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I really can't imagine there being a weather-related travel delay in mid-summer in Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego unless there's some absolutely freak storm around Antarctica. You can also decide when you get to El Calafate what you want to do for that first week. If it's going to dump rain nonstop for days in Torres Del Paine, you can just decide to do your hike around El Chalten like up towards FitzRoy and the Desert Lake, which is basically guaranteed to not have rain (but might be cloudy). YMMV. Read some peoples' personal experiences about it. http://inspiringtravellers.com/w-trek-torres-del-paine-national-park/ is kind of interesting. We did the El Chalten part of things and missed out on Torres del Paine since we were too early in the season for it to not be miserable in TdP and weather is a little better up towards FitzRoy. We were lucky and had FANTASTIC views but apparently we got like the only 3 non-cloudy days for their first month of spring. Edit:  Doesn't even really do justice to how crazy the landscapes are. It's hard to photograph. I've been to places like Monument Valley, and I was still super impressed by Patagonia. Saladman fucked around with this message at 15:15 on Mar 27, 2016 |
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Mar 27, 2016 15:10
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Hey y'all my SO and I are coming out the other side of some difficult times and I really want to take her on a trip adventure somewhere in central or sur america this coming fall (likely mid-September), would really appreciate any suggestions for where though. Here's sort of what I'm looking for: - Beach, or at least a lot of water; we like to swim in water - Preferably not a resort sort of place, we'd much prefer to explore jungles or whatever and stay in a quiet town in a little hostel. If the place is a popular tourist spot for reasons other than "It has good hotels" I'm down, but we're not the sort to spend vacations in our hotel or at the pool or taking tours, we want to be in a quieter place, trek out into the wilderness alone and get lost and have more of a relaxed/secluded/not super crowded vibe - Somewhere our money can go some distance; we're not poor but we're also not loaded so the more bang for buck, the better - Somewhere the people are pretty chill; we both know a passable amount of Spanish, not fluent but enough to have gotten by in Argentina and Spain, but some places I've been (*coughbuenosairescough*) people get sorta impatient and frustrated if you aren't fluent; I'd rather go where people will try to meet you halfway or at least smile and nod while you make no sense and then hand you liquor drinks anyhow. - Ruins and jungles; we want to explore stuff, and not like, explore the local gift shops. I feel like this is describing a LOT of places, I guess my challenge is we want to go somewhere that's friendly to tourists, but is not a ~tourist spot~ and has some other culture/industry going for it. No part of me wants to go to Cancun or anything similar. Oh also, I don't do great in INTENSE heat (I'm fine until you pass like 95F) so probably not Quito.
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Apr 11, 2016 16:09
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Fyi Quito is actually quite cold and you'd want a jacket there and youd want long pants even in the day if it's cloudy. Imo colombia fits your bill, as does nicaragua. Everywhere else either has no ruins, has no beaches, or fsils for multiple reasons (eg Costa Rica is as expensive as Florida). Maybe look into Tayrona National Park and the coffee area around Medellin, specifically Salento. Flights within colombia are dirt cheap, like maybe $50 for a one way from Santa Marta to Medellin. Flights to Medellin or Bogotá can be had cheap from the U.S., depending on where you live.
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Apr 11, 2016 16:25
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September in Central America is pretty hot, humid and rainy. But it's really cheap. But theres also the risk of hurricanes. Just something to keep in mind.
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Apr 11, 2016 16:35
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black.lion posted:Hey y'all my SO and I are coming out the other side of some difficult times and I really want to take her on a trip adventure somewhere in central or sur america this coming fall (likely mid-September), would really appreciate any suggestions for where though. Here's sort of what I'm looking for: Go to Mexico City and figure it out there. Anyone who would counsel you against Mexico City has either never been there or is not worth listening to. Anyone who has been to Mexico City will tell you that it's at least ten times better than you thought it would be. No beaches there, but you can hop a flight to a spot like Puerto Escondido or Huatulco or Cancún for mere pesos from there.
