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This I wrote after returning 1992 from a years travel in south America. This is written as a comment to the Lonely Planet travel guide we where using on our travel. Lonely Planet at that time hade a system of rewarding you books for useful comments made on others of there books. 

It's kind of a diary - following the trip city for city. And its possible to get quite a good picture of what happened to us. 

In its present form  its almost 100 pages (41 000 words) of unformatted text and no pictures. Not very easy to read but  eventually I will get around doing  something about it.

(Notes on my trip in south America under one yeas time 1991-1992 - Written 1992 published 2005)

Venezuela
The exchange rate for 1 US$ was under my visit between 68,10 to 69,30 bolivar.

Caracas 
The bus from the airport to the city center is 90 bolivar. The hotel Center Park charges 800 b for a double with bathroom. The exchange rate for 100 DM= 4370 Bolivar. Prices at the supermarket in Caracas was in September 1992 for: 1/2 kg sausage= 78 b; Pepsi cola 2 liter= 65 b; rice 1 Kg= 33,00; bread 500g= 60 66 b, can of corned beef= 74,95 b, can of sardines in oil 400g= 47,59b ; can of sardines in tomato 200g= 21,60; strawberry marmalade 355g= 66,15 b; 1liter milk= 41,60; 20 slices of cheese= 195,05; ice cream 0,945 liter= 150; tomatoes= 43,90 b/kg; bananas= 22,90 b/kg; roll of toilet paper= 20,50; price for petrol= 5,55 b/liter.

Isla de Margarita
For changing travellers'cheques go to the Banco Merkantil Polamar. The Banco Consolidado in the center does not change cheques. The ferry between Isle de Margarita and the mainland at Puerto la Cruz leaves the island at 3am, 6am, 10am, 12, 15, 18, 22, 24 o'clock and from the mainland at 4am, 7am, 11am, 13, 16, 19, 23, 01am o'clock.

Ciudad Bolivar 
The hotel Ritz charges for a double with air conditioning 700b. They have big rooms with big windows, some of them with balconies. The double rooms in the hotel Italia cost with air condition and TV 700 bolivar, without TV 600. With only a ventilator 500 for a double room, single room 450. The cemetery and the local outdoor market for food products are situated closely together on the other side of the hill seen from the town center. The restaurant Italia still has nice food but the portions are very small. From Ciudad Bolivar there are several busses a day to Santa Elena. Company "Transmundial" leaves 4,30am; 6,30am; 8,30am; 10,00am; 16,30am. There are also other companies running on this route at different times. The price is around 700 b. 

Km 85 (on the road to Santa Elena)
The pension "Familiar Hilda" cost 300 b. This place is situated about 100m from the center of Km 85 on the right hand side of the main road in the direction of Ciudad Bolivar. Another hotel, hotel Las Claritas, is on the eastern side of the center. This place also costs 300 b. There are two "tourist lodges" in the village. The "campamento turistico Anaconda" is just to the left of survey stone indicating km 85 along the main road. The other establishment did not have an name yet. It is situated on the same side of the road as the other camp, about 500 m further south. Both places have a rather high standard and charter mostly for tourist who fly in for a weeks jungle tour and then fly back home again. Both places charge 2000 for a hut and don't allow any camping on there premises. The Gonzales brothers you mention in your book i could not find, people i ask could not point them out for me either. There is a possibility that the second tourist lodge, i mentioned above, is their place. In this case the situation has changed a lot, now the don't want to have anything to do with low budget travelers. But there is a new place. If you walk from the center of km 85 along the main road south, you come after about 500 m to a bridge that spans a small river. On the other side of the bridge on the left hand side there is a small Indian "reservation". This Indian group was building on a couple of huts they are going to rent out. At my visit they had just started building, but they where at it all the time, their goal was to build 6 huts. They let me camp in a tent on there grounds. But there where other Venezuelan travelers that had their hammocks strung up under a couple of roofs the Indians build as a rain protection. This camping place is very nicely situated between the jungle and the river. The Indians are using the river for washing and for meeting each other. They don't bother you at all. The scenery sometime looked like the fantasy picture you have of the south American Indians. The water in the river is very clan. It should be clean anyway, since the river runs straight out of the jungle and since the village is taking the drinking water out of it without treating it. That is the main disadvantage with the camping, that the village has a big diesel powered pump standing just at the border of the camping. This pump makes a lot of noise but it is not running at night and not most of the day. Another problem with the place was that there was not toilet. When i ask the "head Indian" for the toilet he got a shovel and dug a hole in the midle of the camping and told me this was the toilet i should use. While everybody was standing around watching what i would do next ! But the jungle is not very far away. By now he should have build a toilet anyway. The price for the camping is 100b. There was no sign on the very prohibiting looking very high and solid barb wirer fence that is surrounding the area, you have to ask the Indians, they are very friendly. The river and walks in the surrounding jungle make this place worth a visit. There are a number of food shops and restaurants in town so provisioning is no problem. This village has a loot of the "wild west" feeling over it. In the area around it there is a lot of gold prospecting going on. This is attracting many shady individuals and the law seems to be blind on both eyes in places like this. In the nights is was not uncommon to here odd shots now and then.

Km 87 (a kind of suburb to Km 88)
There is a bank in this place, "Banco Guayama". There is also a hotel with adjoining restaurant. Hotel "Parador del Viajero" charges 700 for a double with ventilator. 

Km 88 (about 3 km south of km 85)
This place is smaller than km 85. But here is a bakery (all shops in Km 85 are selling bread anyway). There are a couple of restaurants and one food shop. The hotel "La Pilonoera" charges 800 for a double with 3 beads, private bathroom and ventilator. Another hotel in the village is the residential "Guayamo". There are cars running along the main road, as taxi busses, between the different villages.

Santa Elena
The road to Santa Elena is sealed all the way from the coast. The hotel "la Frontera" charges 800 for a double. Just beside the hotel la Frontera is the hotel "las tres Naciones". A double in that place with private bathroom and fan cost 500. The hotel Turistico Yarima charges 500. The hotel Luz charges also 500. Also situated beside each other in the center on "Peluquieria" is the hotel "Peraytepuy" for 700 b. and the hotel "Viktoria Plaza" that charges 800 a double with TV. The hospedaje "LaAbuela" charges 500 without toilet. The hospedaje "El Marichal", situated a block from the hotel la Frontera, charges 600. There is just one bus a day from Santa Elena to Boa Vista at 8,30 in the morning. The price is 880 b (maybe you can get it for 825). That bus leaves from the bus station in Santa Elena. The bus station is on the main street just below the police station. The 16 km between Santa Elena and the boarder to Brazil is asphalted. On this road there are volkswagen busses running as taxis all the way through the border to the Brazilian custom. The bus cost 50 b a person. As soon you passed the Venezuelan side off the border the road into Brazil is not asphalted anymore.

Brazil
The exchange rate under my visit was for 1US$: Boa Vista (09 October 1992) on the street= 7.450; Manaus (15 October 1992) on the street= 7.500; Belem (27 October 1992) in the bank= 8.060; Belem (30 October 1992) in the bank= 8.260; Fortaleza (09 November 92) in the bank= 8.990; Recife (17 November 1992)in the bank= 9.480; Salvador (23 November 1992) in the bank= 9.990; Puerto Seguro (26 November 1992) in the bank= 10.200; Rio de Janeiro (08 December 1992) in the bank= 11.520; Rio de Janeiro (10 December 1992) in the bank= 11.670; Foz de Igazu (14 December 1992) in the bank= 11.940; Corumba (26 February 1993) in the bank= 33.550; Corumba (30 February 1993) in the bank= 35.500. According to the newspaper, the exchange rate between the Cruzeiros and the dollar was on the 07 October 1992: commercial= (buy) 6.607,30 (sell) 6.607,40; paralelo= (buy) 7,250 (sell) 7.350; turismo= (buy) 7.190 (sell) 7.370. Other currencys: German Marks= 1,4210; French Frank= 5,8250. The exchange rate you get on the "parallel market" (hotels, shops) is usually worse than the rate you get in the banks. 
Petrol fuel prices 07 October 92: Diesel= 273 (1116,4 liter cost 31800 CZ$). Fuel prices in Manaus: alcohol= 2.830 Cruzeiros/ liter; diesel= 2.630 Cruzeiros/ liter; gasolina= 3.610 Cruzeiros/ liter. 

La Linea (the Brazilian village just at the boarder)
There is just on bus a day from here to Boa Vista. Price 53.000. There is very little traffic on this route, hitch hiking is very difficult. The nature along the road is very flat and the same the whole distance, between the border and Boa Vista. The road is not asphalted either. 

Boa Vista 
The tourist information has moved to Avenida Getullio Vargas 1986. If you go to the place that you mention on your map, you come into an office with a loot of very friendly and totally bored people, who will also try to help you. They put me on the phone to the tourist information. The new location of tourist information is not very central. The hotel "Brasa" is where you marked it on you map. A double with toilet and shower cost 50.000. Since your visit, the hotel must really have come down. This place now is very bad, dirty, expensive for what you get and the personal is extremely unfriendly. The rooms are extremely hot, they have ventilators but there are no openings or windows to let some fresh air in. Where you marked number "2" on your map is no hotel Universo. At this location is now the "Banco du Brasil". The hotel "Monte Libano" charges for rooms with ventilator for one person= 26.000; for two persons= 45.000. For room with air conditioning for one person= 38.000; for two persons= 55.000. The hotel "Brasil" charges for a single room 15.000, for a double room 20.000. The hotel "Monte Libano" and the hotel "Brasil" are situated just next door to each other. On your map at number "4". The hotel Brasil also serves food. Lunch here is 15.000, and you get avery big steak and a big plate spaghetti/rice/beans (one of the best lunches i had). The hotel "Roraima" charges for a double 38.000 and for a single 22.000. There are also some more very basic hotels and dormitories on Rua Cecilia Brasil. Across from the international bus station, on Avenida Ville Roy, is the hotel 3 Naciones. This is the best and cleanest budget hotel in town. The owner is friendly and there are watercolors and communal areas. Compared to this place, all the other hotels i had looked at in this town, are just trash. A single room with ventilator cost 20.000. A double with ventilator cost 25.000. A single with air conditioning 30.000 and a double with air conditioning 40.000. Telephone to this hotel: 224 3439. The bus station for city busses is at the end of Avenida Amazonas where it crosses Rua Cecilia Brasil. From here leave busses to the International bus station. The price is 2000. On the busses to the international bus station the destination says "Joque Clube". Busses to this destination leave from the middle of the city bus station. The international bus station is on the out skirts of town. If you go down, about 5 km on Avenida Ville Roy, until the Avenida ends in a T crossing. At that crossing is the international bus station. From the international bus station there are busses going to Manaus. With the company Boa Vista bus it cost 265.500 and they leave 8.30am and 13.00. Another company charges 215.000 for the same route. The biggest chopping and business street is the Avenida Jaime Brasil. The Banco de Brazil changes travellers'cheques and cash, but the minimum amount is 200 US$. For changing smaller amounts, several sources (also in the bank), referred me to Piter Jose on Rua Dr. Arujo Filho, between Benjamin Constant and Avenida Getuljo Vargas, on the western side of the street. He is also supposed to change travellers'cheques. I looked up this place and it really exist but it was closed at my visit. About half the way between the center of town and the bus station on the left hand side (coming from the center) on Avenida Ville Roy is a very nice and cheap (20.000 for the buffet) Churrascaria that is really worth a visit. The road between Boa Vista to Manaus is under construction until the big river crossing and it is asphalted on almost its entire length. The rest of the road until Manaus is in really bad shape. Now there is just one ferry crossing all the way between BoaVista and Manaus. Over the other river they have build a bridge. 

Manaus 
The hotel "Fortaleza" charges for an apartemento with TV, air conditioning, refrigerator and private bath 55.000; an apartemento with only an ventilator cost 30.000; to sleep in an dormitory room cost 20.000 per person. The hotel "Allison" charges for a double with private bathroom and air conditioning 40.000; with an ventilator instead of the air conditioning it cost 30.000. The Hotel "Asa Branca" charges for a single room with air conditioning, refrigerator and with private bathroom 50.000; for a double 60.000 and for a room with only a fan 40.000. The hotels "Fortaleza", "Allison" and "Asa Branca" are all lying next door to each other. The hotel "Iguacu" cost for a double without private bath and only an ventilator 32.000. The "Pensao Universo" does not exist anymore. The hotel "Ideal" is a newly build place on Rua dos Andrados 491. The place is very nice, really clean, the staff is friendly and you get a big and good breakfast. A double with air conditioning, private bathroom cost 50.000; with ventilator 40.000. A disadvantage with the place is that the rooms don't have any windows at all. Hotel "Dona Joana" on the crossing of Rua dos Andradas and Rua Pedro Botelho, charges for double rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms 45.000 (later raised to 60.000). The rooms are really big, if you stay on the top floor, you have a really great view over the Amazonas river. The breakfast was very poor and the staff totally uninterested. They seemed also to have some problems with the security, everybody warned me about the place. Nothing happened to me but most of the rooms are empty and not locked, so going to your room in the night along the deserted corridors felt a bit creepy. The hotel "Jangada" is just next door to the hotel "Ideal". This place is bottom standard but they have a refrigerator you can use, you can also do you cocking and there are washing possibility for cloth. They charge, for a very primitive double (with millions of mosquitoes) a ventilator and no bathroom, 30.000 (negotiable to 25.000). This might have been the cheapest place in Manaus. You can't use the telephones at the Embratel office on Rua Barroso 220 between 8 11 o'clock. The state capitol building, located on the way to the Indian museum, is open for visitors. The whole house is not open for visitors, but in the lobby there is a picture gallery of all the past politicians you can have a look at. The entrance fee to the Mueso do Indio is 500. The museum is not located directly on the crossing, as i got the impression from you book. Instead, it is located 150 meters north of the crossing, on the eastern side of the street. The museum "Homen du Nord" is located at the crossing of Av Joaqim Nabucoand Av sete de Setembro. About 30 m east of the crossing on the northern side of the street. There is a museum, "Museu de Ciencisa Naturals" outside of Manaus. To get there take the bus to "Sao Jose (Acoariquarape/ Tropolis) and get of at the "Conjunto Petro", the last 2 km you have to walk. The tourist information is open 7.30 to 13.30o'clock. They are a bit hard reach since they are located where A Tamaran crosses Rua Comendor Clementino, a bit far from the center. The staff at the tourist information does not know anything but they are friendly and speak some English. There is also an tourist information booth at the corner of the opera house and Eduardo Ribeiro. Venezuela has a Consulate a bit out of town. Other travelers succeeded to get a visa here, without having any onward ticket and just 50 US$ to show. The visa cost 30 US$, no problem. The American Express Office is in the hotel Amazonas. There is a gambio that also accepts travellers'cheques on Ave. Sete de Setembro between Av.Getulio Vargas and Av. Joaquim Nabuco. The place is hard to recognizeas a gambio from the outside. The entrance fee to the opera house is now 10.000 per person. If you want to see the town from above, go to the Palacio de Comercio on Av. Eduardo Ribeiro 639. In the house take the elevator up to the 20 floor. There is an radio station, through their windows you have a view of the whole town. There is also a stairway leading up to the roof. But the stairway is just open on certain times, 9 12 and 14 17 o'clock. The Churrascaria "Buffalo" in Manaus got very highly recommended to me from other travelers. On the crossing Rua Emilio Moreira and Av. Taruma is the Churrascaria "Ogaucho", the price for the buffet is 55.000 (rather expensive, and the place is far away from everything, actually i walked here from the center of town, must have taken me over two hours). There is also a Churrascaria on the east side of Rua Joaquim Nabuco between Rua LimaBacury and Rua J. Pararaguy. There is also an all you can eat place on the crossing of Av. Tarume with Rua Emilio Moreira (or Rua MaiGabriel). The restaurant "Lider" has the cheapest "meal of the day" for 7.000 (less than one US$) it's on the crossing of Rua Pedro Botelho with Rua Qintino Bocaiuva, on the west side of the street. Opposite the street is the local restaurant "McDonald". 1 kg of prime meat cost at the marked in Manaus 22.000. If you walk over the bridge between Rua Buibtino Bocainva and Rua Decinio de Amaral, go east, and the turn south on to Rua Boulevard sa Peixoto and from there go towards the river, walk along the river in a westerly direction, again on Avenida Rio Negro, (summariz: follow the river downstream for about 3 km) you will get to a market that is more than 30 times as big as the one in town. If you want to go on a jungle tour from Manaus, go to the hotel "Rio Branco" and ask there after Chris. He is selling the tours that the guide Gary Hardy does. But this whole jungel tour business in Manaus has gotten out of hand. There is so much money involved for the locals, and so many locals are living of it, that you are just viewed as a potential "jungle tour case" by everybody. You get hassled to go on a tour by everybody. It happened to me that, as i was walking around in the back streets, away from the center, a guy i had talked to loosely about going on a tour with (a day or two ago), suddenly comes running up to me and says that he now has a complete group together if i also join in in going with him to the jungle. How did he know where to find me ? If you are going to Bolivia, rather do the jungle tour there from Rurrenabaque. The tours from Manaus where to expensive anyway, compared to what you get. An a lot of people really got ripped of. Not just that you don't see anything, that of course can always happen, but i met people who got seriously ill (caught cholera) since the tour organizer tried to save on the expenses and did not take any drinking water along, everybody had to drink out of the river. Beside the water supply problem other travelers had problems with leaking boats, guides who suddenly disappeared or got drunk, no food, engines that never worked or where so slow that you just got out of the harbor before you had to go back, heavily overloaded boats, mosquitoes (most travel agencies guarantee you that there is no malaria in this area, so you don't have to take any protection, the result you can imagine, if you don't catch malaria you will probably itch yourself mad). The worst story i have herd, was that one of the tour organizer got mad at one of the groups, so he send them to an area with hostile Indians, who started to shot at the group. There area lot of extremely shady types, hanging around Manaus, many of them are involved in the tour business. There was even a German character, the German television made an documentary about him, who tricked victims into the jungle (not on jungle tour) and probably killed them. The boat from Manaus to Porto Velho should cost below 380.000. There is at least on boat a day going down the Amazonas river to Belem every day. Some of this boats go just as far as Santarem. Their they wait for the next boat coming from Manaus, to take on their passengers heading to Belem (very strange system). But if you go on a boat like this, you get one day stay in Santarem. You sleep on the boat and also get your food from the boat for free. On some of the boats it is very important that man and woman put up there hammocks and sleep on different sides of the boat. On the boat i was on they tried to enforce this rule in the middle of the night, you can imagine the resulting confusing and the negligible result. The boat i took from Manaus to Santarem was the "Rio Guame", from Santarem to Belem it was the "Lisne Branco" (50x7 meters big and taking 300 passengers). The boat left Manaus on Fridays at 18.00 o'clock (it's dark so you don't see the meeting of the rivers when you pass through it) and it arrived in Santarem on Sunday at 8,00 o'clock. It left Santarem on Monday at 18,30 o'clock and arrived in Belem on Wednesday at 15,45 o'clock. The price for a ticket is negotiable to a small degree but it's around 350.000 (sometimes as high as 650.000) for first class. The stat owned tourist agency has no boats running any more between the towns. All the 3 ENASA catamarans are lying in the harbor of Belem and are not inuse at the moment. There are not either any small cargo boats running on the river. And those that do, charge the same price as the passengerboats. All boats are now combined passenger/ cargo boats annyway. 

To buy a boat in Manaus
When i was in Manaus i started to get interested in the idea to buy as mall boat and make my own trip on the Amazonas. The following notes are on this subject: The boat must have a roof, otherwise it will sink in the sudden heavy tropical rains. The roof is also a protection against the Sun. The engine should be a diesel since the diesel price is just half of the petrol price. Beside that, the consumption of a diesel engine is 1/3 that of a petrol engine. On the negative side is that the diesel engine is much slower, heavier and takes more space. The price for a small wooden canoe without engine is 50 100 US$. To rent the same canon for a day cost 30 US$. Maps over the Amazonas area in the scale of 1:25.000 you might possibly get at: EXERCITO, DIVISAE 2 EVANTAMENTE, PROXIME CAIXA D'ACUA COSAMA, COMPENSAPROXIVO SANAVE, ESCOLA TECNICA MINERAGAC, SECTOR MAPOTECA. I never went there, this is a direction i got from one of the locals. If you are going to paddle by hand don't count on getting further than 25 30 km a day. To buy an about 5 meter long alumina boat, cost 1100 US$. A new petrol engine Yamaha 40 horses cost 222.500.000; a Yamaha 14 horses cost 11.970.000; a 25 enduro Yamaha cost 15.550.000. If you buy a second hand engine count still on having to pay half the price of a new engine. The engine is the most expensive part to buy, but without an engine it is hard to go up the river and to go down the river is a bit pointless since the river is so big and therefore dangerous, becaurse of the wind and waves, below Manaus. A new buoyancy jacket with 100 kg floating power cost 90.000. A new battery to start the engine cost 455.000. Plastic containers for 50 liter cost 70.000. A big mosquitonet (for a double bed) cost 45.500. A reasonable boat with areasonable engine cost around 1.500 US$. For 3.000 US$ you might get a small diesel powered boat with shower, toilet, kitchen and cabin. To be able to conduct a motorboat in Brazil you are supposed to have a kind of drivers license for boats. But nobody seems to worry about that to much. They just say, that without one, you should not go to closely past the water police. To go on a guided tour, with a boat you could buy for 500 750 US$, cost 200 US$ for 3 days. But in the price for the tour is the food, guide and fuel included. 

Santarem
There is no proper harbor for the passenger boats. At low tide the boats put on to a sandbank below the quay, at the city center. 

