TRIPS AND PLACES
BEST BEACH
Nominees: Parque National Tayrona, Colombia; Playa Blanca, Cartagena, Colombia; Lopez Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil; Florianopolis, Brazil.
And the winner is…
PARQUE NATIONAL TAYRONA, COLOMBIA
Tayrona Park has a special place in the heart of Eastlondoncurlontour, so it’s no surprise that this lush location scoops the top spot in the beach category. Whilst Playa Blanca is exactly what a Caribbean beach should look like, Lopez Mendes is long, wide and lovely, and Floripa (as those in the know call it) boasts both a laid back vibe and cheapie surf lessons, Tayrona’s beauty is jaw-dropping, mouth-watering and gob-smacking. It is mandatory that all visitors, when disembarking the speedboat that cuts through crystal water on the hour-long journey from Taganga, stop and stare in wonder for at least ten minutes before hauling their backpacks accross the beach to the hammocks. Many comment that the place cannot be real, there must be CGI or photoshop at work somewhere. Truly, Tayrona is pure paradise.
Best beach ever
BEST NIGHT OUT
Nominees: Club 69, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Le Boy/La Girl, Rio (Brazil); Carnival – the Second Night, Medellin (Colombia); Birthday Beats, Santa Marta (Colombia); Lapa, Rio (Brazil).
And the winner is…
LE BOY/LA GIRL, RIO
Club 69 put up a fierce fight in this closely contested category, with its camp extravaganza of a live show, feelgood, beat driven music and crazily friendly crowd. Lapa’s sultry street party showed us the sexy spirit of Brazil. Carnival shocked us with its unexpected modernity and a ceiling that opened to the lightening sky at 8 am. And what, we wondered, could beat a birthday bash in a low-down dirty Colombian dive so steamy that the paint melted off the walls? I’ll tell you what - the gay scene in Rio. Not world-renowned for nothing, Le Boy is a 3-storey, pumping powerhouse of a club, complete with semi-naked men gyrating on podiums chained to the ceiling, and the perfect post-party vista of a sunrise over Copacabana beach… We began at next-door neighbour club La Girl, where Brazilian babes watched themselves – and everyone else – shake their booty in the ubiquitous mirrors…
Que prefieres? La girl, le boy, o los dos?
Nominees: The Inca Trail – SAS Travel, Peru; The Pampas in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia; The Salt Flats of Uyuni – Tupiza Tours, Bolivia; Rio State Final, Maracana Stadium – Mellow Yellow, Brazil.
And the winner is…
THE INCA TRAIL – SAS TRAVEL
For many travellers, the Inca Trail is South America, and although the wonderful wildlife of the pampas, the otherworldly, empty beauty of the Salt Flats and the infectious passion of the footie fans at the Maracarena provided stiff competition, it is no surprise that the trek to ancient Peruvian city Machu Piccu wins this category. Its photo graces the cover of guidebooks galore, and tackling the gruelling trek is the apex of many a backpacker’s experience. Faithful blog readers will remember that Eastlondoncurl and girlf *may* have tried to get out of walking for four days up punishing passes with only the thinnest of oxygen to breathe. But, we pulled on secret reserves of superhiker strength to be amongst the best, yes, the best in our group. And we sure lucked out with that group. It was their cameraderie and support as much as the stunning scenery and sense of mysticism which made the trek so memorable - and led to this award.
The real centre of South America?
WORST NON-HOSTEL EXPERIENCE
Nominees: The Salt Flats, Tupiza Tours, Bolivia; Food-poisoning, Florianopolis to Rio bus, Brazil; Evil La Paz tummy bug, La Paz, Lima etc etc etc; Chest X-rays, Quito, Ecuador.
And the winner is…
THE SALT FLATS TOUR, BOLIVIA
With an honourable mention to The Food Poisoning Bus
It is undeniable that the salt flats of Uyuni, along with the coloured lagoons, sulphurous geysers, hot springs, and rainbow rock formations that surround them ache with beauty. Unfortunately, after 3 days in a jeep with suspension issues (there was none…), it was my arse doing the aching. When a screw holding the wheel to the car sheared off as the desert sun set – and we were thrown off the track on to a mercifully flat roadside – we gave thanks that the accident happened then, and not the day before when the roads were bordered with hundred metre cliff drops. When the car broke down 7 times in one day, we were glad we travelled in convoy. When we saw the plentiful grub all the other groups had compared to our miniscule meals , we were pleased we’d packed Alpha Whores to nibble on. (They’re Bolivian biscuits, atch…) And when we arrived in Uyuni, we were simply relieved to be in one piece. No, American-tour-mates, we WON’T be leaving a tip.
