The Traveling Coder

Back Home

2014-07-24T00:00:00+02:00

Unexpected break from the blog as I settled back into a “sedentary” life. Surprisingly easy to do as I think it was the right time to come back home. I’m working on building a company with some friends so this means putting aside traveling for some time (but not too long ;) ).

Fortunately, I have still many blog posts to write about this (almost) year and half on the road! Expect new blog posts very soon.

The final stats:

522 days on the road or a little bit over 1 year and 5 months
25 countries (India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, UAE, UK, France, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, USA, Netherlands)
151 accommodations
44 flights on 27 airline companies
14 train rides (including 5 night trains)
74 bus rides (including 17 night buses)
13 boat rides
5 cruises
22792 photos (70GB) (3400 published on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/maximebf)
1054 videos (105.4GB)
109 blog posts

Express Stop In Isla Del Sol

2014-05-15T00:00:00+02:00

My time on Isla Del Sol was unfortunately very limited as I was on a tight schedule to meet up with friends in Cusco due to the delays on my flight to Rurrenabaque. An afternoon is all I could do and I regret not staying longer as the place had a great charm.

The Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian side as kind of a Mediterranean look. Copacabana is the port from where you can jump on a boat to Isla Del Sol. The former is not worth a stop in my opinion.

The island is empty of any vehicle (donkeys ensure deliveries) and split into the north and south parts. I only had time to visit the latter, which while being the most touristy, is still very charming.

View photo set on Flickr

A Break From The Altitude In The Pampas

2014-05-12T00:00:00+02:00

While the south of Bolivia is located in the Andes mountain range with peaks up to 6000m and cities at high altitudes, the north is a flat land covered by pampas and jungle, a few hundred meters above sea level. The town of Rurrenabaque is the starting point of many tours in this region. It is the gate to the famous Madidi National Park, although I didn’t have time to visit this one.

My journey started in La Paz. The goal was to catch the first Amaszonas flight to Rurrenabaque to start a 3-days pampas tour the same day. This flight is often delayed due to weather conditions at Rurre, the airport lacking any signaling for instrument landing.

I still decided to take my chances. The flight was unfortunately delayed for five hours, which means I missed the start of my tour and would only be able to start the next day. It also means I had to come back one day late. Being on a tight schedule, having to join friends in Cusco, it wasn’t a good start.

As a side not, the bus from La Paz to Rurrenabaque is famous for being hellish. It follows the “new death road” for a while and then goes through some rough roads. I met a couple for whom the 18h bus ride ended being a 36h one…

Anyway, it gave me time to explore a bit of Rurrenabaque. It is a small town with a cool vibe, full of cool bars and some nice restaurants. There’s also a French bakery which opens early morning where you can grab some pain au chocolat before your tours! I really enjoyed Rurre and would have loved to spend a few more days.

The next day, it’s finally time for my tour. On my way to the agency, I met a fellow traveler who tells me that all tours are being canceled due to a protest! What a streak of bad luck! However, the situation quickly turned around. The agency informs me that we are going to try to pass through the protest, the only one attempting it. The plan was to go up to 1km before the protest (which was blocking the main road). Walk from there past the protesters and catch another car on the other side. The four of us in the tour passed without any problems and we were on our way!

The road to the pampas was hell and you can easily understand why people are protesting. We got stuck a few times and had to walk the last one or two kilometers. Loved it, it’s adventure time!

We are finally able to catch our little boat to reach our lodge where we spent two nights. The lodge was nice, elevated above the overflowing river. Being the only one of the day to pass the protest (and because the protest had been running for a few days, it was the same before), we were almost alone in the area. Luck was finally on my side again ;)

The next two days are spent doing excursions by boat. We went looking for snakes, alligators, caymans, dolphins, monkeys and birds. The wildlife is plentiful around the area. Piranha fishing was part of the fun and of the dinner. They are very tasty! Swimming with the dolphins was also good fun but a bit stressful as there’s no visibility in the water.

Everything was perfect only for a very annoying detail: the mosquitoes were the most voracious I ever encountered. They are huge as well! As soon as night sets, they get out by the millions! Do not underestimate the power of a white shirt (all guides wear them) like I did!

The adventure continued on our way back to Rurrenabaque as we embark in a beat-down jeep. Ten minutes in, the shaft breaks! No worries: the driver grabs his toolbox, removes it, put it in the trunk and continues to the next town in 2x2 only. In town, we stop at a repair shop where the mechanic weld back the two broken parts of the shaft. The driver reassemble it by himself. One hour later we’re on our way again, back in 4x4 drive mode. Easy!

One more night in Rurre and the next morning flight to La Paz was on schedule. These few days were great and I would have loved to spend more time in the region, exploring the jungle as well. A bit expensive to reach if you are flying but definitely worth it.

View photo set on Flickr

Cycling Down The Most Dangerous Road In The World

2014-05-09T00:00:00+02:00

Not far from La Paz exists an infamous road which killed hundreds of people before being replaced by a brand new one. People are still driving like maniacs on the latter but at least there are two lanes and a fence between the road and the hundred meters drop!

