I have moved to Santa Cruz de la Sierra and am waiting for the weather to improve.
I have moved to Santa Cruz, a major city in northeastern Bolivia.
It seems that there are many immigrants from Japan here as well.
I will summarize my experience from my two-week stay.
Today's lunch. 25 Bolivianos (approximately 400 yen). I'm not sure if it's expensive or cheap. At another place, it was 20 Bolivianos and included soup.
For dinner, I had tonkatsu at a Japanese restaurant for 55 Bolivianos (approximately 900 yen). That's expensive for Bolivia. It's double the price of a local set meal.
According to the weather forecast, it seems like the weather will deteriorate for about 10 more days. That's too long. I considered finding a way to break it up, but it seems like the weather is very unstable and potentially dangerous. Perhaps it's better to just stay here and use the time to work on the server.
For now, I've extended my stay by two nights, but that day looks like it will be stormy, so it seems like I'll probably stay at least one more night.
Unless the weather improves, I plan to stay here until mid-next week.
I checked the expiration date for the motorcycle's temporary import permit, and it's in September, so that's fine. The visa is for 30 days, so I might need to extend it somewhere. I heard that extending it is easy, but it seems like it's another 30 days from the date of extension, so if I don't extend it properly, it will be a waste.
For lunch today, I had a shrimp tempura set meal. It's just ordinary, like a typical, somewhat bland, rural restaurant.
I was planning to leave tomorrow, but the weather is still uncertain. I'm wondering if I should still leave.
If I don't push myself, it will probably be like the dry season in half a month to a month, so staying here and working on the server isn't bad.
It's a comfortable inn for 1,500 yen, except for the noise from the road. The internet connection is sometimes unreliable, but it has a double bed and a bathroom for this price. The noise is not that noticeable if you use earplugs.
I probably won't find another inn this comfortable for this price after this. There are others, but they would cost a little more.
Also, I'm still thinking about what to do in North America.
One option is:
April: Stay here, working on the server while waiting for the rainy season to end.
May: Bolivia to Peru to Ecuador to Colombia, dispose of the motorcycle.
June: Venezuela.
Mid-June?: (Buy a bicycle in Colombia?) Fly to Alaska.
June to August: Alaska, Anchorage to Vancouver, bicycle.
Around August: Return home.
I've been to the United States several times.
If I go north, it's about 5,000 km from San Francisco to Anchorage. There are many campsites in Oregon and the northern part of Alaska. If I go, it will be around there. When I went to Hokkaido for a month before, I cycled about 2,500 km, so three months should be just right, including preparation, to cover 5,000 km. If I go to Alaska during the Obon season, it will be cold, so I need to arrive before then. That means I would be in San Francisco around mid-May? That might be a bit tight for the South American schedule.
If I go south, I won't be as sensitive to the seasons.
The dry season in Ecuador is from June. Last time I went to Ecuador when I was going south, it was during the rainy season, so this time I want to go to Ecuador during the dry season and take an Amazon tour. I'll spend a month here in Santa Cruz, working on the server, and then go from Bolivia to Peru, transitioning from the rainy season to the dry season. Then, in a somewhat unusual way, I'll go from Lima, Peru, to Easter Island (it's surprisingly cheaper than round trip to San Diego).
In June, during the dry season, I'll go to Ecuador and Colombia, and then dispose of the motorcycle. Then, I'll go to Venezuela and Cuba with a backpack.
Around July, the area around Alaska seems to be the best time. Ultimately, I could abandon North America and return home. I can always go back to North America. I'm still undecided whether to use a motorcycle, bicycle, or rental car in North America. I'm also undecided whether to go or not.
South America, which I probably won't be able to visit again, should be the priority.
For now, I'll extend my stay by 5 days.
Here in Santa Cruz, the rainy season is almost over. The weather forecast predicts clear or cloudy skies for the next two weeks. It feels good. Today was a beautiful day with clear blue skies. The Bolivian highlands are still in the rainy season.
Today's server work involves creating a plan. Somehow, C# asynchronous processing has become easier to use, and it may not require almost any threads? It's an amazing evolution.
