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Granada, Nicaragua is historic, and only a few hours from the Guanacaste beaches in CR. The border crossing is easy, and Nicaragua is safe.
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Jun 21, 2011 21:36
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bam thwok posted:But Ribsauce, if your parents are really set on seeing historical sites, they probably should consider somewhere else. Costa Rica's value is in its natural parks, well-developed tourism industry that caters to outdoor activities, and beaches, not in its local lore. All the things you mentioned you did my parents would enjoy, as long as the beach was not trashy. Do you mind saying what tour guide you used? Can the tour guide also dip into Nicaragua possibly to see some historical stuff Macunaima mentioned? Was the guide just your family? Beer prices don't matter, neither of them drink anymore.
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Jun 21, 2011 22:20
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Ribsauce posted:I was just naming the types of stuff they enjoy. If there is no historical stuff it doesn't mean they will hate their trip. They have seen historical stuff out the rear end in Mexico (and the rest of the world) after all. I think the main thing they want to see in Costa Rica are the jungles and natural parks. As far as I know they have never been to a cool jungle. Even in nature CR isn't really a first class destination. I mean, it's pretty and green, but so are tons of other countries that are often even prettier and greener and junglier.
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Jun 22, 2011 04:18
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hecko posted:Get a hostel/apartment in or near Palermo and you'll be set for everything. San Telmo could work too. Thanks! Hadlock posted:Like Hecko said, the Palmero neighborhood is by far and away your best choice. From what you described this neighborhood will fit you two to a T. It's about 4 stops north of the Obelisk on the green line subway, with a huge (HUGE) public park just south of the subway, and tons of nightlife, fashion shows, design stuff etc. Fantastic! If we were to go the short term rental route for an apartment, can either of you suggest some reputable sites through which to fine one? Google has a lot of hits!
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Jun 22, 2011 06:50
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Mr.Showtime posted:Thanks! Try baexpats.com.
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Jun 22, 2011 13:07
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I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, and I haven't read through all twenty-six pages of the thread, so please direct me to the right place if this has already been addressed. I'm looking to spend six months to a year working and living in a Spanish-speaking Latin American country. However, I have very little idea where to start my search for a job, a place to live, etc. I'm pretty open to different countries and areas. Can anyone offer any guidance for places to look, suggestions of good places to live, or anything else?
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Jun 22, 2011 19:48
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A Loaf of Bread posted:I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, and I haven't read through all twenty-six pages of the thread, so please direct me to the right place if this has already been addressed. Realistically you can work teaching English or in tourism. Even if you have some real skills like an engineer you're not likely to find a job anytime soon. Besides that advice you should narrow down what country interests you most and just choose that one. Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Ecuador are the least expensive. Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela seem to be the middle tier. Chile and Brazil are easily the most expensive. Everyone on this board has their preference of which countries they prefer. I know very little about Central America but its generally in the same price range as the lower and middle tier South American countries. I personally prefer Colombia and Brazil.
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Jun 22, 2011 20:38
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A Loaf of Bread posted:I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, and I haven't read through all twenty-six pages of the thread, so please direct me to the right place if this has already been addressed. If you're interested in volunteering sometimes you can get a place to stay. From there you could find a job or something? http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/
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Jun 22, 2011 21:09
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A Loaf of Bread posted:I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, and I haven't read through all twenty-six pages of the thread, so please direct me to the right place if this has already been addressed. You'll be teaching English, especially if you don't speak Spanish or Portuguese well. Chile and Brazil have the highest wages, as well as highest cost of living. Mexico is another good place to investigate. Stay away from northern Mexico, although Mexico City has lots of opportunities. I taught for a while in Nicaragua as a volunteer. Colombia is doing pretty well, and I know there is ESL work in Medellin and Bogota.
