13 October 2002 
Alex Mumzhiu: Dear friends, I planned to go on my next trip,
to South America on Oct 5 2002. I had an airline reservation for Quito, Ecuador.
I planned to go around the entire S. American continent in four months...
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27 October 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: My Dear readers,
Thank you very much for your support. I never heard so many good words said about
me. It was like attending my own funeral. However, as a Mark Twain said, "rumors
of my death are greatly exaggerated...
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4 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: These guys who travel with airport-hotel transfer included, missing this part
entirely. For me this part is especially attractive because my favorite sport
is not football or baseball, my favorite sport is orienteering. I used to participated
in orienteering competitions a lot. In America it is known as survivors competition...
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7 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Quito became intolerable. Ash was everywhere. In addition to ash falling from the sky, passing cars
raised such a thick cloud of ash that you cannot see the opposite side of the street. This ash is not
harmless like Sahara sand. My equadorian friend Marko said that ash is killing his guinea pigs. He keeps
guinea pigs not for medical experiments but for food. Many people advised me to try roasted guinea pigs
called gye, but I was afraid to insult my young readers. I had a few of them...
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9 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I realized that my plan to circle entire continent is not realistic.
Below is the map of my trip as a see it now. My return ticket from Rio De Janeiro is on Jan 20 2003...
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18 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Of course I have seen National Geographic movies about Galapagos
and read about it, but Galapagos never was on the list of places which I would like to visit.
It was too remote, too difficult and too expensive. If it was not for volcanic eruption near Quito and ash
fallout, I probably would not have gone there...
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19 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: From Galapagos I flew back to Guaquil. Then, I took an 8 hours bus
ride to Banos, a paradise on Earth. This small cosy town is located near the equator but
at an altitude of 1800 meters, so the climate here is mild and pleasant...
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21 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I should give the title of the best backpacker's paradise to Banos.
It is better than two other contenders - Pokhara and Youngshou (I mentioned them in previous TN).
It is cleaner, it is not Asia. And people are culturally closer, than Chinese or Nepalese.
And it is cheaper...
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29 November 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Traffic on Pan-Americana Highway after huge explosion, I wrote before, was restored and I decided
not to go through the head hunters (head shrinkers) territory. They probably have never seen a folding
bicyclist and may have a temptation to shrink my head as a souvenir. Instead I started long bus ride to Lima,
Peru...
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3 December 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I am in the middle of the famous gringo trail, Pisca-Nasca-Cusco.
Pisco is the starting point for visiting Ballerians islands. These islands remind me of Swiss cheese.
My wife, who is an architect, would love this design, a lot of skylights...
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10 December 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: The beauty of Machu Pichu comes from
its location. It is again as always location, location and location. Machu Picchu
is located on a wide saddle between two mountains. The river valley is about 700
meters below... full message |
18 December 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: From Michu Picchu I took a long bus ride to Arequipa to see
the deepest canyon and biggest condor that flies there. The two days bus tour to the canyon ($15)
goes across a 4,800m pass before descending to the canyon, with vertical drops of 1,500m...
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25 December 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: I am in the Amazon jungle town Rurrenabaque. It is a pretty nice
jungle town. It reminds me in some sense the village of Listvianka on the shores of Baikal lake,
which has asphalt roads and mixed drinks in every bar, but otherwise is a typical Siberian village....
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31 December 2002
Alex Mumzhiu: Something wrong in this picture!!!
Cactuses do not grow on the shore of white polar sea. Right, it is not ice it is salt. Saler de Uyuni is
huge 100x100 km salt field, 1-3 meter deep. Place with cactuses is the island in the middle of this salt
field called ironically the Pescador Island...
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7 January 2003
Alex Mumzhiu: From Uyuni I went to Potossi, then Sucre and now I am in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
In half an hour I am leaving Santa Crus by train and will be in Brazil tomorrow. I hope to take one more jungle tour
to Pantanal from Currumba, Brazil...
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18 January 2003
Alex Mumzhiu: My dear readers I am in Rio De Janeiro, the final point of my trip.
My return ticket is on Jan 20 2003. As I wrote before, from Santa Cruz, Bolivia I took 24 hours train
to the border of Brazil and went into another jungle tour in Southern Pantanal, Brazil.
It was disappointing, Bolivian tour was much better and also cheaper...
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