Corruption and Smiles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc3m64Xztc8

Travel in Central and South America

Over the past six months I have been asked a few times for recommendations about both Central and South America- whether to go it alone, with a friend, with a tour...which countries to visit...how much money to bring...points of interest and so on. So in an attempt to summarise such a sheer amount of information, I will try to keep the answers brief yet informative.

Firstly, and I can not stress this point enough, do not book a tour. Logically, does it make sense to pay someone to tell you when to wake up, what things to see, what time to arrive, when to leave or where to eat? The magic coinciding with backpacking is the freedom to do whatever you want. The ability to stay in a location for that extra day should the mountains strike you so, the food tempt you or the women (how scandalous!) indulge you. These whirlwind-do six-countries-in-one-month-affairs are not only limiting, but cost sometimes four times the sum of money it would amount to had you have done it yourself. If this has not yet deterred you, and your still hell-bent, screaming for some stability in the far lands that be, then I urge you to pay me to be your guide. I will do it for half the price as Contiki and throw in local parties and local friends for free.

Next, with a typical six month holiday, the decision to visit Central or South America (or possibly both) is crucial to the experience- because well...it is the experience. With six months it is possible to see both Central and South America; however I would strongly advise on choosing one or the other. For a start the distances in South America are far greater than those found in Central America, and its not uncommon for a bus ride to last anywhere from 10-24 hours. However these pre-conceived grievances slowly fade when you realise that all a 16 hour bus ride entails is a 5pm departure, a couple of movies, a sleep which pulls one in with the bends of the road and the callings of song ( a charged iPod is crucial...as is a blanket, hammocks make great covers as well- I still do not fully understand the concept of their air-conditioning systems, but rest assured you will FREEZE), and then a sunrise- the soft lapping of warmth glinting through windows and stroking one to consciousness in time for an hour or two sight-seeing before exploration of the new town or city at 9 am can take place.

Now, both Central and South America are beautiful- each with their various points of interest and exhibits of natural beauty. Climbing volcanoes in Guatemala and roasting marshmallows from flowing liquid magma rates just as highly as ascending (along with the entire village) the principal sand-dune in Jericoacoara (Brazil) and watching waves lap the vertical sand cliffs while all around the light dims as the sun, that fiery ball of life, diminishes beyond the horizon bringing light to the night. Lonely Planet does a pretty good job of listing points of interest so I will not delve to deeply, however some personal favourite experiences of the Americas include: The San Blas islands of Panama, the hike to South Americas new lost city (Ciudad Perdida) (and also an insight into the production process of Cocaine- and how it has shaped, both positively and negatively the outcome of the country), the Inca Trail, the harsh mines of Potosi in Bolivia, Buenos Aires, the ski fields of Chile and Las Lenas, Iguazu falls, and seeing Amazonian kids paddle out in home-made canoes to bob and float in the resulting wake of our steamer- but more than that...their smiles.

Ultimately, you could read as many guidebooks as there are printed, watch as many documentaries as there are filmed and read as many blogs as there are written- but each person´s experience is going to be different based on the people that they meet. Fellow backpackers and locals alike have the ability to make or break places, and I would argue that it is the people, rather than the locations themselves, that leave a lasting impression of places visited. I have never met a group of people more hospitable, instantly accepting, naturally happy or excited about life as the Colombians- my reasons exactly for choosing Colombia as my favourite destination of the Americas.

Also, do yourself a favour and learn Spanish. The first time I travelled South America I had no grasp of the language at all, and so, missed out on meeting locals in the process. With the understanding of the language you no longer feel as if you’re viewing countries through a spy glass or some sort of window. You will save money, meet amazing people and enjoy the various rewards of travelling to a much greater extent.

