Living in the sewers isn’t just for teenage mutant ninja turtles. In Colombia, there’s a culture of sewer-dwellers. There’s even a counterculture to this counterculture: people who are known as the “death squads” who routinely pour gasoline into the sewers and fire rounds in an effort to scare the sewer-dwellers off, or at least torment them. On top of this threat, these people also face the daily threat of flash floods, rats, feces and the unpredictable behavior of drug addicts who also wander into the sewers. Follow VICE through this video as they navigate the sewer life in Colombia.
South America
Travel through South America by country:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Travel through South America by popular city:
Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro
Travel through South America by popular things to do:
Adventures in the Amazon, Falkland Islands, Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego
A Budget-Friendly Wellness Retreat In Ecuador’s ‘Valley of Longevity’
As soon as you step off the bus into Vilcabamba in Ecuador, you’ll be amazed at how rural and small the town feels. Surrounded by the Andes Mountains and lush valleys, Vilcabamba is a tranquil place where you go to clear your mind and get away. Upon closer inspection, however, you’ll realize that many others had the same idea – but never left.
Valley Of Longevity
Vilcabamba is known as the “Valley of Longevity.” It is said that it’s common for residents to live past 100 years old, sometimes even over 120. That’s why, while the town may seem like an off-the-beaten-path locale where nobody would speak English, a lot do. In fact, many people who live in Vilcabamba are backpackers and senior citizens who’ve come to reap the benefits of the healthy region. And for travelers who enjoy nature and holistic healing but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a retreat, Vilcabamba can provide a worthwhile experience for even the most frugal visitor.
There are various theories as to why people in Vilcabamba live so long. One thought is the lifestyle of the people. Locals in Vilcabamba stay active until they die, as they live off the land. Moreover, the fruits and vegetables from the area are high in anti-oxidants, and all foods are eaten fresh. Walking through the region, you’ll find an abundance of berries, apples, oranges, avocados, potatoes, rice and other nutritious foods. There is also the drinkable mineral water that flows from up in the mountains, and contains curative properties like preventing clogged arteries. Other factors like a laid-back culture, pure air, easy access to natural medicines and consistently good weather that doesn’t stress the body are also said to help people live a long life of wellness.No matter what the reason, the area is a great place to take a healthy and budget-friendly retreat.
Hosteria Izhcayluma
Most travelers, both young and old, stay at Hosteria Izhcayluma. It offers rustic, incense-scented dorms for $10 a night for backpackers, as well as cabanas and private rooms from $25 to $56 for more upscale travelers. Furthermore, the property is set among colorful gardens and lush vegetation, even providing leisurely hikes onsite. An inclusive and nutritious breakfast buffet, expansive pool and luxurious, yet affordable, spa add to the feeling you’re doing something good for yourself. For example, I purchased a 90-minute spa package that included a hair treatment, facial and reiki session for $24. Moreover, I loved enjoying fresh fruit and whole-grain bread in the morning in the hotel’s mountainside restaurant, which provided excellent Andes and cloud forest views. Cabs from here into the town center are $1.
Vilcabamba has numerous options for hiking, and visitors will be able to do short two-hour hikes or full-day excursions for eight hours. One easy but beautiful trek you can try is the “Chaupi Loop,” which provides sweeping views of the Vilcabamba River and Chaupi Valley. Likewise, halfway through the hike you pass through the Chaupi Village where you’ll get the chance to interact with locals.
You can access the trailhead a mile downhill from Hosteria Izhcayluma, right after you pass the small village of Los Huilcos. Veer left on the dirt road to follow a small canal of water. You’ll take this for a while, and when the dirt road ends, continue following the canal until you get to an iron gate on your left. Here, you’ll turn right down a wide path. Pass a dirt road and small bus station on your left, cross the dirt road and continue straight down to cross a footbridge over the river. After you pass Chaupi Village, follow the dirt road back to the paved road. Then turn right, over a concrete bridge and through the “entrance gate of Vilcabamba” to end in the town center.