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Jun 22, 2011 21:31
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DustingDuvet posted:Realistically you can work teaching English or in tourism. Even if you have some real skills like an engineer you're not likely to find a job anytime soon. Besides that advice you should narrow down what country interests you most and just choose that one. Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Ecuador are the least expensive. Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela seem to be the middle tier. Chile and Brazil are easily the most expensive. Everyone on this board has their preference of which countries they prefer. I know very little about Central America but its generally in the same price range as the lower and middle tier South American countries. I personally prefer Colombia and Brazil. Although I'm flexible about where I go, Peru is probably the country that interests me most. Private Snowball posted:If you're interested in volunteering sometimes you can get a place to stay. From there you could find a job or something? Thanks, this is a very useful link and it's something I'll look into. I really want to figure out employment before I go though, because I definitely will be needing the income. Macunaima posted:You'll be teaching English, especially if you don't speak Spanish or Portuguese well. Chile and Brazil have the highest wages, as well as highest cost of living. Mexico is another good place to investigate. Stay away from northern Mexico, although Mexico City has lots of opportunities. I taught for a while in Nicaragua as a volunteer. Colombia is doing pretty well, and I know there is ESL work in Medellin and Bogota. Teaching English is definitely what I am most looking into. It looks like there are threads in BFC for Asian countries, but nothing for Latin America. Does anyone have any good links or leads for how to find jobs teaching English in Peru or anywhere else in Latin America?
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Jun 22, 2011 21:56
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You can try eslcafe.com. Usually though, you have you arrange these jobs on-site in Latin America.
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Jun 22, 2011 22:06
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Macunaima posted:You can try eslcafe.com. Usually though, you have you arrange these jobs on-site in Latin America. Would anyone who has experience doing this be willing to advise me more about it via email or IM or whatever? If so, just send me an email at josh dot mccorkle at hotmail dot com.
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Jun 22, 2011 22:17
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A Loaf of Bread posted:Teaching English is definitely what I am most looking into. It looks like there are threads in BFC for Asian countries, but nothing for Latin America. Does anyone have any good links or leads for how to find jobs teaching English in Peru or anywhere else in Latin America? Try looking into the same way you would find a job in the US. You would probably search for jobs on Monster and other sites! It's pretty simple really. Use a translator to search for Peruvian job sites. Then type "English" as the key word on the site. Pretty simple! http://www.computrabajo.com.pe/bt-ofrlistado.htm?Bqd=&Bqd=&Bqd=&Bqd=&BqdPalabras=english&x=40&y=5
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Jun 22, 2011 22:30
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Ribsauce posted:as long as the beach was not trashy. Don't go to Jaco, don't let them go to Jaco. I was fooled into going recently and some guy high out of his mind tried to grab my top off. The beach was clean though. Honestly, I would tell them to consider other places to visit. Costa Rica isn't horrible by any means, but they could probably do much better for their money/time, especially since they're so traveled already and used to seeing nice places. Anyone have any recommendations for definite must-sees in Puebla, Mexico (the city itself and the general area/maybe some Mexico City too)? I have a long list already but I like anecdotes.
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Jun 24, 2011 07:39
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Ribsauce posted:I was just naming the types of stuff they enjoy. If there is no historical stuff it doesn't mean they will hate their trip. They have seen historical stuff out the rear end in Mexico (and the rest of the world) after all. I think the main thing they want to see in Costa Rica are the jungles and natural parks. As far as I know they have never been to a cool jungle. We booked through this travel agency, http://memorablecostarica.com/ I can give you the name of the agent who we worked with specifically if you like, since he did right by us for sure. We made-our-own-adventure rather than going with one of the pre-planned packages, and we didn't have a tour guide with us the whole time, but I'm sure that either of those would be excellent options. Assuming they intend to spend most if not all of their time on the Pacific side of the divide, the forests in Monteverde and Arenal are awesome, and the beach in Manuel Antonio was excellent. Seconding the 'avoid Jaco' bandwagon, since it's a cocaine & party / smoke & surf town through and through. I also can't comment on the beaches on the Caribbean coast, but I've heard that the vibe there is very different but equally awesome. Edit: I also know that a short excursion into Nicaragua was definitely possible, but we opted not to because the only way to do so without losing a lot of time to travel would have been to fly. bam thwok fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Jun 24, 2011 |
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Jun 24, 2011 16:03
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Tomorrow I fly into Miami for a connecting flight to Buenos Aires. I looked online to see if it was cancelled due to that volcano, but it seems to be fine. How bad is this ash cloud? Should I expect my flight to be delayed or cancelled?
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Jun 27, 2011 16:08
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International flights were barely affected so I think you won't have any trouble.