Belem 
To fly from Belem to Rio de Janeiro cost 1.666.000 (225 US$). The bus from Belem to Rio de Janeiro cost 394.730. Town busses that go to the long distance bus station have the sign "Cidade Nojo"; "Tajares Bastad" or "Aero Club". A taxi from the city center to the long distance bus station cost 15.000. Buses to San Luis leave Belem at 17.00 and 20.00 o'clock and cost 147.880. Busses to Fortaleza leave at 8.00am and 18,30 o'clock they cost 282.000. Busses to Tiangua (see Ubajara) cost 218.000. Busses to Ilha do Marajo (probably to where the ferry goes to the island ?) leave Belem on Friday and Saturday at 6,00am o'clock, price 21.200. Boats from harbor of Belem on Wednesday and Friday at 20.00 o'clock and on Saturday at 13.00 o'clock go to Gulpao/ Mosqueiro/ Soure. There are no boats that take any passengers going to any of the 3 Guyanas (according to the port captain). There is no Consulate for Guiana in town, on the contrary of what is said in the tourist information brochures. There is an office for Suriname Air ways on Rua Santo Antonia 432, in the Edificio Antonio Velho on the 4 floor room number 401. To fly from Belem to Paramaribo (capital Suriname) and return, cost, for a one year ticket, 492. A 2 month ticket cost 330 US$. The staff at the Suriname Airways office speaks English and the can give you information and brochures on their country. they are also prepared (with the help from their embassy in Brasilia) to help you get a visa for entering Suriname (German and Swedish citizen don't need a visa). At an ordinary travel agency it cost to fly, from Belem and return: to Suriname= 330 US$; to French Guiana= 372 US$; English Guyana= 612. To go on an organized tour out to the "Ilha do Marajo" (north of Belem) cost for a 3 day 2 night trip if you stay at the Posada "Guarss"= 550.000; if you stay at the hotel "Marabo" it cost 450.000. The tourist information in Belem "Paratour" is located on Av. Marechal Hermes. There is not tourist information on Avenida Nazare. The American Express Office is at "Gua General Gurjao" and "Avenida President Vargas" number 676. They also have an American Express travel service representative in the bottom floor of the Hilton Hotel. Here the are very friendly, they even helped me when i had some trouble with the police (the police wanted a bribe to type out a police report about an assault). After a couple of calls from the America Express staff i got the report at once. The Banco do Brasil and the Banco de Amazonas change US$ at a better rate than the gambios, they also work faster. At the Banco do Brasil you got for the US$ buy= 8.055/ 8.080/ 8.090; sell= 8.270. For the German mark= 5.063; U= 60;SFR= 5.680; Libra= 12.295; FFR= buy 1.490 sell 1.587. The hotel "Victoria Regina" on Travesa Frutuoso Guimaraes charges for an "apartamento standard" (with fan) single 54.648; double 60.720; triple 75.900; quarter 91.080. For an "apartamento especial" (with air conditioning) they charge: single 75.168; double 83.520; triple 104.400; quarter 125.280. Just across the street, at "Frutoso Guimaraes" number 275, is one off the best budget hotels i had. The name of the hotel is "Palacio das Musas" a single room cost 13.000 a double cost 26.000. To rent a room by the month cost for a single 280.000 and for a double 560.000. For an ventilator you have to pay extra. The showers and toilet are communal. There is space to do your washing of clothe. There is no kitchen, but if you have you own stow they don't mind if you use it. The rooms are big and high to the roof, you have access to a communal refrigerator, the rooms have real thick walls and they all have windows and a lot of mosquitoes. There is no vegetarian (all you can eat place) at the address, or close by it, you give in your book. The entrance fee to the zoo is 3.000. The highlight is the sea cow "moiboi" and the big water plants. Entrace to their permanent exhibition cost 3.000 extra. If you are in need of urgent medical treatment in the center of town, and don't have much money, go to the "Hospitalda Orden Terceira" on Travessa Frei Gil de Vila Nova 2. The place is abit primitive but it was free and the doctors speak some English. I had to go there after having got stabbed with a knife in the hand by a robber at the market by the water front. This market is supposed to bevery dangerous. The police said, that what happened to me happens to at least 10 people a day in just this area. Shortly afterwards i met another girl who had a similar experience at just the same spot. A guy walks up to her, takes her hand and presses a knife to her vein and demands all her money. What can you do in a situation like that ? The police station for reporting crimes is on the other side of the street from the hospital, on the corner of Rua Santo Antonio and Travesa Frei Gil de Vila Nova. If you want to do a trip in the Amazonas area, but don't want to go on the river Amazonas itself (since that river is to big for you to see anything on the shore) try one of the small rivers around Belem. Go by bus out to the village of "Tome Acu". There is the hotel "Las Vegas" for 50.000 a double. The name of the owner is Fernando and he is very friendly. From the village there is a boat going every Sunday at 11 o'clock and arriving at 6,00o'clock in Belem, the price for a fare is 50.000. The bus from Belem to the village leaves Belem every day at 5,00; 7,30; 21,00(?) o'clock, the bus cost 59.000. 

Ubajara 
A national park with cave, between Teresina and Fortaleza, close to the national park "de Sete Citades". Since the cave is located at an high plateau, 1000 meters over the surrounding country side, the area on top has a much nicer climate then the surounding lowland. There is quite some tourism potential here. The entrance fee to the caves is 30.000 (children 4 10 years 15.000). Actually what you pay for is the use of the aerial ropway. I you are prepared to walk up and down you get to see the caves for free. Walking up and down will take you at least 14 hours ! Take enough water, this is very hot and hard work. The caves are nothing to see, they are just dusty and gray. The country side on the high plateau is nice. A lot of small farms and very tranquil. There are 2 hotels along the main road just before you get to the caves. One is the "Posada Neblina", price for the simplest room for one person= 98.900; 2 persons= 123.700. They also let you put up your tent on their very nice lawn for 10.000 a person. The caves are about 10 km from the center of Ubajara. A bit of, on a side road that leaves the main road to the right, just before the main road enters the national park on top of the caves, a ex pat German has opened up a small hotels with Chalets, about 1,5 km from the caves. The German has a small coffee plantation, but since it is not paying anymore to grow coffee he has nothing to do. So he is watching satellite TV most of the time. But because he likes companies he also opened up the chalets. He charges 7,50 US$ for a small chalet that fits 2 persons. The chalets are very beautifully situated, far away from the main house, among coffee and banana plants. You have a great view down to the lowland, sometimes for some hundreds of kilometers. Just out of the windows from the Chalets. There are places to put you hammocks outside the chalets under a roof and the shower and toilet block is just 5 m away. Beside coffee and bananas there are a lot of tropical plants growing on the farm. Since the owner has an university degree in tropical agriculture he can explain most plants to you. His Brazilian wife, who also has a degree in agriculture, can explain how to prepare the plants. So a sty here can be quite interesting. There are allso heaps of hummingbirds and some other annimals around. The owner is very friendly and caring. You can also watch satellite TV with him, borrow his books and watch/ help him at work. The address to this place is Herbert Klein; Sitio Santana; Caixa Postal 33; CEP: 62.350 Ubajara Cera. When is was there he wanted people so mutch, he eaven paid for your taxi from the busstation. To get to Ubajara, go first to Tiangua (along the main road between Teresina and Fortaleza, 18 km away from Ubajara) and from there take a local bus. There are also a few direct busses from Fortaleza to Ubajara. 

Fortaleza
A bus ticket to Recife cost 150.000; to Ubajara 60.000. Busses to Majorlandia go directly (over Aracati) with the company "Viacao Aracati" from Fortaleza at 7,00; 9,30; 13,15; 15,50 o'clock, the price is 40.000. The company "Sao Benedito" goes to Aracati at 5,00;6,30; 8,30; 11,00; 11,50; 12,30; 13,40; 15,40; 17,00; 19,00 o'clock. City busses between the center of town and the bus station leave in the center from the "Praca Coracao de Jesus" at the crossing of Av. Duanede Caxias and Rua Socom Pinheiro. The busses going to the bus station have a sign with "Bairro de Fatima Rodoviario". Contrary to what is common on the Brazilian City busses you get on the busses in Fortaleza trough the front doors. Price for city busses 2100.

Canoa Quebrada
There are now very many posadas and hotels in the village. They also have electricity to a certain extent. The road is asphalted all the way into the village. But the place is still very much more unsafe than Majorlandia 

Majorlandia 
A very nice place. One of the nicest villages in Brazil i have visited. The village is now directly linked by asphalted road to the main road at Aracati. The "Apartemento Beira Mar" charges 50.000 fora double. The place is located, if you get to the end of the main road and then walk on the beach to your right, about 50 meters along the beach. Other hotels in the village are the "Posada Duna's Praia" at 75.000 a double and the "Posada do Gaucho" at 70.000 a double; both are situated some distance behind the "Beira Mar". The Posada and restaurant "Reouinte's" is located on the right hand side of the mainroad, about 100 meters before you get to the beach, if you come along the main road from Aracati. This is a very nice place, friendly owner, balcony and big clan airy rooms. You can use their kitchen and they help you anyway they can. There is running water and electricity in the "Reouinte's". A double here cost 30.000. For 40.000 you get a very big room and private bathroom. It is very good value. There are acouple of more hotels under construction at the moment. The restaurant "Dengo da Bia", that you mention in your book, i could not find. There are many-colored sanddunes just outside the village along the beach towards Canoa Quebrada. One of the "industries" in the village is the production of pictures with the help of the many colored sand. A picture in a bottle cost for 10 ml=1.000 for 300 ml= 50.000. When the boats come in in the evening, it is very interesting to see the fishes being unloaded. There sometimes are really huge fishes, 4 meter big Flatfish (?) Skate (?). A fish weighting about 2 4 kg cost, directly from the fisherman, about 20.000. A big part of the village is coming down to the beach when the boats return. The village of Camo is about 4 5 km along the beach to the south. 
Recife 
The new bus station is located far outside of town. To get into town you have to use the Metro. There is a metro station just out side the bus station. To use the Metro in Recife you pay a fee of 2000, independently of how far you go. In downtown Recife the metro stop is in the old railway station. There is definitely no tourist information in the "Casa du Cultura". The tourist information is at Avenida Condeda Boa Vista 700, on the other side of the street from the department store "Mesbla". The hotel "Suica" charges for a double 55.000. The hotel "13 de Maio" charges 96.200 for a double with air conditioning, without air conditioning 81.600, single room 81.600. The hotel "Braziliens" on Rua do Hospicio 179 charges for a single 65.000 and for a double 70.000. The hotel "Interlain" on the otherside of the street from the hotel Braziliens charges for a single 69.000; for a double 79.900. The hotel "do Parques" charges for adouble 50.000/ 58.000/ 73.000. The hotel "America" is a two star hotel, they charge for a single 63.000/ 76.000/ 99.000, a double cost 70.000/ 85.000/ 110.000. There is no "Hospedaje Senhor do Bonfin", anyway not there where you located it on your map. Near the airport is the "Guest House Pousada", the owner Ricardo speaks English, German and is very helpful. He has security boxes you can use for long time depositing your ticket, passport and money in case you want to travel around the country before flying out from Recife. His place is also very close to the beach. To rent a room cost 10 US$. The address to the hotel is: R.de Luiz Marques Teixeira 155, Boa Viagem,tel (081)341 0559. Is's close to Av. Baro de Souza Leao. Busses to Sao Jose de Cora Grand leave Recife at 5,40am; 9,15am; 13,40; 17,40 with the company "Cruzeiro" and at 4,30; 9,30; 15,30; 16,30 with the company "Empresa". To send 55g (one roll of film in a stable wrapping) cost 24.660 + 14.000 airmail fee = 38.700 (exchange rate 1 US$=9.500).

Olinda
The posada "do Bomfin" charges for "socio" 30.000 and for "non socio" 40.000. The "Albergue de Olinda" charges 41.000 per person, for members the price is 32.000 per person. They accept the memberships cards reom the international youth hostel organization. When you check in they don't tell you that their prices are per person and not per room. Very confusing system. The place is expensive for what you get. Olinda is very boring and not very much to see anyway and millions of mosquitoes. The tourist information is on Rua des Beneto 160, in the house of the "Centro de Preservacao de Olinda". The "Palacio dos Governadores" is at the last "o" in the word "15 de novembro" on your map. The "Moneistero de S. Beneto" is closed, you can just visit the church. 

Sao Jose de Cora Grande (south of Recife)
The cheapest hotel i found in the village cost 80.000 (possible to negotiate down to 60.000) and the next cheapest cost 210.000. There are also more expensive hotels around. 18 km south of this village is the village of Maragogs. In this place, a very dirty and primitive double cost 100.000. Along the whole waterfront of northern Maceio the prices were just impossible high for the standard you are getting. It was no fun at all traveling in this area. It is possible, like you say in your book, that the tourists have not found the area, but the locals have certainly found out that the tourist who come there have money. Try to avoid this area. 

Japaratinga
The big Churrascaria at the road, the one you write about in your book on page 283, must be a product of a very lively fantasy. Where should the customers come from? There is hardly any traffic on the main street running outside this village. In the village itself there are just a couple (maby hundred) people living and that are just poor fishermen. I searched for two days for this Churrascaria, asking the natives, but i could not find anything. In this village there are just a couple of smal restaurants, many bares, one bakery, one small supermarket and 4 5 small food booth. The hotel "Sol Mar" charges 12 US$ for a double, you can probably discus the price down to 10 US$. There is also a small hotel at the southern access road into the village. The "Pousada Reidos Peixes". The room doors are facing the town sewer just 5 meters away. The price for this place is: for 12 hours= 30.000; for 24hours= 50.000. There are showers, toilet and ventilator in the room. But the place is very simple and a bit dirty. 3 km south of this village, along a small side road parallel to the beach, is the "Praia Hotel Bitingui" they charge for an apartemento 180.000 + 10%. A chalet cost 260.000 + 10 %. This place is very nicely situated. Just 50 m from the beach, it might be worth the price. The beach around the village is very heavily populated. If there are no fisher huts there are big, fenced in villas. To camp along the beach is probably dangerous considering the amount of people running around everywhere. Along the first 3 km of the sandy beach going south, there are a couple of sweet water sources coming out of the rocks on the shore. After the first 3 km there is a small sweet water river running into the sea. At the river mouth there is also a small village. 

Salvador
The hotel "Solar" charges 45.000 for a single; 60.000 for a double and 85.000 for a triple. Breakfast is included in the prices. The hotel "Gloria" on Rua Montealverne 11 charges 40.000 for a double, without breakfast. In the house next door to the hotel "America" is a hotel that charges 50.000 for a double without breakfast. The hotel "Jequie" on Rua Soldanha 14 charges for a room without TV 38.000 and with TV 45.000. The hotel "Ileus" on Ladeira du Praca 4 charges for a single 35.000 and for a double 45.000. The hotel "Chile" charges 46.000 for a single; 75.000 for a double and they also have rooms for 105.000 and 90.000. The hotel "Posada da Praca" on Rua Ruy Barbosa 1 charges for asingle 55.000 without bathroom and 78.000 with bathrooms; for a double they charge 75.000 without bathroom and 93.000 with. The hotel "Paris" on Rua Ruy Barbosa 13 charges 59.000 for a single and 86.000 for a double, with breakfast. The restaurant "Senac" cost 65.000 for a meal. This is an interesting place, an all you can eat buffet with very strange dishes (i got completely sick after trying everyting, serious food poisoning for 2 weeks). You say in your book that this place is "across" the street from the hotel Pelourinho. This makes it very hard to find the "Senac", since it is across the street but 50 meters down the hill towards the Pelourinho district. Down in the Mercado Modelo you can buy a small living monkeys for 10 US$. Of cours this is officialy prohibited, but a lot of people are selling monkeys. In the whole down town area there is a general and big building and renovating activity going on. In the Ingreia de Sao Francisco they seem to have removed (what you call) the "huge organs", in the last big renovation that is still going on. In the "Convento du Carmo" they have a small museum with sacred art objects. The hotel in the "Convento du Carmo" seems to be closed. The entrance fee to the "Ingreja and museo du Carmo" is 2000. The bus company "Aquira Branca" has busses to Porto Seguro at 21,00 o'clock a commercial for 136.500 and at 20,30 a leito for 222.000.

Porto Seguro
The Banco do Brasil is now at the crossing between Av. 22 de Abril and Av. Carlos Alberto Paracho. The bank changes travellers'cheques. The turist information office is on the other end and on the opposite side of the street from where you localized it on you map. There is also a turist information booth down at the harbor, just where you drive onto the ferry going to the other side of the river. The opening times for this information booth is not very long. The office of Telebahia is on the street that runs north east from Praca dos Pataxos. The bus station for long distance busses has moved from the harbor to the outskirts of town, at the north east of the crossing where the roads to the airport and the road out of town (to Eunapolis) meat each other. There are now at least 6 more supermarkets in town, beside those you have marked on your map. There are so many hotels and Posadas in this town that on some street there are just hotels lying beside each other without interruption. Also restaurants exist in plenty, in all the different price categories and with different menus. The "Posto 38", you mention in the book, is no Lambada dance hall anymore, it has now been turned into a restaurant. If you want to watch Lambada dancing, you have to go to a big wooden building down at the waterfront along the way that goes east of Avenida 22 de Abril (north of Avenida Carlos Alberto Parracho). There are tours with motor yachts going out to the corral reef, of the coast, outside the town. The boat leaves 10 o'clock most days and you are supposed to come back at 16,30 o'clock. The price is 100.000 per person, that includes lunch on the boat. To rent the skin diving gear is another 20.000. There are similar tours going from Santa Cruz Cabralla (located about 10 km north of Puerto Seguro, along the beach). The prices and times are the same, but the one from Santa Cruz Cabralla is supposed to go to a more beautiful coral rev. 

Caravelas 
Busses to Caravelas go from Teixeira de Freitas (situated on the coastal main road between Salvador and Victoria). With the company "Expresso Brasileiro" the busses leave Teixeira at 6,00; 9,30; 13,00; 17,30 o'clock. Busses from Caravelas to Teixeira de Freitas leave at 5,25am; 9,00am; 13,00;16,30. There is an asphalted road under construction connecting Caravelas to the main north south coastal road. The road at the moment is just a very bad sandy track. The hotel "Shangri La" on Rua 7septembro 219 charges 70.000 for an apartemento and 50.000 for a quatro. They also have 4 bead rooms. Breakfast is included. The Banco de Brasil at Praca Dr. Imbassahi does not change travellers'cheques and no cash either. At the same square, in house number 8, is the travel agency "Abrolhos Turismo". They borrow out equipment (scubadiving) and can give you information over excursions with the motor yachts. The boats go out to the coral reefs or along the rivers into the mangrove swamps. A big attraction is also the national park "Abrolhos". That is located on 5 small islands some distance of the coast. The cost for the trip to the national park is 50 US$ per day. The minimum recommended length of the trip is 3 days, and you have to be at least 4 persons. Twice a month there is a boat with necessities going out to the military post in the national park. This boat sometimes takes on passengers. The name of this boat is "Scuba". Traveling on this boat just cost 25 US$ a day. The trip to the islands, with the national park on, takes 6 hours. Since the islands are national park you are not allowed to go on land. You have to sleep on the boat and snorkel in the water around the boat. The marine life in this area is supposed to be very special and the fishes here are supposed to be so tame that you can touch them. The hotel "Rosamar on R.Marechal Deodor is primitive and dirty. There is a small supermarket in town on Praca 15 de Novembro just opposite the petrol station. The "Posada Caravelense" (phone 2971182) is situated 50 meters from the bus station. It has rooms with refrigerator, air conditioning and TV for around 100.000. At the Praca Teofilo Otonio, opposite the post office, 50 meters from the bus station, is the "Grand Hotel S. Benedito", they charge 40.000/50.000 for very dirty and bad rooms. At the shore, a bit away from the marked, just where the pier starts, they are building on a new hotel. The main street in town is the Rua 7. Septembro, it starts at the Praca Dr. Imbassahi. The town market is situated between the mainstreet and the river. The bus station is housed inside the old railwaystation from 1936. Opposite the square from the bus station is the postoffice. The town of Caravelas is supposed to have been one of the most important trading towns on the Brazilian cost in the 17/ 18 century. As the name implies, the old wooden boats of that time, the Caravel,had this village as their first stopping point when coming from Africa. Also the fact that this, now totally unimportant village, had a railway station and a train connection to Minas Gerais already in 1936 is surprising. There is also supposed to have been an Airport as soon as commercial flying was available. From Caravelas take one of the frequent city busses, at least one once an hour, between 6,30 to 21.00 o'clock. These busses go over Pta de Areia and end up in Barra de Caravelas. 

Barra de Caravelas 
This is the place to go for relaxing. The village of Caravelas is just a village in the mangrove swamp, without any beach. Barra de Caravellas, maybe 10 Km away from Caravelas, is just a small fishing village with a lot of beach. The name of the beach is "Praiade Grancia". The "posada das Sereias" is french owned and charges 120.000 for an apartementos. This place is situated just at the last stop for busses to Caravelas. There is also a second posada, the "Posada du Juquita", in the village. That place is 100 m further inland behind the "Posada das Sereias". In the posada du Juquita they charge 80.000 (negotiable) for a double. You can use the kitchen and there are possibilities to do the washing. If you intrested in bats, one of the chalets is ocupied by a bat collony of about 30 individuals. The place is clean and you get a big breakfast. The rooms are big airy and have a private bathroom. The owner of the Posada du Jaquita, his name is "Secka", talks perfect English and tries to help you anyway he can. At the last bus stop there is also the, very small, outdoor pub museum "museudu Balei" located just outside a bar and restaurant that also is owned by the English speaking posada owner. The village is stretched for a couple of kilometers along the cost. There are a couple off small food shops, bars and restaurants in the village. The turist industry in this village is fast developing. There are quite a few ex pats living here and doing some hotel and bar developing. If you walk along the main road from the direction of Caravelas, pass by the church, walk over the bridge and turn left before the small supermarket you come to the house of Tereza and Ernesto (Austrian ex pats). They organize trips with boats, jeep and horse. They also own a piece of deserted beach where they organize "Robinson Crusoe" trips. For a trip to the coral reef the charge 40 US$ a day. 

Rio de Janeiro
Entrance fee to the Sugar Loaf is 4 US$. Entrance fee to Corcovado is 6 US$. Bus 422 goes to Corcovado from the Gloria/ Catete area and bus 107 goes to the Sugar Loaf. The Hotel "Monte Blanc" charges 75.000/85.000. Hotel "Rio Claro" charges 110.000/ 120.000. The hotel "Monterroy" charges 40.000/ 80.000. This place is probably the best choice in Rio de Janeiro. The staff is very friendly, breakfast is served in the rooms, you can put your valuables in safe keeping and they keep your luggage even if you don't stay there anymore. Between hotel "Monte Blanco" and the hotel "Rio Claro" is the hotel "Victoria" on Rua do Catete 172, they charge 70.000 for a double. If you want to stay very cheap, and have a student card, you can go to the "Casa do Estudante" on Praca Ana Amelia 9 (Rua Sta Likzia) on the 10 11 floor. At you map over Rio de Janeiro you are lacking a marking for the General Post Office, This place is very hard to find. It is on 1 de Marco near to Av. Buenos Aires. The house does not have a big sign or anything. I have heard from other travelers that they also had problem finding the General Post office, maybe you should mark it in your next edition. The entrance fee to the "Jardin Botanico" is 12.500. I have tried several travel agencies in the city, non of them knows anything, or sells any bus tickets, Al just sell airline tickets. The bus route between the Rodoviaria to Catete district is still the number 170. From Rio there are busses going to Foz do Igazu at 10 o'clock arriving at 7,00 o'clock and at 18,50 o'clock arriving at 16,00 o'clock, the price is 333.000. The "Poltur" (the tourist police) is not operating anymore, according to the main turist information in town. You have to renew your visa before the old one runs out. Otherwise you have to pay a fine of 5 US$ for each day you are over staying. Once you have paid the fine you get a stamp in your passport, saying that you have 8 daysto leave the country. There is no way to extend your visa once it has expired, first you have to leave the country. Even if you just overstay one day you have to go through a lot of paper work and sitting around the immigration if you try to rectify the problem in Rio de Janeiro. The guy in the immigration was crazy anyway. He threw out other travelers, that wanted to talk to him, if he did not like their clothe or haircut. Specially girls had a hard time with him. If you come in short trousers you had to go home again and change. He had screaming fits, where he was running around in the hallway and complaining about the other travelers look. The only way you got him to look at your papers was to do precisely as he wanted. Otherwise he threw the passport on the floor. Also some of the other people who where in the office had really big problems. A chines business man with a family of 15 had overstayed his visa with on year. Calculate how big a fine he had to pay, thousand of dollars. Of course he tried to bribe the immigration officer. One brown paperbag across the table solved all of his problems. I tried to do the same, but of coursefor me it was cheaper to pay the fine than to offer any reasonable bribe he would have been interested in. 

