I know it's taken it's time coming - but crafting a list like this needs time to develop. So without further ado I present to you the coveted Top Five list of The Children of the Sun
Top Six Time Spent in a Countries
6. Chile - 3 Days
5. Paraguay - 4 Days
4. Peru - 5 Days
3. Argentina - 6 Days
2. Brazil - 22 Days
1. Bolivia - 57 Days
Top Five UNESCO World Heritage Sites
5. Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture, Bolivia
4. Fuerte de Samaipata, Bolivia
3. City of Cusco, Peru
2. Iguaçu National Park, Brazil/ Iguaçú National Park, Argentina
1. Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Peru
Top five Strangest Thing
5. The random man from Lima that made friends with me in the church and proceeded to tell me that it's okay for boys to have sex with other boys in Peru - nobody minds, we are open minded
4. The Skulls of the people from Tiwanaco - the literally looked like cone heads. Aparently the used to bandage their heads to shape them that way
3. Toy Gun solders at Sucre http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/229071.html
2. Llama fetus at the Witches Market - they bury them under new houses for good luck http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/231303.html
1. Carnival and I must say it was a treat. Not for it's wow factor, but rather it's pathetic factor. The real spectacle of the night was the knife thrower who was legitimately scary because it seemed likely that she may actually kill someone. When she invited someone from the audience up she missed his face by mere millimeters. The Circus in Samaipata, where the ringleader was also the juggler (that dropped everything), a (bad) dancer, a stage hand, ticket ripper and a sweets seller. Carnival and I must say it was a treat. Not for it's wow factor, but rather it's pathetic factor.
Top Five Cities
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3. São Paulo, Brazil
2. Sucre, Bolivia
1. La Paz, Bolivia
Top Five Accommodation
5. Staying awake all night - in Sao Paulo, in Busses, in Trains - it wasn't fun at the time, but looking back on it, it was kinda fun
4. Wasi Masi - Sucre, Bolivia. Great atmosphere and it was funny that the two resident old guys were called Juan (Jon) and Alejandro (Alexander)
3. Gus's Apartment, AKA Hotel A La Gus - Sao Paulo, Brazil. A super cool Brailian we met in Buenos Aires that let Jon and I sleep in his bed while he gratefully slept on the couch.
2. Tamengo - Quijarro, Bolivia. What resembled a luxury resort more than a backpackers
1.The Wild Rover - La Paz, Bolivia. despite the fact I never actually slept there (well maybe one or two nights) I were there everyday so it felt like I were.
Top Five Beers
5. Antarctica - Brazil
4. Quilmers Cristal - Argentina
3. Carpa - Brazil
2. Surena - Bolivia
1. Kaiser - Brazil
Top Five Things I Will Not Miss
5. Regaton - I can appreciate local music, but not all the time
4. Guns and gunshots - no matter how much we tried to convince ourselves that they were fireworks, we knew they weren't
3. Overnight busses - the sounds like such a good idea at the time - but after not sleeping, risking the dangers of night roads, not showering it's more effort than it's worth.
2. Asking for no meat, showing a card that clearly said in both local language and pictures, no meat, having the waiter repeat no meat and then bring out a plate JUST of dried, dirty meat.
1. "Kettle Showers" where they have a kind of kettle head on the cold water and turn it into slightly less cold water that occasionally gives you electric shocks.
Top Five Time Spent with other Travelers
5. Kicker - 11 days http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/236204.html
4. African Tes - 14 Days http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/231312.html
3. Vikki & The Steve - 17 Days http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/236201.html
2. Conspiracy Theory John - 21 Days http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/231306.html
1. TV's Jon - 85 Days http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/230286.html
Top Five Things I Will Miss
5. Shoe shining boys - I became addicted to shiny shoes and would get it done every few days - and for only 75¢ why not?
4. Town squares - They are almost always more interesting in cities where they haven't turned them into gigantic ugly hotels like Melbourne
3. The warmth of the South American people
2. The Sucre Crew - A collection of half a dozen people that grew daily of travellers that met up in the square and decided to do something on the spot, be that walking around cemeteries or playing chess at the Mirador. I love how when you're travelling the only requirements for becoming friends are the ability to speak at few words of English
1. La Paz - such a fantastic city with a wealth of wonderful people - good times
Top Five Foods
5. Avocados on pizza
4. Avocados in sandwiches
3. Avocados on toast
2. Avocados on bread
1. Avocados
Top Five Cultural Moments
5. We dubbed it “The Baltic Express” because over the two bone rattling nights on this train it was freezing beyond belief. It was a peculiar train with no sleeping service, buffet car, heaters or lights at times. We had to close the shutters when we went through one town because of kids throwing rocks at the trains.
4. Catching the Santa Teressa Tram - where you have to pay if you get a seat, but not if you run along the street and jump onto it as it was going.