By the way, dinner is chicken. It costs about 380 yen.
Today is a clear day, so I did a little server work in the morning and then came to the zoo. It's a relatively small zoo, but I generally like zoos, so I'm satisfied with this.
It had been mostly cloudy weather for a while, so a clear day feels good.
It seems that waiting for the rainy season to end is the correct approach, rather than trying to do things in the gaps between rainy days.
The animals also seem to be comfortable.
I was thinking about which direction to take the current modifications while sitting on a bench at the zoo, and I've pretty much decided on the direction. I'll try it when I get back to the hotel.
Lunch was chicken for 20 Bolivianos (approximately 330 yen) at the zoo.
A park near the hotel. Santa Cruz is completely sunny.
The weather forecast for the mountainous areas was "rain every day" until last week, but in the past few days, it has been "cloudy with occasional sunshine for the next few days, and thunderstorms for a week after that."
It seems like this weather forecast is being issued because they cannot predict the end of the rainy season. If the weather forecast shows "sunny" for the next 15 days, then it will be the real end of the rainy season.
Today's lunch was ramen at a Japanese restaurant. It's simple, but surprisingly flavorful and delicious.
If the rainy season in the mountainous areas subsides in about 1-2 weeks, I think I'll gradually move and get used to the higher altitudes.
I checked the weather forecast and the rain radar, and it seems that the mountainous regions of Bolivia and Peru are still in the rainy season. Normally, it's the rainy season until April, and the dry season starts from May, so I should see some sunshine in about a month. For now, I'm extending my stay at the current accommodation for 5 more nights, until April 9th. I've been checking the weather forecast for Santa Cruz since I was in Paraguay, but it suddenly changed from a forecast of rain every day to a forecast of sunny days, so I think that other regions of Bolivia will probably switch from the rainy season to the dry season all at once.
While watching the weather, I noticed the direction of the seasonal winds. In summer, the strong south wind blows from Antarctica, and people going to Patagonia are troubled by the headwind. However, it seems that in winter, the wind reverses and becomes a north wind. That's why Venezuela in northern South America has a dry season in the summer, because the summer south wind causes the humid air coming from Antarctica to fall in the Amazon region, so it doesn't rain in Venezuela. Conversely, in winter, it becomes a north wind, so Venezuela becomes the rainy season, and Peru's west and Bolivia become the dry season due to the Andes Mountains blocking the wind. South America is vast, and the Andes are high, so this happens. The northeastern part of Brazil has a rainy season in winter (around July) for the same reason (the humid wind from the north wind causes rain).
So, looking at the current wind direction, Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia is experiencing a dry season because it's changing to a north wind. On the other hand, the Pacific side is still experiencing a south wind, so humid air is flowing in from the south and the Pacific side, and the rainy season is continuing. Bolivia is in a period where the dry season and the rainy season are mixed. Geography is interesting. As the wind direction gradually changes and more and more places experience a north wind, and the north wind becomes dominant, then it will truly be the dry season.
Therefore, it's best not to move for now. If you go to the Pacific side because it's sunny here in Santa Cruz, you are likely to be directly affected by the rainy season and get completely soaked.
However, please don't take this as gospel, as it may be wrong. This is the result of various deductions.
Future schedule:
■ I have a tentative date for my return.
October 2nd: Los Angeles → Tokyo
I plan to return on this date.
■ I have a tentative plan to leave South America.
July 6th: Bogotá, Colombia → Anchorage, Alaska
I will dispose of the motorcycle in Colombia and fly from there.
■ Transportation in North America (still undecided)
Maybe a bicycle?
From Anchorage to around Oregon/San Francisco.
The return flight is to Los Angeles because there were many cheap tickets. Once I pass Vancouver, I will adjust based on the remaining time.
Ideally, San Francisco is the goal. The main part will be from Alaska to around Oregon.
■ Accommodation
If I use a bicycle, I will camp in campgrounds and vacant lots in Alaska.
There are many campgrounds in Oregon and San Francisco, so I will mainly stay in campgrounds.
