Santiago Santiago, staged at the foot of the dramatic Andes mountain range, is an absolutely huge city, most of it being modern high-rise and sprawl. Over 30% of the country’s population live there (that’s 5 million). Despite it being a mega city, we found it enjoyable, easy to navigate and with ample green spaces....
Our guide to Easter Island in 2 days…or more!
We visited Easter Island for a week during October, 2015. We had wondered whether to include it in our itinerary at all, as it would certainly take a huge bite out of our backpacking budget. But, what were the chances of us being back in Chile any time soon? We just had to bite...
Valpo! A portrait of Valparaiso.
Valparaíso, or Valpo as it is affectionately called, is a significant port 120km from Santiago, which rose to importance following Chile’s independence from Spain and the liberalisation of trade. Copper, silver and nitrate were the main international exports, with many foreign investors (especially the British) flocking to the city to make their fortunes. Valparaíso...
The amazing graffiti of Valparaíso
Do you like graffiti? Is it an eyesore or art? If you are inclined to think the former, then perhaps a trip to Chile to see the amazing graffiti of Valparaíso, would change your mind! Valparaíso’s artists have covered, with varying degrees of skill, a huge percentage of the city’s labyrinth of streets. The...
The king of all mountains – Our tour of the mines of Potosí, Bolivia
Some time has elapsed since our tour of the mines of Potosí. What started out as a brief explanation of our curious experience has turned into something more in-depth. The more we wrote, the more we realised that we needed to write, in order to make sense in our minds of the history and...
Our travellers’ tips for North Chile
After almost a month traveling around Bolivia, our first couple of weeks in Chile were spent in the north of this long, thin and diverse country. We started our journey in the hot desert at altitude and then we descended to more humid lush ground where fruit, vegetables and vines flourish. From adobe houses...
The grumblings of a traveller part two – The 10 worst things about Bolivia
As promised, here’s the second instalment of “The grumblings of a traveler” series. We thought the time was right for some more complaining and finger-pointing, so here are the 10 worst things about Bolivia according to The Spice of Life Travels! BOLIVIA Brace yourself Bolivia, we have already covered Peru and this time we...
Our Bolivia top 10. The best things about Bolivia
We spent very close to our 30 day visa in Bolivia, and we could quite easily have taken more time to explore this often overlooked part of the world. Although not always easy-going, Bolivia has a lot to offer, especially to the budget traveller. So here the best things about Bolivia according to us,...
An underwhelming experience – what food to eat in Bolivia
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Bolivian cuisine was a bit of a mixed bag for us. Some things were great, but others were total fails! Food tended to look good but the taste was underwhelming. Some places we were just too scared to eat at for reasons of hygiene, and at other times it...
What no one tells you about the Salar de Uyuni salt flats tour. Our tips and advice.
Sure, you are going to go to some amazing places and come back with some mind-blowing pictures, however it’s the little things in life that are important, right? Here are some truths about the 3 day classic Salar de Uyuni salt flats tour. Uyuni is a desolate lonely place in the desert. OK, this...