As far as money goes, on the whole, South America is most likely slightly cheaper than Central America but that depends on the locations visited. Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama are going to require roughly 30-60 dollars per day (the exception being Brazil where, if moving quickly, the aforementioned prices can be doubled due to the exorbinate- almost mafia like- prices of the Brazilian bus systems. More often than not it can be cheaper to take a flight, especially when travelling from Rio to Salvador). Whereas in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, Argentina and espeically Bolivia, it is possible to survive on roughly 15-30 dollars per day. Now this budget assumes you stay in cheap guesthouses or backpackers, eat at local restaurants (maximizing your money by asking for the menu of the day) and drink or party very little. It is the same all around the world; countries can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make them.

It is possible to work in hostels along the way to save money. However, don’t expect to earn anything either- typical rewards for working behind a bar or front desk include: free accommodation, free evening meals and 50 percent off at the bar. With savings like these it is possible to live off next to nothing considering the expenses you no longer have to fork out for. Loki hostels in particular are great at employing people and I had the pleasure of working at both the backpackers in Cuzco and in La Paz. Working ski seasons are next to impossible unless you already have both a fluent knowledge of Spanish and the ability to teach skiing or snowboarding. I stayed in Las Lenas (Argentina) for 5 months snowboarding everyday without working. How? For accommodation, try the website www.laslenasski.com as I rented an apartment for about 1000 dollars for the season. Ski passes cost approximately the same, however its possible to sell them to other travelers should you leave early. But why ski in Argentina? Well Las Lenas, and its fabled Marte chair, provide some of the best backcountry skiing and snowboarding in the world and the riding that I encountered their (people to powder ratio) rivaled, if not exceeded the riding I have found in North America.

To conclude, your going to have an amazing experience no matter where you choose to go. If I could do it all again, I would probably choose South America solely on the fact that I have more local friends in that part of the world. You will get sick, you will be hungry, you will get tired, and you will also see some of the most breath taking sights in the world, change and mature as a person, make friends for life and find out why so many people fall in love with this beautiful region of the world. If you have any questions I am more than happy to help out further. Just book that plane ticket, throw some cloths into a bag- and go! xx

Mornings

To wake up to the tide- waves cresting and crashing and sand swirling. Beyond this the wide expanses of salty seas that seem deftly left by a masters paintbrush; so perfectly strewn with delicate depressions and changing textures that sit like a patient child. And they chip and slide, beautifully-effectively altering ones perception of beauty every couple of seconds. So rising on ones side-usually at first blinking when, slowly, fuzzy memories develop hard outlines and colours gain richness- we check our eyes once more because 'why should I be so lucky to wake up to paradise?' But nay! Because the sun is emerging from beyond trees and behind horizons and in those very trees parrots already sit perched waiting for the first show of the day, the monkies arrive...the world presses play. And now not thinking, rather absorbing, the sun begins to creep slowly and confidently up my body- its warmth engulfing my feet and ankles and legs and still northwards. Golden tones reach my chest and I can feel it reaching my neck as everything suddenly brightens and melts like a lucid dream. Sun flecks from cheeks to eyes. A monkey scrambles around branches through leaves. And then I just sit there, just me and the animals and the water and the sun- seems kind of crazy that all this could actually happen. But it does...in the magical parts of the world.

5.1.10
Osa Peninsula
Costa Rica

Austin

Down roads and past signs and sometimes past railway lines,
over borders with their tiresome security and the sun;
wind swirls that have surely come from over the sea via planes whose grasses just grow amongst the turmoil of it all.
...
Then we found ourselves in Austin and sitting outside a closed cafe we waited for our new found friends who had offered us their couch for a few nights. A stranger shifted from up the street and
sat down next to us... 'Leaf's my name- i'm what they call a travelling kid...you know there's two kinds of kids..travelling kids and homeless kids..I guess im a travelling kid..you know..always travelling...' 'Say...where do you two come from?' 'Australia' we said. 'Mannnnnn- next time you see one your..erm..airport security guards..tell em..Leafs a good kid! Let him into Australia!' 'Will do Leaf..sure thing.' We left Leaf and jumped into our car. As we left, Leaf lit a cigarette and under the light he was sitting the smoke spiraled amongst his dreadlocks and caught itself illuminated as it bent and refracted before finally escaping northwards. He was smiling at nothing in particular. And so was I

