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Cross posting from The Dorkroom. I found some time to scan some photos taken with my sprocket rocket on a trip to South America. These were taken all over Colombia.  Las Lajas, pretty amazing church near the border with Ecuador  Big rear end rock called La Piedra Del Peñol, daytrip from Medellin.  Church in old town of Bogota  Main square of nice quiet town of Villa de Leyva
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Mar 5, 2013 20:23
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I'm a fairly well experienced traveler, having been to 25 countries across Asia, Europe and Central America, but I've yet to travel to SA. I'd like to change that as I've heard great things about it from so many people. I do have some questions and would really appreciate any feedback from y'all. My timeframe is two weeks in November, and I have to decide between two general itineraries. My first idea is to go to Peru and do the four day trail to Machu Picchu, then travel to Lake Titicaca, and then go to Arequipa. I'd end the trip by spending a day or two in Lima (or somewhere else on the pacific coast, I've heard Lima isn't that great). My second idea is to fly into Rio de Janeiro and make my way to Buenos Aires, stopping in Sao Paolo and Iguazu falls along the way. I'd fly out of BA. What are your general thoughts on these two trips? Is one more feasible than the other in two weeks? I'd also wonder about the weather... I know that November is Spring in SA, and I think that it could go either way on the Inca Trail since winter is the start of rainy season. Another point is that I don't really have a budgetary constraint, but it seems to me that the Rio to BA trip would be more expensive. Always something to consider, but money won't be a limiting factor.
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Mar 6, 2013 20:26
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I did BA > Iguazu > Sau Palo > Rio. Rio and Iguazu are worth the price of admission, but keep in mind that the overland distance between the two is the same as LA to NYC. From experience, I don't recommend the route via bus. Iguazu is way inland and you should fly that leg at any cost.
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Mar 7, 2013 00:25
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Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires are enormous, it will be a very urban experience, except for the waterfalls of course. RDJ was one of the most interesting (and expensive) places I've been to. You could easily spend a month (or your whole life) in any if these cities, so two weeks will leave you wanting for more. Peru has beautiful sights but they require hard work, especially if you're doing the Inca trail. High altitude, rain, hiking gear, coca leaves, thin and clear air. Also poverty, unattractive and lowering folks, muddy streets. Two weeks sound about right. Those two trips are so different that you shouldn't have a hard time deciding. Drinking cooled coconut milk on Ipanema beach, watching beach football or hiking the mountain trails, sipping coca tea from a thermos bottle, trying to connect with Inca spirits? My preference would be the former option, especially if I had enough money. Outdoorsy types will probably disagree.
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Mar 7, 2013 00:43
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Hadlock posted:I did BA > Iguazu > Sau Palo > Rio. Rio and Iguazu are worth the price of admission, but keep in mind that the overland distance between the two is the same as LA to NYC. From experience, I don't recommend the route via bus. Iguazu is way inland and you should fly that leg at any cost. No it's not! LA-NYC is almost 4000 km, RDJ-Iguazu is 1200 km. You can do it in a day but if you have a total of only two weeks, I wouldn't recommend it either.
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Mar 7, 2013 00:52
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Miike posted:Cross posting from The Dorkroom. Here is the view from the top last thanksgiving, click to embiggen, or link for full size link full size 
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Mar 7, 2013 01:53
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FYI: Yesterday, when all your computers and phones and other 'smart clocks' changed the time back one hour in Chile, the time in Chile didn't actually change. Nothing like showing up to appointments 1 hour late to start the week.
