Hello hello.

70 countries ticked off, and never been to South America. Through serendipity, I've got a work offer to pick a country in South America and chose to live there. FYI I'm 29, I like adventure, I've a motorbike and I'm single, but I have to hold down a proper job in a city that is fairly first-world.

I implore those who have travelled to this marvellous region to give me some advice: if you could pick one one city to live in this great continent, which would it be?
- I'd love to have some scuba diving options.
- I'd love to have some proper weekend/long weekend adventures on a dualsport bike. Open spaces, camping, general biking goodness.

Restrictions:
- I need to live within two hours of a proper international airport.

From reading through my guidebooks, Buenos Aires and Caracas look interesting. The recent article on Sao Paulo's traffic (BBC News - Sao Paulo: A city with 180km traffic jams) and Rio's crime have let me think that they aren't options.

Seasoned explorers of the HUBB, your thoughts please!

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http://bigben.to/ London to....? The big bike annual rally.
http://www.mongolbikers.com 125cc London -> Mongolia.

Are you kidding??? **** PERU !! ****

Peru is beautiful, the people are awesome (as are almost all in SA), and the food is the best in the world (seriously!). The Dakar is starting there this year. Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Gocta Falls (3rd highest in the world!), 2,000 ft sand dunes and the best waves in SA on the coast, millions of kms of good gravel roads in the Andes with awesome views, the mountain jungle and the Amazon!

When you say 2 hours away from an international airport, do you include 'within a 2 hour flight from an international airport?

Lima and Cuzco are the international airports, but most every major city in Peru is within 1 hr 20 min of Lima International with 4 to 6 flights daily from each city.

Most beautiful are Cajamarca and Tarapoto in the north, Huaraz and Pucallpa in the center, and Arequipa and Cuzco in the south.

Peru has had a 8 to 12 % growth for the last 9 years! In these difficult times! There is a huge expat population because of all the international investments...

There are many countries with great things here and there... but Peru has it all! I live there most of the year...

Cheers, Toby

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http://www.aroundtheblockmotoadventures.com/
'We build the bike (in Peru) for your Epic Ride of South America.'

Peru is a great option as per above.

BA is a nightmare to drive around, worse on a motorcycle and no good rides nearby.

Caracas has too many security issues for my taste. I would ride solo around Rio before Caracas.

Chile could be an option.

Santiago has first world amenities, a great airport and a 2 hr radius allows you to be on the coast and out of the santiago smog.

Lots of good riding in the Andes, coast and coastal mountains.

A tad on the staid, boring side maybe compared to `brazil and `peru but to live this is not always a bad thing.

And if you want great food, there are lots of Peruvian restaurants!

Colombia would be my first choice by far, especially since your single

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www.throttlemeister.net

Puerto Madryn, Argentine Patagonia. All your boxes are ticked! But for family, I'd live there myself. Tomorrow.

Regards, Mick

Fantastic information, thank you! So Lima I've put on the radar, and I'll investigate Bogota too - unfortunately no office in Puerto Madryn; Uruguay's Montevideo benefits from being tax efficient and is meant to be a bit of a secret if anyone has experience? Worryingly though, searching advrider for hits on Uruguay doesn't bring up much in the way of anything inspiring... :/

The search continues... thoughts still very much appreciated!

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http://bigben.to/ London to....? The big bike annual rally.
http://www.mongolbikers.com 125cc London -> Mongolia.

Oh my goodness - Bogota looked to be perfect until I read up on the crazy import restrictions on vehicles.

Not only could I not bring my motorbikes/cars with me, but buying local is crazy money, somewhat defeating the point of picking somewhere to explore from.

Stumped now...

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http://bigben.to/ London to....? The big bike annual rally.
http://www.mongolbikers.com 125cc London -> Mongolia.

Yep motorcycle heaven is not cheap

I'd buy an older/smaller bike in country, Colombia is wonderful and has some of the best riding in SA imho.

One day I hope to own a Colombian plated bike for more frequent trips down South.

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www.throttlemeister.net

I love big cities and live in Mexico City and love it. I also lived in Sao Paulo and loved it too. Both have good roads nearby and the crazy city life and riding. There is a bigger bike culture in Brazil than in Mexico. They both have year round riding although both have rainy seasons with rain normaly in the afternoon.
Importing/taking bikes into countries where you are going to live may be difficult or impossible. I would buy locally, this may also not be easy as you are a foreigner buying a bike and will need to show that you are legally in the country. It will be more expensive but when you leave you sell the bike and get some of the money back. I've lived in Mexico for over 30 years with a 4 year stint in Brazil. In Brazil I bought a Suzuki 1200 (back in ´97) for 14,500 US dlls and sold it for 11,000 when I left. I took it as the price I had to pay to ride there. I rarely got stopped by the police for spot checks of papers but when I did I never had a problem.
I had a friend in Mexico who bought a bike from The States into Mexico and had to take it out every 6 months and it was always a pain as the 6 months came around when he didn't have the time etc.
I am not saying that Brazil or Mexico are the places for you but the weather is good. I checked annual rainfall in Peru and it was very low that could be good.
Venezuela has very cheap gas so could be another possibilty.
Good luck.

Garry

I've got a work offer to pick a country in South America ......

never done the americas ... so cant offer you any advice....

enlighten me though - re "I've got a work offer to pick a country in South America "

what on earth job / field are you in?

