All the tourists I met – most of them were 22-35 years old – came to Sorata specifically to do some trekking. There are a number of popular multi day trek options in the area. It seems that the only non-trekker in Sorata was yours truly. Due to a very bad leg, a multi day trek - especially in very cold weather at high elevation – would not be very smart, so I decided to stay put in town. That being said, I did my fair share of walking every day.

While hiking to the Gruta lagoon – some 12KM away - I met a group of young Israelis. Like most young Israeli travelers, they had recently completed a stint in the Israeli army before embarking on a one-year journey around the world. I talked to one of the young guys in the group, a wiry fellow in his early 20’s. He related how he recently completed the arduous 3-day trek to the summit of llimani while staying in La Paz. That wasn’t surprising in itself – given his relatively young age - but I was a little bit taken aback when I discovered that he was a moderate smoker

I met another small group of people at my hostel who were embarking on a multi day trek after breakfast to the nearby. One of the trekkers was an amiable British chap in his early 40’s. He had done some moderate trekking in the UK and Europe and he was a smoker as well, not a heavy smoker albeit. Trekking with him were two ladies – early to mid 30’s - that he met while traveling in Bolivia. The owner of the guesthouse set them up with an experienced local trekking guide equipped with donkeys, food supplies and other gear. Apparently they were going to camp outside along the slopes in sleeping bags.

Although I enjoyed myself immensely during my short stay in Sorata - especially after befriending a precocious young street dog - somehow I felt that I was missing out on something – because I wasn’t able to trek. Oh well…

After slicing and dicing all the data, I have decided to share my findings with all my fellow travelers - after all, many of you are probably curious as to how much does it costs to travel in South America. Now I am not talking about a 2-3 week package tour but a real journey, which I define as a trip of at least 25 or more days. My findings are rather illuminating…

When viewing the expense summary (see below), please keep in mind that I am not a backpacker nor do I consider myself a conventional luggage-toting tourist. I would probably describe myself as being a flashpacker, which is midway between the other two aforementioned traveler types. I usually travel with a large canvas bag, a small carrying bag, a dedicated camera bag and a backpack for my laptop, an I-pod, a portable sound system and some reading material.

As far as accommodations go, I usually stay in one of the better budget hotels, moderate bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels or one of the best hostels/guesthouses. Only on rare occasions do I splurge on accommodations, and in general, I dine at either at local cafes or moderately priced restaurants. No street food for me!

Total land expenses for 55 days/54 nights…..$4140      Per diem expense…..$77
Includes domestic airfare within South America

Breakdown of the land expense per country
    PERU (12 nights)               $1143**             Per diem expense…..95.25 

    BOLIVIA (25 nights)          $1621**             Per diem expense…..64.84 

    ARGENTINA (25 nights)     $1376**             Per diem expense…..80.94 

It should be noted that all touring costs were included in my land expense per country figure. Here’s a rundown of those expenses: Peru - three tours for $211; Bolivia - three tours (includes a 4 day/3 night Salar de Uyuni package) for $290 and Argentina - two tours for a measly $33.

**Domestic airfare within South America is also included in my costing figures. In Peru, I flew from Lima to Arequipa for $117, in Bolivia, I flew from La Paz to Sucre for $84.50 and in Argentina, I flew from Salta to Buenos Aires for $245**

Please note all prices are in US dollars.

You might want to see a more detailed breakdown of the land cost per country - includes average price per accommodation/per night per country (including highest and lowest prices); average cost per dinner (including highest and lowest prices) as well as a comparative cost of a small bottle of water. Very interesting, and worth a view!

After reviewing my cost breakdown, what can we conclude? Bolivia has the reputation of being the least expensive travel destination in South America and my data bears that out. Peru is considered a more affordable destination than Argentina, but my data shows that the per diem expense in Peru was somewhat more than Argentina. Keep in mind that the per diem rate for Peru was inflated by a somewhat pricey one-day tour to Isla de Ballestas/Paracas National Park ($128). Then again, Argentina might be a more affordable destination than the general perception held by most travelers.

Walking across the plaza on my way back to the hostel, I was escorted by two of the dogs. We were soon joined by a 3rd dog. I was out of “dog food” so I had nothing to feed the newcomer. He had short hair, a moderate skin rash on his rear hindquarters and walked with a limp. When he was standing still, he dangled his leg. I surmise that at one point in his young life he had been hit by a car, a common occurrence among street dogs. Like most street dogs he had no name, so I nicknamed him Pedro. Bidding Pedro and the other two dogs farewell, I made my way back to my hotel.

The following morning, I made my way back to the plaza where I ran into Pedro again. When I called his name, he ran to me, wagging his tale. Like many street dogs, Pedro was fairly scrawny so I bought him two plates of salchichas con papas, and he gleefully gobbled it up. Afterwards, I sat down at one of the park benches, and Pedro lied down on the pavement besides me as I patted him on his head.

The life of a street dog is not very fun – abandoned by their human owners sometime early in their life and left to fend for themselves on the streets, most of these dogs become full time scavengers. In Sorata, the dogs hang around the plaza during the day, looking for scraps of food on the ground or soliciting handouts from patrons of the park. At night, the dogs target the garbage cans located just outside the small cafes and food stalls surrounding the plaza.