Sao Paulo
Buses to Foz do Igazu leave with the company Pluma at 14,40; 15,00; 15,30; 16,00; 18,00; 19,30; 20,00; 20,30; 21,00, the price is 277,677 (certain of the departures cost 275,933), the traveling time is 16 hours. Trains from Sao Paulo to Corumba go only as far as "Bauru", price 123.000, departure 23 o'clock. From Bauru you have to take another train if you want to continue to Campo Grande and Corumba, the price for this leg of the journey is 161.000 respectively 112.000; departure time is 11 o'clock. The hotel "Copacabana" charges 160.000 a single and 260.000 a double. The hotel "Pauliceira" charges 58.000 for a single and 70.000 for a double. The hotel "Luanda" charges 58.000 for a single and 80.000 for a double. The hotel "San Remo" charges 100.000 for a single and 125.000 for a double. The hotel "Natal", on Rua Guaianazes 41, charges 90.000 for a double. This place is probably the nicest budget hotel around. It seems to be rather newly build. The staff is friendly, the rooms are clean and big with private bathrooms. The American Express Office is on Rua Marconi 71. Getting your shoes cleaned cost in this town 5.000. The subway has now a bigger network than what you have indicated on your map.

Foz do Iguacu
Buses between Foz de Igacu and Asuncion leave Foz de Igazu at 06,30 and 12,30 o'clock. Traveling time is 3 hours and the price is 80.000. The exchange rate for different exchange places at the same day for on dollar you got: at Coanturismi= (for travellers'cheques) 12.190; at Turifron Cambio= (for cash) 13.000; at Frontur= (for cash) 12.800; at Frontur Fronteira Turism= (for cash) 12.500 (for travellers'cheques) 11.800; at Iguacu Cambio= (for cash) 13.500 (fortravellers'cheques) 12.400; at the Banco do Brasil= (for cash and travellers'cheques) 12.850. As you can see there can be quite some difference. The exchange rate for US$ to Paraguayan guarani was in Brazil at the Igacu Cambio (at the other side of the street from the Banco do Brasil) 1 US$ = 1728 guarani, that is much better than what you get in Paraguay. Most hotels have prices above 100.000. An exception is the Pousada "Verd Vale" on Rua Engo Reboucas 335 with charges 70.000 a double but this place is of course just cardboard portioned cubicles. The rooms are very small and they don't have private bathrooms but they have an ventilator. But many travelers stay here. On Beco Mario Lamarque (dead end street from R.Mal Floriano Peixoto, at the same level as the amusement park) is the Hotel Nos.Sra. Apereida and the Hotel Senhor do Bonfim. Both have double rooms (real walls) with showers for 70.000. What i have herd from others you can make rely nice bargains at the hotels that are situated around the bus stations. Here you are supposed to be able to get really luxurious rooms for prices that are far below what you pay for a cardboard partitioned cubicle in the down town area. At the crossing Rua EngoReboucas/ Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek there are about 5 Churrascaria that have buffets (all you can eat places) for around 2 US$. This is really worth the money. Specially if you going or coming from Argentina you have to spend some time in this places. On Avenida Brasil is the travel agency "Piloto Turismo", they can help you with tickets and other stuff that the people at the Rodoviaria cant help you with. The bus that runs between the busstation in Foz do Igazu (Brazil) and the busstation in Puerto Igazu (Argentina) cost 15.000 or 1,50 Argentinean peso. If you need a entrance or exit stamp at the boarder you have to leave the bus and get this done. The bus will not wait for you. Once you are finished you have to wait until a bus of the same company comes along again. The other companies want accept your old ticket. So you better pick one of the most common companies from the beginning, otherwise you will be sitting at the boarder station for some time.

Corumba
The buss from the Brazilian side of the border to the center of Corumba is 8.500 Cr. (1US$=35.500Cr). There are heaps of Brazilian taxis at the border telling you that there is no bus. The taxis are of course very expensive. On the Bolivian side of the border there are many changing money. For Bolivianos to Cruzeiros is a bad rate. Dollar to Cruzeiros gives you the correct rate. The border crossing is no problem at all. Probably one of the most easy going border crossings. The Salete Hotel on Rua Delamare (tel 067231 3768) is clean but the standard on the rooms is very varied. In the third floor rooms you have a very good view of the river. The reason everybody goes to Corumba is to make a tour off the Pantanal. For the "shoestring" traveler this is the only place to make arrangements for a reasonable cheap Pantanal tour. I met people who tried to organize Pantanal tours in the north and east of the Pantanal (since you don't specify anything about the Pantanal in your book they did not know better) but there was no possibility to make cheap tours from this places. In Corumba there are a lot of tour operators and most of them are of course just a rip of. Here is still very much of a wild west atmosphere. I tried to find out what was going on and listened to what everybody had to say about the everybody else. That resulted was, that one of the most popular guides walked up to my table at breakfast and threatened me if i don't stop putting my nose into places where i does not belong. The best bet is probably a guide called Marcos. Not so much that he is better than the others but he is married to an English girl and she comes along on the trip (if you ask for it). She takes along her own equipment so you can use it and she knows the whims and needs of us travelers. She is good at cooking, translating and organizing stuff and will keep her husband on line. When i took a trip with him he was still working with the tour company "Eco tour". That company runs on a shoestring to. Most of the time they had to fix their truck. But Marco was just about to leave this company and open up his own business. When you sign up with any of the tour companies the most important thingis to check if they have mosquito nets. When i was out in the Pantanalt here where other groups there who had no mosquito protection at all. Even if the mosquitoes there have no malaria (some probably have) as the tour guides keep telling you. After a a couple of bits you will probably get problems with infections of other kinds in the wounds and the itching will turn the trip into a night mare. I seen this happen many times. And there are really many many mosquitoes out there. A 4 day 3 night tour with anybody from the Corumba tour guides cost 70 US$.

Paraguay
The exchange rate under my visit was for 1 US$ between 1.536 to 1.600 guarani.
On the 22 February 1993 the exchange rates was: Dollar= 1580; Uruguay Peso= 0,40; Brazilian Cruzeiros= 0,08; Argentinean Pesos=1580.
Petrol fuel prices: Alconafta (standard)= 726 guarani/liter; super= 795 guarani/liter; alcohol= 600 guarani/liter.
What is cheap in Paraguay is to send mail. This is (or was) probably the cheapest country in south America for sending mail. To send a letter recommended to Europe costs: 20g= 930; 40g= 1130; 60g= 1330;80g= 1480; 100g= 1680; 150g= 2260; 1000g= 11250. There are more levels on this list than indicated here.
It is no longer necessary to have a tourist card for entering Paraguay. 
After reading your book one gets the impression that Paraguay is a rather reasonable priced country. So might be the case if you come from Argentina. But if you come from Brazil or Bolivia this country is expensive. Specially the accommodation in Asuncion is not cheap considering the standard you get.

Asuncion
Hotel Hispania cost 30.000 a double. Hotel Italia cost 5.000 a person, this place is always full. I stayed for 2 weeks in Asuncion and tried many times to get a room here but they never had any free. That is probably because this is the cheapest place around. Since they never had any free rooms i could not have a look at any of the rooms but judging by the reception area and the corridors i could see, this place must be very near the bottom end of acceptable standard. Forget about getting any breakfast or coffee at the hotel Italia. Even so Asuncion is still very safe, this situation is changing and the hotel in not situated in an area of town that looks very inviting by night. I was not able to find the hospedaje Paraguai, i could not even find the Sony Shop you said was opposite the trainstation and close to the hotel Paraguai. The hospedaje Oasis cost 15.000, but the standard of this place was not very god, the place was run down and dirty. The residential Antiquera has heaps of cockroaches in the room, the showers are dirty and the decoration in the rooms are holes in the walls nailed shut with Masonite. The owner family i would not call friendly, rather uninterested. This place must have gone through quite some change since your author last visited the place. This impression did i get after comparing the reality i saw myself in the residential and comparing it to what you have written in the book. Calling this placefor ..."spotlessly clean rooms and showers ....pleasantly decorated" must either have been a joke or your author was drunk. The only thing you got right is that the place is quiet. While i stayed at the residential Antiquera there was also a flow of couples who rented the rooms per hour. Maybe your author should have bothered to take of his sunglasses before giving such vivid descriptions of the place. This can be said generally halve the praise given in you book to the hotels in Asuncion would have been enough. The hotel Ambajador cost 25.000. On the other side of the street is the hotel Nanduti here they charge 18 US$. There is also a residential Ambassador on Montevideo 117 (not to be confuesed withe the hotel Ambajador). Just at the side street that is the north western limit of the park around the Government Palace. A double with bath cost 11.000, without bath 9.000. This is probably best cheap budget hotel in town. The rooms are big, simple but clean and have balcony. You have a nice view over the river and the Government Palace. The owner seems to be two Korean woman who are very friendly. You can use the kitchen and refrigerator. There is space to do the washing and to dry it. There is also a roof terrace and an inner courtyard in the hotel. The hotel Rosa charges for a single 15.000 and for a double without air conditioning 22.000. The hotel Lord charges 20.000 for a double. Hotel Iparanga charges 15.000 for a double. Other hotels that where not on your list in the book: The hospedaje Nuevo Viajero on Antequera 457 charges 12.000 for a double. The hospedaje Damasco on Caballero 294 charges 20.000 for a double. The pension La Sirena on Paraguari 714 charges 7.000 per person. The hotel Amigo Turismo on Caballero 521 is a very good hotel for 18.000 a double with breakfast included. The rooms have balcony, you can use the kitchen and there are possibilities to wash cloth. The Korean family is very friendly. The hotel Stella di Italia on Cerro Cora 933 charges 22.500 for a double with air conditioning and breakfast. At my tour of all the hotels i could not see any big difference between Korean and Paraguay owned hotels. Both categories, among the average budget hotel, are as dirty and broken as the other. On Avenida Colon 188 are two restaurants with buffet and self service, all you can eat places, just beside each other. One of them charges 7200 for a meal. Between Avenida Republica and the river front is a favela, slum (actually slum city), fast growing up all around the legislative Palace and the cathedral. This area is full of cardboard box houses and there is a feverish building activity going on that looks like this place is going to overflow everything around very soon. It does not look like anybody is to worried or tries to do something about it. In the book it says under things to see: .."check out the cinemas around the main plaza".. At the moment there is just one cinema there. That cinema just shows very bad violent pornographic movies and other junk. For 4.000 you can see two films. There is also a cinema that shows quality movies on Montevideo street at the crossing with Piribuy. They are showing one good film for 5.000. Under the heading "trains" you say that the trains in Paraguay are very slow and only for railway buffs. You also say that the line Asuncion to Encarnacion is a pleasant journey worth considering. But today the line from Asuncion to Encarnacion is the only railroad in Paraguay. So your text is a bit invalid, confusing and meaningless is the train rid just for railway buffs or is it a journey worth considering ? The price for a train ticket from Asuncion to Encarnacion is 6.710 and to the other side of the boarder, to Posadas (Argentina) cost 7.535. From Asuncion to Concordia (Argentina) it costs 31.625. From Asuncion to Buenos Aires (Carcroze) the price was 51.535 (what i have heard Argentina suspend all railway transportin the end of 1993 ?). The train tickets are sold in Asuncion just in the morning at 8.00am the same day that the train leaves. The train leaves Asuncion just once a week on Tuesdays at 18.00pm. The traveling time is supposed to be 16 hours to Encarnacion but in reality it is totally unpredictable. When i took this train it left precisely on time. Once on the way i ask the conductor when the train is going to arrive. He told me that i could be happy if it is going to arrive at all. And of course half the way one of the carriages derailed. Since it was the last coach they just unhooked it and leave it standing on the track. The train did not arrive before after sunset in Encarnacion. Remembering that it is just around 300 km between Asuncion and Encarnacion this is very slow traveling, spending 25 26 hours on this stretch. Since the train just goes once a week the train is of very crowded. The aisle is always totally crowded with people. The train stops at least once every 15 minutes to let people on and off and to load on new wood and water for the engine. The heat and the crowding in the carriages is totally unbearable. The seats are of plastic, uncomfortable, sweaty and the back support is very high and at 90 degree angle with makes relaxing and sleeping totally impossible . The train wagons are old worn out Argentinean where everything usable has been taken out. When the train arrived at the train station in Encarnacion it was overwhelmed with hundreds of passengers who wanted to get on it. For me, who wanted to get of, it was impossible to get out of the door without using some serious force. A friend of mine, who is not so strong, had to go out through the window. Busses from Puerto del Este to Asuncion cost 12.000. There are also some "local" busses on this on this stretch of road, they take much longer but only cost 6.000. Busses from Asuncion to Encarnacion leave from the bus station at 07,45; 14,00; 23,30 and with a different company at 11,30; 17,30; 01,00am plus many more departures. Price for a ticket is around 12.500. Traveling time is 5 hours (estimated). There are also direct busses from Asuncion to Montevideo on Tuesdays and Fridays at 13.30 o'clock. The price is 90.000. The bus company "Pluma" goes twice daily from Foz de Igazu to Asuncion at 6,30am and 12,30 and cost 97.000 Brazilian Cruzeiros (1US$=12.000Cruzeiros). At the crossing between streets Gral Diaz and Alberdi is the international telephone station. It is open 24 hours a day. To call from Asuncion to Europe (Germany) cost 3.890 guarani per minute plus a fixed charge of 440 guarani per call. The German Paraguay bank changes travellers'cheques but they take a commission of 15.000 ! Guarani Cambios at Av.Palma 437 and the Banco dela Nation Argentina on Av. Palma (at the crossing with Alberdi) changes travellers'cheques at the same rate as cash. American Express has an office on Yegros 690 on the corner with Luis A. de Herrera. They change travellers'cheques to guarani without charging any commission. But they don't change any travellers'cheques to cash US$. The museo de Historia Militar is open weekdays and weekends at 8,00 am to 12.00 and from 15.00 to 18.00 o'clock. It is situated at the crossing El Paraguayo Independiente and 14 de Mayo. It has free entrance fee. On exhibit are flags, uniforms and other objects that are related to the different Paraguayan wars. The museum "Casa de la Independencia Museo" is situated at the crossing between Pte Francoand 14 de Mayo. This museum is also open on Mondays. The entrance fee is also free. In this museum you can see the room where the Paraguayan declaration of independency was signed. On exhibition are different articles for every day use and furniture from the colonial period. Just inside the door to the museum is an interesting painting that shows how the town looked like in the colonial times. While you in this area take a look att the street lighting poles standing in the streets just to the north west of the police station. They are totaly full with bullet holes.

Encarnacion
The hotel Latino is dirty but nut unacceptable so for the price of 8000 a double. The rooms are very small, have no private bathroom but a ventilator and you can't lock the door. You don't get any breakfast and there is no hot water. The hospedaje Michjuk is precisely beside the hotel Zatino at the railway station. A double here cost 15000. The by far best place to stay is the hotel Itapua situated on the other side of the road from the bus station. A double without bath cost 12.000 with private bath 18.000 (negotiable down to 15.000). The hotel is newly build, very clean, nice and modern. Busses to the Jesuit ruins leave about once each halve hour from the bus station. The price for the bus is 1000. The ruins don't cover a very big area, maybe 200 square meters. It takes about half an hour to look at everything. The ruins are located about 2 km away from bus stop att the main road. There is a fence around the ruins and at the gate is now and then a guard. You have to pay entrance fee to get in. The amount seems to be negotiable and not very high.

Uruguay
Exchange rate under my visit: for 1 US$ you got between 3470 to 3480 Uruguayan peso. The official exchange rate for one US$ at the banks was buy= 3473; sell= 3573. 
Petrol fuel prices: super 95= 2530 peso/liter; gas oil= 1230 peso/liter; especial 85= 2290. 
Uruguay has become very expensive for mail. Reading your book i saved a lot of mail to send it from Uruguay. The actual prices in Uruguay came as rather a surprise to me. Postage fee to Europe is now for apostcard= 2300; a 60 gram letter costs= 12000 (3,50 US$ !!). 

Salto
The bus to Montevideo cost 56600

Montevideo
The Brazilian consulate has moved to 18 de Julio/ Rio Branco. What you have marked in your book as the Brazilian consulate is the Brazilian Embassy. A good laundry is on Julio Hy Obes and Colonia. The laundry, you write about in the book, does not exist. To develop a slide film of 36 exposures cost 29000. The open air terrace on top of the Palacio Municipal, for getting a view of the city from above, is open between 12,00 to 23,30 o'clock. The entrance is not through the main entrance but trough a side entrance from Calle Soriano. The entrance fee is 1000. There is a tourist information booth on Plaza Fabini, where Av.del Libertador and 18 de Julio meets. The staff speaks English and does its best to help you. They have maps and leaflets on museums and hotels. The hotel list also includes some of the cheap hotels. Tickets for the cinema are not cheap anymore, they now cost 20000 (6US$) for seeing one film. The Youth Hostel is still on the address you mention in your book. This place has become very expensive. A night stay in a dormitory cost 29.000 peso (8US$) per person. If you are not a member you have to pay another 25.000 for a membership. For prices like this you might as well stay in an normal hotel. Most hotels you mention in you book are now priced at around 80.000. Exceptions, and the cheapest i could find, was the Hospedaje Pension Cifre on the south eastern corner of Mercedes/ General Rondeau. They charge 35000 peso a night. They rooms are high, some have windows facing the street and a balcony. The communal showers/ toilets are clean. The staff is friendly. They have a big kitchen you can use. The hotel is preparing food far a large number of people, i got the impression that this place might possible be run as some kind of support center (maybe salvation army ?). The hotel has also rooms with private bath for 45000 peso. A hotel, that is also mentioned on the hotel list you get from the tourist information, is the hotel Roan on Cerrito 585. This is a real hotel, very worn down but the rooms are rather big with windows, balcony and private bathroom. A double is 35000, you get very good value for this price. Close to this hotel is the Hospedaje Cerrito on Cerrito 558, price 28000 without bath. The rooms are really worn and a bit dirty. The best budget place i could find was the Hospedaje Pension Roy on Sarandi 437 (closeto the General Post Office). The owner is friendly, there are possibilities for washing clothes, you have access to a kitchen, some of the rooms have windows to the outside and a balcony. The furnishing in the communal areas of the hotel is very nice and old fashion, the rooms are very high. The place is very clean everything gets cleaned at least once a day. Very good value for this price. Going down in standard you have the Alojamiento Georgias on Treinta y Tres, a double here cost 35000. Just next door, on Treinta y Tres 1274, is the Hospedaje San Pablo. Here a double without bath cost 30000, with bath 40000. The Hospedaje Matritz on Ituzaingo 1327 charges usually 50000 for a room with bath, but they also have one terrible, very small and very primitive double room you can have for 20000. On the same street on number 1339 is the Gran Hotel Pyramides. Here the price is 35000 for a double. Still on the same street, in number 1264, is an other Residential that charges 45000. All other hotel i found charge over 50000, most have prices around 70000. The Museo del Gaucho is still on the same address, the entrance is free. For walking around the museum you can borrow a recording of the tour on tape for 3 US$ at there ception. What is allso worth seeing in Montevideo, something that is free, is the harbor, with its many international boats. This harbor is a bit differen than for example the on in Buenos Aires. It's not to big and it's easy accessible. The entrance to the harbor is beside the " Mercado de Puerto". In the harbor is also the monument, made out of the original anchor, over the German warship "Graf Spee" that sunk itself in 1939 just outside the harbor. The train station is still open for the public. There are a lot of old steam engines and antique train carriages standing around. It seems like they just left everything standing where it was when the train traffic chased. There is an eerie atmosphere inside the train station. You can just walk around and have a look at everything, there is nobody there. Maybe this place is a alternative for staying somwhere overnight if you are really broke, the sleeper carriages still have beads inside. When i was there they started to rebuilt the train station, so maybe everything is going to change. There is also a mausoleum under the big Artigas monumenton the Plaza Independencia. This place is worth seeing. The Parliament (Palacio Legislativo), at the northern end of Av del Libertador, is open for visitors between 9,30 to 12,00 o'clock. The bus 104 is still going along all the beaches in town, the price for the bus ride is 1300. The "Mercado del Puerto" has still meals for about 3,50 US$. The disadvantage with this place is that it closes already in the afternoon/ early evening. If you want to eat later than that, there are a couple of places that have the same food as the Mercado del Puerto. This restaurants are cheaper than the Mercado and they are situated close to it on Calle Perez Castellano (the street going up from the harbor). A nice place i found was the Parillada El Patriota on the crossing of Calle Perez Castellano/ Calle Washington. This place is open to late at night. This is really a unpretentious local pub with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. The "ONDA" bus terminal on Plaza Cagancha (number 19 on your map) is closed. I never saw any ONDA buses anyway, either they have closed down totally or they changed the name ? The company "CITA", on Plaza Independencia, has direct busses from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, price 85000 one way; 170000 return. The bus leaves Montevideo at 10,00; 22,00; 23,00 o'clock. From Buenos Aires they leave 18,00;06,00; 07,00. The travel time is 8 hours. With bus from Montevideo to Colonia and from there with ferry to Buenos Aires cost 74500. Only the ferry from Colonia to Buenos Aires cost 53500. The travel agency that sells this trips is on corner 18 de Julio/ Rio Branco. The cheapest way to go from Montevideo to Buenos Aires seems still to be the rout going over Carmelo. It is the company "Delta Nave" who goes this way. Their office is at Plaza Cagancha 1340, it cost 60.000 one way, 120000 return. They take you with bus Montevideo to Carmelo. From Carmelo you take a ferry to Tigre in Argentina. In Tigre they put you on a bus that will take you to the center of Buenos Aires.Everything is supposed to be included in the ticket. But when i took this trip they wanted some more money in Carmelo. A couple of dollars for some kind of departure tax. I refused to pay that and got away with it. The busses from "Delta Nave" are leaving Montevideo at 8,15 and 0,15 o'clock and arrive in Buenos Aires at 15,00 and 7,00 o'clock. Coming the other way they leave Buenos Aires at 8,30 and 16,30 o'clock and arrive in Montevideo at 15,00 and 22,30 o'clock. They have the same departure time all days of the week, also on Sunday. In Montevideo you get on their bus, not at their office, but at their bus station on Uruguay 1113. If you only want to take the "Delta Nave" ferry from Carmelo to Tigre you have to pay 33000. To go by ordinary bus from Montevideo to Carmelo cost 25000. As you see, you don't save anything organizing the trip yourself. The General Post Office is on the corner Buenos Aires/ Calle Misiones. To make telephone calls to Europe (Germany) cost 20.000 peso/minute. The American Express bank is still where you say it is in the book. The bank was closed when is was there, it is open until 16,00 o'clock. They had a list of exchange rates in the window but the American Express Travel Service office says that the American Express bank does not change American Express travellers'cheques. The American Express Travel Service office does not change American Express travellers'cheques either. But they can refer you to places that do. The best place i found for changing American Express travellers'cheques is the Gambio "Eurocam S.A." on 18 de Julio 1497. That is not a very central location, you have to go to the east of the Palacio Municipal, not many find their way to this place. "Eurocam S.A." also changes US$ travellers'cheques to US$ cash for a 1% commission. The place that American Express is referring to, gives a wore rate than the place mentioned above. Very few of the Gambios along 18 de Julio change travellers'cheques. Most of the banks do, but they charge a very high commission, sometimes as high as 10 %.

Argentina
The exchange rate for 1US$ under my visit was between 0,990 to 0,998 Argentine peso.
Petrol fuel prices in Buenos Aires: super= 0,760 US$/liter; normal=0,589 US$/liter; gasoil= 0,270 US$/liter; GNC= 0,254 US$/liter. 
To make telephone calls to Europe cost 4,78 US$/ minute between 22,00 08,00 on weekdays. From Saturday 13,00 o'clock to Monday morning 08,00 o'clock they have reduced charges to 3,82 US$/ minute.