■ Motorcycle?
It is still a possibility, but I think 5000 km on the planned route is a relatively short distance to ride a motorcycle. It might be a bit short to buy one just to ride it. Also, if I were to travel the entire continent like in South America, the high cost of living would be a problem. In North America, the cruising speed is fast, at 120 km/h, so a large motorcycle would be desirable.
■ Rental car?
A rental car is also an option, but I think a bicycle or motorcycle would be more interesting.
■ Other
I think Eurasia is suitable for backpacking because it is mainly for walking around towns.
South America is suitable for motorcycles because it is a car culture and the country is large.
...I have decided.
So, what is Alaska suitable for? This is a difficult decision. An SUV might be the best. Next is a camper van, then a motorcycle, then a bicycle, then backpacking, and then a regular car.
I will exclude cars because I can use them again when I come back.
The remaining options are a motorcycle, a bicycle, and backpacking.
I have already used a motorcycle in South America, so the options are either a bicycle or backpacking.
I am still undecided, but since it is the rainy season in Central America, the plan to bring the current motorcycle from South America is becoming less likely.
Well, I have always regretted not trying a bicycle, so maybe it is a good opportunity to do it here.
Now, I am having ramen for lunch again today.
I received the baptism of unsanitary developing countries.
I also received this baptism in India.
Because the ground is unsanitary, something can quickly infect your feet. It's scary, scary.
I noticed the early signs, so I bought medicine at a pharmacy. It's a white powder that I don't really understand. I apply it all over my feet.
I heard a rumor that, shortly after the war in Japan, they would sprinkle white powder from head to toe to kill lice. The atmosphere is similar, perhaps.
I probably stayed in a warm place for too long. I think I'll leave soon when the weather clears up.
→ I did a little research, and the white powder after the war was the infamous DDT, but this seems to be a chlorine-based insecticide, so it's a bit different from DDT. But, I don't think it's a very good product. It's cheap.
In developing countries, the original hygiene conditions are not good, so if you don't use a strong insecticide, it's almost ineffective, which is a problem.
It seems that there are many immigrants from Japan here as well.
I will summarize my experience from my two-week stay.
Today's lunch. 25 Bolivianos (approximately 400 yen). I'm not sure if it's expensive or cheap. At another place, it was 20 Bolivianos and included soup.
For dinner, I had tonkatsu at a Japanese restaurant for 55 Bolivianos (approximately 900 yen). That's expensive for Bolivia. It's double the price of a local set meal.
According to the weather forecast, it seems like the weather will deteriorate for about 10 more days. That's too long. I considered finding a way to break it up, but it seems like the weather is very unstable and potentially dangerous. Perhaps it's better to just stay here and use the time to work on the server.
For now, I've extended my stay by two nights, but that day looks like it will be stormy, so it seems like I'll probably stay at least one more night.
Unless the weather improves, I plan to stay here until mid-next week.
I checked the expiration date for the motorcycle's temporary import permit, and it's in September, so that's fine. The visa is for 30 days, so I might need to extend it somewhere. I heard that extending it is easy, but it seems like it's another 30 days from the date of extension, so if I don't extend it properly, it will be a waste.
For lunch today, I had a shrimp tempura set meal. It's just ordinary, like a typical, somewhat bland, rural restaurant.
I was planning to leave tomorrow, but the weather is still uncertain. I'm wondering if I should still leave.
If I don't push myself, it will probably be like the dry season in half a month to a month, so staying here and working on the server isn't bad.
It's a comfortable inn for 1,500 yen, except for the noise from the road. The internet connection is sometimes unreliable, but it has a double bed and a bathroom for this price. The noise is not that noticeable if you use earplugs.
I probably won't find another inn this comfortable for this price after this. There are others, but they would cost a little more.
Also, I'm still thinking about what to do in North America.
One option is:
April: Stay here, working on the server while waiting for the rainy season to end.
May: Bolivia to Peru to Ecuador to Colombia, dispose of the motorcycle.
June: Venezuela.