I've lived in Buenos aires and Bogota and travelled around all of South America. I'd opt for Bogota. wonderful country and you can go diving from Colombia. Fantastic friendly people. I found BA and argentina a little dull and BA is a long way away from anywhere.

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In Peru you buy a bike, get it all registered, plated and insured as a tourist!

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http://www.aroundtheblockmotoadventures.com/
'We build the bike (in Peru) for your Epic Ride of South America.'

I was very impressed with Ecuador. If you are an entreprenuer I would look here. They have had 2 Presidents who seem to have the countries best interests at heart.

Rio is an amazing city bur soooo expensive.

If you go Colombia, I'd pick Medellin, safe, lively, great climate, great food. Great riding once you leave the city, a project during rush hour.

To kick it, I'd suggest Otavalo, EC. An hr & change to Quito, eternal spring and a good mix of exotica and 1st world amenities. Great riding everywhere. Cheap. I'd never live in Quito tho'.

For the chicas, Lima!!! Yeah, in CO they may be more beautiful, but nowhere else are they more "welcoming" to gringos. Riding to interesting locations would require a weekend or more.

If you are into hangin with the Gringos, consider Cuzco. Cheap. Great riding in the mnts, you can usually catch a fight to Lima in a few hrs notice.

For patio wine lunches at the foot of the high Andes, consider Mendoza. It'd be a flight to BA, but it's nice year round & has some skiing.

To get totally away from it all, consider Coroico, Bolivia. an hour from la Paz and $10 will get you a luxury hotel.

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India Himal, 3mo,2x; Kazak/Krygyz/Tajik, 3 mo; Kashi-Lhasa, China 219! 6 wk; Nepal, 4 days/trekked 55; Santiago-Ushuia-Cusco, 7 mo; Peru, 3 mo; Chile-Medellin 3 mo; Medillin-Arica, 3 mo

Greetings KTMmartin,

What a fricking dilemma you have!!!! Well...you have gotten some very good intel from the veteran HUBB members. I wish I were in your position! Jeez! I have to pick one country in SA...blah..blah..blah.

First off, being the ripe old age of 29 is a plus in So. America. Heck being 69 in So. America is a plus! Since you haven't been there before, you'll have to make some adjustments. I don't think you'll have ANY problem adapting to your new environ and their way of life. You will be in the midst of the most "target rich environment" that there is in el mundo. Start your neck exercises now, lest you'll injure yourself upon arrival. Twist your head full left, then full right, now increase the speed...you get the idea.

OK, my two cents worth. I spent most of my time in Buenos Aires. BA is known as the Paris of So. America. I'm sure you have probably been to Paris and if you visit BA, you'll find "it ain't no Paris." It is very rich in architectural design and is a city of diverse culture. The natives are friendly and you'll love the food, weather, and sights. However, the country has recently had some problems with inflation and a high rate of unemployment. I would suggest a visit if you can work it into your itinerary, but sadly at the moment, not a place to be an expat.

My recommendation for you would be Santiago, Chile. It's directly west of Bs. As. Chile probably has the best and most stable economy in SA. The city is clean, safe, very cosmopolitan, and again the natives are friendly. You'll be at the foothills of the Andes and if you like adventure, take a ride across the Andes to Mendoza, AR, the major wine region of Argentina. The coast of Chile is also a short ride away and you'll find much happiness in Valparaiso. You can also visit Patagonia, AR, as suggested by MICK, where you'll find some of the most picturesque terrain in the world. The airport is near the city and very modern.

What about Brazil? Ummmm...Sao Paulo is the third largest city in the world, has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan, and not so tourist friendly but, it is the economical centre of Brazil. The traffic is a nightmare, but a ride over to Rio de Janeiro along the coast is the bomb! Rio also has traffic problems and it's only going to get worse with the city making preparations for the Olympic Games. The beaches in Rio are better than the photos you've ever seen and overall, I would have to say (IMHO) the Brazilian's are the most carefree, laid back, and loving people of SA. When you make a friend there, they are you friend for life. The economy is good, the currency a little overrated but is coming back into line with the rest of SA. You'll find many motorcyclist in Sao Paulo and it's the best mode of transportation. Lane splitting is common and a way of life there. Oh! And I just like the sound of Portuguese over Spanish. It's just a personal preference, but it just sounds so much more romantic.

I can't vouch for Peru or Columbia since I haven't been there...as of YET! But if Herr THROTTLEMEISTER likes it, take it to the bank. He has lots of experience traveling SA. I have personally heard that Columbia has the prettiest women of all of SA. I'll try to confirm that for ya at a later date

I was recently in Quito. Not a place that I would want to live but the weather and terrain is top notch. You'll see many volcanoes nearby, great scenery, and the Galapagos Islands are only a short flight away. US dollars is the local currency and gasoline is $2 a gallon. You're on the equator dude! The city is about about 9200ft/2800m above sea level and the weather is spring like year round.

I have rented bikes in SA since all my visits are one to two week in duration. It has been my experience that shipping your own bike or buying locally presents it own problems. Bear in mind some of the countries have a stiff tariff, especially if you buy a new bike. This could be as much as 100%. Scour your sources to make the final decision. Buying a used bike in your host country might be the answer but I can't say that definitively. Wi-Fi is plentiful in the largest cities and staying in touch with the homeland won't be a problem.

I wish you the best of luck and only wish that I was in your briar patch!

Cheers mate!
Jetson