Puerto Igazu
Prices for hotels in the village: Residential Paquita= 22 US$; Alexander Hotel= 40 US$; Hosteria San Fernando= 11US$ single/ 17US$ double; Hotel Saint George= 35 US$ single/ 40 US$ double; Hosteria Los Helechos= 17 US$ single/ 25 US$ double; on Avenida Victoria Aguirre number 209 is the Hotel King that charges 20 US$ for a double. The camping America cost 3 US$ per person and 3 US$ per tent. The camping is situated 3 4 km outside of town along the road that goes to the waterfalls. The camping is a bit worn down, the sewer does not work. This place is definitely not worth the high price. 

Iguazu waterfalls 
The national park on the Argentinean side is 17 km away from the town of Puerto Igazu. The crossing where the road to Posadas turns of is 7 km away from the national park. The Garganta del Diablo is 3 km away from the park entrance. If you go 800 meters further along the sandy side road, that goes past the Garganta del Diablo, there is a camping ground without any amenity (no toilet, no shower). Here you can stay for free. The only thing you have to pay is the entrance to the park on the day you arrive. You also have to register at the park information center if you want to stay at the camping ground. The problem is just that it is a bit far away from everything if you don't have you own transport. There is a bus going around the park between the different sights. But that bus is not free. The park entrance is one km away from the falls itself. The last bus back into town leaves the tourist information at the falls at 19,00 o'clock. Otherwise the bus is going once every hour. To leave the backpack in the tourist information at the falls cost 1 US$. The bus also goes around the national park once every hour, from the tourist information to the Garganta del Diabloe. The walkway over the Devils Throat has been washed away and damaged behind repair for long stretches. These stretches have been replaced by a motorboat service which cost 5 US$ per person. There are also three other boat excursions you can take around the falls. One goes to the Isla San Martin that is situated in the middle of the river below the falls. The price for that tour is 5 US$. The traveling time is about 2 minutes !! One tour goes from the Circuit Inferior to just below the Devils Throat waterfalls. This takes 10 15minutes and cost 15 US$. One boat tour goes from Puerto Canoas (the place where the walkway to the Devils Throat started before) along the shore to just above the falls. After having walked around the falls in the heat there is a possibility to take a swim in some of the more tranquil pools among the big rocks lying around the shores below the falls. 

Posadas 
The train to Buenos Aires leaves daily at 17,30 o'clock. The price is for tourist class= 29,22 US$; first class= 33,74; Pullman= 43,08; sleeper= 59,74. To the town of Concordia it cost for tourist class= 16,30; first class= 18,83; Pullman= 23,98; sleeper= 37,39. From Buenos Aires the train to Posadas leaves at 15,30 o'clock daily. They have stopped using sleeper on this line. The bus from Posadas to Coriente cost 28,00. Buses from Posadas to Buenos Aires cost 70 US$.

Concordia
The ferry between Concordia (Argentina) and Salto (Uruguay) cost 1,50 US$ on weekdays and 3,00 US$ on weekends. 

Buenos Aires 
The American Express office is at Arenales 707, on Plaza San Martin. They change travellers'cheques to cash without commission. They also have the best exchange rate in town. They give 0,998 compared to the 0,996 that you get at the banks. The American Express office does not take any commission either. The banks usually take 2 5 % in commission. The train from Buenos Aires to Bariloche cost in tourist class 33,97 US$, in first class 52,32 US$, in Pullman 65,84 US$. To Olavarria it cost 9,87; 11,49; 14,43 US$ respectively. To M D Plata it cost 12,40; 13,20; 16,60 US$ respectively. To B.Blanca it cost 17,14; 20,05; 25,20 US$ respectively. To Menquen it cost 30,91; 36,19; 45,92 US$ respectively. To Zapala it cost 33,97; 42,03; 53,24 US$ respectively. The train to Bariloche departs only on Wednesday and Sunday at
22,00 o'clock. Connection with the train to Esquel is only with the train on Wednesday. Prices on the train to Esquel: tourist class= 11,52 and first class= 13,45. You made an mistake in the map on side 71. The train to Bariloche does not go through Neuquen, instead it is running south like it is drawn on the map on page 65. There is a train line going through Neuquen to Zapala where it ends. On this line there is traffic everyday, but not Saturday, leaving Buenos Aires at 22,00 o'clock. You don't get any reduction of the price anymore if you buy your trainticket in advance. The railway information and booking office has moved to Maipu 88. The train from Buenos Aires to San Antonio del Oeste (the last stop along the cost before the train heads inland to Bariloche) cost in tourist class 29,22 and in first class 33,74 US$. From Bahia Blanca to San Antonio del Oeste the train ticket cost, in tourist class 13,21; in first class 15,40; and in Pullman 19,51 US$. The distance between Buenos Aires to San Antonio del Oeste is practical to go by train in case you are on the way to Tierra del Fuego. It is a good piece of the way and in San Antonio del Oeste you can change to bus or continue by hitch hiking. Going this first piece by rail, you don't have to sitt in the buss the whole time. According to the Salta tourist information, the train to the clouds from Salta to the Chilean boarder, is only working between April and November. In the summer the train is standing still, but in this time there is a cargo train once a week on Wednesday and Saturday. That train has on passenger wagon in which you can get a ride. As far i understand, i have heard this from different sources, all train traffic has ended in Argentina later in 1993 !?! Busses from Buenos Aires to Rio Galegos with the bus company "Don Otto" cost 107 US$. They have busses every day leaving the bus station in Buenos Aires at 21,15 o'clock. The trip takes about 36 hours. The bus price to Bariloche from Buenos Aires is 70 US$. The airline office for LADE is on Calle Peru 719. They don't have any schedule or lists with fares. They are flying Monday to Friday at 15,40 o'clock for 19 US$ from Rio Grande to Ushuaia, and on Monday to Friday at 14,30 for 23,50 US$ from Rio Galegos to Ushuaia. The tourist information booth is standing on the crossing Between Florida and Diagonal Norte (Av. Saenz Pena). It's open to 19,00 o'clock. The staff is still very helpfully. The tourist information offices of the Argentinean federal states have moved since you published the address list in your book on page 85. The tourist information for Salta is now on Diagonal Norte 933; for Tierra del Fuego is is on Santa Fe 919; Rio Negro has its own on Tucuman 1920 (open 10 16); the tourist in formation for Santa Cruz is on 25 de Mayo 277 1 floor (open to 18.00 o'clock); for Chubut it is on Paraguay 876 (open 8,30 to 18,00). The other once i don't know. Hotel Gran Via on Sarmiento 1450 charges 22,00 US$ for adouble without bath and 27,00 for a double with bath. Hotel Sportsman on Rivadavia 1425 charges for a double with washbasin 22 US$. The hotel Orense de R. Alonso on Bartholow Mitre 1359 charges 24 US$ for a double. The hotel Mediterrano on Rodriquez Pena 149 is probably the best centrally located budget hotel in town. It is just on block away from the national congress and the subway station "Congreso" . A double with bath is 24 US$ and a double without is 17 US$. To rent a ventilator cost 1 US$ extra for a day. The owner is very old but very friendly. There is a stove in the corridor you can use, but no coking utilities exist. There are also a couple of refrigerators you can put your stuff in. The rooms have vary varied standard. The place is clean but not excessively so. This is probably the cheapest place in central Buenos Aires if you want to have your own room. To sleep in the youth hostel cost 8 US$ a person. The cafe shops Biela and Paix you write about but don't give any address to (on page 92) face each other over Pte M. Quintano in the suburb of La Recoleta. Both places are very expensive, a small coca cola cost 3 US$ in both. To go by subway cost 0,45 US$ for a token, to go by bus cost 0,35 US$ each ride. To develop a 36 pictures slide film cost 8 US$. There is also a poste restante section in the International Post Office you marked with number 4 on your map on page 89. When i was there they had about 30 normal poste restante letters lying there. Normally, all the poste restante is at the General Post Office, the one you marked as number 18 on your map. So if you are really expecting an important letter you better check both places. It cost 1,14 US$ to pick up one letter from the General Post Office that has been send to you!! Many times you pay more collecting a letter than it has cost sending the letter to you. The postal charges for one letter with airmail to Europe cost 0,80 US$, one postcard airmail cost 0,48 US$. 

Rio Galegos 
The bus from Rio Galegos to Punta Arenas is not going on Saturdays. On all other days it leaves and costs 23,50 US$ with the bus company "Penguin". The bus station is now outside the town center along the main road coming from the north and continuing to the south. If you come on road "3" from the direction of Calafate/ Buenos Aires, the bus station is on the right hand side after the first big roundabout.In the block next to the bus station (further south along the mainroad) is a camping ground (surrounded by very high and solid walls because of the wind) that charges 3 US$ per person plus 1 US$ per tent. There is also an industrial area, with abandoned houses and equipment standing around. Just as a thought if you can't afford the high Argentinean hotel prices. I myself slept in an unused hotel that is standing along the main road between the bus station and the camping. They even had running water, that night was free but cold. 

Tierra del Fuego 
The borders between Argentina and Chile on Patagonia/ Tierra del Fuego are open 8 22 o'clock. The ferry over the Straits of Magellan at Pta. Delgada is still free for people on foot without a vehicle. On the mainland side there is a small restaurant that also ha a couple of beads that they charge 10 US$ the night for. 

Rio Grande 
The bus from Rio Grande to Punta Arenas cost 36 US$. 

Ushuaia 
The tourist office has moved to San Martin 660. One block further to the left than indicated on your map. Their opening times are Monday to Friday 8,30 to 20,30 o'clock and on Saturday and Sunday from 9,00 to 20,00 o'clock. The museum "Fin del Mundo", you have marked with 19 on the map, is open Monday to Saturday between 3pm and 20 o'clock. The entrance fee is 2 US$. The old prison has guided tours daily at17,30 and the entrance fee is 2 US$. To make a trip from Ushuaia to Antarctica is possible. There is a Russian deep see boat, the "Academia Sergey Vavilov", making that trip on an regular basis, it seems like. The trip takes 14 15 days and the price is between 4 5000 US$ depending on what standard you want on your cabins. The day the boat leaves they are selling last minute tickets for as little as 2500 US$. The bus to the Tierra del Fuego national park leaves 10am, 12, 15, 19 o'clock from Ushuaia and at 11am, 13, 16, 20 o'clock from the national park. The price for a return journey is 8 US$. This price does not include the entrance fee to the national park. The bus rout to the national park is run by a small travel agencies, the "Transporte Pasarela". Their office is on Juana Fadul 40. They seem to be the only transport alternative around if you want to see the sights. They are also going to other goals,for example, going up half way to the glacier, that cost 5 US$ for a return journey. There are two tourist tours a day going with boat from Ushuaia. One is 3 hour long and goes to the sea lion colony and the "Isla de Los Lobos". This tour cost 30 US$. The other tour is 12 hours long and cost 65 US$. On this tour you get to see the sea lions colony, the Penguins Rookery and the Humberstone Ranch. On Saturday this tour makes a detour over to the Chilean side of the Beagle Straight. You can visit Puerto Williams on this tour. The trips takes 12 hours and cost 65 US$. Long distant busses from Ushuaia to Rio Grande leave every day at 07,00 and 19,00 0'clock. The ticket cost 21 US$. The post office in Ushuaia has one of the classical poste restante boxes. The box is broken and torn and the letters are flowing over and falling out. If you ask for a letter you get the whole box to look through it yourself. Most letters are for every possible imaginable exotic boat that is on the way to the Antarctica or just rounding the cape. But when i was looking through the box there where also letters addressed to Kuwait City and to the mayor of Ushuaia. Spending a night in Ushuaia can be very expensive. Try to avoid it ! The cheapest accommodation is in private homes, of course the cheapest are always full. Count on to pay att least 10 US$ for sleeping somwhere on the floor. The cheapest places i have heard of is "Garbin" on Gobernador Paz 1380, here a double cost 26 US$ and the "Sainz" on Karukinka 22 that charges 13 US$ a person. If you think this is expensive you can always walk up to the glacier and try to find a seduced spot to put up your tent on. A couple of people where doing it while i was visiting. I don't know if it is allowed. If you are really desperate there are several parks in town with really thick vegetation (specially the one at the western end of San Martin street) you could camp in. This i know is prohibited anyway, since the whole town area is a military zone, specially at the eastern end of town. I doubt very much that anybody would bother you about that, as long as you don't put the tent in front of any of the military objects. The best place, to sleep for free in Ushuaia, is at the Colegio Don Bosco, located in the middle of the center, at crossing San Martin/ Don Bosco. This is a Church school and in the summer the class rooms are not so much in use. If you talk to the priest, (the title of the headpriest was "mon Signieur") they let you sleep in the unused rooms on the floor. This is by no means a obvious thing, but the priest where very nice. You don't have to worry about your lack of Christian engagement. Nobody ever asked me about it. On the contrary. I was traveling as a couple. When we arrived there was no other traveler there. We got one of the class rooms. After us other travelers arrived and the priest told those that in that room was a boy and a girl so they should pick another room for them self. It did not look like the priest where to worried about to many people coming there. The school is rather big and just standing empty anyway. A problem might be that there are no showers. But in the toilets there is hot water and the sinks are really solid and big (the old military style) so you can actually stand in one and wash yourself. 

Tierra del Fuego national park
Entrance fee to the Tierra del Fuego national park is 3,50. To camp in the park on all the assigned camping grounds is for free. But it cost 1 US$ a day to use the toilets and showers. Having to pay for the toilets has lead to that everybody is using the bushes around the camping. This is a bit unhygienic and makes it hard finding a clean spot to put up the tent on. 
Calafate 
On "9 de Julio" is the hospedaje "2 Pinos" at the end of the street, on the right hand side, if you come from the main street "Libertator". Camping in a tent cost 2 US$ per person and 2US$ per tent. To sleep in their dormitories cost 5 US$ per person. If you continue past this camping and walk inside the bushes at the end of either "9 de Julio" or "Espora" at the end of the streets, you come to a small river that has trees, a sort of park, around it. This area is very nice and wind protected. This is no official camping (and therefor free) but there where at least 3 more groups camping there when i was wisiting. To hitch hike out to the national park in Calafate is not impossible, but very hard. Since nobody believes it is possible to hitch hike on this route, at least your are alone and the chance of getting a ride is much higher. Considering the Argentinean bus prices on this short route this is certainly the best alternative. 

Moreno glacier (80 km from Calafate) 
Busses out to the glacier from Calafate cost 25 US$ return. There are several bus companies running bus out here but just in the mornings. Many travel agencies have tours out here the prices are all the same, around 25 US$. One travel agency makes the trip for 18 US$ return. But for that price you have to go back the same day. Entrance fee to the glacier national park is 3,50 US$. At the glacier itself, about one km from the viewing platforms, there is a camping just beside the ranger office. The camping is free but you are just allowed to stay here for 2 nights. That is because the camping is so small, it fits about 20 tents, it gets very crowded in the high season. If there are not very many people, the 2 days limit is not very strictly followed. At arriving on the camping you have to register at the ranger office. The ranger walks around and checks the camping, so that everybody staying there is registered. If you looking at the glacier you have to stay strictly on the walking path and on the viewing platform. As soon as you leave those you have to pay a fine of several hundred US$. The rangers really control and evoke this rule. This is probably very sensible since blocks of ice are breaking of the glacier all the time and fall sometimes 2 300 m inland away from the base of the glacier. Several people have been killed. At the glacier there is just a very expensive hotel and restaurant. You can't buy any food here, take everything from Calafate.

Chile
The exchange rate under my visit was: 1 US$= 378 to 400 pesos.
Petrol fuel prices: 93 octane 183 pesos/liter (178 pesos/ liter in the far south); diesel 142 pesos/liter (137 pesos/ liter in the far south); 87 octane= 160 pesos/liter (in the far south).
I have never been to a country were there are so many fleas as in the hotels in Chile. In non of the other south American countries has this been so big a problem as in Chile. Hardly had one set of bites stopped itching and started to mend did new once appear. You should take up this problem in your chapter on health issues and tell the reader how to treat and prevent it. It was not always the case that i would get the fleas in cheap, dirty hotels. Sometimes i got them in clean more expensive ones. I suppose it much depended on if the last guest had fleas or not. 
To send mail from Chile to Europe (Germany) cost for 0 20 g= 295 pesos;21 50 g= 475 pesos; 51 100g = 610 pesos; 101 250g = 1510 pesos; 215 500 g= 2970 pesos; 501 1000 g= 5770 pesos; 1001 2000 g= 10525 pesos. To send something with registered mail (registrado) cost 300 pesos extra, independent of the weight of the shipment. 
On busses in Chile means "Salon de cama" that the bus has 25 seats. "Semi Cama" means that the bus has 34 seats. "Salon Ejecutivo" means that the bus has 44 seats.
You say on page 96 in your book "Chile a travel survival kit" under the picture of a banknote that this picture is from an old banknote. But as far as i can see it is from the current used 500 pesos banknote.

Punta Arenas
The hotel "Escopion" on Jose Mendez 1142 is very basic and rather dirty. The rooms are cardboard partitioned. A double without windows is 3000 and with windows 4000. The separate toilet/shower is very primitive. The doors to thetoilet/shower are made out of clear window glass ! On Bela Vista 697 is a bigger house without sign. On the door it says Colegio Pierre Faure. It seems to have some sort of Christian connection but the owner is renting out space in something that is similar to a youth hostel. The price is 2000 per person and the standard of the rooms vary considerable in size. But everything is clean, nice and the atmosphere is very friendly. You can also put up your tent on the grounds (or in the garage) for 1200 per person. To use the kitchen cost 1 $ per day. "Naviera Natales" on Bulnes 05075, beside the Zona Franca, has a cargo boat that goes between Punta Arenas and Puerto Mont. This is a commercial cargo boat but they are taking on a couple of passengers who sleep in two equipped containers standing on deck. Going with this boat is cheaper and the standard (food and so on) is probably better than on the passenger ferries going on this route. That's my conclusion anyway after having talked to people who went on the passenger ferries. The price for a trip with the boat from Naviera Natales is 100 US$. The boat goes three times a months forth and back. It might be hard getting a ticket for the boat. The company does not have any method in their selling of the tickets. People who tried to get a ticket just before me did not get any, but i did, for some reason. The company is also a bit restrictive about taking single woman as passengers since the other paying customers are the truck drivers who have their trucks on the ferry. The company "Navimag" (for passenger ferries to Puerto Mont) has its office one story up over the office from "Comapa". The military is selling passage on their boats around the Magallan waterways (sometimes as far as down to Antarctica). The price is 40 45US$ per day. To Antarctica the trip will at least take 14days. Information about what is on offer (and the buying of the tickets) you get at 11 o'clock every day in the Zona Naval on L.Navarro. To go down to the harbor and try talking to the captains is not possible anymore since the entrance to the harbor is heavily restricted and checked. The excursions to the penguin colony now cost 9 US$. This must be the only thing that has gotten cheaper compared to the prices you mention in your whole book. 

Puerto Natales
"Busses Fernandez" has student discount on the route between Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas. Instead of 2500 it cost 2000. The most popular place to stay in Puerto Natales is "Elsa" on O'Higgin's 657. The price per person is 1500. This includes avery big breakfast. The owner is very friendly. There is a kitchen you can use and there are possibilities to wash your cloth. Accommodation is in two dormitory style rooms, girls and boys mix. The place is very loud and not to recommend for somebody who wants peace and quiet. There are a lot of people taking Spanish lessons in town. This a fast growing business here. Busses between Puerto Natales and Calafate cost 22 US$ from Puerto Natales and 30 US$ from Calafate ! The bus leaves 7,30 in the morning from Calafate on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. From Puerto Natales it leaves Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The traveling time is 7 8 hours. The busses are very modern with toilet. Servitur on Arturo Prat in Puerto Natales and El Pinguino in Calafate is selling the tickets. There are some more companies running on this route, but the company mentioned above is by far the cheapest.

Puerto Mont
Roul Arroya's house at Conception is very hard to find since it is not actually on Conception but on a side street that goes of the northern end of Conception toward the east. Roul has also a very nice newly build retreat in Chinquihue, about 10 km west of Puerto Mont. It is a nice separately standing Swiss style cottage with 3 rooms, 1 real life size kitchen, 1 really life size living room, 2 toilets with showers and hot water. This place was totally new build and as quiet and tranquil as you would wish. It is also very clan. The price with breakfast was 2000 when i stayed there but he was talking of raising the price to 3500. Maybe i should mention that the breakfast was rather symbolically. 

Angelmo (suburb to Puerto Mont) 
In the Fish market they are selling a truly amazing variety of strange fish and shellfish. Most of these things i have never seen or heard about. It is also just here that you will find this variety off exotic products. You can see them lying around on the tables and you can see them being processed. Here you can watch how to open sea urchins and what part of strange shell creatures are eatable. For example the things called "Picorocos". Barnacles but 20 cm. I know that barnacles exist all over the world around 2 cm big. That those things can get that big came as rather a surprise. And that you can eat them and that they taste really good i never new either. Another creature they had at the marked was called "Piures" a read mollusks they where digging out of some sort of mud lumps. This fish market is the best place to find out what the names of this things are and where they come from. The people here are relaxed and friendly. Not at all like in the other big fish markets like Santiago. 

Castro
The tourist office has moved to another small pavilion on the other side of the plaza, just in front of the cathedral. This time the pavilion is just an ordinary wooden building, not as fancy as the last one. The tourist information staff is rather useless and the maps they have is useless to. The old tourist information building, the one you described like a "cross between a bomb shelter and a space ship" is still standing but does not seem to be used at the moment. The "palafitos" area just outside of Castro on the way south (direction Quellón, Chonchi) is much better to the than the palafitos area in the north of Castro that you have written about in the book. The reason for that is that you can see water front side of the houses from the lookout on the end of Gamboa street in Castro. It is really hard to see the waterfront side of the palafitos on the north side of Castro. Like everywhere ells in southern Chile there are a lot of hospedajes in private homes around town for prices between 1500 2500 pesos per person. The standard of course varies considerably from home to home. There are now a couple of unicorn pictures outside the hotel "Unicornio Azul" on Pedro Mont 228. A double room at this place cost 45 US$. The hotel is not where it is marked on the map but on the other side of Sotomayor (across the street to the north on the opposite corner). At the market in town they are selling the usual tourist stuff and some agricultural products. Around the marked and across the street there are some nice fish and seafood restaurants who are reasonable priced, these places are probably best for seafood in Castro.

Curaco (national Park)
The national park on the Pacific Ocean side of the island is developing into a big tourist attraction. Most visitors to Castro include a tour the park in their program. The bus fare between Castro and Curaco is 800 pesos. There are several busses a day with different companies. In Curaco there is a camping just on the otherside of the bridge inside the national park entrance. It cost 500 pesos a person. There are 2 more camping grounds along the sandy "main road" past the national park entrance. One of this camping is 300 pesos per person, the other might be for free. There are some more campgrounds and hospedajes in the small village of Curaco. Just at the bus stop there is a Hospedaje for 400 pesos per person. They let you sleep on the floor in a dormitory style room. The biggest attraction in the park is horse riding, normal price for renting a horse is 800 to 1000 pesos per hour. The horses are really slow and safe. They know exactly their way around. You can't get lost or get thrown of even if you have never been sitting on a horse before. In the park there is also a 2 day walking trail heading north along the cost with 2 refugios on the way. The map they are selling in the national park office in the park is of no use if you want to go this trail. There is also a small 1 hour walking trail on the inland side of the nationalparks headquarter (on the inland side of the national park campingground). This walking trail is really beautifully build through and above the very dens forest (rain forest ?) with the help of bridges that span over fallen down trees so that the vegetation is disrupted to a minimum. 

