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 Flickr. A little background information: Lima is Perú’s capital city and the metropolitan area is home to about 9 million people. That’s almost one third of the country’s population. Enormous! The city has a very primal and basic metro system that doesn’t really do anythingContinue reading
South America
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 really. Clogged toilets and sewage systems are a huge problem in many parts of the world – and the traveler isn’t helping the cause. I’ve met a few travelers who were proud to announce they would straight up refuse to bin their used toilet paper whenContinue reading
Mudslides and Floods on the Road to Lima, Perú
A Natural Disaster 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 in the city. For reference, Lima is a place beside the Pacific Ocean that hosts almost 9 million people. I first heard the news about the floods in a hostel in Paracas, a small beach town with a rad bird reserve andContinue reading
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! Without further ado, here’s your randomly ordered justification to go ahead and get south the coming year: 1. Firstly, pick up fifty shades of Spanish! As a result of colonialism, South America is quite homogeneous language-wise, with Spanish and Portuguese being the most spoken. Or mix ’em up and you get “Portuñol“. Learn just enough Portuguese to make your trip to Brazil easy-peasy with Duolingo or Memrise. So instead you want toContinue reading
Take It Slow: 20000 Kilometers 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! it turns out I was about to cross the 20000 kilometers hitched mark in South America alone. That’s actually pretty slow! To clarify for non-metric people: that’s 12427 miles by thumb and foot overland. Why do I care? I don’t. Other people seem to care, though, and keeping some statistics can be fun. Other people asking stuff is the main reason IContinue reading
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 me! Before a Lonely Planet author discovered it, this village got no attention whatsoever. I get all skeptical when it comes to places like that. Overrated or not, I’d have to go there to find out myself. I was stationed in La Pedrera at theContinue reading
Ghost Town Glory: Punda del Este, Uruguay
This photo is from 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 2011 when I did a Spanish course in Buenos Aires, Argentina. My Brazilian friends and I were planning a trip to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. I was talking to my teacher on the topic of Uruguay and he mentioned a townContinue reading
Interior Uruguay: The Road Less Hitchhiked
Yesterday I started moving towards the border with Argentina from Rocha’s pretty beaches in Uruguay. The department of Rocha is famous for those beaches, 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 interior Uruguay. That’s a crying shame, I realize now. I decided to hitchhike the ‘adventurous’ route to get out of the sleepy beach towns. Uruguay’s main highway is at the Atlantic Coast and the Río de la Plata river. It’s familiar territory to me comparedContinue reading
Springtime in Uruguay! (Laguna Merín)
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 I can finally say: Toss your coat and take off your long pants, because springtime has FINALLY come to Uruguay! Uruguay Trip Summary I did a little tour of the country as you can see from my route map. It gave me the time to explore theContinue reading