There’s also a really interesting “Forgotten Road Trail.” This hike lasts about eight hours and takes you through the once-main road connecting two villages. The road collapsed over a decade ago, and is now only accessible by walking. It begins in a riverbed, ascending after one hour to offer excellent views of the Quinara Valley. The highlight of the trek, however, is passing through Tumianuma Village, an area rarely visited by tourists. Here, you’ll also be able to swim in the Piscobamba River. You can access the riverbed trailhead by veering left before the rock quarry, located downhill from Hosteria Izhcayluma.
For those who love bird watching and are interested in exploring the cloud forest, Podocarpus National Park offers numerous hikes, from 30-minutes to longer two-day treks. It’s $10 to enter, and costs $15 each way by taxi.
Other hikes include the Mandango Loop, the San Jose Trail, the Waterfall Hike and the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve. The hotel can give you maps and instructions for each. All are worthwhile; however, proceed with caution during the Mandango Loop and try to go with a big group or guide. There have been incidents of robbery in this area.
By Horse And Bike
Horseback riding is extremely popular here, as is riding bikes. Walking around the town center, you’ll see numerous agencies offering rides and grooming their horses. You’ll be able to ride over cliffs, through valleys and to majestic waterfalls. Basically any destination you have in mind will be possible to visit on horseback or bike.
Walk around the town center, and you’ll see numerous message boards advertising yoga, meditation and other holistic experiences. Along with Hosteria Izhcayluma for spa treatments and reiki, there’s a place in the town square right next to the popular Natural Yogurt Cafe that offers very cheap beauty and spa treatments, mostly for under $7. Moreover, Madre Tierra Resort and Spa offers an eco-friendly approach to wellness and often advertises specials and events on the town’s message boards.
For Yoga, head to the Community Cultural Center on the corner of Agua de Hierro and La Paz streets. Here you’ll be able to choose from an array of levels, and take a two-hour class for just $3. Furthermore, the Lunar Loft, also known as Acahai’s Place, offers yoga classes for $5. And if you’re in town this August, there will be a yoga retreat with hiking and other wellness activities.
If you’re looking to enjoy some meditation, there is a center on the edge of town called the Centro de Meditacion (CMV). It’s a bi-lingual Buddhist meditation center, and most classes are in English unless someone needs help in Spanish. Moreover, Chakana Gallery often hosts meditation workshops for a small fee. You can email greenberg.cj@gmail.com to find out more information.
Even around the main square of town, much of the food in Vilcabamba is cheap. I ate at a place right in the square called “La Esquina,” and for $2 at lunchtime you can get a tall glass of pineapple juice, a hearty bowl of chicken and bean soup and a heaping plate of rice and chicken, among other entree options. There are also some excellent organic and juice bar options, such as Natural Yogurt Cafe. While you can get yogurt and refreshing treats here, they also sell meal-type food. I recommend trying one of their sweet or savory crepes, most for under $3. For a truly healthy dining experience, you should also checkout Madre Tierra Eco Resort, where you can eat gourmet organic meals while lounging among fruit trees and staring off into the Andes.
As Vilcabamba was once thought to be a place where Incan royalty went to relax, one unique activity you may be interested in trying is being lead into the mountains to participate in an Andean medicine ceremony. There is a local named Santiago, who has studied the topic and takes people up into the mountains for spiritual, holistic healing. You can go to him if you’re sick, or simply if there’s something in your life you wish to make better. To find him, visit the turquoise “joyeria” in the main square (shown right), next to Sambuca Cafe. Just note that many times when “Andean” or “traditional” medicine ceremonies are offered, there is often Peyote-like cactus concoctions involved. This is definitely not for everyone, and if you try it, be prepared for intense and often undesirable reactions and hallucinations.
Heat-Map Shows Travelers Most And Least Frequented Destinations
Have you ever wondered what countries are the most and least frequented by travelers? Estonian tech firm Bluemoon has taken data from the photo sharing service Panoramio and created a heat-map based on photos. The map details which countries are the most visited (in yellow), which have a medium amount of visitors (in red) and which are explored the least (in blue). A grey area signifies that no photos have been taken there using Panoramio.
As you can see from the map, Europe is a major tourist destination, as is much of the east and west coasts of the United States and Japan. Certain regions that seem to receive few visitors include Mongolia, India and Australia. Moreover, many areas in Canada and Africa remain unexplored.