3. Going to the Mirador at La Paz with Conspiracy Theory John - It was quite the little adventure for us two children of the first world delving into the back streets of the favellas. We found a small overpass and set up camp for the sunset. We had a group of little kids come sit with us, intrigued with what we're doing. We made small talk - the kind where we don't speak any Spanish and they don't speak any English.
2. Maracana stadium, Rio De Janeiro - We caught an absolutely insane football match between two massive Rio clubs and although the score ended up nil all, the fans were still roaring with more flags than the UN being waved frantically throughout and chanting that never let up till the final whistle blew.
1. The Restaurant in Samaipata - Upon entering his cafe we realized he had just converted his lounge room into a cafe. The TV was showing some Bolivian traditional music filmed in a rather hilarious (all be it not intentional I'm sure) style. There were some tiny model boats he's created scattered around the plastic table and chairs next to the couch. He was delighted that we decided to choose his humble abode to eat and proceeded to tell us stores about how he was a famous boxer in his youth and how his wife had been a model in Europe. He was a very sweet old man with a heart of gold, and he apologized numerously for his bad english even though it was much better than all of out spanish put together.
Top Five Worst Times
5. Bus trips - pretty much all of them, but I did manage to forge some good friendships on some of them
4. All those time we though staying awake all night would be a much better idea than paying for accommodation when we were leaving early in the morning - but some of them turned out well too
3. Travelling with Australians that need visas for countries us British people like me don't need and making me wait for them to get processed at borders - sometimes for days.
2. Leaving La Paz. I enjoyed my time there so much that it was very difficult to say goodbye
1. Travelling to the Missions in Bolivia. The missions themselves were fantastic, but I was alone and saw everything there was to see in about one hour and I had to kill 20 more. I accidentally left my National Geographic in the train and just read my Lonely Planet until my eyes bleed.
Top Five Song
5. I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
4. Me Gustas Tu - Manu Chao
3. Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex - CSS
2. La Camisa Negra - Juanes
1. Taj Mahal - Jorge Ben
Top Five Nights Out
5. Lapa - the beating heart of Rio de Janeiro and the crazy man we met that insisted we go with him to a brothel after the night dies down. We polity declined.
4. The day of Independence in Sucre where everyone assured us there was going to be a Big party, but the night completely flopped, but not until we had crashed someone's sweet 16 and Conspiracy Theory John spewed over the edge of the balcony. inside the mine drinking poison with the miners.
3. Cusco street party where after watching skimpy dressed girls dance in next to nothing on a freezing night in front of gigantic mannequins before being befriended by a couple and their 16 year old niece who took a particular shining to Manni and subsequently being invited to a club where we were the only gringos and for a night we felt South American in a city overrun with tourists.
2. The Gangster Experience in Sao Paulo where Jon befriended Gangsters that spoke no English (and Jon no spanish) who tught him their secret handshake, respected him because he looked in there eyes and forced a kiss on poor little Sarah.
1. La Paz - Blue Room. What happened in La Paz, stays in La Paz.
Top Five Things I Will Do Next Time
5. Mendosa, Cordoba, Rosario, Salta - Argentina
4. Noel Kempff Mercado NP - Bolivia
3. The Amazon River - Brazil, Peru
2. Patagonia & Los Glacias NP - Argentin and Chile
1. Angel Falls, Venezuela - the highest waterfalls in the world
Top Ten Impressive Views (couldn't help myself)
10. Sao Paulo from hotel unique http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/223790.html
9. Sucre from the Mirador http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/229061.html
8. Flying into Santiagohttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/233118.html
7. 5200m above sealevelhttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/230295.html
6. Maracana stadium
5. Christo Redentorhttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/224602.html
4. La Paz on sunsethttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/231307.html
3. Che Guvera's last standhttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/227656.html
2. The Salt Flatshttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/230284.html
1. Machu Picchuhttp://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/231824.html
Top Five Funny Moments
5. Hanging out with Gangsters in Sao paulo and one of them deciding that he didn't care if Sarah was interested or not, but decided to force a kiss on her anyway.
4. Getting stuck talking with a bunch of Mormons in a long bus journey and having them ask us what language we spoke in Australia.
3. Going into the mines of pots and expecting a really heavy afternoon talking about the fact the miners have a life expectancy of only 10 years and ending up drinking poison with our tour guide who would gladly go back to mining if the price of silver went up.
2. Gus, always the host, always the ladies man, took us to a club where his friends were Djing. I felt like I was eighteen again, and I couldn’t help but laugh when two of his friends approached me and offered these handy tips; “If you talk to every girl in the club, one of them has to say yes.” and, “this is not Australia, this is Brazil. You don’t need to buy girls drinks, you just need to touch them”. Not surprisingly neither of them got lucky that night. Perhaps a little inappropriate, but anything goes in Sao Paulo.
1. Watching Jon trig to talk his way out of a sticky situation when a very disgruntled taxi driver brought across a police man because Jon pretended the Argentinean flag was a cock for a photo.
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