Mid-June?: (Buy a bicycle in Colombia?) Fly to Alaska.
June to August: Alaska, Anchorage to Vancouver, bicycle.
Around August: Return home.
I've been to the United States several times.
If I go north, it's about 5,000 km from San Francisco to Anchorage. There are many campsites in Oregon and the northern part of Alaska. If I go, it will be around there. When I went to Hokkaido for a month before, I cycled about 2,500 km, so three months should be just right, including preparation, to cover 5,000 km. If I go to Alaska during the Obon season, it will be cold, so I need to arrive before then. That means I would be in San Francisco around mid-May? That might be a bit tight for the South American schedule.
If I go south, I won't be as sensitive to the seasons.
The dry season in Ecuador is from June. Last time I went to Ecuador when I was going south, it was during the rainy season, so this time I want to go to Ecuador during the dry season and take an Amazon tour. I'll spend a month here in Santa Cruz, working on the server, and then go from Bolivia to Peru, transitioning from the rainy season to the dry season. Then, in a somewhat unusual way, I'll go from Lima, Peru, to Easter Island (it's surprisingly cheaper than round trip to San Diego).
In June, during the dry season, I'll go to Ecuador and Colombia, and then dispose of the motorcycle. Then, I'll go to Venezuela and Cuba with a backpack.
Around July, the area around Alaska seems to be the best time. Ultimately, I could abandon North America and return home. I can always go back to North America. I'm still undecided whether to use a motorcycle, bicycle, or rental car in North America. I'm also undecided whether to go or not.
South America, which I probably won't be able to visit again, should be the priority.
For now, I'll extend my stay by 5 days.
Here in Santa Cruz, the rainy season is almost over. The weather forecast predicts clear or cloudy skies for the next two weeks. It feels good. Today was a beautiful day with clear blue skies. The Bolivian highlands are still in the rainy season.
Today's server work involves creating a plan. Somehow, C# asynchronous processing has become easier to use, and it may not require almost any threads? It's an amazing evolution.
By the way, dinner is chicken. It costs about 380 yen.
Today is a clear day, so I did a little server work in the morning and then came to the zoo. It's a relatively small zoo, but I generally like zoos, so I'm satisfied with this.
It had been mostly cloudy weather for a while, so a clear day feels good.
It seems that waiting for the rainy season to end is the correct approach, rather than trying to do things in the gaps between rainy days.
The animals also seem to be comfortable.
I was thinking about which direction to take the current modifications while sitting on a bench at the zoo, and I've pretty much decided on the direction. I'll try it when I get back to the hotel.
Lunch was chicken for 20 Bolivianos (approximately 330 yen) at the zoo.
A park near the hotel. Santa Cruz is completely sunny.
The weather forecast for the mountainous areas was "rain every day" until last week, but in the past few days, it has been "cloudy with occasional sunshine for the next few days, and thunderstorms for a week after that."
It seems like this weather forecast is being issued because they cannot predict the end of the rainy season. If the weather forecast shows "sunny" for the next 15 days, then it will be the real end of the rainy season.
Today's lunch was ramen at a Japanese restaurant. It's simple, but surprisingly flavorful and delicious.
If the rainy season in the mountainous areas subsides in about 1-2 weeks, I think I'll gradually move and get used to the higher altitudes.
I checked the weather forecast and the rain radar, and it seems that the mountainous regions of Bolivia and Peru are still in the rainy season. Normally, it's the rainy season until April, and the dry season starts from May, so I should see some sunshine in about a month. For now, I'm extending my stay at the current accommodation for 5 more nights, until April 9th. I've been checking the weather forecast for Santa Cruz since I was in Paraguay, but it suddenly changed from a forecast of rain every day to a forecast of sunny days, so I think that other regions of Bolivia will probably switch from the rainy season to the dry season all at once.
