Crazy/Unique things to do in South America
Replies: 24 - Last Post: Jun 26, 2012 10:46 AM Last Post By: dtsegal
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Crazy/Unique things to do in South America
Hey all,I'm heading to South America commencing July 6th - Cusco/Buneos Aires/Caledonia/Iguazu Falls/maybe dip into Paraguay then /Rio/Sao Paulo/Cartagena & Bogota.
I've done a fair amount of travelling in the past and love doing/experiencing things far off the beaten trail. For example riding an Ostrich in South Africa/Great White Shark Diving, eating a beating snake heart in Vietnam/living with a nomadic Mongolian tribe etc.
I'm just trying to compile some possible unique experiences I can have in the cities listed above. Thus far I've got a few things on my mind...I've decided I will eat a Guinea Pig somehwere, as it is a cultural staple. Cock fighting is legal in Peru, so I may check one out in Cusco, although I foresee some people may truly disagree with this past time.
Other than that, I'm a bit stuck on some wild things to do. Any advice, suggestions etc would be greatly welcomed.
Thanks alot !
1
Shoot the rapids on the lower Urubamba River! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pongo_de_Mainique4
Buy some dynamite and a chemical igniter at a shop in Potosi, Bolivia and use it to blow something up. (not someone's house or anything). It's perfectly legal, as long as you hire a local guide to supervise.5
Bit of imagination and you should be able to satisfy your craving for Johnny Knoxville thrills quite easily and return with a swag of stories for your friends showing what a wild man you are.Try swimming in Guanabara Bay in Rio for starters.
Go to a football match at Pacaembu, sit amongst the Corinthians fans and at an appropriate or perhaps, inappropriate juncture, remove your shirt to reveal a São Paulo strip and then shout at the top of your lungs 'sou do tricolor'. That should provide some cheap thrills. You can actually do the same trick in Rio at a Fla-Flu game, just sit with my Fla fellow fans and repeat the same phrase, this time revealing a Flu shirt. Even better, do it on the way out or into the stadium, preferably drunk.
Have fun!
6
@mstep - sounds like a blast, pun intended, but sadly I won't be in Bolivia.@Tiririca - I sense that your msg may be dripping with sarcasm, as your advice would surely lead to me being beat up. Nor do I have appreciate the Johnny Knoxville comparison, as, I find him tasteless.
I would suggest you caution yourself before making malicious suggestions to eager tourists as, similar to Johnny Knoxville, I find it tasteless, and a less-informed, naive individual may fail to see the ill intent in your msg - finding themselves in a dangerous situation.
If you don't appreciate my style of travel, than bite your tongue, or more appropriately, cramp your finger. Don't attempt to lead me into a dire situation.
7
"Cramp your finger. Don't attempt to lead me into a dire situation."This would make an excellent tag-line for all future posts.
OP, you might consider that when you decide to go on the web to ask questions like yours, you'll get answers from people who don't take you seriously. This is likely to be even more true if the examples you give--eating guinea pigs, doing great white cage dives--are so hackneyed.
Personally, I'd recommend you rent a motorbike in Cuzco and make for the hinterlands. You'll find enough to keep you busy.
enjoy,
Mark
8
^thanks for motorbike advice, I always enjoy myself on a moped. You really think the examples given are so commonplace? All I want to do essentially is find some experiences which cannot easily be replicated. Anyhow, this thread has morphed into a being with which I no longer wish to identify with - and yes I imagine some individuals may not take me seriously; however, when ones post treads the line of genuity it can produce false excitement and, all in all, its just misleading.I shall rent a motorbike, drive it to a cockfight, eat some guinea pig, and surely enjoy myself.
9
"You really think the examples given are so commonplace?"Yes, I do.
Trail bikes are rented at a couple of places in Cuzco (more accurately, small dual sports). Endless roaming on the back roads, and you're sure to find opportunities to do stuff not yet on every "adventure tourist's" punchlist. Don't think I'd take a moped, but tastes differ.
Anything offered commercially--that stuff you mentioned--is easily duplicated. Try doing a Google search on "diving great white sharks" and you'll find you're in very good company. Same with eating cuy, and same with rafting. I haven't been to Vietnam, and don't eat live animals....but I'm guessing it falls into the same category. You think all that stuff was invented just so you could have a hard-to-replicate experience?
enjoy,
Mark
10
Well the shark diving can only be done off of Capetown and Syndey, so, it is locationally hard to replicate. I also always wanted to swim with Whale Sharks, which can only be done off of Belize and Mozambique. Drinking cows blood with Masaii is not easily replicated, or walking lions in Zambia. These are the experiences I speak of. Eating a snake heart, sure, that can be done anywhere - but to do it in a country, area, where its popularized and has cultural significance, that added element is what I mean by "hard to replicate".I don't think all that stuff was invented for me, I also am aware that the Earth revolves around the sun. I'm discouraged by these negative responses i'm getting. Just looking to partake in some unorthodox experiences.
11
Ok, I see: the problem here is that your idea of what's "hard to replicate" or "far off the beaten trail" differs from mine. That's ok.Maybe in time you'll attract a better class of answers than you've had so far. If not, maybe think about your presentation; you've seen what asking for "crazy" and "unique" gets you.
Good luck.
Mark
12
I thought the #5 response was quite funny, no need to take it so personally.Regarding cockfighting, I've seen this before and can assure you that if you have even the slightest compassion for animals then you will not leave the place smiling. It ain't pretty. Having said that I felt the same way after witnessing a "ping pong" show in Bangkok.
Something you may find "locationally hard to replicate" is doing an ayahuasca ceremony with a Shaman in the Amazon basin. These Shamans of course have varying degree's of authenticity. Iquitos is a popular spot but it is also possible around Cusco.
13
Spend a weekend at Goura Vrindavana if you are in Rio.Here is the link:
http://www.goura.com.br/
Check the cities of Campos do Jordao nearby Sao Paulo.
Cheers!
Have a good a crazy trip!
14
As hazzdawg -12- said, the ayahuasca experience is also very much worthwhile if you are ready for some very intense internal trip.Ayahuasca is practiced in all over Brazil so... here follows some of the places you could do it in RIo:
http://www.santodaime.org/institucional/filiados_rj.htm
Maybe you should check "goura" after that... you will be searching for some quiet time. At least I did when I tried it.
Good luck.
