365

365 days, 16 countries and a full circumference of the globe. So how much would a trip like this cost? The tickets, 20 flights, cost almost exactly £2000. We bought a couple more, at about £120 each, along the way. A long van rental in Australia? Just over 50 days in the off season cost us about £1500 between us. Considering that was our accommodation as well it wasn't too bad. But if anyone if staying longer than a couple of months then buying a vehicle is the way to go.
Our American Subaru set us back a couple of thousand quid and we sold it in a rush for about £900 with it's nagging new fault!


So the real cost it just living. All in all I probably spent about £12,000 just on food, getting around and sightseeing. I bought only a couple of momentous from the trip as carrying the newly purchased items or sending them back expensively is a hassle I can live without. It was enough to carry a backpack and another bag in my hand on those long travelling days, not that they were packed with clothes. For the first 6 months I survived on one pair of boxer shorts!
Since I've been back in the world of odd new phrases like 'credit crunch' many people have asked me what my favourite country is. I've not even scratched the surface as far as world travel goes but I'd definitely like to see more of Japan and New Zealand. America's landscape is amazing and just everyday living in South America was for me the true spirit of what a trip like this is all about.

One person has asked me what my worst country is and to be honest that's an even harder question. I plumped for Bolivia because the people were miserable, there was a lot of civil unrest once we left, but there's some truly beautiful scenery there. The unwanted attention in China and the annoying con-men in Bangkok were only minor bugs in an otherwise exceptional trip. We spent a year almost constantly travelling and encountered only one dodgy situation and even that was not a full week into the trip.
Would I do it all again? Well, yes. I'm not sure if I'd stay away for as long as a year again but six months definitely. Although, for anyone who hasn't already done the year trip then I would recommend it unquestionably.


I've been set a back and left speechless soo many times along the way with soo many memories that keep coming back to me that will stay stored away in a dusty corner of my brain forever. I've come back a red wine and green tea drinker but other than that nothing has changed except for my massive appreciation for the great country of my birth. It's funny how much things about your own country you miss, good British ales for one, and how much the people who live here take everything for granted and really do a good job of putting it all down.
As I go about my daily business I often think that at this very moment there's guys in flip-flops and shades doing some welding in China. There's a bronzed, beer bellied 50 year old guy catching a few waves on his surf board. There's a tour guide explaining the Inca ruins in three different languages. There's a perfect Argentinian steak being served, a stunning American mountain range being snowboarded, a huge New Zealand glacier being explored inside and a funk band playing in the dark clubs of the white city of San Francisco. Whatever it is, wherever it is, when you're travelling there's always something going on and it's almost impossible not to love it.

Hasta luego Latin America

The third leg of this trip is over. Latin America. And what a place it is. Only one country didn't really impress, and that was only due to the people, Bolivia. But that's not saying I wouldn't go back there and give it another chance. Once the altitude has been overcome there's plenty of places to visit in Bolivia it's just my enthusiasm was taken away by the miserable Bolivians we meet. They can't all be like that, and besides they had a lot of civil unrest against the president after we left. I like to think my arrival there was the final straw.


The highlights include the immense Iguazu Falls and the mystical Macchu Picchu. These are both highlights of the whole trip so far. I loved most of Peru, crossing the Andes, seeing Mexico City and everything Argentinian. South America is a huge continent and as far as this trip goes it's similar to Asia. A different language, different culture and cheap. Thing is, as good as Asia is it can't compete with South America. Maybe it's not fair to compare continents really. It was a lot easier day to day in Latin America because I knew some of the language and learnt more as we went along.


Getting the language takes a bit of time but pays off all over the place, except Brazil damn it!

Rio was definitely the most dangerous feeling place on the continent, and the whole trip, but it did have it's extremely beautiful side that you just can't deny. There's poverty, there's money, there's everything. This is travelling, I'm not talking about deep Amazon vine hacking or mountain trekking in Peru but everyday life in Latin America in itself is enough to make me want to go back over and over. The whole place is enormous and massively diverse, it has nearly every climate on Earth. Everyday there's something going on and something to see. Amazing stuff and quality of living all within the reach of the backpacker. I'll come on holiday here as soon as I can afford the flight. No need to book ahead or plan as everything is possible once you're here and for a fraction of a package holiday price.
Argentina and Peru were my favourites. These are countries you could spend a lot of time in for very little money and have a very good time. I think next time I'll do some mountain bike wine tours, white water rafting, sandboarding, surfing, kayaking, visit a desert, a rainforest and a jungle. Easy.
Life is good, the people are good and the places are amazing. The whole continent is alive with life and colour. And to think I was apprehensive about coming here. Turns outs there was no need.
Only question left is, when can I go back?

