Posts tagged travel

Puno and Lake Titicaca – Exploring the Coolest Places of Peru

in South America travel on April 1, 2019 April 27, 2019

Puno+and+lake+titicaca+from+hilltop+near+Puno+peru

While traveling in Peru when I was climbing up the Colca Canyon near Arequipa, a traveler friend from the US asked me where I wanted to go next. I had heard about Puno and Lake Titicaca from the hostel people so I blurted out, maybe Puno. She said that she had heard that there are not many things to do in Puno, and most travelers skip visiting Puno; she was going straight to Cusco.

When my friend said that most people don’t travel to Puno, I felt thrilled. Though I have been to both offbeat and touristy places on my trips, Peru is a country with some of the coolest and remotest places to see which I definitely wanted to explore. While feeling unprepared to visit Cusco and join the mass of tourists who crowd the city hoping to see Machu Picchu, I booked a bus ticket to Puno.

Puno and Lake Titicaca were two of the coolest and most cultural places in Peru. While Lake Titicaca is one of the largest and highest lakes in South America, Puno is a small city that thrives on its bank. Though both the places are situated in the high Andes at an altitude of 4000 meters, they are not short of life.

Samaipata – A Bolivian Village You Must Experience

Samaipata is easily one of my favorite places in Bolivia. Why? Maybe this quaint village in east Bolivia showed me how to slow down. Or perhaps the Bohemian attitude of Samaipata made me think about life differently. Or maybe the German and the Dutch and the Arabs who have settled down in Samaipata taught me that home is where the heart is.

I cannot pinpoint on any one reason, but Samaipata, a lush town in the foothills of Andes, calmed me down. It is after all the resting place in the mountains (the meaning of Samaipata in Quechua).

Why You Must Visit Santa Cruz –The City of the Rich in Bolivia

in South America travel on February 2, 2019 March 14, 2019 with 6 Comments

When I had stuffed myself with enough streetside potato empanadas, I flew from La Paz to Santa Cruz. The dream was to see the wild jaguars in the forests near Santa Cruz.

Drifting off through a one-hour flight and waking up to chew upon the dry fruits that the Boliviana de Aviación attendant served, I landed at the Viru Viru international airport and hopped onto the airport shuttle to go to the central plaza. My travel friend was staying in a fancy hostel there.

As always, I had not read much about Santa Cruz. But my curiosity to talk to the local people makes up for my lethargic online research, mostly. In a casual conversation, the manager of the Santa Cruz airport shuttle told me that Bolivia was still furious about losing the Pacific coast to Chile. He added that the elite businessman and politicians of that wealthy city we were in had stopped caring as they were busy securing their bank balances.

And that is how I was introduced to Santa Cruz, a city where you would forget that you are in Bolivia, if not for the cholitas selling sinful salteñas on the roadside.

Bolivia Visa for Indians – Getting the Visa from India and South America and the Extension Process in Bolivia

in South America travel visas on January 26, 2019 May 18, 2019 with 1 Comment

a flamingo is eating in the atacama desert on my bolivia travel

Bolivia gives a visa on arrival to most of the western countries (excluding the USA), to other South-American countries such as Chile and Peru, and India. But you can only get the Bolivia visa on arrival if you land at Santa Cruz or La Paz airports, and this visa costs USD 55. As I was crossing into Bolivia via land, I decided to get a visa before the visit, and so I went to the Bolivian consulate in Cusco. The visa application process was fast; the visa was free; I had the visa in an hour.

If you are planning to get a Bolivia visa on arrival, then please confirm by calling the Bolivian consulate in Delhi, as I have heard mixed reviews of Indians who tried getting a visa on arrival in Bolivia.

Basic Spanish Phrases You Need to Know Before Traveling to Latin America

in culture South America travel on December 22, 2018 April 2, 2019 with 2 Comments

Unlike the US, in India, we do not have Spanish or a foreign language course at our school, especially in the small town that I studied in. I grew up studying Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. I took a foreign language course in French during college, but a few classes and a French certificate was the farthest my foreign language aptitude extended to.

When I landed in Chile, I couldn’t speak any Spanish. I started living with a Chilean host mother who woke up with the motivation of teaching me Spanish so that we could communicate and thus began my struggle with the language that soon turned into eternal love.

Without trying to be melodramatic, I promise that if you learn Spanish while traveling in Latin America, you would also fall in love with this language; for Spanish is a passionate dialect and have phrases and words for almost every emotion. Some of the feelings that can be described eloquently in Spanish are strangled by the lack of words in the other languages that I know.

Teach English in Chile – All You Need To Know About English Open Doors Volunteer Program

in South America travel on December 8, 2018 March 14, 2019 with 5 Comments

What does this Teach English in Chile guide contain?

How to Score Chile Visa on an Indian Passport – From India and South America

in South America travel visas on December 1, 2018 May 18, 2019 with 38 Comments

volcanoes as seen from the atacama desert in Chile south america

Chile gives free ninety-day entry to most of the countries. But, of course, India doesn’t get free access, and we have to apply for a Chile visa. I was once stuck on the Chile-Bolivia border because I didn’t have any tourist visa for Chile as I had thought that India was also in the list of those fortunate countries. How wrong I was!

Having paid more than what I should have for this mistake, I decided I would be more sincere while doing visa research and would also help other travelers by updating them with my knowledge on the world visas.

A Really Helpful Read: My experiential and well-researched guide to world visas for Indians

[Update 2019] : Since April 1 2019, Chile allows all Indians holding a valid B1/B2 visa or residence permit to the USA into Chile without any tourist visa.

Please read the official message of the Consulate of Chile:

***

The Consular Section of the Embassy of Chile in India states that henceforth all Indian travelers holding B1/B2 Visa or Residence Permit (Green Card) from the USA, with current validity of six months, do not require a Chilean tourist visa (either Simple Tourism or Multiple Tourism or Multiple-Business). This came into effect from the 1st April 2019.

NOTE

– All travelers to Chile need to have a valid passport for at least six months from the date of entrance into the country.

– Tourist travelers should have enough financial support for their stay in Chile.

– The period of stay in Chile for tourists is up to 90 days.

– Not applicable to USA Transit Visa.

***

You can read more about the change here on the official website of the Chilean government.

But if you do not have a valid US visa or a green card, please keep reading.