Cool Trip Statistics

ACTUAL TRAVEL TIME

We left South Range at around 7am local time on June 26, 2004 and arrived in Brasil at Fazenda Califórnia (California Farm) at 7pm local time on December 18, 2004.

In years – 0.482 years
In months – 5.78 months
In weeks – 25.06 weeks
In days – 175.42 days
In hours – 4210 hours

BORDER CROSSINGS

Total number of border crossings – 16
Crossings done by foot – 12
Crossings done by boat – 2, Belize/Guatemala and Panama/Colombia
Crossings done by train – 1, Chile/Boliva
Crossings done by bus – 1, Argentina/Chile



TRANSPORTATION USED TO GET FROM THE UP TO BRASIL

Buses – 146
Cars – 20
Trains – 17
Boats – 12
Bikes – 1
Walking – More than from South Range to Copper Harbor…many miles more…

Legs of the trip – 70, traveling to one town we spent nights in to the next…does not include nights slept in buses, trains, boats, etc.

PLACES WHERE WE SLEPT & NUMBER OF NIGHTS

Hotels – 110
Homes – 42
Buses – 12
Boats – 11
Trains – 5
Out in the open – 2, once on a bus station floor and once in the woods

LANGUAGES

Of the counties we visited, besides the many native languages, some official, (Quechua as the most common that we came across), we encountered English, Spanish, and Portuguese as official languages.

Some misconceptions: Many people think that Spanish is used in all of Latin America, not realizing that English is the official language of Belize and Guyana. In addition, French and Dutch are also official languages outside of Europe in French Guiana and Suriname respectively. And a great majority of folks believe that Spanish is the official language of Brasil, not Portuguese.

COST

Cost of the entire trip for two – Around US$6,000… give or take a few hundred dollars.
Average cost per person per day (overall) – US$17 or so…

Do note that the travel costs include absolutely everything (food, transportation, lodging, phone calls, internet time, etc.). Also note that we kept our budget extremely low – way under what the travel guides suggested for a budget traveler. The guide we used, Footprint South American Handbook 2004, as an example, says “an economy-budget traveler can expect to spend US$25-40 per day.” Most people we met while traveling had a budget of around US$30-40 per person, per day.

We did all we could to cut costs. We always stayed in the most inexpensive places possible, negotiated a deal whenever feasible and we stayed out of the touristy restaurants and ate as cheaply as possible. We also always used the absolute cheapest form of transportation and hitchhiked and walked a lot. We never took an international bus across borders. Nor did we take any full blown “tours.”



COUNTRIES VISITED

Countries – 16, which does not include us being in Bolivia twice

North America – 2 out of 3 (66.7%)
Central America – 7 out of 7 (100.0%)
South America – 7 out of 13 (53.9%)

Americas – 16 out of 23 (69.6%)
Countries not visited in all of the Americas – 7 out of 23 (30.4%)

Note, when referring to the Americas, we are not including the Caribbean Islands.

Even though we both have been to Canada before, we did not visit it on this trip…too bad we did not take a five hour boat ride from Copper Harbor, United States to Thunder Bay, Canada. Then there would only be a total of 6 countries that we did not visit in all of the Americas. Not including Canada, the only countries left to visit in the Americas are:

French Guiane (French territory)
Guyana
Paraguay
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

Now if you include our previous trips to Canada:

North America – 3 out of 3 (100.0%)
Central America – 7 out of 7 (100.0%)
South America – 7 out of 13 (53.9%)

Americas – 17 out of 23 (73.9%)
Countries not visited in all of the Americas – 6 out of 23 (26.1%)



TID-BIT ABOUT EACH COUNTRY IN ORDER OF VISIT

North America:

United States

Number of nights spent – 15
Our average cost per person per day – N/A
Currency name and exchange rate – 1 Dollar = US$1
Curiosity note – The area from Texas to California to Oregon was once Mexico. Riding the train is a fantastic way to get to know this country and the geographical contrasts between its 50 states. New Mexico has the best natural hot springs I have ever been to – Turkey Springs.

Mexico

Number of nights spent – 28
Our average cost per person per day – US$24
Currency name and exchange rate – 11.5 Pesos = US$1
Curiosity note – You can ride a train through a canyon four times larger than the Grand Canyon. It is one of the most famous train rides in the world. And it is amazing! The biggest employers in Mexico are the service and tourism industries. Go visit Chiapas.

Central America:

Belize

Number of nights spent – 6
Our average cost per person per day – US$22
Currency name and exchange rate – 2 Belizean Dollars = US$1 (US dollars are also used.)
Curiosity note – Belize is still under British Commonwealth. If need be, they would be protected by British forces and can go back under British rule at any time. Belize is a Central American misfit; it should be an island in the Caribbean Sea. This country is also home to the friendliest people.