They’ve also created a map of the “world’s most interesting remote places.” It only looks at destinations away from cities with remote tourist attractions. Some examples from the data show the Greek Islands are touristy (red), the Amazon Basin has almost no tourism (green) and Ladakh falls in the middle (yellow).
For a bigger view of the map, click here.
Meet The Man Who Spent 11 Years Walking Around The World And The Woman Who Waited For Him To Return
On his 45th birthday, Quebec native Jean Béliveau went out for a walk. He crossed over Montreal’s Jacque Cartier Bridge in Montreal, where he originally dreamed up the idea of escaping his life as a neon sign salesman nine months before, and kept going for 75,554 kilometers through 64 countries. He burned through 54 pairs of shoes but somehow managed to maintain his relationship with his wife, Luce, who stayed at home while Jean spent 11 years walking around the world. But when he returned to Canada, some criticized the walk as a self-indulgent escape from a midlife crisis since it wasn’t done for a specific charity.
Seven months after returning home from what is believed to be the world’s longest uninterrupted circumnavigation on foot, Béliveau is being courted by publishers who want the rights to his story. We caught up with Jean to find out more about his motivation for taking an 11-year walk, how he pulled it off without losing his wife and what he’s up to now.
Why take a walk around the world?
Jean: I owned a small neon sign factory but when Quebec had a terrible ice storm in the winter of 1998, we lost power for weeks. We had to close the factory and then my wife had to move to Montreal for her job. I had a midlife crisis in the meantime. I began to sell neon signs but I wasn’t making much money. I said, ‘My God, what happened with my life? I’m throwing my life away.’
I felt like I was working just for money and giving my soul away, and for what? I ran over Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal one day and thought, ‘I wonder how many days it would take to get to New York. And how many weeks or months or years to get to Mexico, South America, the rest of the world.’
What did your wife say when you told her you’d be buzzing off for a decade or so just three weeks before your departure?
Jean: She said, ‘Will you be back on the way?’ and I said ‘No, but you enjoy travel, you can come if you want.’ But she couldn’t because she’s a social worker and was working towards her retirement. Finally she said, ‘Is it finished between us?’ I took a big risk, she could have said, ‘Go on your way, mate.’ And she took a risk too. She said, ‘I will support you, we’ll try it.’ She’s the one – a great lady.
Luce: I asked why he didn’t tell me about it sooner and he said ‘If you have a very special dream, you better not talk about it to the people who love you, because they might try to convince you to abandon it.’
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Had you traveled much before?
Jean: I never really traveled. I’d only been to Florida and Las Vegas.
Luce, you agreed to stick with him and help support him financially. Did your girlfriends and relatives think you were crazy?
Luce: Everybody said, ‘He’s leaving you and you’ll have to do everything by yourself.’ All my friends and relatives, especially the girls, said they wouldn’t put up with this and they didn’t know how I could stand it. They thought he was selfish.
How did you pay for this trip?
Jean: I took $4,000 Canadian, which was about $3,000 U.S. at that time. It wasn’t enough, I knew that, but for me I had to escape. I had to go. I needed to make a big pilgrimage. To see who I was and where I was in life. I preferred to be eaten by the lions in African than by the society. I probably spent about $50,000 or so for the whole trip. Some people spend the same amount for a two-week trip.
Luce: I had to make some financial sacrifices to help support him along the way, but I was so taken with his project it didn’t mean anything to me to go without some things.
How do you pack for a trip like this?
Jean: I had everything I needed in a three-wheeled stroller – a sleeping bag, tent, a pad, only a couple changes of clothing, a pillow, a First aid kid, some food and water.
How much ground does one need to cover to walk around the world in 11 years?
Jean: I averaged about 20 miles per day over 11 years, but I didn’t walk every day. It took about six months to cross the U.S., about 8 months for Mexico and Central America. Then I had to skip Colombia because back in 2002 it was considered very dangerous. I spent almost two years walking through South America and then I ran out of money. I didn’t want to call Luce and ask for her to pay for my flight to Africa. Eventually, a Brazilian guy offered to pay for my ticket to South Africa and the trip continued.
