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Dimitri South America

november 2017 - januari 2018
  • Dimitri Viatos
En 74-dags äventyr från Dimitri Läs mer
  • Dimitri Viatos

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    36°51'29" S 185°14'55" W

    18 november 2017, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Sitting at Auckland airport waiting to depart for Chile. Not too much to say, will post more when I land. Traveling with two friends from college, Louis and Eyob.

    A rough itinerary:

    Ecuador (in particular the Galapagos Islands)
    Colombia (in particular Bogota)
    Peru (inc. climbing Machu Pichu)
    Brazil
    Argentina.
    Home again!
    I'll be updating this blog when I can. Feel free to post comments.

    Dimitri    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Santiago Layover

    17 november 2017, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The one certainty with travel is that every airport looks identical and demands extortionate prices on everything. NZ $3.50 for a small bottle of water!

    Flew over Santiago. Very dry and mountanous. Looks like Greece minus the olives.

    Met Carlos on the plane. From Argentina and works at the Spanish Embassey in Wellington. A big Boca fan (Argentina's biggest football club). Proudly reminded him the nix beat them 2-1 in a friendly 5 years ago. He shot back asking how our world cup qualification was going. Touche.

    Very tired now - have not slept for 20 straight hours. Flying out 11pm local.

    Photos: Waiting to leave + Louis eating a sausage to go with the 11 (!) complementary ham and cheese rolls consumed on flight.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Guayaquil

    18 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    In Ecuador's largest city for two days before flying to the Galapagos Islands. Touched down at 3am but had to wait at airport until 8am before could check in - 5 hours of boredom.

    Took a taxi to hotel. Driver locked the doors the moment we left the airport compound (very reassuring) and proceeded to speed manically through the morning traffic, utilizing all four 'lanes' on offer. You know you've got a problem when the driver is using his horn more than his indicators. Did only charge the three of us $6 US in fairness.

    Spent the day wandering the waterfront (pics attached). Good food is as rare as good drivers here - mostly deep-fried or sweets, with few vegetables on offer. Questionable hygiene standards as well - food does sometimes come out colder than it should, despite an insistence it be served 'caliente' (hot).

    The one business booming here seems to be private security . A key indicator a chasm exists between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' is when the haves begin to essentially raise private armies to protect their property. Every store here has erected barbed wire and employs a security guard, sporting a Kevlar vest and twirling his half-metre baton. Nothing like a bit of muscle to assure you that everything's well under control...

    Pics: 1) The Malecon district waterfront (where all the haves live)
    2) Southern Guayaquil, yet to be gentrified (the nots reside in those shanties beyond the white (or is it ivory?) tower).    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America
    2

    At the Football

    20 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    South Americans are mad about football. Their support for their teams is legendary. The problem with legends is that they can become exaggerated with time, as people try and continuously amaze. So today we wandered down to the Estadio George Capwell to investigate. Our findings:

    Transport:
    - Taxi to and from the game (no seat belts). We were specifically warned not to walk outside of the stadium.

    Buying tickets:
    - All tickets for the day had been sold, but mostly to scalpers. We ended up buying three on the street for $15 ea, even though they had a printed face-value of $10. We bought the more expensive tickets to avoid being with the 'brava bravas' (ultras). These guys are not the Yellow Fever.

    Security:
    - Tight. Lots of cops, riot police, mounted police, a helicopter etc.
    - We all got a pat-down before entering. They confiscated our water bottles - not sure why as they don't make great projectiles. Some guy near us got ejected for throwing coins at an opposition substitute though, so they've found something that works.

    Atmosphere:
    - Passionate - ref had to be the bravest man in the ground. Every call against home team Emelec accompanied by howls and whistles.
    - We were in the family zone so reasonably calm. The brava brava opposite could be heard chanting the entire game.
    - No away fans - they might have been banned from attending.

    Play:
    - Highly individualistic. Pretty much every player tries to beat their man.
    - Every player has great touch but too many misplaced passes. Unsurprising as passing is probably neglected at training each week.

    Overall:
    - Awesome, raw experience as it's still lacking that gentrification which has taken over every Western sporting event.
    - The legendary passion is true, but stories of wanton violence (at least in the stadium itself) seem exaggerated. The key ingredients are there though; those cops were not for show.

    Pics: (1) Eyob and I at the waterfront; (2) The game! (3) An inflatable tunnel extending onto the pitch for the players to walk through    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Galapagos

    21 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Tired and dealing with awful internet so only a brief post.

    Flew to Galapagos island chain, took speed boat to largest island Isla Isabela. Driven at lunatic speed by the captain. Eyob threw up, Louis took pictures.

    Galapagos is volcanic and much of it is desolate wasteland. Thus mostly inhabited by reptiles (volcanic lizards, iguanas, tortises etc). They are old and don't move much.

    Found a run-down football pitch, bought a ball and had a kick around. Some local kids (8-9 y/o) came over and challenged us. Most were very good technically and had a great touch - I was impressed. We introduced them to New Zealand football by knocking them off the ball.

    Won't attach pics as that will probably bring down the island's internet.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America
    1
    22

    Galapagos - Puerto Ayora

    23 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Our fourth day on the islands. There are many day activities to choose from here which the rest of our tour group usually go on. We three have mostly stuck to the free ones (which are just as good) or invented our own.

    Took our football to the local Stadium Municipal (pic) a long with a German called Fabian to shoot some goals there. Climbed Sierra Negra (a volcano) in the rain. Also biked to the 'Wall of Tears', where Ecuadorian convicts in the 50's had piled stones as punishment.

