spotlessmotions asked: hey! i saw that you were going backpacking through peru and chile and bolivia! i'm actually going down to peru and chile to backpack as well in october, so i was wondering if you have any tips after your experience or if you found some beautiful places that you'd think would be great to see
Well I’m still going through the experience, but I think I have some advice! I’m in Chile right now and it’s really expensive (comparably) Most places here cost similar to what they would in the US. So be prepared for that. Peru is really cheap, you could get a bunch of food at a market for around $1. Definitely go to the local markets and eat the food at the stands there (if you’re comfortable with it, theyre always a bit dirty with stray animals running around, but I havent heard of people getting sick from it since the food is usually really fresh). Only drink bottled water. You can bargain for most things here, unless it’s in an actual store. If you’re white, you’re probably going to have a hard time getting a really good price though, since they think travelers are all rich. Be super careful with your stuff, but if you’re really careful you will probably be fine. I keep my expensive stuff in one small backpack and keep it with me, or locked up at all times. I don’t know a whole lot about Chile or Peru yet, since I spent most of my time so far in Bolivia, but if you to ever make it to Bolivia definitely do the Jeep tour to Uyuni, it has some incredible scenery. If you’re going to Machu Picchu, spend an extra night in Aguas Calientes. That way you can spend an entire day there. Otherwise you will be leaving at 12. If you stay past 12, you’ll see most people leave and you will have the whole place mostly to yourselves. In the early day time it is flooded with people. Hope that helps!
