Arjuna’s Penance relief From Pondicherry, we caught a local bus 2 hours north to Mamallapuram. Buses leave really regularly from the bus station in Pondi. Practically as soon as we got to the bus station, we were pointed to a Mamallapuram bus that was just pulling away. Running towards it, I double checked with someone who looked official that it was the right one and received a classic Indian head wobble in reply. Only having been in the country a…
Long distance bus travel is likely to form a central component of any South American trip. For cash-strapped backpackers, an overnighter also helps save money as it gives you a nights accommodation as well as the means to get from a to b. The level of comfort (and safety) of South American buses depends on the country you’re in and the bus company you go for. On one bus, we were served champagne (yes! champagne) after our meal (yes! we were served a…
No.1. You might have to search for an ATM that accepts your card We’d not had any problems getting money out of the ATM in any country in South America. Then we got to Brazil. After crossing the border, we headed, with our bags to the nearest cash point. It wouldn’t accept either my or James’ card. Neither would the next two that we came across. After traipsing around town in the heat with our backpacks, we finally found one that…
Now don’t get me wrong, we liked San Pedro de Atacama. We really did. But we also very thankful to get away! Some of our bad luck from the salt flats tour lingeredon and not only were we forced to stay an extra couple of nights, but we also had to change our travel plans. We managed to get stuck in a snow storm in the driest desert in the world! We had planned to go on to northern…