Holiday Purchases on 27/07/09 by Harriette Newcombe

Holiday Purchases

 

Jordan is an English student I met travelling in Colombia who had been travelling for more or less a year and still had the same backpack he had when he started. This is nothing out of the ordinary. What I thought was out of the ordinary, however, is that not only he had not picked up any extra bags along the way, he also hadn’t tied any purchases to the outside of his bag, nor had he bust any of the seams by cramming too much inside a pocket.

The only reason that I find this odd is that after 3 months of travelling, my backpack was not only bursting at the seams but I also had two extra bags I carried around jam-packed with a multitude of colourful souvenirs along with many impulse buys.

I’m not entirely sure whether purely being a girl automatically made me want to buy every pretty thing that winked at me, or whether Jordan hadn’t bought anything because he just isn’t into shopping. But for those of you who may choose not to pick things up because you don’t think they’ll be of any use, I thought a little input might help you decide what’s worth hauling across the globe.

Colombia’s slightly quieter tourist trail meant that not a great amount of vendors had caught onto the tourism yet, meaning that I eventually arrived in Quito thirsty to part with some dollars. I happened to pick up some beautiful quality silver jewellery at a market in Quito for a lot less than I’d pay at home.

Towns along the Ecuadorian coast offered more hand made items such as wooden earrings or woven bracelets but were really cheap and worth a browse. I was particularly bowled over by the market in Mancora, Peru, as it was a lot more extensive than I had anticipated and really reasonably priced. I managed to find lots of pearl pieces for both myself and for gifts which I have worn over and over and friends have loved the gifts.

Lima was the jewellery lover’s paradise. If you stand on the main square looking at the government palace and then go down the streets on the left you will find an area where each block is filled with bead, precious stones, and jewellery making items. I went absolutely mad and bought outrageous amounts, yet hardly spent any money. I managed to find 3 huge turquoise stones to make into pendants for around $3 each – bargain.

On your way to Machu Picchu you simply must acquire various alpaca items including gloves, a hat and huge fluffy socks. The hoody is an optional extra, as despite wearing it loads whilst travelling, it’s not something I’ve worn since I’ve been home. Yet for the price (approx US$7) it’s almost not worth missing even if you’re going to throw it away at the end of your journey.

Pisac is a market town near Cusco and was overflowing with alpaca items, beautiful scarves and more silver jewellery. It’s also a bustling little market place full of colour and incredibly cheap but delicious Bolivian food from the stalls lining the square.

We were told that alpaca items would be cheaper in Bolivia so didn’t buy too much in Cusco, despite being completely surrounded by alpaca souvenirs. We later regretted this in Bolivia where it was undoubtedly more expensive. However, in La Paz I did come across a stunningly worked leather bag from the area known as the ‘Witch’s market’. Another thing to note is that despite the silver mines being in Potosí, there aren’t any silver shops there as it is all exported – something I wish I’d known as I had waited to buy a necklace there and failed miserably.

In Rio I bought a sarong with the Brazilian flag emblazoned across it, which proved to be really useful when visiting other beaches and drying myself with after a dip in the sea without having to dirty my towel.  Havaiianas are also really cheap here and useful whilst travelling, especially to wear in some of the grubbier hostel showers.

In Buenos Aires the feria in Recoleta was awash with gift ideas and quality jewellery with items for all budgets, two rings that I bought from there are permanently on my fingers and I receive endless compliments about them.

After writing out my advice, I apologise to the men reading this as I now realise that it is mainly jewellery. The mystery that previously surrounded Jordan is finally unveiled; turns out he’s just a normal guy.

One last health warning for girls: start working out so you can lift your bag after cramming it full of silver!