There are some things in South America that are quite different than in western Europe and the United States.
For instance supermarkets, in Europe usually the cheapest place for buying food, water and other commodities are supermarkets. Yet, depending on the economic development of an South American country a supermarket could be a high-class (mostly for tourist) market. This is also reflected by their numbers, e.g., in Bolivia (developing economy) you will have a hard time finding a supermarket, whereas you will find plenty in Chile (one of strongest economies in South America).
Hence the local markets or halls full of small shops are usually way cheaper than supermarkets and especially shopping centers. Of course, they are also more dangerous - although I never had any problem. Also they are far more interesting to explore and run around. All small shops lined up, in some cases if you ask for something and they don’t have it, they buy it from the other shop and sell it to you or guide you there.
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago. Add a comment
Here you can find some selected package listings for various occasions.
Pre-Flight Package List
Generally, before you fly to South/Latin America we recommend that you bring as few clothes as possible or mainly expendable ones. For several reasons: 1) clothes are of good quality over there and very cheap in comparison to western hemisphere prices. 2) You will buy a lot of souvenirs and other stuff there and you don’t want to decide which one to leave behing away.
First Aid Kit for the road and beyond
It is always good to carry around a few goods just in case you get sick or hurt yourself. This is basic list of stuff you should always have in your backpack. This stuff should give you peace of mind on the road, since it helps you surviving diarrhea during a longer trip, fixing minor injuries and prevent infections.
- aspirin tables
- charcoal tablet (something against diarrhea)
- Betaisodona (or another anti-infective agent)
- patches
- water treatment tablets (never used them though, but if you are going to trek a lot, I would highly recommend them)
Food utilities - Cooking your own stuff
If you plan on leaving civilization for a bit, we would recommend this stuff.
- camping stove
- pan/pot
- knife, fork, spoon - I recommend a set
- plates and cups (throw away)
- kitchen roll
Food for long overland trips
Food in South America can - sometimes - be quite dangerous, most people at home always say ‘omg Bolivia isn’t it dangerous?’ Well, on the road usually if you ask a backpacker that they answer is ‘yeah, the food can be quite dangerous ;)’. Hence, usually it is good to have a backup, in case you are hungry and you don’t like what you see. Remember not everything you can get is clean or even it is clean your body may not be accustomed to that.
- muesli bars
- water in bottles (try to keep always a few small ones around that you can put in your small pack or jacket)
- cookies
- crackers
Links
This is a very useful post from Timothy Ferris (famous for The 4 Hour Work Week) Tim Ferris - How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less
Feel free to provide your feedback or own suggestions, since we always like to learn from someone with more or different experience.
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago. 2 comments
This post shows you how to save money on markets, additionally you find some background information on how the “tourist market” is organized. First of all, this isn’t rocket science, it’s mostly about doing some small steps right and being persistent.
If you want to buy something on a local market or shopping area, try to do the following:
1) Reconnaisance - Gather Intel
Walk around and get an impression on what different shops sell. Ask for prices about various items (even those that don’t interest you) just to get an understanding about the prices, also the people will know you. Sometimes there is the same stuff just 50 % off a few steps away. Some people just drop the price after you wait for a few seconds, hence when you walk away some offer you a large bargain off - remember it and come back later.
2) Bargaining & Closing the Deal
When you decided what to buy, I would recommend the following method:
- Select your item(s), then propose what you want to pay and show them the money, if they say no. No problem, say calmy ‘ok’ and put away the money and put the item back. Usually the give in immediately. If they don’t, just walk away.
- You can try again later and talk for a longer while.
- Also you can try to team up with some other tourists. Maybe you can get the stuff for your price when buying more items together or someone is a better bargainer.
- Just find another shop/market - Remember: I have seen very few unique items.
3) Example
I usually bought most of the stuff at least two times in different variations, e.g., a blue and a black scarf. So I proposed 50 for both instead of the 70 (each was 35) ‘ambos por cincuenta’ (both for fifty), when the say ‘no’, I put back one and say ‘entonces solo esto’ (then only this one). Usually I got my deal for both items right away.
Remember you can buy most stuff somewhere else - at the same market, a different market, a different city, even a different country! So you can easily walk away. Just in case you think it is unique, you can always come back and propose another offer or take the suggested price.
A little background information on the tourist market
I have seen a lot of markets in South America, I can tell you that most stuff isn’t exclusive to one region or even country. While travelling with some french women, one told me how the tourist markets are overregional organize in Africa. In one country where labor is extremely cheap all the souveniours are produced. These products are shipped from there to all the local markets. I assume this system also exists in South America.
What does this mean for you? You can decide when and where to buy more easily, in the beginning I bought a lot of stuff, just to carry it with me for a few months and see it everywhere again.
Happy bargaining, mail us your experiences and questions!
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago. 1 comment