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Mar 11, 2013 17:56
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dtb posted:FYI: Yesterday, when all your computers and phones and other 'smart clocks' changed the time back one hour in Chile, the time in Chile didn't actually change. Yeah. Even worse, I am in Santiago but work in the US, and on EST time. The US changed, and all the networked clocks here thought Chile time changed, but it didn't. So I'm all hosed up
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Mar 11, 2013 18:17
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So my husband (originally from Serbia) and I (originally from Mexico) are growing more and more disillusioned with life here in the US, and have started to look at other options. The one we're currently most interested in exploring is Uruguay. We're both visual artists in comics and sculpture; he has a very strong web design & programming portfolio and would ideally want an interesting job in that area that pays the bills but leaves enough time to work on his own stuff. We want to have access to culture and arts and live relatively comfortably. Do we have a hope, or should we just keep on grinding in the American machine? edit: I should mention, I speak Spanish fluently but my husband only has a limited understanding of it. He knows French well, though, so progress is relatively quick. Sonata fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Mar 14, 2013 |
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Mar 14, 2013 18:29
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Sonata posted:So my husband (originally from Serbia) and I (originally from Mexico) are growing more and more disillusioned with life here in the US, and have started to look at other options. The one we're currently most interested in exploring is Uruguay. Have you considered Chile? I only visited there a few days but I got the feeling that it would be pretty nice for living, especially for those artistically inclined.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:36
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Chile is pretty good I would say. When I asked for input on it re: someone who doesn't speak Spanish (myself) I was warned to expect troubles. In reality things have gone very well for me here. However I would recommend over trying to find a job, instead start your own business; especially in your husbands case. I find Buenos Aires to be more artsy and creative culture, but that also means there is plenty of competition... However he can just get work for clients in the US pretty much anywhere, BA or Santiago.
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Mar 14, 2013 22:04
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I like Chile also. Uruguay is good, but not quite as advanced as Chile either. There's also a lot more to see here, and I like the weather better (in Santiago). King Metal fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Mar 15, 2013 |
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Mar 15, 2013 20:51
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Hi, I have maybe an odd question. I'm in Costa Rica right now teaching. I leave on April 28th. From what I've read and been told, my Visa expires on the 12th of April. I can renew it by scheduling a trip out of the country for 72 hours, but the problem lies in that being a bit pricey and, I mean, I'm teaching so it's not like I'm rolling in dough. If I'm leaving two weeks after my Visa expires and don't renew it and I have no interest in returning any time soon, what are the chances of anything happening at the airport? I just want to get out without having to pay for an expensive vacation. Will they even care? Not sure if any of you guys will be familiar with similar situations, but thanks in advance if you are!
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Mar 21, 2013 06:06
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Little Mac posted:Hi, I have maybe an odd question. I had the same issue in Guatemala two different times. They didn't have the 72 hour rule though. I just went to Mexico and came back the next day. The 2nd time I went to Honduras but by then they had a border agreement in place and didn't stamp passports, so I just ended up going to the immigration department in the capitol and paying like $50 to get a 90 day extension. So I would check to see if you can extend your visa for a small fee. And if you do have to leave the country make sure they don't have a border agreement that will mean you won't get your passport stamped (I think this is just Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua iirc) Unless you can find the exactly punishment for overstaying your visa (maybe its just a small fine), I wouldn't risk showing up to the airport with an expired visa.
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Mar 21, 2013 14:07
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Will anyone be in Cusco, Peru from May 9th-26th? I'll be solo traveling there for those dates, and having a partner for part of it makes planning poo poo way easier (although I already have setup a hiking trek from the 12th-20th). With all that said, anyone have any recommendations for solo travelers in Cusco?
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Mar 21, 2013 18:07
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I posted in here a few months back regarding my trip to the Galapagos. And just wanted to say, I was there in January and the trip was amazing. Sea Lions EVERYWHERE, cheap beer and I got myself a sweet "Dance with Boobies!" handbag. It was really like no place I'd been before, and I'd recomend it to anyone who has the means! Here's a picture of a sea lion chilling in San Cristobal. 
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Mar 21, 2013 19:44
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Hey goons, I am going to be in Santiago for six weeks in May-June. Any cool ideas? I've looked at a couple markets and day tours to Valparaiso so far, but no extensive research. I would love to go to an island or patagonia or something. Fill me with ideas! All my weekends and afternoons will be (relatively) free time.