Petrohu Lago todos los Santos
The normal bus from Puerto Varas arrives here at 13.00 and leaves again 5 minutes later. The price is 650 pesos. The excursion boat still leaves before the bus arrives. The campsite at the beach does not exist anymore. There are still traces of the old camping site,like the shower blocks, but everything is totally vandalized, destroyed and burned. There is now no organized campground anymore on the side of the river where the hotel is. I never went over to the other side but it really did not look like there was a camping or anything like that, actually there was nobody on the other side. And, you want believe this, the beach of the lake that is closest to the hotel (and stretching away a couple of kilometers) has become a military zone with its own garrison. But the military just have a presence of about 10 people and one tent. The military let you camp along the beach the first 200 meters from the river mouth, but no further. You have to ask the commander for permission but he is really friendly. The camping is free. There where about 10 other tents there when i was there and the atmosphere was quite relaxed. The army does not interfere, but they are patrolling the area at night. An disadvantage with this campingground along the beach is the area inside the trees up from the beach. It has turned into a waste garbage and toilet area. Also there is no drinking water available besides the water from the lake. If the wind is blowing from the wrong side the lake water can be very dirty.

Osorno
Residencial Ortega charges 2500 pesos a person (about 6$). There is another hospedaje at Colon 844 for 2000 per person with breakfast. The hospedaje on Los Carrera no 1595 (on your map you call the street Al Centro), between Angujo and Amungutegui, has a very friendly owner. You can use the kitchen and there is hot water in the toilet and showers. The room is very clean and breakfast is included in the price 2000 per person. About the Catholic Cemetery you say in your book "if you got a few hours to spare ..." to see the whole cemetery with every tombstone hardly takes more than halve an hour, the cemetery is not that big ! I'm not so much of a cemetery fan. In Chile i have just visit the cemetery i Punta Arenas besides the one in Osorno. But i felt that the one in Punta Arenas is much bigger and better (if you can say that about cemeteries) than the one in Osorno. So when you say in your book that the one in Osorno far surpasses all others in Chile i don't believe you. How come you never mentioned the Punta Arena cemetery in the Punta Arena chapter of the book?

Valdivia
I arrived at this town late one rainy Sunday afternoon on a local bus. It was already the time of year that the schools had started. What surprised me was that there where people at the bus station offering accommodation in private houses at 2000 pesos a person (like everywhere else). I was just passing through so i did not stay, but i suppose this shows that the situation in town has changed and that there are now some cheap hospedajes around even in Valdivia. It is probably the same as in all the other tourist towns south of Santiago. There is a growing number of hospedajes in private houses.

Villarrica
Nothing happens at this town anymore. All the action has moved to Pucón. The only other travelers i met in this town where some other lost souls who had read your book. Everybody now goes straight through this town to Pucón. And actually Pucón is much nicer than Villarrica. The "Ruca", the traditionally Indian house you mention in your book is now standing at the corner of Aviador Avevedo and Valdivia, just beside the tourist information. The museum is just on the other side of the tourist information (nearby, as you write, is a bit loose expression). There are a lot of Hospedajes around town. One of the better was at the corner of Bello and Urrutia on Urrutia 407. They charge 3000 pesos per person with a large breakfast and the possibility to use the kitchen. A cheaper place was on Matta 469. They take 2000 pesos per person without breakfast but with the possibility of using the kitchen. Both places had hot water and separate bathrooms. Both where very clean places with very friendly owners. 

Pucón
A lot must have happens in Pucón in recent years. Is is now here where the action is. Nobody stays anymore in Villarrica. All the travelers go to Pucón, besides those that have read your book. There are now lot of things to do in Pucón. You can go white water rafting (price 4500 per person for one trip) or climb Volcano Villarrica (10.000 pesos per person). You can take an organized tour between the waterfalls and nature spots in the surrounding or hire a mountain bike and go on your own. Some of this things you can do even from Villarrica, but they are much more expensive from there. In Pucón there a many travel agency offering excursions, the competition is big and the prices are lower. The climbing of the active Volcano Villarrica is of course on of the most interesting things to do. The trip is supposed to take the whole day. All the needed equipment you get from the tour organizer, crampons, ice axe and boots, everything is included. But you have to take your own food. The entrance fee to the national park is not included, that's an extra 2300. But the weather is very unpredictable at the volcano, and if there are clouds or rain you don't go. It is first at the same morning that you are supposed to go that you find out if you actually can go on the trip. If the weather is bad you have to either wait on more day or forget about the trip. Many people spend a week or more going to the travel agency every morning and finding out that they have to wait on more day. There area lot of Hospedajes in private houses around Pucón. Most are on the streets Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru. The tourist information and the travel organizers have addresses to some of them. Most places charge around 1500 2000 pesos per person. From Pucón there are lots of direct busses to Santiago. The bus company "Power" runs busses to Santiago for 3500. But you really get the Chilean bottom standard, no springs in the seats and the toilet is locked as soon as the bus stops. Its probably better to pay some more and travel in better comfort. 

Santiago
There are a couple of places along Ahumada that develop Slides. Prices for developing without framing are around 600 pesos per film but they usually take some days to do it. There is also one place that does it for 1200 pesos in one hour. It might be worth noticing that some of the slides you have bought in some other country include processing and framing in Chile even if it state on the box that it is not included in the price. But this is different in different shops, you have to ask around. The tourist information office "Sernatur" is on Av Providencia 1550. It is not any more on Monjitas. A tourist information booth for the city of Santiago is in a kiosk in the middle of the street on the Paseo Ahumada a bit south of the crossing with Huerfanos. There is also a tourist information office in the Casa Colorado. The Casa Colorado is the Museo de Santiago. The American Express bank is at Agustinas 1356. The bank changes American Express Traveler checks into US$ cash without any problems or fees. Their exchange rate for US$ cash to Chilean pesos is not a good as the rate given in the surrounding gambios. Therefore it is probably best to change your traveler checks first into US$ cash in the American Expressbank and than take the cash dollars and change them into Chilean pesos in one of the casa de gambios since the exchange rate for traveler checks at the casa de gambios is not very good. The American Express travel service is at Augustinas 1173. The hotel "Suvenir" charges 5 US$ a person. The hotel "Retiro" is 12 US$ for a double with showers and toilet in the room. The best and cleanest cheap hotel i found was the "Hotel Ovallino" on General Mackenna 1477 (corner with San Martin). A single here is 2000 and a double 3300 pesos. The rooms are clean and get cleaned up once a day. All the toilets get cleaned several times a day. Compared to all the other budget hotels this place is shining. All rooms have windows to the street, the doors have real locks and there is hot water in the communal showers and toilets. If you have a window to the backside of the building it is not to noisy even if the bus station is there. I had a look at all the budget hotels on the list in your book and i thought this place was by far the better than any given on the list. I also stayed on night at the "Hotel Caribe". This place was rather a dump. The room i had was very small without any windows and no form of ventilation. It gets very stuffy in the hot Santiago days. And the doors did not have any real means of locking it from the outside. There is just hot water in one of the showers in all the others it is just cold. A charm with the Caribe is that it has big communal areas but i can't understand why so many of the travelers stay at the Caribe. The Caribe now charges 5US$ per person. There are hotels of better value around. Just next door to the Ovalino is another hotel/Recidencial for 6000 a double. They even have a TV on the room. On McKenna between San Martin and Amanategui there are at least 4 hotels on the northern side of the street who seem to charter on a regular basis and seem to be cheap and nice. All you can eat restaurants like they have them in Brazil don't exist here. Not that i could find anyway. There are a couple of restaurants that have a sign saying "Self Service" in the windows but that seems to mean that you can chose a dish from a menu for a certain price and than get that dish served when you pass the counter, roughly like at McDonald.

Valparaiso
The "Residencial para Pasageros Leila" on S.Donose 1430 is a very used and worn out place. The owner is not even pretending that you could lock the doors. Both windows and doors where without possibilities to lock. There are wash basins in every room but toilet and showers are in the corridor. There is just water in the morning. Price for adouble 4000, for a triple 6500. The interior of the room was not very clean and the floorboards are leaning in very strange and extreme angles. Some room have windows to the street but most rooms just have windows to an corridor. In hotel Reina Victoria the price depends on what floor you want to be on. The cheapest room they had was for 10 US$ for a single room and 15 US$ for a double room. These prices included breakfast. The Hotel Garden on Serramo 501 lets you use the kitchen. The rooms have washbasins and are reasonable clean. Price for a doubleis 4000 pesos, no breakfast included. Residential "Lily" on Blanco 866 charges 3000 per person without breakfast.You say in your book that most hotels are around Plaza Sotomayor. Is that really true ? There are probably more Hotels further north between Plaza Martin and the old Custom House. But this area is probably not one of the safest in town. 

Los Vilos 
This nice little fishing village is situated 300 km north of Valparaiso. The "Residencial Angelica" on Caupolicán 627 is centrally located in the village. The owner is very friendly and has a restaurant on the side with cheap food. Price for the hotel 1500 per person.There is also warm water. 


La Serena
Beside the Moai in Vina del Mar there is also a real Moai from the Ester island in La Serena. It is standing beside Av. Colo Colo in the direction of Vicuna, about 15 minutes walk from the city center. The road goes up rather steep there and standing beside the Moai statue you have a nice view of the city all the way to the ocean.

Calama
The Residencial Toño now charges 1800 pesos (4,50) per person. Some of the rooms have showers and a tap in the room, but no toilet. There is just one hot water shower in the hotel, and that has just really boiling water, without any possibility to adjust the temperature. So when you visit the hotel if the answer to your question if they have hot water with yes, it is true, but you can't take a hot shower anyway. The tourist information is still where indicate in the book. There is a casa de Gambio close to the Busses "Morales Moralito" bus office on Sotomayor. They change TC's and cash at a very bad rate, but they are open until 21.00 o'clock. Non of the banks in Calamar changes any money after 12.00am. From Calamar there are just 2 bus companies going to San Petro de Atacama. The company "Yusmar" leaves Calamar every day at 11am and 18pm. The company "Morales Moralito" leaves Calamar on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday 8,30am; 10,30am and 16,15pm. The rest of the week they just leave on 10,30am and 16,15pm. Both companies charge 1000 pesos for the trip one way. The bus company Tramaca does not go there anymore. To do the tour of the copper mine: you have to take the taxi already at 7,45am from the plaza 23 de Marzo at the crossing of Abaroa and Sotomayor. The taxi will take you directly to the "Oficina Chuqui ayuda de la Infancia". The price for the taxi is 250 pesos. There you will be registered and you are supposed to pay an entrance fee of 400 pesos. This entrance fee is a voluntary contribution for the care of children who are damaged by the pollution of the mine ! They don't push or haggle you for payment, infact you have to be observant so you don't miss the collection of the money, it really is voluntary. At 9,45am the presentation, the showing of a video, off the mine starts inside the office. After that you will be picked up at the office by a bus and transported around the mine for three hours to see the hole in the ground and the melting process (at this two places you are allowed out of the bus). And since they do all the exploding in the hole at precisely 13,00 pm o'clock, if you still around at that time and if they do any exploding the day you visit, they might let you watch that. I is very spectacular. All the explications on the tour is in Spanish. But it is still very impressive to see the whole operation even if you don't understand everything. From Calamar you can arrange a lot of trips that visit the sights lying around San Petro. Of course from Calamar this trips will be even more expensive than from San Petro. To rent a car a "Camionetta" cost from Hertz 118 US$ per day; from Budget 87 US$ per day. The car model is the same in both places. Budget also has a weekend price for 213 US$ from Fridays morning to Monday morning. Prices in both companies are with free number of kilometers and all taxes, insurances and extras. The train from Calama to Bolivia leaves Calama on Wednesdays at 23 o'clock. Prices to Uyuni are 4004 pesos and traveling time is supposed to be 13 hours. Prices to Oruro are 6424 pesos and traveling time 26 hours. To the station Ollagüe it cost 2000 pesos and the trip is suppose to take 8 hours. 

San Petro de Atacama
This place has really changed since your last edition of South America on a Shoestring got published. Now this place is not so "forgotten" anymore and everybody goes here. Of course this has lead to an explosion in restaurants, hotels and tour business. To do tours to the surrounding sites you can chose between at least 10 different tour organizers who work out of San Petro. The prices are the same with everyone. The most expensive trip is of course the excursion up to the geyser field (maybe 10 20 geysers) in the mountains at 5000 m. You don't mention them in your book in the San Petro chapter, but the geyser has become the biggest attraction in this area. The geyser is not the same thing as the Terma de Puritama but is situated much further out on the same rout. Probably more than 2 hours driving from San Petro over bad track. The thing with the geyser is that you have to see them just before the sun rises. Then the temperature is so low that the fumes coming out of the geyser gives a fantastic display. But since this is over 5000 and most people just come up from see level you are bound to get altitude sickness at once. At the geyser somebody also built a nice little swimming pool with hot water where it is very nice to swim around while watching the geysers. To go and see the geysers from San Petro cost 6000 pesos and takes 6 hours. On the way back you are supposed to get an opportunity to swim in the Terma de Puritama. To just see the Valle de la Luna on a trip from San Petro cost 2000 pesos and takes about 3 4 hours. A tour that takes you to the salt lake, the big valley and the next village (Tocamo) cost 4500 pesos and takes about 5 hours. If you want to see everything this is going to be very expensive and you are better of to try geting a group of people together and hire a car in Calama. They are not renting out cars in San Petro. That you should appoint the museum in San Petro de Atacama (page 87) to "one of the most remarkable and interesting museums in south America" must be one off your usual confusing jokes. Sure, the museum was very well laid out but it is very small and they did not have anything they don't have in all the other museums also. 

Iquique
The Banco de Chile (page 77) on Prat has a minimum of 250 US$ for changing money at all. Non of the casa de gambios accept any travelers checks. They all give a bad rate for cash $ also. The best place to change is Fin Card on Serrano 372 close to the Plaza Prat. They change travelers check at a rather bad rate but the rate for cash is OK. It is also possible to change cash US$ in the zona Franca even on Sundays. There is a bus going from Iquique to Oruro (Bolivia) it leaves Iquique twice a week. One departure time is on Saturday night at 23.00 o'clock (the other i don't know), the price is 12000 pesos. If the is wind blowing from the sea there will be a terrible disgusting and suffocating smell all the time in the city from the fish meal factory in the harbor. Residencial Araucana on San Martin 777 (San Martin /Barros Arana) is a very noisy place. The rooms are reasonable big but the toilets and showers are dirty. But there is a possibility to use a small kitchen. Most rooms are just card box partitions with windows toward an inner patio. Most windows and doors are not possible to lock. Price per person 2000 pesos. Residencial Ralues on Esmeralda 1008 might be the cheapest place around for 1000 pesos a person in a double room, but the standard is accordingly. The rooms are reasonable clean but are just as big as the bead is. Most rooms just have small windows to the inside walkway. Just a few rooms have windows to the outside. The toilets and showers are very dirty and totally unacceptably. Just across the road is the Recidencial "Esmeralda 1000" on Esmeralda 1000 they charge 1800 pesos per person. It's better value and worth checking out. The Residencial Cathedral costs now 7000 pesos per person. The residential on the corner Esmeralda and Lynch is closed. In the night there are massages (advertising and time) displayed on the mountain slop just east of the city center. This is done with gigantic patterns of light bulbs and it looks rather spectacular, like it is floating in the air. Palacio Astoreca on B. O'Higgins 350 is a house in it's original condition preserved from the time one off the saltpeter barons. The entrance is free. Just beside the Regional Museum (entrance fee 150 pesos) on Av. Baquedano 951, in the same building but through a different door, is the tourist information for the city of Iquique. Inside the Regional Museum, the Indian village is at the center of the museum, and not as you say in you book, at the back of the museum. Opening times are still a quoted by you. I thought, and so did others i talked to, that the museum in Iquique is far better than the one in San Petro de Atacama. There are Harbor tours by boat leaving from the dock by the museum Naval. They take 45 minutes to the site of the (in Chile) famous Navy ship Esmeralda and to the sea lion island. The sea lion island is a rock sticking out of the water about a km from the mainland. This rock is full with sea lions lying around in the sun. The boat gets into 5 10 meters distance from the sea lions but it just stays there for less than 5 minutes. So if you want to see the sea lions this is probably the best, easiest and cheapest place to do it. Price for a tour is 500 pesos. You don't even have to go on a tour to see the sea lions. They are about in the whole harbor plying and hunting for fish. They are not very shy. The same goes for the many Pelicans around. Those don't even mind to be caressed. The opening times for the Museum Naval is still the same, the entrance fee is 50 pesos. To make tours of the area it is probably the best idea to get a group of people together and go to the company "Taxitur" on Sargento Aldea 791 (by Barros Arana). They charge 25000 pesos (63 US$) for a 5 6 hours tour including Humberstone, Pintados and Unitas. It is possible to be 5 passengers in the car. The tour can start anytime you request them. But you better check if the driver know where the sights are, ours did not. The ghost town of Humberstone is situated directly beside the crossing of the Pan American highway and the junction going to Iquique. Any bus leaving Iquique will drop you of there. It is possible to wander around the ghost town and take a bus back to Iquique just by waving it down. Price 500 pesos for the bus one way. To visit the giant of the Atacama, Humberstone and Pintados you don't need a four wheel drive. It is enough with an ordinary car. Even so the car agencies will tell you differently. It is just at the giant where you would have to walk the last 100 meters instead of driving all the way. Our taxi driver insisted on driving so we could see the giant without stepping out of the car. It took him one hour to get out of the sand again ! 

Arica
There are supposed to be two kinds of trains going from Arica to LaPaz. The Ferrocaril, leaving Arica on Thursday at 21,30 o'clock charging 45 $ for tourist class, 55 $ for the salon and 60 $ for the dormitorio. The traveling time is given as 14 hours. When i was in Arica this train was not running due to the lack of railroad engines. It seems that Bolivia is increasing its import/export and that all the railroad engines are used for howling freight up and down the Andes. And since the railroad line is just single track there was already quite long waiting time on a couple of meeting places when i went from Arica to La Paz. It seems like they are using the line to the limit of ability. The Ferrobus was still running twice a week to La Paz. It leaves Arica on Tuesday and Saturday. The train leaves at 10 am, traveling time 10 hours (minimum) price 51 US$. From La Paz to Arica, going down hill, the train is supposed to be in time. But going up hill from Arica to La Paz it might be many hours late. It was 5 hours late when i went on it. That means you are arriving in La Paz in the middle of the night. The train from Arica is usually booked in advance at least for a week. But there are always chances of cancellations, since many people with reservations don't turn up, but you have to be persistent. The telephone number for reservations: 058232844. They just allow you to take 25 kg of luggage on the ferrobuss. The weight is checked on a balance at the entrance to the station. The handluggage is not checked and is not included in the 25 kg. The train passes the boarder without you having to change the train. The custom check at the border is nothing, the luggage is already checked at the railway station i Arica. Leaving Arica this luggage search is rather symbolic, it is supposed to be much worse coming from La Paz. This is probably so because of the coca smuggling on this route. Also the passport bureaucracy is simple, they collect your passports in the train before leaving Arica and give them back to you after all the formalities are over. Breakfast and lunch are included in the price of the train ticket. Also other meals are served but they have to be paid separately. Of course all meals are just made of chicken. But it is interesting seeing the staff prepare food for 70 people in a area that is as big as a bus toilet. The old luxuries train from the 1920 that was rebuild to its original condition and used as an very expensive excursion train between Arica and La Paz is standing still inside the Arica Railwaystation. Rumor had it that most of the Peruan crooks are att the moment gathered in Arika due to the lack of turists in Peru. Since Arika is just some kilometers away from Peru the crooks can go forth and back without problems. 

Bolivia
The exchange rate was under my visit: 1US$= 417 to 421,5 bolivianos. 
The height over see level in meters: La Paz = 3.577 (around 4.000 for the part of La Paz that is on the Altiplano); Santa Cruz= 615 m; Oruro= 3.709 m; Sucre= 2.770 m; Potosi= 3.909 m; Tarija= 1.866 m; Cochabamba= 2.558 m.
Petrol fuel prices: petrol= 1,850 bolivianos/liter; kerosene= 0,95 bolivianos/liter; diesel= 1,540 bolivianos/liter. Distances in Km from Sucre - to La Paz =728; - to Oruro= 499; - to Potosi = 169; - to Tarija = 545; - to Cochabamba = 371; - to Santa Cruz = 615.
Postage to Europe for "Cartas Aero": 1 20g= 2,70 bolivianos; 21 100g = 8,60 b; 101 250g = 21,00 b; 251 500g = 40,00 b; 501 1000g = 75,00 b; 1001 2000g = 137,90 b. Postage to Europe for "Impresso no aero": 1 20g = 1,50 b; 21 100g = 4,50 b; 101 250g = 10,80 b; 251 500g = 31,60 b; 501 1000g = 43,70 b; 1001 2000g = 78,50 b. Postage to Europe for "Pequenos Paquetes Aero": 1 100g = 9,20 b; 101 250g = 17,00 b; 251 500g = 35,00 b; 501 1000g = 70,00 b; 1001 2000= 131,00 b. Postage to Europe "Pequenos Paquetes no aero": 1 100g = 7,00 b; 101 250g = 13,50 b; 251 500g = 33,50 b; 501 1000g = 49,60 b; 1001 2000g = 89,00 b. For registered mail "Tasa de certificato" is an extra charge of 2,70 b. 

La Paz
One thing that surprised me when i arived in La Paz at 23 o'clock in the evening was the total desertion of the place. I thought there was some kind of curfew on. The streets where totally deserted in the middle of the center of town. I have never seen anything like this in any of the other south American capitals. In the middle of the night La Paz has the atmosphere of a small provincial town. Even all the hotels where the travelers stay are locked solid after 22 o'clock. So if you go out to see a late night movie you might have problems getting into the hotel, everybody of the staff is fast asleep. I did not know that when i arived, that one has to beat on the hotel doors until somebody opens. I just thought that they hotels where all permanently closed. I was sitting desperately on the street when some other travelers come along and took me to the hotel they stayed at. The funny thing was that they could not get inside either without a lot of hassle getting the owner out of bead. You should mention something about this situation in your book so one is prepared when arriving late at night. A good place for developing slides is on Calle Potosi no 1316, Fuji, they do it in one hour. A 36 exposure film costs 9 bolivianos to develop. After trying all the exchange places you mention in your book i found that the all gave the same rate as the once not mentioned in you book. The only place that had a better exchange rate was the Banco Industrial on Av Gral Camacho 1333. They gave 0,005 boliviano more on the travellers'cheques dollar than everybody ells. That is not very much but they also worked very fast and you could change US$ travellers'cheques to US$ cash at a very low charge. The opening hours of this place where also much better than the other banks and Casa de Gambios. The Banco Industrial is open 8.30 17.00 and Saturday 10 13. They don't close for lunch and they change travellers'cheques and cash all the time they are open. They don't charge any commission either. Altogether they are better than any of the places mentioned in your book. The shampoo shop you mention in you book does not change money anymore. They refer to the "Gambio Silver" just around the corner on Mercado. The hotel Torino carges for double without private bath 26 b; for single without private bath 16 b. Hotel Austria charges for double without private bath 32 b. Hostal Yanacocha (just on the other side of the street from the Hotel Austria) charges for a double without private bath 35 b, with private bath 45 b. The Hotel Illimani (nr 36 on you map) has a very friendly owner. The place is clean. There is a very nice inner garden for sitting and relaxing, all the rooms front this garden. There is a possibility to wash clothe and you might even get access to the kitchen. The rooms are a bit small and the ceiling in the rooms is abit low. The place is very quiet, with the exception for some of the Bolivian guests who have there own TV. Price for a double without bath is 25 boliviano. The Hotel Latino has rely big rooms but the showers are a bit dirty and the toilets are not much better. The staff is unfriendly (and stupid) specially the owner who actually comes into the toilet after you to check that you are not washing clothes in there. They are also lying about the price off the rooms you get a different price when you check in than you have to pay when you checkout. No misunderstanding, we had it in writing.This is a pity since the hotel is nice and quiet.But the location is not the best since you always have to climb this very steep hill to get up to the hotel. That is very hard work at 4000 meters. Prices for a double in the Latino without private bath is 26 b. The Hotel Italia charges 25 b for a room without private bath and 40 b for a room with private bath. The Alojamento Metropol (on the otherside of the street from the Italiano) charges 21 for a double without private bath. Either there has been some really big improvement or there has been some mistake in your book, but the Mercado Lanza has a much better standard and atmosphere than the Mercado Comacho. In the mercado Comacho it is very dark and dirty, the area is very small and limited. In the Mercado Lanza you have both the serving stall outside and then the "restaurant" area on top of the market. Specially the outside stalls are very nice, they have a god atmosphere and are friendly. I would not call them for clean so. I don't think anybody has gone through Bolivia eating i the markets without getting sick. In the favorite traveler hotels in La Paz there where always heaps of people sitting around. If you ask them what they are doing the most frequent answer is that they wait for there diarrhea to disappear. There is another Tourist information more central located at plaza Murilla on Calle Comercio 1220. It seems to be the tourist information center for the town of La Paz but they also have a lot of very excellent printed matter for the surrounding areas. The tourist information mentioned in the book is friendly but they don't have any maps or other printed information. At the Post office you don't need your passport any moreto get out your poste restante. It is enough to just say your name. If you interested in collecting new banknotes the best place to get them is in the Banco Central de Bolivia at Calle Mercado and Calle Ayachucho.They have a office for changing banknotes in the basement. 

