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South and Central America
  • Sheila Scott
Nov 2022 – Jun 2023

South and Central America

A 202-day adventure by Sheila Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 22, 2022
    Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Rio de Janeiro

    November 22, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Stop number one, Rio de Janeiro. Stayed at Pura Vida hostel (technically in a fevela) and met Sunny, Kate, Kevin, Emmy and Julio ❤️
    Soaked up the sun on Copacabana beach. Lost my memory to three Caipirinhas, visited the Selaron Steps, Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf mountain, sunset on Ipanema beach and partied in Lapa. Excellent start to the trip.Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Ilha Grande

    November 26, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Ilha Grande. Stop number two. A beautiful, tropical island about three hours away from Rio. There are no cars on the island so you either hike to various points of the island or shorten your journey with taxi boats. Kevin and Kate who I met in Rio also came along. After I checked into my hostel and the rain started and I thought it would never stop. It's the kind of place that when it rains, it pours. We made a decision to go to the closest restaurant to the hostel which luckily was one of the most popular seafood restaurants on the island.
    For the first full day on the island, we did a three hour hike to the other side of the island to reach Lopes Mendes beach. Some say it's the nicest beach in Brazil! Thankfully the sun came out so I soaked up the rays and got my first minor sunburn of the trip.
    Day two we we're joined by Emmy who met in Rio. We chilled on the beach before we watched Brazil play against Switzerland in the world cup.
    Two full days I feel was enough here. It was chill enough to relax and didn't have too much of a party scene to get carried away. Onto Paratay by catching a boat and then a local slow bus. Said my goodbyes to Kate and Emmy. Thankfully I have a friend for one more leg.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Paraty

    November 29, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Trip to Paraty, stop number 3.
    Paraty is a stunning town that was mostly developed in the 1800's by the Portuguese. The town is designed in such a way that it floods for a "self clean" during high tides but the houses are set higher so are always protected. Pinapples are also displayed outside houses as a sign of welcoming.

    Accommodation: Hostel Casa Viva. Very friendly staff and do a great breakfast. My favourite hostel of the trip so far. It has a great pool but I was too afraid to go in it as it turned someone's hair green.
    Day one was exploring the old town and watching England Vs Wales in the World Cup. The rain came heavy in the evening and had sushi for dinner. The official last supper with my travel buddy Kevin.
    Day two I went on a boat trip with Will from my hostel. Swam and went on paddle boards. That evening I went out for dinner with more new found friends, Vicky and Edwin. We then had a drink with the nicest Dutch couple I've ever met who gave me so much info for the road ahead. I also met Max, who no doubt I'll see again along my route.
    Day three, I took a day trip to Trindade beach. It was beautiful and the sun was finally shining.
    Day four. I was loving Paraty so much I extended for one more day. I started the day with a work out with Vicky and Edwin at the outdoor gym. I learned more about the town doing a walking tour and watched the Brazilian match in the afternoon at a local bar with everyone from the hostel. Lots of drinks and great fun was had to round off my stay.

    Recommendations:
    Boat trip.
    4x4 trip. Didn't do it but it's supposed to be great.
    Walking tour.
    Day trip to Trindade. You can get a local bus from Paraty bus station.
    Go cachaça tasting and drink a Jorge Amado.
    Dinner at Quintal Verde and Margarida Cafe. They do great fish.
    Cocktails at Apothekario. Not a backpackers budget but it's a nice treat.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Florianopolis

    December 8, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    After a 19 hour bus journey from Sao Paulo, I finally arrived to Florianopolis, or known as Floripa by the locals. It's an island with a huge lagoon in the centre so you're constantly surrounded by water.

    Accommodation: Geckos Hostel. The hostel is social but it's not quite living up to Casa Viva. It's also the first time on the trip I've had to cook myself breakfast. Although it was originally opened by a Dubliner so I have to have a soft spot for it.

    Day one, again I brought the rain. It was an excuse to have a lazy morning before heading to watch the Brazilian match. I went with the hostel to watch it at the Public Market which is a large indoor market in the city centre. It was incredibly atmospheric heightened by the fact Brazil beat South Korea 4-1. Who knew I could be such a soccer fan.
    Day two, the weather finally improved. I walked an hour along the lagoon to get to one of the most popular beaches on the island, Praia Mole. It's also the first day of the trip that I've been a little sick, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.
    Day three and four were spent with my Portuguese roommates Íris and Rita. We hiked, caught an evening swim, had fresh oysters for lunch and melted in the sun reaching a viewpoint. But the view was completely worth it.
    You could spend an age in Floripa. There's plenty to do if you delve into all the hikes and watersports on offer. I feel like I've only scratched the surface on all there is to do but I'm satisfied with how I've spent four days to crack onto Iguazu.

    Recommendations:
    Hike- Trilha dos Naufragados. It takes you to a secluded beach and you hike back the same path.
    Trilha da Lagoinha do Leste. Takes you to a beach where you can climb to a view point.
    Beaches- Praia Mole and Matadouro    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Foz do Iguaçu

    December 9, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    After a 20 hour bus journey I finally arrived to Foz do Iguaçu. I had great intentions to make my way to Argentina once I arrived. My plan, or lack of a plan, went out the window pretty quick. I was sweaty, flustered and completely covered in awful mosquito bites. I couldn't seems to work out for myself how to get anywhere so I booked a hostel in Foz (the Brazilian side) so that I could collect myself and get some much needed advice and information.