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Jun 27, 2011 21:08
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Private Snowball posted:Tomorrow I fly into Miami for a connecting flight to Buenos Aires. I looked online to see if it was cancelled due to that volcano, but it seems to be fine. How bad is this ash cloud? Should I expect my flight to be delayed or cancelled? Should be fine from that direction, the ash is blowing in Australia's direction. We've had heaps of flights to NZ and South America cancelled over the last 2 weeks.
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Jun 28, 2011 11:35
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wprltndmcofjne posted:
I did a year studying abroad at the UDLAP (Universidad de las Américas Puebla) over in Cholula, which is right next to Puebla, Puebla. Downtown Puebla, like the zócalo and areas around it is really beautiful with some nice shopping/restaurants. There are some really, really neat churches with beautiful architecture, although their names escape me. Its a nice city. One of the richest in Mexico. However, I never spent too much time there, because Cholula was a way cooler little college town. Go to Cholula. Over in Cholula, you should definitely check out the Pyramid. Its really fun to walk up it and get a great view of the surrounding city and rural areas beyond it. Halfway up there's a plateau where people hang out fly kites and stuff. You can buy one for like 30 pesos. Fly a kite, its relaxing. Anyway, if you keep going along the same street on which the Pirámide is located (called Camino Real) you'll find yourself in the nice little zócalo of San Pedro, which has some relaxing restaurants and bars. Also, Cholula has really great nightlife while school is in session, but if you're going to be there in summer its not quite as great. All the bars are located on the opposite side of Camino Real right next to the UDLAP. A bar/club called Kurandera is the regular spot for most people, but there are bars and restaurants aplenty. Camino Real is awesome. gently caress I miss that street. If you're a hiker. You can hike up Iztaccíhuatl, the dead volcano next to Popocatepetl. Some of my friends did it. Its supposed to be fun. Bring a jacket. No you can't hike Popo. Its a live Volcano, and you might die. Also in the state of Puebla a couple hours north in the Sierra Norte is a little mountain town called Cuetzalan. Go there and stay in a hotel in the zócalo during the weekend and have a guide (they'll find you, don't worry) take you around to some waterfalls to swim in and caves (grutas) to crawl through. Then on Sunday, they have an amazing market with all sorts of great food and trinkets to buy. Staying in and walking around Cuetzalan made me feel like I had travelled 100 years into the past. It was awesome. As far as Mexico City, make sure you go to Xochimilco to ride in boats through ancient canals. Also in their main park Chapultapec, they have a free (FREE!) zoo which is actually really great. The Aztec ruins of Tenochtitlan are a staple, for good reason. If you want to buy kidneys or other sought after black-market goods and get robbed, I've heard Tepito is nice as well. (Edited to tone down the my use of the word cool to describe poo poo) Joser_Down fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Jun 28, 2011 |
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Jun 28, 2011 18:38
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So it's official, I am going to San Cristóbal, Ecuador to do conservation research and land clearing. You can read more about it here: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/ecuador/reserves/sancristobal.php I'm going to be there for 4 weeks. We also have free time in the city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the weekends to drink, eat and do whatever. If anyone has any tips for me I would love to hear them. Thank you.
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Jun 28, 2011 19:25
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Macunaima posted:Yaviza? I was in Puerto Obaldia last year. What a shithole that place is.
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Jun 29, 2011 03:12
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Destroyenator posted:I just arrived this evening in Panama City after being stranded there for three days. Can confirm it's still a shithole. I was stuck there for three days too. They cancelled flights from Puerto Obaldia the day I arrived, and the last plane out was full. Did you stay at the Pension Cande, with the enormous rats and the old lady owner with the huge glasses? I finally found a boat out on the third day. It took ten hours to get to Miramar, where the road ends. The last two hours were in a blinding downpour. All told, it took me a week to get from Medellin to Panama City, which is a couple of hundred miles as the crow flies.
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Jun 29, 2011 05:31
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Macunaima posted:I was stuck there for three days too. They cancelled flights from Puerto Obaldia the day I arrived, and the last plane out was full. Did you stay at the Pension Cande, with the enormous rats and the old lady owner with the huge glasses? I finally found a boat out on the third day. It took ten hours to get to Miramar, where the road ends. The last two hours were in a blinding downpour.