Over the next couple of days, I would hook up with Pedro whenever I went to the plaza, buying him some street food or some raw meat from the butcher shop located in the outdoor market. Pedro really relished the raw meat. At no time however did Pedro beg for food – but I fed him just the same. On two occasions, Pedro followed me back to my hostel – the first time, he tried to enter the hostel but the owner shooed him away.

After waking up one morning, I walked to the roadside fronting the Hostel – about 600 meters from the plaza – to be greeted by Pedro, who appeared from the bushes located at edge of the nearby soccer field. Apparently he slept there overnight.

On my last day in Sorata, I tried to find Pedro a home with one of the villagers. But alas, no one wanted to adopt Pedro. Too bad, Pedro was a very sweet dog and would have made a nice pet for someone. I will miss him….

With only a handful of small and somewhat primitive bungalow resorts scattered around the island, the tourism infrastructure on Koh Libong is somewhat basic. There are no gaudy resort hotels with swim up bars, no shopping district with tacky souvenir and tourist shops and there is virtually no nightlife to speak of – no nightclubs or bars.

The island’s population is primarily Muslim; scattered around the island are four small fishing villages and most of inhabitants on the island are Muslim. That would explain the absence of nightclubs and bars – in traditional Muslim culture, the consumption (and sale) of alcohol is prohibited. That doesn’t mean that you cannot get a drink on the island; at the various bungalow resorts, you can buy alcohol and beer. Buddhists own these “resorts”.

Island life for the tourist in Koh Libong is pretty quiet. Watching the tide come in, reading a good book and collecting seashells are some of the most popular activities for visitors. In addition, there are some very spectacular sunsets. Admittedly without the bar scene, Koh Libong is pretty dead at night. The social scene for a tourist is pretty much restricted to the restaurants of the various bungalow resorts - hotel guests will often linger after dinner, enjoying a round of drinks together before retiring for the evening.

Going on a Dugong Sighting Tour – more commonly known as a “Dugong Safari” - is one of the most popular excursions for visitors.

For most people, Koh Libong is too primitive and way too quiet. For yours truly, I can do without the resort scene, clutter and commercialism (not too mention the noisy jet skis) of Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya - just not my cup of tea. As they say - different strokes for different folks.

Tourist friendly accommodations are relatively scarce in Pak Chom - there are just a handful of small bungalow style motels, most of them located just off the highway and close to the river. Most travelers stay in Pak Chom for only night before they move on to their destination. From what I have read, a lot of bikers will often overnight in this small city.

I stayed at Ruenrat Resort, a place I found listed in the Internet. A small family run motel, Ruenrat Resort was located about 1 mile from town. The owners were very friendly and tried to make my stay as comfortable as possible. During the days, I kept myself occupied by bicycling around town and along the Mekong River.

Looking back, I enjoyed my brief four-day stay in Pak Chom – it gave me an opportunity to be away from my fellow tourists – both farang and Thai – and experience a part of Thailand that few visitors are able to.

There is a special aura about this town – sort of reminds of old town Xingping in China - as it captures the essence of Thailand of days gone by. As evidenced by the popularity of Chiang Khan with Thai tourists – mostly from Bangkok - it is fast becoming “the hippest” tourist town in Northern Thailand.

Chiang Khan has often been compared to Pai, a small tourist mecca located in the mountains of Mae Hong Son Province. The difference is that Pai caters primarily to a young Western tourist crowd, many of whom are backpackers on the cheap; while Chiang Khan feels like ‘Thailand’, and for now, the tourists are predominantly Thai.

Walking along the main drag, which runs parallel to the Mekong River, I observed numerous guesthouses, chic boutiques and cafes - many of them housed in old wooden and teak buildings. In particular, there are numerous small coffee shops in the tourist zone. Thai people – especially young Thai people - just love to hang out at coffee ships.

Many camera toting tourists (and HiSo Thai girls) from Bangkok paraded down the streets, taking pictures of the old houses and shopping at one of the many cute gift shops. Fortunately, I did not see any Starbucks or KFC outlets. From what I could see, the bar scene has not yet contaminated Chiang Khan – so the town is fairly quiet at night.

There is an abundance of small guesthouses, hostels and homestays- many of them with just a handful of rooms. The room rates in general run from 250 baht – 900 baht or higher depending on the location of the hostel and the size of the rooms. The riverfront hostels command a higher price than those hostels that are 3-4 blocks away.

Unfortunately my visit to Chiang Khan coincided with one of the most popular holiday weekends of the year – the King’s Birthday, a national holiday. As a result, the town was booked solid and I was only able to get a small closet of a room in a guesthouse located about ¼ mile from the main drag, albeit for only one night. Due to the unavailability of rooms, I was forced to relocate to another town/village along the Mekong River for the remainder of my stay in Loei Province. Next - the Adventure continues in Pak Chom….

Chiang Khan is located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Loei. By songtaew, the trip takes about one hour.