Uyuni
In the town there are at least 3 different bus companies who have busses going to Potosie. There is at least on bus a day from one off this companies going to Potosie. The busses leave at 10.30 am from the main street opposite the entrance to the railway station, that is also where all the bus companies have there offices. The price is 18 b for going to Potosie. The bus trip Uyuni Potosi takes about 6 hour. There are now also a couple off travel agencies in town. All of them arrange tours to the Laguna Colorado (with 4 WD vehicles) and the Salar de Uyuni. A day tour to the Salar de Uyuni cost 50 US$ (starting price 50 70 US$) per car. For a day tour they just use normal cars, you can get 4 people plus the driver in the car. The day tour includes the Isla de Pescado and the sunset over the Salar. There are also smaller tours for 30 US$ per car into the Salar. That tour only take you to the edge of the Salar where you can watch the people work on the salt. To take a tour all the way from La Paz to see the Laguna Colorado or the Salar de Uyuni is very expensive. Even the tourist information in La Paz advises against it. It is much better to go to Uyuni first and from there take a tour to the place you want to see. To visit the Laguna Colorado from Uyuni in a 4 day trip (that includes visiting the Salar de Uyuni) cost 55 70US$ per person for the 4 days. The food is not included, you have to buy that yourself. The hotel Avenida charges 10 bolivianos per person and 3 bolivianos per shower. The rooms are not very big but nice and clean. The hotel Uyuni charges 8 bolivianos per person and 2 bolivianos per shower. The standard here is not so good but it is OK. There is still no public road transport directly from Uyuni to Oruro. But the train seems to have gone through some improvement. When i took the train from La Paz to Uyuni it left La Pazin time and arived in Uyuni on time. The only problem was still the luggage that all the locals tried to get into the train and off course the freezing temperatures traveling over the Altiplano. The conditions on the train where far from excellent but it was not as bad as describe in your book, even so the train was just one of the normal once. Taking the train is still much better and more comfortable than going by bus over Potosi. 

Potosi
The entrance fee to the Casa Real de la Moneda is 8 bolivianos. In the text of your book it sounds like it were the wooden minting machines that were in use in the 1950's. That was not the case. It were more modern once, also on display that they used as far as the 50's. The old wooden machines have not been used for a couple of hundred of years. Anyway the huge old wooden minting machines were not actually minting machines but machines for making the silver metal bares into silver metal sheets that could be made into coins. When visiting Potosi we where told some bad stories about the guides that take you down into the mines. Specially the guide Eduardo Gamica Fajardo was mentioned. As the story goes he takes your money but, instead of doing the tour himself, he would sent the travelers down the mine with his kid brother who does not know anything. So i chose the guide Raul Braulino (he calls himself "Israel") instead. He speaks understandable English. He conducted the whole tour in English and it was very satisfactory. His tour, like everybody else tour, is 20 bolivianos. His address is: Calle Millares no 147. He works also through the travel agency "Transamazonas" on Calle Quijarro no 12. Since i was rather skeptical about the arrangements after having heardabout all the other travelers misfortune it was OK for me to wait with the payment until after the tour. In this tour they showed us into the mine "Rosario". The guide supplied the group with lamps, helmets and (in limited amounts) old cloth. Before we went into the mine we bought some alcohol, dynamite, coca leaves to bribe the workers with so they don't mind our invasion. People who are claustrophobic or sensitive to heat and bad air better don't go down the mines. The conditions down there even for just visiting were terrible. Some times one had to crawl on the stomach through tunnels that where just so big i could crawl through. Considering that the work was going on all the time and that somebody could decide that it was time to blow up a piece of the tunnel together with the heat in the tunnels (40 degrees centigrade), the high pollution in the air with toxic gases (arsenic for example) and the bad construction of the tunnels gave one a high degree of fright all the time about being buried alive under hundreds of tons of stone. That the mountain was at 4000 meter altitude and it was very hard to breath did not make the situation better. The Residencial La Paz has come down in standard. After looking at both and comparing them i must say the Resiedencial Copacabana is much better and cleaner. The Copacabana charges 10 boliviano for a single and 18 for adouble. Both without private bathroom. The showers are free but you have to use them before 18.00 after that there is no water. There is still water in the toilets but that comes from the houses own very small water supply. A curious thing about Potosie is that att the area around the mountain you can buy Dynamite sticks in every little shop. They sell fuses, primers and all other accessories for blowing somthing upp freely and open, no question ask. This is a very strange situation for Bolivia and i suppose for the whole world. 

Sucre
The post office has moved to a totally newly build building on the corner Junin / Ayacucho. It is very easy to get an visa extension in Sucre. Sucre is probably the easiest and cheapest place to get the extension. When i was there i got it for free and i got it in just one minute. As far as i know this is true for Swedish and German visitors. But it is probably also valid for other nationalities. The immigration is on the plaza 25 de Mayo on the corner Ayacucho /Bustillos inside the Palacio de Gobierno (Prefetura del Departemento). The cathedral is not open in the mornings. But you can still see the cathedral by going to the "Museo de la Iglesia". Entrance fee 4 bolivianos. The museum itself is closed for visitors. Instead the show you the "Capilla de la Virgen de Guadalupe" and the Cathedral. In my opinion it is not worth the entrance fee since the museum is not open. Museum de la Recoleta still has the same opening hours, entrance fee is 2 bolivianos. The "Casa de la Libertad" is open 9.00 11.40am and14.30 18.10pm. The entrance fee is 1 boliviano. They now have guided tours in English. This is the most interesting museum in Sucre (maybe the only interesting one ?). The Museos Universitarios have an entrance fee of 5 bolivianos. The Tourist information Office staff did not know anything, they got all the information out off the telephone directory.They did not have any information leaflet beside a simple map they tried to sell for 8 bolivianos. They did not speak any English and were totally uninterested anyway. 

Cochabamba
Prices on the Busses between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz are not negotiable anymore. But prices seem to have gone down generally on that stretch and are now between 18 25 Bolivianos depending on the company. The only bus company that has toilets as standard on this stretch is "Mopar" they charge 20 bolivianos for the trip. The tourist office was closed under my visit. According to the guard outside there was no other office. But he said this office would open again in a month or two. There is a kind of western style supermarket up on Av. Riveroand 16 de Julios, close to the river north of the center. If you get tired of running around the markets discussing prices, they have prices marked on the shelves. The Museo Arqueologico has an entrance fee of 5 Bolivianos. It is still possible to get a guided tour inEnglish. If the tour is good or bad depends very much on what guide you get. The best the have is supposed to be the guide "Rene". His English is understandable. The museum is small but there are no explanations on the exhibition cases. If you don't get any good guide the museum is rather pointless. The new Bus Terminal is on Av. Ayacucho on its western side at the same height as the railwaystation just below the "Colina de San Sebastian". For using the terminal you have to pay a departure tax. Residencial Elisa on Augustin Lopez SO843 just south of crossing with Av. Aroma (Augustin Lopez is the first parallel street to the east of Av. Ayacucho) is just 5 minutes walk away from the new bus terminal. A double without bathroom cost 25 bolivianos. With breakfast it cost 28 bolivianos. The personal is friendly, there is hot water all the time. The rooms are newly build and very clean. There are even quite a lot (compared to other hotels) of furnitures in the room. There is a nice inner courtyard with grass and banks, like a pick nick area. One negative pointis that the light bulbs in the ceiling are very dim. Its impossible to read in the rooms by night. But of course this is very easy to change. The guided tour of the "Palacio de Portales" is not free anymore but cost 3 bolivianos. Micro G will still get you there from the center. The tour hardly takes 30 minutes, just around 15 minutes. There are not many rooms that are open for visitors anymore since the building is more and more in use for conferences and administration. The rooms you get to see are also equipped for conference purposes. That makes quite a change to the original interior from the time of the Tin barons. Almost halve of the building has been made into a museum of modern art with a lot pictures and some small sculptures. There is also some renovation going on in the park surrounding the house.

Santa Cruz
Trains leaving Santa Cruz to Quijarro: the Ferrobus on Wednesday 18.00 hour price 86 bolivianos; the "tren expreso" on Monday and Saturday at 14.05 hour price 60 bolivianos; the "tren rapido" on Tuesday and Thursday at 13,56 hour costing 39 bolivianos; and the "tren mixto" on Monday and Friday at 9.10 am costing 32 bolivianos. The trains actualy keep very much to this scheduel. It is still very hard to get a ticket. You have to be at the station very early in the morning at around 5 6 o'clock. But so is everybody else. Its supposed to be a lot of hassle. But even if you just arrive one hour or so before the train leaves there is still a possibility to get tickets on either the black marked inside the railway station or talk to the conductor. That's what i did. He gave me a first class seat for 100 bolivianos instead of the usual 60 bolivianos it cost at the counter. The conductor was quite a kidder. I did not really believe that he was the conductor so i ask him for something written before i paid him. Of course i did not get anything. Once on the way he took of his uniform, so i did not recognize him, and comes up to me to demand the ticket. I of curse start to explain everything about the other conductor to him. After a while he starts laughing and says its him. At the big ticket check where the head conductor on the train carries out the check he denied any knowledge until the head conductor started to get mad at me, than he started to laugh and admitted that i was right. The railway station is not anymore at the place where you marked it on your map. It has moved to a totally new and very modern, big building. Much further to the east at the edge off town at the same height as the old railway station. At the railway station there are always persons from the immigration around who check all the foreign looking passengers embarking or disembarking. Some of them of course are crooks. So the warning in the book (page 184) still stands. But this business is of course as much a problem in the bus station as on the train station. It happened to me to. As recommended i took the guy to the police station. He turned out to be OK but he was very suspicious looking. He did not seem to be to god a friend of the police either, he had quite some explaining to do before the police accepted him. Since i passed 2 more times through the bus station in Santa Cruz i saw him hanging around there every time waiting for tourists passing through. But each time he carefully avoided me. 

Quijarro (border to Brazil)
There are a number of hotels precisely outside the railway station. The best is probably the hotel Yoni. Its situated closest to the entrance of the railway station. For a double they charge 30 bolivianos. Hotel Yomi has big rooms with two windows each, one to the street and one to the inner garden. The windows are covert with mosquito nets and the rooms have a ventilator. The place is newly build and clean. Prices for the other hotels are between 20 50 bolivianos. Taxi from the train station to the border is 2 bolivianos per person. The bus from the Brazilian side of the border to the center of Corumba is 8.500 Cz$.(1US$=35.500Cz$). There are heaps of Brazilian taxis at the border telling you that there is no bus. The taxis are of course very expensive. On the Bolivian side of the border there are many hanging around and changing money. For Bolivianos to Cruzeiros is a bad rate. Dollar to Cruzeiros gives you the correct rate. The border crossing is no problem at all. Probably one of the most easy going border crossings. 
Cocaine is very common in this village. I have never been ofert so mutch as here. And the trade is done totaly open. Sitting att a table in the restaurang one guy next to me offert som out of a plastic bag that contained att least halv a kilo of some white powder. And that in the middle of the day among a lot of people. But nobody cared or took notice. The rest of the people sitting around the table happily acepted his offer. But i myself, sensing it to be some sort of trap, left the area. 

Los Yungas (page 171) Coroico
The restaurant La Casa is very expensive compared to all the other restaurants in the town. There are now a lot of hotels in the town.Prices are around 20 30 bolivianos for a double. There are several busses every day on different times to and from La Paz. Prices are around 10 bolivianos. The traveling time is around 2 3 hour. Most of the busses used are small mini vans. That makes traveling up and down the narrow ( the most dangerous street in the world ?) and steep road rather safe. 

Caranavi
There are several busses a day going to this place in both directions.

Rurrenabaque
A truck to this village costs 30 bolivianos. Between Rurrenabaque and La Paz is at least one bus a day in each direction. Traveling time is 18 20 hour, the price is 45 50 bolivianos. The road going to this place in the jungle has been improved very much lately. When i passed over it they were building big bridges over all the rivers. Some stretches before Rurrenabaque were even sealed. According to the signs we passed it was an aid project from the USA. If they succeed in completing this project this road will soon be an all weather road and one of the best roads in Bolivia and the area will see very much developing. The only reason to visit Rurrenabaque now is to go and see the jungle. A Israeli guy, a traveler, has written a book about his experiences in the jungle around Rurrenabaque. That might be an interesting reading for people who want to go on an jungle trip from Rurrenabaque. In fact the Israeli guy got himself lost from one of the jungle tours. The name of the book Back from Tuichi by Yossi Ghinsberg, from 1985. Interesting account over a jungle visit. Maybe you should take this book in your list over interesting books to read over Bolivia ? The town Rurrenabaque is situated along the river Benin. I the town there are at least two tour operators making jungle tours and tours to the savanna. The jungle tour is the same as every other jungle tour like the once from Manaus, watching birds, alligator fishing and so on. They are definitely not any survival trips or "jungle adventure tours" as described in some brochures. The oldest tour operator is "Tico Tours" on the Fluvial Agencie. That is a floating dock down main street, actually the only dock in town. The problem with the agency is that is run by brothers who both seem very nice, cuddly and trustworthy. At the beginning they don't tell you anything you don't ask them about specially. Even that is very vague. Everything according to the motto it will be no problem. But in the end, after the tour it might be. So check carefully beforehand. I don't think they try to rip on of on purpose but expectations and results usually differ. The price for a 4 day 3 night tour is 50 US$. That includes everything, food, drink accommodation and transport. It is probably the cheapest jungle tour in south America.And it is very good if you take it for what it is. Some of the guides you get along are real jungle Indians who know there business and are quite intriguing. The problem is just that communication might be very difficult through language barriers. There is also a 3 days tour for the same price as the 4 days tour. You can also get longer tours according to your wishes. The tour organizer have a small camp out in the jungle along Rio Tuichi. You go to this camp by motor boat. From this camp you make some small day walking trips into the surrounding jungel. At mealtime you go back to the camp and eat. At night you sleep under mosquito nets on some table like structure under a small roof.

Copacabana
The tourist information was closed all the time under my 3 day stay. The hotel Kotha Kahuana charges 5 bolivianos a person. The owner starts at 6 bolivianos but gets down to 5 at once. There is still a problem with the water supply in the village. The restaurant "Puerta del sol" has moved from the location mentioned on your map to the other side ofthe street from what you named as number 46 on your map. Normal busses from the Cemetery area in La Paz to Copacabana cost 10 bolivianos. From Copacabana to Puno it cost 15 bolivianos. There are several busses a day leaving for Puno from Copacabana. Most leave at around 1.30pm to 2.00pm. 

Isla del Sol
There are two different tour alternatives by which one can visit theisland. One can either go by car to the closest point on the mainland. On the way you stop a couple of times on some interesting sights. Then one crosses over by boat to the island and visit the ruins in the south of the island. You can't see the more interesting ruins on the north of the island on this trip. The price for this is 150 bolivianos per carload of people. You can fit 7 persons in the car. Several hotels and travel agencies run this kind of trip. The other possibility is to hire a boat at the harbor in Copacabana. Arrange a tour from there to the south of the island in the morning. And then for the boat to pick you up on the north of the island in the afternoon. You have than all day to walk from the south to the north and see all ruins. That costs 170 bolivianos per boat. A boat seats 7 persons. If you just want to go to the south of the island and also get picked up on the south of the island it will coats you 120 bolivianos per boat. To visit all the ruins on Isla del Sol costs entrance fee for every ruin separately. Some off the entrance fees are as high as 5 bolivianos. To land with the boat on the Inca steps cost 5 bolivianos per boat. Personally i don't think its worth to visit the Isla del Sol. The ruins a nothing and everything is to expensive anyway. You are much better of going to the Taquile Islands in Puno. 

Peru
Exchange rate under my visit: 1US$= 1,93 to 1,99 sol. The exchange rate for currencies was on the 27 of May 1993 in Cuzco for the English pound travellers'cheques = 2,6553 cash = 2,3597. For the German mark travellers'cheques = 1,0608 cash = 0,9434. For the US$ travellers'cheques = 1,9540 cash = 1,9550. The bank in question also took a fee of 3,91 sol per transaction. 
Petrol fuel prices: petrol= 3,13 sol/gallon; gas 94 octane= 2,76 sol/gallon; gas 95 octane= 3,31 sol/gallon; diesel= 2,34 sol/gallon; petroleo (diesel no 2)= 2,13 sol/gallon; kerosene= 1,85 sol/gallon. 1 gallon= 4 liter. 
There is now hardly any use anymore for a student card. Most places just have a general entrance fee, the same for everyone. I think i only run into 2 places that had student discount. And there the discount was just 0,50 sol of from the normal price. The only place worth using the student card is when buying the Cuzco visitor ticket. There you can save 5 US$. But every time you use the ticket they check your student card, it better be real ! 
Telephone calls from Peru to Europe (Germany) cost 7 sol for 69,12 seconds on Monday to Saturday. On Sunday you pay 7 sol for 83,50 seconds. 
Mail from Peru to Europe cost for 20g= 1sol; 50 g= 2,4 sol; 100g = 3,5 sol; 250 g= 7,6 sol; 500 g= 15,00 sol; 1 kg= 30,5 sol; 1,5 kg= 44,00; 2 kg= 53,40; To send mail second class (surface ?) cost for 100g= 3,00 sol; 250g= 6,50 sol; 500g= 12,00 sol; 1 kg= 22,50 sol; 2 kg= 43,00 sol. To register the mail cost 2 sol extra. 

Puno
The tourist information is on the corner Calle Deusta/ Calle Lima. The tourist information you marked on you map does not exist. The "Bancode Credito" on crossing Calle Lima/ Gran changes travellers'cheques at the same rate as cash and they don't take any commission. The money changers now hang out outside the gambios around crossing Tachna/ Ugarte. The Hostal Arequipa still changes both cash and travellers'cheques at a reasonable rate. The hostal Arequipa costs 9 sol double. There is hot water in only on of the showers in the hotel. It's a nice place. The rooms are clean, some even have their own toilet (but no shower). The staff is nice and the change money and organize tours. They even organize a train ticket to Cuzco for you but then they double the price compared to what it cost at the railway station, a rip of from the hotel. The hotel staff is also very particular about you not cooking in the rooms. They even checked my room once for illegal cooking ! There was no problem with the water supply under my 3 days stay. But the electricity was of most of the time over the whole town, and then there was no hot water in the electrical shower. The train from Puno to Cuzco leaves Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.25 am. The 1 class ticket cost 20 sol, the tourist class (Pullman) ticket cost 25 sol. It is worth paying the 5 sol extra. For that price you travel i a locked carriage. I talked to some of the other tourist who wanted to mingle with the locals and because of that just bought the 1 class tickets. They spend the whole trip laying on top of their luggage having tied every single item to there body while hundreds of street merchants walked without pause through the train. The tickets start selling just the morning on the day before the train leaves. When i was at the train station at midday they still had tickets for sale. So it is not necessary to be there at 6,30 am when they start to sell the tickets. The travel agencies along Valcarcel (close to hotel Italia) just take 2 3 sol to buy a ticket for you, it might be worth it so you don't have to stand in line.

Taquile Island
The best bet to visit both islands is probably by organized tour. When i was in Puno there where tours on offer from Puno going to Isla Amantani, staying there one night and next day going to Isla Taquileand and from there to Puno. The tour, including overnight stay and guide, costs 13 US$. On the way you also get a look on the floating islands. This tours where on sale in some of the hotels. To stay overnight on Isla Tequile cost 3 sol per person. You get assigned to a host family at arrival. But if that is not to your taste you can look on your own for somebody else. It cost 0,50 sol to go onto the Island. The islanders have build a kind of "custom building" on top of the steps that you have to climb when you arrive from the boat. They say that the entrance fee is for the developing of the community. The boat from Puno to Taquile cost 7.50 sol one way, 15 sol both ways. The boat leaves Puno 8 9am and the return journey leaves Taquile 2,30 3,00pm. It is not possible to go from Tequile to Amantani. But you can go from Amantani to Tequile. The price from Puno to Amantani is the same as going to Tequile. From Amantani to Tequile it cost 5 sol. 

Sillustani
According to the tourist information does the busses to Sillustani not leave from the plaza de Armas anymore. Instead the bus leaves from Tacna street between Melgar and Ugarte. It's supposed to leave at 2,30pm and cost 10 sol including the entrance fee. Several travel agencies along Valcarcel have their own tours with their own transport. They are slightly cheaper between 8,50 9,00 sol including entrance fee. 

