https://hitchwiki.org/en/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Chael777&feedformat=atomHitchwiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T23:35:59ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.32.3https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=105229User:Chael7772024-01-14T22:52:35Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{delete|I would like to delete my page and account}}</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=105228User:Chael7772024-01-14T22:49:57Z<p>Chael777: Blanked the page</p>
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<div></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Websites&diff=61364Websites2012-05-21T16:00:17Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>Besides [[Hitchwiki:About|Hitchwiki]] there are quite a few decent '''websites''' out there with info about [[hitchhiking]].<br />
<br />
A huge list of hitchhiking-related websites can be also found [http://www.autostop.lt/links.php here].<br />
== Practical info ==<br />
* '''[http://www.liftershalte.info/ Liftershalte.info]''' is a world map where everyone can mark hitching spots.<br />
* The [http://www.hitchbase.com/index.php?LANG=eng Hitchbase] is a database where hitchhikers can seek for good places to hitchhike. Most entries are in English but some are written in German, too. It is not that easy to update the information there but what is already updated fascinates at times (e.g., tips for hitching in [[Finland]]).<br />
<br />
* '''[http://www.traveloblog.com traveloblog.com]''' is a community site where many hitchhikers store their travel blogs. The most known of them is [[Ludovic Hubler]], [[France|French]] hitchhiker who finished his 5 year travel around the world utilizing various form of hitchhiking.<br />
<br />
<br />
* '''[http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/hitch_hiking Suite 101]''' is a sort of on-line magazine which ran a monthly hitchhiking column from October 1996 to February 2003. The columnist, [http://bernd.wechner.info Bernd Wechner], ceased writing for Suite 101 in 2003 and the archive at Suite 101 itself has fallen into an embarrasing state of disrepair since. Bernd Wechner has however archived all the articles written for that column on [http://bernd.wechner.info/Hitchhiking/Suite101/ his own site] and [http://www.digihitch.com/featured_salman.html Morgan Salman Strub] has archived them on digihitch along with a wealth of other material from many contributors.<br />
<br />
* '''[http://www.velabas.com Velabas - Travel Narrative]''' Is a website that documents one person's personal hitchhiking expeirences and drawings. It also links to many useful sites.<br />
<br />
* [http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/kjokisal/liftaus/ Hitchhikers' guide to Europe] is a website by Kirsi Jokisalo with tips about hitchhiking in several European countries.<br />
* [http://hitch-hiking.org/ hitch-hiking.org] is a great site in English and German with lots of general information about hitchhiking, legal issues, including at the same time dozens of funny anecdotes.<br />
* [http://www.franknature.nl/hitchhike/hitchhike.htm Hitchhiking in the Netherlands] (Ad-Hoc-Carpooling) - a neat website by [[User:Fverhart|Frank Verhart]].<br />
<br />
* '''[http://www.ehow.com/how_4848627_hitchhike-effectively.html How To Hitchhike Effectively]''' An easy but comprehensive guide to hitchhiking including how to pick up prepare, find the best hitching spots, pick up rides, and enjoy rides.<br />
<br />
* [http://www.reddit.com/r/hitchhiking/ Hitchhiking reddit] - user submitted articles and discussion.<br />
* [http://www.hitchhiking-europe.eu Hitchhiking-europe.eu] is a website where drivers can offer rides and where hitchhikers can respond to the offered rides. <br />
<br />
=== Digihitch ===<br />
* [[Digihitch]] is a complete web portal devoted to hitchhiking, with thousands of members around the world, and a new, original content every day. The site receives over 40,000 visitors each month. [http://www.digihitch.com Digihitch.com] has many different areas of information to: showcase new stuff, help travelers prepare for a trip, or to allow registered members to share stories and articles.<br />
* [http://www.digihitch.com/forums.html Great Campfire Forums] - Discussion forums with thousands of topics on everything related to hitchhiking, including forums on road culture and regional travel. People new to hitchhiking can get help in the ''Sparkies'' forum.<br />
* [http://www.digihitch.com/world/ Digihitch World] - Map-based navigation of worldwide hitchhiking resources. Click on a country or sub-region to view its stories, links and discussion groups. Members can also vote for each region based on 5 key points (including affordability, safety and 'hitchhikability')<br />
* [http://www.digihitch.com/encyclopedia.html Encyclopedia of Road Sub-Culture] - Includes hundreds of biographies, song lyrics, travel terms and movies. Favorites include our ''Hitchhiking in the Movies'' section- listing all movies that have hitchhiking- and ''Celebrity Sub-culture'', with a listing of actors, musicians and other notables who have been on the road.<br />
<br />
== Other languages ==<br />
<br />
There are also Hitchwikis (or sister projects in other names) in other languages, [[:es:|Spanish]], [[:de:|German]], [[:fr:|French]], [[:fi:|Finnish]], [[:pt:|Portuguese]], [[:bg:|Bulgarian]] and [[:ru:|Russian]].<br />
<br />
=== Finnish ===<br />
* '''[http://www.liftari.org Liftari.org]''' is a community webpage for Finnish hitchhikers. It's a community blog started in early 2004 that contains tips and stories about hitchhiking. The site is mostly in [[finland#Language|Finnish]] although foreigners who come to [[hitchhiking|hitchhike]] in [[Finland]] can post questions on the forum, too.<br />
<br />
=== German ===<br />
* [http://deu.anarchopedia.org/index.php/Tramp-Ratgeberin Hitchhike info on Anarchopedia] - '''wiki''' which is available under the ''GNU Free Documentation License'' (compatible with this wiki).<br />
* [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com Abgefahren e.V. - Deutsche AutoStop Gesellschaft] - German Autostop Society which has regular meetings, interesting ideas, etc.<br />
<br />
=== Russian ===<br />
* [http://www.hike.ru hike.ru] - [[Russia]]n site with some information [http://hike.ru/?newlang=eng in English]<br />
<br />
=== Spanish ===<br />
* [http://www.autostopargentina.com.ar AutostopArgentina] is a community page for hitch-hikers from [[Argentina]] and [[South America]] in general. There's lots of detailed data about hitchhiking in Argentina, HOWTO's, and a forum with more than 1200 registered members.<br />
<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Wikis]] for wiki websites<br />
* [[Multimedia]] for an overview of different media stuff on hitchhiking<br />
* [[Hitchhiking clubs]] do you have a hitchhiking club in your country?<br />
<br />
[[Category:General info]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Websites]]<br />
[[fi:Linkit]]<br />
[[fr:Sites web]]<br />
[[pl:Strony internetowe]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=59761User:Chael7772012-02-18T18:17:21Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>[[File:Lapataia.jpg|thumb|600px| Arriving at Punta Lapataia in Ushuaia, January 2012]]<br />
<br />
<br />
Chael (<small>pron.</small> keyl<small>)</small> is from [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] in the [[United States]]. In 2007, he began hitching in [[France]], and has since found himself on many roads, and for much longer than initially planned. Over the years, he has come to share the belief with some fellow hitchers than plans are the killers of adventure. Now, he follows roads based on ''ideas'' alone.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Velabas ==<br />
<br />
He maintains a virtual presence at [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas].com. Velabas is meant to document his travels throughout the world. Although his most recent exploits began in August of 2009, it was a full year before he began writing at Velabas.<br />
<br />
Velabas is not only to document his travels, but to share drawings and ficiton witing as well. The idea of the website is to claim his own space in the virtual world outside of any pre-fabricated format web builder. It is also meant to link to like-minded travelers' websites in order to foster global connections.<br />
<br />
The journey is not a continuous one, the idea being that he will take breaks when necessary. However, the journey must always pick up exactly where it had left off, to create a global continuity of road and water travel.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Countries Travelled by Thumb ==<br />
<br />
[[France]], [[The Netherlands]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Poland]], [[Turkey]], [[United States]], [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Panama]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]], [[Chile]], and [[Argentina]].<br />
<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Drawbath.jpg|A drawing of men at the urinals<br />
Image:Shadowdunes.jpg|Sitting among Peruvian Dunes, June 2011<br />
Image:Travelhat.jpg|The old and unraveling traveler cap.<br />
</gallery></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Blogging_Hitchhikers&diff=59758Blogging Hitchhikers2012-02-18T01:14:15Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>There are quite a few '''Blogging Hitchhikers''' around. You can get your own hitchhiking blog at '''[http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/ blogs.hitchwiki.org]'''.<br />
<br />
== Updated Frequently ==<br />
* [http://cruisesurfingz.com CruiseSurfingZ] Working on a cruise ship, couchsurfing and hitchhiking.<br />
* [http://deathsquadmuffin.blogspot.com/ Meandering] Hitchhiking, ridesharing, couchsurfing, housesitting. <br />
From Victoria to Montreal to Panama. Up next: sailboat hitching to the South Pacific.<br />
* [http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ Craig] hits the road to meet people, see places & go beyond frontiers. THUMBING ASIA.<br />
* [http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/fabzgy/ Fabzgy]<br />
* [http://www.xtrmweb.com Hitchhiking, traveling, chasing dreams] Stories of Eric as he hitchhikes, works, and travels with a goal in mind. [[User:mrnightowl|Eric]].<br />
* [http://decapitatedhope.livejournal.com Steal Compass Go North Disappear] Writings, photos and the insanities, joys and loneliness of the road by [[User:Whisperingofthestars|Jason]].<br />
* [[User:Platschi|Platschi]] blogs [http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/platschi here] now.<br />
* [[Katja and Augustas]] are on their way through the world on [http://www.FollowTheRoad.com/ FollowTheRoad.com]<br />
* [http://www.bloggertramp.com/faq-english Bloggertramp.com] is a site where a German blogger writes about his hitchhiking across Europe in August 2010<br />
* [http://www.westplease.blogspot.com/ West, Please!] is about Chuck and Callie's hitchhiking adventure across the United States with product reviews and tips.<br />
* [http://blog.inga-panova.com/ Ingonite's Blog] Stories from [[User:Ingonite|Ingonite]] about hitchhiking through Europe!<br />
* [http://www.johnnyhobo.tumblr.com/ Welcome Home.] Photos and notes from Jonmb's search for the American Dream... or something like that.<br />
* [http://www.throughthewindslope.wordpress.com Through The Wind Slope] Blog about a Spanish hitchhiker [[User:Aixecantelpolse|Oriol]] who thumbs from Europe to Asia.<br />
* [http://www.velabas.com Velabas] [[User:Chael777|Chael]] hitchhiking around the world, writing and drawing along the way.<br />
<br />
== Moderately Updated ==<br />
* [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/ Compared to me you're all tourists]<br />
* [[User:Robino|Robino]] also blogs about hitchhiking on [http://robokow.net/tag/hitchhiking/ robokow.net]<br />
* [http://quest4serendipity.blogspot.com/ Roadjunky Craig] logs here with pics, vids & 3Ds.<br />
* [[User:Tobo|Tobo]] blogs on Livejournal; read his [http://nibot.livejournal.com/tag/hitchhiking hitchhiking entries].<br />
* One more hitch around the world blog with pics and infos on [http://edwas.de/ www.edwas.de]<br />
* Bass Drum Ben uses his [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bassdrumben Bassdrumben Yahoo! Group]<br />
* Juan Villarino of [[Argentina]] shares stories and photos from his hitchhike around the world at [http://www.acrobatoftheroad.blogspot.com/ AcrobatoftheRoad.blogspot.com]<br />
* [[User:Prino|Prino]] occasionally writes a bit on [http://hitchwiki.org/community/prino/ Prino's Blog]<br />
<br />
== Sleeping blogs ==<br />
* http://tramper.webmg.de/<br />
* [[User:myshkin|myshkin]]'s first time hitchhiking blog [http://www.hitchingtodie.blogspot.com Hitching To Die].<br />
* [[User:Pite|pite]] usually does a trip starting from Budapest to a nearby country or fly somewhere by low coast airline [http://oucs.blog.com/ oucs.blogspot.com]. it's Hungarian, but there's a map and some nice pictures.<br />
* digihitch.com shares [http://digihitchdotcom.blogspot.com hitchhiking news on blogspot]<br />
* [[User:Meenzer|Meenzer]]'s [http://www.travelpod.com/members/meenzer hh journeys reports]<br />
* [http://www.romansterly.com www.romansterly.com] First hitchhiking trip for 2 guys from the Czech Republic around western Europe for 15 days, day by day diary, unfortunatelly only in the Czech language<br />
* [http://marenqo.blogspot.com/search/label/Hitchhiking Love for three Oranges intercontinental hitchhiking!]<br />
* [[User:Maplefanta|maplefanta]]'s travelling and mostly hitching blog [http://www.travbuddy.com/maplefanta/blogs Travbuddy].<br />
<br />
== Other blogs ==<br />
<br />
* [[User:Worldhitch|Marius]]'s [http://worldhitch.blogspot.com/ hitch the world blog] - Invite only 11:15, 9 January 2010 (UTC)<br />
* [http://moroccoorbust.blogspot.com Morocco or Bust]. Stories, pictures, and tips from a UK to Morocco hitchhike to raise money for [http://lcd.org.uk/ Link Community Development]. - Invite only 11:15, 9 January 2010 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
* Some users from [[abgefahren e.V.]] blog about their hitching trips on the [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/blog abgefahren site], mostly in German.<br />
<br />
* ''add your hitching blog!''<br />
<br />
[[Category:Websites]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Blogs]]<br />
[[zh:Blogging Hitchhikers]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=59757User:Chael7772012-02-18T01:04:04Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Lapataia.jpg|thumb|600px| Arriving at Punta Lapataia in Ushuaia, January 2012]]<br />
<br />
<br />
Chael (<small>pron.</small> keyl<small>)</small> is from [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] in the [[United States]]. In 2007, he began hitching in [[France]], and has since found himself on many roads, and for much longer than initially planned. Over the years, he has come to share the belief with some fellow hitchers than plans are the killers adventure. Now, he follows roads based on ''ideas'' alone.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Velabas ==<br />
<br />
He maintains a virtual presence at [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas].com. Velabas is meant to document his travels throughout the world. Although his most recent exploits began in August of 2009, it was a full year before he began writing at Velabas.<br />
<br />
Velabas is not only to document his travels, but to share drawings and ficiton witing as well. The idea of the website is to claim his own space in the virtual world outside of any pre-fabricated format web builder. It is also meant to link to like-minded travelers' websites in order to foster global connections.<br />
<br />
The journey is not a continuous one, the idea being that he will take breaks when necessary. However, the journey must always pick up exactly where it had left off, to create a global continuity of road and water travel.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Countries Travelled by Thumb ==<br />
<br />
[[France]], [[The Netherlands]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Poland]], [[Turkey]], [[United States]], [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Panama]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]], [[Chile]], and [[Argentina]].<br />
<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Drawbath.jpg|A drawing of men at the urinals<br />
Image:Shadowdunes.jpg|Sitting among Peruvian Dunes, June 2011<br />
Image:Travelhat.jpg|The old and unraveling traveler cap.<br />
</gallery></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=59756User:Chael7772012-02-18T00:31:03Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div><br />
Chael began hitching in 2007, and has since found himself on the roads of the Americas for much longer than initially planned out. But he supposes that's the way of things, huh?[[File:Lapataia.jpg|thumb|450px| Arriving at Punta Lapataia in Ushuaia, January 2012]]<br />
<br />
You can read everything he's up to at [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas].<br />
<br />
[[File:Drawbath.jpg|thumb|350px| Correct satire?]]<br />
[[File:Shadowdunes.jpg|thumb|350px| Sitting among Peruvian Dunes, June 2011]]<br />
[[File:Travelhat.jpg|thumb|350px| The old and unraveling traveler hat.]]<br />
<br />
== Methods ==</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=59755User:Chael7772012-02-18T00:27:50Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>Chael began hitching in 2007, and has since found himself on the roads of the Americas for much longer than initially planned out. But he supposes that's the way of things, huh?[[File:Lapataia.jpg|thumb|450px| Arriving at Punta Lapataia in Ushuaia, January 2012]]<br />
<br />
You can read everything he's up to at [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas].<br />
<br />
[[File:Drawbath.jpg|thumb|350px| Correct satire?]]<br />
[[File:Shadowdunes.jpg|thumb|350px| Sitting among Peruvian Dunes, June 2011]]<br />
[[File:Travelhat.jpg|thumb|350px| The old and unraveling traveler hat.]]<br />
<br />
== Methods ==</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=59754User:Chael7772012-02-18T00:23:31Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>Chael began hitching in 2007, and has since found himself on the roads of the Americas for much longer than initially planned out. But he supposes that's the way of things, huh?<br />
<br />
You can read everything he's up to at [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas].</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Travelhat.jpg&diff=59753File:Travelhat.jpg2012-02-18T00:21:10Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{cc-by-sa}} [[User:Chael777|Chael]]'s handy hat, on its last leg.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Shadowdunes.jpg&diff=59752File:Shadowdunes.jpg2012-02-18T00:20:33Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{cc-by-sa}} [[User:Chael777|Chael]] sitting on Peruvian dunes.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Lapataia.jpg&diff=59751File:Lapataia.jpg2012-02-18T00:19:48Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{cc-by-sa}} [[User:Chael777|Chael]] at Punta Lapataia in Ushuaia.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Drawbath.jpg&diff=59750File:Drawbath.jpg2012-02-18T00:18:56Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{cc-by-sa}} A drawing of men at urinals by [[User:Chael777|Chael]].</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Larochellehitch.jpg&diff=59749File:Larochellehitch.jpg2012-02-17T23:59:47Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{cc-by}} [[User:Chael777|Chael]] hitching in France.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=France&diff=59748France2012-02-17T23:57:06Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = France<br />
|map = <map lat='47' lng='1.5' zoom='5' view='0' height='320' country='France'/><br />
|language = French<br />
|capital = [[Paris]]<br />
|pop = 64,102,140<br />
|currency = Euro (€)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='fr' /><br />
|BW = FR<br />
}}<br />
'''France''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is usually a great country for hitchhiking. There are many friendly car and truck drivers. Drivers have to pay toll on motorways (except in [[Bretagne|Brittany]]), and you can get a ride quite easily at some ''[[Péage|barrières de péage]]'' (toll stations). When hitchhiking on local roads, you might face some difficulties sometimes, though. One of the commonly known barriers for traveling in France (as in any foreign country) is a language - you might wanna learn some basic phrases before you off on the road in France.<br />
<br />
Like everywhere in Europe, walking on the motorways is illegal and thus it's also illegal to hitchhike there. If you are picked up the police you may be fined, however the Gendarmerie are likely to simply give you a lift to the next toll stop. Use service areas, peages and on-ramps. Moreover some experience shows that French people will more often stop in a place where it is not normally allowed than in other countries.<br />
<br />
It may also be helpful to write '''S.V.P.''' on your sign with a destination name - it is short for ''s'il vous plaît'' (sih-voo-play) which means ''please'' in French.<br />
<br />
On Sundays, only trucks with frozen goods are allowed to drive. Keep in mind though that trucks are not allowed to go more than 90 km/h and the driver must stop for a 45 min break every 4 hours, which can make the trip much longer.<br />
<br />
The ''"Michelin 726 National"'' map of France is a good choice for a hitchhiker in this country. It shows all the major ''barrières de péage'' and [[rest area|service stations]]. You can get a free map in péage offices.<br />
<br />
== ''Autoroutes'', ''péages'' and ''barrières de péage'' ==<br />
<br />
'''Péage''' ([http://french.about.com/library/media/wavs/peage.wav]) is a French word for ''toll''. It is also commonly used as referring to [[toll station]]s.<br />
<br />
In France, most of the motorways are toll roads which are the fastest way to hitch across the country. There are two types of toll stations on péages. First, there are big ones where all traffic has to stop to pay a fee (or to get a ticket) - these are ''barrières de péage'' and usually they are excellent spots to get a long-distance ride and make it really easy to hitchhike during the night. They are often located near big cities on the autoroute. Another type is a side barrier situated on all exits in the toll part of the motorway. On latter ones traffic is much smaller, therefore one can expect a longer waiting time, although sometimes congested toll stations (the first type) can be a difficult place to hitch from, too.<br />
<br />
To reach the ''barrière de péage'', you may need to walk along the motorway; with a help of a proper map check if the distance needed to be walked is not too long. It is actually illegal to walk on a side lane of the motorway (same is valid for some parts of national roads (''voie express'') in France); if police sees you, you will be driven somewhere safe and may be fined for ~90€. Péage toll stations are considered a part of the motorway, and legally you do not have the right to solicit rides there. You may be asked to wait in the parking area which is after each ''barrière de péage''. In practice, this is rarely enforced (maybe 5% of the time), most toll station employees simply want to make sure you're not endangering yourself or others. Having a sign with your destination (or the next city) is recommended and will distinguish you as a serious hitchhiker, and not a vagrant. <br />
<br />
The fastest way to travel on a péage is from one ''barrière de péage'' to another. Hitchhiking options are:<br />
<br />
* You can thumb immediately after the ''barrière de péage''<br />
* If you prefer a direct approach you can dash across the lanes one at a time until you're at a busy lane, stand next to the toll machine and talk to the drivers when they stop to pay (usually it is not allowed to hitch from the toll machines but it is generally tolerated).<br />
* You can wait before the ''barrière de péage'', just where the drivers choose their lane - there is often enough of space for cars to pull over to stop for you. <br />
<br />
Some ''barrière de péage'' are really good, some are not. If you've been waiting for a while using a destination sign, drop it and try thumbing.<br />
<br />
While on a toll road, you can always try hitchhiking from one [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol station]] to another, either asking drivers while they refill, or thumbing at the exit of the service area. The staff usually doesn't mind hitchhikers.<br />
<br />
== [[License plates|Number plates]] ==<br />
French number plates end with a number of the ''département'' the car is registered in. For example, [[Paris]]ian cars end with numbers 75, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95. See Wikipedia articles on<br />
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_vehicle_registration_plates French vehicle registration plates] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_arrondissements_of_France Arrondissements of France]. New number plates are in use since mid-2009. They have an optional reference to the department on the blue stripe at the right side, but they technically are not part of the plate, and do not necessarily refer to the owner's address - one may for example choose to put the number of the department where he/she was born. Cars that belong to companies, including rental ones usually bear "60" or "76" since tax on corporate vehicles is the lowest there. The existing old plates will be still in use for a while.<br />