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Jun 29, 2011 06:10
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Destroyenator posted:The plane was full Sunday when I arrived and then todays 9:40 finally took us at about three thirty (although our luggage left on a mostly empty flight at eleven). Pension Cande has a young woman running it from over in the Internet cafe now and I managed to miss the rats, wouldn't have surprised me though. All seven foreigners on the flight were detained for no good reason for over two hours when we arrived in Panama City as well. I stayed drunk the whole time I was there. Absolutely nothing to do. Be glad you flew, as the boat trip is hellish. Did you notice how the sewage pipes empty directly into the bay? So much for swimming. Where are you staying in PC? Luna's Castle is one of the funnest hostels around.
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Jun 29, 2011 06:25
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Alright I could use a little advice. On July 11th I am flying to Guatemala. My plan is to do Spanish immersion school for ~5 weeks around Guatemala, taking classes in the cities I want to visit anyway (as of right now Antigua, Xela, San Pedro de Laguna, Coban) and then once I can speak traveling around Central America just seeing whatever sites and surfing a lot for a few weeks. The only thing I have to do is get down to Costa at some point to visit some friends from high school who live near Playa Hermosa. Here is where I stand now. For Spanish I will have done the first 2 CDs of Rosetta Stone Latin America, if there are different types I am not sure, it is whatever my roommate bought like 2 years ago. That is it. Some schools said 4 weeks and I should be able to communicate well enough to speak while traveling, where I imagine it will continue to improve. My question (for now) is what order of places should I go? I was thinking Antigua first for 2 weeks since I read it is a more english friendly town and I won't know Spanish yet, then from there just tick through the list of places. Also, my hope is while I am there studying I will meet travelers who can tell me what "not to miss" for the rest of my trip. Can anyone share their experiences with an immersion school? edit How much do they use tree nuts in their cooking? Almonds, cashews, etc....peanuts are no problem Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Jun 29, 2011 |
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Jun 29, 2011 18:22
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Ribsauce posted:Here is where I stand now. For Spanish I will have done the first 2 CDs of Rosetta Stone Latin America, if there are different types I am not sure, it is whatever my roommate bought like 2 years ago. That is it. Some schools said 4 weeks and I should be able to communicate well enough to speak while traveling, where I imagine it will continue to improve. My question (for now) is what order of places should I go? I was thinking Antigua first for 2 weeks since I read it is a more english friendly town and I won't know Spanish yet, then from there just tick through the list of places. Also, my hope is while I am there studying I will meet travelers who can tell me what "not to miss" for the rest of my trip. I didn't do an immersion school per say, but I did a year study abroad trying to immerse myself as much as possible (full-load of classes all in Spanish, reading it constantly, hanging out with mexicans, etc). I'm not sure if my hearing sucks or I'm just bad at picking up languages, but my biggest problem with picking up Spanish wasn't so much speaking (even though to actually speak well took 6+ months too), but listening and understanding colloquial Spanish, which is extremely difficult and I still sometimes have a hard time with. 5 weeks of heavy immersion will do you A LOT of good, though. Outside of your school, I suggest partying as much as possible with Spanish speakers. I think I learned most of my Spanish while getting drunk, honestly, since as long as you're not partying in super-loud bars you're usually talking/listening for hours on end.
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Jun 30, 2011 19:01
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If you live below the 37th parallel, Spanish/Mexican soap operas provide an hour a day of lessons using the same 800 words in a fairly easy and predictable plot. If you can't figure out who's cheating on whom by the end of the second week, perhaps you should stay in the county you were born in 
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Jul 1, 2011 09:32
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I was considering visiting Ecuador in mid July but all the current thunderstorm forecasts have put me off. Is that sort of weather expected for all of July? Edit: I was looking at Quito's forecast. The coast doesn't seem that bad actually. Rated PG-34 fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Jul 1, 2011 |
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Jul 1, 2011 21:14
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Joser_Down posted:info Thanks so much!