    The locals have been welcoming but, being cynical, it does all feel a little forced. They see thousands of rich Americans every year and our group is really just one more herd to be milked of their cash. Everything is far more expensive than the mainland, and that can't just be down to extra transportation costs.

    The islands packed with animals - birds, tortoises and lizards everywhere. You see far more of these supposedly endangered species than you would in NZ. I've never seen a wild kiwi in NZ before but almost stepped on a Galapagos tortoise yesterday.

    Pics: (1) a tortoise - indescribably slow and would never, ever outrun a hare (2) the 'stadium' - could use some work (3) a bird (4) Louis chose the one boat seat without adequate cover.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Galapagos - Puerto Ayora Again

    24 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It's 9 am and we have just finished our complementary breakfast in our fancy hotel on the Puerto Ayora waterfront. Our tour itinerary listed us as only being entitled to two breakfasts on the first two days. Our tour companions also seem to have paid significantly more than us. Putting it all together, it seems that we did book the cheaper tour but, due to a lack of numbers, they had to bundle both cheap and deluxe together. We're not complaining.

    We visited a park yesterday and saw more tortoises. Guides spent four hours marching us around before releasing us for lunch. Walked to a night food market in the evening. Similar to the ones in Wellington, just with more questionable hygiene. Too many stray animals, exposed food etc.

    Now desperately researching options for watching the nix at 12:30 am (Sat NZ). Internet is bad so may have to live stream radio sports audio instead. Worst case, I'll ring baba and he can stick the phone by the TV speakers.

    Louis has now eaten too much free breakfast and feels sick. He'll feel even worse on our speed boat ride at midday. I'm not sitting next to him.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Galapagos - San Cristobal Island

    25 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The final island of our tour. Nix lost last night in a shameful performance so not in the mood to write much.

    It's morning and we're sitting in the hotel lounge researching beaches. All look the same to me.

    Boat ride over the roughest yet. Eyob handled it well. Unfortunate, as I had bet a dollar with Louis on him spewing again. Turns out Louis slipped him a few sea sickness pills beforehand.

    Arrived and saw a seal give birth on the main beach. Messy.

    Beach search finished - we're off.

    Pics: (1) crevasse where you can dive; (2) Eyob insisted this go up.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America

    Back on the Mainland

    27 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Galapagos is more than a nature sanctuary. It’s a tourist sanctuary.

    We’ve arrived in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, and it’s even dodgier than Guayaquil. Every street door is secured with several thick padlocks. The local emergency hospital has more security guards than patients. We’re staying in the ‘tourist area’, easily identifiable by its heavy police presence (three outside my window). Makes you wonder what’s going on across the rest of the city.

    The city itself is old - many period buildings from when the Spanish first colonized. Streets are paved with cobblestones. Great for the horse and cart, not so great for cars.

    Our hostel is owned by a guy called Rhina. He’s from Napier. His hostel is full of hippie students and one might describe the atmosphere as ‘cultist’. Between the veganism and new-age yoga, it’s all too liberal for my taste – half expected someone to start reciting the communist manifesto during the communal dinner.

    They offer a hostel dinner for US $5, definitely safest having surveyed the local options. Inevitably, however, meat was off the menu and the portions were tiny. The wifi is also switched off at 7pm so that people are forced to talk. The irony of insisting on conformity is lost on these non-conformists.

    Incredibly, we were all ordered to bed at 11pm. In a student hostel! One of the minders/gulag guards mumbled something about meditative quiet time. The wifi doesn’t even stretch to our rooms.

    Eyob and Louis are hiding in their rooms. The resident yoga instructor is on a recruitment prowl. I’m off to get a decent meal.

    Pics: (1) A gun emplacement on Galapagos; (2) The local Basilica; (3) Louis and Eyob walking up to it.    Läs mer

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  • Dimitri ViatosResenärDimitri South America
    1

    A little culture

    27 november 2017, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    As requested, something a little more cultural for this post. The following is from our tour guide today, augmented with my own thoughts.

    Today is Ecuador’s Independence Day, commemorating liberation from the Spanish Crown. Ecuador has two favourite sons, Simone Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre. They were aristocrats of Spanish descent who, like the United States’ founding fathers, were dissatisfied with subjugation to a distant monarch. They raised an army together and drove the Spanish off the continent entirely. Bolivar had dreams for a united South America (‘Grande Colombia’) but this never eventuated. South America is rich in resources and, organized, Grande Colombia could have rivaled the US. Instead, the continent’s fragmentation, conflict and abuses of power means it has been left seriously underdeveloped. Who wants to invest in a country where everything you work for can be nationalized in a heartbeat?

    Ecuador’s recent political history is similarly chaotic. It’s been invaded three times by Peru since 1941 over some random valley. It had 10 different presidents in the 1990s, then one for 10 years, who was finally forced out this year when he tried to enact laws allowing him to rule indefinitely. The current President, Lenin Moreno, is crippled by a gunshot so was installed by his party as a pitiable public face amidst discontent. He’s gone off script, apparently, and has impeached the former President for corruption. Probably just cleaning house to consolidate his own position though. Madness.

    There’s a doco on Youtube, Civilization: The West and the Rest, which touches on South America’s untapped potential. You need stability, security and accountability to create great countries, something in short supply here.

    Also, do let me know what you want to hear more of. Otherwise you’ll just get me ranting about crappy hostels or South American mismanagement.

    Pics: (1) The Independence Day parade. President Moreno is on the balcony; (2) Pinatas of politicians - one of them is Trump apparently.    Läs mer

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