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Apr 11, 2016 16:41
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Okay Quito was a bad example I forget elevation is a thing, it sounds like I'd actually really enjoy it (I'm a high-up-in-mountains sort of person) but my SO is more sun and beaches and swimming so, another time Quito! I'll def take a look into the spots you mentioned, thanks. Something called "the coffee area" appeals to me bc I like coffee! Re: Timing and weather, September is the earliest we're going to have time to carve out a couple weeks for travel, would we be better off waiting until later in the year? December is just going to be hotter, right? I live in an extremely humid area and summers can hit a heat index of 105 regularly, so I can hang w the tropical climates, just would like to err on the side of more temperate. The rain and hurricanes worry me just because it would not be fun to have our swimming and exploring rained out. e: Isn't Mexico City covered in smog? It is somewhere I've always wanted to go but this vacation in particular is meant to be more of a calm relaxing just the two of us sort of thing, if I went to Mexico City I'd want to meet lots of locals and drink and party with them.
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Apr 11, 2016 16:44
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black.lion posted:Okay Quito was a bad example I forget elevation is a thing, it sounds like I'd actually really enjoy it (I'm a high-up-in-mountains sort of person) but my SO is more sun and beaches and swimming so, another time Quito! Temperature basically does not change with the seasons anywhere between the Yucatan and Lima. What does change is the rainy season, which varies depending on where you are, but in the Caribbean then the dry season (for most places) is ~early December through ~April. The rest of the year it rains in varying amounts. There are areas where this rule of thumb doesn't hold true, but mostly between the yucatan and Cartagena it's like that. You have two weeks? I'd really recommend Colombia, flying into wherever is cheapest (probably Bogota or Medellin or Cartagena; if Bogota is not MUCH cheaper then I would skip it and just go to Medellin or Cartagena). In addition to Salento, the Guatape area near Medellin is gorgeous and otherworldly:  Up north, Tayrona National Park fits your bill for private and beach and swimming waters, and trekking. You could also do the Lost Cities trek, but that might not meet your criteria for the "not hot as miserable sweaty balls for 5 days and covered in bug bites". There are some nice beaches near Cartagena too, but they're not as private. All of Colombia is perfectly safe unless you go deep into the jungle, which you won't. Even the favelas of Medellin are fine, at least during the day time, and they even have tourist attractions in the parts that were Iraq-like murderville 10-15 years ago. If you watched Narcos, never talk about it to anyone in Colombia, and especially not Medellin. Not because it's inaccurate or that they'll be offended, but because they're sick of hearing about Escobar again. lovely, low-quality cocaine is sold openly. Edit: English is commonly spoken throughout Colombia, maybe on par with say, France, at least in terms of people you will potentially interact with (hotel clerks, salespeople, Colombian travellers within their own country—there are a LOT of domestic tourists). Saladman fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Apr 11, 2016 |
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Apr 11, 2016 17:01
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I've only been to Jamaica and Guatemala in the rainy season, but since then I've decided I will only go to tropical places in the dry season. The extra expense is worth it to me. If I had less money and more vacation time, I might change my mind. If you want to wait until November or December, Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Yucatan, Oaxaca or Central Mexico would probably all be good choices. I think Ecuador has pros and cons weather-wise no matter when you visit. I believe Colombia is great to visit almost any time, but Saladman would be able to confirm.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:14
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black.lion posted:
Yeah, the air in Mexico City is terrible. It's definitely the beating heart of Latin America in a city though, and one of the best eating cities on the planet. I've spent half of my professional life living in Latin America, and there's no place I love even approximately close to Mexico City. You can chill there. Get yourself a hotel or AirBnb in Roma or Condesa, and eat a lot of tacos.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:19
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Oooooo that Colombia plan sounds dope, I think we may be able to push and go early December if that gets us out of the rainy season. Surely there aren't a ton of people touristing a few weeks prior to Christmas, so that'd probably work out well. Is late November still pretty rainy? I'm def not the guy that goes to Colombia and tries to talk to everyone about Escobar but that's interesting about the cheap cocaine everywhere. I'm not really into cocaine myself but still sorta neat. Maybe I'll try some just to get a little local flavor. That picture is beautiful, I want to go to exactly there. Right now I'm thinking mb fly into Medellin or somesuch, chill for 9 days or so in Colombia maybe across two hostels, and then go spend 3 or 4 in Mexico City on our way back home. So if we were only going to stay in two spots in Colombia, 4 or 5 days per, I'm thinking something along the lines of... fly into wherever, spend 4 days in Salento (looks neato), pop over to Medellin to check out Guatape and any surrounding area for 5ish days, then hit Mexico City for 4 days and then home. Keep the advice coming y'all blow google out of the drat water. If I'm browsing hostels in Mexico City, what area of the city should I be looking at? Would like to be around 20-30 year olds that aren't rich but aren't tourists. Have zero knowledge of how districts/areas of Mexico City are lined out.