Click here to watch on Youtube

“El Camino de la Muerte” (officially known as Yungas Road) is still in use but nowadays its biggest users are the thrill seeking tourists from all around the world who are coming to cycle it down. The 60km road starts from La Cumbre at 4700m and goes down 3600m to Yolosa where a shower awaits for you.

The first part of the descent is done on the new road until we reached the start of the proper Death Road. Good fun follows as we spend three hours going down as fast as we can. Breaking is actually necessary in some corners and I learned my lesson on this one ;)

The landscape is beautiful and, frankly, if you’ve done a bit of biking before, there is nothing to be scared about. The only strong recommendation is to get a reputable company as most accidents happen due to loss of breaks!

As soon as I’ve heard about this road, I knew I had to do it. It’s definitely the best thing to do in La Paz!

View photo set on Flickr

Short Of Breath In La Paz

2014-05-06T00:00:00+02:00

La Paz is clearly not on the list of my favorite cities but it offers some amazing views. The city is located in a small valley, its altitude spanning from 3000m to 4000m. From one side to another you’re only seeing a wall of small orange-brick houses. At night, this transforms in a beautiful wall of light.

You’ll definitely walk slowly as the altitude, the constant up and down hill and the pollution makes visiting the city a physical effort by itself. Anyway, there is nothing charming about the administrative capital of Bolivia and while some will stay for the party, you can move on quickly.

View photo set on Flickr

Potosi, Sucre And Getting Folkloric In Tarabuco

2014-05-03T00:00:00+02:00

First night in a Bolivian city in Potosi. Far from being as bad as I had read, it has a vibrant center with a lot of colonial buildings. The difference with Chile is still very impressive, Bolivia being a much poorer country. I did not visit the mines which is the principal tourist attraction but the experience seems like a very original thing to do.

Potosi

Next up was Sucre, Bolivia’s capital and cultural center. The city definitely has a certain caché and is very charming. The historic center around the Plaza de Armas concentrate the important monuments. Note that all Bolivian towns/cities seem to be built around the same plaza (always named Plaza de Armas) which is always decently maintained (even in the remotest towns).

Sucre

Sucre is a very chill place and while I had an awesome St Patrick’s day (who would have thought?) it is not somewhere you come for the crazy parties. The timing was also perfect as the nearby town of Tarabuco was celebrating its annual festival.

Pujllay festival

The Pujllay festival brings together villages from the region for a market and folkloric events. Dances are performed while dressed with traditional clothing. Drinking a lot seems also to be part of the plan. If you want to feel immerged, this is the place to be but do not expect much about the performances.

My path then took me to Santa Cruz where I stayed with some family friends and then to Cochabamba. Unless you plan to visit some of the national parks nearby, these two cities can be safely skipped.

View photo set on Flickr

San Pedro to Uyuni: Three Amazing Days

2014-04-30T00:00:00+02:00

There are a few ways to go to Bolivia from San Pedro de Atacama by bus. The less terrible would be through Argentina but it is a massive detour. Fortunately there’s also a much more beautiful and impressive path: a three days jeep ride through the mountains and the Salar de Uyuni.

The trip leaves early morning with a bus ride through Chilean immigration and to the Bolivian border which is only an hour away. Bolivian immigration is performed in a small house in the middle of nowhere where all the tour companies’ jeeps await for their passengers. They’re all Land Rovers, some of them more beat down than others, carrying six passengers and a driver. Luggages are loaded on the roof and we’re ready to go for our first day on the Altiplano at more than 4000m above sea level.

The first two days are all in high altitude, driving through breathtaking landscapes. We stopped at several lagunas, the most impressive one definitely being the Laguna Colorada. It’s a well deserved name as the brownish red water color contrasts with white sand and green grass. Loads of flamingos are fishing around while wind gusts create massive sand clouds.

Laguna Colorada

The second day starts with a visit to very cool rock formations but may get boring for the less nature-inclined as the landscape gets kind-a repetitive. A great group definitely helps to kill the time during the long drives.

Arbol de Piedra

The final day starts early to witness the sunrise over the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world. Lucky for us, there was a thin layer of water left from the rainy season which creates a perfect mirror and a mind-blowing scenery.

The water disappeared quickly as we drove to the Isla Pescado but the landscape does not lose its surrealism. The Isla, is a rock island covered with giant cactus’s. Beautiful by itself, it contrasts even more with its surroundings.

On our way to Uyuni we do the mandatory photo stop. The perfect flatness and complete lack of visual markers make you lose the sense of perspective which means awesome photos! We end the trip with a quick visit to the train cemetery and are dropped off in town.

The whole trip was very well organized. Accommodations were perfectly fine, food was good, the jeep was in good condition and the driver very nice. The company was World White Travel and I recommend them. This trip is mostly done starting and coming back from Uyuni where the choice of company is much greater. However, I think doing it from San Pedro is better as you get to see the Salar, which is the best part, at last.