Cuzco
The local train to Machu Picchu leaves Cuzco Monday to Saturday 6.20 am and 13.10, Sunday only 13.10. Independent from where you gå between Ollantaytambo to Quillabamba the price is the same, in first class the ticket cost 8 sol. There is no problem getting a ticket in Cuzco, not even for foreigner. The ticket is just sold the same day the train leaves, not the day before. The trip between Cuzco and Aquas Caliente is supposed to take 4 hours. The autovagons, Cuzco to Quillabamba leaves 12.45. National pay 13,00 sol, foreigner pay 33,00 sol on the autovagon to Quillabamba. Trains to Puno leave Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 8 am. Price 2 class 15 sol, 1 class 20 sol, tourist class 25 sol. The train Juliaca Arecipa cost 2 class 24 sol, 1 class 33 sol, there is no tourist class. The train ticket for the Monday train from Cuzco you can buy in the train station in Cuzco on Sunday between 8am and 11am. Traveling with the bus company "Cruz del Sur" from Cuzco to Lima over Arequipa cost 32 sol and and the bus leaves Cuzco 16.00. To Juliaca it costs 10 sol leaving 18.00.To Puno 11 sol leaving 18.30. To Sicuani 2,50 sol leaving at 16 and 18 o'clock. To Arequipa (every day) it cost 15 sol and they leave Cuzco at 16.00 hours. Busses to Arequipa arrive at 8 8.30 am in Arequipa. The trip is very tough and the temperatures go very far below zero inside the bus when it crosses the high plateau. This was probably the toughest and hardest bus ride in south America. The only nice thing about it was that there where frequent toilet stops. There are more bus companies going to Arequipa then just "Cruz del sur". Most have their offices close to Av. Pachacutec (near the railway station and the office for Cruz del Sur busses). All the other companies also leave Cuzco between 14 16pm and the prices are between 12 15 sol. To fly from Cuzco to Lima cost 70,80 US$. To fly from Cuzco to Juliaca cost 35,40 US$. The best place to change travellers'cheques is in the Banco de Credito. They gave the same rate for travellers'cheques as other places gave for cash. The bank is situated on the Avenida Sol. If you come from the Plaza de Armas the bank is on your left hand side at the end of the first block. If you need to change money after the bank is closed try the office of "Alfa Toure" at Av del Sol 346 in the "Centro Comercial Oliante" in the officina 107. They gave a decent rate for travellers'cheques. The hotel El Sol is closed. Residencial Corihnasi on Av. Uriel Garcia cost 14 sol for a double with bathroom. Some of the rooms have an excellent view over Cuzco. This hotel is the only one i have seen that has an electrical heater in the room. The Hostal Cahuide on Calle Saphi no 845 telephone 222771, a single is 10 sol, a double 12 sol, triple 16 sol, all rooms with bath. This is probably the best hotel choice in Cuzco. The other hotels in Cuzco cost around 8 10 sol for a double without bath and 10 14 sol for adouble with bath. In the hostal Cahuide you get also a very high standard in the rooms. It's situated not to far from the center. The rooms are very modern and clean. The service is very god and the employees are very friendly. The hotel is also very quiet and tranquil. The Cuzco visitor ticket cost 8.50 sol for students. Count on showing the student card, and getting it checked, at all entrances to every museum separately every time you use the Cuzco Visitor ticket you have bought with a student card. If you buy the Cuzco visitor ticket in the Santa Catalina Museum it's valid for 10 days. In all the other places that sell the ticket it is just valid for 5 days. The tourist information does not sell the ticket anymore. The tourist information in Cuzco is rather useless. They can just tell you stuff that's mentioned in all the guide books anyway. The regional history museum, there must be some mistake in your map concerning the numbering of the places. What you have given the number 16 = the regional history museum is in reality the Archaeological Museum. The Regional History Museum is housed in what you marked on the map as 62 = Garcilaso Colonial House. That also means that there are non of the features you describe for the regional History Museum in the actual history museum. The Regional History museum is by the way quite a bore and it's not worth visiting. They just got some painting and some pieces of furniture, nothing exiting. The Archaeological Museum you marked as 8 on the map is actually in the position of your number 16. In the position of number 8 is a school. The Archaeological Museum is neither in the casa Cabrera as you have written in the text. In the casa Cabrera on Nazarenas 231 is now the Offices de Banco Continental. The Iglesia Jesus Maria is closed for renovations and not open for visitors. The church La Compania is now open for worship from 11 am to 18.00. The opening times of the churches and museums given on theCuzco visitor tickets are pure fantasy. On some locations i had to try 3 4 times before i could get in. Opening hours seem to change from day to day. I ask the tourists information, but they did not know either. The personal in the Cathedral is very unfriendly. Take care not to visit them at the end of the opening hours. We got there 30 minutes before closing time. I ask them if it was a problem to see everything before the closed. They said that it was no problem. But as soon as they had stamped our tickets they turned out the lights and looked the doors. At our protest they said that we could look around all we wanted for the remaining time (in darkness), they would let us out of the church after that !! More indignant protest from my side just got me an invitation to the local jail from the caretaker of the church. The tourist police has moved from the Plaza de Armas and is now located in the cellar of the "Monumento a Pachacutec" (the monument is symbolizing Teqsimuyu Pachakuteo Inka Yupankiman). The monument is located in the middle of Avenida Sol halve the way out to the airport, where avenida sol makes a bend to the east, before it crosses the railroad that goes to Puno (you see the monument when arriving by train). The monument is a gigantic tower with an Inca Indian on top. The inside of the tower is accessible for visitors. On top is a viewing platform that gives a very nice view over the town. There is also a restaurant, a bar and an exhibitions area in the monument. The monument is newly build and definitely worth a visit even if you don't have to visit the tourist police. 

Aquas Caliente
The church is now completed. The road up to the hot springs is now completely lined on both sides with souvenir shops and restaurants, all the way from the railway station to the springs. The road itself is nicely build i cement all the way up. The entrance fee to the bath is 1 US$ (2 sol) for foreigners. The road between Aquas Calientes and Machu Picchu is now completed and there is a bus service all the way between this places. The road starts in Aquas Caliente on your map under the railroad line at the "to" in "to Cuzco". That is also where the bus starts to the ruins. There is also road construction underway in the direction of Cuzco out of Aquas Caliente along the railroad line. Actually along the railroad line between Aquas Calienteand Ollantaytambo there is road construction going on in several places. Maybe in a not to distant future the railroad will be replaced by road ? Specially considering the bad stat of the railroad and the neglected upkeep it is not impossible. Hostal Los Caminantes has double rooms with their own bath ( only cold water) for 8 sol a room. Some of the rooms have a nice view over the river. The local train to Cuzco cost 6 sol in first class. There is a notice in the train station stating that foreigners are not allowed to buy tickets on the local train. But this is not so in reality. The tickets are just sold the same day as the train is due to leave. Departure time in the direction of Cuzco is between 7 7.30am and 16.30 17.00. When the train arrives in Aquas Caliente there is no more sitting space left, be prepared to stand or sit on the floor. 

Machu Picchu
Entrance fee is still 10 US$ per person, no student discount for foreigners. From Aquas Calientes there are now busses going up to Machu Picchu ruins. The first bus leaves Aquas Calientes 7.30am. Next one at 11.30am. From the station Puenta Ruinas leaves the first bus 9.15am when the tourist train arrives. The next bus goes 10.45am. From Machu Picchu to Aquas Calientes the first bus leaves 12.30 then there are buses between 15.30 to 16.00. A round trip cost 7 US$= 14 sol. A one way trip is 7 sol (no mater if you go up or down). 

Pisac
Busses from Cuzco to Pisac (and the other way) cost 1 sol one way. The marked on Sunday does not start before 10.30 11.00 am. That is when all the tourists arrive. Being earlier is no good since nobody is selling anything before than. I have experience this myself. 

Arequipa
There is now a newly build central bus station. It's situated south (below) the train station outside your map. There are no busses going into the center of town from the bus station. You have to take a taxi, price 2,50 sol per taxi. The convent of Santa Catalina cost 6 sol in entrance fee. The San Ignacio chapel inside the church La Compania cost 1 sol in entrance fee. According to a sign the entrance fee was as high as 2.50 sol just recently. The Hostal Santa Catalina now cost 5 sol per person. They have hot water all day. The rooms are clean but the hotel is really noisy. The traffic outside is just to much. It's better to stay somewhere ells. For halve a grilled chicken along San Juan de Dios you have to pay now at least 2 US$. The chicken are abit small but you get French fries with them for that price. To visit the canyon EL Canón del Cola cost 20 US$ for a day (4am 7pm) or 35 US$ for two days. The prices are the same for all the travel agencies in Arequipa. 

Nasca
Busses to Ica cost 4 soles, to Pisco 5 6 soles. Airlines and travel agencies now accept cash US$ and sometimes even travellers'cheques at the official rate and even better. Maria Reiches sister gives lectures on the Nasca lines, or rather talks a bit about her sisters work, for around 30 minutes, in the Hotel de Turistas. Entrance fee is free. But you have to be a certain number of people for her to bother. She also sells some of her sisters book at the lectures. But the sisters are getting old. 1993 was Maria 90 years old and her sister is just 4 years younger. So it's not sure how long they will keep up the lecturing. The different small airlines in Nasca are not competing anymore. They have fixed the prices between themselves. It now costs 55 US$ + 2US$ for airport tax + transport to the airport. The end price is usually 60 US$ for the flight. No bargaining possible, no way around it, everybody had to pay this price. They also have raised the fines for walking on the lines to 1.000 US$ or some years in prison. A normal taxi to the Cemetery of Chauchilla cost 10 US$ per taxi. You can get 4 5 people in so it is not so expensive. There are some "Taxi Guides" operating out of the hotels. They hassle the hotel guests for making tours to either the viewing platform over the Nascar lines or to the Cemetery of Chauchilla. They charge 5 US$ per person for one of this tours. The tour of the cemetery also includes a tour of a goldwashing place and a Nascar replica pottery, quite interesting. You can combine the tours and make a tour to the viewing platform over the Nascar lines in the morning and a tour to the Cemetery of Chauchilla in the afternoon. The price is 10 US$ for both sights per person. But don't count on any explanation from the taxi driver, he just takes you there and back. The hotel Nazca seems to really have come down. The toilet and showers are very dirty. The door locks are very flimsy, not even locking the door with a padlock does any god. A very unacceptable situation in Peru, specially since there is no properly locked or watched main entrance door to the hotel. The rooms themselves in the hotel are dirty, small and very run down. Price 5 soles per person. The noise level is unacceptable high even in the middle of the night. There is just hot water in a single shower in the mans toilet. Even the women have to use that one, a very strange situation in prude south America. Since there are so few tourists around, the hotel owners tries to convince you to take one of his excursion tours. He really seems to be desperate, he tries to convince you in the middle of the night when you are on the way to the toilet. The hotel is working together is some of the rip of artists in town. Taxi drivers who promising to take you to the bus station, but telling you that since the bus station is so far away it will costs you plenty. Then he drives you around the town for halve an hour and drops you of in front of the house next door to the hotel ! The Hostal Alegria is much better. There is a very nice inner garden with tables. All the rooms are facing this garden. The rooms themselves are large, clean, newly build and light. You can lock the doors without problems and the owner is friendly. There is hot water all the time. Price per person in the hotel Alegria 5 sol. 

Pisco
The Hostal Pisco charges 6 soles per person for a room without private bath and 10 soles per person for rooms with private bath. The notice board in the reception gives prices to 8 soles per person without bath and to 15 sol per person with bath. So the prices are fluctuating abit. Tours to the Ballestas Islands cost between 6 10 US$. The Paracas Tours on San Francisco 257 seems to be the cheapest. They charge 6 US$ per person if you get 10 peoples together. Ballestas travel service on San Francisco 249 charges 10 US$. There are some more tour companies where the prices are negotiable, lying around 7,50 US$ to 10 US$ per person. The touring time is between 7.30 13.00. The church of la Compania has now a 1 sol entrance fee. There are no benches in side anymore and the place is in total decay. It is hard to know if they are going to repair it or pull it down. But you can walk freely around the basement and around the roof, you get a nice view of the town. When i was visiting Pisco there was a craze in all of Peru about a female vampire. This story originates from the cemetery of Pisco which is situated at the end of San Fransico street, 5 minutes walk from the center of town. In the cemetery is a English woman, Sarah Ellen, buried. She died in 1913. Her grave is on the left hand side att about the middle of the Cemetery in one of the walls. The grave was decorated with many flowers and there where a lot of people praying and visiting from all over Peru. This story seemed to move the Peruan people a lot. There where headlines in all the papers about it every day. Even if you don't believe in vampires the cemetery is an interesting place to visit.

Lima. 
Bus prices with Ormeno bus from Lima to Caracas= 205 US$, Lima to Bogota=130 US$, Lima to Quito= 65 US$. The train service from Lima is now totally canceled. There is only an excursion train that leaves on special days at 8.30am and returns at 16.00, the price is 5 soles. The tourist information in Lima is open 9,30 am to 17,30pm, Saturday 10 1300, Sunday closed. Museo Rafael Carco Herrera is closed on Sundays. Maybe it would be possible in your next edition to give an rough location and direction to all the museums listed in the Lima section. How far the are away from the center and how to best get there. There are different free maps from different travel agencies and hotels. On each is the location of the museums placed on different places. That is a bit confusing. A taxi from the center to the museum Nacional de Antropolagia y Arqueologia should not cost more then 4 sol. The Museo Nacional de Antropologica y Arquelogigia is still at Plaza Bolivar at the intersection San Martin/Vivanco. Entrance fee 3 sol, no student discount. There seems to be no restriction on cameras anymore. Open hours for the Museum 9.00 17.00. The museum Nacional de laRepublica (National History) is now together with the Museo Nacionalde Antropologica y Arquelogigia. They have taken away the dividing walls so you see both with on entrance fee. The Museum of the Inquisition is only open Monday Friday 9 17.00. American Express is still in the same address. A refound is given at one. Poste Restante is in the main post office but the entrance is separated from the rest. You go in from Camana street, close to where Camana crosses Superunda. To pick up one letter costs 0,30 centavos. The "Peru Guide" is hardly a monthly publication anymore due to the lack of tourists in Peru. When is was there in June 93 the last edition was from May 93. And it was very much out of date. They were for example still writing about that Peru was going to change from Intis to sol, and that happened already in 1990. Restaurant Machu Picchu and El Cordano still exist. The Cathedral has an entrance fee of 2 sol per person, no student discount. The guide is obligatory. According to the receptionat the cathedral, the fee for the guide is already included in the entrance fee. The guide has a different opinion about that, he will tell you so after the tour. San Francisco church has an entrance fee of 3 sol. With student discount 2 sol. The Library is closed due to the bad conditions the books are in. The weather in Lima is to humid for old bools. The books are now in restoration. The catacombs and the rest is still open. The guide is included in the entrance fee, no hassle. Hotel Europa charges for a single 9.00 sol, double 15.00 sol, triple 19,00 sol. Hotel Espana charges for double 12 sol (even so on the noticeboard it says 14 sol). A different touch in this hotel is the small zoo on the roof, with monkeys, birds and other mammals. There are also turtles running free around in the roof garden. Hot water is only in the morning. There was rebuilding and renovation going on in the hotel. Some of the rooms are totally windowless, that makes them very depressing and hot in warm weather. Most of the staff is very friendly and there is a possibility to leave your valuables in deposit. 

Trujillo 
The tourist information office is still at the mentioned location, and it is still manned by the tourist police. This is probably the friendliest touristinformation office in Peru and one of the friendliest in south America. Some of the Police even speak English. Hotel Americano is still as described. A very nice place. One of the nicest cheaper hotels in south America, if you into big colonial style rooms with balcony in the middle of town. Prizes for a double with bath 14.50 sol, without bath 13 sol. There is a problem with the water supply, it stops sometimes in the middle of the night and does not come back before 10 12 am. Emtrfesa has direct busses to Tumbes leaving 19.00. Price 15 sol. Traveling time 11 hours. Busses to Piura leave 1.30pm and 11.00pm. The ruins of ChanChan are open 9 4.Entrance fee 3 sol. There is no student discount and no camera fee either. At the entrance they sell a leaflet with a map and a description of the compound in English for 1.50 sol. If you buy the leaflet you definitely don't need a guide. There are otherwise heaps of guides around at the entrance. Along the main road from Trujillo, 100m before you get to the turnoff to the ChanChan ruins, just on the right hand side, there is a newly build "museo de Sitio ChanChan". It looked very nice and impressive. But work was still in progress so it was still closed. Busses going to and from Trujillo and the suburbs are 0,40 sol. Mini buses are 0,50 sol. There is no exhibition anymore at the Hotel de Turistas. At the address you gave for the government run tourist office is no tourist information available. The house has just been renovated and contains now an exhibition on the archeological diggings in the pyramids de Sol Y Luna. There was still work going on in the house and it looks like it's going to be a rather large, professional and nicely done exhibition. The diggings in the exhibition have been done from 1991 to date. Entrance to the museum was free. Las Huacas del Sol y de la Luna. The Huaca del Sol site is open at all times since there is no way to close it off. On the Huacas del Luna there are signs saying that it is prohibited to go up to the top of the pyramids since archaeologists are digging there. 

Tumbes 
Going to Ecuador You writ that colectivos from Tumbes to Aquas Verdes leave from near the immigration office, but the immigration is alreadyin Aquas Verde ! Are there two immigration offices ? From Tumbes there are shared taxis leaving from the front of the bus companies on the main road as soon as they are full. Price 1,50 sol. If you pay 2 sol they wait while you finish your exit formalities at the Peruan site of the border. From the Peruan emigration it's at last two kilometers to the Equatorian emigration. There are motorcycle taxis that take 2 passengers and cost 1 sol per passenger going between the emigration posts. There are a lot of money changers around. Specially around the Equatorian Emigration. A lot of them use a trick with a programmable calculator. The calculator gives the wrong answer if you press one of the preprogrammed buttons instead of the equal bottom after making a calculation. They have changed all the markings on the buttons of the calculators so that "=" has turned into the memory button and the memory button is "=". This border crossing was one of the most unpleasant border crossings i passed in south America. It was very chaotic, crowded and probably very dangerous. That was what everybody kept telling me anyway.

Ecuador
Exchange rates under my visit: 1US$= 1860 to 1913 sucre
The petrol fuel prices: extra 1460 sucres/gallon; diesel 1460 sucres/gallon.
Postal prices from Ecuador to Europe (unfortunately one week after i had written this down they raised the prices, so this list is not up to date but it might give you an idea) 20g= 900 sucres; 40g= 2700 s; 60g= 3200 s; 80g= 3700 s; 100g= 4200 s; 200g= 7800 s; 500g= 18.300 s; 1000g= 35.200 s; 2000g= 66.700 s. There are more levels in this list. To send a letter registered (certificado) cost 600 s extra. Prices for sending a parcel: you can choose between airmail (delivery in 8 days) and surface (delivery in about one month) up to 1 kg= air 52.600s surface 30.900s; 1 3 kg= air 110,600 surface 46,300; 3 5 kg= air 169,400 surface 62,500; 5 10 kg= air 308,800 surface 95,600; 10 15kg= air 451,300 surface 131,400; 15 20kg= air 589,600 surface 163,400;

Machala 
The banco de Pacifico changes money at a better rate than other banks and Casa de Gambios in town. The also take travellers'cheques at a much better rate than they give for cash. The Chifa central still exist at the given address. The bus company "Ciudad de Piñas" has just one bus very early in the morning that continues through to Loja. The company is not where you marked it as nr 2 on your map. Instead it's in the location you marked as nr 28 on your map. Busses to Loja go all day long from the office of "Transportes Loja" on Tarqui 4 Este, between Rocafuerte 1 sur and Bolivar 2 sur.

Loja 
There are no busses going to Vilcabamba from transportes Cajanuma marked nr 36 on you map. All busses going to Vilcabamba go from Transportes Sur Oriente marked nr 37 on your map. At the Hotel Miraflores they were very unfriendly. Rooms without a bath were just cardboard partitioned cubicles. Rooms with a bath had at least one real wall. But the looked very gloomy to. Prices were 7.000 per person for a room with bath. The hotel Paris can hardly be called a splurge anymore. The locks on the doors don't work. The rooms are not dirty but they have a really "used look". The only extra is a television in the room. Prices for doubles are 8.000 a person with bathroom and 4.000 without. The staff is not to friendly. In they morning at 6 7 they come around, wake you up and ask you if you are going to stay one more night. If you say you are going to leave they take your bedclothes away. 

Vilcabamba 
Nice little village (reminding a bit of Croico, Bolivia) with a nice central square, a small town atmosphere and a nice climate. In the surrounding side you find the Podocarpus national park and lakes region. There is also the Vilcabamba watershed where most of the Ecuadorian bottled water comes from. Most people come here to track in the mountains of the surrounding countryside and to try the San Petro cactus. There are a few options for going into the mountains: walking by yourself (there is a tourist info at the main Plaza that has maps). Walking with a guide. There are a few ex.pat gringos around who offer their services as guides and organize tours. You can also go by horse. Lending out horses is a big business in Vilcabamba. Prices are around 10.000 sucres for 5 hours without a guide and 15.000 with a guide. You can also do an organized tour on horseback for 60.000 for 3 days, everything included. One guy also organized tours into the mountains in an open topped Land Rover. There are a couple of hotels in the town. One is at the central plaza. It's rather simple, just has cold water. But it has a communal kitchen and there are shops and restaurants just next door.The Hotel price is 3.000 per person. There are 3 expensive hotels along the main road just before entering the village (when coming from Loja). One is the Hotel Madre de Tierra. It is a very different place from all the south American hotels i have seen. Prices in this place are 17.000 (you might get it for 15.500). Breakfast and dinner is included in the price. They have a library, Video with films, steam bath, sauna and swimming pool for the guests. Massage is also available for 12.000 for one hour, 15.000 for 1,5 hour massage. Outside of town, not along the main road is also the cabanas Rio Yabala. They are run by one American guy called "Charlie". He has two kind of accommodation =1)separately standing cottages, each with it's own shower and kitchen for 10.000 sucres per person. 2) A house with rooms with communal shower and kitchen for 7 8.000 per person (negotiable). But even if it sounds nice the standard is very primitive and for this price you can get much better somewhere else. Also this place is very far away from the village. Either you walk there for one hour or so or you pay Charlie to drive you for 20 minutes, price 5.000. There is a possibility to get your food prepared by the caretaker family of the cabanas. But this is very expensive. For a simple dinner they charge between 4.500 6.000. They also sell soft drinks. The surrounding country side is nice and tranquil but it's not any different from the countryside you have just outside the village. So it is much better to stay at the village and walk out to the countryside. 

Cuenca 
There is now a tourist information booth on Padre Aguirre at the market between Mariscal Sucre and Pres Cordova. International telephone calls are made from the office at Benigno Malo, situated just below what you marked as nr. 53 on you map. There is no money exchange where you marked nr 52 on your map. Instead there are gambios on the corner of Gran Colombia / Luis Cordero. Another one is on the corner of Mariscal Sucre / Pres Borrero. Both are at the north eastern corner of the respective crossings. The town has really expensive hotels and the standard is not very high. Hotel Espana = double with bath 22.000 without bath 15.000. Single with bath 12.000 without bath 8.000. Breakfast is included in the price. Residential Tito charges 12.000 for a double without bath . Residencial Norte charges for a double without bath 15.000 with bath 18.000. A single costs with bath 8.000 and without 14.000. Here you could get a 25% discount. Hotel Los Alamos #2 on Huayna Capan at the crossing with Mariscal Lamar , (on the north eastern corner off this crossing), close to Hotel Espana, charges for a double without bath 10.000. But here the staff i really hostile and unfriendly. Some of the, for Ecuador, high prices can probably be explained with the fact that some of the American Coup football games where just being played while i visited. But not all the price difference. Cuenca is very expensive in hotel costs. The Banco del Pacifico on Tomas Ordonez crossing with Caspar Sangurima changes travellers'cheques at a better rate than we got for cash at the shops. 

Alausi 
Hotel prices for a double room without bath: Hotel Panamericano 10.000; Hotel Europa 6.000; Residencial Tequendama 8.000; Hotel Guayaquil 8.000 (a real dump, not even the floor is in one piece, really bad); Hotel Americano 14.000 (with private bath). The railroad to Guayaquilis closed. According to the railway station staff in Alausi and the tourist information staff in Cuenca there are no trains at all running anywhere. But when i was in Alausi there came a passenger train from the direction of Cuenca. That piece of track seems to be still open. 

