We are going on a motorcycle adventure in South America starting in April 2017. We hope to visit several countries and there are a few things we particularly would like to see, however we have no fixed plan and no fixed route. We hope that we will get to spend some time in all of the following countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina, and possibly Southern Brazil, and we are fortunate enough to have a full 12 months to travel and explore.
One debate was whether to try and follow some of the 2018 Dakar Rally (original plan) or travel to Patagonia and onto Ushuaia, maybe for christmas 2017. We will have to see what happens, however after seeing some amazing footage and scenery of Ushuaia and Patagonia, I think that heading further South will now be the potential winner. It would be a shame not to experience it on bikes, although the Patagonia winds give me the heebie jeebies. We will just have to fly back another time to follow the Dakar Rally...2019 anyone?
Originally our plan was to start in Toronto, Canada, then travel through the USA visiting some of my American family, down the western coast of the USA, through Mexico and Central America, then onto South America. In order to do this we wanted the potential to stay longer in the USA than the standard 90 days issued on ESTA, plus in order to qualify for ESTA you are required to have a return flight. Unfortunately, one of us had some difficulty obtaining a longer VISA and it was declined, which meant entering the USA was a no-go. So plans changed. Despite the initial disappointment, mainly at not being able to visit my family in the US and some lovely people we met from Canada, we are grateful of the extra time that we now get to spend exploring the huge diversity of landscapes, culture, nature and climates that South America has to offer.
I have downloaded a couple of travel books onto my old-school Kindle instead of buying paper copies:
- SOUTH AMERICA: SPANISH TRAVEL PHRASES for ENGLISH SPEAKERS: The most useful phrases to get around when travelling in South America.
The benefit of the Kindle is that the battery lasts ages, and despite having a Kindle app, the devices it runs on tend to eat the battery power in a matter of hours...not very useful in the middle of nowhere. Also, you don't get the glare that you get from other devices; just a tip if you care about your eyes (and headaches).