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godless

Peru, by myself, tips, guidance

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ive had a hellish year, moving, selling, planting, building. I was thinking I might take 3 months when im finally settled and go to Peru/Bolivia/ Ecuador/ Chile  and buy a motorbike and suss out some cacti and ancient stuff.

I was just wondering what people think about me doing it on my lonesome, would it be safe do you think.

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good 6 months before im able to do this so much time to investigate and plan.

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I've never been there. Maybe the Australian embassy in Chile could give you a few tips on areas that are safe and places to avoid etc.

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Do you speak spanish?  Have you travelled before? male/female?

 

You could totally do it but theft will be a the challenge with the bike.  If you stay out of cities and dodgy areas it`ll be less likely.  Alot of safety just comes from looking like an ex pat, being confident and not carrying too much flash stuff.

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no, no spanish. male. ive travelled before In 2010, did Thailand, then overland into and through Cambodia into south Vietnam and then up to Hanoi. was mainly by ourselves, did a motorbike tour for part of Vietnam. I had a partner for that trip though.

I learnt a lot from that trip, especially north Vietnam. I wont be carrying any flash stuff that's for sure, except a camera and computer and clothes for all occasions, ie hot cold wet. not a dinner suit lol.

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6 months could be enough to learn semi decent Spanish just to get you around a bit better, negotiate and chit chat.  If you can be friendly to locals in their tongue it'd help alot with safe passage, avoiding poor areas, getting someone to watch your bike etc.  I have been around here and there in the Andes and jungle and the locals are generally good people but there is often a poor element which always brings along risks of theft.  Travelling alone on a bike, camping here and there is going to expose you to opportunistic thieves (the rare murder - usually none to a handful a year) or much more likely, slit your tent and steal your boots/bag while you sleep.

I befriended a dog for my Andean hike and he was fkn awesome, scaring off who the fuck knows what or who in the night a few times.  The first time when he started really going for it at around 2am, I realised just how exposed we were and how glad I was that he was around.  This is a good idea if you're going to wander and camp.  They're good guards and are usually pretty easy to find around the Andean areas as hikers use them for protection, again speaking Spanish might help you find them and make sure you don't nick someones dog haha.  I don;t know if its similar in bolivia and ecuador, they are perhaps safer?  Chile is pretty poor so I'd wager its similar to Peru for safety.

So, is it going to be safe on your own?  No.  How dangerous?  How long is a piece of string.  Cities and villages it gonna be mainly theft of the bike.  Camping it will be your "valuables" american money real or imagined etc.  If you go with others it will be safer.  4 is better than 3 is better than 2 is better than 1.  Even guided camping groups have dogs for protection.  Other than that there's no terrorism and very few serious events involving gringo tourists each year but they do happen and you'd be putting yourself in the zone solo.

Would it be a good trip?  Personally I have thought about similar but more along the lines of finding ceremonies in remote villages.  I have held off on going back until I get the opportunity to learn the language.  Without Spanish it will be a potentially great experience, with Spanish it will be incredible.  The immersion is going to be so much better, the ability to get info and find someone who knows about plants or holds ceremonies traditionally would be invaluable.  I have no doubt it would be a fair bit safer travelling solo if one is able to chat to locals in one village about the next, or one city about another etc.  And yeah I can't speak for the other countries.  

So yeah its up to you.  As you are alone, no native tongue, if it were me, I wouldn't do it the way you are planning.  Would I do it if it were more structured i.e. hire a bike one place do day trips etc, get a bus, fly another way do the same, go to an aya retreat etc...I've done it and it was fkn awesome...I'll probably end up living there one day haha.

All the best :)     


     

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Do It! I know those countries well, yes its safe....ish.... Its not Australia, but its not central Africa.... Speaking spanish will help a lot. I agree with Mapacho about the bike being exposed, but only when you're not with it. I personally think that its unlikely anything will happen while on it or near it, but if you decide to leave it for a while you'll have to pay someone to look after it. I bought a car in Chile when I first arrived, it was great to be able to go where-ever i wanted, but a pain in the ass to leave it anywhere. You have to pay someone to watch it anytime you're away from it... However, if its a motorbike you could probably leave it in a hostel when you want a night in a bed or maybe even do a trek. If you want to camp, you'll need your own transport... In saying that, the buses are pretty good, and flights are cheap... 

Do it dude, you won't regret it, even if you run into trouble it'll be a better adventure then sitting around in Oz for 3 months doing the same shit as always...

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p.s. i couldn't speak spanish when i first arrived or when i was driving around... it'll be no problem... But everything is way more fun when you can speak to everyone... 

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p.p.s The best way to learn Spanish is with a Spanish speaking partner. You'll be way more motivated to learn that way. Though my wife still laughs at my Spanish occasionally (I still laugh at her English sometimes so it's even...)

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Thanks for the replies people,, much appreciated. I will definitely go ahead with this. I kind of thought if I could hack nth Vietnam I should be pretty right, just wanted to put it out there to see what people thought. A car does seem like too much hassle, and cost. I think the motor bike will be much more practical, I cant see myself doing a whole lot of camping, I will probably stay in hostels and peoples houses if the opportunity arises and should I need to camp im imagining that I will be able to stash and camouflage the  bike for the night if I really need to (maybe im dreaming, I guess each campsite is different and I will just play it as it comes). I should be able to pick up a few Spanish phrases to get me by, I figure the best way to learn is to go there.

