Firstly, thanks to everyone who's helped out with my previous posts. Only 11 days until I land in Buenos Aires! So I've just got a few more miscellaneous questions, which some of you maybe able to help with...
1. Clothing
In my first few weeks I plan to head down to Patagonia, which will be mid to late April, when it'll be getting pretty cold. Considering that I'll be mainly doing day hikes, nothing too serious, I'm just trying to get an idea of what kind of warm gear I need. Any ideas? I was originally gonna take the beachbum approach by just wearing dunlop volleys for the whole trip, but have since been told that'd be a crazy idea, so I'm giving in and forking out savings for some decent hiking boots. However, with clothing I'm thinking of just packing a fleece jumper, long warm pants of some sort and maybe thermal underlayers. All of which won't be too bulky, and I'll probably use at some point later in the trip (eg. Altiplano etc...). But on recent visits to travel gear shops, they've suggested that I'll need something more substancial for Patagonia eg. heavy-duty windjackets etc...all of which are really expensive, especially seeing as I'll only be needing that for a couple of weeks. Also, considering I'll be living out of a 70litre pack for 100 days, carrying around a bulky, expensive jacket etc, is gonna get really frustrating. So I'm wondering if there are any op shops/2nd hand/cheap clothing stores in Buenos Aires, where I could buy some warm gear specifically for Patagonia? Any recommendations? I'm assuming it would be much cheaper there, than here in Australia, and that way, as I travel back up further north, I could eventually offload some of that gear to free up space in my pack... If anyone could give any advice on this that'd be great, or even give an idea of the type of clothing you used for Patagonia...
2. Anti-malarial tablets
I'm off to the travel doctor for the last time tomorrow to get a third batch of rabies and what not, and I've gotta make a decision on whether or not I should bring some anti-malarial tablets. After Argentina, I'll eventually get to Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, but I don't really intend on going anywhere extremely remote, eg. middle of the Amazon jungle. However, I will be travelling through some of the "malaria-risk zones" and could do some short trips/tours in the outskirts of the Amazon. The thing with the tablets is that you have to commit to taking them everyday and then everyday for 4 weeks after leaving the "risk zone", which will be a hassle, and also, how do you know when/where to start taking them? And even then, you still have to take the regular precautions, eg. long sleeve shirts, 30% DEET repellent etc... I have heard that there are not many mosquitos around May-July anyway, so would it be right to assume that I don't need to bother with the tablets, and just use repellent etc? Can anyone share their experiences/give advice on this?
3. Arrival during the Easter Weekend
I land in Buenos Aires on Saturday, 7 April, which I now realise is the day before Easter Sunday. So I'm just wondering if there might be something going on around the city to mark the occassion, eg. any festivals, parades etc that might be worth checking out. I'm assuming that with the high proportion of Catholics, Easter would be a bigger deal in Buenos Aires, compared to Australia.
4. Proposed route
Just from looking at a map, I've worked out a route to use as a rough guide throughout, making sure I get to all the main places, not backtracking too much...of course, I'll most likely stray from this over the time, depending on if I like certain places, meeting people etc etc...
BA - Puerto Madryn - Ushuaia - TDF/Calafate/Los Glaciares/TDP - Bariloche/El
Boson/Pucon/Lakes District - Mendoza/San Luis - Cordoba??? - BA - Colonia del Sacramento -
Montevideo - Curitiba - Rio - Salvador - Rio/Sao Paulo? - Iguazu - Tucaman - Salta/Jujuy - Uyuni/Potosi/Sucre - Cochabamba - La Paz -
Lake Titicaca - Puno - Cuzco/Machu Pichu/Inca Trail/Sacred Valley -
Nazca - Lima - Huaraz/Trujillo - Cuenca - Quito - Columbia (if there's
time, and i feel more confident by then...) - Otavalo? - Guayaquil - Lima - Arequipa - Arica - Iquique - Atacama
Desert - Antofagasta - Vina del Mar/La Serena - Valparaiso - Santiago - Home...
I may be doing a tour around Salta/Atacama/Uyuni sometime in May, and am thinking about leaving Brazil until late June (apparently Salvador is really good then, ie. festivals etc)... So this route will be very flexible. Basically, I'll see what happens when I get there. I've decided just to travel by bus, cos it sounds like the most cheap and flexible way. So taking this into account, would it be possible to cover this over 100 days, or is it a little to ambitious? I'm open to any suggestions or advice as well...
Sorry for writing a bloody essay... If anyone could help with advice or experience on any of these matters, I'd love to hear from you. Thanking you all in advance...
Cheers,
Michael
Easter is just another long weekend in Buenos Aires. There are no special celebrations.
Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.
Buses from Buenos Aires:
Mendoza ---- 14 hours -- 39.00 US$.
Santiago ----- 20 hours --- 44.00 US$.
La Paz ---- 50 hours --- 67.00 US$.
Lima -- 72 hours --- 124.00 US$.
Salto (Uruguay) ---- 8 hours --- 17.00 US$.
Montevideo ---- 8 hours --- 29.00 US$.
Porto Alegre ---- 20 hours --- 65.00 US$.
Rio de Janeiro ---- 42 hours --- 82.00 US$.
Rio Gallegos --- 36 hours --- 67.00 US$.
Santa Cruz (Bolivia) ---- 36 hours -- 67.00 US$.
Salta ---- 20 hours --- 54.00 US$.
La Quiaca ---- 26 hours ----50.00 US$.
Iguazu ----- 18 hours ---- 55.00 US$.