    Accommodation: Tetris Container Hostel. It was perfect for the one night I was there and had really helpful staff.

    On day one, once I finally got myself together, I visited the Brazilian side of the falls. It was ridiculously hot. Almost 40 degrees hot. It was a quick visit but I met a lovely Irish couple along the way. That evening in the hostel I made a bit more of a solid plan for the following day. Deciding that I couldn't face another bus journey so soon, I booked a flight to Buenos Aires. It's pretty difficult to book transport online here as our cards keep getting declined. On about my 10th attempt, I was finally on my way.
    Day two, I departed from Brazil and entered Argentina. It involved passing through border controls and several buses. I saw the Argentinian side of the falls which were absolutely breathtaking. I did misplace my phone at one point so the day wasn't completely smooth sailing. Once I had taken in the falls and stressed over a new currency, I made my way to the airport to take on Buenos Aires.

    Recommendations: Do both side. Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazú (Argentina)
    Do a boat trip on the Argentinian side. I didn't have time but apparently it's really worth it.
    Get blue dollars before you go to the falls in Argentina. Again, I didn't have time so it worked out more expensive for me.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Buenos Aires

    December 10, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I've finally arrived to the much anticipated Buenos Aires. My arrival has been in complete contrast to my arrival at Foz. Firstly, I had the luxury of a flight. At the bag collection my Google maps was playing up so I asked the girl next to me how it was best to get to my hostel. We started chatting and when she saw where I needed to go she told me that her and her boyfriend would drive me there. They even made sure I was safely inside the hostel before leaving. It was so incredibly kind and the most lovely entry to the city.

    Accommodation:
    - Che Juan. Facilities are really nice but I'm not sure on the vibe. There's a lot of people over 50 staying here. Stayed for 3 night
    - Viajero in San Telmo. Very nice hostel, has a pool and a great breakfast. It was £30 a night though so very pricey. Stayed for 3 nights.
    - Voyage Hostel in Rocoleta. Very basic facilities but all I needed was a bed. Also has helpful staff. The location was ideal for getting to and from Palmero. Able to pay in cash so I got the blue dollar rate. Worked out very cheap. Stayed for 4 nights.

    From my walking tours I learned some great facts. My favourite was the la Boca walking tour. Its the official art district of BA with gorgeous colours streets and buildings. I learned that La Boca juniors football stadium is one of the most atmospheric in the world due to its shape and having one solid straight wall at one side. It makes for a very intimidating stadium for the opposing team. They have also taken their team colours from the Firefighters of the area. La Boca had a huge amount of working class immigrants living there and developed a strong sense of community through music and dance. This is how the tango came about. It is still today a poor area but has and will remain untouched by gentrification. BAs population mainly grew by the arrival of Spanish and Italian immigrants. This is why Argentinian Spanish is difficult to understand to the rest of the worlds Spanish speaks and why they are so fond of hand gestures.

    To say I had the time of my life in BA is an understatement. Everything about my stay worked out perfectly. I met incredible people, there is so much to see and do and Argentina winning the world cup was the icing on the cake. I've experienced a day in BA that will go down in history. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been in the right place at the right time and I don't think I'll ever experience atmosphere like it again.

    Things I did:
    San Telmo Sunday street fair and San Telmo food market. Had the best chori pan.
    Recoleta Cemetery
    El Ateneo Grand Spendid - really great book shop.
    Japanese Gardens
    Botanical gardens
    Ecopark
    Plaza de Mayo
    La Boca walking tour
    Central history walking tour
    La Bomba de tiempo - drum show (a must do)
    Tango class at El Beso - a bit too local and legit for my liking.
    Went out at Casa Temple/Palmero square.
    Walked around Palermo
    Parque Tres de Febrero - very pretty and lovely rose gardens
    Palmero graffiti tour

    I completely burnt the candle at both ends. The nightlife is incredible and it needed to be embraced.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    El Chalten

    December 19, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The Patagonia leg of my trip has begun. El Chalten is a tiny little town at the base of Mount Fitz Roy. The town was originally built by the Argentinians to mark the land to prevent Chile from claiming it as their own. It's a tourist town and has amazing hikes on offer. The downside of it being a tourist town is that it's expensive.
    Hostel - Aylen Aike. I was able to pay in cash which made it pretty cheap. It also had a nice homely feel. The owner was a slightly odd character but I met some lovely people there.

    I was here for 5 nights which meant I had 4 full days.
    Day one. I hiked to a viewpoint called Loma del Pliegue Tumbado. It was 20km there and back. I climbed up a huge hill at the end which gave me a 360 degree view of the area. It was incredible but pretty scary coming down as we lost the first part of the path.
    Day two. I did the most popular hike in the area, Laguna de los Tres. This brings you to the base of Mt Fitz Roy. Luckily it was a clear day so you could see all the peaks. I did this with Declan from my hostel. We set off at 6am so that we could beat the crowds. On the way back we took a wrong turn to what we thought was the correct way to another viewpoint. We did see a beautiful viewpoint of a glacier, however this ended up being 10km in the wrong direction. Thankfully a local that was out for a hike was able to give us a lift back to town. All in we did 25km.
    Day three was a much needed rest day and day four I hiked to Laguna Torres. I did this with a lovely couple from my hostel and ended up seeing Roz Purcell. Another 20km day and little feet are feeling like a rest is needed.

