Thank you 2013! Where in the world was I last year?

It's fantastic thinking how much of the planet we've covered in the past twelve months. I've actually decided to slow it down a bit this year. But to welcome the New Year, here are highlights from international destinations I visited in 16 countries in 2013. It was quite difficult to remember every city I visited. But thanks to Instagram @ivanhenares, it's all there!

In January, I led a tour group to Hanoi, Halong Bay and Tam Coc, Vietnam in pleasantly cool weather. Don't we all love that boat ride through the limestone karst formations of Halong Bay?

February saw me back in Thailand with my UP AIT students. We explored Bangkok and visited the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

I visited a new continent in the Summer of 2013 ― South America! My trip started in the US; stayed in Washington, DC for a week and visited a classmate in Baltimore, MD. Then I was off to Rio de Janeiro with tokayo Ivan Man Dy for our five-week South American adventure.

Rio is a charming city! We made sure to visit its famed urban beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema, and took a tram ride up Cristo Redentor where we were afforded a spectacular view of the city, Sugarloaf Mountain and Guanabara Bay.

From Rio de Janeiro, we took a bus to São Paolo and then to Porto Alegre before crossing the border to Uruguay. Yes, it's the country famous for legalizing marijuana this year! In Uruguay, we walked the charming streets of Montevideo with its fantastic architecture, ate a sumptuous steak at the local market, and then visited old Colonia del Sacramento before taking a ferry to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Of course, like every visitor to Buenos Aires, we payed our respects to Evita at the Recoleta Cemetery and enjoyed the street tango at San Telmo.

The next day, we took an overnight bus and visited the Jesuit Block of Cordoba and the estancias of Alta Gracia, Jesús María and Santa Catalina. We found out that Alta Gracia is where Che Guevara grew up. His family house has been converted into a museum.

From Cordoba, we took a bus to Mendoza, and from there took another bus that crossed the Andes and the border, and finally to Santiago, Chile. After spending a night in Santiago, we moved to neighboring Valparaiso and spent two nights there before taking a 24-hour bus to San Pedro de Atacama to experience nature at its finest.

We visited the altiplano of the Antofagasta Region at the heart of the Atacama Desert and its sites such as Los Flamencos National Reserve, Laguna Miscanti, Laguna Miñiques, Salar de Atacama, Valle de la Luna, Valle de la Muerte and the Géisers de Tatio.

After exploring the driest place on the planet, we hopped on another long bus ride to Arica, the border town of Chile, crossed the border by taxi to Tacna, Peru's border town, and took a bus to Arequipa from there.

We had a few hours in charming Arequipa before taking off on another long bus ride to Cuzco. We spent several days there, highlighted by our visit to Machu Picchu. Cuzco is such a historic city with a colorful local culture.

So many long-distance bus rides in Peru! And we weren't done yet! From Cuzco, we traveled by bus for a day to the capital Lima. It's Plaza Mayor is stunning! Lest we forget, Lima was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, which for a time covered most of South America. We also got to watch the changing of the guard at the Government Palace of Peru.

We then took a bus back to Arequipa (yes, another long bus ride) where we hopped on another bus to Puno, the gateway to Lake Titicaca.

From Puno, we crossed the border into Bolivia and stopped by Copacabana where we were lucky to witness the festivities of the Señor de la Santa Cruz de Colquepata. It wasn't easy finding a place to stay though because of the fiesta, and it wasn't cheap! But it was well worth it. We explored Lake Titicaca again the next day.

From Copacabana, we went to La Paz, explored the highest capital city in the world and shopped at the Witches Market before visiting Sucre and Potosi. We made an exciting border crossing into Argentina, a story we'll keep a secret!

In Argentina, we visited Salta and from there took a long-distance bus to Iguazu Falls, more than a day if I remember it right. It was raining really hard, but we got to ride a speed boat that took us under one of the falls. We crossed over to the Brazilian side where the better views are, before rushing back to Rio de Janeiro to catch our flight back to the US. I spent the next few days recuperating in DC, except for a one-day visit to the wineries around Aldie, Virginia where I got to enjoy basted pork ribs slow-grilled over hickory wood at a roadside grill. Yum!