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Jul 2, 2011 03:32
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I went ahead and booked my ticket to Quito for next Saturday. I only have a couple weeks unfortunately. How does this itinerary sound: 5 nights in Quito, 3 nights in Montanita (fly to Guayaquil and take the bus), and then 6 nights in the Galapagos (fly from Guayaquil)
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Jul 2, 2011 20:50
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Destinos is decent if you decide to go the soap opera route. Not sure about how good it is for spoken Spanish since I'm deaf but it helped me learn some basics of written Spanish.
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Jul 5, 2011 19:41
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I'm in Cuzco for Christmas and New Years Eve this year - I arrive on the 23rd and leave on the 3rd. Obviously Machu Picchu is the obvious Cuzco experience, but I'm up for suggestions for others. We've booked a hotel overlooking the Plaza De Armas for New Years Eve, which seems to be where the celebrations are centered and we've noticed that there seems to be heaps of markets to check out. Any other ideas for must see things or day trips?
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Jul 7, 2011 03:00
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My fiancee and I are headed to Panama in mid/late November of this year. We are considering a climb up Volcan Baru but not sure how strenuous it is. Is it doable for beginners? We've climbed a few before, like Mt Fuji, but I don't know how it compares. Also, any other suggestions within Panama are appreciated (her passport is restricted so we can only goto Panama). We'll be there around a week, so anything is game.
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Jul 11, 2011 04:44
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Just recently got back from Venezuela, spent a couple weeks down there. I highly recommend visiting Morrocoy National Park. Be sure to pack your own sunblock, it costs more than a case of beer! Also, if you can find the black market, they will give you twice as much Bolivar for the Dollar than the official exchange rate. Which is cool, because whatever you don't spend, you just doubled your money.
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Jul 14, 2011 19:42
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28 years of life and I have never gotten even a stomach bug from eating food or drinking water and that includes a long list of suspect sources. All ended in under 48 hours in Guatemala. This first week has been awful....hope things improve haha
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Jul 16, 2011 00:44
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Ribsauce posted:28 years of life and I have never gotten even a stomach bug from eating food or drinking water and that includes a long list of suspect sources. All ended in under 48 hours in Guatemala. This first week has been awful....hope things improve haha Rub some Immodium on it and get back in the game. Pussy.
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Jul 16, 2011 19:07
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Macunaima posted:Rub some Immodium on it and get back in the game. Pussy. edit how worth it is Copan if there is nothing nearby I am interested in? I am going to Tikal, will Copan just be an êh after it? Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jul 18, 2011 |
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Jul 18, 2011 02:58
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Ribsauce posted:I took some but my problem was puking. Its in the past for now so hopefully business is about to pick up. About to knock out this week long crash course in immersion spanish (maybe 2) then get.it.on. Both are worth visiting. Tikal will club you over the head with grandeur. Copan is much more subtle. There's no Maya site in the world that matches the quality of the craftsmanship of the stelae at Copan. Copan Ruinas is a really pleasant little town too.
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Jul 18, 2011 15:00
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Ribsauce posted:
I did three weeks of immersion school in Costa Rica and it helped a lot. The trick is to stop thinking or speaking English. Turn it off and absorb as much as you can. I minored in Spanish but immersion schools are a whole different beast. They put me in Intermediate Advanced level when I started. Spanish class in college? 50 minutes every other day. Immersion school? 6 hours every day. My experience : at first you will be following along and then suddenly, after about an hour, your brain simply shuts down with regard to understanding Spanish. After a few minutes it starts working again. The next day you can follow along for an hour and a half and the shutdown happens again. Each day your little brain can handle more, just like weight training or running for the body. I learned a lot, especially how to hold a good conversation. A great benefit to immersion schools is that everyone wants to learn and improve their Spanish. It's not like college where most people take the class just to pass it. There are no grades, no pressure, no tests, just learning. Also a lot of these schools will offer free post-class activities like cooking and dancing lessons. You'll definitely want to check those out. The one in Costa Rica taught salsa, of course, and taught us how to prepare typical Costa Rican food (rice and beans along with beans and rice).
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Jul 18, 2011 17:07
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Cool, I am going to do a couple of weeks here http://cooperativeschoolsanpedro.com/ I did my first day today, it went really well. I suck at Spanish but I feel like in 2 weeks I can limp my way through conversations from here to Costa Rica.
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Jul 19, 2011 01:55
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