Anyone been/live in South America? I have questions!

[WarrenG]

I'm looking to live in Latin America for 1-3 months, possibly longer.

My question is.... Where???

I'm looking on websites and learning about the countries, but I'd like to hear your personal experiences, if you have them and are willing to share!

My priorities are:

1) Safe / friendly
2) Cheap
EDIT: 2.5) Internet access, I'll be working while there
3) Nature
4) Good nightlife

Also, Spanish-speaking, so not Brazil.

Do you have any tips, advice, stories, reminiscences? Any dos and don't where you went/are?

Also is anyone planning or thinking about the same thing? Let me know if you are, we can talk about it! Also look at forum member elgringo's site, there's a lot of good stuff on there.

[desertrat]

I have met people form South America , I have never been there my self. Being able to speak Spanish will be a plus as that is what most of the people speak in South America. P.B.S. has made some programs on different countries. Hear are a few tourist type links I dont know if there much different than what you have already looked at. Argentina - Ministry of Tourism Chile Travel Information and Travel Guide - Lonely Planet Bolivia Contact - Travel guide and hotel directory of Bolivia Ecuador & Galapagos official Travel Information and Travel Guide Colombia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture — Infoplease.com Colombia Travel: Official guide - Tourism, Vacations & Holidays in Colombia Venezuela: History, Geography, Government, and Culture — Infoplease.com Venezuela Travel Information and Travel Guide - Lonely Planet desert rat

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

I'm looking to live in South America for 1-3 months, possibly longer.

My question is.... Where???

I'm looking on websites and learning about the countries, but I'd like to hear your personal experiences, if you have them and are willing to share!

My priorities are:

1) Safe / friendly
2) Cheap
3) Nature
4) Good nightlife

Also, Spanish-speaking, so not Brazil.

Do you have any tips, advice, stories, reminiscences? Any dos and don't where you went/are?

Also is anyone planning or thinking about the same thing? Let me know if you are, we can talk about it! Also look at forum member elgringo's site, there's a lot of good stuff on there.

For your priorities, I would suggest Colombia. It's the easiest and cheapest flight to get to from America, and you can have lots of fun there. Nature adventures are a bus ride away. I've been twice. Both times, I was there two months. I would suggest just staying in Cartagena, which is where most of the flights will take you. It's on the beach and it's very nice. I prefer to stay in hostels as opposed to hotels, less privacy, but much cheaper and plenty of people to chat with and information to get. Casa Viena is my favorite one, there's a website if you feel like going there. Staying in a dorm there will cost you less than rent in the States.

[WarrenG]

Sorry, I meant Latin America, not south america specifically.

Thanks for all the links desertrat! Yup I need to brush up on my Spanish. I know the basics, and I was once at a point where I could converse as long as the other person was patient and spoke very slowly! But I'm rusty now. I feel that with a couple of months immersion I'll get to a decent level.

Thanks Vince! I'm in the UK but I don't think that changes anything you said. I hadn't looked into Columbia yet, but I definitely will do.

Crap, I forgot to mention that I need internet access while I'm there, I'll be working while there, it won't just be a holiday. It'll definitely be less than 25 hours a week though, possibly as low as 15 hours if I really end up somewhere cheap.

So I'll be looking for a short let apartment with internet. It doesn't have to be high-speed, and flexibility isn't a problem so temporary outages are OK too.

I've been looking into Nicaragua, looks really cheap, good nature, and apparently the meat is great there. Nightlife doesn't seem great but that's a lower priority, as long as there's some, that's OK. Plus it's next to Costa Rica which apparently is better in that regard in some parts.

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Sorry, I meant Latin America, not south america specifically.

Thanks for all the links desertrat! Yup I need to brush up on my Spanish. I know the basics, and I was once at a point where I could converse as long as the other person was patient and spoke very slowly! But I'm rusty now. I feel that with a couple of months immersion I'll get to a decent level.

Thanks Vince! I'm in the UK but I don't think that changes anything you said. I hadn't looked into Columbia yet, but I definitely will do.

Crap, I forgot to mention that I need internet access while I'm there, I'll be working while there, it won't just be a holiday. It'll definitely be less than 25 hours a week though, possibly as low as 15 hours if I really end up somewhere cheap.

So I'll be looking for a short let apartment with internet. It doesn't have to be high-speed, and flexibility isn't a problem so temporary outages are OK too.