New York

New York, New York
How you roll like men in floods carried by the cities subways submerged beneath rock and graffiti'd tin.
And you blow through central park and later on in the dark streaking past cars- the cities lights- its bikes.
Williamsburg- your hipsters- book shops with just 'every-single-book-I-want-to-read' kind of writings.
Oh New York.
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Life

It was two o’clock that afternoon, and I remember the time because the large clock that towers and shadows through the never ending sea of corporate city zombies and dudgeons that seem to roam the streets (oddly) in the day time had just struck, and for this reason a great pack of pigeons had suddenly taken flight. A man sat on a park bench, opposite me, with his Rolex watch, Armani suit and no doubt expensive shoes- however even more interesting were the series of five scratch-it and lotto tickets that he held so desperately in his hands. And his hands were wobbling as he scratched away, furiously, and as he peered up from his desperation, inhaling sharply on a cigarette, it seemed his very soul had been hollowed and cracked into pieces; left for the pigeons to carry off to the breezes. I watched the man and swore never to become that- a walking talking experiment of corporate wastage and personal happiness sacrificed. The man made a stand and he turned to trudge back to his office; back to the environment for which he would go to meet expenses.

From wide eyed and I-am-so-curious-about-the-world-beginnings where children, behind closed eyes, nightly swoon over faraway lands, dreams of dancing and space travel plans it appears somewhere between high school and death we are pinned down and corrupted by notions that appear to link financial success exclusively with personal well being. Ironed into our souls through the media is the idea that if we are rich, we will be happy. We study to become accountants, lawyers and businessmen where fluorescent light lit hallways become our daily surroundings and trips to the coffee machine our thoughts of forbidden pleasure. And of course the result is typically mundane yet accepted. Society rises early from Monday to Friday, herded off like cattle to jobs they despise, talking about places they would rather be, but all the while feigning happiness because, suckling from the tit of the all-mighty dollar which will allow them to accumulate things: ‘this-is-how-it-was-supposed-to-be.’ But this is not living! Why do we choose to exist for such inconsequential meaningless reasons? As Jack Kerouac lends, where once the Russians slaved away for the state, now the world slaves away to meet expenses- everything is measured in dollar signs and certain pre-defined eloquences are being lost to tides of structured normalcy.

Conservative, narrow minded and conceited parents, suits, teachers and other disappointingly dreadful souls who have had neither the time nor inclination to remove themselves or allow their dependants to leave from immediate situations and really experience or exist. ‘No Johnny, you will not be heading overseas for a year of frivolity and traipsing- no you will stay here and get your life on track- otherwise how will you ever get ahead!?’ And this is exactly the issue. Life is not a series of competitions- write everything down neatly between the lines and be sure to leave your name at the top kind of musings- we are not given a score or a mark upon our death bed. Rather it will be inner evaluations that pass through our thoughts and time spaces when we breathe those final breaths. Why do we increasingly lower our quality of life, raise stress levels and purchase items we will never have the time to use? It will not be the BMW parked in our driveway that makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside, but instead, perhaps, intangible recollections of times spent with friends dirty and thirsty scrambling down back trails of lands distant towns and sands. Those times when we were living and learning and loving- the earth a classroom for which interactions and connections had replaced books and memories our teachers. Backpacking, gap years, mid-life crisis wanderings, mindless world traipsing are almost demonized in some circles; seen as frivolous time wasters on the road to accepted success rather than actual roads themselves. Some ask, ‘when are you going to get your life on track?’ And of course I just smile, thinking, ‘when will you?’

And its just life man- you know.

1. Go on over to that CD Player and turn up Bruce Springsteen- Im on fire real loud.
2. Read this (will upload the reading part this afternoon)

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