Bordered by the provinces of Udon Thani to the east, Phitsanulok to the west and Petchabun to the south, Loei is considered one of the most mountainous provinces of Thailand. It also has the reputation of having the coolest climate as well. The Mekong River flanks Loei province on its northern perimeter; across the river is the country of Laos.

Whenever I travel, I make a conscious effort to stay away from the most popular mainstream tourist places - Loei was my kind of place. During my eight days there, I visited three different places 1) Phu Ruea, a small mountain resort at about 4000 feet above sea level 2) Chiang Khan, a small and popular resort town situated on the banks of the Mekong River 3) Pak Chom, another small town on the Mekong River but a world apart from the somewhat touristy Chiang Khan.

First let’s take a look at Phu Ruea
This small mountain resort (and village) is located about 1 hour by bus from the city of Loei. Phi Ruea has many lodges and small resorts – most of them are located just off the highway. The nearby national park has many hiking trails and wonderful vistas.

Near the Phu Ruea summit – about 8 miles or so from the Park entrance and the highway - there is a large camping ground, which is especially popular with the younger crowd (35 or less). Thai campers traditionally travel in small groups by minibus, staying for one night at Phu Ruea before continuing to the next National Park in the circuit, usually Phu Kradung. On weekends and holidays, the campground is throbbing with activity.

During the early morning hours, most of the campers as well other travelers in the area congregate at the nearby Phu Ruea Peak, hoping to catch the sunrise. At the lookout point, there is a very distinctive gold Buddha surrounded by a white canopy

On the morning that I went to the summit, I met a group a group of young (and very cute) girls. They were all bundled up like Eskimos because of the relatively chilly climate and wearing their cutesy pullover animal hats. After chatting with them, I learned that they were university students from nearby Nong Khai province. Unfortunately on that morning, a thick fog enshrouded the summit and the valley below and we couldn’t see much of anything.

See Phu Ruea Photo Album
.

Coming up: A study in contrasts – a look at Chiang Khan and Pak Chom , two Mekong River towns in Loei Province

Whenever I returned to the guesthouse, the two sisters – Blackie and Bear- would always greet me enthusiastically with a smile and a very soulful look in their eyes as I stroked them. Blackie and Bear are undoubtedly the sweetest pair of sisters that I have ever met in Thailand. The sisters were very good company – and I guess we really hit it off. Before I go on with my narrative, l must confess that these two sisters are not human beings but dogs, of the four-legged variety.

I must praise Stuart, their master and the proprietor of the guesthouse for doing such a wonderful job in raising them. Stuart is a quite a character in his own right. A jeweler by trade, Stuart has had quite a fascinating life. Born in Canada, he has traveled around the world and lived in so many different places – Jamaica, India, Colombia, Honduras, Brazil, Costa Rica, Europe and Thailand. A real maverick and dyed in the wool hippie, Stuart is one of a kind - sort of a cross between Johnny Depp and Keith Richards – and has so many incredibly outrageous tales to share.

As a guesthouse owner, he has done a superb job. A very congenial host, Stuart mingles with all his guests as if they were friends from the neighborhood. Beautiful tropical gardens surround the property – Stuart has put a lot of time and effort in landscaping and maintaining the gardens. The rooms are nothing fancy but they are very clean and have all the essentials - a large comfortable bed,a choice of AC or ceiling fan, TVs and an outdoor sitting area. There is also free WIFI.

See Kanchanaburi - Nong Bua photo gallery

P.S. If you happen to go to Ban Sabai Sabai, look for Blackie and Bear. They look like sisters - both have medium length black fur with white paws and chest, however Blackie is short and stout, while Bear is of average height.

Walking through the Streets of Bangkok, you’ll find a vibrant urban culture – street vendors selling an assortment of goods and makeshift portable restaurants on wheels as well as ornate Buddhist shrines and spirit houses in front of many buildings.

Throughout uptown Bangkok, there are some very elegant HISO shopping centers like the Emporium, the Siam Paragon and the new KP Village. It seems that in the heart of the tourist district – along the Upper Sukhumvit Blvd - that every other shop is either a massage parlor or beauty salon.

Sadly, you’ll also encounter some of the poorest segments of Bangkok’s populous begging on the streets and near the entrance of the many Skytrain stations – mostly the crippled and deformed as well as homeless mothers with infants.

Admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with “the City of Angels” but I keep on going back there, hoping to solve the puzzle which is Bangkok.

When I was in Guilin, a medium size city in Guangxi province, I stopped at major intersection where I witnessed at least 50 people on motorscooters – both men and women - waiting for the traffic light to change to green. All around the city, there seemed to be more of these motorscooters than cars.

The electric scooters are silent - which is a both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that these scooters are environmentally friendly. The bad thing – because these scooters are allowed free access to the sidewalk, they can be a real hazard for the pedestrian especially when the bikes are approaching from the rear.

To give you some idea, I was walking on the sidewalk on a major thoroughfare in Guilin, and then without a warning, two electric motorscooters passed me by. Because they were completely silent, I had no idea they were coming. Thank G_D that there was sufficient room on both my sides for the scooters to pass. To pedestrians, these electric scooters can be very dangerous and I can only imagine how many accidents they have caused – they are the silent killers of China.