After this trip, I realized that visiting South America's famous tourist spots on my own would be quite difficult, so I’m glad I hired a guide.
On the other hand, I think I should have researched the hotels a bit more and discussed them during the planning stage. Being able to book just the hotel myself would have been helpful both in terms of cost and personal preference. (Although I’m not sure about the cost since I don’t know the price for just the hotel this time.)
Before departure, the direct flight from La Paz to Santiago was canceled and changed to a connecting flight, but I also heard locally that the direct flight hasn’t been operating for some time. I’m not sure if that’s true, but if it really isn’t running now, I wish I had been accurately informed during the planning stage.
I was told there was no need to worry about rabies, so I didn’t get vaccinated, but there were a lot of stray-looking dogs everywhere. The risk of being bitten was probably low, but it still made me a bit uneasy.
When I had diarrhea and stomach pain, the guide in Machu Picchu and Cusco was extremely kind and flexible, and took great care of me, which was very helpful.
On the other hand, I should have been more careful with the fish in the Peruvian ceviche, which I think caused my stomach pain. I later heard that quite a few Japanese people get food poisoning from it. I was tired of greasy food, so I ate it all because it was light and delicious, but that probably wasn’t a good idea. It would have been helpful if the restaurant had explained that this dish can cause food poisoning for some people.
The guide at the Uyuni Salt Flats was also very dedicated and left a good impression.
The other guides were generally kind as well, though some of the more experienced ones seemed a bit set in their ways, and I felt they could have been a bit more attentive.
The exhaust fumes in La Paz were terrible, and after my stomach issues, I got even sicker from an allergy to the fumes. I had taken proper precautions against altitude sickness, so that wasn’t much of a problem, but I hadn’t anticipated the air pollution. I think it would have been good to be informed about this in advance.
Even though I took motion sickness medicine, I almost got sick during the Cessna flight over the Nazca Lines. It seems the flight times can’t be freely chosen and are hard to adjust, but boarding soon after lunch might be tough.
Although I fell ill and it was a physically challenging trip, I was able to smoothly see once-in-a-lifetime sights, so overall, I think it was a good experience.
Bolivia 