    I really enjoyed my stay here. It took a little while to get used to the slower pace and get over missing BA. I did meet great people in my hostel which made me kind of wish I was staying here for Christmas. Onto El Calafate for what I think will be a lot of chill time.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    El Calafate

    December 24, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I designated El Calafate four nights. In hindsight this may be a little too long. The main thing to do here is to travel to see Perito Moreno Glacier. The down side of being here during high season is that I had to pre-book accommodation, leaving no room to alter my plans.
    Accommodation: America del Sur. It's a really nice hostel with an incredible view of the lake and mountains.
    I arrived on Christmas Eve. This is actually when Christmas is celebrated in Argentina. The hostel put on a huge dinner and I don't think I've ever been so full from red wine and steak.
    Christmas day was very different to what I'm used to. It wasn't really anything special and was treated like a normal day of the year.
    I ended up meeting a friend from my previous hostel in El Chalten and we organised to go to the Glacier together. My St Stephen's day outing. It was very impressive to see and as expected, quite on the chilly side. It's one of the only glaciers in the world that is still growing in size.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Puerto Natales and W trek

    December 28, 2022 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    My trip has mostly been planned and structured around this one footprint. The W trek had to be booked months in advance so everything else had to slot nicely around it. I arrived in the town of Puerto Natales three nights before my trek.

    Accommodation: Hostel Last Hope. I love it and Diego, the owner, is a legend. We've been in contact for a few months as I've had several questions about the W that he's kindly helped me with.

    Staying for three nights here prior to my trek allowed me to have some down time and get organised for the hike. I met some great people, cooked and drank wine in the hostel. The backpacker budget is getting a shock with how expensive everything is.

    The W trek. It was simply epic. I trekked from east to west, starting with the iconic towers.
    -Day one: I camped at Camp Central. I arrived, set up my tent in the rain and set off to the towers. I met Kartik, who would be my hiking buddy for the five days. We didn't get the desired blue skies at the towers but it was incredible none the less. This was a long 20km hike with a steep climb at the end. I also met Roz Purcell again and this time had a long chat. This would be my last hike of 2022. I rang in the new year with my fellow hikers at the NYE party in the Refugio bar.
    -Day two: New year's day. Destination was Camp Cuernos. This was my first hike with my backpack (17kg). It was heavy but I did my best to ignore the weight and enjoyed the views. I met new friends along the way and experienced the full strength of the Patagonian winds (80kmph). At one point I was holding onto a tree branch thinking it was going to blow me away. I had the pleasure of staying in a dorm room as there was no camping space. At the time of booking this cost 115USD and it was worth every penny to be fully sheltered from the wind. The Refugio bar was gorgeous and reminded us of a ski chalet. I treated myself to an aperol and drank some much needed wine after a tough days hike.
    -Day three. This was a long 25km day. Thankfully we could drop our big bags half way to climb the French Valley. We reached Britanico view point for a beautiful 360 degree view. Thankfully the blue skies came out so we could see all the peaks around us. I set up camp at Paine Grande where I had stunning mountain views from my tent. I spent the evening huddled up from the wind in the kitchen with my lovely Italian and Dutch pals.
    -Day four: I hiked from Paine Grande to Camp Grey. I saw Glacier Grey and it was magnificent. The weather was pretty bad so I had some moody and atmospheric scenes over the glacier. I arrived at camp and met some friends from my hostel that were doing the O trek. Karthik jokes that I knew 95% of people on the trail. I camped in the woods and had blissful shelter from the wind.
    -Day five: This was a speedy walk back to Paine Grande to catch the boat back to civilisation. We did this with Aisling and Doron and all four of us felt pretty chuffed and a little sad to be finished. It was the hike of a lifetime. My only regret is not doing the O trek to have made the experience longer.

    Getting back to Puerto Natales was lovely. I met my friends again in the hostel, went to Last Hope gin distillery and partied the night away at Base Camp.

    Recommendations: do the O trek!
    Last Hope Gin Distillery
    La Forastera - burger restaurant    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Punta Arenas

    January 6, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The main thing to do here is to go and see some penguins. Unfortunately this costs over 100USD so I can confirm, no penguins were found.
    Accommodation: Hospedaja Magallanes. It was more of a guesthouse than a hostel. It was pretty nice and did a great free breakfast with homemade, German style bread.
    Two nights here was excessive but again, I had pre-booked my accommodation and my flight. I met Diego, my hostel owner from Puerto Natales. He was here for the day running some errands. It was a surprisingly sunny and wind free day so we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun and drinking cocktails.
    It's the end of my Patagonian adventure and I'm very excited for Santiago and seeing some familiar faces.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Santiago

