15

Most indigenous peoples are unique to a given country and area, and have their own dialect, in the given area, so learning one would only serve you for that area, the next area would be different.

As for hitchhiking in Latin America, I sure as hell would not compare the kindness of strangers in North America or EU, or Asia, to these parts, crime is a major issue, muggings, thefts and targeting gringos is common, not uncommon, you will be very exposed.

And just so you know, there is no road to South America, the Darien Gap is dangerous and must be circumvented by series of busses, boats or a sailing across, or a flight. If you can hitch a ride on a freighter you will have won the lottery.

16

Personally,I think that learning to speak/understand both Spanish and Portuguese well is more than enough for a couple of years....

I can speak fluent Italian too,which should give me an advantage over you ;-)

17

aslukas -- some utopian fantasy what? it's just what i do. there's homeless people everywhere and we don't tend to stay in one place unless we just bum around because there's no point in that. it doesn't make you a bum, but i understand where ya'll are coming from because most people only have respect for those with a house. anyway i'm only asking because i'm staying with someone for the minute who's got a computer and i'm taking advantage of the internet, obviously you guys are.. geez i don't even know what to say. i didn't say a single bad thing to anyone. i understand disbelief by why do you have to make fun of the way that loads of people live, i know it's not commonly conveyed in the media or on the internet but it's a damn fact. i don't know where you get the utopian whatever from... but if it seems like a utopia to you, you're welcome to be homeless as well ahha, i mean i like it. but if you're so pissed off by me just don't answer, no one's forcing your hands on the keyboard. i'm hpoing i'll get information.
and as for that 'poor wise indian' comment, wtf? so the fck what if i want to learn from people, and where do you get off makin up these stereotypes. i learned from the people in the usa folks and canada folks for long enough and now i'm exploring the rest of the continent... but talk about the latin americas and suddenly i'm suuch an ignorant person. what do you even mean 'poor wise indians'? you make it sound like a frickin ... i don't know. thanks anyway, it seemed like you were trying to at least give me some information, but it wasn't the detailed answer i was hoping for haha, whatever if you don't like me no one's forcing you.

thank you, rultikart, quechua is a language i've been interested in as well, especially because of the geography. i'm particularly interested in places where quechua is an indigenous language. obviously immersion is my only option, which is why, as i've repeated many times, i'm going to live in 1 place for as long as it takes, until i'm happy with my language skills. i wasn't looking for a ch'ol rosetta stone class haha.

solohobo - yes, i understand the risks , i've talked to many people who've hitchhiked around central and south america. i met this el salvadorian guy who was running from the guerillas after he quit, and he told me he crossed the darien gap "over the mountains" and was super psyched about it, and i've read some accounts about people crossing it, but yeah mostly it's boat or plane hitching. guess i'll see what happens when i get there. but i never heard of busses that go through?

lucapal - lol yeah in elementary school i took 6 years of italian and don't remember a word, except sometimes i'll be speaking my very-bad hardly-know-it spanish and people will say i'm talking italian words.

18

Have a read in the FAQ at top of the branch for the overland/surface options from Panama to Colombia. By busses I meant a bus to the port towns where you then get a boat, then off the boat in a port town on a bus. The DG is not possible to cross these days due to para military, narco traffickers and indigenous in-fighting, the military check points in Panama/Colombia will stop you.

Guatemala is popular an inexpensive place to take spanish immersion, the lago Atitlan area is a backpacker haven and is really a pretty and enjoyable area to base a few weeks too. Maybe you could find work in exchange for lessons.

Overall its the capitals that present the risk of crime for foreigners, best avoided if possible, though the Pan Am and all the main bus services are linked via the capitals between countries. Local buses are much cheaper but requires more time and logistics/timing.

I dont know what areas of Mexico you need to avoid so post on the Mexico branch to sure. I take it you have a small tent when camping is possible? Keep in mind the rainy season is from May to Dec in CA, but overall its no big deal until late Sept and most of Oct and into Nov as far as heavy rains, flooding and hurricane season issues in the gulf.

19

he told me he crossed the darien gap "over the mountains" and was super psyched about it,

Game over. OP simply too absurd to continue (though they've successfully trolled everyone).

20

He just may be a tad confused on the details/stories, give him the benefit of the doubt...

21

The Darien gives no benefit of no doubt.

(It also doesn't take well to penniless hitchhikers).

22

Maybe he can hook up with expert vagabond in Panama..

http://expertvagabond.com/

23

I doubt it. The OP's profound misunderstanding of the region from post 1, claims that traveling penniless through Central and South America is an acceptable "lifestyle," and obnoxious responses to other posts shows that he is either 1) an excellent troll "with a y," or 2) just not cut out for this kind of thing.