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Mar 21, 2013 20:54
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kreyla posted:Hey goons, I am going to be in Santiago for six weeks in May-June. Any cool ideas? I've looked at a couple markets and day tours to Valparaiso so far, but no extensive research. I would love to go to an island or patagonia or something. Fill me with ideas! All my weekends and afternoons will be (relatively) free time. Overnight bus to Mendoza is relatively inexpensive and a new place to visit
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Mar 21, 2013 22:36
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Mucktron posted:I posted in here a few months back regarding my trip to the Galapagos. And just wanted to say, I was there in January and the trip was amazing. Sea Lions EVERYWHERE, cheap beer and I got myself a sweet "Dance with Boobies!" handbag. Will be there in a few months. Did you stay on a boat for a number of days? If so dd you book ahead to negotiate at the port?
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Mar 21, 2013 22:37
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Admiral101 posted:Will anyone be in Cusco, Peru from May 9th-26th? I'll be solo traveling there for those dates, and having a partner for part of it makes planning poo poo way easier (although I already have setup a hiking trek from the 12th-20th). I might be around there at that time. In Salta at the moment but going up into Bolivia over the next few weeks. I hear Millhouse or Loki are pretty lively hostels in Cusco if you're looking for a party.....
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Mar 21, 2013 22:39
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willkill4food posted:I wouldn't risk showing up to the airport with an expired visa. The times I went to Honduras, I thought the "visa must not expire within six months of date of arrival" rule was just by the group we were with but it enforced by officials. I saw a guy get refused entry for a visa with 3-4 months left on it and an itinerary of eight days and a flight booked back on the eighth day. Honduran officials still didn't let him in. Are they this strict everywhere or did he just get the strictest airport officials in the country if not Central America?
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Mar 22, 2013 22:54
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willkill4food posted:I had the same issue in Guatemala two different times. They didn't have the 72 hour rule though. I just went to Mexico and came back the next day. I've heard it's a $100 fine. I dunno. I've been told that I can pay to get an extension at immigration and I've also been told that I haven't. I've also been told I can just cross the boarder at either Nicaragua or Panama and just come right back, but I've also been told those borders can be iffy. Anyone have any experience with either the CR/Nica or CR/Panama border?
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Mar 23, 2013 03:24
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Little Mac posted:I've heard it's a $100 fine. I dunno. I've been told that I can pay to get an extension at immigration and I've also been told that I haven't. I've also been told I can just cross the boarder at either Nicaragua or Panama and just come right back, but I've also been told those borders can be iffy. Anyone have any experience with either the CR/Nica or CR/Panama border? Those borders are fine. The main crossing between CR and Panama is on the Pan-American Highway, at Paso Canoas. It's noisy and polluted with truck exhaust, but not a difficult crossing. I've crossed on the Caribbean too, at Sixaola/Guabito. This one is much more rustic, with pedestrian traffic crossing on a railway bridge. The border formalities are unstressful though. The crossing into Nicaragua isn't any sweat either. It's about an hour north of Liberia, at Peñas Blancas on the Pan-Am. Never had trouble here. If you continue heading north, you'll get to Rivas, from which you can take a ferry to Ometepe. Very highly recommended for a few days.
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Mar 23, 2013 17:28
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Vanilla posted:Will be there in a few months. Did you stay on a boat for a number of days? If so dd you book ahead to negotiate at the port? I actually went with a tour group, so I stayed a few nights on a handful of the islands. Despite not being able to see more of the islands, I really enjoyed staying on them. I fully admit, I didn't realize how many people actually live on the islands (for generations) and it was cool to get a feeling for the culture. ...also, at night time you could just hang out and drink beer with the sea lions. 
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Mar 24, 2013 01:25
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kreyla posted:Hey goons, I am going to be in Santiago for six weeks in May-June. Any cool ideas? I've looked at a couple markets and day tours to Valparaiso so far, but no extensive research. I would love to go to an island or patagonia or something. Fill me with ideas! All my weekends and afternoons will be (relatively) free time. If you want to go south check out Pucon, Valdivia, and Chiloé (a big island disconnected from the mainland). In Santiago, you can find things to do but I don't know what your preferences are. You can take buses all over the country (well mostly, not directly to Chiloe or the very south), so don't rule out anything because it's far away. King Metal fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Mar 24, 2013 |
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Mar 24, 2013 13:58
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What is the bus travel like? Easy to book, etc? How much roughly does it cost? My interests are mainly local markets like the Persa Bio Bio, and going to the coast, Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar. Would also like to visit smaller towns, maybe go into the mountains. I am down for just about anything. What do you think about swimming/snorkeling or anything at that time of year?