    January 8, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Look at all these people I know! I arrived in Santiago only to be collected from the airport by Joseph and Sarah in their new wheels. After nearly 7 weeks away it was very lovely to see their familiar faces.
    Hostel: Ventura Sur Hostel. 10/10 hostel. I had been recommended it while I was in Brazil. The owner Ivan is a really cool guy and couldn't have made me feel more welcome. He does avocado and eggs for breakfast and did a huge BBQ for everyone.
    Day one in Santiago had me straight back in the shops to replace the puffa jacket I had lost. Bagged myself a bargain in the Patagonia outlet. The area of my hostel was very nice and we found a nice Italian vibey bar to have food for our first South American family dinner.
    Day two, I had Megan's arrival. I'm now not so solo on my solo travels. For the rest of our stay in Santiago we enjoyed getting to know everyone in the hostel, had a big hostel dinner, drank plenty of Pisco sours and tried to do a few touristy things. Santiago as a city didn't exactly have my heart. It was okay but I didn't feel very safe. Megan had her necklace stolen from her neck while on the walking tour and two people in the hostel had their phones stolen.
    I'll be coming in and out of Santiago a few times in the next couple of weeks so I'll have more opportunities to try to tick off more sights and attractions.

    Things I did:
    Explore the area of Barrio Italia
    Free walking tour
    Cable cars to see the view

    Recommendations:
    Be very very wary of theft    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Mendoza

    January 13, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Back in my beloved Argentina to dive into the Malbec capital of the world. Megan and I got the 10am bus from Santiago. This is also where we were able to link back up with Joseph and Sarah. The drive was incredibly scenic with a very impressive corkscrew road. It took an age to pass through border control and we arrived at our destination at 6pm.

    Accommodation: Gorilla Hostel. It was pretty nice with very helpful staff. It seemed very social but we mostly did our own thing. It also has a very nice pool in the garden.

    -Day one, Joseph, Sarah and I wasted no time and went straight for steak at El Asadito. We ordered a BBQ platter that came with Argentinian black pudding, short ribs, pork and steak. This was all washed down with incredible Malbec. It was a complete treat to start off the trip and cost less that €10pp.
    -Day two, we started the day with the classic Western Union trip to get some pesos. This was followed by coffee to plan out our day. We headed to the wine area of Lujan de Cuyo to rent some bikes and cycle between vineyards. We had lunch at Bodega Gieco. We sat in a beautiful garden and the atmosphere and service was so lovely. We had a huge meat and cheese platter and, of course, Malbec. We cycled onto the vineyard Via Monte where we had a 4pm tasting booked. It was concluded that we all have kind of cheap pallets and the really expensive stuff is more or less wasted on us.
    -Day three. We had breakfast and then headed to explore Parque General San Martin. We chilled by the lake, read our books, stumbled across a vintage car show (to Joseph's delight) and also the Chilean Mustang Club. After a few happy hour cocktails we had a very lovely and fancy dinner at Anna's Bistro.
    -Day four, needing to have another vineyard fix to went to Roberto Bonfanti winery for lunch. Again it was a platter of meats and cheese but our favourite was still Bodega Gieco. We had a few more happy hour cocktails before we had to say our goodbyes to Joseph and Sarah.
    -Day five. Megan and I used up the last of our pesos by getting mani-pedis and spent the rest of the day chilling out before our night bus to Valparaiso. I also went to the gym in an attempt to combat the effects of falling into so many wineries.

    Recommendations/things I did:
    Explore the vineyards by bike
    Bodega Gieco (our favourite)
    Via Montie winery
    Bonfanti winery
    El Asadito for steak. 5⭐
    Anna's Bistro for dinner. It's French.
    White Shark coffee
    Parque San Martin    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Valparaiso

    January 18, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Megan and I got the overnight bus from Mendoza straight into Valparaiso. Border control took an age and we were freezing on the bus. Otherwise it was an okay journey but we were pretty tired for our first day here.

    Accommodation: Hostel Po. A very lovely hostel with a great communal area in the roof of the building. Very laid back staff. Ended up extending for an extra two nights. Spent four nights here in total.

    Valparaiso is a UNESCO town and became a popular place for artists to settle in the 90s. The town was originally formed as a result of the port which was once the largest and most important in Chile. It has a total of 42 hills. The main tourist hill is called Happy Hill. Definitely the safest place to stay and to wander the streets. We walked the length and breadth of this while we were here taking in the street art. It's a good work out for the legs. Our days consisted of walking tours (we did two), going for coffee and chilling in the hostel. We opted against going out at night mainly for safety reasons. We had been well warned to be extremely careful. There is a lot of theft here which unfortunately has gotten a lot worse lately. Someone I know from home sent me a message saying him and his wife were attacked at gun point a few weeks earlier.
    The neighbouring towns are also lovely and worth checking out. They're very close by and all run into one another. We did a trip to Vina del Mar and Concon where we watched the sunset from the sand dunes.

    Recommendations/things I did:
    Walking tours of Valparaiso
    Maria Maria for food. I went three times! Excellent coffee, the best pastries and do a fabulous brunch. The lunch menu starts at 1pm. Got the cauliflower sandwich. The place is a must.
    Coffee at 504 Coffee
    Get empanadas from Le Pató
    Hotel Brighton for a drink. Has a great view from the terrace. They do an excellent Pisco Sour.