<br />
== [[Food]]/[[Money]] ==<br />
<br />
French bakeries are by law prohibited from selling bread that is older than a day, so it pays to go around bakeries (''boulangerie'') and asking for old bread, or simply checking bakeries' doors/backyards after they close.<br />
<br />
EU, EEA, Swiss, Andorran and Monégasque citizens can live and work in France without restrictions. Non-EU citizens who are from Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay are permitted to work in France during their 3 month visa exemption period. For more information, visit the [http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france/coming-to-france/getting-a-visa/article/foreign-nationals-holding-ordinary French Ministry of Foreign Affairs] website.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
''In my experience it's pretty much impossible to go hungry in France. While hitching I almost ALWAYS get 10 or 5 euros thrown my way, and once even 60 euro! The key is to imply you have no money (helps the guilt if you actually don't have any like I did). Ask where you can use the internet or a phone, but WITHOUT PAYING, and 90% of the time they'll tell you "I'll drop you off at the station/road/town with 10 euros, alright?" It's not really possible without having a good standard of communication though, so either hope they know English or learn some French! I also wouldn't recommend doing "it" if you have no money or already had access to the internet or a phone, solely because of guilt. Even though I was genuine in my requests I didn't feel happy taking their money, but food is food!'' - Aaronishappy<br />
<br />
<br />
''France is great because it has roundabouts, which makes for slow traffic on the smaller roads. Of course, the big highways are off-limits in many cases, but that's alright. Beautiful countryside, good people. For me I enjoyed eating lots of cheese and lots of baguettes, as cliche as that may sound.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Mrtweek mzenzes hitching in france.png|[[User:Mzenzes|Martin]] and [[User:MrTweek|Philipp]] hitching in France.<br />
Image:Derek_hitching_at_péage.jpg|Derek hitching at a péage near [[Valence]].<br />
Image:Cynthia_hitching.jpg|Cynthia hitchhiking out of [[Paris]].<br />
Image:Tokyohitch.jpg|[[Lille]]-[[Tokyo]] direct ride, 5-min deal.<br />
Image:Perpignan bridgeoveronramp.jpg|On ramp bridge near [[Perpignan]].<br />
Image:Spot-sharing.jpg|Sharing knowledge on spots to hitch out of Paris during the [[project 888|888]] event.<br />
Image:peage.jpg|A typical ''barrière de péage'' in France.<br />
Image:larochellehitch.jpg|[[User:Chael777|Chael]] on his ''first'' hitch!<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* [http://mappy.fr/ Mappy] is a good online map service for France in case you want to know where certain public transport goes to.<br />
* [http://www.asf.fr/shared/pdf/CarteReseau.pdf Le Réseau ASF], a PDF file that shows all ''barrières de péage'' on major routes in Southern France.<br />
* [http://www.asf.fr/shared/pdf/Aires%20de%20services%20VINCI%20autoroutes.pdf Service Stations Network], a pdf file that shows all service station on major routes in southern France.<br />
{{Cities France}}<br />
{{Regions France}}<br />
{{Template:Europe/countries}}<br />
<br />
{{IsIn|Western Europe}}<br />
__NOTOC__<br />
[[trash:France]]<br />
[[wikipedia:France]]<br />
[[digi:France]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:France| ]]<br />
[[Category:Western Europe]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Frankreich]]<br />
[[es:Francia]]<br />
[[fr:France]]<br />
[[nl:Frankrijk]]<br />
[[pl:Francja]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Winter&diff=59747Winter2012-02-17T23:46:38Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Hitchhiking in winter''' or more generally in cold climates can be more complex but with the right preparation one can secure the comfortability of winter traveling, too. This page will detail how to keep warm when travelling in the cold. Extremely dangerous winter climates such as in [[Alaska]], [[Canada]], [[Scandinavia]], [[Russia]], [[Mongolia]] and Northern [[China]] should have extra precautions taken before starting out, and should best be avoided unless you really know what you're doing. Without proper equipment or a place to stay prearranged, you might find yourself in very serious trouble if stuck outside at night.<br />
<br />
== Essential rules ==<br />
For more advanced , as well as for [[First time hitchhiking|beginners]], there are some essential rules to take care of:<br />
<br />
* First and most important: Wear warm clothes and keep your feet warm and dry!<br />
* Limited daylight: In winter, it is usually cold and dark for the most part of a day. For example, there is only 8 hours of sunlight per day in [[Western Europe]] on the third week of December, and it's already dark at 5 in the afternoon. If you don't want to find yourself [[hitchhiking at night]] (when temperatures drop even further), you have to choose your routes carefully.<br />
* It's good to stick to [[highway]] [[petrol station hitchhiking|gas stations]] where you can wait inside, e.g., next to the coffee machine, with a [[signs|sign]] of your destination.<br />
* If you know that you won't avoid thumbing on [[on-ramp]]s, bring a torch to shine light on yourself and your sign. You should also try to stand someplace where there is a lot of light from the streetlights.<br />
* Dry cold air is not as bad as a humid one.<br />
* Some people prefer to dress in layers like an onion to keep themselves warm, and unpack when it is needed. However, some hitchers, for example, [[User:alex|alex]], prefer not to have lots of layers under the warm jacket as cars are mostly well heated (unless you are in [[Russia]]?), and for short rides it is more convenient to be dressed only in 2-3 really warm layers so that you could avoid the hassle of undressing million of layers and then dressing up again.<br />
* Bear in mind that there is snow & ice: drivers might drive more slowly, but also there could be less space to stop than usually<br />
<br />
== Additional gear for winter ==<br />
When hitchhiking in winter, temperatures can be very low. In case of longer waiting times, bad weather conditions and other things, please secure yourself with following gear (in addition to common essentials like described in [http://www.backpacking.net/ten-essl.html this list]):<br />
<br />
'''Boots''' (keeping your feet warm and dry is extremely important):<br />
* In addition to substantial (leather) boots, appropriate for winter conditions, you can also consider plastic boots and sorel insulated boots (e.g., "Sorel Bighorn", rated to -40 degrees) as possible options.<br />
<br />
'''Base Layers''' (no cotton):<br />
* Midweight or Expedition-weight thermal underwear top<br />
* Midweight or Expedition-weight thermal underwear bottom<br />
<br />
'''Other Essentials''':<br />
* Windproof and waterproof jacket, preferably with a hood (or any warm hat to protect your ears!)<br />
* Midweight or Expedition-weight Insulated fleece gloves or mittens + waterproof overgloves or mittens<br />
* Down sweater<br />
<br />
'''Optional''':<br />
* Hand warmers (e.g., "Grabber Mycoal" air-activated warmer)<br />
* Insulated water-bottle blanket<br />
* When hitchhiking a lot in the countryside or further from the cities and petrol stations, please consider getting a primus stove.<br />
<br />
== Traveling through different climate zones ==<br />
It can be a problem when you travel from warm to cold zones or the other way around (and you like to travel light with little luggage), e.g., from South Iran to Turkey in winter. However, traveling from cold climate zone to a warm one seems to be less a problem as when you get to the warm zone you can just ship your winter stuff back home. Nevertheless, it does not have to be costly or implies heavy luggage to travel the other way around. <br />
<br />
=== Personal experiences ===<br />
Hitchhiker [[User:Alex|alex]] got long woolen underwear pants and gloves from a driver in [[Iran]] before he even had the possibility to buy some (thanks, Ali!); these can be found on most markets during winter time.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:2001 Hitch-hiking in Russia.jpg|thumb|280px|right|[[User:Sigurdas|Sigurdas]] hitch-hiking towards [[Murmansk]] from [[St. Petersburg]]. Winter 2001.]]<br />
<br />
== General Advice ==<br />
If you do not have experience in surviving outside in cold conditions, perhaps hitchhiking isn't the best way to find out what it's like. It is good practice to inform people exactly where you are going, and when you expect to reach your destination. You should also bring money with you; enough to buy food and to afford a hostel, in case things turn bad. Having knowledge of the weather forecast is also advised, so you have awareness of how the weather will be over a longer period of time. Finally, you should have a complete backup plan, in case you are forced to give up. This might include taking public transport or returning home.<br />
<br />
== Equipment you might need ==<br />
* Warm clothes<br />
* 5 Season sleeping bag<br />
* Tent<br />
* Gas lamp<br />
* Bivvy bag<br />
<br />
== Sleeping Outside ==<br />
You must find an appropriate spot to set up camp. If it is very cold, you probably won't have to worry as much about people or animals disturbing you. You should try to find a spot which is, firstly, sheltered by the wind, and secondly, sheltered from above, such as by trees. Once you have found an optimal spot, you might want to start a fire. This will provide heat and light. You should learn how to start a fire before leaving. I have met some people who have used gas lamps successfully, keeping them inside their tent for extra warmth (not recommended unless the situation is desperate). Once this is done, you can start clearing away snow, if there is any. You should not to use your hands or clothes, try to find an instrument that can clear the snow aside. Piling the snow around to form a wall will provide more insulation.<br />
<br />
Once this is done, you can set up your tent and sleeping bag. Put on as many clothes as you can wear. If you have wet clothes on, consider changing out of them if at all possible. Do not expose your skin to the air, if it is extremely cold.<br />
<br />
[[Category:General info]]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:2001_Hitch-hiking_in_Russia.jpg|Hitchhiking in [[Russia]]<br />
Image:2002_hitch_hiking_in_Norway.jpg|Hitchhiking in [[Norway]]<br />
Image:Parnu-riga.jpg|Hitchhiking in [[Estonia]]<br />
Image:Erzurum.JPG|Early morning and -25°C in [[Erzurum]], one of the coldest places in [[Turkey]]; leaving the town towards West.<br />
Image:North Hiking.jpg|December hitchhiking to the [[Yukon]] in northern [[Canada]]. Coldest day was -45°C<br />
Image:Cold90.jpg|[[User:Chael777|Chael]] warming up in Montana on the i90 in December.<br />
</gallery><br />
[[trash:Winter]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:General info]]<br />
[[Category:Winter]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Jahreszeit]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Cold90.jpg&diff=59746File:Cold90.jpg2012-02-17T23:44:01Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[User:Chael777|Chael]]'s gear somewhere in winter time Montana.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Turkey&diff=59745Turkey2012-02-17T23:42:34Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Country<br />
|country = Turkey<br />
|language = Turkish<br />
|map = <map lat='39.29' lng='35' zoom='5' view='0' width='450' height='250' country='Turkey'/><br />
|capital = [[Ankara]]<br />
|pop = 71,158,647<br />
|currency = New Turkish Lira (TRY)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='tr' /><br />
|hitchbase = 196<br />
|avp = turkey<br />
|BW = TR<br />
}}<br />
<br />
Hitchhiking in '''Turkey''' is easy. Looking like a Western backpacker will get you a lot of attention when travelling outside the major tourist areas. Often, the first vehicle to pass will stop for you (sometimes even if they are going the opposite direction!) Lifts with big trucks are the most common − partly because personal cars are very often quite full. Turkish truck drivers are generally very friendly and helpful but may not speak a word of English. Knowing some Turkish phrases will help a lot.<br />
<br />
Especially truck driver will often invite you for tea and on long distances even for meals. <br />
<br />
Some drivers might ask you for a few Lira, and if you are not willing to contribute to the cost of the ride, please learn to say ''Param yok'' (I have no money) before getting in the car.<br />
<br />
Having a [[Signs|signboard]] (together with the thumb extended) certainly helps, since most Turkish hitchhikers don't use one and therefore it draws much more attention from drivers un-used to seeing signboards. Writing the name of first town on your route—no matter how small it is—and the name of a farther and bigger city is good. <br />
<br />
Also while waiting for a lift, have your backpack on the ground ''in front of'' your feet, in a position that is easily visible and recognizable as a backpack by passing by drivers. As many will admit, seeing a large backpack and camping gear such as a mat always makes Turkish drivers more comfortable with the idea of letting a stranger in their car—since it kind of proves that you are travelling on budget, not a serial killer—and thus enabling you to get lifts far more quickly.<br />
<br />
Hitchhiking at night works even better than at daytime. On a busy road, you will easily get lifts in less than 5 minutes, as long as drivers can see you.<br />
<br />
== Getting In ==<br />
<br />
[[File:CraigThumbingAsiaTurkey.JPG|thumb|250px|right|[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitching in [[Cappadocia]] en route to [[Malaysia]]]]<br />
<br />
Citizens of most EU and other Western countries can get a 3 months visa for 10 Euro or more. Czech, German, Latvian, Lithuanian, Italian and Romanian citizens are allowed to enter the country without any visa at all.<br />
<br />
There is one main border crossing each with Greece ([[Ipsala]]) and with Bulgaria ([[Kapitan Andreevo]]). Going to Georgia, you'll likely pass [[Sarp-Sarpi border crossing]] or through the smaller border crossing in [[Posof]] which requires a bit more patience and time as it's a small mountain road on the turkish side and a mountain trail on the Georgian side. Towards Iran you might chose between [[Bazargan-Doğubeyazıt border crossing|Doğubeyazıt]] in the North and [[Yuksekova-Esendere border crossing|Yuksekova]] in the South and probably some others. There are no border crossings with Armenia. (''Add border crossings with Kurdistan and Syria'')<br />
<br />
Hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]] had a terrible experience at the [[Kapitan Andreevo]]-Kapıkule [[border crossing]] in October 2008 when he was refused entry by a grumpy border guard who was probably looking for ''baksheesh''. It took a lot of convincing to be allowed back to the truck to get back his (Guaka's) backpack. The next day there was no problem to get in.<br />
<br />
[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] has crossed into [[Iran]] at the ''[[Yuksekova-Esendere]]'' border easily and is sure that getting rides on the Turkish side should be no problem. He and Dario hitched a petrol smuggling van from [[Yuksekova]] to the border. There were lots of cars with the same deed on the road. Iranian side is difficult though. Bring lots of time [http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/]!<br />
<br />
== Safety ==<br />
Following the [[Pippa|recent events]] in April 2008, this [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html hitchhiking guide to Turkey for girls] might be an interesting piece to read for everyone (not only for girls) who's planning to hitchhike in Turkey. Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before going out to wave your thumb!<br />
<br />
=== Women hitchhiking in Turkey ===<br />
<br />
A personal story:<br />
:My friend and I (both female) hitched through Turkey from the Greek border to Cappadocia and it was quite stressful. We never waited long for a ride and most of the people we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. However, I would say that with about 90 percent of our rides we got our butts, boobs, or crotches grabbed, or at least asked for sex. There is a hand sign in Turkey that means sex, which is quite different from that we have seen in America (much nicer, actually) you just rub your two pointer fingers together back and forth. It took us a while to figure out what that meant! We had to make our driver leave us on the side of the road a lot in the middle of nowhere so that was kinda dangerous. And it took us about 10 hours to make it 25 miles from just before Istanbul to just past the city. People kept trying to take us into the city or someplace we didn't want to go. We were so glad when we finally made it out of Turkey at the Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all of the other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack of respect, to some extent, on our part, for the local culture. When hitching here maybe you can learn how to say "we are just traveling and we aren't looking for sex may we still have a ride" before getting in a vehicle. For the record, our drivers always let us out when we told them too and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbings.<br />
<br />
Note: During our travels in Turkey, hitch-hiking or otherwise, we also saw this handsign (rubbing both forefingers together) many times. Although it could be misconstrued as meaning “sex” it has many different meanings such as “relationship” “friendship” “partner” etc. So if a Turkish person makes this hand gesture don't automatically assume they are asking you for sex.<br />
<br />
Another personal story: <br />
:I have just finished my second two-week trip alone through Turkey just hitchhiking, and my experience has not been at all like the above. I was quite shocked when I read it! I was traveling for long distances almost every day and I must have hitched with over fifty drivers – and only one of those drivers touched me apart from to shake my hand, and I was asked for sex twice, relatively politely, and both accepted no as an answer. I was treated with courtesy, respect, generosity, kindness, invites home to meet their families, and yes, tea and oranges. Also people kept buying me bus tickets rather than 'letting' me hitchhike on, which was horribly embarrassing! I think people who picked me up probably did consider that I might be a prostitute, but easily accepted that I wasn't judging on behavior. I suspect that experiences like the above depend on inappropriate behaviour or dress, or horribly bad luck. I don't speak Turkish, so sometimes it was a bit boring, which was probably the worst thing about hitchhiking. I would recommend not understanding the questions about whether you're alone or married- not speaking Turkish can actually help! And also be aware that Turkish women hitchhiking sit in the back seat of cars, same as in taxis.<br />
<br />
Another personal story:<br />
:I hitch-hiked with a male friend for 3.5 weeks in Turkey. We started from Istanbul, to Safranbolu, Yozgat, Malatya, Nemrut Daig, Cappadocia, Kalkan and back to Istanbul. I was asked to have sex with the bus conductor after one of the bus conductor invited us to take us and he found out that my friend and I are just friends traveling together. Well, that's just a minor issue. We got picked up by an old man when we were hitch-hiking from Cappadocia to Nemrut Dagi. The old man had only 2 fingers on his right hand, and he was driving at the speed of 150km/h, drinking cai and talking over the phone while my friend and I were sitting at the back! He drove us to a town nearby to do some sight-seeing and invited us to stay with his daughter's family! We ended up staying there for 3 nights. My fiend joined her husband to work while i stayed at home with the wife doing some traditional stuff!<br />
The hardest route to get a ride was probably from Antalya to Kalkan. It was late and no one wanted to pick us up! In the end, two guys who worked in a restaurant picked us up and sent us to our friend's doorstep!<br />
Traveling in Turkey by hitch-hiking rocks! I never hitch-hike before but my friend has been hitch-hiking since he was 9!<br />
<br />
== Climate ==<br />
[[File:Erzurum.JPG|thumb|250px|In [[winter]] it can be cold.]]<br />
During the summer temperatures tend to rise above 35&nbsp;°C, especially in the South, so it is recommended to secure yourself with sufficient supplies of water, and to plan travelling in a way that most of the actual hitchhiking would be earlier in the morning or in very late afternoon, to avoid a burning sun.<br />
<br />
In [[winter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey.<br />
<br />
== Transportation ==<br />
[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]]<br />
When you hitchhike in this country, people might try putting you on a ''dolmuş'' (mınıbus) or bringing you to the ''otogar'' (bus station). The dolmuş is the most common way of public transport inside and between cities & towns. These small buses that are advised to be used for small distances will stop anywhere on the road even if you don't signal them to stop. Generally, the ride on a dolmuş costs between 1 and 3 Lira.<br />
<br />
For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop in nice [[rest area]]s. Some drivers who pick you up as a hitchhiker may try to convince you to take a bus. If you do end up on a bus they are relatively cheap although not as cheap as trains which are slower but more adventurous.<br />
<br />
Of the transportation options which involve payment, trains are by far the cheapest in the country, especially if you are under 27, when you are entitled to a 20% discount on already cheap fares. However, as the network doesn't reach far and wide, most of what is interesting in Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still a good bet if you need a night's sleep during the ride, especially in inland regions where rail network is relatively denser.<br />
<br />
=== Hitchhiking buses ===<br />
While waiting beside the road, town-to-town minibus drivers (which can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and intercity buses will flash their headlights or honk at you — to ask whether you'd like a ride (for a fee, of course). Don't be afraid to stop them and say "''Param yok'' (which literally translates "I don't have money"), it's ok?". A couple of hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to drop a passanger, and then they kept doing this everytime, and about 30% of the buses gave them a ride. Inside the cities, it's even easier; ask them politely and they will take you a bit further ahead.<br />
<br />
== Food ==<br />
You will never have to worry about lack of [[food]] in Turkey. Many truck drivers have coffee makers in their truck. Turkish people are very generous, and it is seldom that you get a ride without a driver offering you food. The food in Turkey is relatively cheap, and is very meat-based. There is also a variety of a good local produce of tasty sweets and snacks. The tea (black tea or apple tea in Istanbul) is ''the'' national drink, and almost all the people that you meet offer you a tea − this is probably the most common way of showing you their hospitable culture.<br />
<br />
A great way to reduce your bottled water costs, especially in the hot southern/Mediterranean coast of Turkey is to use free cold water dispensers, locally called ''sebil'' (pronounced ''say-beel''), which can usually be found on the sides of the streets and mosque courtyards in less-touristed towns and neighbourhoods in Mediterranean Turkey. They look like small, white refrigators and usually have two faucets: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending on the weather) water, while the blue one offers comfortably cold water. Though the water coming out of the faucets is not from a commercially-bottled jar, and likely from the city water network, it's harmless and causes no stomach upsets. A way to reduce the risk may be allowing yourself a week after arrival in the region to get accustomed to local microflora and -fauna that may be present in the water and then taking full advantage of ''sebil''s.[[File:turkeyhitch.jpg|thumb|350px|[[User:Chael777|Chael]]<small><sup>[http://www.velabas.com/ site]</sup></small> hitching south to Bodrum, April 2008]]<br />
<br />
== Sleep ==<br />
[[Finding accommodation|Hospitality exchange]] networks have many friendly members in Turkey, and they can help you with an accommodation.<br />
<br />
All towns in Turkey have an ''OtoGar'', a bus terminal. Most of these offer a warm and fairly safe place to spend a night. Nonetheless, be careful and try to place your luggage in such a way so that you are surely to be awaken in case if someone tries to take your things. <br />
<br />
Smaller towns outside the main tourist areas have very cheap hotels, starting at 8 Lira.<br />
<br />
Many truck drivers will have an extra bunk in their truck cabin, and they are usually happy to offer it to a hitchhiker.<br />
<br />