Guatemala

Number of nights spent – 27
Our average cost per person per day – US$19
Currency name and exchange rate – 7.8 Quetzals = US$1
Curiosity note – Guatemala is my favorite country. The best place to learn Spanish in Latin America is in Xela (Quetzaltenango). This country has the most amazing Mayan city, Tikal, many active volcanoes, and the most beautifully colored buses. The landscape is so green and its people so proud. Twenty-three indigenous languages are spoken throughout Guatemala.

El Salvador

Number of nights spent – 6
Our average cost per person per day – US$12.50
Currency name and exchange rate – 1 Dollar = US$1
Curiosity note – The official currency is the US Dollar. El Salvador is home to our favorite newly found food – the pupusas. It is also the most densely populated country in Central America. Perquin was an amazing visit – yet shockingly sad with remnants of its recent war. The beer was the coldest in all of Central America – by far.

Honduras

Number of nights spent – 6
Our average cost per person per day – US$10.60
Currency name and exchange rate – 18.5 Lempiras = US$1
Curiosity note – Riding in the back of a pick-up truck from Gracias to La Esperanza is the best! Gracias is a gem waiting to be discovered. Here we met the greatest guy, Walter Murcia, whose great grandfather started the oldest botanical garden in Central America.

Nicaragua

Number of nights spent – 5
Our average cost per person per day – US$15.50
Currency name and exchange rate – 16 Cordobas = US$1
Curiosity note – Nicaragua is home to the largest fresh water island in the world, Ometepe. A country that I feel was cheated…too few days spent there. Someday I will return. Granada is extremely beautiful. Sad that many travelers we met were scared to visit, sad nonsense.

Costa Rica

Number of nights spent – 8
Our average cost per person per day – US$17
Currency name and exchange rate – 443 Colones = US$1
Curiosity note – Costa Rica is an American ecotourism playground. It is also our least favorite country of all. But it’s extremely beautiful nonetheless. You can go see a volcano spew out red lava in Fortuna.

Panama

Number of nights spent – 15
Our average cost per person per day – US$24
Currency name and exchange rate – 1 Balboa (Dollar) = US$1
Curiosity note – The official currency is the Balboa but only coins are produced. The paper currency used is the US Dollar. The Balboa is fixed 1:1 to the US Dollar. Panama has the most amazing group of indigenous, the Kuna, on the San Blas Islands.

South America:

Colombia

Number of nights spent – 9
Our average cost per person per day – US$18.50
Currency name and exchange rate – 2,500 Pesos = US$1
Curiosity note – Too bad so many are afraid of Colombia, you only hear the bad stuff. The people are fantastic, the country is beautiful, and you should visit. Cartagena is, without a doubt, the queen of the Caribbean.

Ecuador

Number of nights spent – 8
Our average cost per person per day – US$19
Currency name and exchange rate – 1 Dollar = US$1
Curiosity note – The official currency is the US Dollar. Ecuador has one of the most amazing markets in Latin America – textiles, animals, foods…so much color and energy in Otavalo. Here you can ride the world’s most difficult railroad…on top of the box cars…all the way to Nariz del Diablo (The Devil’s Nose).

Peru

Number of nights spent – 11
Our average cost per person per day – US$13.40
Currency name and exchange rate – 3.31 Nuevos Soles = US$1
Curiosity note – Peru has extremely warm friendly people. Machu Picchu is a must see in one’s lifetime. Around Huaraz you can find some of the best technical mountain climbing in the world. Cusco, though extremely touristy, is so very charming.

Bolivia - 1st visit

Number of nights spent – 15
Our average cost per person per day – US$11.20
Currency name and exchange rate – 8.04 Bolivianos = US$1
Curiosity note – Ahhh, what an amazing country. Shy wonderful people. The landscape is mystical – world’s largest and highest salt flat, the Andes, volcanoes... Bolivia is home to the mining town of Potosi, a city of 125,000 living at 4,070m (13,353ft). The poorest country in South America has so much to offer.

Argentina

Number of nights spent – 4
Our average cost per person per day – US$19
Currency name and exchange rate – 2.96 Pesos = US$1
Curiosity note – Argentina is the birth place of The Tango. It holds together, with Chile, the southernmost point in South America. With elegant people and many beautiful parks, it is also home to Aconcagua – the highest peak in all of the Americas at 6,959m (22,831ft).

Chile

Number of nights spent – 8
Our average cost per person per day – US$17
Currency name and exchange rate – 580 Pesos = US$1
Curiosity note – Chile has the best wine in the world for its price. The country goes from sea level to the highest peaks in the Americas in about 400km (around 250mi). It is beautifully squashed between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. The driest piece of land in the world exists in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Bolivia - 2nd visit - see above listed stats.

Brasil

Number of nights spent – Currently residing here
Our average cost per person per day – N/A
Currency name and exchange rate – 2.7 Reais = US$1
Curiosity note – Brasil is bigger than the continental United States. It has the best fruits and vegetables. The weather is actually not as hot as I anticipated – whew! Here there is a lot of energy with fantastic people. It is the first country that is not English or Spanish speaking…the only Latin American country that speaks Portuguese. I cannot wait to start teaching English.



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