Surely not MORE car trouble? Que sopresa!
FAVOURITE LOCAL
Nominees: Archie, the Salt Flats Tour; Jorge, Rurrenabaque Pampas Tour; Jorge, Head of the Tribe at Irshim; Roberto, Volunteer Coordinator at Arutam; Isaac, The Inca Trail.
And the winner is….
JORGE – HEAD OF THE TRIBE AT IRSHIM, ECUADOR
If it takes 4 hours to trek a path knee-deep with mud to reach the home of a remote Shuar tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon, you expect the tribe leader to look and act the part. Jorge, with his long dark hair, Indian-style headband and stunning family didn’t disappoint. We spent candlelit evenings listening to his stories of Arutam - the ancient spirit of the jungle. In eerily flickering light, we learnt of the ladders which once joined heavens and earth, heard myths of men turned to eagles at the sound of a siren’s song, and played with Jorge’s beautiful – if grubby – daughters. The multi-talented tribal chief can not only play the fiddle, the guitar and the flute but also let us battle to the death until dinnertime with Shuar spears.
Jorge gets dressed up
BEST MEAL
Nominees: Steak at Desnivel, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Feast at Casa Hood after the jungle, Banos, Ecuador; Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlour, Ilha Grande, Brazil; Adams Ribs, Quito, Ecuador.
And the winner is….
DESNIVEL, BUENOS AIRES
After three weeks in the jungle, forcing ourselves to swallow plantain for the five-hundredth time (that DAY), we treated ourselves to a culinary celebration at Casa Hood in Banos. It totally tickled our tastebuds. Stumbling across a NY deli-style restaurant which served CHOPPED LIVER in Quito meant we denied ourselves lunch to cover the cost of dinner there. And the ice cream parlour in Ilha Grande, with 40 flavours, 30 toppings, and 20 kinds of sauce provided some possibly-not-too-healthy meal options on our way back from the beach. But Argentine steak has its own two-page section in the bible. I mean the Lonely Planet. And no wonder. We chose our cut of meat from the menu, watched it cooked oh-so-simply over an open grill, and devoured every dripping, delicious mouthful. The meat was implausibly soft and impossibly flavoursome – and rich, oaky red wine provided the perfect accompaniment.
Desnivel? De-licious more like....
AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL (ahem) BEEN WAITING FOR….
FAVOURITE PLACE OF THE ENTIRE TRIP.
As with Part 1’s ‘Best Hostel’ final category, here, Eastlondoncurl will explain why each of the nominees made it so close to the top….
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
With its dramatic setting – dark green jungle hills plunging into an azure sea, Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer casting its gaze over the gorgeousness, the glamour, the sleaze and the crime – Rio is one of the world’s great cities. The metropolis stretches for miles along the coast and up into the mountains. Rio boasts beautiful beaches, pumping, perfect nightlife, a superb selection of sights to see, and a sexy, sultry spirit. Rio is mad hedonism; it is favelas and football; it is beauty tinged with darkness; it is a South American highlight not to be missed.
Rio de Janeiro
Ilha Grande, Brazil
On Ilha Grande – literally Big Island in Portuguese – there is nothing as vulgar as a car to disturb the peace. Tarmac is totally taboo – streets here are packed with sand, and flanked with tiny shops selling nothing but beachware and dive gear. It basks on the Atlantic with beautiful beaches, the afforementioned ice-cream parlour, some fabulous hostels, great weather and eye-popping views.
Ilha Grande
Parque National de Tayrona, Colombia
I’ve written so much about the delights of Tayrona that you’re probably all sick to the back teeth of the place. Unless you’ve been there that is. And then you’ll know the joys of an early morning swim in the clear water, the sense of relief when the sun dips behind the clouds for a moment, and the heat lets up, how it feels to scramble up on and then jump down from the rocks, and the taste of a coconut you’ve opened with your own bare hands.
Tayrona Beach
Cusco, Peru
The capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco is a delight of a city – especially when you’re a weary traveller, less than fresh from a month in Bolivia. The streets may not be paved with gold, but years ago the fronts of all the churches and monuments were. And though they’ve been stripped by greedy conquistadores, the sights remain regal. In Cusco, you can feel history. You know, somehow, that you’re treading in the footsteps of an ancient and powerful people. The sun is always shining. Add to this easy, entertaining nightlife, Macchu Picchu, raves on a hill and some of the best fellow travellers in South America and you can see why Cusco easily makes the top four.
Cusco
And the winner is…..
Tayrona National Park!
Please may I live here?
More actual NZ news on the way….