May ended with a tour to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the famed temples of Angkor. When the group left, I hired a car and visited Preah Vihear, a spectacular temple built on top of a mountain. Visit it while you can and before the crowds discover it!

In June, I was back in Bali leading a tour group. We visited its famed temples and experienced its colorful culture. After the tour, I visited the Jatiluwih Rice terraces.

In August, we had another tour group, this time to Nepal. We stopped over at KL before flying to Kathmandu. We visited Nagarkot, Pokhara and Kathmandu Valley. Pokhara was an exciting destination with many activities. I went paragliding for the first time.

Aside from Kathmandu, I also got to visit Bhaktapur and Patan. Bhaktapur is my favorite!

The month ended with a trip to India hosted by Jet Airways. The group visited New Delhi, Agra and flew to Kashmir. Our itinerary included Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonamarg. Indeed the place is Heaven on Earth!

I definitely enjoyed the pony ride to the Himalayan glaciers of Kashmir Valley, the great food and the colorful culture of the region. We also got to stay in the luxurious houseboats of Dal Lake.

In September, I led UP AIT students and staff to a food and heritage experience in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Everyone was still talking about the food when we got back!

We attended the 2013 Annual Meeting of the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee in Sukhothai and Chiang Mai, Thailand in October. As part of a workshop to help Sukhothai with its tourism master plan, I biked thirty kilometers through rural areas, to the Si Satchanalai Historical Park. I haven't biked in a long while, but I survived that one!

After the meeting, we explored Chiang Rai, crossed the river border at Chiang Kong, Thailand to Houai Xai. Laos. And from there, it was a grueling overnight bus to Luang Prabang, the old royal capital. Luang Prabang is still as charming as every with its colorful temples, colonial architecture and delicious street food!

I got explore Vientiane, met up with my SSEAYP friends and explored the city's temples, before going by land to Udon Thani for my flight back to Bangkok.

I could not believe it, but I was back in Bangkok, and stranded for a week in November, experiencing my first flight cancelation ever! So I spent my time working (and eating). My only out of town trip was a visit to Nakhon Pathom's Phra Pathom Chedi and Sanam Chandra Palace.

My last international trip for the year was to China to attend the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in Zhenjiang. But because of the smog problem in Shanghai, I had to deal with two flight cancelations (I was on a roll), rerouting to Xiamen were I took a flight to Shanghai, and a bullet train to Zhenjiang before arriving at the summit.

I went around Shanghai for a day (I was planning to see Suzhou but the smog was bad) before flying back to Manila.

So there! That was 2013! Happy New Year to all! Here are more photos from my 2013 trips. Next up is my post for Philippine destinations.

Do you want to see last year's? Now where in the world was I in 2012?

South America: Applying for visas to Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile,Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay & Venezuela in the Philippines

One will appreciate Europe's Schengen visa when planning a trip to several countries in other regions or continents since visas have to be obtained separately. South America is one example since Philippine passport holders can travel visa-free to only six of the twelve countries of the continent. Here are visa requirements and embassy and consulate contact details for South American countries and territories (as of 3 May 2013).

Argentina
The Argentine Republic has an embassy in the Philippines. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Argentina. To begin the application process, you may get an application form from the embassy:

Embassy of the Argentine Republic
8/F Liberty Center, 104 H.V. de la Costa Street
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Telephone No. (02) 8453218 / 8453219 / 8453230
Fax No. (02) 8453220

The following are the requirements for application:
1. Duly accomplished application form. Note that you should not fill in the date when you sign the form. The date should be the date of your interview. If you fill this in, you will be asked to fill out a new one on the day of interview
2. One passport sized photo pasted on the application form
3. Valid passport and photocopy of the information pages
4. Letter of request from the applicant stating the reason for the visit
5. Original Certificate of Employment indicating salary and duration of leave. For business owners, SEC or Mayor's Permit (original and photocopy)
6. Bank Statement (at least three months). They don't accept Bank Certificates.
7. Confirmed hotel bookings or hotel vouchers
8. Confirmed air ticket (original and photocopy) or booking certificate
9. For minors traveling alone, Affidavit of Support from parents, DSWD permit to travel (authenticated by DFA), photocopy of birth certificate and parents' marriage certificate.