Wild camping is pretty much possible, OK, and legal except in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet, away from sight of houses and roads. Private property such as farmland and oliveyards are technically off the limits, however if you arrive late, break the camp early, and leave no trace of your stay (including removing any trash and not damaging any crops), it is no problem at all to camp at those places. Beware of fires, though, as most of Turkey lies in Mediterranean climatic zone which is very arid in summer, most of country's terrain is naturally covered with dry grasses in summer months. So while wild camping, try to avoid the temptation to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result in damages that you can't even dream of. Another thing to take note of while camping is the scorpions (''akrep'' in Turkish), especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in southeastern parts of the country—keep the zip of your tent and backpack always locked, check and shake your shoes before putting them on.<br />
<br />
== Cities and License plates ==<br />
<br />
{{Cities Turkey}}<br />
<br />
The first two numbers of the Turkish car plates indicate the city a car is registered in. These are sorted from 1 to 81 alphabetically. This rule is not applicable for villages that recently received the status of cities.<br />
<br />
The number is given to a whole province, e.g. [[Antalya]] and [[Alanya]] are both 07, as they are situated in the same province (Antalya Province).<br />
<br />
[[File:Turkish-truck-and-truck-driver-2008.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A truck, the driver, a boy working at the gas station and [[User:Guaka|guaka]], somewhere between [[Ankara]] and [[Gaziantep]] October 2008]]<br />
<table border="0"><tr><td><br />
* 01 [[Adana]]<br />
* 02 [[Adıyaman]]<br />
* 03 [[Afyonkarahisar]]<br />
* 04 [[Ağrı]]<br />
* 05 [[Amasya]]<br />
* 06 [[Ankara]]<br />
* 07 [[Antalya]]<br />
* 08 [[Artvin]]<br />
* 09 [[Aydın]]<br />
* 10 [[Balıkesir]]<br />
* 11 [[Bilecik]]<br />
* 12 [[Bingöl]]<br />
* 13 [[Bitlis]]<br />
* 14 [[Bolu]]<br />
* 15 [[Burdur]]<br />
* 16 [[Bursa]]<br />
* 17 [[Çanakkale]]<br />
* 18 [[Çankırı]]<br />
* 19 [[Çorum]]<br />
* 20 [[Denizli]]<br />
* 21 [[Diyarbakır]]<br />
* 22 [[Edirne]]<br />
* 23 [[Elazığ]]<br />
* 24 [[Erzincan]]<br />
* 25 [[Erzurum]]<br />
* 26 [[Eskişehir]]<br />
* 27 [[Gaziantep]]<br />
</td><td><br />
* 28 [[Giresun]]<br />
* 29 [[Gümüşhane]]<br />
* 30 [[Hakkari]]<br />
* 31 [[Hatay]]<br />
* 32 [[Isparta]]<br />
* 33 [[Mersin]]<br />
* 34 [[Istanbul]]<br />
* 35 [[Izmir]]<br />
* 36 [[Kars]]<br />
* 37 [[Kastamonu]]<br />
* 38 [[Kayseri]]<br />
* 39 [[Kırklareli]]<br />
* 40 [[Kırşehir]]<br />
* 41 [[Kocaeli]]<br />
* 42 [[Konya]]<br />
* 43 [[Kütahya]]<br />
* 44 [[Malatya]]<br />
* 45 [[Manisa]]<br />
* 46 [[Kahramanmaraş]]<br />
* 47 [[Mardin]]<br />
* 48 [[Muğla]]<br />
* 49 [[Muş]]<br />
* 50 [[Nevsehir|Nevşehir]]<br />
* 51 [[Niğde]]<br />
* 52 [[Ordu]]<br />
* 53 [[Rize]]<br />
* 54 [[Adapazari|Sakarya]]<br />
</td><td><br />
* 55 [[Samsun]]<br />
* 56 [[Siirt]]<br />
* 57 [[Sinop]]<br />
* 58 [[Sivas]]<br />
* 59 [[Tekirdağ]]<br />
* 60 [[Tokat]]<br />
* 61 [[Trabzon]]<br />
* 62 [[Tunceli]]<br />
* 63 [[Urfa|Şanlıurfa]]<br />
* 64 [[Uşak]]<br />
* 65 [[Van]]<br />
* 66 [[Yozgat]]<br />
* 67 [[Zonguldak]]<br />
* 68 [[Aksaray]]<br />
* 69 [[Bayburt]]<br />
* 70 [[Karaman]]<br />
* 71 [[Kırıkkale]]<br />
* 72 [[Batman]]<br />
* 73 [[Sirnak|Şırnak]]<br />
* 74 [[Bartın]]<br />
* 75 [[Ardahan]]<br />
* 76 [[Iğdır]]<br />
* 77 [[Yalova]]<br />
* 78 [[Karabük]]<br />
* 79 [[Kilis]]<br />
* 80 [[Osmaniye]]<br />
* 81 [[Düzce]]<br />
</td></tr></table><br />
<br />
== Regions and Their Hitchability ==<br />
<br />
While in general it is fairly easy to attract a lift in Turkey, locals' view of hitchhikers vary across the country. In general, people in northern and inland regions of the country are friendlier towards hitchhikers. If put systematically, the level of ease to get a lift in various regions of the country is as follows in general, from easiest to hardest:<br />
<br />
:Southeastern Anatolia (usually the first car passing by offering a lift) > North coast (Black Sea Region) (one in every ten cars offering a lift) > Northwest/European Turkey (Thrace) (most waits not exceeding 5 mins) > Inland steppes (Central Anatolia, longest waits likely ~20 mins) > Northwest/Asian Marmara (South Marmara) > Aegean Region > Southwest coast (Lycia) > Rest of Mediterranean coast (expect waits up to two hours!), with eastern mountains (Eastern Anatolia) perhaps falling somewhere between Central Anatolia and South Marmara.<br />
<br />
As can be clearly seen, less touristy somewhere is, easier to attract a lift there. That being said, however, there are of course helpful drivers on the highways of the south, too, although they seem to be exceptions rather than the rule.<br />
<br />
* [[:Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya Province]]<br />
* [[:Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale Province]]<br />
* [[Cappadocia]] <br />
* [[:Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla Province]]<br />
* [[:Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]] <br />
<br />
<br />
== Links ==<br />
* [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html Hitchhiking Guide to Turkey for girls]<br />
* [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/DE/blogs/alex/20090213/just-hitching-rides-journey-eid-christmas Just hitching rides: A journey from Eid to Christmas] (Hitchhiking from Yemen to Germany), abgefahren Blogs<br />
* User [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitched along the Silk Road and wrote about his experiences here: [http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ Thumbing Asia From West to East] Turkey was big fun to hitch-hike. People are really hospitable everywhere - from Istanbul to Capaddocia, from Antep to Kurdistan!<br />
<br />
{{hitchbase_country|196}}<br />
{{Template:Europe/countries}}<br />
[[wikipedia:Turkey]]<br />
{{IsIn|Western Asia}}<br />
[[trash:Turkey]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Turkey]]<br />
[[Category:Western Asia]]<br />
[[Category:Southern Europe]]<br />
[[Category:East Route from North Cape to Cape of Good Hope]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Türkei]]<br />
[[es:Turquia]]<br />
[[fr:Turquie]]<br />
[[tr:Türkiye]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:Turkeyhitch.jpg&diff=59744File:Turkeyhitch.jpg2012-02-17T23:40:47Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[User:Chael777|Chael]] hitching in Turkey.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=United_States_of_America&diff=59743United States of America2012-02-17T23:36:58Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Country<br />
|country = United States of America<br />
|language = English (de facto), Spanish widely spoken in southwest and Florida<br />
|capital = [[Washington D.C.|Washington DC]]<br />
|pop = 303,893,000<br />
|currency = American Dollar ($)<br />
|BW = US<br />
|hitch = <rating country='us' /><br />
}}<br />
'''''For specific information on each state please have a look at the bottom of this page.'''''<br />
[[File:Kasper-hitch-nh.jpg|thumb|250px|[[User:guaka|guaka]]<small><sup>[http://guaka.org/ site], [[User talk:guaka|wikitalk]]</sup></small> hitching in New England, taken by [[User:Amylin|amylin]], September 2007]]<br />
<br />
'''The United States of America''' as a country is divided up into 50 states; for the convenience of the common hitchhiker these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following pages (see below). The US is bordered by [[Canada]] to the North and [[Mexico]] to the South.<br />
<br />
Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.<br />
<br />
In most states you can't hitch from the interstates ([[highway|motorways]]) themselves, but you can always stand at [[on-ramp]]s (highway entries) like in [[Europe]]; if there is a "No hitchhiking/pedestrians" sign, don't stand or hitch from beyond the sign. In some areas (such as certain towns or municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. The police in a region may interpret laws related to hitchhiking differently, at times forcing a hitchhiker to choose an alternate route by walking or using other means of transportation. In most cases, though, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and [[off-ramp]]s) that are not part of the interstate system; these typically prohibit hitchhiking as well (other than at the on-ramp).<br />
<br />
It's generally easier to hitchhike on the West Coast. In [[Oregon]] and [[Montana]], it's not even prohibited by law to hitchhike right on interstates. <br />
<br />
Relatively quite a few people in the United States are profoundly religious. People who pick you up might inquire about your religion. If you're not religious, try to deal with it in a positive way and accept the difference. More often you will be picked up by really cool people, and often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, as hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]]'s experience shows, for example.<br />
<br />
== Long vs. short distance ==<br />
If you're going for speed over a long distance (3+ hours), then the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated by "I-##) instead of local highways. Try to stick to on-ramps that have truck stops, [[rest area|rest stops]] or any other reason for drivers to stop there (restaurants, [[petrol station hitchhiking|gas stations]], etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselves, but be discreet about it as some a staff or customers are rather unfriendly to hitchers and will rudely ask you to leave their territory or call the police on you. Getting dropped off on a low-traffic exit is the gravest danger when hitching on interstates where the police are unfriendly to standing where you're visible to the through traffic on the freeway. It can easily lead to long, long delays. Identify the last truck stop, major intersection (with a non-freeway), or rest area before your driver's destination, and get off there rather than risking getting stuck.<br />
<br />
If you are only going a few hundred miles, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential traffic. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice you while on the on-ramp. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.<br />
<br />
== Police ==<br />
Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up clean, sometimes even driving you to a better spot. <br />
<br />
In most states, such as [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]] and [[New York State]], on the East Coast and [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]] in the West, there are [[laws]] against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumvented. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" in any way, i.e. showing a sign or a thumb to traffic. The police could ticket you for ''loitering'' or ''vagrancy''. If the police passes and sees a hitchhiker walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs but technically they have no reason to pull you over. As a result, the best result is to not use a sign or your thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiser. The laws are enforced because of "traffic safety" reasons mostly but in reality police rarely gives tickets to hitchhikers - they just check IDs for warrants whenever possible.<br />
<br />
== Car License Plate ==<br />
Every state issues its own specific car plates. For example, a car from Alabama will have a specific [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/License_plates_of_the_United_States Car license] tagged as such. In some States, the license plate will also show the county of residence. This can be added information if you spot such car that might be going the same direction as you are going. It might also be helpful to write down the license plate number in case of foul play.<br />
<br />
== Food ==<br />
<br />
''' Eat: '''<br />
Look, if you are friendly, at least in my experience in the US (I have never been elsewhere) people who pick you up will offer to buy you food at restaurants ALL THE TIME. Additionally, they will just throw you some bucks to eat. From change to $100. $100 dollars has happened to us twice. $60 dollars has happened to us several times and we have been given so many twenties... The key is the right type of answer when they ask, concernedly, what do you do to eat- "Naw, we're pretty much all right, we got *some* money." (Sad and scrappy slight but pointed emphasis on the "some")- if they've asked this question and you answer this way you'll basically always get a friendly handout- *for which you should thank them profusely*, of course. :)[[File:ChaelUSwalking.jpg|thumb|350px|[[User:Chael777|Chael]]<small><sup>[http://www.velabas.com/ site]</sup></small> crossing a bridge in Oregon, August 2009]]<br />
<br />
If you are a vegan traveling between cities, prepare to starve. Or carry your own food somehow, I dunno. Yeah, if you can't eat eggs OR milk, you can't eat eggs OR icecream, really the only non meat dishes in McDonalds type situations besides frenchfries and onionrings- pure carbohydrates. If you want any protein your gonna have to bring it yourself.<br />
<br />
Once you open your mind to it, there are actually many opportunities for dumpster diving in urban areas. Port cities are especially good. Note, however that dumpster diving is in a similar sort of gray area as hitchhiking, with local legality depending on the particular state's laws, and the prevalent attitudes of local law enforcement officers.<br />
<br />
Grocery stores are prime targets for food ([[:trash:Trader Joe's|Trader Joe's]] or Starbucks are especially likely to have an unlocked dumpster, and has lots of organics). Grocery stores cannot sell packaged foods past their expiration date, and so throw them away still wrapped in dumpsters behind the store.<br />
<br />
Another great place to dive is food distribution centers. As they supply restaurants, their food comes in bulk and they throw out their food sometimes days before the expiration date. Google Maps can help you turn up locations. ''Check Trashwiki for detailed information on [[:trash:United States of America|dumpster diving in the United States]].''<br />
<br />
''' Drink: '''<br />
It is often possible to retrieve used cups from the trash at fast food restaurants with "free refill" policies and refill them. Otherwise, American water is just as free and healthy as some other countries of the world.<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking Books ==<br />
<br />
Rather than a genre of its own, hitchhiking books probably fit better in a genre of alternative travel books, with Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.<br />
<br />
To that list of fun and funny and moving and important books, we should add Colin Flaherty’s Redwood to Deadwood, a 53-year old dude hitchhikes across America. Again.<br />
<br />
Redwood to Deadwood describes Flaherty’s hitchhiking trip across America. <br />
<br />
"''Before I tucked my thumb in for the final time, I'd run with wild horses. Visit a pot farm. Hunt big game. Poach big game. Get by a police helicopter. Get info family feuds. Ride in cop cars. Reconnect with old friends. Make new ones. Get tired and exhilarated. Lost and found. Kicked out and invited in''."<br />
<br />
"I know how to cook muskrat, squiirrel and rockchuck. And oh yea, I almost got killed.”<br />
<br />
Book reviewer Janet Jay said the book is [“the best hitchhiking I have ever read or even heard about. My friend heard about it when she was sitting next to a guy on an airplane who was reading it. He was laughing out loud. So she asked about it. He said that was how he heard about it too. So books hitchhike as well as people.”]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''Haven't hitched extensively there, but where I have, the experiences have been unique. I've hitched Oregon to Mexico along the famous highway 101. I also hitched from Oregon to Chicago on i90 in the dead of winter. Lots of clothes for that one, and a warm place to retreat to at every stop. The most remarkable thing about hitching in the States is that you get picked up by REALLY interesting people. Not all the time. But our beloved weirdos are more common in the US than anywhere else I've hitched. Regardless of what you think about the States, it's easily one of the most interesting places to hitchhike, especially if you LIKE adventure.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Links ==<br />
* [http://www.hitchhiker.50megs.com/custom.html About laws against hitchhiking for each state]<br />
* [http://thebplot.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/6249/]<br />
* {http://www.RedwoodtoDeadwoodbook.com]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Template:States USA}}<br />
{{IsIn|North America}}<br />
<br />
[[trash:United States of America]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:United States| ]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika]]<br />
[[es:Estados Unidos]]<br />
[[fr:États-Unis d'Amérique]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=File:ChaelUSwalking.jpg&diff=59742File:ChaelUSwalking.jpg2012-02-17T23:29:11Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[User:Chael777|Chael777]] walking across a bridge in the US state of Oregon.</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Argentina&diff=59741Argentina2012-02-17T23:26:56Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Argentina<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='-41' lng='-64' zoom='4' view='0' height='550' country='Argentina'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
|pop = 40,482,000<br />
|currency = Peso (ARS)<br />
|BW = AR<br />
|hitch = <rating country='ar' /><br />
|hitchbase = 9<br />
}}<br />
'''[[Argentina]]''' is a country in [[South America]]. The capital is [[Buenos Aires]]. It has borders to [[Chile]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Paraguay]].<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking culture ==<br />
<br />
For hitchhikers '''Argentina''' can be divided into two parts. The North, which is pretty okay to hitchhike, and the South on which opinions vary a lot: it may be difficult to hitchhike if you get into the lonely dirt roads of the Patagonia, because population is scarce. But if you travel southward to the end of Argentina, rides may be a little bit hard, but they take you a long way along.<br />
<br />
Argentina has a reputation for variable to long waiting times. Several hours isn't unusual overall.<br />
<br />
It seems to be much safer, faster, and informative to ask drivers at roadside stops such as gas stations and truckstops. Standing on the road with a thumb out can last for hours, and is really a last resort. If you want to go far, go with the truckers. They will carry you sometimes over 1000 km, and leave you at a good place to continue. Just keep asking. When you're looking for a ride at truck stops, keep an eye out for Brazilian and Chilean plates. Truckers from these neighboring countries are usually much more willing to give you a ride than the Argies, who will bullshit you about the transport company having sensors in the seats and harsh fines for taking riders.<br />
<br />
It's considered normal to ask the people working filling tanks at gas stations to ask people for you. If you're a foreigner, do mention it! A Dutch guy mentioned that it seems to be a lot easier to get rides.<br />
<br />
==Northern Argentina==<br />
<br />
Even if northern Argentina has recently seen several cases of crime for both the hitchhiker and the driver, it's still easy to hitch there (unlike in Bs As). In 2011 2 french female around Salta, Argentina, raped and killed by a local. And personal experiences of Chilean Truck Drivers, being drugged by an old lady he picked up, whom invites him to a Mate Drink. Unfortunately, 900 dollars was robbed. Since these problems are from the last 2 years, local Argentine drivers are scared of picking up people. Travelling by 2 or more is even harder.<br />
But once you get rides, it will be one of your most smoothest rides. And people are very friendly. They like to invite you to (not drugged) mate´s and even some of there local foods, like the empanadas. <br />
<br />
'''Jujuy:''' Great landscapes and full colored mountains, you might wait up to 2 hours but you can be sure somebody will pick you up.<br />
Don't bother about Gendarmes and checkpoints, I hitched right next to them. Take the 34<br />
<br />
'''Salta:''' Really easy to hitch here, I got picked up in about 30 minutes. Greener than Jujuy<br />
<br />
'''Tucumán:''' Harder than Jujuy or Salta, besides out of all northern provinces is the most dangerous... If you're heading to Bs As TAKE THE 45 PESOS train to retiro, even if their incredibly bad designed website says tickets are sold out arrive a couple of minutes before departure and tell them you must get there. CARRY YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS and prepare for the heat and the really<br />
disgusting toilets hehehe...<br />
<br />
'''Formosa:''' People are not used to tourist and will be asking really weird questions, cause they don't understand what are you doing<br />
there.. there's not a lot of traffic in the 81. But I never got stuck anywhere.. Beware of the extreme hot temperatures!!!!<br />
<br />
[[File:C_rivadavia.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[User:narfette|narfette]] hitchhiking on ruta 3, Trelew, Argentina]]<br />
<br />
=== Toll Roads ===<br />
<br />
There are quite some ''peajes'' (toll passages). In the South however, these are not so good and you will just be sent away after a while.<br />
<br />
=== License Plates ===<br />
<br />
License plates are black, composed by three white letters and three white numbers. If you're in another country and hitching to Argentina, look for these plates!<br />
<br />
=== Maps ===<br />
<br />
A normal map is pretty expensive, but there is a road map containing many countries of [[South America]] for something like 10 pesos. [http://www.br.map24.com/ Map24] (in Portuguese) has information about the whole of [[South America]].<br />
<br />
== Public Transport ==<br />
Buses are expensive but unbelievable nice. Fully reclining seat and food provided. If you take a bus, treat it as a hotel and save a night's hotel fees.<br />
<br />
Trains are super cheap but only serve limited routes. They are an excellent way to see the countryside and come in contact with a different segment of the population than you'd encounter on a 1st class bus. Highly recommendable. <br />
<br />
In the cities you generally need exact change (coins, no paper money) to pay your fare, so hold on to those 1 peso coins.<br />
<br />
== Regions & Cities ==<br />
<br />
Patagonia has a single very crowded road, which is the ''national ruta nº 3'' that goes along the coast. It is your better bet when heading South. Although there are often many kilometers in between villages, it is a well travelled road.<br />
<br />
There are also some East-West roads, some of them being dirt, some being pavement. It is easy to get a ride on the paved road but dirt roads, however, are much harder because of the lack of vehicles.<br />
<br />
The ''national ruta nº 40'' goes from San Carlos de Bariloche (South) is a road that gets frequently closed off because of the bad weather and is reputed to be hellish to hitch on - fewer cars, unpaved sections and some people have said they have gone days without seeing anyone. Winding, remote mountain roads and bad weather conditions in any season but summer make it less travelled by truckers and therefore is not recommended. [[Petrol station hitchhiking|Gas stations]] are generally your best bet, although roadside hitching is possible. <br />
:In my experience, Ruta 40 is a moderate/difficult but possible hitch during tourist season. You'd be insane to try any other time. Your best bet on Route 40 (at least the southern bit) would be Chilean truckers. From Perito Moreno to Punto Gallegos, the Chileans use the Argentine roads for lack of similar infrastructure in their own country. Also Chilean truckers are way nicer than their Argentine counterparts.<br />
<br />
Ruta 81 starts goes form Embarcación to Formosa. (Border city with Paraguay)<br />
<p>Ruta 11 goes from Formosa to Corrientes/Resistencia (Border cities with southern Paraguay)</P><br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:img0080ow5.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[User:SAn|SAn]] hitchhiking in Argentina]]<br />
* [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
* [[Cordoba (Argentina)|Cordoba]]<br />
* [[Gualeguay]], [[Gualeguaychu]]<br />
* [[Larroque]]<br />
* [[Mendoza]]<br />
* [[Neuquen]]<br />
* [[Posadas]]<br />
* [[Quines]]<br />
* [[Rosario]]<br />
* [[San Luis]], [[San Marcos Sierra]]s<br />
* [[Villa Maria]]<br />
* [[Zapala]]<br />
<br />
== Safety ==<br />
<br />
One word of advice is that although traffic is much heavier in the north, the routes do cross major cities, and hitchhiking is much more dangerous near urban centers. It would be advisable, if possible, to get off at the nearest pueblo and take a bus into cities such as Cordoba, Santa Fe, Rosario, etc. The same can be said for leaving. In the south there are really no big cities, and the highways all have gas stations, and the people are much more helpful. No danger there.<br />
<br />
== Border Crossing ==<br />
<br />
Argentinian border crossings are pretty laid back. [[User:Guaka|guaka]] crossed 4 times in 2006 and doesn't have clear memories about it (meaning it's not that a big deal).<br />
You better avoid changing money at the border crossings though. <br />
<br />