More sugar

After hearing about the Finnish couple getting robbed we were a bit wary the next day. Luckily for them they didn't have much taken, Hannu's glasses being the most important and most useless to the thief. Saying that I doubt a Brazilian mugger will find much use with an autobiography of Fidel Castro written in Finnish! They also told us how much of a joke the police were. They knew there was nothing they could do but it was comical nontheless. When they found out the couple were from Finland they instantly brought up pictures of Finnish chicks on the internet to show Hannu. Amusing but not greatly helpful.
That day we walked half an hour or so to the Sugar Loaf mountain with the Aussie we'd met, Kai. After the Finnish incident we were a bit spooked so left our cameras at the hostel. When we got there of course everyone had really expensive cameras out. Ah well.
Great views from the top, once we took two high cable cars to get there. Not my favourite mode of transport. Down at the bottom was a nice small beach but unfortunately the water had rubbish in it so we didn't venture in. The other day at Ipanema the water was absolutely freezing anyway.
We strolled around a nice area looking for a beach we'd seen on the map. After shortly visiting a grotty looking one we moved on and soon realised that the good looking beach was within an army base. An army base with a beach, that's Brazil for you. One thing of note about Brazilian beaches is that they're not topless like in Spain, for instance. The Brazilians seem to counter this by wearing swimsuits that resemble pieces of illuminous string and nothing more. There really should be a law in place, or somekind of judge, to determine who is allowed to wear such garments though.
Another good meal at one of the popular weigh food places was had with the Finns and Kai that night. The next day we spent mainly on the local buses. Getting to the bus station to buy Sao Paulo tickets, situated right near a favella, was a bit dodgy but ok. Some areas in Rio are plain disgusting. Most areas are just simply run down.
We'd heard about a favella tour that tourists go on, we didn't but was told about it. They have electricity and even internet cafes in the favellas, mainly because they tap into the electric cables running above. There also used to be a Macdonalds in one favella but it got looted soo badly that they pulled out. It's now a Bob's Burger, a Brazilian chain. The whole favella in question is run by one drug baron. The Police don't enter, they just sit around the edge with machine guns in hand. Inside the favella drug markets are common. A woman at our hostel told us of drug stalls selling bags of cocaine the size of pillows. Tourists instantly get busted once they leave apparently.
In the afternoon us and Kai went to a tremendously long beach an hour out from Botofogo, where we were staying. It was more upmarket and a lot tidier than Ipanema or Copacabana. The rip was ferocious though. We swam in the slightly warmer water but it was an immense struggle just to try and get back to shore, about 5 metres away. Ridiculous. Needless to say after that a life guard put up danger signs. Nice.
A caiphrinia by the beach as the sun went down finished off the day nicely. But we still had to get back. The bus driving in Rio is the worst I've ever experienced. Horrendous does't even come close. They floor it on the open road overtaking pretty much everything and yanking the bus round bends like they're driving a Mini. When we hit very heavy traffic they constantly rev the engine and lurch forward every few seconds at full pelt just to get a few metres further down the road. And gears, well, I really don't know if anyone showed these guys how they work. After about 2 and a half hours we got back feeling sick and with neck ache!
Rio was made good because of the good people we met, making it much safer to get out and about. The Brazilians are fairly friendly and the beaches are quite decent and a good respite from the grime of the city. The main centro is quite flash, mainly business and shops orientated but it's not far from the contrast of the ramshackle favellas. The gap between living standards is enormous. Where we stayed felt safe enough but other areas had an air of something bad could happen and I didn't like it at all. I don't want to feel like I need to be thinking about my posessions or cash all the time, you can't relax.
All in all Rio is a very beautiful and a very ugly place. I'm glad I've been but I can't see me being in a rush to return. There are far better places to be that are far safer and more enjoyable, Buenos Aires beats it hands down. Out of Brazil we go, after another longish bus ride to Sao Paulo. About 8 hours or so, made slower due to a couple of accidents. We had no time to visit Sao Paulo as our flight left the day after we arrived so I decided to live in comfort that evening at a Best Western near the airport. Costly but worth it now and again.
Next day we misjudged our flight time horrendously meaning we got to the airport at 13:00 for a 21:30 flight! A horrible concrete airport didn't help. Luckily we did have time to sort out a mix up which stopped our bags being moved onto a plane bound for Los Angeles. Still it was odd that there was no mention of our connecting flight to La Paz, Bolivia. After a long day of waiting around we finally flew into Lima, Peru, to get our connecting flight to La Paz. What flight? It didn't exist. Luckily LAN Peru put us on the equally late flight, to land in La Paz at 3am, the next day and put us up a hotel for the evening and next day in Lima. The five star Sheraton, all expenses paid. Lovely.