I've been looking into Nicaragua, looks really cheap, good nature, and apparently the meat is great there. Nightlife doesn't seem great but that's a lower priority, as long as there's some, that's OK. Plus it's next to Costa Rica which apparently is better in that regard in some parts.

The meat's really good in Colombia too. But I'm not knocking Nicaragua, I'm just saying. I'd buy the nastiest cut of meat out of a Colombian grocery before I'll buy another piece of American factory-farmed beef. I know they have wireless at Casa Viena, too. I shared a room with two other people, and had a desk in the room with Wi-Fi all to myself. I could work to my heart's consent.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by VinceG

The meat's really good in Colombia too. But I'm not knocking Nicaragua, I'm just saying. I'd buy the nastiest cut of meat out of a Colombian grocery before I'll buy another piece of American factory-farmed beef. I know they have wireless at Casa Viena, too. I shared a room with two other people, and had a desk in the room with Wi-Fi all to myself. I could work to my heart's consent.

Yeah I think you've nailed this one, Casa Viena seems to tick all the boxes. The cheaper options are waaaay cheaper than where I am, and about the range I'm looking for. And if there's a desk in the room, that's perfect. I don't mind sharing at all, easy way to make friends.

So you worked on the road too? You took a laptop with you?

I hear mixed reports of trouble in Columbia. I know a girl who wouldn't go there alone, but online some sites make you not want to go and others say it's fine in the cities, apart from the usual precautions you should take when travelling. What's your experience?

OK that's definitely on the list. The more I look into this the harder it becomes to pick just one place. I may have to do the vagabond thing instead of stay in one place.

[desertrat]

Sat. moring I met a guy for El Salavador , he said how tropical the climate was . If I had known you wnated some info on Latian America I would asked him some more about his country. On the inter net , I think you could get some kind of portable sat. link. Campers around hear use a ku band antenna on a tripod that they move and point to the sat. for t.v. and internet. desert rat

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Yeah I think you've nailed this one, Casa Viena seems to tick all the boxes. The cheaper options are waaaay cheaper than where I am, and about the range I'm looking for. And if there's a desk in the room, that's perfect. I don't mind sharing at all, easy way to make friends.

So you worked on the road too? You took a laptop with you?

Yep, took my laptop. It's the only way to do it. Relying on Internet cafes which are only open at certain hours, and their crappy hardware and possible infections, sucks. But if your work is not time/hardware intensive, it could work. I was trying to learn web programming, and while I could have made the cafes work, having my own machine made it real convenient.

Casa Viena has one room that has three beds with a desk. I had to wait for a few days for a bed to open up in that room, but it was totally worth it compared to sitting on the couch. If you do go there, let me know, and I'll ask the girls there to take good care of you.

I hear mixed reports of trouble in Columbia. I know a girl who wouldn't go there alone, but online some sites make you not want to go and others say it's fine in the cities, apart from the usual precautions you should take when travelling. What's your experience?

I know plenty of girls who traveled through there alone. Fears are generally overblown and are best completely ignored, especially on your first trip abroad. There's only one place in Latin America I wouldn't go out at night right now, and that's Tijuana. Once you do some actual traveling and not reading/researching, you'll realize that people all over the world are pretty cool. You have to really know what you're doing to get into trouble there. The most dangerous city in Colombia right now is Cali, but when I went in 2008, I didn't feel unsafe walking around at 3 in the morning, so long as I stuck to the main roads.

OK that's definitely on the list. The more I look into this the harder it becomes to pick just one place. I may have to do the vagabond thing instead of stay in one place.

My first time in Colombia had me bouncing around from city to city. I stayed a few days to a week in each spot, just enough to get a feel for the place. I don't regret any of my decisions, but I do wish I'd had more time in Medellin and Cali. Colombia's a really cool place, and it's worth taking 3 months and just exploring. Don't expect to get much work done if you do this, though. Traveling takes time in Colombia, taking a bus between cities eats up a whole day. Then you gotta get settled, meet your new travel mates at the hostel, check out the city. If you have the kind of job which requires daily attention, you may want to pick three or four cities and see those, rather than go on the random walkabout thing, which really suffers when you bring responsibilities into the mix.

[WarrenG]

Satellite's a cool idea, that would definitely make life much easier. However, portability and cost of the equipment become issues. From doing a few quick searches, it seems out of my price range, but I'll look into it further.