If you're coming from or entering Chile in Patagonia, you can possibly expect a needlessly complicated and long process once you arrive to Argentine customs if their X-Ray machine is broken (which it often is).They must do a manual search of your bags and tend to find silly, irrelevant things like tin foil that are apparently a matter of National Security. [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] was once delayed leaving Argentina at the Paso Austral to Chile for several hours because of a 'suspicion' that turned out to be baseless. Fortunately, the ''Gendarmeria'' have poorly trained attack dogs who care more about playing with towels than sniffing for contraband.<br />
<br />
==Northern Chile - Argentina==<br />
Crossing in to the Borders of Jujuy, Argentina is not as easy as the other ones in the nation. Once you get to migrations at Paso Jama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.. the officials will require you to fill in a documents, mentioning your transportation. And in the case of hitchhiking, you must fill in the name of your driver, and the driver must as well fill in HIS form with your name. This is due to the fact that they wont let you thumb nor walk at the Paso Jama. So you must first get yourself a truck driver, who is willing to take you and do all the papers.<br />
Once you arrive to Argentine Borders, and you happen to not be with your Truck Driver anymore, you must do the same thing here. The reason they will give you here, is that the distance from the border to the next town or city is to big, so they would not want you to try to walk your way to next town... which is at least some 200 to 300 km.<br />
<br />
== Eating & Drinking ==<br />
<br />
As a vegan you're down to fruits and veggies from the markets. No restaurant will serve anything vegan. As a vegetarian you're down to pizzas.<br />
<br />
== Accommodation & Sleeping ==<br />
<br />
[[User:Guaka|guaka]] slept next to a gas station once, without a tent, without being bothered by anything but mosquitos.<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2010 [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] squatted in an empty shipping container behind a gas station in [[Ushuaia]] for 45 days. He also has squatted up service stations from Bariloche all the way to Salta, with just a ratty sleeping bag and body odor. He would sometimes get free sandwiches from staff/passerby, and the occasional shower when he started to be mistaken for garbage.<br />
<br />
Note that hitchhiking is usually much faster when [[Appearance|keeping clean]] and when you mind your personal hygiene. YPF service stations in Argentina oftentimes have very cheap, or even free, shower facilities. A few of them even have low-price laundry services that are an excellent resource for any type of traveller.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''I find that hitching on the road less traveled means quicker rides with the one or two cars that pass within the hour. YPF gas stations are great. Camped all over without any hassles. Hitching in the north should be done via gas stations. Yeah, it's less interesting, but that's how you're going to get the rides you want.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Other Useful Info ==<br />
<br />
=== Vaccinations ===<br />
In many hospitals around the country anyone can get FREE vaccinations such as ones for yellow fever, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
* [http://www.autostopargentina.com.ar/ Autostop Argentina] (in Spanish)<br />
{{Hitchbase_country|9}}<br />
{{Template:South_America/countries}}<br />
<br />
[[wikipedia:Argentina]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Argentina]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Argentinien]]<br />
[[es:Argentina]]<br />
[[fi:Argentiina]]<br />
[[fr:Argentine]]<br />
[[pt:Argentina]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=United_States_of_America&diff=59740United States of America2012-02-17T23:20:43Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Country<br />
|country = United States of America<br />
|language = English (de facto), Spanish widely spoken in southwest and Florida<br />
|capital = [[Washington D.C.|Washington DC]]<br />
|pop = 303,893,000<br />
|currency = American Dollar ($)<br />
|BW = US<br />
|hitch = <rating country='us' /><br />
}}<br />
'''''For specific information on each state please have a look at the bottom of this page.'''''<br />
[[File:Kasper-hitch-nh.jpg|thumb|250px|[[User:guaka|guaka]]<small><sup>[http://guaka.org/ site], [[User talk:guaka|wikitalk]]</sup></small> hitching in New England, taken by [[User:Amylin|amylin]], September 2007]]<br />
<br />
'''The United States of America''' as a country is divided up into 50 states; for the convenience of the common hitchhiker these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following pages (see below). The US is bordered by [[Canada]] to the North and [[Mexico]] to the South.<br />
<br />
Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.<br />
<br />
In most states you can't hitch from the interstates ([[highway|motorways]]) themselves, but you can always stand at [[on-ramp]]s (highway entries) like in [[Europe]]; if there is a "No hitchhiking/pedestrians" sign, don't stand or hitch from beyond the sign. In some areas (such as certain towns or municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. The police in a region may interpret laws related to hitchhiking differently, at times forcing a hitchhiker to choose an alternate route by walking or using other means of transportation. In most cases, though, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and [[off-ramp]]s) that are not part of the interstate system; these typically prohibit hitchhiking as well (other than at the on-ramp).<br />
<br />
It's generally easier to hitchhike on the West Coast. In [[Oregon]] and [[Montana]], it's not even prohibited by law to hitchhike right on interstates. <br />
<br />
Relatively quite a few people in the United States are profoundly religious. People who pick you up might inquire about your religion. If you're not religious, try to deal with it in a positive way and accept the difference. More often you will be picked up by really cool people, and often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, as hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]]'s experience shows, for example.<br />
<br />
== Long vs. short distance ==<br />
If you're going for speed over a long distance (3+ hours), then the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated by "I-##) instead of local highways. Try to stick to on-ramps that have truck stops, [[rest area|rest stops]] or any other reason for drivers to stop there (restaurants, [[petrol station hitchhiking|gas stations]], etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselves, but be discreet about it as some a staff or customers are rather unfriendly to hitchers and will rudely ask you to leave their territory or call the police on you. Getting dropped off on a low-traffic exit is the gravest danger when hitching on interstates where the police are unfriendly to standing where you're visible to the through traffic on the freeway. It can easily lead to long, long delays. Identify the last truck stop, major intersection (with a non-freeway), or rest area before your driver's destination, and get off there rather than risking getting stuck.<br />
<br />
If you are only going a few hundred miles, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential traffic. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice you while on the on-ramp. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.<br />
<br />
== Police ==<br />
Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up clean, sometimes even driving you to a better spot. <br />
<br />
In most states, such as [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]] and [[New York State]], on the East Coast and [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]] in the West, there are [[laws]] against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumvented. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" in any way, i.e. showing a sign or a thumb to traffic. The police could ticket you for ''loitering'' or ''vagrancy''. If the police passes and sees a hitchhiker walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs but technically they have no reason to pull you over. As a result, the best result is to not use a sign or your thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiser. The laws are enforced because of "traffic safety" reasons mostly but in reality police rarely gives tickets to hitchhikers - they just check IDs for warrants whenever possible.<br />
<br />
== Car License Plate ==<br />
Every state issues its own specific car plates. For example, a car from Alabama will have a specific [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/License_plates_of_the_United_States Car license] tagged as such. In some States, the license plate will also show the county of residence. This can be added information if you spot such car that might be going the same direction as you are going. It might also be helpful to write down the license plate number in case of foul play.<br />
<br />
== Food ==<br />
<br />
''' Eat: '''<br />
Look, if you are friendly, at least in my experience in the US (I have never been elsewhere) people who pick you up will offer to buy you food at restaurants ALL THE TIME. Additionally, they will just throw you some bucks to eat. From change to $100. $100 dollars has happened to us twice. $60 dollars has happened to us several times and we have been given so many twenties... The key is the right type of answer when they ask, concernedly, what do you do to eat- "Naw, we're pretty much all right, we got *some* money." (Sad and scrappy slight but pointed emphasis on the "some")- if they've asked this question and you answer this way you'll basically always get a friendly handout- *for which you should thank them profusely*, of course. :)<br />
<br />
If you are a vegan traveling between cities, prepare to starve. Or carry your own food somehow, I dunno. Yeah, if you can't eat eggs OR milk, you can't eat eggs OR icecream, really the only non meat dishes in McDonalds type situations besides frenchfries and onionrings- pure carbohydrates. If you want any protein your gonna have to bring it yourself.<br />
<br />
Once you open your mind to it, there are actually many opportunities for dumpster diving in urban areas. Port cities are especially good. Note, however that dumpster diving is in a similar sort of gray area as hitchhiking, with local legality depending on the particular state's laws, and the prevalent attitudes of local law enforcement officers.<br />
<br />
Grocery stores are prime targets for food ([[:trash:Trader Joe's|Trader Joe's]] or Starbucks are especially likely to have an unlocked dumpster, and has lots of organics). Grocery stores cannot sell packaged foods past their expiration date, and so throw them away still wrapped in dumpsters behind the store.<br />
<br />
Another great place to dive is food distribution centers. As they supply restaurants, their food comes in bulk and they throw out their food sometimes days before the expiration date. Google Maps can help you turn up locations. ''Check Trashwiki for detailed information on [[:trash:United States of America|dumpster diving in the United States]].''<br />
<br />
''' Drink: '''<br />
It is often possible to retrieve used cups from the trash at fast food restaurants with "free refill" policies and refill them. Otherwise, American water is just as free and healthy as some other countries of the world.<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking Books ==<br />
<br />
Rather than a genre of its own, hitchhiking books probably fit better in a genre of alternative travel books, with Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.<br />
<br />
To that list of fun and funny and moving and important books, we should add Colin Flaherty’s Redwood to Deadwood, a 53-year old dude hitchhikes across America. Again.<br />
<br />
Redwood to Deadwood describes Flaherty’s hitchhiking trip across America. <br />
<br />
"''Before I tucked my thumb in for the final time, I'd run with wild horses. Visit a pot farm. Hunt big game. Poach big game. Get by a police helicopter. Get info family feuds. Ride in cop cars. Reconnect with old friends. Make new ones. Get tired and exhilarated. Lost and found. Kicked out and invited in''."<br />
<br />
"I know how to cook muskrat, squiirrel and rockchuck. And oh yea, I almost got killed.”<br />
<br />
Book reviewer Janet Jay said the book is [“the best hitchhiking I have ever read or even heard about. My friend heard about it when she was sitting next to a guy on an airplane who was reading it. He was laughing out loud. So she asked about it. He said that was how he heard about it too. So books hitchhike as well as people.”]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''Haven't hitched extensively there, but where I have, the experiences have been unique. I've hitched Oregon to Mexico along the famous highway 101. I also hitched from Oregon to Chicago on i90 in the dead of winter. Lots of clothes for that one, and a warm place to retreat to at every stop. The most remarkable thing about hitching in the States is that you get picked up by REALLY interesting people. Not all the time. But our beloved weirdos are more common in the US than anywhere else I've hitched. Regardless of what you think about the States, it's easily one of the most interesting places to hitchhike, especially if you LIKE adventure.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Links ==<br />
* [http://www.hitchhiker.50megs.com/custom.html About laws against hitchhiking for each state]<br />
* [http://thebplot.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/6249/]<br />
* {http://www.RedwoodtoDeadwoodbook.com]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Template:States USA}}<br />
{{IsIn|North America}}<br />
<br />
[[trash:United States of America]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:United States| ]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika]]<br />
[[es:Estados Unidos]]<br />
[[fr:États-Unis d'Amérique]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=United_States_of_America&diff=59739United States of America2012-02-17T23:19:17Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Country<br />
|country = United States of America<br />
|language = English (de facto), Spanish widely spoken in southwest and Florida<br />
|capital = [[Washington D.C.|Washington DC]]<br />
|pop = 303,893,000<br />
|currency = American Dollar ($)<br />
|BW = US<br />
|hitch = <rating country='us' /><br />
}}<br />
'''''For specific information on each state please have a look at the bottom of this page.'''''<br />
[[File:Kasper-hitch-nh.jpg|thumb|250px|[[User:guaka|guaka]]<small><sup>[http://guaka.org/ site], [[User talk:guaka|wikitalk]]</sup></small> hitching in New England, taken by [[User:Amylin|amylin]], September 2007]]<br />
<br />
'''The United States of America''' as a country is divided up into 50 states; for the convenience of the common hitchhiker these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following pages (see below). The US is bordered by [[Canada]] to the North and [[Mexico]] to the South.<br />
<br />
Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.<br />
<br />
In most states you can't hitch from the interstates ([[highway|motorways]]) themselves, but you can always stand at [[on-ramp]]s (highway entries) like in [[Europe]]; if there is a "No hitchhiking/pedestrians" sign, don't stand or hitch from beyond the sign. In some areas (such as certain towns or municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. The police in a region may interpret laws related to hitchhiking differently, at times forcing a hitchhiker to choose an alternate route by walking or using other means of transportation. In most cases, though, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and [[off-ramp]]s) that are not part of the interstate system; these typically prohibit hitchhiking as well (other than at the on-ramp).<br />
<br />
It's generally easier to hitchhike on the West Coast. In [[Oregon]] and [[Montana]], it's not even prohibited by law to hitchhike right on interstates. <br />
<br />
Relatively quite a few people in the United States are profoundly religious. People who pick you up might inquire about your religion. If you're not religious, try to deal with it in a positive way and accept the difference. More often you will be picked up by really cool people, and often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, as hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]]'s experience shows, for example.<br />
<br />
== Long vs. short distance ==<br />
If you're going for speed over a long distance (3+ hours), then the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated by "I-##) instead of local highways. Try to stick to on-ramps that have truck stops, [[rest area|rest stops]] or any other reason for drivers to stop there (restaurants, [[petrol station hitchhiking|gas stations]], etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselves, but be discreet about it as some a staff or customers are rather unfriendly to hitchers and will rudely ask you to leave their territory or call the police on you. Getting dropped off on a low-traffic exit is the gravest danger when hitching on interstates where the police are unfriendly to standing where you're visible to the through traffic on the freeway. It can easily lead to long, long delays. Identify the last truck stop, major intersection (with a non-freeway), or rest area before your driver's destination, and get off there rather than risking getting stuck.<br />
<br />
If you are only going a few hundred miles, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential traffic. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice you while on the on-ramp. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.<br />
<br />
== Police ==<br />
Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up clean, sometimes even driving you to a better spot. <br />
<br />
In most states, such as [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]] and [[New York State]], on the East Coast and [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]] in the West, there are [[laws]] against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumvented. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" in any way, i.e. showing a sign or a thumb to traffic. The police could ticket you for ''loitering'' or ''vagrancy''. If the police passes and sees a hitchhiker walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs but technically they have no reason to pull you over. As a result, the best result is to not use a sign or your thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiser. The laws are enforced because of "traffic safety" reasons mostly but in reality police rarely gives tickets to hitchhikers - they just check IDs for warrants whenever possible.<br />
<br />
== Car License Plate ==<br />
Every state issues its own specific car plates. For example, a car from Alabama will have a specific [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/License_plates_of_the_United_States Car license] tagged as such. In some States, the license plate will also show the county of residence. This can be added information if you spot such car that might be going the same direction as you are going. It might also be helpful to write down the license plate number in case of foul play.<br />
<br />
== Food ==<br />
<br />
''' Eat: '''<br />
Look, if you are friendly, at least in my experience in the US (I have never been elsewhere) people who pick you up will offer to buy you food at restaurants ALL THE TIME. Additionally, they will just throw you some bucks to eat. From change to $100. $100 dollars has happened to us twice. $60 dollars has happened to us several times and we have been given so many twenties... The key is the right type of answer when they ask, concernedly, what do you do to eat- "Naw, we're pretty much all right, we got *some* money." (Sad and scrappy slight but pointed emphasis on the "some")- if they've asked this question and you answer this way you'll basically always get a friendly handout- *for which you should thank them profusely*, of course. :)<br />
<br />
If you are a vegan traveling between cities, prepare to starve. Or carry your own food somehow, I dunno. Yeah, if you can't eat eggs OR milk, you can't eat eggs OR icecream, really the only non meat dishes in McDonalds type situations besides frenchfries and onionrings- pure carbohydrates. If you want any protein your gonna have to bring it yourself.<br />
<br />
Once you open your mind to it, there are actually many opportunities for dumpster diving in urban areas. Port cities are especially good. Note, however that dumpster diving is in a similar sort of gray area as hitchhiking, with local legality depending on the particular state's laws, and the prevalent attitudes of local law enforcement officers.<br />
<br />
Grocery stores are prime targets for food ([[:trash:Trader Joe's|Trader Joe's]] or Starbucks are especially likely to have an unlocked dumpster, and has lots of organics). Grocery stores cannot sell packaged foods past their expiration date, and so throw them away still wrapped in dumpsters behind the store.<br />
<br />
Another great place to dive is food distribution centers. As they supply restaurants, their food comes in bulk and they throw out their food sometimes days before the expiration date. Google Maps can help you turn up locations. ''Check Trashwiki for detailed information on [[:trash:United States of America|dumpster diving in the United States]].''<br />
<br />
''' Drink: '''<br />
It is often possible to retrieve used cups from the trash at fast food restaurants with "free refill" policies and refill them. Otherwise, American water is just as free and healthy as some other countries of the world.<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking Books ==<br />
<br />
Rather than a genre of its own, hitchhiking books probably fit better in a genre of alternative travel books, with Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.<br />
<br />
To that list of fun and funny and moving and important books, we should add Colin Flaherty’s Redwood to Deadwood, a 53-year old dude hitchhikes across America. Again.<br />
<br />
Redwood to Deadwood describes Flaherty’s hitchhiking trip across America. <br />
<br />
"''Before I tucked my thumb in for the final time, I'd run with wild horses. Visit a pot farm. Hunt big game. Poach big game. Get by a police helicopter. Get info family feuds. Ride in cop cars. Reconnect with old friends. Make new ones. Get tired and exhilarated. Lost and found. Kicked out and invited in''."<br />
<br />
"I know how to cook muskrat, squiirrel and rockchuck. And oh yea, I almost got killed.”<br />
<br />
Book reviewer Janet Jay said the book is [“the best hitchhiking I have ever read or even heard about. My friend heard about it when she was sitting next to a guy on an airplane who was reading it. He was laughing out loud. So she asked about it. He said that was how he heard about it too. So books hitchhike as well as people.”]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''Haven't hitched extensively, but where I have the experiences have been unique. I've hitched Oregon to Mexico along the famous highway 101. I also hitched from Oregon to Chicago on i90 in the dead of winter. Lots of clothes for that one, and a warm place to retreat to at every stop. The most remarkable thing about hitching in the states is that you get picked up by REALLY interesting people. Not all the time. But our beloved weirdos are more common in the US than anywhere I've hitched. Regardless of what you think about the States, it's easily one of the most interesting places to hitchhike, especially if you LIKE adventure.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Links ==<br />
* [http://www.hitchhiker.50megs.com/custom.html About laws against hitchhiking for each state]<br />
* [http://thebplot.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/6249/]<br />
* {http://www.RedwoodtoDeadwoodbook.com]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Template:States USA}}<br />
{{IsIn|North America}}<br />
<br />
[[trash:United States of America]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:United States| ]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika]]<br />
[[es:Estados Unidos]]<br />
[[fr:États-Unis d'Amérique]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Panama&diff=59738Panama2012-02-17T23:13:44Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Panama<br />
|in = Central America<br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Panama City]]<br />
|pop = 3,309,679<br />
|currency = Balboa (PAB) and/or U.S. dollar (USD)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='pa' /><br />
}}<br />
[[File:Katja and Augustas hitchiking in Panama.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Hitchhikers [[Katja and Augustas]] on the road in Panama.]]<br />
'''Panama''' is a country in [[Central America]] where hitchhiking happens most readily. Roads north of Panama city are brilliant. Roads to the south are atrocious, and worsen as you approach [[Yavisa]]. Hitch-hiking is called ''viajar a lift'', you can say you are ''buscando un lift hacia...'' (''looking for a lift towards...'').<br />
<br />
