Finally, Chile

I will stop in Chile, so what’s interesting in this country?

- How amazing the pacific coast is. Chile seems to be placed between the Andean Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. I’m going to take long and interesting walks. With my camera, I hope to take pictures of geysers, mountains, beaches, forests and volcanoes. It seems every part of nature is concentrated in one country.

- gastronomy : this country has a good reputation for good food and cracking wines. Since I’m French (France is THE country of cooking and wines!), I think I’ll enjoy tasting new flavors and comparing them to my culture.

And of course, I won’t forget Easter Island.

The island is a special territory of Chile, special thanks to its statues, called moai, created by the Rapanui people. It is a world heritage site, so it’s impossible to avoid this place.

And next, let’s visit Bolivia

What about listening podcast to tease you about Bolivia?

Well, my main goals in this country are first the salt desert “Salar de Uyuni” and secondly the lake “Titicaca“.

- Salar de Uyuni :

As you may know (if you have visited “who I am…”), I really enjoy huge space. So after white and iced landscape, this particular (not sand but salt) desert has struck myself. This world’s largest salt flat sits at 3653m and blankets 12,000 sq km. It was part of a prehistoric salt lake, Lago Minchín, which once covered most of southwest Bolivia. When it dried up, it left a couple of seasonal puddles and several salt pans, including the Salar de Uyuni. I just want to walk on it, maybe cross it (maybe I’m a little bit insane…)

- Titicaca :

Well, you could object that we can find Lake everywhere. And you are right. But since I appreciate the countryside and the beauty of nature, I have to go and see this famous lake by myself, where water and mountains are linked. Moreover, It sits 3,812 m above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America. That’s making it unique.

And what about crossing the border between Peru and Bolivia via a boat? Of course I need to check the customs, but that’s an idea…

First, PERU !

This video can show most of the sights of Peru. Even though there are many places to visit, I will focus my research on the most popular ones :

- Cuzco : despite the recent earthquake (2007), it is still one of the most beautiful cities of the country, still related to the Inca culture… People in a different country with a different culture is one of the most interesting points when I travel. This seems pretty good.

- Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail : I can’t imagine traveling to Peru without visiting the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail. The 33km journey is walked by thousands every year, winding its way over three high Andean passes to the best-known archaeological site on the continent.
Built in 1460 at the height of the Inca Empire, it has been abandonned by the Inca during the Spanish Conquest the century after. Many hypotheses were made for the Citadel. On the one hand, the citadel was the traditional birthplace of the Inca people or the spiritual center of the “Virgins of the Suns”, and on the other hand, a settlement built to control the economy of the conquered regions. Finally most archaeologists are convinced that Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca emperor, Pachacuti.
Whereas Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the main concern is actually the great number of visitors. Around 500 000 visitors could make irreversible dammages to the site. That’s why this site has been chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

First step : Choosing the countries to visit

Well thanks to the map, and because of the size of South America, I have decided to focus on only three countries : Peru, Bolivia and Chile. I don’t know yet which itinerary to follow, but this will be described in another post.

I have to be aware of all specific regulations (Passeport, Visa, vaccines…), make a list of what I want absolutely to visit, and prepare myself physically…

My Goal !

Welcome to my Blog!

I’m Rico, and what I’d like to do is traveling around the world (by my own) by living unique experiences.

I have already tried crazy things. For instance in 2006, I went to Canada and experienced one week with sled dogs in extreme weather conditions. So, I have decided for the next trip to visit Machu Picchu and the “Salar De Uyuni”. But since I need to prepare it, I will let you follow in my steps.