While watching the weather, I noticed the direction of the seasonal winds. In summer, the strong south wind blows from Antarctica, and people going to Patagonia are troubled by the headwind. However, it seems that in winter, the wind reverses and becomes a north wind. That's why Venezuela in northern South America has a dry season in the summer, because the summer south wind causes the humid air coming from Antarctica to fall in the Amazon region, so it doesn't rain in Venezuela. Conversely, in winter, it becomes a north wind, so Venezuela becomes the rainy season, and Peru's west and Bolivia become the dry season due to the Andes Mountains blocking the wind. South America is vast, and the Andes are high, so this happens. The northeastern part of Brazil has a rainy season in winter (around July) for the same reason (the humid wind from the north wind causes rain).
So, looking at the current wind direction, Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia is experiencing a dry season because it's changing to a north wind. On the other hand, the Pacific side is still experiencing a south wind, so humid air is flowing in from the south and the Pacific side, and the rainy season is continuing. Bolivia is in a period where the dry season and the rainy season are mixed. Geography is interesting. As the wind direction gradually changes and more and more places experience a north wind, and the north wind becomes dominant, then it will truly be the dry season.
Therefore, it's best not to move for now. If you go to the Pacific side because it's sunny here in Santa Cruz, you are likely to be directly affected by the rainy season and get completely soaked.
However, please don't take this as gospel, as it may be wrong. This is the result of various deductions.
Future schedule:
■ I have a tentative date for my return.
October 2nd: Los Angeles → Tokyo
I plan to return on this date.
■ I have a tentative plan to leave South America.
July 6th: Bogotá, Colombia → Anchorage, Alaska
I will dispose of the motorcycle in Colombia and fly from there.
■ Transportation in North America (still undecided)
Maybe a bicycle?
From Anchorage to around Oregon/San Francisco.
The return flight is to Los Angeles because there were many cheap tickets. Once I pass Vancouver, I will adjust based on the remaining time.
Ideally, San Francisco is the goal. The main part will be from Alaska to around Oregon.
■ Accommodation
If I use a bicycle, I will camp in campgrounds and vacant lots in Alaska.
There are many campgrounds in Oregon and San Francisco, so I will mainly stay in campgrounds.
■ Motorcycle?
It is still a possibility, but I think 5000 km on the planned route is a relatively short distance to ride a motorcycle. It might be a bit short to buy one just to ride it. Also, if I were to travel the entire continent like in South America, the high cost of living would be a problem. In North America, the cruising speed is fast, at 120 km/h, so a large motorcycle would be desirable.
■ Rental car?
A rental car is also an option, but I think a bicycle or motorcycle would be more interesting.
■ Other
I think Eurasia is suitable for backpacking because it is mainly for walking around towns.
South America is suitable for motorcycles because it is a car culture and the country is large.
...I have decided.
So, what is Alaska suitable for? This is a difficult decision. An SUV might be the best. Next is a camper van, then a motorcycle, then a bicycle, then backpacking, and then a regular car.
I will exclude cars because I can use them again when I come back.
The remaining options are a motorcycle, a bicycle, and backpacking.
I have already used a motorcycle in South America, so the options are either a bicycle or backpacking.
I am still undecided, but since it is the rainy season in Central America, the plan to bring the current motorcycle from South America is becoming less likely.
Well, I have always regretted not trying a bicycle, so maybe it is a good opportunity to do it here.
Now, I am having ramen for lunch again today.
I received the baptism of unsanitary developing countries.
I also received this baptism in India.
Because the ground is unsanitary, something can quickly infect your feet. It's scary, scary.
I noticed the early signs, so I bought medicine at a pharmacy. It's a white powder that I don't really understand. I apply it all over my feet.
I heard a rumor that, shortly after the war in Japan, they would sprinkle white powder from head to toe to kill lice. The atmosphere is similar, perhaps.
I probably stayed in a warm place for too long. I think I'll leave soon when the weather clears up.
→ I did a little research, and the white powder after the war was the infamous DDT, but this seems to be a chlorine-based insecticide, so it's a bit different from DDT. But, I don't think it's a very good product. It's cheap.
In developing countries, the original hygiene conditions are not good, so if you don't use a strong insecticide, it's almost ineffective, which is a problem.
Santa Cruz Zoo.