Panama has borders with [[Costa Rica]] to the North and [[Colombia]] to the South. However, there are no roads to [[Colombia]]. To get to Colombia see the article on the [[Darién Gap|Darien Gap]]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''I wasn't so lucky, and the immigration official asked me for a ticket proving that I was leaving Panama. He told me to go buy a 25 dollar ticket from Panama City to San Jose. Instead I went into an internet cafe and made a fake ticket that convinced him I was flying back to Chicago from Panama City. Crashed at plenty of fire stations, and got a discount on a boat cruise to Colombia, but you can do better...''-[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
<map lat='8.4' lng='-80' zoom='7' view='0' country='Panama' float='right' width='600'/><br />
* [[Panama City]]<br />
* [[David (Panama)|David]]<br />
* ''<small>add more?</small>''<br />
[[wikipedia:Panama]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Central America]]<br />
[[Category:Panama| ]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Panamá]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Honduras&diff=59737Honduras2012-02-17T23:11:31Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Honduras<br />
|in = Central America<br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|map= <map lat='14.5' lng='-86.5' zoom='6' view='0' country='Honduras'/><br />
|capital = [[Tegucigalpa]]<br />
|pop = 7,483,763 (Sept 2007 estimate)<br />
|currency = Lempira (HNL)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='hn' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Honduras''' is a country in [[Central America]].<br />
<br />
It borders [[Nicaragua]] to the south, [[Guatemala]] to the north and [[El Salvador]] to the north-west and west.<br />
<br />
Hitchhiking is generally easy in Honduras. It is a quite poor country and a lot of people don't have cars. Rides come readily from people with pick-up trucks and it is not rare to see locals hitch-hiking.<br />
<br />
Like in most of Central-America, there are lots of minibusses and not so easy to spot taxis on the road, be sure you know if you're paying or hitching free when you climb in any type of vehicle. Here people refer to hitch-hiking as ''ride'', ''hacer ride'' and ''buscar un ride'' are common expressions.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''Honduras offered a unique experience, since the country is not frequented by many thumbers, especially on the northern roads to the coast. I hitched the long dirt road to La Union from the north to just above Tegucigalpa. It's a rough ride that's worth the butt ache.''-[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
:''Started hitching in Honduras. Awesome experience! Really easy on all vehicles. Use thumb as usual.'' -[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]]<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Tegucigalpa]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Honduras|*]]<br />
[[Category:Central America]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Honduras]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Guatemala&diff=59736Guatemala2012-02-17T23:10:13Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Guatemala<br />
|in = Central America<br />
|map= <map lat='15.580710739162123' lng='-90.439453125' zoom='6' view='0' country='Guatemala' /><br />
|language = Spanish (de facto)<br />
|capital = [[Guatemala City]]<br />
|pop = 13,000,001<br />
|currency = Quetzal (GTQ)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='gt' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Guatemala''' is a country in [[Central America]].<br />
<br />
It is recommended to find a [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol station]] and talk to the customers. When there is none, try thumbing on main roads making sure you are in a good visibility spot and that the cars can easily stop where you stand.<br />
<br />
== Low-cost rides ==<br />
Be aware that many of the small vans and pick-ups function as local buses/taxis. The word for bus in Guatemalan Spanish is ''camioneta'' which means "a small truck". ''Camioneta'' serves as a main transportation service for local (rural) population. When you hitchhike, they will usually stop for you, too − in that case strictly say "No" (you might need to repeat it a few times).<br />
<br />
Many private car drivers that pick you up might also ask you to contribute to the fuel. It is also a good idea to ask ''"¿Es un ride, no eres taxi?"'' ("This is a ride, you aren't a taxi?") before you get in the car so that you don't get into a misunderstanding later on: if you don't negotiate a fare (free or otherwise) before you get in drivers often demand some kind of extortionate price once you want to get out − is it then too late for the "No" answer. Same is valid for local taxis and other kinds of transport. The good thing, though, is that fares are very low, almost always less than 2$, some hitchhikers chose to take one of the pick-ups or a bus and to pay this small amount. This is what locals do, anyway − and they often are very poor people, so it is quite normal that from you as a travelling foreigner some cash will be expected − such fees subsidize the cost of owning a vehicle for the drivers in this country. So basically, if you want to hitchhike in Guatemala, you can expect some combination of free and low cost rides.<br />
<br />
== Precautions ==<br />
Like in all of Central America, the dirty-hippy look is not appreciated at all! People here wash every day, wear clean clothes and change them as often as possible. Not doing so is seen as a sign of the utmost disrespect and bad education, and is not recommended if you hope to get anywhere hitch-hiking, however hard it might be to find a shower and some place to dry clothes every day! <br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Guatemala City]] (capital)<br />
* [[Quetzaltenango]]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''I hitched on two different occasions in Guatemala. The first time I made it through the tourist belt, to Semuc Champey at Lanquin. The second time through I hitched with a trucker who brought me to the Salvadoran border, letting me sleep in the bunk the whole 9 hour nighttime ride. Just watch out for mudslides.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
[[wikipedia:Guatemala]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Central America]]<br />
[[Category:Guatemala|*]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Guatemala]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Guatemala&diff=59735Guatemala2012-02-17T23:09:34Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Guatemala<br />
|in = Central America<br />
|map= <map lat='15.580710739162123' lng='-90.439453125' zoom='6' view='0' country='Guatemala' /><br />
|language = Spanish (de facto)<br />
|capital = [[Guatemala City]]<br />
|pop = 13,000,001<br />
|currency = Quetzal (GTQ)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='gt' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Guatemala''' is a country in [[Central America]].<br />
<br />
It is recommended to find a [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol station]] and talk to the customers. When there is none, try thumbing on main roads making sure you are in a good visibility spot and that the cars can easily stop where you stand.<br />
<br />
== Low-cost rides ==<br />
Be aware that many of the small vans and pick-ups function as local buses/taxis. The word for bus in Guatemalan Spanish is ''camioneta'' which means "a small truck". ''Camioneta'' serves as a main transportation service for local (rural) population. When you hitchhike, they will usually stop for you, too − in that case strictly say "No" (you might need to repeat it a few times).<br />
<br />
Many private car drivers that pick you up might also ask you to contribute to the fuel. It is also a good idea to ask ''"¿Es un ride, no eres taxi?"'' ("This is a ride, you aren't a taxi?") before you get in the car so that you don't get into a misunderstanding later on: if you don't negotiate a fare (free or otherwise) before you get in drivers often demand some kind of extortionate price once you want to get out − is it then too late for the "No" answer. Same is valid for local taxis and other kinds of transport. The good thing, though, is that fares are very low, almost always less than 2$, some hitchhikers chose to take one of the pick-ups or a bus and to pay this small amount. This is what locals do, anyway − and they often are very poor people, so it is quite normal that from you as a travelling foreigner some cash will be expected − such fees subsidize the cost of owning a vehicle for the drivers in this country. So basically, if you want to hitchhike in Guatemala, you can expect some combination of free and low cost rides.<br />
<br />
== Precautions ==<br />
Like in all of Central America, the dirty-hippy look is not appreciated at all! People here wash every day, wear clean clothes and change them as often as possible. Not doing so is seen as a sign of the utmost disrespect and bad education, and is not recommended if you hope to get anywhere hitch-hiking, however hard it might be to find a shower and some place to dry clothes every day! <br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''I hitched on two different occasions in Guatemala. The first time I made it through the tourist belt, to Semuc Champey at Lanquin. The second time through I hitched with a trucker who brought me to the Salvadoran border, letting me sleep in the bunk the whole 9 hour nighttime ride. Just watch out for mudslides.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Guatemala City]] (capital)<br />
* [[Quetzaltenango]]<br />
[[wikipedia:Guatemala]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Central America]]<br />
[[Category:Guatemala|*]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Guatemala]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Ecuador&diff=59734Ecuador2012-02-17T23:03:12Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Ecuador<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map= <map lat='-1.8' lng='-78.8' zoom='6' view='0' country='Ecuador' height='330'/><br />
|language = Spanish, (Quechua)<br />
|capital = [[Quito]]<br />
|pop = 13,922,000<br />
|currency = U.S. dollar (USD)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='ec' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Ecuador''' is great for [[hitchhiking]], just be careful in some places, especially at the coast. Many pick-up trucks are there. Drivers might ask for money, but if you can explain your situation you will get away with it. Many Ecuadorians are happy to pick up a foreigner. It's not the safest country to hitchhike though. <br />
<br />
Along the [[Panamericana]] there are several Toll-Stations ("Peaje"). Take an overland bus in direction of your destination and get out at the first toll station (normally 0,25cts - 0,50cts). You have a couple of seconds to ask the other drivers until you get kicked out by the police, but that's normally enough time to find a ride. If you are able to explain your situation in Spanish, you might be able to stay longer. If you want to avoid this kind of "trouble" you can as well try to stop cars along the Panamericana. Along this road normally you won't get asked for money.<br />
<br />
Buses in Ecuador are quite cheap (usually 1$/h), and will usually stop anywhere. On some roads, though, there are no buses at all, in which case hitchhiking can be a good alternative, and you will be most likely picked up quickly as well, though it is more difficult to find a free ride on small roads. Very often the very first car that passes will pick you up. <br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''Easily the easiest country to hitch. Spent about a month hitchin around. I recommend the walk from the highway to Misahualli to see the monkeys in the square and to camp along the banks of the jungly river fork.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Guayaquil]]<br />
<br />
* [[Quito]]<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Katja and Augustas in Ecuador.JPG|Hitchhikers [[Katja and Augustas]] traveling in the back of a pick-up in Ecuador.<br />
Image:Ecuador.JPG|A hitchhiker [http://www.bewelcome.org/bw/member.php?cid=dome Dome] having a ride with... a cow!<br />
Image:Ecuador Katja and Augustas.jpg|Free ride in the back of a a pick-up - very usual for this country.<br />
Image:Hitchinecuador.jpg|[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] hitchhiking in the rain in the jungle near Macaus, trusty tarp in hand<br />
File:Eric pics 131.jpg|[[User:Eripson|Eripson]] (right) with friend Gaston hitching from Baños to Quito.<br />
<br />
</gallery><br />
[[wikipedia:Ecuador]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Ecuador|*]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Ecuador]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Argentina&diff=59733Argentina2012-02-17T22:55:52Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Argentina<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='-41' lng='-64' zoom='4' view='0' height='550' country='Argentina'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
|pop = 40,482,000<br />
|currency = Peso (ARS)<br />
|BW = AR<br />
|hitch = <rating country='ar' /><br />
|hitchbase = 9<br />
}}<br />
'''[[Argentina]]''' is a country in [[South America]]. The capital is [[Buenos Aires]]. It has borders to [[Chile]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Paraguay]].<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking culture ==<br />
<br />
For hitchhikers '''Argentina''' can be divided into two parts. The North, which is pretty okay to hitchhike, and the South on which opinions vary a lot: it may be difficult to hitchhike if you get into the lonely dirt roads of the Patagonia, because population is scarce. But if you travel southward to the end of Argentina, rides may be a little bit hard, but they take you a long way along.<br />
<br />
Argentina has a reputation for variable to long waiting times. Several hours isn't unusual overall.<br />
<br />
It seems to be much safer, faster, and informative to ask drivers at roadside stops such as gas stations and truckstops. Standing on the road with a thumb out can last for hours, and is really a last resort. If you want to go far, go with the truckers. They will carry you sometimes over 1000 km, and leave you at a good place to continue. Just keep asking. When you're looking for a ride at truck stops, keep an eye out for Brazilian and Chilean plates. Truckers from these neighboring countries are usually much more willing to give you a ride than the Argies, who will bullshit you about the transport company having sensors in the seats and harsh fines for taking riders.<br />
<br />
It's considered normal to ask the people working filling tanks at gas stations to ask people for you. If you're a foreigner, do mention it! A Dutch guy mentioned that it seems to be a lot easier to get rides.<br />
<br />
==Northern Argentina==<br />
<br />
Even if northern Argentina has recently seen several cases of crime for both the hitchhiker and the driver, it's still easy to hitch there (unlike in Bs As). In 2011 2 french female around Salta, Argentina, raped and killed by a local. And personal experiences of Chilean Truck Drivers, being drugged by an old lady he picked up, whom invites him to a Mate Drink. Unfortunately, 900 dollars was robbed. Since these problems are from the last 2 years, local Argentine drivers are scared of picking up people. Travelling by 2 or more is even harder.<br />
But once you get rides, it will be one of your most smoothest rides. And people are very friendly. They like to invite you to (not drugged) mate´s and even some of there local foods, like the empanadas. <br />
<br />
'''Jujuy:''' Great landscapes and full colored mountains, you might wait up to 2 hours but you can be sure somebody will pick you up.<br />
Don't bother about Gendarmes and checkpoints, I hitched right next to them. Take the 34<br />
<br />
'''Salta:''' Really easy to hitch here, I got picked up in about 30 minutes. Greener than Jujuy<br />
<br />
'''Tucumán:''' Harder than Jujuy or Salta, besides out of all northern provinces is the most dangerous... If you're heading to Bs As TAKE THE 45 PESOS train to retiro, even if their incredibly bad designed website says tickets are sold out arrive a couple of minutes before departure and tell them you must get there. CARRY YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS and prepare for the heat and the really<br />
disgusting toilets hehehe...<br />
<br />
'''Formosa:''' People are not used to tourist and will be asking really weird questions, cause they don't understand what are you doing<br />
there.. there's not a lot of traffic in the 81. But I never got stuck anywhere.. Beware of the extreme hot temperatures!!!!<br />
<br />
[[File:C_rivadavia.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[User:narfette|narfette]] hitchhiking on ruta 3, Trelew, Argentina]]<br />
<br />
=== Toll Roads ===<br />
<br />
There are quite some ''peajes'' (toll passages). In the South however, these are not so good and you will just be sent away after a while.<br />
<br />
=== License Plates ===<br />
<br />
License plates are black, composed by three white letters and three white numbers. If you're in another country and hitching to Argentina, look for these plates!<br />
<br />
=== Maps ===<br />
<br />
A normal map is pretty expensive, but there is a road map containing many countries of [[South America]] for something like 10 pesos. [http://www.br.map24.com/ Map24] (in Portuguese) has information about the whole of [[South America]].<br />
<br />
== Public Transport ==<br />
Buses are expensive but unbelievable nice. Fully reclining seat and food provided. If you take a bus, treat it as a hotel and save a night's hotel fees.<br />
<br />
Trains are super cheap but only serve limited routes. They are an excellent way to see the countryside and come in contact with a different segment of the population than you'd encounter on a 1st class bus. Highly recommendable. <br />
<br />
In the cities you generally need exact change (coins, no paper money) to pay your fare, so hold on to those 1 peso coins.<br />
<br />
== Regions & Cities ==<br />
<br />
Patagonia has a single very crowded road, which is the ''national ruta nº 3'' that goes along the coast. It is your better bet when heading South.Although there are often many kilometers in between villages, it is a well travelled road.<br />
<br />
There are also some East-West roads, some of them being dirt, some being pavement. It is easy to get a ride on the paved road but dirt roads, however, are much harder because of the lack of vehicles.<br />
<br />
The ''national ruta nº 40'' goes from San Carlos de Bariloche (South) is a road that gets frequently closed off because of the bad weather and is reputed to be hellish to hitch on - fewer cars, unpaved sections and some people have said they have gone days without seeing anyone. Winding, remote mountain roads and bad weather conditions in any season but summer make it less travelled by truckers and therefore is not recommended. [[Petrol station hitchhiking|Gas stations]] are generally your best bet, although roadside hitching is possible. <br />
:In my experience, Ruta 40 is a moderate/difficult but possible hitch during tourist season. You'd be insane to try any other time. Your best bet on Route 40 (at least the southern bit) would be Chilean truckers. From Perito Moreno to Punto Gallegos, the Chileans use the Argentine roads for lack of similar infrastructure in their own country. Also Chilean truckers are way nicer than their Argentine counterparts.<br />
<br />
Ruta 81 starts goes form Embarcación to Formosa. (Border city with Paraguay)<br />
<p>Ruta 11 goes from Formosa to Corrientes/Resistencia (Border cities with southern Paraguay)</P><br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:img0080ow5.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[User:SAn|SAn]] hitchhiking in Argentina]]<br />
* [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
* [[Cordoba (Argentina)|Cordoba]]<br />
* [[Gualeguay]], [[Gualeguaychu]]<br />
* [[Larroque]]<br />
* [[Mendoza]]<br />
* [[Neuquen]]<br />
* [[Posadas]]<br />
* [[Quines]]<br />
* [[Rosario]]<br />
* [[San Luis]], [[San Marcos Sierra]]s<br />
* [[Villa Maria]]<br />
* [[Zapala]]<br />
<br />
== Safety ==<br />
<br />
One word of advice is that although traffic is much heavier in the north, the routes do cross major cities, and hitchhiking is much more dangerous near urban centers. It would be advisable, if possible, to get off at the nearest pueblo and take a bus into cities such as Cordoba, Santa Fe, Rosario, etc. The same can be said for leaving. In the south there are really no big cities, and the highways all have gas stations, and the people are much more helpful. No danger there.<br />
<br />
== Border Crossing ==<br />
<br />
Argentinian border crossings are pretty laid back. [[User:Guaka|guaka]] crossed 4 times in 2006 and doesn't have clear memories about it (meaning it's not that a big deal).<br />
You better avoid changing money at the border crossings though. <br />
<br />
If you're coming from or entering Chile in Patagonia, you can possibly expect a needlessly complicated and long process once you arrive to Argentine customs if their X-Ray machine is broken (which it often is).They must do a manual search of your bags and tend to find silly, irrelevant things like tin foil that are apparently a matter of National Security. [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] was once delayed leaving Argentina at the Paso Austral to Chile for several hours because of a 'suspicion' that turned out to be baseless. Fortunately, the ''Gendarmeria'' have poorly trained attack dogs who care more about playing with towels than sniffing for contraband.<br />
<br />
==Northern Chile - Argentina==<br />
Crossing in to the Borders of Jujuy, Argentina is not as easy as the other ones in the nation. Once you get to migrations at Paso Jama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.. the officials will require you to fill in a documents, mentioning your transportation. And in the case of hitchhiking, you must fill in the name of your driver, and the driver must as well fill in HIS form with your name. This is due to the fact that they wont let you thumb nor walk at the Paso Jama. So you must first get yourself a truck driver, who is willing to take you and do all the papers.<br />
Once you arrive to Argentine Borders, and you happen to not be with your Truck Driver anymore, you must do the same thing here. The reason they will give you here, is that the distance from the border to the next town or city is to big, so they would not want you to try to walk your way to next town... which is at least some 200 to 300 km.<br />
<br />
== Eating & Drinking ==<br />
<br />
As a vegan you're down to fruits and veggies from the markets. No restaurant will serve anything vegan. As a vegetarian you're down to pizzas.<br />
<br />
== Accommodation & Sleeping ==<br />
<br />
[[User:Guaka|guaka]] slept next to a gas station once, without a tent, without being bothered by anything but mosquitos.<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2010 [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] squatted in an empty shipping container behind a gas station in [[Ushuaia]] for 45 days. He also has squatted up service stations from Bariloche all the way to Salta, with just a ratty sleeping bag and body odor. He would sometimes get free sandwiches from staff/passerby, and the occasional shower when he started to be mistaken for garbage.<br />
<br />
Note that hitchhiking is usually much faster when [[Appearance|keeping clean]] and when you mind your personal hygiene. YPF service stations in Argentina oftentimes have very cheap, or even free, shower facilities. A few of them even have low-price laundry services that are an excellent resource for any type of traveller.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''I find that hitching on the road less traveled means quicker rides with the one or two cars that pass within the hour. YPF gas stations are great. Camped all over without any hassles. Hitching in the north should be done via gas stations. Yeah, it's less interesting, but that's how you're going to get the rides you want.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
== Other Useful Info ==<br />
<br />
=== Vaccinations ===<br />
In many hospitals around the country anyone can get FREE vaccinations such as ones for yellow fever, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
* [http://www.autostopargentina.com.ar/ Autostop Argentina] (in Spanish)<br />
{{Hitchbase_country|9}}<br />
{{Template:South_America/countries}}<br />
<br />
[[wikipedia:Argentina]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Argentina]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Argentinien]]<br />
[[es:Argentina]]<br />
[[fi:Argentiina]]<br />
[[fr:Argentine]]<br />
[[pt:Argentina]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Argentina&diff=59732Argentina2012-02-17T22:54:45Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Argentina<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='-41' lng='-64' zoom='4' view='0' height='550' country='Argentina'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
|pop = 40,482,000<br />
|currency = Peso (ARS)<br />
|BW = AR<br />
|hitch = <rating country='ar' /><br />
|hitchbase = 9<br />
}}<br />
'''[[Argentina]]''' is a country in [[South America]]. The capital is [[Buenos Aires]]. It has borders to [[Chile]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Paraguay]].<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking culture ==<br />