Note that it takes at least five (5) working days to process a visa. It will definitely be more since applicants are called for interview first. And it will take another two (2) days after visa is approved before it is released. Filing of applications is from 9:30 to 11 a.m. only

Bring all the requirements to the Embassy of the Argentine Republic. The staff will only accept applications with complete requirements. If your requirements are complete, you will be asked to wait for a call to schedule your interview. You may also be asked to submit additional documents if after evaluation, the Consul feels that there is missing information.

The Embassy will call you to schedule an interview, usually in the morning at 9:30 a.m. The Consul will interview you about your trip. If your application is accepted, you will be asked to pay the visa fee (peso equivalent of US$50) at BPI Tordesillas and come back with the deposit slip. A claim stub will be given to you for pick-up of your visa two days after. Releasing is from 2 to 4 p.m. only.

Bolivia
The Plurinational State of Bolivia has an honorary consulate in the Philippines. Filipino citizens traveling to Bolivia as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 30 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Bolivia. To confirm this information, you may contact the consulate:

Consulate of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
c/o Mindanao Container Corporation
6/F 110 Legazpi Street
Legazpi Village, Makati City
Telephone No. (02) 8924304 / 8931727

Brazil
The Federative Republic of Brazil has an embassy in the Philippines. Filipino citizens traveling to Brazil as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 90 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Brazil. Otherwise, a visa is required. Note also that upon arrival in Brazil, passports must be valid for at least six months, and that you have ready with you a copy of your ticket, itinerary, hotel accommodation and possibly proof of financial capacity if these are requested. To confirm this information, you may contact the embassy:

Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil
16/F Liberty Center, 104 H.V. de la Costa Street
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Telephone No. (02) 8451869
Fax No. (02) 8452076

Chile
The Republic of Chile has an embassy in the Philippines. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Chile. To begin the application process, you may get an application form from the embassy:

Embassy of the Republic of Chile
17/F Liberty Center, 104 H.V. de la Costa Street
Salcedo Village, Makati City

(02) 8433461

It required extra patience on our part and several visits to the embassy to apply for visas to Chile. The following are the requirements for application:
1. Application form (one copy per person). Note that entries in the application form must be typewritten. No need to submit pictures.
2. Passport with at least six months validity.
3. Formal letter of request from the applicant addressed to the Consul stating purpose, duration of visit and means of travel.
4. Recent medical certificate (within the last three months) stating that the applicant is free from tropical disease.
5. Itinerary indicating arrival to and from Chile. Also bring a copy of your plane ticket. They don't have this on their checklist which is quite unfortunate since your application will not be accepted if you don't have this requirement. So you'll have to come back again the next working day unless you could produce a copy before 12 noon. And make sure it is a full print out (nothing missing or no parts cut) since they could use it as an excuse to let you come back.
6. Bank certificate of the applicant indicating own economical solvency to support a travel and stay in Chile as well as return to the Philippines. Note that they only accept bank certificates and that they are very stringent with this requirement. To put it bluntly, you have to show them you're loaded.
7. If you are invited, a letter of invitation from your host in Chile, with attached copies of Passport and National Identification Card properly notarized and legalized in Chile.
8. If you don't have a host, proof of confirmed hotel bookings or hotel vouchers. They also don't have this on their checklist and again, your application will not be accepted if you don't have this requirement. Also, if you have companions, make sure the booking submitted includes all names of each individual applicant since they will also require this and let you come back if the booking is only under one name.

Note that it takes five (5) working days to process a visa. So if you apply on a Monday, you will get it the Monday after. Filing of applications are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Note also that you may not retrieve your passport while it is with them. Retrieving it will mean withdrawal of the application and you will have to start the process again.

Bring all the requirements to the Embassy of Chile. The staff will only accept applications with complete requirements. If your requirements are complete, you will be asked to wait as the Consul evaluates your application. The Consul may ask you to produce more documents and resubmit again or call you for an interview. If your application is accepted, you will be given a claim stub for pick-up the week after.