    Vina del Mar:
    Went to the beach
    Had lunch at Noosa Cafe

    Concon:
    Black sand beach - pretty tacky and far too many people
    Las Deliciosas for empanadas - I got the crab stuffed one. It was a recommendation from the Lonely Planet book.
    Watch the sunset from the sand dunes. According to Megan, they have nothing on the ones in Donegal!

    Get the local bus between the towns. It only cost around 50p. They drive like lunatics and it feels like you're on a low key rollercoaster.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Pucon

    January 23, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Megan and I took an overnight bus from Santiago to reach Pucon. We booked a premium bus and were very excited to be able to have a seat that went the full 180. We arrived at 6:30am so we had to kill some time sitting on a curb outside a coffee shop drinking terrible coffee until we could check into the hostel.
    Pucon is a volcanic town which currently has a semi-active volcano. During our stay it went from a yellow to an amber warning alert. The town is beautiful and would remind you of a little European ski town. It has huge lakes with black sand beaches.

    Accommodation: Chili Kiwi hostel. It's such a great hostel and we loved it here. It has loads of different sections with various kitchens and hangout areas. It has a treehouse that overlooks the lake and has great sunset views.

    -Day 1: arriving to the hostel I met plenty of familiar faces. I met Emma from Patagonia, Elisa from Santiago and Ronan from Mendoza. I also linked back up with Joseph and Sarah for our Chilean family holiday. Day one was pretty chilled, checkout out the town and had drinks in the hostel.
    -Day 2: We had a slow start to the day and then hiked/hitched to a nearby waterfall. It was a much steeper climb than we anticipated so we weren't too mentally prepared. Very kindly, we were offered a lift back to town by a Chilean couple in their huge truck. Predictably, Joseph was very happy with this. In the evening we had the vans first BBQ. We had steak and ribs which dad would say were "cooked to perfection".
    -Day 3: this was an advertuous day. We went hydrospeeding which was floating through rapids on a river while lying on top of a tiny foam board. I was clinging on for dear life and stressfully kicking to stay in line and keep clear of rocks. It was a great adrenaline surge. In the evening we had our second BBQ, this time joined by Ronan and Gandalf the beagle.
    -Day 4: We went to the national park called Huerquehue and did the San Sebastian hike. This was steep and hands down the hardest hike I've done in SA. It was 1300m in elevation. It took the full day but gave us incredible views of the area. We were very pleased with ourselves and had a cup of Barry's tea when we were back down in the van. We ate out at Cassis restaurant and went to bed very tired.
    -Day 5: The last day of our little family holiday. We rented out kayaks and had Rob from the hostel join us. Sarah and I took turns being in the middle to be the ladies of leisure not having the paddle. We had a few drinks at the hostel before saying our sad goodbyes. Megan and I took our night bus to head back north.

    Recommendations:
    San Sebastian hike
    Hydrospeed
    Rent kayaks
    Hike to the waterfall (can't remember the name)
    You can also climb a volcano but it's pricey and we couldn't get to the top as it's active    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    San Pedro de Atacama

    January 28, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We took a night bus from Pucon to get us to Santiago. We spent a few hours killing time in a shopping mall before heading to the airport to fly to Calama. From there we took a shared taxi/shuttle to the town of San Pedro. It was like entering the wild wild west.

    Accommodation: Casa Voyage. This was a lovely hostel and the top rated to stay. It was very camp-like with lots of individual buildings and outdoor hangout areas. They did a group dinner every night. We were there for burger night and pizza night. Both included wine for a total of £5.

    -Day one. We spent the morning sussing out tours for the following days and how best to enter the salt flats. We ended up booking three tours through the company Eco Tours for a total of £108.
    We did the 3pm tour to Valle de la Luna (moon valley). It included a picnic with Pisco sours. The scenery was very impressive and we got a gorgeous sunset.
    -Day two. We did a full day tour to Piedras rojas. This was so enjoyable. The guide was excellent and told us so many great facts. I learned that cactuses grow arms for balance and the lama came about from the vicuna and guanaco cross breeding. Also that vicunas are the ones with yellow faces while the guanaco has a black face. The air is so clear in the Atacama that the human eye can see three times its normal distance and it's also the second driest place on earth. The driest surprisingly is Antarctica. We saw several lagoons with flamingos and some impressive red rock. The tour included an excellent breakfast and lunch.
    In the evening we went star gazing. The Atacama is the best place in the world for viewing stars. It was really great to be able to see the moon through a telescope and learn that the closest star to the moon is actually Mars.
    -Day three. We designated this day to planning. It was a bit of a struggle considering pretty much all networks went down. The down side to being in a desert! We lazed by the pool and ended up going to an electronic club with the hostel.