<br />
For hitchhikers '''Argentina''' can be divided into two parts. The North, which is pretty okay to hitchhike, and the South on which opinions vary a lot: it may be difficult to hitchhike if you get into the lonely dirt roads of the Patagonia, because population is scarce. But if you travel southward to the end of Argentina, rides may be a little bit hard, but they take you a long way along.<br />
<br />
Argentina has a reputation for variable to long waiting times. Several hours isn't unusual overall.<br />
<br />
It seems to be much safer, faster, and informative to ask drivers at roadside stops such as gas stations and truckstops. Standing on the road with a thumb out can last for hours, and is really a last resort. If you want to go far, go with the truckers. They will carry you sometimes over 1000 km, and leave you at a good place to continue. Just keep asking. When you're looking for a ride at truck stops, keep an eye out for Brazilian and Chilean plates. Truckers from these neighboring countries are usually much more willing to give you a ride than the Argies, who will bullshit you about the transport company having sensors in the seats and harsh fines for taking riders.<br />
<br />
It's considered normal to ask the people working filling tanks at gas stations to ask people for you. If you're a foreigner, do mention it! A Dutch guy mentioned that it seems to be a lot easier to get rides.<br />
<br />
==Northern Argentina==<br />
<br />
Even if northern Argentina has recently seen several cases of crime for both the hitchhiker and the driver, it's still easy to hitch there (unlike in Bs As). In 2011 2 french female around Salta, Argentina, raped and killed by a local. And personal experiences of Chilean Truck Drivers, being drugged by an old lady he picked up, whom invites him to a Mate Drink. Unfortunately, 900 dollars was robbed. Since these problems are from the last 2 years, local Argentine drivers are scared of picking up people. Travelling by 2 or more is even harder.<br />
But once you get rides, it will be one of your most smoothest rides. And people are very friendly. They like to invite you to (not drugged) mate´s and even some of there local foods, like the empanadas. <br />
<br />
'''Jujuy:''' Great landscapes and full colored mountains, you might wait up to 2 hours but you can be sure somebody will pick you up.<br />
Don't bother about Gendarmes and checkpoints, I hitched right next to them. Take the 34<br />
<br />
'''Salta:''' Really easy to hitch here, I got picked up in about 30 minutes. Greener than Jujuy<br />
<br />
'''Tucumán:''' Harder than Jujuy or Salta, besides out of all northern provinces is the most dangerous... If you're heading to Bs As TAKE THE 45 PESOS train to retiro, even if their incredibly bad designed website says tickets are sold out arrive a couple of minutes before departure and tell them you must get there. CARRY YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS and prepare for the heat and the really<br />
disgusting toilets hehehe...<br />
<br />
'''Formosa:''' People are not used to tourist and will be asking really weird questions, cause they don't understand what are you doing<br />
there.. there's not a lot of traffic in the 81. But I never got stuck anywhere.. Beware of the extreme hot temperatures!!!!<br />
<br />
[[File:C_rivadavia.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[User:narfette|narfette]] hitchhiking on ruta 3, Trelew, Argentina]]<br />
<br />
=== Toll Roads ===<br />
<br />
There are quite some ''peajes'' (toll passages). In the South however, these are not so good and you will just be sent away after a while.<br />
<br />
=== License Plates ===<br />
<br />
License plates are black, composed by three white letters and three white numbers. If you're in another country and hitching to Argentina, look for these plates!<br />
<br />
=== Maps ===<br />
<br />
A normal map is pretty expensive, but there is a road map containing many countries of [[South America]] for something like 10 pesos. [http://www.br.map24.com/ Map24] (in Portuguese) has information about the whole of [[South America]].<br />
<br />
== Public Transport ==<br />
Buses are expensive but unbelievable nice. Fully reclining seat and food provided. If you take a bus, treat it as a hotel and save a night's hotel fees.<br />
<br />
Trains are super cheap but only serve limited routes. They are an excellent way to see the countryside and come in contact with a different segment of the population than you'd encounter on a 1st class bus. Highly recommendable. <br />
<br />
In the cities you generally need exact change (coins, no paper money) to pay your fare, so hold on to those 1 peso coins.<br />
<br />
== Regions & Cities ==<br />
<br />
Patagonia has a single very crowded road, which is the ''national ruta nº 3'' that goes along the coast. It is your better bet when heading South.Although there are often many kilometers in between villages, it is a well travelled road.<br />
<br />
There are also some East-West roads, some of them being dirt, some being pavement. It is easy to get a ride on the paved road but dirt roads, however, are much harder because of the lack of vehicles.<br />
<br />
The ''national ruta nº 40'' goes from San Carlos de Bariloche (South) is a road that gets frequently closed off because of the bad weather and is reputed to be hellish to hitch on - fewer cars, unpaved sections and some people have said they have gone days without seeing anyone. Winding, remote mountain roads and bad weather conditions in any season but summer make it less travelled by truckers and therefore is not recommended. [[Petrol station hitchhiking|Gas stations]] are generally your best bet, although roadside hitching is possible. <br />
:In my experience, Ruta 40 is a moderate/difficult but possible hitch during tourist season. You'd be insane to try any other time. Your best bet on Route 40 (at least the southern bit) would be Chilean truckers. From Perito Moreno to Punto Gallegos, the Chileans use the Argentine roads for lack of similar infrastructure in their own country. Also Chilean truckers are way nicer than their Argentine counterparts.<br />
<br />
Ruta 81 starts goes form Embarcación to Formosa. (Border city with Paraguay)<br />
<p>Ruta 11 goes from Formosa to Corrientes/Resistencia (Border cities with southern Paraguay)</P><br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:img0080ow5.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[User:SAn|SAn]] hitchhiking in Argentina]]<br />
* [[Buenos Aires]]<br />
* [[Cordoba (Argentina)|Cordoba]]<br />
* [[Gualeguay]], [[Gualeguaychu]]<br />
* [[Larroque]]<br />
* [[Mendoza]]<br />
* [[Neuquen]]<br />
* [[Posadas]]<br />
* [[Quines]]<br />
* [[Rosario]]<br />
* [[San Luis]], [[San Marcos Sierra]]s<br />
* [[Villa Maria]]<br />
* [[Zapala]]<br />
<br />
== Safety ==<br />
<br />
One word of advice is that although traffic is much heavier in the north, the routes do cross major cities, and hitchhiking is much more dangerous near urban centers. It would be advisable, if possible, to get off at the nearest pueblo and take a bus into cities such as Cordoba, Santa Fe, Rosario, etc. The same can be said for leaving. In the south there are really no big cities, and the highways all have gas stations, and the people are much more helpful. No danger there.<br />
<br />
== Border Crossing ==<br />
<br />
Argentinian border crossings are pretty laid back. [[User:Guaka|guaka]] crossed 4 times in 2006 and doesn't have clear memories about it (meaning it's not that a big deal).<br />
You better avoid changing money at the border crossings though. <br />
<br />
If you're coming from or entering Chile in Patagonia, you can possibly expect a needlessly complicated and long process once you arrive to Argentine customs if their X-Ray machine is broken (which it often is).They must do a manual search of your bags and tend to find silly, irrelevant things like tin foil that are apparently a matter of National Security. [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] was once delayed leaving Argentina at the Paso Austral to Chile for several hours because of a 'suspicion' that turned out to be baseless. Fortunately, the ''Gendarmeria'' have poorly trained attack dogs who care more about playing with towels than sniffing for contraband.<br />
<br />
==Northern Chile - Argentina==<br />
Crossing in to the Borders of Jujuy, Argentina is not as easy as the other ones in the nation. Once you get to migrations at Paso Jama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.. the officials will require you to fill in a documents, mentioning your transportation. And in the case of hitchhiking, you must fill in the name of your driver, and the driver must as well fill in HIS form with your name. This is due to the fact that they wont let you thumb nor walk at the Paso Jama. So you must first get yourself a truck driver, who is willing to take you and do all the papers.<br />
Once you arrive to Argentine Borders, and you happen to not be with your Truck Driver anymore, you must do the same thing here. The reason they will give you here, is that the distance from the border to the next town or city is to big, so they would not want you to try to walk your way to next town... which is at least some 200 to 300 km.<br />
<br />
== Eating & Drinking ==<br />
<br />
As a vegan you're down to fruits and veggies from the markets. No restaurant will serve anything vegan. As a vegetarian you're down to pizzas.<br />
<br />
== Accommodation & Sleeping ==<br />
<br />
[[User:Guaka|guaka]] slept next to a gas station once, without a tent, without being bothered by anything but mosquitos.<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2010 [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] squatted in an empty shipping container behind a gas station in [[Ushuaia]] for 45 days. He also has squatted up service stations from Bariloche all the way to Salta, with just a ratty sleeping bag and body odor. He would sometimes get free sandwiches from staff/passerby, and the occasional shower when he started to be mistaken for garbage.<br />
<br />
Note that hitchhiking is usually much faster when [[Appearance|keeping clean]] and when you mind your personal hygiene. YPF service stations in Argentina oftentimes have very cheap, or even free, shower facilities. A few of them even have low-price laundry services that are an excellent resource for any type of traveller.<br />
<br />
== Other Useful Info ==<br />
<br />
=== Vaccinations ===<br />
In many hospitals around the country anyone can get FREE vaccinations such as ones for yellow fever, etc.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''I find that hitching on the road less traveled means quicker rides with the one or two cars that pass within the hour. YPF gas stations are great. Camped all over without any hassles. Hitching in the north should be done via gas stations. Yeah, it's less interesting, but that's how you're going to get the rides you want.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
* [http://www.autostopargentina.com.ar/ Autostop Argentina] (in Spanish)<br />
{{Hitchbase_country|9}}<br />
{{Template:South_America/countries}}<br />
<br />
[[wikipedia:Argentina]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Argentina]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Argentinien]]<br />
[[es:Argentina]]<br />
[[fi:Argentiina]]<br />
[[fr:Argentine]]<br />
[[pt:Argentina]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Suriname&diff=59731Suriname2012-02-17T22:46:06Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Suriname<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='4' lng='-56' zoom='6' view='3'/><br />
|language = Dutch<br />
|capital = [[Paramaribo]]<br />
|pop = 470,784<br />
|currency = Surinamese dollar (SRD)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='sr' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Suriname''' is a country in [[South America]]. Since it's a former colony of the [[Netherlands]], Dutch is the official language.<br />
<br />
== Access ==<br />
From Europe you will have to fly from [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Schiphol]] airport ([[Amsterdam]]); there is also flight coming from [[Miami]]. By land you can come from [[French Guiana]] (part of [[France]]) or [[Guyana]]. In both cases there is a river to cross, the French side has a bridge, the British side doesn't and to cross you have to chose between ''the big boat'' (the official, legal ferry, this is for people with passports) or ''the little boats'' (home-owned, illegal boats that take locals back and forth across the border; only use this option if you don't have the correct paperwork and remember you will be a legal alien once on the other side...)<br />
<br />
== Visas ==<br />
As of 2011 Suriname is the only country in South America that requires a Visa for Europeans to enter the country. The cost in 2011 was 45 US$ or 40 euros, and it involves at least 3 days' paperwork in Paramaribo if you don't have the visa prepared before you arrive in the country.<br />
<br />
== Road network ==<br />
The road network is concentrated on the coast. Thus most hitchhiking happens East to West, although the dirt tracks in the interior of the country can also be hiked on. In that case you will travel with miners and loggers going down into the forest for the job.<br />
<br />
== Boat and Plane Hitchhiking ==<br />
Suriname is organized largely around its waterways, some villages just a few kilometers away from the capital are only accessible by boat, and the taxi-like motorized boats are everywhere on the rivers. It may be possible to get a lift in a boat, perhaps by offering to help with the landing procedure (although you would have to know how to line-handle at least a little), or by making friends with a boat owner. Otherwise be aware most people do pay to travel by boat.<br />
<br />
Not many sailing boats come to Suriname, although it is technically the landing point if you want to make the shortest crossing possible of the atlantic from the [[Cape Verde]] islands. There is a place called Domburg, on the west coast of the Suriname river, just a half hour down south of Paramaribo, where a private owner lets out a few moorings and some yachts have even had their owners living permanently for about 3 or 4 years (in 2011). The people who do own yachts and come to Suriname will most probably come to Domburg at some point in their visit, and they will almost always be Dutch-speakers (it's the number one reason that people come to Suriname because it is the sole Dutch-speaking country on the continent!). If you are lucky enough and have patience, you may find somebody there who would take you on their boat, and their destination from there in 99% of the cases will be [[Trinidad]]. <br />
<br />
If also seems possible to travel inland by hitchhiking a small propeller plane like a small Cesna or Piper machine, which go to bumpy airfields somewhere in the jungle.<br />
<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Suriname]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Chile&diff=58768Chile2012-01-25T03:11:37Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = Chile<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='-39' lng='-71' zoom='4' view='0' country='Chile' height='600' width='200'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]]<br />
|pop = 16.7 mio<br />
|currency = Chilean Peso (CLP, $)<br />
|hitch = <rating country='cl' /><br />
|BW = CL<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[File:intheback.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Hitchhiking the Ruta 5]]<br />
<br />
'''Chile''' is a great country to hitchhike. Especially compared to the South of [[Argentina]], it's really good. Chile borders in the north to [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]] to the north-east and [[Argentina]] in the east. The country is divided into 15 regions, which can be pooled in four main zones.<br />
<br />
If you tell people you're a foreigner when you ask for a ride, they might ask to see your passport. Just swallow your pride and take the ride. <br />
<br />
If you travel longer distances, you probably want to hitch the ''panamericana'', called ''Ruta 5'' here, which goes from north all the way to the south. Around larger cities, it's developed as a motorway. It's very common to walk or cycle on the emergency lane, so you can also stand there and put your thumb out. Cops won't bother either (I was standing right next to them holding my thumb out (to try out the hard way if it is legal) and they didn't care). Maximum Speed is 120 km/h, so if you are in a visible place, everyone can stop fast enough. Using a sign can prevent taxis, micros and buses to stop for you. They won't take you for free.<br />
<br />
The traffic is not very dense in general. In rural areas, there might be one car in 5 or 10 minutes, so prepare for longer waiting times if you can't stay on the main roads (e.g. check some [[games]] you can play). To get to towns and out of there take a Micro or a collectivo, it is not worth it hitchhiking within a city (although sometimes possible).<br />
<br />
If you are a tourist be sure to show it with your backpack, flags attached to your backpack, etc. The locals love chatting with foreign travellers. However, many people don't like U.S. Americans.<br />
<br />
The best places in Chile for hitchhiking are easily in the extreme south, in the Region of Magallanes. From [[Punta Arenas]], one can easily find a semi truck all the way to Santiago; while in Punta Arenas,[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] was offered a ride all the way to Arica (on the border of Peru), but, sadly, had to turn it down due to the fact that he was trying to lose himself in Isla Riesco.<br />
<br />
== Sleeping ==<br />
<br />
Chile is a very safe and easy country to camp or squat. Hostals are rather expensive, so camping is a better method. The local gas stations (usually COPEC) are almost always hitchhiker friendly, and will be happy to let you crash behind the place for the night. The cities to exert special caution in when crashing out are Valparaíso (known for a somewhat dodgy center) and the capital Santiago -- those two make for the lion's share of crime in Chile.<br />
<br />
== Healthcare ==<br />
Posta rurales :<br />
"In Chile, the posta rurales operate on a no-pay basis, which is very different form the way proper hospitals do things in this country. In the postas, anyone, from anywhere, in entitled to free medical treatment and any medicines that are available, similar to the way they do things in Bolivia. The sacrifice is that the postas are not equipped with proper doctors (only paramedics), or operating facilities. " - from http://hitchtheworld.com<br />
<br />
== Toll Booths ==<br />
<br />
These are only on the Ruta 5 (or Panamericana Sur), but, as usual, are a very good place to hitch rides.<br />
<br />
== Rural Routes ==<br />
[[File:12326_10150150686580517_883880516_11613816_3268024_n.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] on Reten Y-368, northern Chile, after being rescued by a rogue Dutch cyclist with water. ]]<br />
<br />
Be aware that many roads in Chile are very remote and made of dirt; any road that starts with a 'Y' classifies as a rural route, (known locally as a ''reten''). Some of these roads do not recieve ''any'' traffic for days, sometimes weeks at a time. Use caution when hitchhiking on one of these. You may think you can hike it for fifteen or twenty kilometres and then hitch a ride, but sometimes the cars won't pass until it's too late. [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] once nearly died of thirst in the Altiplano near the northern border of Argentina and Bolivia because he started walking towards [[Salta]] from a Chilean iron mine and went almost three days without seeing a car.<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Concepción|Concepcion]]<br />
* [[Castro]]<br />
* [[Chillan]]<br />
* [[La Serena]]<br />
* [[Puerto Montt]]<br />
* [[Puerto Varas]]<br />
* [[Punta Arenas]]<br />
* [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]]<br />
* [[Temuco]]<br />
* [[Valdivia]]<br />
* [[Valparaíso]]<br />
* [[Viña del Mar]]<br />
<br />
== Towns ==<br />
* [[Los Andes]]<br />
* [[Victoria (Chile)|Victoria]]<br />
* [[Puerto Saavedra]]<br />
<br />
== Zones ==<br />
* [[:Category:North (Chile)|North]]<br />
* [[:Category:Central (Chile)|Central]]<br />
* [[:Category:South (Chile)|South]]<br />
* [[:Category:Extreme South (Chile)|Extreme South]]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
''Chile is a wonderful hitch. I made my way for three months from Arica to Puerto Montt and onward down the Carretera Austral all the way to Cochrane (in summer months). After the jaunt in Argentina, I reentered Chile near Puerto Natales and the hitching was superb there as well.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Chile| ]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Chile]]<br />
[[es:Chile]]<br />
[[fr:Chili]]<br />
[[pt:Chile]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Buenos_Aires&diff=58767Buenos Aires2012-01-25T03:06:17Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div><map lat='-34.6' lng='-58.45' zoom='11' float='right' width='400' height='340' view='3' /><br />
'''Buenos Aires''' is the capital of [[Argentina]], with around 12 million inhabitants. It is probably not easy to hitchhike here. <br />
<br />
There are damn cheap overnight trains to [[Cordoba (Argentina)|Cordoba]] and [[Tucuman]] (just reopened).<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
=== West to [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[San Juis]], [[Mendoza]]) ===<br />
Buenos Aires is huge, and getting out of it can be a hassle. This method is not necessarily the easiest, and you could almost certainly hitch closer to the city.<br />
<br />
Trenes de Buenos Aires runs some of the commuter rail lines in Buenos Aires, including Linea Sarmiento from Estacion Once. Estacion Once can be reached via the Subte from Stations Once (Linea H) and Plaza Miserere (Linea A). From there, you'll want to catch a train going to Lujan. Depending on the time and day, you may have to transfer at [[Moreno]], though it is a seamless transfer and one that many others will be making. <br />
<br />
Once you arrive in Lujan, you have a couple of choices. You could walk the several km to to highway, but that might not be your bag. There should be a bus waiting outside the station with a sign for the Basilica. Surely the most famous thing in Lujan, the Basilica towers above the city and region, and is truly quite striking. The bus is only a few pesos, and will take you right to the Bascilica, which is a very short walk north from Ruta 7. <br />
<br />
Ruta 7 is the primary highway (though still very small considering that) east-west across Argentina from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile, and everywhere in between. Once you get to Ruta 7, there is quite a bit of shoulder (though know that the traffic does not pick up the entire length of the highway!)<br />
<br />
=== East to [[Mar del Plata]] trough [[ruta 2]] and the coast ===<br />
From wherever you are in Buenos Aires you need to get to Constitucion, end of the blue line of the south of Buenos Aires. It will cost you the normal city fare of 1.1 Peso (20 eurocents) and from there it is recommended to take a train direction to La Plata. <br />
You will get out on train Hudson. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIWegidQJ0s]<br />
Then do not go to the closest exit to the highway - [[Xsuzann]] has been caught over there by police and sent away. Cross the railway and head to the road which seems to be a road going to the country - but its actually an exit for highway. You would have to walk about 2 km, but it's worth that, as the cars don't go that fast on the exit and it's very likely that someone will take you! <br />
<br />
=== North to [[Zarate]] ([[ruta 14]]) ===<br />
This option is for those looking to get to Iguazu. From the main tren station at Retiro, which you'll find in the center of Capital, there are trains that depart twice daily for the city of Zarate, which is well outside of the city. It costs 3.5 pesos for the two and a half hour train. There are quicker, more expensive, and more exhausting ways of getting out of town, but this one is a clincher for those of you who aren't in a rush. As of this writing, the earliest train departs at 14:00 and arrives to Zarate at 16:17. It isn't ideal for a good-timed hitch, but it's the most straight forward and cheapest.<br />
<br />
{{stub}}<br />
{{IsIn|Argentina}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Argentina]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Buenos Aires]]<br />
[[es:Buenos Aires (Argentina)]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Buenos_Aires&diff=58766Buenos Aires2012-01-25T03:05:28Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div><map lat='-34.6' lng='-58.45' zoom='11' float='right' width='400' height='340' view='3' /><br />
'''Buenos Aires''' is the capital of [[Argentina]], with around 12 million inhabitants. It is probably not easy to hitchhike here. <br />
<br />
There are damn cheap overnight trains to [[Cordoba (Argentina)|Cordoba]] and [[Tucuman]] (just reopened).<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
=== West to [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[San Juis]], [[Mendoza]]) ===<br />
Buenos Aires is huge, and getting out of it can be a hassle. This method is not necessarily the easiest, and you could almost certainly hitch closer to the city.<br />