Puerto Madryn --- 17 hours --- 50.00 US$.
Trelew ----- 17 hours -- 52.00 US$.
Buses from Rio Gallegos:
Ushuaia --- 12 hours -- 37.00 US$.
Calafate ---- 4 hours -- 8.40 US$.
Puerto Natales - 4 hours --- 8.40 US$.
Punta Arenas ---- 4 hours -- 8.40 US$.
Bus tickets from Rio Gallegos to Calafate, Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas can be bought in Buenos Aires.
Iguazu-Tucuman ----- 21 hours --- 1.00 US$.
Tucuman-Salta ---- 5 hours --- 13.00 US$.
Corrientes-Salta ---- 14 hours ---- 26.00 US$.
Posadas-Resistencia --- 5 hours --- 12.00 US$.
Resistencia-Salta ----- 12 hours --- 25.00 US$.
Posadas-Santiago (Chile) --- 31 hours --- 72.00 US$.
Salta-San Pedro de Atacama -----11 hours ---- 40.00 US$.
Salta-Mendoza ----- 20 hours --- 43.00 US$.
Mendoza-Bariloche ---- 20 hours --- 50.00 US$.
Bariloche-Puerto Montt ---- 7 hours -- 17.00 US$.
Foz de Iguazu-Asuncion --- 6 hours --- 8.20 US$.
Montevideo-Puerto Alegre --- 12 hours -- 47.00 US$.
Montevideo-San Pablo --- 29 hours --- 107.00 US$.
Esteros del Ibera: How to arrive.
Buenos Aires-Mercedes (Corrientes) -- 9 hours -- 25.00 US$.
Mercedes-Colonia Carlos Pellegrini --- 3 hours ----- 4.00 US$.
Mercedes-Corrientes --- 3 hours -- 5.30 US$.
Bariloche-Puerto Madryn --- 13 hours --- 46.00 US$.
Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.
It won´t be that cold in Patagonia from mid abril to end of abril during the day. You would need a kind of goretex jacket and windproof fleece.Its better to have different layers because walking in Patagonia during the day it can get quiete warm with the sun, but once there are strong winds, clouds and you make a rest, temperature drops quickly. More than freezing temperatures ypou have to deal with the wind which is usually much more calm in abril than in summer but don´t count on this. I am just back from El Chalten and we had winds over 100 km/h but the climate was quite good.
I travelled a similar distance in the same time frame so you'll be okay with that. Especially as you have a good idea what you want to see. I like some of your choices of places to go as well - Cochabamba is cool (And the lynching capital of Bolivia bizarrely), especially Parque Nacional Torotoro and Patagonia is awe-inspiring in the off-season. I'd recommend a visit to the Chachapoyas region of Peru between Trujillo and Cuenca - amazing ruins and a really authentic Peruvian town. Plus you can take the little known border crossing to Vilcabamba via San Ignacio and Zumba.
With mosquitos and malaria you have to ask yourself whether possibly experiencing side-effects from the medication is worse than possibly getting malaria. What I will say is that I met a malaria researcher in South America and he told me that malaria isn't really a problem unless you go deep into the Amazon, but there is still that risk of catching it. And once you get it, you've got it for life. But you haven't listed anywhere that's especially high risk so you're in minimal danger of contracting it. Talk to your doctor about taking a treatment dose with you in case you were to contract it. If you want to go the whole hog then I believe Doxycycline is still an option for the region: it's a very powerful antibiotic so it also helps stave off diarrhea as well as making it more difficult for the Malaria protists to take hold. Its side-effects can include stuff like loss of appetite, nausea etc. and you have to be careful how you take it so it doesn't come back up again (I seem to recall it does something to your throat as well if you're not careful but I'm no pharmacologist). Most people's problem with it is that in about 1 in 100 people it can cause increased solar sensitivity so you might burn more easily. I used it at two points in my trip and didn't experience any of this. Best thing to do is to talk to your GP or travel nurse about it and they'll be able to recommend the best thing to take. More important than the medication (It's not 100% effective) is covering up and repelling the insects. You want 50% DEET for mossie areas and try to wear long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes. Although a lot of backpackers wear shorts, this is a bad idea because it makes your target area bigger. Get a good bottle of repellent and apply liberally while you're in the jungle!
Have fun,
DD
For Maleria if you dont want to take a pill every day take Larium. As for your itenery I would stop in Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. And deffinatly go to Colombia if you have time.
poster #3 is correct. Do what all trekkers do and go for the layered look. I was there (Ushuaia) last Oct and had to wear a down jacket and a heavy coat and a knit cap and a hood. But keep in mind I am in Las Vegas where the temp in Sep. is around 100F.
Visited similar time a couple of years ago and just used a few layers of clothes topped with i fleece.
have a great trip
Thanks for all the advice guys... Does anyone know of any clothing places in Buenos Aires, that have stuff like windproof jackets and fleeces etc?
Cheers
Blod Adventure - 710 Parana Street.
Miranda Hunter - 1495 Bartolome Street.
Alidan Deportes - 153 Parana Street.
La Pantera - 145 Parana Street.
El Parana - 132 Parana Street.
La Caleta - 105 Parana Street.
Dolphin - 35 Parana Street.
Hammer Deportes - 627 Parana Street.
Camping Center - 945 Esmeralda Street.
Wild Life - 1133 Yrigoyen Street.
www.hammerdeportes.com<BR>www.eurocampingonline.com.ar<BR><BR>Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.
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