(Click here to see a video of his route)
Where did you sleep during this walk?
Jean: People invited me into their homes, they fed me, they phoned people 30-40 miles ahead to help me. Some people gave me money, brought me to the supermarket and filled my buggy with food. I stayed with about 1,600 families in 64 countries, but in general I’d say I spent roughly one-third with families, one-third camping and the rest being invited to sleep in churches, temples, mosques, schools and even prisons. I stayed with criminals, killers, extremists – all kinds of people.
How did you maintain the desire to keep walking? Didn’t you want to go home at some point?
Jean: You’re in a state of permanent culture shock. You get to the point where you become saturated; you can’t even see the beauty. In 2004, I was in the middle of Africa somewhere and decided that I wanted to go home. I felt like I was a prisoner of my dream. I had to finish the walk. I felt like if I went back home I would fail because the spirit of the walk is just one shot, no going back. I sent Luce an email telling her I was too tired and I couldn’t go further.
Luce: I told him I loved him but that everyone wanted him to continue, because if he cut his walk, it’s like he didn’t accomplish anything.
How did you maintain your marriage with him gone for 11 years? Didn’t you feel jealous that he was out seeing the world while you were helping pay for his adventures?
Luce: I wasn’t jealous, not at all. I started his website and answered all of his emails. I was writing newsletters for him. I couldn’t have gone with him, I can’t eat everything like he does and I would get fed up with staying in tents and other strange places. I enjoy my comfort too much. I visited him for a few weeks each year and we were like normal people on vacation. These were his little breaks from the walk.
How were you perceived on your walk? Did people think you were a beggar in some places?
Jean: In Europe and Japan a lot more people treated me like I was a homeless person or a beggar. You feel the rejection; you can tell it in people’s eyes. I was someone apart from the society. I was in Latin America and Africa for about four years, where I was welcome. In Europe, people would back away from you. You say hello to people and they think you’re crazy.
Were there moments of danger for you on the trip?
Jean: Not many. I was woken up by a puma in the night in Chile while I was in a sleeping bag, but thankfully it went away. I was almost robbed in South Africa. But there were so many more occasions where people were good to me. I needed prostate surgery in Oran, Algeria, but had no money. They said, ‘Don’t worry, we want to support you.’ I was in the hospital for six days and they paid for everything. Even in Iran, they were amazing people. There’s a difference between the regime there and the people. The people there are beautiful.
How did your feet hold up?
Jean: They were fine until I got to Iran. I walked in whatever shoes people gave me along the way, and someone gave me sandals in Iran. Those were terrible to walk in. I went through 54 pairs of shoes. Each year, Luce would take some pairs home with her, so we still have some of them.
What was the most physically demanding part of the trip?
Jean: I spent three months crossing the desert in North Australia. It was 45 degrees (Celsius). I was drinking 10-12 liters of water per day but it was brutal. It took eleven months to cross the whole country. But then I got lucky. I went to New Zealand next and Air New Zealand offered to fly me back to Vancouver and then I crossed Canada to get home to Montreal.
How did you avoid going crazy?
Jean: I did go crazy. You go deep in your own mind, you just have your imagination, you go far away in the universe, because you can’t calibrate yourself with other people. Then when I’d see people, I’d be careful to talk to them to make sure I wasn’t too far-gone, too crazy.
What was the homecoming like?
Luce: I met him on the last day and walked with him for about 12 kilometers and got tired so I had to take the metro home to rest. Later, I went to join him again when he was closer to home and there was a ceremony for him. And then the two of us walked the last 1.5 kilometers to our home, just the two of us. He was fine – he was full of adrenaline – not tired at all.
How did he transition back to home life?
Luce: The transition was hard for both of us. He kept leaving the doors of our condo unlocked and he had no idea where anything belonged. He got depressed after being home a few weeks.
Do you plan to ask Guinness to verify your walk as the longest on record?
Jean: No, but if someone else wants to submit it they can. I didn’t do it to set a world record. There are totally unknown people who might have walked farther than me. There is a guru in India, he walks naked and with bare feet. He’s probably walked 200,000 kilometers in his life, but just in India. In my walk, we can say it is the longest walk around the world without returning home in between.
