South America Top 5

Whilst sitting waiting on the tour of the Salt Cathedral in Zipa, an older Dutch guy asked me what the top 5 things I had done in South America were as this was my last day on the continent. Well it was a hard question and I had to reply by giving him my top 5 things in Colombia. But thinking about it, maybe I should narrow down my top 5...well here goes, I got a top 6 as a compromise, it may even be a top 7...

1. Despite, as I said in my blog on the trip, the end site of Machu Picchu was perhaps not the greatest one off sight of the trip, the 4 day trek and adventure leading up to it was the best thing that I have done in South America. Walking a path that had been trodden over 500 years ago as a trail of pilgrimage and linking the mountain site of Machu Picchu to the Sacred Valley below, there is something magical about that. Then theres the views, the snow capped peaks that tower above you into the clouds and behind you, the valley that stretches into the distance. I reckon, this is a tough call, the best view of a valley came on the 3rd day of the climb, looking down the valley at the train line below. Also the sense of accomplishment from doing the trek...ok its not overly difficult, but climbing 1200m at 6am when you already start at 3000m above sea level does leave even the fittest and most acclimatised a little breathless, all bar the chaskis of course, although I did see some red faces amongst them as well. And then theres the moment when you are stanidng at Intipunku, the clouds disappear and there below you is it...Machu Picchu itself and whilst I gave it a hard time earlier, it is an incredible sight. Perched between two mountains with the valley falling away on each side, it is a sight to behold. Most visitors say there is a magic about the place and I can totally understand why but I think we were all magicked out by the time we got there, thats how good the trail is. Im also glad that even after hearing about the other options for visiting the site, including the Inca Jungle trek which sounds cool, that we did the original. Its more satisfying I feel and I think for a first time visit if you can afford the price and the time then its the best way to do it.

2. For a one off, take your breath away, mind blowing sight...then you will be pushed to beat Iguassu Falls anywhere in the world I feel. Niagra and Vicoria are normally ranked in the top 5 falls as well and I have seen Niagra and they dont even hold a candle to these...as for Victoria, well Ill let you know when I get there and I will get there. The Brasil side is well worth a visit, its like the picture side of the falls where you get to walk along the side of the Rio Igaussu and picture a number of falls before being led right in to the mouth of the Garganta do Diablo (portuguese) which is the most awesome cascade of water imaginable. The noise and sight of the water and the spray is unreal and it truly is breathtaking. Then theres the Argentina side which has around 15 waterfalls, of varying size and magnitude but all phenomenal in their own way. On the Argentina side, the path takes you to the top of the Graganta del Diablo (Spanish) and the view down into the throat is...wow!!! The noise is defeaning and you get absolutely soaked, drenched through...same on the Brasil side too I suppose. There is also the option of taking a speedboat into two of the larger falls and again getting defeaned and sodden. Its a great experience and I dont think Ive uttered the words "". Well I didnt even have words to descirbe what I was seeing and you wouldnt have heard anything anyway. Yup, its on the shortlist to become one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and for me it should be on it already.

3. This could easily top the list and it tops it for a lot of people that I have spoken to who have seen even more than I have. The Salar de Uyuni is for me, the one thing that anyone who travels to Bolivia has to do. The trip from La Paz may be the most uncomfortable journey in all of South America but its more than worth it. 3 days on a host of other planets, none of them our own provides some of the most incredible landscapes surely known to man. The salt flats themself are like a never ending beach that goes on and on well into the horizon only to be punctuated by an Andean mountain. But of course there not like a beach because its salt not sand and thats what makes it more incredible, the pure whiteness of them. Its even cool, when you move from pure flat, to the cracked area where the salt forms perfect pentagonal and hexagonal shapes. Its not just the salt flats either, although they are quite something, you drive past numerous snow capped and steaming volcanoes with the landscape changing to look like youve ended up on some expedition to Mars. Theres jade green coloured lakes and lagoons some stinking of sulphur with nobody taking the blame for the gas and all filled with flamingoes. Then there is the lagoon, so populated by a pink coloured algae, that itself appears crimson in colour. You are in the car for a long time but our jeep must have stopped every ten mins for someone to take a picture of the ever changing landscape. If Branson wanted to save money on sending people into outter space, then a blindfold and a flight to the Salt Flats would do the trick nicely. Bolivia was Banjos favourite country for very good reason (wink wink), this was one of them...there is nowhere else in the world, fact, where you can witness what the Salar de Uyuni has to offer!

4. The next two selections both involve wildlife and I guess if you really wanted to make this a top 5 selection then you could merge the two together to make one under the umbrella "wildlife" but I think thats unfair. Slightly edging it over the other is the Pantanal, although it was really a toss up between there and the Amazon. The Pantanal, an area of wetland the size of France has more bird life than you ever thought was possible and we were lucky enough to see a great deal of it. From the very start seeing a 2.5m female anaconda snake (get it) her way across the road in front of us, it was always going to be a fantastic 3 days in the wilderness. I swam with caiman and piranha losing a toe in the process, got my own back though when I caught and then enjoyed bbq'ing one of the little snappers. Spotted a pair of hyacenth macaws, seriously endangered and seriously rare, I then spotted another pair and another making it 6 in total, 6 of only 3000 in the wild is pretty good in my books. Saw aramdillos, capibaras, various species of hawks and kingfishers and herons, including the tiger heron which has beautiful foliage. We heard and saw howler monkeys, which can be heard for miles and miles. I cant count the number of animals we saw, each special and the majority of them totally new to my eyes. I rode a horse through the jungle, a boat up the Rio Paraguay which as its name suggests flows to the south to provide a border between the two countries. Slept in a hammock for 3 nights in a row and overall ate well and had a tremendous time. I think the reason the Pantanal slightly shades the amazon is because I had never seen any of these animals before and that was wonderful. To crown it off on the way back out of the camp, a Jaribu, the bird of the Pantanal flew right over our heads with its gigantic wingspan. What a great time and never to be forgotten.