    Recommendations;
    Booked our tours through EcoTours. Found them pretty good and they let you haggle the price. Also booked our salt flat tour with them.
    Roots sandwich bar.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Salt Flats

    February 1, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    My three day/tour night salt flats tour. I booked this through Eco Tours for £170. It was a pretty good price. I learned that it basically doesn't matter who you book through. They're all more or less the same.
    I had a very lucky, small world moment. I ended up being on the same tour and in the same car as Kate, who I know from home. We had been in contact during our trips but it was by complete chance we ended up together.
    Day one of the tour brought me into Bolivia. We had six people in our 4x4. We were very lucky to have Kate and Gina along with Femka and Marlise who we had met on a previous tour. I saw plenty of lagoons. One of them was pink and had thousands of flamingos. We stayed in a very basic guest house and had a pretty poor dinner. It was bed early with some mild altitude sickness. We did however have some very funny chats in what felt like a big sleepover. It was very cute!
    Day two brought us through interesting rock landscape. We saw some geysers. Turns out they smell really really bad. We stayed in nicer accommodation but the food was still pretty sad.
    Day three. Finally got to the salt flats. We had to get up at 4:30 to make sunrise. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy but it was nice all the same. The salt flats were stunning and thankfully I got the desired mirror effect. When I was originally planning my route I wanted to be here during the rainy season purely for this reason. After the tour we were dropped off in Uyuni where we caught an overnight bus to La Paz. We said our good-byes to Femka and Marlise and continued on as a four.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    La Paz

    February 4, 2023 in Bolivia

    La Paz is definitely a city where you feel more out of your comfort zone. The altitude is intense. Walking up a slight hill has me out of breath and my lips have a slight tinge of blue. The city itself is complete chaos but it's really lovely to see how it hasn't been westernised. The city is still two thirds indigenous people. You can see the local cholitas in their traditional clothes while working at the local street food stalls. Bolivians are very local people and no franchise or chain restaurant has ever been able to survive here.

    Accommodation: Wild Rover. Can't say I'm the biggest fan. It's a notorious party hostel and I'm not really in the mood for partying. It's also Irish owned.

    -Day one: We arrived early on an overnight bus from Uyuni. We went to The carrot tree restaurant (Irish owned) and had a delicious breakfast. We then watched Ireland Vs Wales in the first of the 6 nations matches at the Lucky Llama. We checked into our hostel and I met my friend Grant who I originally met in the Philippines five years ago. We went to a local market together that's only on for the month of February. It's a religious market where they buy things in miniature versions. The miniature things are to represent everything that they want for the year (eg a new fridge or stacks of money). They then give these to a little god that has cigarettes in its mouth. The cigarettes need to be lit every Thursday at 12pm for a whole year. They seem to be very superstitious here.
    -Day two: we had another long breakfast at the Carrot Tree and I had a planning day. I booked my flights to Rio and to Mexico city. That evening we went to a Cholita wrestling match. It's one of the recommended things to do here. To be honest, it didn't really float our boat.
    -Day three: I had lunch at a famous street stall called Doña Emi. It was fried mash potato with a meat filling. It was very tasty. I then went to meet Crazy Dave, and ex inmate from the famous San Pedro prison. He's become a bit of a tourist attraction who tells you about the lawless life inside the prison and his time making "the best" cocaine in Bolivia inside the prison walls. The book Marching Powered has made it known to the world and I'll definitely be giving it a read. After that I did the Red Cap city walking tour and learned more about the superstitious ways of the Bolivian people. They believe in sacrifices when building property. This is often a dead lamba but an urban legend has everyone convinced some also used people. In the evening I had dinner with the girls at The Curry House. It was nice to get some spice again.
    -Day four: I went to meet Gina for breakfast at Cafe del Mundo and then for lunch headed to get a chola sandwich. This was again a location from the Netflix documentary. I spent the rest of the afternoon back in the same cafe to do some planning and organise heading to Lake Titicaca the following day.

    Recommendations:
    Try all the street food you can and watch the Netflix documentary beforehand.
    The Carrot Tree. Great food and Irish owned.
    The lucky Llama. Irish pub
    Cafe del Mundo
    Cholita wrestling
    Witches market
    Get the cable cars around the city.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Lake Titicaca

    February 8, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    I've learned that Lake Titicaca is both the largest lake in South America but is also the highest of the world's largest lakes. It's shared by Bolivia and Peru. We broke the trip up by spending one night on Isla del Sol and one in Copacabana.
    Isla del Sol:
    Accommodation: Hostal Tawri. It was more of a homestay than a hostel and was owned by a very sweet local couple. The room was freezing at night and there was no hot water. Slightly to be expected based on where we were.

    Day one: we arrived at Copacabana from La Paz on a local but. It was a bit of a rough ride and took 4 hours. From there we took a 1.5 hour ferry to the island. The lake was beautiful and we definitely struggled with the altitude on the hike up to the accommodation. On arrival we learned you could only pay in cash and there are no ATMs on the island. Both Megan and I and an Oz couple we met were strapped for cash. After a long discussion it was decided that I would transfer the Oz couple money and they would pay for our accommodation when the owner of the hostel went back to the mainland with them when they could us an ATM. It was an absolute faff. We then had to hunt for the cheapest place we could find to have dinner.
    Day two: We met a lovely Irish/Swiss couple at breakfast. We were sad we couldn't spend the whole day with them. Megan and I went for a little stroll to see more of the island. Low and behold, we found a restaurant that not only accepted card but also gave cashback. We sat and had coffee and took in the spectacular view of the lake. It also looked out onto Peru which is the closest I'll be getting for the foreseeable future. We were so close, our phones changed to Peruvian time. We then made the decent back down to the harbour for the 3pm ferry.