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Mar 26, 2013 16:31
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Booking the buses are easy, and there are quite a few different companies. Pullman and TurBus are the biggest, but there are a lot of small players. You can book the big lines online, the smaller ones you'll need to visit the office, but they're all in the same area in Santiago. They're pretty cheap, especially if you just get on a regular bus. There are Cama (bed) and Semi-Cama buses that are a bit more expensive but really comfortable for long trips. To get to Vina from Santiago on TurBus it should be around 5.000CLP (~$10), but can be as cheap as 2.000CLP (~$4) depending on the days. I think it was about 12.000CLP each way for me to get to Pucon. If you go to Bio Bio, keep your stuff close to you and I wouldn't recommend having your nice phone out (if you have smartphone). It's kind of shady, and there are some stolen goods there (and pirated goods). It's physically safe though, you're not going to get beat up or killed or anything. There are other markets too, one in Santa Lucia which is mostly craft type stuff. There's a high end one called Los Dominicos in Las Condes. High end as in the artists are actually in their stores creating/making their crafts. There's also a Chinese mall that I always try to go to and miss it because it closed 15 minutes before I got there. That's just to name a few. I haven't been in the mountains, except for going to Cajon del Maipo (SE of Santiago). You'll be going at the beginning of ski time, so I would hit up the slopes if you like that. I've been to some smaller towns (in valle de elqui), they were fun to go to during the independence celebrations because they had huge fondas, which are big parties where everyone gets drunk off chicha eats asado and does the cueca. The best time I had was in Pucon, climbed an active volcano (Villarrica), it was an experience. It'll likely be too cold to do anything in the ocean. unless you want to polar bear it. Expect 50s-60s as highs on the coast in the central area. I did see some crazy mo-fos in La Serena getting in the ocean in September though. One place I've been wanting to go on the coast is Isla Damas, but the time I went there the boats were running because the water was too rough. It's near La Serena https://www.google.com/search?q=isla+damas&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6IdUUYIvhbrwBJT_gOgM&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=965 If you have any specific questions about places, you can PM me. My girlfriend works in the tourism industry here and knows a lot of the country, and some little tips. Like pay in US$ at hotels and you don't pay tax.
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Mar 28, 2013 19:13
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Is it appropriate to ask in this thread about emigrating to South America, or is there an A/T thread for that?
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Mar 29, 2013 01:51
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Badger of Basra posted:Is it appropriate to ask in this thread about emigrating to South America, or is there an A/T thread for that? Santiago Chile FTW I'm loving it. Finding a job not speaking Spanish was impossbile as everyone warned. Starting a company and printing your own money not speaking Spanish was a piece of cake.
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Mar 29, 2013 08:59
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Does anyone have any advice or information about teaching English in Brazil? I've had a few friends recommend it as a viable work option post graduation, but I have really no idea where to start.
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Apr 1, 2013 17:16
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dtb posted:Santiago Chile FTW What kind of printing press are you running down there?
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Apr 1, 2013 18:00
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Not sure if this is the right thread, but I'm thinking of doing a copule weeks in Mexico next month. Oaxaca looks interesting, but I know nothing about it. Has anyone been to the state, and if so, what's worth checking out?
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Apr 1, 2013 18:19
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Hadlock posted:What kind of printing press are you running down there? I'm starting a series of companies taking advantage of the Asia angle that seemingly no one else here has that marketing existing business/products to the Asian markets either for tourists here, investments here, or just selling the product there.
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Apr 2, 2013 01:31
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MatCauthon posted:Does anyone have any advice or information about teaching English in Brazil? I've had a few friends recommend it as a viable work option post graduation, but I have really no idea where to start. Had your friends done it themselves? I wouldn't recommend it, not as a work option anyway, if you're more into travelling a bit and living on the cheap while working in a hostel or something then it's an option. Compared to teaching in Asia, the salaries are low, the schools offer next to no support, the price of living is high and convenience is low. Although if you have graduated in teaching then it's a different story, the international schools here pay well and provide lots of support and a very decent salary. Some recruit from job fairs in the US.