5. So the Pantanal just shaded it but have no doubt, the Amazon is Amazing. Parque Manu, described as the purest section of rainforest left in the world offers so much that I could well believe that description of this beautiful park. Before we even arrived a Parque Manu, we were treated to a burial site of pre-Inca peoples. We were also treated to a story of where El Dorado may be hidden and the reasons as to why it had never been found...it was a great start if a bit shoddy in reliability. Then there was the jungle, in all its variety and splendour. The cloud forest provided our first glimpse of monkeys, huge ones and tiny little ones all playing in the trees abouve our heads. Also spotting the c*** of the Rock, Peru's national bird was a wonder. Continuing on up the river into the rainforest true and encountering various animals and birdlife as well as trees taller than skyscrapers and thicker than a Land Rover is long was unreal. Trying to climb the vines that hung down from these monsters was lots of fun even if I was dreadfully unsuccesful in my attempts. Again fishing this time for piranha and gigantic catfish as well as trying all the foods of the jungle, including grubs and the fruits the monkeys had dropped for us was great. Hunting at night for spiders bigger than your face and frogs as big as your palm was ace and witnessing where our guides had grown up and played as boys was a wonderful little side trip. I mean, this afterall is the amazon jungle, seen only on tv's with David Attenborough narrating to us all the wonders that it holds. We saw tonnes, and were exposed to many of the secrets but its still only a fraction of what there is to see. What a place, what an incredible place that we truly need to preserve and ensure its longevity for all that lives inside.

6. Number 6 was originally going to be 6 plus 7 but I have decided that unlike the Pantanal and the Amazon, I am going to unmbrella them under the title of Cities. The cities of South America have been, for the large majority, some of the greatest I have visited in all my life. The history that pours from them, along with the culture that of course varies in all is immense. The nightlife is unbelievable and not only because for the most part it doesnt start till 4am and finish around 7am but the music thats played and the atmosphere generated by the people that go to the bars and nightclubs is totally absorbing and you cant help but let yourself go and have a good time, no matter what your mood may be. Many of the cities boast a great selection of museums, some fascinating in their content and art galleries, which despite not viewing any, are renowned the world over. The people too are great, even Buenos Aires which gets a bad rep, we found extremely freindly and helpful in many ways. Oh and the food, well it differs country to country but most of the larger cities cater for all your culinary desires. We had sushi in Lima that would easily rival the best in London or New York (not Tokyo tho I mean come on, thats a different ball game) and La Paz has a British style curry house which could hold its own in a Glasogow street. In most cases though its not the foreign food that appeals, its the local cuisine and my has that been good. Steak in B.A, probably the best in the world, BBQ in Rio, succulent and ceviche in Lima is well, I may have found a new top 10 favourite food, its muy muy rico. Rio I must confess is my number one city and I was going to originally write that as number 6. Its set in the most stunning place I could ever imagine a city could be set and there is always something going on, the beat never stops. It doesnt matter if your on the beach, in some run down barrio, on a favela tour or on the top of a hill in some posh barrio, there is a constant beat about the city that is infectious and I loved it. Buenos Aires runs it a very close second due to its class and culture and wonderful architecture, lifestyle and nightlife. They are two fantastic cities and ones which I would love to revisit.

So there you go, the most difficult blog I have written to date and I still feel it misses out so much. Colombia, my second favourite country after Brasil (and its very close I must add) doesnt even get a mention although it does have some fantastic cities, the best people, great nightlife and outstanding scenary and historical sites and artefacts. Ecuador too, a country which grew on me day by day is also lacking a mention on the list despite Quito being extremely cool and containing the very fun Mitad del Mundo. I love my beaches and have been lucky enough to visit some stunning places where sea and sand combine particularly off the coast of Brasil and the Caribbean sea on the north of Colombia but again its hard to squeeze them into a top 5 (6). Thinking about the people, I feel they do deserve a mention. My Spanish is not great by any means, yet the number of people across all the countries I visited who were interested in where I was from, where I had been, what I liked the most about their country or others that I had visited and who were more than willing to offer me service be it directions or a shot of the local poison was beautiful. Its surely not easy to live in some of the conditions that some people have to endure but to live each day with a smile on their face and a kindness in their heart is truly magical and something which wouldnt go a miss back home. Of course, also, a great deal depends on the tour group that you are in and the guides who help you along the way and I feel that both Banjo and I were extremely lucky in that every tour we went on, we were blessed with extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic guides which rubbed off on each of us and the people who we were lucky enough to experience all this with, were all wonderful individuals and we have both made some great friends from our adventures, would you agree Banjo? I feel like I could go on and on with special mentions for everywhere we visited but thats not the point of a top 5 so I must close. A fantastic continent full of wonderful mystery, culinary delights and fantastic people, I am very pleased to have journeyed through its delights and I hope that one day I will return to experience the rest that is undoubtedly on offer.