Visa fee is US$30 for single entry and US$60 for multiple entry. Exact amount is required. Releasing is from 12 noon to 2 p.m. only. On the day of release, between 9 to 10 a.m., you will have to get a deposit slip from the embassy and pay at the Metrobank branch on the ground floor. You unfortunately cannot pay beforehand. You have to submit the deposit slip to the embassy before 10 a.m. so that they will process your visa. Failure to do so would move your visa release by another working day. You will be asked to come back at 1:30 p.m. to pick up the visa. But the wait could take from a few minutes to several hours. So unless you have a lot of time on your hands, you can ask someone else to pay and pick-up your visa for you.

Colombia
The Republic of Colombia has an embassy in the Philippines. Filipino citizens traveling to Colombia as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 90 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Colombia. To confirm this information, you may contact the embassy:

Embassy of the Republic of Colombia
18/F Aurora Tower
Araneta Center, Quezon City
Telephone No. (02) 9113101
Fax No. (02) 9112846

Ecuador
The Republic of Ecuador has an honorary consulate in the Philippines. Filipino citizens traveling to Ecuador as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 90 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Ecuador. To confirm this information, you may contact the consulate:

Consulate General of the Republic of Ecuador
The Phinma Plaza, 39 Plaza Drive
Rockwell Center, Makati City
Telephone No. (02) 8700575 / 8700510

Falkland Islands
You will have to get a visa from the British Embassy.

French Guiana
You will have to get a visa from the French Embassy.

Guyana
The Republic of Guyana does not have a diplomatic mission in the Philippines. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Guyana. Unfortunately, there are no instructions where to apply for a visa. Here are the visa requirements and visa application form. You may try obtaining it from the honorary consulate in Seoul, South Korea:

Consulate of the Republic of Guyana (Seoul)
Trico International Ltd.
Rm. 201, Hyunjin Building
226-29, Yunnam-dong, Mapo-gu
Seoul, 121-865
Republic of Korea
Telephone No. +82 (2) 7847202
Fax No. +82 (2) 7849073
E-mail: whkim@tricoint.co.k

Paraguay

Although the Republic of Paraguay has an honorary consulate in the Philippines, they do not issue visas. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Paraguay. Visas must be obtained from the Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. You may course it through the consulate:

Consulate of the Republic of Paraguay
Suite 801-802 One Global Place
5th Avenue cor. 25th Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Telephone No. (02) 5193863 to 66 / 5193870

Alternately, you can apply for a visa in another South American country. If you apply in Bolivia, it will take at least three working days to process in the embassy in La Paz or the consulates in Santa Cruz or Cochabamba. In Argentina, you can get it after one working day. It's US$65 for single entry and US$100 for multiple entry.

You will need two (2) of each the following:
1. Passport size photos
2. Photocopy of your passport
3. Photocopy of your round-trip ticket
4. Photocopy of your temporary entrance stamp to the country where you are applying for a Paraguay visa
5. Photocopy of your credit card or other proof of income

Peru
Peru has an honorary consulate in the Philippines. Filipino citizens traveling to Peru as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 60 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Peru. To confirm this information, you may contact the consulate:

Consulate General of the Republic of Peru
Suite 404-405 CLMC Building
259 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City
Telephone No. (02) 7260355 / 7260359

Suriname
The Republic of Suriname does not have a diplomatic mission in the Philippines. But Filipino citizens traveling to Suriname as a tourist or for business do not require visas for stays of not more than 90 days, provided that they will not seek any employment in Suriname. To confirm this information, you may contact the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia:

Embassy of the Republic of Suriname (Jakarta)
Jl. Darmawangsa VIII / 16,
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12160, Indonesia
E-mail : surinameembassyjkt@gmail.com
Telephone No. +62 (812) 83625355 / +62 (813) 18792809

Uruguay

The República Oriental del Uruguay has an honorary consulate in the Philippines. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Uruguay. To begin the visa application, request for application forms and requirements via e-mail at uruguayconsulate.philippines@gmail.com. 

Consulado de la República Oriental del Uruguay

2F GT Tower, 6813 Ayala Avenue corner H.V. Dela Costa Street, Makati City

Telephone: (+632) 857-5955 / Trunk line (+632) 898-8599 Loc. 5955

Fax: (+632) 856-3848

Email: uruguayconsulate.philippines@gmail.com

The following are the requirements for application:

1. Applicants must fill in visa application from A1 and the corresponding form B:  (B1) Tourist Visa, (B2) Business Visa or (B3) Conference Visa. Forms must be filled in English and preferably digitally, be sure to attach supporting documents. Afterwards applicant must send it to the Consulate of Uruguay (Manila) by e-mail, fax or courier.