You received some criticism in Canada after returning home. Some said your walk was self-indulgent.
Luce: We did read the negative comments. Those people would like to try something like this but don’t have the guts to do it. Jean was in a situation where he could do it – our children were grown. We were not wealthy at all. All the free money I had was needed just to keep him on the road. The negative comments came only in Canada. Canadians are more critical; we don’t appreciate people who do things. Look at Celine Dion; she wasn’t appreciated here at all when she started.
What’s next for you?
Jean: I’m writing a book. So far, we have offers from 16 publishers. Hopefully, it’ll be out next year. I won’t go back to selling neon signs. My past is another life. I’m on a new path now until I die. (Update: The book will be published by the Flammarion Group in February 2013.)
You’ve said that you did this walk for peace and for children, but you didn’t raise money for any charitable cause. What do you think you accomplished?
Jean: You want to do something before you die. I figured I had maybe 30 more years on this planet and I wanted to do it. I think we helped raise awareness for peace but I left with a humble spirit. My goal is to learn not to teach. The walk was about everyone I met – people’s humanity, their desire to explore the world. So many people supported me so it wasn’t just my walk; it was theirs too.
I bet people will read the story you are doing and it will make an impact on their lives. Some people will decide to change their lives when they read this.
[All photos provided by Jean Beliveau le Marcheur]
A Challenge: Learn All Of The Countries In The World
While in DC a couple of weeks ago with fellow Gadling writers, a few of us hopped into a taxi on our way to dinner. Our driver was an African man from a country he kept under wraps. He told us that if we wanted to find out which country he was from, we’d have to earn our way to the answer through his impromptu trivia. And so we tried to answer his questions.
“You have to exercise your anthropological and geographical versatility to comprehend my country of originality,” he teased us.
“I can guess the continent,” one of our writers chimed.
“Oh yes, guessability, no problem, Madam,” he cooed.
“West Africa?” she guessed.
“Well,” he drew out the word for a few seconds. “I will formally agree but I will formally disagree with you. I am an individual of complexity. You want a clue?”
“Yes,” we all answered in unison.
“OK. I am going to give you a complex geographical clue. Let me see. Name me 11 countries in the world that have four letters,” he began.And so we began: Oman, Iraq, Iran, Peru, Togo, Mali, Fiji, Chad, Laos, Cuba and Guam. Our geography scavenger hunt continued, question after question, until we arrived at our destination. The driver moved to DC from Sierra Leone.
After exiting the taxi in DC, I couldn’t get the ride and the driver’s questions out of my mind. I felt ashamed that I couldn’t definitively pinpoint Sierra Leone on a map. I found this to be both humiliating and humbling.
It’s been a loose lifetime goal of mine to learn geography as thoroughly as I can. To scratch the surface, my first geography goal is to learn the names of all of the countries in the world. This may sound ambitious, but it shouldn’t be considered a far-fetched goal for a writer who regularly writes about travel. I decided to finally begin learning geography the way I’ve always intended to learn it this past weekend. A houseguest showed me Sporcle, a website filled with quizzes, interactive games, trivia and other knowledge-based, time-wasting activities. When I saw “geography” listed as a section on the site, I knew I had found my resource for learning the world’s countries.
After spending an hour on the site, I knew all of the countries in Africa. I went back again the next morning to make sure I’d retained the information and I had. I’m now moving on to the rest of the continents. Never again will I lazily accept my fate as an American who hasn’t bothered to learn the names of the nooks and crannies throughout our world. Why should I think it enough to know the names of only 70 percent of the countries in the world? Why shouldn’t I know them all?
For a long time, I didn’t think it was incredibly relevant – not relevant enough to bother learning, at least. But I knew, like many do, the names of a hearty chunk of countries. These are the countries that come up in conversation, news and friends’ vacations. Moving forward, I am challenging myself and readers alike to learn the names of all of the countries in the world, at the very least. From there, let’s learn about the countries and their respective cultures in depth and begin travel planning, but first, let’s learn the names.
**Update 05.27.2012: I did it!**