24

dude if you don't like what i'm saying there's no need to reply, i don't know why you're still reading what i say, whatever you say about my life is meaningless because it's simply something you know nothing about, and i'm not asking for your opinion on my life, i am just hoping to get information from well traveled people

oh yeah the busses to the port towns makes more sense. the guy i met who said he went over the mountains through the darien gap, it must have been probably 20 years ago that he made the journey, i actually didn't know there was a mountainous area of the darien gap but hey it's an area that's always really interested me.

yeah for spanish immersion i've been considering the yucatan, guatemala, or honduras. it's all what i've heard from people i've met, but as far as becoming part of a community, i've been recommended honduras, and guatemala like you said. but the yucatan is the most realistic because when i start traveling i'd like to have my spanish as sturdy as possible... don't think i'll get too far wiht hand motions and a few phrases haha.

oh and here's another important question real quick. yeah i've got a little stealthy tent, but my sleeping bag is a 0-20 degree sleeping bag... awful in the south haha. this is obviously something i'll look up, but now that i think of it i might try to get some individual opinions. i'm thinkin if i go to latin america i'll prolly end up trading in my 0-20 sleeping bag for something lighter... but i know the weather in latin america , throughout the year, has a huge range. i'm thinking of maybe bringing a light sleeping bag and some heavy fleece clothes i can sleep in if i am somewhere that gets real cold at night.
throughout latin america, can you recommend any areas to avoid during any particular times of the year? obviously i try to avoid snow if i can. i'll look it up, and i'd love some individual opinions if anyone's still with me here.

if you genuinely think i'm a troll, just imagine the people who'd search the internet for similar questions and find this website, they might appreciate some straight answers. anyway i'm gonna look it up and if i have any other particular questions i'm going to ask, say whatever you want about me.

editing - oh haha that expert vagabond website's pretty awesome i will read stuff on there, i didn't know more people -actually- went through the darien gap, but i knew paying people to take you on a canoe is the most common way

Edited by: almukafih

25

Camping overall in CA is not advised as you cant secure your camp and theft/crime is a issue, but its possible, especially at hostels with the tent options and also national parks with ranger stations where its usually rather safe.

Cold will mainly be the highlands in Dec to Mar over 3000Ft, no snow in these parts, but some volcano hikes can be pretty cold and bad elements over 8000ft, some offer shelters some dont. Heavy rains will be the issue more or less...

If you could get your hands on a cheap motorcycle it would be a decent option too, take on cargo boat to Colombia...

No areas to avoid other than Oct/Nov it can be rather yucky due to heavy rains/flooding.

Most back packers bounce along thru this region in 2-4 months, depends on interest. Get your hands on a used copy of Shoestring Central America or the LP/Moon/Roughguide CA, anything after 2008 will still be pretty relevant...

26

yeah a motorcycle is something i've genuinely thought about, but i really like hitchhiking. i was actually considering getting a lil used cheap-ass last-leg motorcylce to take to the yucatan or wherever i wind up staying to learn spanish, b/c hitchhiking with no knowledge of spanish through mexico doesn't sound cool, i don't even know if it'd be possible, though i've heard of people hitchhiking through countries where they don't know the language. so maybe i'd take a motorcylce originally, and get rid of it once i arrive where i'm going to stay (still not sure where, just from looking at maps i'm thinking xpujil looks to be in the middle of a lot of interesting historical places, but i really won't know until i go and see where i want to stay).

2-4 months, huh? for all of central america? i've been thinking like, 1 month per country (give or take, depending on size and how interested i am)... i tend to get psyched every time i arrive in a new town & want to stay the night there haha, i'm sure it'll be no different in latin america.

in north america, in high crime areas, i've generally avoided being victimized because i don't really travel with anything of value, but i know politics will be different in latin america, and i think i won't be able to resist bringing a camera this time. i actually have regrets about not traveling with a camera before. i don't know much about cameras, but i think you can get like a lil small one that comes with a chip, which i could remove for safekeeping when i'm not takin pictures, so i'm gonna look into a camera as well.

hey solohobo what has been your experience? i just checked out your profile, woah you're definitely well traveled. yeah my main experience has been hitchhiking around north america as i've said, for the past year or so, but i'm young and getting a passport is just starting to happen now. i have a habit of doing things that most people say you totally can't do in this world we live in, so when people say something is impossible/won't work, i don't really take it so seriously. are you able to tell me that the crime rate in central/south america makes it genuinely impossible/extremely hard to camp? or is it just something that tends to be more difficult? i know ya'll think i'm asking naive and dumb questions, but i'm just putting everything out there - despite what i've read or heard, i'm not going to pretend to know anything about places i've never been to. all i know is, people are homeless everywhere, and if something's impossible to do, i'll find when i die trying haha (that is a joke for anyone who wants to start freaking out about it).

i've read a whooooole lot about hitchhiking in central and south america. however, i've also read a whole lot about hitchhiking in the usa, been advised a whole lot about hitchhiking in the usa, and i know that many of the things people deem impossible or too hard to try, are actually worthwhile experiences .

27

I think that confirms what others have said before

28

I would take seriously the assertions other shave made about hitching in this region, there is extreme poverty, and you are from the modern western world where jobs, liberties, freedoms and an education are easily attained in relation to the people that live in CA. So, when you do hitch, a payment is expected, especially if you are a gringo. It is not fair nor wise, to try to take advantage of what little there is here in CA, most people live on $3 day and unemployment is over 50% in some countries. Bumming off those that endure these conditions when you have the tools and means to provide a substantially better life for yourself is not going to settle well with a local. Yes you can hitch around, but you would be best advised to offer payment for the lift.

29

Folks... whoever's playing this "character" is laughing in y'all's faces... with a Y.

Seriously, pay attention. If you can be tricked and distracted by someone like this, how vulnerable/gullible are you out on the road? It's a good lesson.