I also ended up with an incredible group with which I had an amazing time. Our journey together even continued for a few days as we decided to hop on the first bus to Potosi (there is really nothing to do in Uyuni apart from the tour so you’ll want to get out as fast as possible).

The Salar de Uyuni trip is the greatest thing I’ve done in South America after Antarctica and definitely at the top of my experiences during this trip. UNMISSABLE!

View photo set on Flickr

Replaying The Moon Landing In San Pedro

2014-04-27T00:00:00+02:00

They call it “Valley of the Moon” for a reason: walking around the grey-ish and red-ish rocks of this region of the Atacama desert is definitely an out of this world experience. It’s not the first time that I feel like a space traveler during this trip but this landing was definitely the less Earth-like of all. Personally, I would have used Mars as a comparison rather than the Moon (NASA is even using the region as the test site for its Red Planet rovers) but this is probably nitpicking.

The Valley of the Moon is situated a few minutes from San Pedro de Atacama, a small touristy city in northern Chile. The 25 hours bus ride from Valparaiso was excruciating but good travel companions made the journey easier. The surroundings of San Pedro are pretty incredible and there are a lot of day trips to do. I started right away on the first day with the Valley and continued with a busy second day starting at 4am!

A two hours bus ride takes you to 4900m high to a geyser fields. Do not expect water columns rising from the ground as this is more bubbling water with a lot of vapor. But because we arrived very early on site, the sun was barely lighting up the place and combined with the vapors, we were bathed in a blue atmosphere. Did I mention it was freezing? Fortunately, the temperature had (barely) risen above zero when it was time to take the plunge in a hot spring. Unfortunately, “warm spring” is how they should have named it.

The afternoon went on with a visit of the Atacama salt flats and a swim in a salt lake. Really funny experience where even swimming becomes a struggle as you cannot keep your feet down in the water!

The day finally ended with a long look at the star. The Atacama desert is famous amongst astronomers for its incredible clear sky due to the high altitude and low humidity. This means that the region is perfect to build telescopes and learn more about the night sky. A man as organized a star tour which I would recommend. It’s located at his house where he installed telescopes and give explanations about space and constellations. It’s well known and easy to find in town.

San Pedro was incredible with some of the most special landscapes I’ve seen. While it is in the middle of nowhere, this is a nowhere you have to visit on any trip to Chile!

View photo set on Flickr

Santiago and Valparaiso

2014-04-24T00:00:00+02:00

I’ve been moving a lot lately and doing so much that I kind of forgot to update the blog. Oups! But this also means that great stuff is coming: amazing landscapes and thrilling activities have been filling up my time ;)

I crossed over from Argentina to Chile through the Andes moutain range, a beautiful route where you can take a very brief peek at the Aconcagua. It took me 2 hours to cross the border because of the strict procedures of Chile. Don’t forget you sweater because it’s chilly at 2000+ meters.

Arriving in Santiago main bus station I jumped in the subway to get to my hostel. The noise and the train instantly triggered my memory and I was back in Paris for a few seconds! The trains are indeed the same models as the line 1 in the French capital. By the way, Santiago has a very good metro system which, being a firm believer of public transportation, is a great sight.

I spent the next two days walking around the city. There is not a lot to do in the Chilean capital but the hostel I was staying at was great. The very well made Museum of XXX presents the tragic events of the Pinochet dictatorship and a must do to get a better understanding of the country. A walk to the top of Santiago’s hills provides some great views.

Two hours away of the capital is Valparaiso, commonly known as Valpo, an artsy city built on hills facing the ocean. Colorful wooden houses and old colonial buildings are the trademark of this busy place. Famous for its parties, the beaches of Villa del Mar are also very close.

I didn’t plan to stay long in Chile which is quite unfortunate as the south seems to have a lot to offer. I’m heading north, ready for the longest bus ride I’ve ever taken…

View photo set on Flickr

Mendoza: Wine And Mountains

2014-03-21T00:00:00+01:00

Mendoza is famous for being the wine capital of Argentina. It’s the gateway to the vineyards of the region and host of the country’s biggest wine festival which I missed by a few. Mendoza is also the last city on the road to Chile across the Andes mountain range.

They are more than a few activities to do around. The city is however very quiet during the day and only wakes up at night. The most common tour is, of course, going around the vineyards. I chose to visit them in bicycle. Unfortunately, the wineries on the cheaper tours are not very good. However, the servings when tasting are generous!

Compared to France, I didn’t find the wineries very interesting. Don’t expect to see beautiful properties surrounded by perfectly kept vineyards. The landscape is very nice however, with the Andes as the backdrop.

Mendoza being very clause to the Aconcagua, South America’s highest peak, I took a tour to have a look at this massive and very pretty mountain. Luckily we got a great weather after two days of heavy rains and had a beautiful day in the mountains.

Mendoza is not a great city but worth the stop for its surroundings. Spend the money on higher end wine tours or organize your own to avoid the cheap vineyards.

View photo set on Flickr