    Copacabana:
    Accommodation: Hostal Florencia. It was £6 each for a private room. It was extremely basic but it was to be expected with the price. Breakfast was inedible but the showers were good.

    We didn't do a whole lot here but it was nice to chill out. I got some nice fresh trout for dinner by the waterfront and we tried the Bolivian drink Singani in a Chuflay cocktail.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    La Paz, take two

    February 10, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I've come back to La Paz for one last stint.
    Accommodation: Skyline hotel. It was my first time on the trip having a private room to myself. It was pretty loud though and very cold at night.

    Getting back from Isla del Sol, I said my sad goodbyes to Megan. It was so lovely to have her with me for so long.
    On Saturday I did the much anticipated Death Road. I booked this through Altitude tours. I went for the cheapest package which cost 350 Bolivianos. It included breakfast (coffee and a breakroll), some snacks and lunch (rice and chicken). The cycle itself was really good. It's true that it is scary but not as bad as it's hyped up to be. The scenery is great and the cliff drops at the side of the road are scarily steep. We weren't able to completely finish the death road as a land slide a few weeks earlier has blocked the road. This meant we had to drive the whole way back up which was even scarier than being on a bike. I would have preferred if the tour didn't include lunch as it meant we spent hours driving to the "hotel" where it was located. We finished cycling at 11:30 and didn't arrive back to La Paz until 18:00.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Santa Cruz

    February 12, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    I have absolutely nothing factual to say about Santa Cruz as I did absolutely nothing here.

    Accommodation: Hostal Backpackers Travelero. It was the top rated in the area on hostelworld. I spent two nights here. The beds were very comfortable, it has a pool and they do a good free breakfast. Ticked all the boxes but didn't have many bathrooms.

    I met Marlise again here. It was lovely to be arriving to a familiar face. I was pretty exhausted the day I got here and I woke up to an extremely swollen eye. I have no idea why it's so bad but it's not painful. I took a very strong antihistamine. It was like being on a sedative for the day so I was pretty dead to the world. I more or less just ate and slept. For lunch I had amazing Saltenas and for dinner I stumbled upon the best sushi. It was a set sushi menu so I left absolutely stuffed and it only cost £6.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Rio, Take Two

    February 14, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I've made my way back to Rio to experience the Carnival.

    Accommodation: Sangha Urbana hostel. It's a very different hostel vibe to what I'm used to. It's big into yoga, doesn't allow alcohol and it's playing constant meditation music. It sort of feels like being at a friend's house with overly strict parents.

    I got to meet Grant and Eimear again which was lovely. We went to a churrascaria, an all you can eat Brazilian meant restaurant. It also did all you can eat sushi. It was incredible but I definitely overindulged.
    Kate and Gina arrived the day after me and their friend Emma joined for a holiday from London. On the tourist front, I did a favela tour. This is something I didn't get a chance to do when I started my trip here so I was really keen to do it. I learned that not only are drugs legal within the favelas, they pretty much are the law.

    Overall my experience of the carnival was good but I probably wouldn't go back and do it again. It's amazing how the entire city shuts down and there are street parties left right and centre. Theft is crazy though and it wasn't very nice to go out almost expecting to be robbed.
    Went to the sambadrome which was the highlight. The parade starts at 9pm and doesn't finish until 6am.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Mexico City

    February 21, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    I've arrived in Mexico and starting my route through north/central America. It wasn't on my original plan, but here I am. I didn't know what to expect coming to Mexico City. I've been absolutely blown away by how beautiful it is. I thought I would only spend 3 days here but it ended up being 6.

    Accommodation:
    -Casa Pepe. Outrageously nice hostel and very fun. It's downtown. Spent the first two nights here and met great friends.
    -Roomies hostel Condesa. Absolute dive. Only perk was that I was in a private room, even though it resembled a cave. In a very desirable area though. Very affluent and has been taken over by Europeans. I was spoiled with nice coffee and brunch spots. Completely ignored the fact I was on a backpackers budget.
    -Hostel Mundo Joven Cathedral. I wanted to come back to the centre to explore it properly. Spent my last two nights here. Very strange people in my dorm room. Hostel itself was nice, clean and has an incredible rooftop bar overlooking the main square. Not very social though.

    -Day one: Arrived to Casa Pepe off my overnight flight. Very tired from Rio. Hangout on the rooftop bar and met really great people. This included Willa who I would spend the next few days with. Went out for dinner to a spot called The Opera House. A little on the fancy side and the food was incredible.
    -Day two. Went on a walking tour with our hostel. It wasn't as factual as I like and involved a lot of stops at food stalls. It covered the area of Roma. Willa, Jesse and I broke off to do our own little tour around Condesa. In the evening the hostel had Drag Karaoke which was absolutely insane.
    -Day three. Willa and I, along with our hangovers, moved to Condesa. It's such a beautiful neighbourhood. We had dinner at Mi Compa Chava which was honestly the best meal of my trip.
    -Day four. It was a 4:30 start for a sunrise hot air balloon ride. It's something I've wanted to do for so long. It was beautiful and it was really cool to be able to see the pyramids from above. We finished the day by going to an Electronic club with some locals we met through friends.
    -Day five. On the move again back to the centre as I felt I hadn't gotten a proper feel for the city. I spent the day wandering around and going to food and craft markets.
    -Day six. I did a walking tour. It was pretty average as far as walking tours go. I met some nice English people who I had lunch with and went to Luche Libre with.