Banos 
Hotel prices are mostly lying between 6 10.000 for a double. But the standard can vary considerably. The hotel Americano the rooms i looked into where not spacious at all. Rather small rooms and the walls where just cardboard partitions. The only hotel I found havinga good view of the main pedestrian street is the Residencial Guadalupe. Doubles are 8.000 per room. The rooms towards the front have there own balcony. The room are light, save clean and modern. The showers are just cold water. Residencial Villa Santa Clara charges 3.500 per person but the rooms are dark and it did not look very inviting. Much better is the Pension Patty for 4.000 a person. The Rinque's cafe Aleman is not where you marked it on the map it'sone block to the east in the same position. They now have opened up a German restaurant beside what you marked nr.17 on your map. The Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Aqua Santa now cost 300 sucres entrance fee. The entrance fee for the Piscina El Salado is 800 sucres. The hydroelectric project at the Agoyan Falls is completed. There is now a power station before and after the falls. The falls itself are not touched by the development. The busses don't run anymore along Ambato street. Ambato street has been turned into a Pedestrian zone between the two plazas. Busses to El Salado and Zoo/Agoyan falls now run along Rocafuerte and have their main stop just behind the market. The western continuation of Montalvo street does not go to Piscina El Salado (as indicated on your map). Instead it's only the access road to the cemetery. And it stops there. Ambato street goes to El Salado in it's western continuation

Quito 
Casa de Sucre is open Tuesday Friday 8 13 + 13,30 16,30 Saturday 8 13,00. Entrance fee 2.000; students free. Tourist information on plaza de la Independencia has moved one block to the North and is now on the corner of Venezuela and Mejia. There is another cinema west of Benalcazar between Chile and Mejia. And one east of Luis Vargas belo wwhat is marked as 47 on your map. Maybe you should mention in the "post and telephone" chapter that the poste restante for tourists is in the post office behind Plaza de la Independencia. Otherwise it gets a bit confusing since one is used to have the poste restante in the central post office which in the case of Quito is a different one. For slides development go to "Fotorama" on Rocha 231 and Tomayo. They take about 2 3 hours and charge 3.500 per film. The airline office for TAP (Portuguese airline) is on Amazonas 477 and Roca Edif Banco Andes 7 floor. There is a Hotel Tauro on Calle Montufar 1253 ( where Montufar meets 10 de Agosto) it's rather central located and it's not to bad but rather noisy. Double with toilet and shower is 11.000. But for that price you can get better hotels. The hotel Italia at 9 Octobre and Washington still exists and charges 5.000 a person. The Residencial Dopsillia at 9 de Octobre 650 does not exist anymore. Not only is there no sign (as you say in the book) there is also now house at all with that number. The last house on both side is 64.. something. Nobody in the neighborhood knows anything about a house with the number 650 or about any residential. Residential Marsella charges 13.000 a double with bath. Hotel Sucre charges 2.500 for a single even if you sleep 2 persons in it. Hotel Los Canarios, marked 44 on the map, charges 12.500 a double with bath. It's very nice and clean. The standard is almost European. Very good for this price range. The Ecua Hotel (7 on the map) charges 12.000 for a double with bath, but it is really a dump and run down, there are much better hotels for this price. There is a "real" supermarket La Feria on Calle Bolivar 334. One even better and bigger supermarket with mostly imported gods is "Supermaxi" on Avenida 6 de Deciembre, south of Avenida Francisco de Orellana. There is also a supermarket on Moremo 1228, close to the crossing with Mejia. A meal at the Churrascaria Tropeiro, marked as 86 on your map, is 18.000. A bit expansive even so it is an all you can eat place. The Columbus steak house now takes 6820 for a T bone steak. The all you can eat breakfast at the hotel Almeda Real costs 11.000. To fly from Quito to Caracas cost at Manatours 340 US$; at Genialtours 340 US$ and at Cosmotur on Rocha 626 328 US$.

Jippijapa
At the corner Colon/Mejia on Mejia 326 is the Pension Mejia situated (telephone 387). This is probably the only decent budget hotel in town. It is clean, has private bathrooms, ventilators and the security is very tight. Price for a double is 12.000 sucre. I had a look at the other Hotels you mentioned in your new guide book over Ecuador. One of the places you recommend there for Jippijapa was the most dirty hole i have seen in south America. That place still gives me night mares.

Isla del Plata
This place is described as the "Galapagos of the poor". It is situated just some kilometers of the cost west of Jippijapa. According to others the vegetation reminds a bit of what you find on the Galapagos Island. On the Isla del Plata there are also supposed to be a lot of animals, mostly birds. And since it is so expensive to go to the real Galapagos Islands many people give the Isla del Plata a try.

Puerto Cayo 
If you go from Jipijapa the shortest way to the ocean, this is the first village you run into. This is also the village that is closest to the Isla del Plata. To go by boat from Puerto Cayo to Isla del Plate cost 200.000 sucre. The trip is supposed to take 6 hours forth and back and you can spent 4 hours on the island. In this village there are 3 hotels. The Hotel Jipijapa, situated in the most southernly part of the village and costing for a double 30.000. On the northern side of the river, that parts the village in two equally big halves, is the Hostal de la Plata that charges 20.000 for a double. Along the beach, 4 km outside of town is the Hostal Luz de Luna.

Machalilla
This village lies about 10 km south of Puerto Cayo. The hotel International Machalilla charges 30.000 for a double. To go to Isladel Plata cost 230.000 sucres for 8 persons. From hers you can also do organized tours to the nearby national park. A tour with a guide cost 30.000 per day. 

Puerto Lopez
Another 10 20 km south of Machalilla along the cost. This turned out to be the main tourist center for this area. If you want to go to the isla del Plata and need some more people to do the trip together with (for keeping the cost down) you better start here. The cheapest tour to Isla de Plata cost 200.000 using a boat that fits 5 8 passengers. This small village has a tourist information and a information center for the national park service. The tourist information center was just being rebuild and therefore closed when i visited but the nationalpark service information center was open. They have an interesting display, maps and are showing a small video. Actually it was after seeing the video that i decided against going to the Isla de Plata. This small, dirty and rundown village is probably the most unfriendly village i have been in Ecuador. The prices in this dump are exorbitant for what you get. Along the beach street is the Residecial Pacifico. They charge 12.000 for a very small double room (with just one bead for on person) which was actually a single room.

San Clemente
If you want to find a relaxing village on the cost in Ecuador this is the place to go. This village is situated half way between Manta and Bahia de Caraquez. 1 km south from the village is the Cabanas "Tio Gerad", they charge 20.000 for a double. In the next village, about 3 km south from San Clemente along the beach is the Residencial "El Torbellino" they take 10.000 for a double without private bath. The Hosteria San Clemente has small villas with swimming pool and charges 25.000 per apartment. North of the village is also the Hotel los Alacias. There are more accommodations to be found in the surrounding villages and countryside. In the village of San Clemente itself is the restaurant "El Paraiso del Sabor" at the end of the bitumen road coming into the village. It is very nicely situated at the waters edge. The food is mostly fish and seafood at low prices (1,50 3 US$) with good taste. In the middle of town is the newly build hotel "El Eden". A double with private bath cost here 10.000. Double without bath cost 8.000. Some of the rooms have a really nice views of the ocean and the village. On quarter closer to the sea, on the other side of the street, is the old, run down and dirty Residencial Clemente. They charge 7.000 without bath. 

Pedernales
Directly on the beach below the town is the Residential Air Libre. A double without bath cost 6.000. The hotel is in the second floor. The rooms are very tiny and full with huge spiders. The walls and floor are made out of crude wooden planks with big intervals between them. It was avery noisy and dirty place but the waves drowned every sound and the setting was very nice. Just 10 meters away from the water. 

Cojimies
Getting from Pedernales to Cojimies can be a bit of a hassle depending on the time for the tide. The trucks still have to drive along the beach and if there is high tide there is no traffic. The boat to Muisne cost now 10.000 per person and leaves now and then during the day. The trip takes about 2 hours. The boat goes a couple of time through very high waves at the places where rivers and the open sea meat. This is a rather tough and wet journey even in nice weather. Be prepared so your stuff does not get damaged. 

Muisne
The whole island has just water between 6 8am; 11 13 and 16 18. The water in the tap is a bit salty anyway. At the central Plaza in the town is the Hotel las Isla. Rather clean and big rooms. The walls and floor are only boards so it can get a bit noisy, specially since the power generator for the town is just in front of the window. Price 8.000 for a double without private bath. On the way between the village and the ocean is the "Cabanas Ipanema" that has Cabans for hire. It's just 100 meters away from the beach. A cabana with 2 beads, showerand toilet cost 8.000 per cabana. The owner is very friendly. There are mosquito nets in all the cabanas but the mosquitoes are still a very big problem. 

Atacames
About 3 km along the beach in the direction of Sua is a small Palm forest directly at the beach. Inside those palms is the "Cabans Rogers". They have bungalows and apartments in different sizes. A hut for 2 persons varies between 10.000 and 15.000 sucres. All prices are negotiable. There is water in the showers all the time, even if the water is still very salty (for sweet water). They also have a restaurant and bar at reasonable prices. 

Esmeraldas 
The very modern bus station for "Trans Esmeraldas" busses is on your map where you marked nr 12. The Aero Taxi Buses have moved to the other side of the street from what you marked 7 on your map. The trans Esmeraldas bus company has buses to Quito and Guajaquil all day long. 

Tulcan
The Residencial Oasis cost 7.000 a person in a double with private bathroom, 6.000 without private bathroom. The Cinema Teatro Lemarie is permanently closed. The minibus to the border cost 500 sucres or 300 pesos (it is more expensive paying in pesos).

Colombia
Exchange rate at my visit: 1 US$ = between 740 794 pesos. Petrol prices Colombia: normal 590 ( 605) pesos/gallon; super 730 pesos/gallon; diesel 606 pesos/gallon. The Banco de la Republica does not change any money anywhere in Colombia. The rules must have changed completely after you last book got written.

Ipiales
There is a Equatorian Consulate directly on the Colombian side of the boarder crossing, in the newly build very big and modern Colombian border station. Colectivos to the border from Ipiales leave also from Calle 14 and Cra 11, price 250 pesos per person. Busses to Cali and Popayán leave also from the same stop at the main square as busses to Pasto. Colectivos to Santuario de Las Lajas cost 300 pesos per person. 

Pasto
Hotel Manhattan charges for a double without bath 4.000 but the rooms are big and have windows. I liked the place. 

Popayán
The Gran Hotel is closed. The house situated where the Grand Hotel was looks very damaged, probably through the earth quakes. Hotel La Casa Suiza charges 6.000 for a very small double without bath. The standard is very low compared to the price. The best choice in town is the Hotel El Viajero. Nice rooms with (rather small) windows and private bath costs 2.800 a double. Its a very nice place specially if you compare it tothe other budget accommodation that are just around the corner from the El Viajero and costs the same. The tourist information has moved to the North Eastern corner of the crossing off Calle 3 with Cra 4. The staffis still very friendly, helpful and speaks English. Museo Casa Mosquera takes 500p Entrance fee. The San Francisco Church is still closed for renovations. The Banco de la Republica does not change any money. No other bank in Popayán changes money neither travellers'cheques or cash. There is a Casa de Gambio at Caretera 5 between Calle 5 and Calle 6 on the eastern side of the street. They paid for 1 US$ travellers'cheques 730 and for1 US$ cash 740. On the main plaza, between the cathedral and whatused to be the Gran Hotel is a shop the "Almacen Duqim". They paid for 1 US$ travellers'cheques 740 peso. The owner of the chop is nice and I felt comfortable and save changing there. According to the tourist information in Popayán it costs 5.000 pesos in entrance fee to visit the tombs in Tierradentro. There are 4 busses a day from Popayán to Tierradentro. The one at 10 am goes directly to San Andres. The one at 5 am, 8 am and 1 pm just stops at El Cruce and you have to walk the rest of the way. Bus prices are 3.300 p and it takes 5 hours to get there. 

Cali
Very few banks change travelers checks. Most of them that do do it just in the morning. Nobody changes cash or travellers'cheques after hours or at the weekends. I could find just one Cambio the "Intercontinental de Cambios LTDA" on Calle 6 Norte # 2N 36 Oficina 536. It's just a small place and they don't change travellers'cheques. There is also a shop that offers to change cash $ the "Almacen Gerado" on Calle 11 no 5 39. There is one Casa de Gambio at the outside of the bus terminal building (just where the busses to the center of town leave). But they just change cash US$ for rate 750 pesos. There is also a travel agency at ground level in the middle of the bus terminal. They also just change cash US$ rate 745 pesos. The advantage with this places is that they are both openon Saturday. The restaurant Los Mellizo on Avenida 6 no 15N 54 does not exist anymore. Almuerzo in Balocco now cost around 2 $.Residencial La Familia charges 6.500 for a double with bath. The rooms are very depressing. The Residencial 86 is cheaper at 4.500 a double with private bath. Most of the rooms are just cardboard partitioned, very small and without windows very depressing. The staff is friendly but you can hardly say that there is a family atmosphere in the house 

Ibagué
There is now a big modern bus station situated between Carretera 1 2 and Calle 19 20. The Hotel Gloria has changed name to Hotel Chaparraland its now really run down and not acceptable by any standards, a real pig sty. Hotel Bram on Calle 17 no 4 10, crossing with Carretera 4 charges 2.000 for a single and 4.000 for a double, both without private bath. The place is not so bad, the owner is very friendly, the entrance door is always locked but there is just cold water. 

Bogota
The place for the cheapest Almuerzo ( 600 pesos) in town is probablyon Cra 3 # 15 64. That is next door to the hotel La Concordia. The vegetarian restaurant Govinda's on Carrera 8 no 20 55 is still around.They have just one meal, but that is filling and cost 1500. The atmosphere is very different and its a nice change for the usual restaurants. On Avenida Jimenez on the northern side of the street between Cra 4 and Cra 5 there are several Souvenir shops who have really huge collection of postcards for sale. The shops have all the postcards you could buy anywhere in Colombia. Residencial San Sebastian price fora double with private bath 3.000. Notice that there is a Hotel San Sebatian in the south eastern corner of Cra 4 / Avenida Jimenez here a adouble costs 18.000. La Concordia charges 4000 for a double with private bath. They have very small rooms a small double bed and no windows in the room. El Dorado cost 7840 for a double with private bath. The rooms are small and in a bad stat of repair, not worth the price ask for. The Aragon has double without bath for 4000. The rooms are nice and cleanand some off the staff speaks English. The hotel International price for a double with private bath is 5500 without 3500. The place is a bit run downand dirty but acceptable. Hot water all day long. There is a small kitchen that might be used. The hotel Darantes has double with bath for 10.000 without 7500. The hotel R.B. has changed name to the "Hotel Avenida Jiminez". A double with bath here cost 10.300. Hotel Santa Fe has double with bath for 8000. Hotel La Candeleria has double with bath for 9000. Hotel Del Turista charges for a double with bath 10000. The hotel Ambala charges for a double with bath 9975. Las Americas is closed. The hotel Grand is torn down. The hotel Regino charges for a dubble with dubble bed without bath 3000 and for a dubble with two beads and toilet (no shower) 5200. A new hotel is the hotel Platypus. It is not in Colombian ownership.Judging by the name it is Australian run. There are no names on the door but this is the suggested name. I herd about this place by mouth and i visit it. It really exists on Calle 16#2 43. Beads in dormitory rooms are 3000 per person. Double rooms with private bath 9000 for 2 persons. There is a kitchen you can use. The place reminds a bit abouta primitive European youth hostel. The only once staying there are other travelers. The place is not very big but can probably accommodate 15 20 people. It was full when i visited. This place is not very cheap considering the standard. But its probably much safer than mos tplaces. To collect a letter from the Poste Restante cost 200 pesos per letter. the American Express Office is on Cra 10 no 27 91 local 1 26 together with the travel agency Tierra Mar Aire Ltda. The AmericanExpress Office does not change travellers'cheques but they can give you a list with places who do change travellers'cheques currently. That list is very short. It is almost impossible to change dollars or travellers'cheques in Colombia and Bogota at the moment. Many places, Banks, have signs up saying the change travellers'cheques but if you go inside they just laugh and say that they don't, no way. And most places that change travellers'cheques do so just before lunch. Nobody changes moneyafter office hours or at the weekends. So you really have to plan ahead and try not to get stuck without money. The best exchange rate for travellers'cheques gave the "Banco Union Colombiano" on Carrera 10#26 55. The rate for 1 US$ was 786 pesos. The disadvantage with this place is that they are really slow and they want to know precisely what you are going touse the money for. They write down everything. The next best place for changing is "Banco Industrial Colombiano" (BIC) on CRA 7#32 32 the rate from them is 778,71. The Casa de Gambios in Bogota just gave 750 pesos for 1 US$ cash and they did not change travellers'cheques. American Express said that the Banco Granadero and Banco Anglo Colombiano change travellers'cheques.But they did not when i tryed. Another place for changing travellers'cheques recommended from American Express is the IMex on Cra 7#32 29 15 floor i did not try them. The tourist information is still in the same building as before but you have to go in through the entrance number 13A59. If you go into the main entrance 13A15 you get frisk, have to pass a metal detector and don't get to the tourist information anyway. There is one shop that develops slides in on hour on Carrera 7 no50 10. It is on shop of the "Foto Japon" chain. But the other shops of this chain need at least 2 days for developing slides. To develop one slide film with 36 exposures cost 1800. To go up with the cable car to the mountain Monserrate cost 2000. The German cultural Institute"Goethe Institute" is on Cra 7#81 57 telephone 2551843. The office for the Portuguese Airline "TAP" is the "Organizacion Polvani de Colombia" Calle32#7 16 telephone 826039. They are friendly and try to help you making conformations for you Caracas flights. Entrance fee to the gold museumis 950 pesos but less on Saturdays. 

Zipaquira
The cathedral in the salt mines is closed, according to the tourist information in Bogota. According to them they have to build a new one. 

Tunja
Busses Tunja Villa de Leyva cost 1.000. The same price for shared Taxis. Small mini vans cost 1.100.

Villa de Leyva
The tourist information is on the main square at its north eastern corner, but they are not very helpful. Hospederia la Villa charges for dubble with or without bath 4.000. Most rooms seem to be permanently occupied by huge local families with at least 10 kids, a ghetto blaster and a TV. That makes for a rather noisy atmosphere in the Hospederia. In the daytime there was no water. In the evening there was only cold water. The place was also dirty and smelly. The owner is not very friendly. The Hotel Colonial charges 4.000 for a dubble without bath. The rooms are small but the owner is friendly. Hosteria la Roca has rooms of the same standard as the Hotel Colonial but is a bit cleaner. The room are very small and the price is expensive, 8.000 without bath. 

San Gil
The town has a new bus station about 5 minutes out of town by taxi (price 400 pesos), along the main road in the direction of Tunja. Residencial San Gil has very small rooms with 2 beads no bathroom and no windows for 2.000. That's the economy class. There are also nice rooms with there own bath, window and ventilator for 4.000 for 2persons. The main sight in San Gil is still the riverside park with the trees covered with lichen.

Bucaramanga
There is now a bus terminal about 15 20 minutes by city bus from the center. Its situated south of town. The price for a city bus between Center and terminal is 120 pesos, taxis cost 700 900 pesos. For changing money when the bank is closed go to "Distinguidos", a cloth shop with several branches. At their main office on Calle 36 no 17 52 local 1A33 they changed cash for a reasonable rate. They were very friendly and served coffee and sweets while we waited. Maybe you should mention that the Hormiga Calona the fried ants not are a dish you order in the restaurant, instead its a kind off snack you buy in the shops. I tryed several restaurants before somebody told me where wecould find them. They sell the ants by weight in the shops, they are quite expensive, 10.000 pesos for 1/2 kilo. There are a few shops who sell the ants in the shopping center "Sanandresito la Isla" on Diagonal 15 between Calle 55 and 56. This shopping center is a cross between a supermarket and a traditional market. Hotel Tamaná charges for adubble ( 2 beads) without bath 3.000 and with bath 3.500. They also had rooms with 4 beads with bath and balcony. For a room like that they charged 2 persons 4.000. The hotel is reasonable clean and up to standard. The place i rather save and the owner i very friendly. The tourist information is still in the Hotel Bucarico. From Bucaramanga to El Banco (de Magdalena) busses leave 22,30 and cost 7.750 with Copetran. With Omega the leave 3 am and 8.30 am and cost 8.250. With Cootransmagda the leave 5 am and 22.30 and cost 7.170. Beside direct busses you may also first go to Aquachica, from Bucaramanga that costs3.600. From Aquachica to El Banco there are more busses, price 4.600. 

El Banco
When the bus from Bucaramanga arrives it has to cross a river on a ferry just before entering the town. There are a couple of locals who try to cheat you by telling you that you have to leave the bus and take a passenger boat to get into town from there. Since you can already see the town from the bus you don't think of discussing the price. When you arrive on the passenger boat after a 5 minutes boat ride the price they want to have is rather exorbitant. End if you refuse to pay they threaten to get violent. There are a lot of suspicious individuals hanging around the waterfront and we got warned about them from the other locals. Just watching how the police barricade themselves in their police station after dark gives you an hint about how dangerous it can be here. From El Banco to Mompos there are boats all morning between 5 6am to 14 15pm. Leaving almost every hour depending on the number of people who want to go. The price for the boat trip is 3.000 pesos. There are heaps of hotels in El Banco and the standard of them is much better than in Mompos. You can have a very decent room with ventilator and private bath for 3.500 In for example the Hotel Colonial. That is just one block away from the harbor. The town seems to have a permanent power shortage. When there is no energy everybody has their own generator standing outside on the pavement. They make a lot of noise and make waking around the town unpleasant. If there is no electricity there is no water for very long either. Ofcourse all the hotels don't have generators, the Hotel Colonial did not. Without the ventilator does not work and the nights are very hot and full of mosquitoes. But some of the slightly more expensive hotels had generators.

Mompos
Has a permanent water problem. Be course of that everybody has its own private water supply, from a own well or directly out of the river.Be course of that what comes out of the tap can be very dirty. From Mompos to Bodega by car is still 1.000 pesos. From Bodega to Maganguis 1.000 by boat. Direct boats from Mompos to Magangu cost 2.500. The 500 pesos extra it might be worth to get a pleasant boat cruise. Entrance fee to the Casa de la Cultura is 500 pesos. But it is not worth the money visiting the museum. The Residencial Doña Leyla is permanently closed. Residencial Solmar Charges 3.000 for a dubble with a bath room you have to share with your neighbor. The place is very dirty and a bit noisy, its about the bottom of acceptable standards. The rooms are very large and they have ventilators. But they have no windows and are very dark. Opposite Hotel Doña Manela is the "La Posada del Vinney" for a double they charge 8.000 with shared bath. Its not really a hotel. Its located one story up above a medical practice. The rooms are very modern, clean and have lots of big windows. Further along the same street is the Residencial Auroras. They charge 10.000 for a dubble with bath. That is a bit to much. The place is clean but the walls to the neighbors are just halve the way to the roof and the standard is not very high on the rest either. Residencial Diana, on the waterfront down river from the center, has the same standard as the Residencial Solmar. But here a double with your own bath costs 5.000 pesos. The area outside the place did not look very nice and save either.Residencial Union is on the way towards the cemetery. Price 7.500 pesos for a double. Residencial Islenas charges 6.000 for a double. Almost opposite is the Residencial Valerosa, they charge 5.000 for adouble. A bit further from the harbor is the Residencial Cueto, price 5.000 with private bath. Non of this places is very impressive and the price range in Mompos is rather steep. Beside the Solmar there is no real budget place.