[VinceG]

You mentioned learning Spanish, there's a teacher there, whom I've taken a few weeks of lessons with, his name's Amaury. Really cool guy. Much better doing it that way than going to classes where everybody moves at the speed of the slowest clod in the room. The hostel girls are more than happy to help you learn, too. Cartagena Spanish is very fast, though, it took a long time before I could begin to understand them. It's a good challenge. You'll be amazed at how quickly you pick up the Spanish spoken in other parts of Latin America once you've become accustomed to the way they talk in Cartagena.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by VinceG

Casa Viena has one room that has three beds with a desk. I had to wait for a few days for a bed to open up in that room, but it was totally worth it compared to sitting on the couch. If you do go there, let me know, and I'll ask the girls there to take good care of you.

Awesome, will do!

I know plenty of girls who traveled through there alone. Fears are generally overblown and are best completely ignored, especially on your first trip abroad. There's only one place in Latin America I wouldn't go out at night right now, and that's Tijuana. Once you do some actual traveling and not reading/researching, you'll realize that people all over the world are pretty cool. You have to really know what you're doing to get into trouble there. The most dangerous city in Colombia right now is Cali, but when I went in 2008, I didn't feel unsafe walking around at 3 in the morning, so long as I stuck to the main roads.

I had a feeling you would say that, but thought it was worth checking.

My first time in Colombia had me bouncing around from city to city. I stayed a few days to a week in each spot, just enough to get a feel for the place. I don't regret any of my decisions, but I do wish I'd had more time in Medellin and Cali. Colombia's a really cool place, and it's worth taking 3 months and just exploring. Don't expect to get much work done if you do this, though.

Traveling takes time in Colombia, taking a bus between cities eats up a whole day. Then you gotta get settled, meet your new travel mates at the hostel, check out the city. If you have the kind of job which requires daily attention, you may want to pick three or four cities and see those, rather than go on the random walkabout thing, which really suffers when you bring responsibilities into the mix.

Yeah, random walkabout would be cool, but it's not going to be an option this time, because of the work thing. I have a certain amount that I have to earn each month (loan repayments, which I have to start paying in October). I'll have a little buffer, just in case things **** up and I can't earn for some time (e.g., laptop breaks), but I doubt I could move around this often.

So this isn't so much a travelling experience, I just realise that by going to a country where things are cheaper, I can probably reduce my outgoings to below what they are now, even taking into account the additional cost of the loan payments. I'll still have plenty of time to explore though.

I'm thinking what you're thinking, the best I can probably do is spend 3-4 weeks in 3-4 different places, and take a little extra time beforehand locating places with Wi-Fi that I can work from, or organising short lets on apartments. Another option is a take a TEFL course, which would be good as I would have another possibility for earning which doesn't need an internet connection, but wouldn't change this overall plan movement-wise.

Do you know any other hidden gems like Casa Vienna with Wi-Fi, that are good to work from? Like, anywhere in Latin America?

By the way how's your Spanish?

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Do you know any other hidden gems like Casa Vienna with Wi-Fi, that are good to work from? Like, anywhere in Latin America?

Just look in any Lonely Planet or Footprints guide. I know Wi-Fi is pretty common in backpacker hostels throughout Colombia. If a particular country interests you, do an online search for good hostels in that area. Directories are pretty good about that because it's a common concern.

By the way how's your Spanish?

It's okay. I get by. I'm not fluent, but I can get the general gist of what people are saying and respond appropriately. Much more important than your language proficiency in Latin America is friendliness and good humor. Latinos take those traits far more seriously than they do discipline in language academics.

[WarrenG]

Thanks for the advice Vince!

[VinceG]

Oh, one more thing. If you find a hostel that's not to your liking, don't hesitate to pipe up and ask for something. They're not going to install air conditioning just for you, but they might just clear out a desk area for you to use! Get creative about getting your basic needs met. You can wash your clothes in the sink and hang them up on the ubiquitous clotheslines. You can buy a camp stove at any department store that works great for cooking meals. Stuff's cheap enough there to buy and give away when it's time to go. It's the Latin way.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by VinceG

Oh, one more thing. If you find a hostel that's not to your liking, don't hesitate to pipe up and ask for something. They're not going to install air conditioning just for you, but they might just clear out a desk area for you to use! Get creative about getting your basic needs met. You can wash your clothes in the sink and hang them up on the ubiquitous clotheslines. You can buy a camp stove at any department store that works great for cooking meals. Stuff's cheap enough there to buy and give away when it's time to go. It's the Latin way.