    Recommendations:
    Stay at Casa Pepe
    Have dinner at Mi Compa Chava.
    Do the hot air balloons
    Also do Xochimilco. Unfortunately I never got out there.
    Luche Libre    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Oaxaca

    February 28, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    My stop to Oaxaca city was short and sweet but definitely productive. Formally knows as Oaxaca de Juárez, the city was given UNESCO status in 1987. It's dotted with brightly coloured colonial era buildings, reminding me a lot of Paraty, my favourite town in Brazil. It's a very big tourist hub for the area so at times I almost forgot I was in Mexico.

    Accommodation: Casa Angel Hostel. It was a little on the pricey side but completely worth it. It has a great rooftop terrace, holds loads of events and I met great people. Only downside was my three bed dorm had a pretty pervy 60 year old man. I was very glad for the bunk curtains. On the plus, my other dorm mate was my new Glaswegian buddy Bhaav.

    -Day one: I arrived from my 6hour bus around 5pm. I went and got some street food which actually turned out to be one of the famous Netflix stalls. I got a beer on the roof terrace to force myself to make some friends. It was successful!
    -Day two. I spent the morning wandering the streets with Bhaav. Got great coffee and went to a cool street art gallery. In the afternoon I did a combined walking tour and street food tour. It ended with a sunset on the hill. I met Irish Lucy and Alice and we had dinner at La Popular.
    -Day three: This was a big Day out with some buddies from the hostel. We went to see some petrified waterfalls called Hierve el Agua. We opted not to do this with a tour and get there ourselves by public transport. It wasn't without its stresses. They were beautiful and the natural pools for swimming were incredible. I got back to the hostel with just enough time to shower and eat before running to catch my night bus to Puerto Escondido.

    Recommendations:
    La Popular for food. Get the shrimp tacos.
    CAFETO and BARISTAS - great coffee
    La Mezcalerita
    Go to Hierve el Agua
    There's also temples but I'm saving myself for Chichen Itza    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    Puerto Escondido

    March 2, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    My time in Puerto Escondido was like a little holiday by the sea which more or less consisted of eating and doing nothing. It's a small seaside town that's popular with surfers. Over the last few years it's become a lot more touristy and they say it's going to be the next Tulum.

    Accommodation: Huitzilin Hostal. All in all a fairly average hostel. The pool was great, free breakfast was less than average.

    It was nice to arrive at a new place and have a lot of people to catch up with. On my first evening I met Willa and then met Bhaav with the rest of his group of home friends. I spent a lot of time with them over the few days here which was a lot of fun. It was really nice to have mutual friends from home in common with their group.
    My days were mostly checking out different beaches, eating fish tacos and drinking mezcalitas. I went baby turtles releasing which was very cute.    Read more

  • Sheila ScottSouth and Central AmericaTraveler

    San Cristobal de la Casas

    March 7, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I arrived to San Cristobal off yet another overnight bus. This was initially supposed to be a two night stop but I ended up extending for an extra night. It's another colonial town, but not quite as pretty as Oaxaca. The town is at altitude so it's a lot cooler and it has a large population of indigenous people. Everyone has a huge coke problem (Coca-Cola). The largest Coca-Cola factory in Mexico is located in the area. Consequently, this takes the majority of the clean water in the area. The tap water is completely contaminated to the point you're warned to keep your mouth shut in the shower. A bottle of coke in a store is cheaper than water and on average people here drink 2-3 litres of coke a day.

    Accommodation: Puerta Vieja Hostel. By far the best hostel I've stayed at during my trip. It's unbeatable value. It's only £11.80 a night which includes breakfast (choice of three options), dinner and snacks throughout the day. Vibe was great, met great people and they even gave free mojitos on a Tuesday.

    -Day one: Arrived off the bus, got my free breakfast and then went straight to a walking tour of the town. Went to a cute little french bakery and had the opportunity to try Pox, a local liquor. Met some nice people on the tour, particularly Maddie and Maya who I would spend the next few days with. In the afternoon we went to a nearby town to see the church San Juan Chamula. This is the only church in Mexico where animal sacrifice is still allowed. It was a very bizarre and not very pleasant experience. I saw at least four chickens being skilled in the 15 minutes I was there.
    -Day two: I went to some of the local markets and walked around the town. It was international women's Day so there was a women's march that went around the town and ended in the main square. For lunch we went to a wine bar that gave you free tapas with every glass you ordered. In the evening the hostel had a retired chef cook for us. We had a vegan curry and it was honestly one of the best meals I've had in a long time. And all for free!
    -Day three: I went on a tour to the local canyon. I saw it from a few different view points and had a boat ride along the river. It was amazing. At one point the cliff edge is 1km in height. Saw some nice birds and very big crocodiles.    Read more

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