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I travelled through Ecuador, Perú and Bolivia in 2008 for 4 months, by myself, knowing next to know Spanish, and then through Southern Bolivia and Argentina in 2012 for 6 months, once again by myself, yet knowing the language at a very high level. Both experiences were beyond my imagining in terms of the beauty of the landscape, the other traveller's I met and the connections made, and the incredible warmth and hospitality of the people from those countries. Even during the first trip when I knew only very basic phrases and words, the people were very friendly and helpful and I found not knowing the language didn't particularly hinder my the quality of experience over there at all, it simply shaped it by not allowing me to converse at length with the locals. Of course when I returned the second time round and being able to speak Spanish, meant that I had many more experiences, interactions and conversations with the locals which made it a culturally richer experience. I wouldn't say a better one, just different. I would highly recommend though if you are serious on going in 6 months time and wish to get the most out of it, to try and learn as much Spanish in that time as you can. It will make for a smoother trip and less stress, more options and possibilities, and the simple pleasure of speaking with and getting to know a bit about the locals. I simply started through borrowing language programs from my local library such as Routledge's "Colloquial Spanish 1 (beginners)" and "Colloquial Spanish 2 (intermediate)", listening to lots of podcasts and music in the language, which is so easy with Spanish as there are heaps of great musicians and interesting podcasts, and also writing almost on a daily basis in Spanish as soon as I could start forming sentences (second best thing if you can't speak with someone as you're still actively using the language and thinking in it). So learning the language is very easy to do without even spending a cent of money, just requires time.

 

In terms of safety over there, I never once felt threatened or that I was in danger. Though in saying that I met a lovely girl from Britain who on her first day in Quito got mugged in broad daylight about 50 metres down the road after leaving the hostel; her first experience in Ecuador. Obviously some luck is involved in everyone's case, but as for me, I never had anything of real value on me when walking the streets, whether in a town or a major city, and I didn't put myself in sketchy situations. Just be smart, informed and respectful and you should be fine, as most people over there.

 

South America is such an incredible land and one which I will continue to return to throughout my life. Without question a second home to me. I wish you very much the same experience.

 

p.s. if there are certain interests you have or particular things you'd like to do and experience whilst over there but don't know where to begin, I'd be happy to recommend you some places (as you can tell I love talking about South America... :)).

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ccol, so lets kick off a bit of a spanish music listening with this group...

 

 

 

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as we move forward as the human race and get our bearings on where we are going, i think these kinds of networks are extremely important. the community bonds of trust, caring and service that we are seeing now have been well hard to come by. so much has just been endured, literally to the point where it cannot be. so i think about that. and why it is so important to ensure its continuation. god bless

Edited by manu
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I did 6 weeks in peru with minimal spanish.  i wish i had spend more time learning with classes, what to listen for and how to speak.  i would have gotten so much more out of the experience.

 

i travelled with a day pack.  essentially two sets of clothes, and a few extra clothing items.  things are so cheap there you can buy clothing there if you need it, and you stand out with western clothing. kept paperwork on my body at all times.  and had everything important backed up to google drive.  i was given advice before i left that backpackers are easy prey, and while at a couple of hostels people lost their packs in the full security of the hostel so best to always have things to hand.

 

given it was my first journey and i was on my own i traveled around by bus, and booked most things in advance.  i lost a little independence, but i felt safe pretty well all the time.  the lonely planet guides are ok to get a general idea, but not the best when it comes to advice on accommodation or food.  dont go with the intention of buying too much stuff while you travel as it weighs you down.

 

and dont go with too much tech.  even cameras can be problematic.  the humidity in the amazon made my camera unusable.

 

my journey was to see some sights and enjoy the country, build confidence, and set the scene for the next time i go when i can feel more comfortable heading off without a plan, with a good knowledge of the language and be in a better position to head away from the tourist areas, especially as id like to get away from the touristy ayahuasca areas.

 

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aight, officially rain checking this till mid 2018, I can already see its not going to happen this year.

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i have had to offset my own travels as well.

 

I was planning to go this year.  but over the last couple of  years it has kept getting offset. im now looking at 2019.  but on the plus that gives me time to save extra money.  and research places to go.

 

and to keep an eye on ticket prices

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Hiya fellas, I, too, am thinking Peru with maybe a touch of Bolivian mountainsides for my next overseas trip. I started trying to learn Spanish 12 months ago and can speak a little.  just thought I'd butt in with some things I found helpful... Duolingo language app, an hour a week in a classroom, there's colleges around that work out to about $20 a week. There are thousands of YouTube vids for ingles/español. There is a YouTube channel called I think "gringo español" with tricks and tips on how to learn Spanish faster. Meetup . com has "learn Spanish/English" meet nights that are really interesting... and free. I'm sure you'll have an amazing time godless, language barrier or not.

 

and now finally I shall play you the song of my people....

 

 

 

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