That's cool with me, pretty much my style too. I'm flexible when it comes to basic needs.

I think you've sold me on Columbia, but after that I'm drawn northward. I'm strangely enamoured by the idea of Nicaragua and can't really put a logical reason on why. Sometimes my brain just decides it likes things I guess, and there's not much I can do about it. This also explains my haircuts during the '90s.

But, alas, this will have to be next year's adventure, I can't block out 3 months in a stretch this year. Looks like I'll manage about a month away somewhere closer to home this year, maybe Spain, then this trip next year. Gives me more time to get the Spanish up to speed anyway.

[desertrat]

If you need to learn Spanish , the pimsleur tapes work ok. I got mine from a torrent site , but I think many library have them for loan, or you can buy them. They have you saying things " qunto questa una ceveza en Tijuana ? " how much is a beer in Tijuana ? over and over , but you get that way. Some words will be differnt in differnt countries , find a dictionary that tells you what words used in what country. desert rat

[ssandra]

If you are still interested in information about Mexico, let me know...

I absolutely love and adore this country, although I have never been to South America (it's on my to do list though).

I've been to Guatemala and Belize though.

[WarrenG]

Yeah definitely! Hit me with it, what do you love about it?

Where are the best places to go, based on my priorities above?

It's weird that every American I speak to about Mexico has said "Stay in the resorts or you'll get kidnapped," and other nationalities have not said this.

I'm not really keen on the resort type places, which are basically a spa in a different country. I don't really see the point.

Guatemala and Belize too, any hints tips or stories you fancy telling?

[ssandra]

Why I love Mexico...? No idea. I just feel completely at home there!

Don't stay in the resorts and you'll be fine as well... I don't like resorts either.

If you like the beach there are several nice places for you to go. Puerto Escondido is wonderful and you have lots of foreigners there (making it easy to communicate if you don't speak Spanish yet).

Cancun is way too touristic, but Playa del Carmen is more a surfers town. And there are some nice villages in between that are cute and fun.

If you like cities, I'd suggest Mexico City. It is a huge city, and has everything any other city has as well.

There is internet access almost everywhere. If not at the place where you are staying, usually at restaurants and starbucks.

You can even rent a room for not too much, if you want some privacy of your own place. A room in Mexico City near the center would be around 1500 pesos a month. You can eat (if you cook or eat out cheaply) for about 200 or 300 pesos a week. It may be cheaper outside of Mexico City, but I wouldn't know.

There is a problem with the drugs people in the North of Mexico right now, so I wouldn't recommend going there. Not as much because they would target you (they wouldn't) but you also don't want to get caught in the cross fire...

Zihuatenejo is a nice village and safe enough, but the country surrounding it not so much right now... but there are plenty of other places where you could be and still be safe.

Just don't do anything you wouldn't do down town New York or London...

I've just been driving through Belize, which was a very surreal experience. It is a country that completely doesn't have a Latin vibe to me. Both Mexico and Guatemala have jungle at their borders with Belize, and yet Belize is completely flat, with grass land, and fields... Strange country.

Guatemala is beautiful. If you stay in Antigua or near Lake Panajachel it's safe enough.
I've been there once a few weeks learning Spanish and another time we took the car driving from Mexico to Belize, to Guatemala and back to Mexico. That was quite the adventure... Fun, but I wouldn't recommend it... The roads which aren't highways aren't that good....

I'm not sure about internet access in Guatemala. I'm sure you have it in most places, but maybe not in all.

In Mexico and Guatemala you'll have plenty of internet cafe's though, so there will always be something you could do.

[WarrenG]

That's awesome sssandra, thanks very much for that!

I'll see how my spanish progresses by next year, hopefully I'll have spent at least a month in Spain before going to the Americas, so maybe I'll have enough to get by. I know the basics but my comprehension isn't great, and I'm rusty (a Chiliean friend just told me off for emailing him in English!). It doesn't help that it's spoken speak so fast!

Indeed a room of my own would be ideal. A room near the centre is 1500 pesos? That works out at about £75, which is definitely in budget.

Guatemala I also hear is extremely cheap.

Apparently I just want to go to all these places...

[ssandra]

Travel is relatively cheap as well, if you don't mind taking busses, so you could always do a tour around Latin America and just stay wherever you feel at home for the time you feel at home...

In my personal opinion the Spanish in Mexico is the easiest to understand. I find that they pronounce the words more separately.

You can find some youtube video's from a few countries and check which one you can understand most easily...