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Apr 2, 2013 04:43
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Grenada Trip Report: Beautiful country, if not dangerously hilly, drivers are rather sane despite the fact that roads are paved treacherous versions of what you find in Peru and Bolivia Fairly cheap, people are nice. Get out of St. George, it's a tourist trap surrounded by a slum designed to extract as much money from the German tourists as possible Strange country, it's civil, but there's no real government or police. People just seem to... happily coexist down there. After doing a lap around the country, we still couldn't figure out what most people on the island do to pay for all those really nice concrete houses, steady electricity supply and fresh running water that dot the island. Other than that, pretty standard tropical island fare. It's sort of the island you would imagine Michael Creighton traveled to immediately before writing Jurassic Park
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Apr 2, 2013 04:59
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xcdude24 posted:Not sure if this is the right thread, but I'm thinking of doing a copule weeks in Mexico next month. Oaxaca looks interesting, but I know nothing about it. Has anyone been to the state, and if so, what's worth checking out? Which part? It´s not a small state. I used to live in Puerto Escondido, which is one of my small paradises on earth. Oaxaca City is very nice also - artsy-fartsy cultural, with interesting food.
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Apr 5, 2013 01:12
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Glad I found this thread. I'm going to Ecuador in about 3 weeks. I have taught EFL for years and have a short term teaching job lined up there. I also will try to teach in Bogota, Columbia later. I consider this an opportunity to: *teach in a new region and culture of the world (I know the pay is low). *Travel afterward to Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia (and perhaps more countries). *Improve my Spanish - serious self study to use for example (the 3rd condicional spontaneously)and practice my speaking and listening. I am interested in doing some volunteer work also. Any advice on how to save, beyond the basic strategies? Any special place I should consider seeing/visiting? Thanks to anyone who can give teaching EFL info, and travel info, volunteer in on Ecuador and also Bogota, Columbia.
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Apr 11, 2013 17:34
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duralict posted:Guayaquil is the major port city and is entirely post-colonial (and mostly modern), but it's actually pretty cool, although it has a bit of a sour reputation and their attempts to attract tourists are really strange. They have this bizarre Dineyland French Colonial area built up the side of a hill and along the river that looks like a tourist trap from the outside but is a regular mall selling mostly non-tourist stuff on the inside. There are also some really nice churches, a public park full of iguanas and a huuuge outdoor market district selling mostly off-brand/fake everything (as opposed to tourist crap) that's really fun. Guayaquil does have a really bad reputation for being dangerous, though, and it's not the best place to wander around drunkenly exploring alleys or something. I will be teaching about 3-4 hours away from Guayaquil in a temporary EFL job that will last 3 months. I'll then try to teach in Guayaquil for a couple of months of longer is it's possible to get by without spending my travel savings. I do like teaching and take it seriously. I also understand there is no visa support from schools there. I've been doing research, but: Any current info and advice on Guayaquil for Spring of 2013?
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Apr 11, 2013 17:48
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Anyone offer some input on Bocas Del Toro? I'm getting married in August and am looking for a honeymoon spot for the beginning of September. Everything I've read makes it out to be pretty amazing, but I'm also trying to get some perspective as it will be our first time traveling internationally. We have two weeks set aside, should we spend some time in Panama City before flying over to Bocas, or will we want all the time we can get there? Should we consider other destinations? I mostly ruled out a lot of the Caribbean due to hurricane season, and places like Fiji or Thailand for the expense of flying there.
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Apr 17, 2013 07:11
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Panama City isn't very interesting, honestly. There's some Jesuit ruins and an old colonial port in Balboa, but that's sort of an afternoon thing, and almost everything else about PC that's different from [any American port city] is poverty-related. There are some neat things within easy day trip distance, though, like the Canal, Portobello (the old Spanish fort on the Caribbean side, a few miles away from the modern canal mouth) and the rainforest (most of the country southeast of Panama City is a series of enormous nature preserves/native reservations). Basically, if you wind up with a spare day or two, you won't have trouble finding neat stuff to do. But you're not going to miss anything spectacular if you just go to the islands.
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Apr 17, 2013 08:30
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