2. Copy of passport (front and back)

3. Hotel reservation or itinerary and lodging accommodation (Please provide name, contact number, e-mail and address, should be based in Uruguay)

4. Airline ticket

5. Request letter stating your reason of going to Uruguay and indicate contact details (address and contact number)

Requirements for B2 and B3 are slightly different. Note that it takes at least three to four weeks to process a visa since approval comes from Uruguay. Once the applicant has submitted all important documents, the Consulate will inform applicant about the status of the application after three or four weeks. Once the visa has been approved, the Consulate will contact the applicant to arrange for an appointment.

On the day of the appointment, the applicant must deposit the exact amount of visa fee to the Consulate's bank account and bring the deposit receipt which is to be submitted to the office staff. Visa cost is US$42 depending on the current exchange rate that the Consulate is using. Exact amount will be given prior to the appointment.

Venezuela
The Bolivaran Republic of Venezuela has an embassy in the Philippines. Filipino citizens require a visa to visit Venezuela. Please visit the embassy for more details:

Embassy of the Bolivaran Republic of Venezuela
Unit 17-A Multinational Bancorporation Center
6805 Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Telephone No. (02) 8452841, 8452842
Fax No. (02) 8452866

Each country in South America also has its own currency. I've experienced the difficulties first hand. But that's another story!

Argentina-Chile border crossing at Paso Los Libertadores

Two days ago, we made our third South American border crossing. We spent two hours going through border controls at Paso Los Libertadores where Argentinian and Chilean Immigration and Customs share a building. Our bus had to queue which took quite a while. We weren't even allowed to get off the bus until it was our turn.

As soon as our bus was given the go, we were asked to line-up with our documents and follow the conductor to the building. We first lined-up at the Argentinian Immigration window for our exit stamps. Then we lined-up at the next counter for our entry stamps into Chile. We kind of delayed the line since the officer was surprised to see Philippine passports. And she had to inquire with her colleagues how to process our visas since we are required to have them for entry into Chile.

With that settled, passengers were asked to board the bus and wait for our turn at Chilean Aduana (Customs). When our turn came up, everyone on the bus was asked to get off again, this time with all our belongings. We were then asked to line-up (firing squad style) in front of a long table where we placed our hand-carried items. They then collected our forms (Chile has a list of things to declare and make sure you do if you have something that's on the list or ask if you're not sure). At the same time, our luggage was unloaded from the bus and sent through the x-ray. If they find something in the luggage, they ask who the owner is and ask questions as soon as the owner approaches them. Once the luggage scan is done, passengers are then asked to pass their hand-carried items through the x-ray. When cleared, we were finally asked to board the bus again. It took a several more minutes before the bus was cleared to pass.

The travel time from Mendoza, Argentina to Santiago, Chile is approximately seven hours. There was an accident along the way plus road construction that added three hours to our trip, bringing our total travel time from Córdoba via Mendoza to Santiago de Chile to over 21 hours! 

Good thing the vineyards of Mendoza and the drive through the Andes Mountains, especially the Aconcagua Provincial Park, made the trip very interesting.
Our first two border crossings were less eventful. We had made a land trip from Brazil to Uruguay two weeks ago. The bus company had our passports and they were stamped in Brazil while we were sleeping. In Uruguay, it would have also been the same. But since we had visas, the bus attendant had to wake us up to fill in information the officer needed.

The river crossing last week from Uruguay to Argentina was even simpler. It was the first time I saw Immigration officers from two countries seated beside each other. First was the Uruguay exit stamp. Then they Uruguayan officer passes your passport to the Argentinian officer for your entry stamp, and it's done. So technically, you've entered Argentina while still in Uruguay. When we arrived in Buenos Aires, we went through customs and we were done.

Since I'm constantly on the road, it will be difficult to update the blog regularly. But you're sure to get daily updates from my Instagram and Twitter accounts. So do follow @ivanhenares on both.