<br />
Trenes de Buenos Aires runs some of the commuter rail lines in Buenos Aires, including Linea Sarmiento from Estacion Once. Estacion Once can be reached via the Subte from Stations Once (Linea H) and Plaza Miserere (Linea A). From there, you'll want to catch a train going to Lujan. Depending on the time and day, you may have to transfer at [[Moreno]], though it is a seamless transfer and one that many others will be making. <br />
<br />
Once you arrive in Lujan, you have a couple of choices. You could walk the several km to to highway, but that might not be your bag. There should be a bus waiting outside the station with a sign for the Basilica. Surely the most famous thing in Lujan, the Basilica towers above the city and region, and is truly quite striking. The bus is only a few pesos, and will take you right to the Bascilica, which is a very short walk north from Ruta 7. <br />
<br />
Ruta 7 is the primary highway (though still very small considering that) east-west across Argentina from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile, and everywhere in between. Once you get to Ruta 7, there is quite a bit of shoulder (though know that the traffic does not pick up the entire length of the highway!)<br />
<br />
=== East to [[Mar del Plata]] trough [[ruta 2]] and the coast ===<br />
From wherever you are in Buenos Aires you need to get to Constitucion, end of the blue line of the south of Buenos Aires. It will cost you the normal city fare of 1.1 Peso (20 eurocents) and from there it is recommended to take a train direction to La Plata. <br />
You will get out on train Hudson. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIWegidQJ0s]<br />
Then do not go to the closest exit to the highway - [[Xsuzann]] has been caught over there by police and sent away. Cross the railway and head to the road which seems to be a road going to the country - but its actually an exit for highway. You would have to walk about 2 km, but it's worth that, as the cars don't go that fast on the exit and it's very likely that someone will take you! <br />
<br />
=== North to [[Zarate]] ([[ruta 14]]) ===<br />
From the main tren station at Retiro, which you'll find in the center of Capital, there are trains that depart twice daily for the city of Zarate, which is well outside of the city. It costs 3.5 pesos for the two and a half hour train. There are quicker, more expensive, and more exhausting ways of getting out of town, but this one is a clincher for those of you who aren't in a rush. As of this writing, the earliest train departs at 14:00 and arrives to Zarate at 16:17. It isn't ideal for a good-timed hitch, but it's the most straight forward and cheapest.<br />
<br />
{{stub}}<br />
{{IsIn|Argentina}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Argentina]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Buenos Aires]]<br />
[[es:Buenos Aires (Argentina)]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Template:News&diff=58725Template:News2012-01-23T16:46:32Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''20 January 2012''' - [[User:Notapalooka|Alyssa]] took nearly two years hitchhiking across Africa, from Morocco to Mozambique via West Africa and the Congo. Stories and pictures at [http://www.opendestination.ca/ Open Destination]<br />
<br />
'''10 January 2012''' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]] Finally arrived at Ushuaia from Oregon after 2 years and 5 months hitching. The narrative and drawings: [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas]<br />
<br />
'''28 November 2011''' - A first Western European [[competitive autostop]] club (''[[DTSG]]'') has been founded in [[DTSG|Germany]]. Next to that, [[PASL]] announced that the [[World Championships]] will be postponed to August 2013, giving more sportsmen the chance to participate in the qualification rounds throughout 2012.<br />
<br />
'''31 October 2011''' - Helin and Jan made a hitchhiking documentary of their trip to [[Istanbul]] from [[Berlin]]. Read stories and watch videos at [http://berlin-istanbul.com/ berlin-istanbul.com]<br />
<br />
'''28 October 2011''' - We've had some server issues recently. If this happens again, you can still access [http://mirror.hitchwiki.org/ mirror.hitchwiki.org] for a quite recent version of the English Hitchwiki.<br />
<br />
'''7 October 2011''' - With [[Imst]] Hitchwiki has now '''2000 Articles''' in English! Thanks a lot, to anyone who ever contributed anything here :)<br />
<br />
'''6 September 2011''' - As of today with the article about [[Tuvalu]], Hitchwiki has an entry for every independent nation on this earth. Many of those are only stubs, however, and don't reveal much information - so we need ''your'' help as much as ever! Feel free to start with [[Hitchwiki:Hitchability|rating the country's]] you've hitchhiked in!<br />
<br />
'''26 August 2011''' - CouchSurfing has turned into a for profit company, consider using '''[http://www.bewelcome.org/ BeWelcome]''' instead. BW is the only official non-profit organization for general hospitality exchange with an online network!<br />
<br />
'''22 July 2011''' - [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] & Dario hit the road to meet people, see places and go beyond frontiers: '''[http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ THUMBING ASIA From West to East]'''. Clips, jokes, 3D-panoramas & Insights. <br />
<br />
'''18 July 2011''' - ''On the road to Kara Dere'': Latest news and all important information for the [http://hitchgathering.org/road-lastest-news hitchgathering] in Kara Dere, Bulgaria 5 August 2011.<br />
<br />
'''10 July 2011''' - [[PASL]] is currently organizing the first [[Transglobal Autostop Race]] in terms of [[competitive autostop]]. Qualification Rounds are starting soon, for information, see their [http://transglobal-race.org website] {{ru}} (English translation to be added soon)<br />
<br />
'''24 June 2011''' - Hitchwiki application for Nokia Symbian 5th edition and Symbian^3 released! You can download app from [http://store.ovi.com/content/143209 OVI Store]. For bugs, suggestions and other technical stuff, please, leave comment in my [http://mindomobile.com/hitchwiki-hits-ovi-store/ blog post]. Cheers! <br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vorlage:News]]<br />
[[fi:Malline:Uutiset etusivulle]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Template:News&diff=58724Template:News2012-01-23T16:46:02Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''20 January 2012''' - [[User:Notapalooka|Alyssa]] took nearly two years hitchhiking across Africa, from Morocco to Mozambique via West Africa and the Congo. Stories and pictures at [http://www.opendestination.ca/ Open Destination]<br />
<br />
'''10 January 2012''' - [[Chael777]] Finally arrived at Ushuaia from Oregon after 2 years and 5 months hitching. The narrative and drawings: [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas]<br />
<br />
'''28 November 2011''' - A first Western European [[competitive autostop]] club (''[[DTSG]]'') has been founded in [[DTSG|Germany]]. Next to that, [[PASL]] announced that the [[World Championships]] will be postponed to August 2013, giving more sportsmen the chance to participate in the qualification rounds throughout 2012.<br />
<br />
'''31 October 2011''' - Helin and Jan made a hitchhiking documentary of their trip to [[Istanbul]] from [[Berlin]]. Read stories and watch videos at [http://berlin-istanbul.com/ berlin-istanbul.com]<br />
<br />
'''28 October 2011''' - We've had some server issues recently. If this happens again, you can still access [http://mirror.hitchwiki.org/ mirror.hitchwiki.org] for a quite recent version of the English Hitchwiki.<br />
<br />
'''7 October 2011''' - With [[Imst]] Hitchwiki has now '''2000 Articles''' in English! Thanks a lot, to anyone who ever contributed anything here :)<br />
<br />
'''6 September 2011''' - As of today with the article about [[Tuvalu]], Hitchwiki has an entry for every independent nation on this earth. Many of those are only stubs, however, and don't reveal much information - so we need ''your'' help as much as ever! Feel free to start with [[Hitchwiki:Hitchability|rating the country's]] you've hitchhiked in!<br />
<br />
'''26 August 2011''' - CouchSurfing has turned into a for profit company, consider using '''[http://www.bewelcome.org/ BeWelcome]''' instead. BW is the only official non-profit organization for general hospitality exchange with an online network!<br />
<br />
'''22 July 2011''' - [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] & Dario hit the road to meet people, see places and go beyond frontiers: '''[http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ THUMBING ASIA From West to East]'''. Clips, jokes, 3D-panoramas & Insights. <br />
<br />
'''18 July 2011''' - ''On the road to Kara Dere'': Latest news and all important information for the [http://hitchgathering.org/road-lastest-news hitchgathering] in Kara Dere, Bulgaria 5 August 2011.<br />
<br />
'''10 July 2011''' - [[PASL]] is currently organizing the first [[Transglobal Autostop Race]] in terms of [[competitive autostop]]. Qualification Rounds are starting soon, for information, see their [http://transglobal-race.org website] {{ru}} (English translation to be added soon)<br />
<br />
'''24 June 2011''' - Hitchwiki application for Nokia Symbian 5th edition and Symbian^3 released! You can download app from [http://store.ovi.com/content/143209 OVI Store]. For bugs, suggestions and other technical stuff, please, leave comment in my [http://mindomobile.com/hitchwiki-hits-ovi-store/ blog post]. Cheers! <br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vorlage:News]]<br />
[[fi:Malline:Uutiset etusivulle]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Template:News&diff=58723Template:News2012-01-23T16:44:10Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''20 January 2012''' - [[User:Notapalooka|Alyssa]] took nearly two years hitchhiking across Africa, from Morocco to Mozambique via West Africa and the Congo. Stories and pictures at [http://www.opendestination.ca/ Open Destination]<br />
<br />
'''10 January 2012''' - [[User:Chael777]] Finally arrived at Ushuaia from Oregon after 2 years and 5 months hitching. The narrative and drawings: [http://www.velabas.com/ Velabas]<br />
<br />
'''28 November 2011''' - A first Western European [[competitive autostop]] club (''[[DTSG]]'') has been founded in [[DTSG|Germany]]. Next to that, [[PASL]] announced that the [[World Championships]] will be postponed to August 2013, giving more sportsmen the chance to participate in the qualification rounds throughout 2012.<br />
<br />
'''31 October 2011''' - Helin and Jan made a hitchhiking documentary of their trip to [[Istanbul]] from [[Berlin]]. Read stories and watch videos at [http://berlin-istanbul.com/ berlin-istanbul.com]<br />
<br />
'''28 October 2011''' - We've had some server issues recently. If this happens again, you can still access [http://mirror.hitchwiki.org/ mirror.hitchwiki.org] for a quite recent version of the English Hitchwiki.<br />
<br />
'''7 October 2011''' - With [[Imst]] Hitchwiki has now '''2000 Articles''' in English! Thanks a lot, to anyone who ever contributed anything here :)<br />
<br />
'''6 September 2011''' - As of today with the article about [[Tuvalu]], Hitchwiki has an entry for every independent nation on this earth. Many of those are only stubs, however, and don't reveal much information - so we need ''your'' help as much as ever! Feel free to start with [[Hitchwiki:Hitchability|rating the country's]] you've hitchhiked in!<br />
<br />
'''26 August 2011''' - CouchSurfing has turned into a for profit company, consider using '''[http://www.bewelcome.org/ BeWelcome]''' instead. BW is the only official non-profit organization for general hospitality exchange with an online network!<br />
<br />
'''22 July 2011''' - [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] & Dario hit the road to meet people, see places and go beyond frontiers: '''[http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ THUMBING ASIA From West to East]'''. Clips, jokes, 3D-panoramas & Insights. <br />
<br />
'''18 July 2011''' - ''On the road to Kara Dere'': Latest news and all important information for the [http://hitchgathering.org/road-lastest-news hitchgathering] in Kara Dere, Bulgaria 5 August 2011.<br />
<br />
'''10 July 2011''' - [[PASL]] is currently organizing the first [[Transglobal Autostop Race]] in terms of [[competitive autostop]]. Qualification Rounds are starting soon, for information, see their [http://transglobal-race.org website] {{ru}} (English translation to be added soon)<br />
<br />
'''24 June 2011''' - Hitchwiki application for Nokia Symbian 5th edition and Symbian^3 released! You can download app from [http://store.ovi.com/content/143209 OVI Store]. For bugs, suggestions and other technical stuff, please, leave comment in my [http://mindomobile.com/hitchwiki-hits-ovi-store/ blog post]. Cheers! <br />
<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Templates]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Vorlage:News]]<br />
[[fi:Malline:Uutiset etusivulle]]<br />
</noinclude></div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Blogging_Hitchhikers&diff=58701Blogging Hitchhikers2012-01-23T01:57:35Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>There are quite a few '''Blogging Hitchhikers''' around. You can get your own hitchhiking blog at '''[http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/ blogs.hitchwiki.org]'''.<br />
<br />
== Updated Frequently ==<br />
* [http://cruisesurfingz.com CruiseSurfingZ] Working on a cruise ship, couchsurfing and hitchhiking.<br />
* [http://deathsquadmuffin.blogspot.com/ Meandering] Hitchhiking, ridesharing, couchsurfing, housesitting. <br />
From Victoria to Montreal to Panama. Up next: sailboat hitching to the South Pacific.<br />
* [http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ Craig] hits the road to meet people, see places & go beyond frontiers. THUMBING ASIA.<br />
* [http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/fabzgy/ Fabzgy]<br />
* [http://www.xtrmweb.com Hitchhiking, traveling, chasing dreams] Stories of Eric as he hitchhikes, works, and travels with a goal in mind. [[User:mrnightowl|Eric]].<br />
* [http://decapitatedhope.livejournal.com Steal Compass Go North Disappear] Writings, photos and the insanities, joys and loneliness of the road by [[User:Whisperingofthestars|Jason]].<br />
* [[User:Platschi|Platschi]] blogs [http://blogs.hitchwiki.org/platschi here] now.<br />
* [[Katja and Augustas]] are on their way through the world on [http://www.FollowTheRoad.com/ FollowTheRoad.com]<br />
* [http://www.bloggertramp.com/faq-english Bloggertramp.com] is a site where a German blogger writes about his hitchhiking across Europe in August 2010<br />
* [http://www.westplease.blogspot.com/ West, Please!] is about Chuck and Callie's hitchhiking adventure across the United States with product reviews and tips.<br />
* [http://blog.inga-panova.com/ Ingonite's Blog] Stories from [[User:Ingonite|Ingonite]] about hitchhiking through Europe!<br />
* [http://www.johnnyhobo.tumblr.com/ Welcome Home.] Photos and notes from Jonmb's search for the American Dream... or something like that.<br />
* [http://www.throughthewindslope.wordpress.com Through The Wind Slope] Blog about a Spanish hitchhiker [[User:Aixecantelpolse|Oriol]] who thumbs from Europe to Asia.<br />
* [http://www.velabas.com Velabas] Hitchhiking around the world, slowly.<br />
<br />
== Moderately Updated ==<br />
* [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/ Compared to me you're all tourists]<br />
* [[User:Robino|Robino]] also blogs about hitchhiking on [http://robokow.net/tag/hitchhiking/ robokow.net]<br />
* [http://quest4serendipity.blogspot.com/ Roadjunky Craig] logs here with pics, vids & 3Ds.<br />
* [[User:Tobo|Tobo]] blogs on Livejournal; read his [http://nibot.livejournal.com/tag/hitchhiking hitchhiking entries].<br />
* One more hitch around the world blog with pics and infos on [http://edwas.de/ www.edwas.de]<br />
* Bass Drum Ben uses his [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bassdrumben Bassdrumben Yahoo! Group]<br />
* Juan Villarino of [[Argentina]] shares stories and photos from his hitchhike around the world at [http://www.acrobatoftheroad.blogspot.com/ AcrobatoftheRoad.blogspot.com]<br />
* [[User:Prino|Prino]] occasionally writes a bit on [http://hitchwiki.org/community/prino/ Prino's Blog]<br />
<br />
== Sleeping blogs ==<br />
* http://tramper.webmg.de/<br />
* [[User:myshkin|myshkin]]'s first time hitchhiking blog [http://www.hitchingtodie.blogspot.com Hitching To Die].<br />
* [[User:Arczi|Arczi]] leaves notes from the road in Polish at [http://sloneczna.org sloneczna.org].<br />
* [[User:Pite|pite]] usually does a trip starting from Budapest to a nearby country or fly somewhere by low coast airline [http://oucs.blogspot.com/ oucs.blogspot.com]. it's Hungarian, but there's a map and some nice pictures.<br />
* digihitch.com shares [http://digihitchdotcom.blogspot.com hitchhiking news on blogspot]<br />
* [[User:Meenzer|Meenzer]]'s [http://www.travelpod.com/members/meenzer hh journeys reports]<br />
* [http://www.romansterly.com www.romansterly.com] First hitchhiking trip for 2 guys from the Czech Republic around western Europe for 15 days, day by day diary, unfortunatelly only in the Czech language<br />
* [http://marenqo.blogspot.com/search/label/Hitchhiking Love for three Oranges intercontinental hitchhiking!]<br />
* [[User:Maplefanta|maplefanta]]'s travelling and mostly hitching blog [http://www.travbuddy.com/maplefanta/blogs Travbuddy].<br />
<br />
== Other blogs ==<br />
<br />
* [[User:Worldhitch|Marius]]'s [http://worldhitch.blogspot.com/ hitch the world blog] - Invite only 11:15, 9 January 2010 (UTC)<br />
* [http://moroccoorbust.blogspot.com Morocco or Bust]. Stories, pictures, and tips from a UK to Morocco hitchhike to raise money for [http://lcd.org.uk/ Link Community Development]. - Invite only 11:15, 9 January 2010 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
* Some users from [[abgefahren e.V.]] blog about their hitching trips on the [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/blog abgefahren site], mostly in German.<br />
<br />
* ''add your hitching blog!''<br />
<br />
[[Category:Websites]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Blogs]]<br />
[[zh:Blogging Hitchhikers]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Peru&diff=54175Peru2011-08-24T07:10:13Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{stub}}<br />
{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Peru<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='-9' lng='-74' zoom='4' view='0' country='Peru'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Lima]]<br />
|pop = 29,180,900<br />
|currency = Nuevo Sol (PEN)<br />
|hitch = {{good}}<br />
}}<br />
[[File:P6293416.JPG|thumb| [[User:Fabzgy|Fabzgy]] and [http://www.bewelcome.org/bw/member.php?cid=dome Dome] Hitchhiking a few km, standing in the door and on the back buffer-bar]]<br />
In '''Peru''' hitchhiking is quite doable. Some Peruvians might expect you to contribute to fuel cost, but if you make your intentions clear you should be alright.<br />
<br />
<br />
== The Coast ==<br />
<br />
That would be all of the Sechura Desert, and the Pan-American highway. Hitchhiking is easier on this highway, and works well around the clock. This is where you will get the longest, smoothest rides of Peru. You will rarely be charged for rides on this sector of the highway. Not to mention the endless swathes of campable desert.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Mountains ==<br />
<br />
Expect very slow, long rides in old trucks, similar to the mountains in <br />
[[Bolivia]]. There is a train from Puno to Cusco, but it is very expensive. However, there is also a very hoppable freight train that runs during nights and is an exhilarating ride. [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] rode this freight train out of Cusco and then turned right around and rode it back. <br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Arequipa]]<br />
* [[Cuzco]]<br />
* [[Lima]]<br />
* [[Trujillo]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
<br />
<br />
''(hitchhiking is cultural imperialism sometimes? we'll see!) Yeah! you can hitch Peru! Man, I got picked up by this amazing troupe of singing girls and their piano player who took me in and out and fed me fruit and trussed me up real nice. I was awful dirty, an what gorgeous girls. I found the south more difficult, cause no one had cars. don't take that $80 45minute train to [[Machu Picchu]]: the money goes to big-wigs in [[Chile]], to whom Peru's ancient corrupt president sold the rail two decades ago. or so they say in [[Aguacalientes]].'' -k<br />
[[wikipedia:Peru]]<br />
<br />
''I found hitchhiking quite hard in Peru, mainly cos of the lack of private vehicles. i managed to get from Chiclayo to Tumbes up by the Ecuadorian border hitching - staying overnight in Piura and Máncora. Most cars will wanna charge you, but the odd lorry will pick you up. Don't be surprised if they make you hide when going through the toll booths, it's a legal thing.''<br />
<br />
''I've hitched through Peru on a couple different adventures through nearly every region. Hitchhiking in Peru varies from great to all right, depending on the place. Just expect to walk a lot. There are some very enjoyable places off the side of remote desert roads by the coast and in the south, and the jungles are some of the coolest of South America! I only sometimes got asked to pay, and if I made it clear I wasn't out to pay for rides then there were no problems whatsoever.'' - [[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]]<br />
<br />
''Hitchhiking in Peru is rather easy. After having hitched nearly 2000 km in Peru I have not been asked to contribute any money for the ride. Most rides are in private vehicles and the people are very generous. They like to buy you meals and invite you to their homes." - [[User:Eripson|Eripson]]<br />
<br />
''I spent around 5 months hitching in Peru. I found that hitching worked well, but markedly less so than its northern neighbor Ecuador. I spent many a long night hour huddled in the back of open-air rig trailers slicing through the cold mountain air. Don't forget that winter gear.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Peru]]<br />
[[es:Perú]]<br />
[[fr:Pérou]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Quito&diff=54174Quito2011-08-24T07:04:53Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Quito''' is the capital of [[Ecuador]].<br />
<br />
==Hitchhiking Out==<br />
<br />
===North===<br />
<br />
In direction north: Get a bus from the "Carcelen"-Terminal in the very north heading ether to Cayambe/Otavalo/Ibarra/Tulcan. Get out at the first "peáje"(Toll-Station). The bus will need 15min., $0,25. There you can easily ask for lifts in direction north.<br />
<br />
===South===<br />
<br />
In direction south: If youre in the centre, there are two possibilities. <br />
* Get the trole-bus to the "Quitumbe"-Terminal in the very south, from there catch any bus in direction south and get out at any point of the Panamericana. The first "peáje" ist quite far ($0,75), so it is probably better to get out before (for example in Tumbillo, there is a gas station).<br />
* Go to "El trebol" (big junction near "La Marin" in the center, final station of the Ecovia-bus). From there catch a bus in direction Tumbillo/Machachi and get out in Tumbillo (~$0,50). There is a gas station nearby.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''I arrived very late at night, and this was the first time I got a ride without asking for one. The cops pulled over and asked me what the hell I was doin walking in that neighborhood and was I crazy? They gave me a ride to my friend's place.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
{{IsIn|Ecuador}}<br />
[[Category:Ecuador]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Ecuador&diff=54173Ecuador2011-08-24T07:02:51Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Ecuador<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map= <map lat='-1.8' lng='-78.8' zoom='6' view='0' country='Ecuador' height='330'/><br />
|language = Spanish, (Quechua)<br />
|capital = [[Quito]]<br />
|pop = 13,922,000<br />
|currency = U.S. dollar (USD)<br />
|hitch = {{very good}}<br />
}}<br />
'''Ecuador''' is great for [[hitchhiking]], just be careful in some places, especially at the coast. Many pick-up trucks are there. Drivers might ask for money, but if you can explain your situation you will get away with it. Many Ecuadorians are happy to pick up a foreigner. It's not the safest country to hitchhike though. <br />
<br />
Along the Panamericana there are several Toll-Stations ("Peaje"). Take an overland bus in direction of your destination and get out at the first toll station (normally 0,25cts - 0,50cts). You have a couple of seconds to ask the other drivers until you get kicked out by the police, but that's normally enough time to find a ride. If you are able to explain your situation in Spanish, you might be able to stay longer. If you want to avoid this kind of "trouble" you can as well try to stop cars along the Panamericana. Along this road normally you won't get asked for money.<br />
<br />
