet) to play. Together Read more >
Anniversary: 4 Years a Hitchhiker!
Today is my hitchhiking anniversary: it’s been four years since I first put up my thumb to stop a car! I’m giving Facebook an applause for it’s ‘memories’ thing that brings up gems like this photo of me catching my first ever ride. I don’t want to sound dramatic, but it has proven to be quite Read more >