Welcome to roylloydjones, an almost daily journal from my 11 month backpacking trip around Latin America in 2005/06, recording daily happenings and events as I journeyed by any mode of transport possible – car, bus, train, aeroplane, rickshaw, canoe, sail boat, speed boat and ferry.
Read about visits to ancient ruins, natural and man-made wonders, modern cities and remote villages. See photos of crossing the Andes and sailing in the Caribbean. Browse tales of hiking in natural parks and watching a football game in Argentina.
Travelling is full of different experiences that will take you away from routine, and this trip was no exception. I slept in hotels, hostels, tents, hammocks, buses and boats; ate fabulous steaks in Argentinean Parrilladas and wonderful tacos from Mexican street stalls; drank exotic fruit cocktails on the Caribbean coast and coca leaf tea high up in the Bolivian Andes. I swam with sea lions in Argentina, got woken up by monkeys in Mexico and shared Macchu Picchu with the llamas in Peru.
I experienced many landscapes and conditions – deserts, jungles, plains, mountains, rainforests, rivers and oceans. By reading, you can share in some favourite moments – learning Spanish in a Colonial city, a jeep trip to the largest salt plains in the world and a train journey to the largest canyon.
Read these pages and you can take a jeep trip to the largest salt plains in the world and a train journey to the largest canyon. Cycle on the most dangerous road in the world. White water raft in the Andes. Climb an active volcano. Trek in the Andes. Swim in a Patagonian river.
See the Panama Canal, the ancient cities of Teotihaucan, Palenque, Tulum and Tikal. Visit Mexico City, the largest city in the world, La Paz the highest city in the world, the cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, the colonial architecture of Guanajuato and Oaxaca, and the tiny island community of Mexcaltitlan.
But be warned – it is not all fun and games. I had my passport and bank cards stolen from a bus, a close encounter with a Colombian rebel group. A friend nearly lost his sight due to a parasite in his eye.
Whether it is, a boat nearly sinking, a 27 hour bus journey, going deep underground to the silver mines, responsible for millions of deaths over the last 500 years, or being stranded in a desolate Andean village, roylloydjones.com has the story.
Should you choose to read about the entire 11 months from start to finish, or just the bits that interest you, welcome; I hope you enjoy my story – I believe there is something for every taste, and hopefully some useful information for anyone wanting to travel in Latin America.
Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment or send me an email.
Roy