Buses in Ecuador are quite cheap (usually 1$/h), and will usually stop anywhere. On some roads, though, there are no buses at all, in which case hitchhiking can be a good alternative, and you will be most likely picked up quickly as well, though it is more difficult to find a free ride on small roads. Very often the very first car that passes will pick you up. <br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''Wow. Easily one of the easiest countries to hitch around. I recommend the walk from the highway to Misahualli to see the monkeys in the square and to camp along the banks of the jungly river fork.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
== Cities ==<br />
* [[Guayaquil]]<br />
<br />
* [[Quito]]<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Katja and Augustas in Ecuador.JPG|Hitchhikers [[Katja and Augustas]] traveling in the back of a pick-up in Ecuador.<br />
Image:Ecuador.JPG|A hitchhiker [http://www.bewelcome.org/bw/member.php?cid=dome Dome] having a ride with... a cow!<br />
Image:Ecuador Katja and Augustas.jpg|Free ride in the back of a a pick-up - very usual for this country.<br />
Image:Hitchinecuador.jpg|[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]] hitchhiking in the rain in the jungle near Macaus, trusty tarp in hand<br />
</gallery><br />
[[wikipedia:Ecuador]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Ecuador]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[es:Ecuador]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Chael777&diff=54172User:Chael7772011-08-24T07:00:50Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>Chael began hitching in 2007, and has since found himself on the roads of the Americas for much longer than initially planned out. But he supposes that's the way of things, huh?<br />
<br />
You can read everything he's up to at velabas.com</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Cartagena&diff=54171Cartagena2011-08-24T07:00:00Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Italian Location<br />
|country = Colombia<br />
|state = <br />
|map = <map lat='10.422' lng='-75.525' zoom='10' view='0' country='Colombia'/><br />
|pop = 1,090,349<br />
|plate = <br />
|motorways = 90<br />
}}<br />
'''Cartagena de Indias''' is a city on the northern coast of [[Colombia]].<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
=== Towards [[Baranquilla]], [[Medellín]] ===<br />
The one trunc road to [[Baranquilla]] and [[Medellín]] is the one going past the castle. At ''La Bomba del Amparo'', there is one splitting (Baranquilla-Medellín), if you head down to [[Medellín]] some kilometers there is another turnoff to [[Baranquilla]] and a good place to hitch. <br />
<br />
Another option is to take the road to [[Baranquilla]] 4kms past the turnoff to the bus station (Terminal) to a police stopping. Here the cars slow down and often you may get a chance to talk to the drivers.<br />
<br />
=== Towards [[Panama]] ===<br />
There are 2 marinas in '''Cartagena'''. Try to get a yacht to [[Portobello]] [[Panama]], this is not easy though.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''I made the mistake of taking the road directly south to Turbaco. I walked all the way to that next city without a single ride. But there were no trucks! Don't make the same mistake, find the truck road.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Colombia]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Medell%C3%ADn&diff=54170Medellín2011-08-24T06:58:27Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Italian Location<br />
|country = Colombia<br />
|state = <br />
|map = <map lat='6.25' lng='-75.57' zoom='11' view='0' country='Colombia' height='300'/><br />
|pop = 2,223,078<br />
|plate = <br />
|motorways = 25, 62, 60<br />
}}<br />
'''Medellín''' is a city in [[Colombia]].<br />
<br />
The northern neighbourhoods tend to be poorer than the southern ones.<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
=== South towards [[Caldas]], [[Cali]], [[Pereira]], [[Manizales]] ===<br />
From last metro station ''Itagüi'' it is a 3 min walk to the [[autopista del sur]] (towards [[Caldas]]). From there either walk 10 min to a not-that-perfect gas station or take a bus/hitch further down. About 4&nbsp;km further south the highway to [[Cali]], [[Pereira]], [[Manizales]] begins. If you want a gas station, walk 1–2&nbsp;km uphill. No safety problems here.<br />
<br />
=== North to [[Cartagena]] ===<br />
Go to the last metro station ''Niquia'', just outside is the road towards [[Cartagena]]. Walk up the road about 3 kms to the Toll booth ('Payaje') or take a bus/taxi. It's best to ask drivers directly.<br />
<br />
There is also a gas station on the road between the metro stations ''Belo'' and ''Niquia'' but it doesn't seem to be very useful.<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''As the most well-ordered city in the country, the public transit makes it easy to get out of this city. From the last metro station to the north, for example, you can get a city bus to Barbosa, from which the hitch to Bucaramanga can begin!'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{IsIn|Colombia}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Colombia]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Colombia&diff=54169Colombia2011-08-24T06:56:21Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Colombia<br />
|in = South America<br />
|map = <map lat='4.609' lng='-73.652' zoom='5' view='0' country='Colombia' height='400'/><br />
|language = Spanish<br />
|capital = [[Bogota]]<br />
|pop = 44,660,000<br />
|currency = Columbian peso (COP)<br />
|hitch = ?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Colombia''' is a country in [[South America]]. Although it's not an easy country to hitchhike, it is not as bad as they say. There is a lot of paranoia about the security situation in the country. And some areas are outright dangerous due to fights between government and FARC rebels. However, the conflict is very predictable and usually limited to certain areas in the countryside. Check with your foreign ministry or recent guidebook.<br />
<br />
[[File:Hitching a huge truck in Colombia.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Hitchhikers [[Katja and Augustas]] with a driver of a hitched a truck in Colombia]]<br />
<br />
Like anywhere in Latin America, the biggest danger is to be robbed, which may happen if you travel alone. Bus transport is decent and reasonably priced, although not as cheap as countries like Bolivia or Venezuela.<br />
<br />
As mentioned, the security situation makes hitching difficult, but certainly not as bad as you would think. To know which areas are outright no-go zones, ask around and check the newspapers. People tend to tell you that the whole country is ''muy peligroso'', only take information seriously if there is something concrete going on (example : ''the FARC have attacked a military outpost on the road to Turbo...'')<br />
Thumbs up hitch-hiking works well, and it is also possible to talk to soldiers at check-points and explaining where you are going, either they should let you talk to cars that slow for the check-point, or they may even ask people for you...<br />
<br />
To cross from Colombia to [[Panama]] you've got to travel around the the [[Darién Gap]] somehow. See the article on the gap itself for details on that.<br />
<br />
=== Cities ===<br />
* [[Bogota]] (Capital)<br />
* [[Barranquilla]]<br />
* [[Bucaramanga]]<br />
* [[Cali (Colombia)|Cali]]<br />
* [[Cartagena]]<br />
* [[Medellín]]<br />
* [[Santa Marta (Colombia)|Santa Marta]]<br />
<br />
== Personal Experiences ==<br />
[[File:Hammock under the truck in Colombia.JPG|thumb|left|230px|Hitchhiker [[Katja and Augustas|Katja]] resting in a hammock under the truck]]<br />
:''In the spring of 2008 me and a Colombian female friend went for some hikes in the countryside around Bogotá. We went to the village of [http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=guatavita&sll=4.835102,-73.560333&sspn=0.714302,1.235962&ie=UTF8&ll=4.921306,-73.850098&spn=0.714211,1.235962&z=10 Guatavita], where a 7 km dirt road leads up to the 'Laguna Sagrada'. On the way a milk truck picked us up. A great experience, standing on the back of a truck driving up a bumpy road, the wind in our hair. On the way back we easily scored a ride back to Bogotá, in a car with a bank employee who liked talking about football. The dirt roads in the countryside are not busy, but everybody seems willing to pick you up. Same experience in Puente Nacional late one evening, where we got a ride from a farmer for a few pesos.'' --[[User:Leimac|Leimac]] 21:50, 25 September 2008 (CEST)<br />
<br />
:''In 2007 I hitched from Cartagena to Ipiales in a few days. Stayed on the main roads. No troubles. Rode [[trucks]] & personal cars. God Colombia is beautiful.'' -k<br />
<br />
:''I hitchhiked through Colombia in 2010. After making it across the Darién Gap by hitchhiking on speedboats, I went through most of the Colombian Andean territory. It is a fantastic country, and the only place where the truckers let me ride in the little space between the cab and the trailer!'' -[[User:Themodernnomad|themodernnomad]]<br />
<br />
:''I arrived in Cartagena, and walked all the way to Turbaco with no luck whatsoever. Eventually rides came. My experience was that thumbing took a heck of a lot longer, but that if you spoke with someone when they were stopped, you were taken almost every single time. Hitched to Medellin, back up to Barranquilla, down to Bogota, to San Agustin, Popayan, and to Ipiales. Spectacular country.'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[trash:Colombia]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Colombia|Colombia]]<br />
[[Category:South America]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Kolumbien]]<br />
[[es:Colombia]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Mexico&diff=54168Mexico2011-08-24T06:51:38Z<p>Chael777: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox Country<br />
|country = of Mexico<br />
|map = <map lat='23' lng='-102' zoom='4' view='0' float='right' /><br />
|pop = 108,700,891<br />
|currency = Peso (MXN)<br />
|language = Spanish <br />
|hitch = {{very good}}<br />
|capital = [[Mexico City]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Mexico''' is a country in [[North America]]. Hitching in Mexico is extremely easy. In many places, locals hitch to get home from the grocery store, etc. You'll likely ride in a the back of a lot of pick-ups, and many people will offer you food and drinks, especially Coca Cola! Whenever you're going to wait for a longer time, it's going to be due to low traffic. On heavily touristed routes with poor public transportation, payment is sometimes expected.<br />
<br />
In rural parts of Mexico it's common to see whole families hitchhiking together, or for a pick-up to stop for several different groups of hitchers until the back of the truck is completely full. Because pick-up trucks are the vehicle of choice, it's quite easy to get rides just outside of any small town (knock on the back window when you're ready to get out).<br />
<br />
Useful Spanish words are "ride" and "aventon", both meaning a lift. Near the Guatemalan border the word "jalon" is used. <br />
<br />
== Where to hike? ==<br />
The best place to get a ride is not on the side of the road or an on-ramp, like in many other countries, but at petrol stations or exits from shopping centers, in truck stops or at the restaurants where truckers eat. Some petrol stations in the north don't allow people to do that, but you can try to speak with the manager, it works sometime. Otherwise, just stay by the cashier of the petrol station, or at the door of the store or anything else (they can't forbid you that), and ask. Nevertheless if you don't ask people and stick out your thumb you can still make good distance. <br />
<br />
== Precautions ==<br />
It is even less recommendable than in other countries to take drugs or weapons with you, especially as of 2010 since the Mexican government, backed by the US ADA who are actually present in Mexico (!!) have decided to crack down on narco and weapon trafficking. Therefore you likely will be checked at one of the numerous check points, especially in the north as you near the US border. But it's also good to know that the soldiers hardly ever search all the way through a large back-pack, unless you answer their questions really bad. If the vehicle you're riding in does get stopped just stay calm, show your passport, say the magic words "''turista''" ("tourist") and "''de paseo nada mas''" ("just passing"), and if they ask to see your stuff open you bag and show them that it's all clothes and stuff.<br />
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Also, in the south, you rides might ask you about your immigration status and advise you of immigration check points.<br />
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In some mid-sized cities like Tampico, Oaxaca, and Pachuca there are no transit roads and you have to cross the city. Taking a bus makes things easier.<br />
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=== Single Women ===<br />
One of the great things of hitchhiking in Mexico is that even if you travel alone, you rarely have to hitch-hike alone, because hitchhiking is such a common activity among locals - joining locals hitching will not only add to the fun, but also your safety. This is especially handy as in certain areas - like in the North, around Chihuahua - men might take you for a prostitute (even if you have a large bag and totally look like a foreigner). <br />
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== Notes on Baja California and Yucatan ==<br />
*It may be extremely easy to hitch in mainland Mexico, but in the Baja California peninsula, it's a completely different story! In Baja California, there is only one road, the HWY 1, which isn't hell to hitchhike on but requires a lot of patience: there are often large distances in between cities (which are barely even cities, rather a few ranches and cactus farms) and even larger distances between petrol stations (example: El Rosario is the last one before Guerrero Negro, about 360 km further down in Baja California Sur). Getting stuck in the middle of the desert is NOT fun, and many people can only take you from town to town as it is local traffic or gringos doing one of the many races down in the Baja. Also, unless you are planning on staying in Baja and going back up towards the USA-Mexico border, you should hitchhike from Mexicali south.. If you plan on heading to mainland Mexico from the Baja, you must take a ferry in either La Paz or Cabo towards Mazatlan, which costs about 80$ USD.<br />
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*The Yucatan Penninsula, on the other hand, outshines all Mexico for its ease and amiability of hitchhiking. You might not even fall victim to Moctezuma revenge eating old papaya slushies and bean burritos out of the trash in some of those tourist strips. Hey!<br />
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== Map==<br />
The Guia Roji road atlas with the maps of the major cities is maybe worth the 100 Pesos, but people tend to know the roads so if you ask lots of questions you can also get around without one.<br />
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== Personal experience ==<br />
:''In 10 months and tens of thousands of km covered by thumb, my only "bad" experience was between Pto. Angel and Oaxaca City (a notorious drug route, as I later learned). The driver asked me to drive and once I was behind the wheel informed me that the van was full of Colombia's finest. I nearly shat myself, but the experience turned out to be quite interesting, as we were forced to make several detours to avoid police checkpoints, taking me through beautiful and remote parts of the Oaxacan mountains I otherwise never would have discovered. Be careful not to get set up. A very, very, rare occurance, but one that can happen.''<br />
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:''I traveled for 8 months in Mexico, all by thumb. I came down Baja California, hitched a sailboat from La Paz to Mazatlan, steamed over to Veracruz for the carnival, went up and around the Yucatan, then down into Chiapas, Guatemala, and then back to Veracruz, across to all the big central cities, and down the Pacific coast to Oaxaca and Guatemala once more. I got picked up by plenty of self-proclaimed drug dealers. Whatever. Lovely country. --[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
''<br />
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== Cities ==<br />
* [[Mexico City]] (capital)<br />
* [[Oaxaca]]<br />
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== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Katja and Augustas in Mexico.JPG|Hitchhikers [[Katja and Augustas]] barely fit with all their stuff in the front of this pickup.<br />
Image:Katja hitchhiking in Mexico.JPG|[[Katja and Augustas|Katja]] is ready to get a ride! <br />
Image:Katja on a pickup in Mexico.JPG|A usual ride on a back of a pickup.<br />
Image:Augustas is helping to push the truck in Mexico.JPG|Sometimes hitchhikers can be of help to a driver - here [[Lithuania]]n hitchhiker [[Katja and Augustas|Augustas]] helping to push a truck somewhere in Mexico.<br />
</gallery><br />
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{{States Mexico}}<br />
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{{IsIn|Americas}}<br />
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[[Category:Mexico| ]]<br />
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[[trash:Mexico]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Dari%C3%A9n_Gap&diff=54167Darién Gap2011-08-24T06:50:05Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>The region between [[Panama]] and [[Colombia]] is called the '''Darién Gap'''.<br />
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Here the [[Pan-American Highway]] is interrupted so classical hitchhiking by car does not work.<br />
The region is mainly dense rainforest, and partly marshland. It is a nature reserve, and is protected both under Columbian, Panamanian and international Law. Nevertheless a lot of logging goes on there as the parks lack staff to keep the huge inaccessible space under tabs. It is said that from the air you can see the loggin tracks coming within just a few miles of each other on each side of the border, so in all fairness a road could exist if the political will did exist to create one.<br />
The gap is also one of the homes of the FARC, and that is the main reason that it is a very bright idea for white-skinned blue-eyed hitch-hikers to stay as far away from it as they possibly can... This should not discourage anyone from getting ''around'' it though!<br />
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There are several stories of Hitchhikers passing around this region on the [[Pacific Ocean]] from [[Panama]] to [[Colombia]] or [[Ecuador]]. On the [[Caribbean]] side a high exchange of goods exists between the Kuna Yala territory and Colombia so you might be lucky and hop on a commercial boat, travelling in either direction, if you are in no hurry.<br />
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=== Way around ===<br />
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== From Colombia to Panama ==<br />
In Cartagena there are heaps of charter sailing boats and private sailors heading to Colon who will charge anything beween 100 and 1000 US$ to take you there, often with atractive little stop offs in the San Blas.<br />
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An alternative way of crossing in this direction is to head to the port city of [[Turbo]], where a 50 US$ (in 2011) boat can take you to [[Capurgana]], like with all the other payboats if the boat owner like you enough and you can talk your way in good, you might get a lift. After that, the same applies for travelling from [[Capurgana]] to [[Puerto Obaldia]], a small village that works as a border between Colombia and Panama. Once you're in Obaldia, you might either pay about 90 US$ (in 2011) to fly to Panama in a small plane, or find one last boat into Panama, for example by catching a boat to the island of Caledonia, and then another to Carti, from where there are roads connecting with Panama. From Puerto Obaldia you can also catch a boat a little way down the coast to where a trail links to the road. The trail is said to last about 2 or 3 days walk, and it is not advisable to do it without a guide. The Kuna do walk it often though, that is what it's there for. The whole think is a feasible and enjoyable adventure whichever combination of methods you chose, especially if you do pass through the Kuna Yala (aka San Blas) islands which are simply breathtaking.<br />
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== From Panama to Colombia ==<br />
To hitch a boat get to the ''San Cristobal Marina'' in ''Colon'', [[boat hitching]] is never easy so be prepared to wait days or weeks. There are 2 marinas (including balboa marina) in [[Panama City]] but chances for [[Colombia]] are lower. On both sides many boats go to the South Pacific and you also may get a ride through the canal as linehandler.<br />
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The reverse of the method discussed above also works. To catch a plane to Obaldia go to the aiport in Panama city. To get to Carti ask for the road to the Kuna Yala national park. From there boats into the San Blas are eratic but existant, although I'm not sure they would take anyone for free as they do come there specifically to pick people up. To find the trail you would have to follow the Panamerican as far south as it goes, and then head north to the coast in the comarca Kuna Yala. Then you will still need a boat to reach Obaldia (there is no walking there unless you fancy being kidnapped by FARC...)<br />
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== Crossing by dinghy ==<br />
There is several stories of people crossing by dinghy on the [http://www.autostopargentina.com.ar/labanquina/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11274&p=78235&hilit=+Panama+darien+darien+miel#p78235 Argentinian hitchhikers forum]. <br />
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=== Stories ===<br />
There are some stories, from people who circumvented the Darien Gap:<br />
* [http://www.digihitch.com/article1821.html themodernnomad] crossed for free from north to south by boat hitching. Great story. (read it [http://hitchtheworld.com/2010/02/13/rough-seas-rainforest-and-being-marooned-crossing-the-darien-gap/ here] on his website)<br />
* [http://boards.bootsnall.com/panama-to-colombia-via-puerto-obaldia-t39751.html Isa and Natasha] did it with payboats and planes.<br />
* [http://www.velabas.com Chael777] spent a few days on Carti Sugdub after arriving there with some Kuna natives, eventually meeting a Colombian boat captain who took him across.<br />
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=== Other ===<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_Gap Darién Gap] in Wikipedia<br />
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{{IsIn|Central_America}}<br />
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[[Category:Central America]]<br />
[[Category:Americas]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Panama_City&diff=54166Panama City2011-08-24T06:45:18Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div><map lat='8.98817479358621' lng='-79.4915771484375' zoom='12' view='0' float='right'/><br />
'''Panama City''' is the capital of the [[Panama|Republic of Panama]].<br />
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== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
=== West ===<br />
The way out of Panama to the west is the Panamerian Highway. It starts out at the Puente de las Americas, and then heads out. The best bet to start hitching on this large road is to go to the bus terminal in Panama city and catch an 80 cent bus to La Chorrera. The panamerican passes through this town and there you will find 3 petrol stations in a row on the right side of the road. Apparently the third is the one where the most trucks stop off (don't ask why...). It's easier to talk to drivers than to thumb it, but both do work.<br />
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=== Towards Colon ===<br />
From ''Av 12/Santa Ana Park'' you can catch a bus ''Transistmica'' which leaves the city on the road to ''Colon''. After around 20 km you will hit the intersection with the Panama City Highway.<br />
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== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''I arrived late to Panama City. I asked around and eventually found the fire station right in the downtown area two blocks from the waterfront. They put me up on a sofa in the vehicle parking enclosure. They had a cold water drinking fountain to boot!'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
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[[Category:Panama]]</div>Chael777https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=David_(Panama)&diff=54165David (Panama)2011-08-24T06:43:05Z<p>Chael777: </p>
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<div>'''David''' is a city on the North West Coast of [[Panama]]. It is the capital of the province [[Chiriqui]]. <br />
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== Hitchhiking ==<br />
There are many great opportunities to hitch hike and walk throughout the area.<br />
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== Personal Experiences ==<br />
:''Just three blocks from the main square and its black pyramid water fountain, is the downtown fire department. They were kind enough to let me crash out on a stretcher in the back of the station. Maybe they'll help you out too!'' -[[User:Chael777|Chael777]]<br />
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{{IsIn|Panama}}<br />
[[Category:Panama]]</div>Chael777