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Apr 11, 2016 18:31
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black.lion posted:
Are you sure you want to stay in a hostel? You can do pretty nicely with accommodations in Mexico City, as far as hotels or an Airbnb spot. The only hostels I know of are the one on Guatemala, just behind the cathedral in Centro Histórico, and a newer one in Coyoacan. If it's your first time there, look for a place in Condesa or Roma. They are adjacent neighborhoods pretty centrally located, with a lot of happening bars and restaurants. A lot of the daytime tourist attractions are in Centro Histórico, the downtown area. It's not as dead at night as it used to be, but it's still pretty quiet for the downtown of a city of the size of Mexico City. Polanco is another area that might pop up on your research radar, but keep in mind that this is a really gentrified and Americanized area of the city.
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Apr 11, 2016 20:13
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I'm not sure about anything I'm just trying to be cost-efficient. Daytime tourist attractions are of almost negative interest to me, I'd like to avoid all things tourist-y if possible. When you say "it" is not as dead at night as it used to be, do you mean the whole city, or the Centro Historico? Will avoid Polanco thanks for the advice!
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Apr 11, 2016 20:24
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Definitely check out AirBNB. For instance, I stayed here in Medellin: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3100836 It's like $62/night, 3 bedroom (way excessive), has a heated swimming pool, a private washing machine and dryer, a weight room, a beautiful view of the city, and it's like a 10 minute walk to Parque Lleras, the night life / restaurant center of the city. E: Not saying you should stay there specifically (it was nice though), but definitely check out AirBNB if you haven't done it before. If you can pay for plane tickets to central/south america, then for only a 2 week romantic trip it's definitely worth it to pay an extra $10/day/each and get a really nice place rather than a shared bathroom in a noisy hostel, unless that's particularly something you both prefer. In Medellin, El Poblado is the district you'd want to stay in. There isn't even a single particularly notable daytime touristy thing there, so you're in luck on that point too. If weird guys ever ask you if you want to buy chiclets ("chicletas") they're selling cocaine and weed. It will not be top quality stuff, but might be a fun "when in Rome" experience for y'all. Drunk locals buy it too, it's not just a tourist bullshit thing. (It's a drunk club district bullshit thing.) There are cops absolutely everywhere in El Poblado, so the area and hanging out there at night is not remotely sketchy. Cops are generally very professional in Colombia. E: Think of it like the Latin Quarter of New Orleans... maybe this is a good analogy? Saladman fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Apr 11, 2016 |
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Apr 11, 2016 21:04
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black.lion posted:I'm not sure about anything I'm just trying to be cost-efficient. Daytime tourist attractions are of almost negative interest to me, I'd like to avoid all things tourist-y if possible. When you say "it" is not as dead at night as it used to be, do you mean the whole city, or the Centro Historico? Will avoid Polanco thanks for the advice! Just Centro Histórico. Even ten years ago, it was eerily deserted at night, particularly when you see how bustling it is during the day. Now there are hipster pulquerías and other nightspots all over the old center. If you're into Airbnb, there's an outstanding spot on Amsterdam, in Condesa. I spent the first half of last year in Mexico City, and after my client 86ed me from my cozy digs in Tabacalera at the end of our project I stayed there. If you're a nightcrawler, you can do much worse than Condesa. Adjacent Roma is a bit smarter than Condesa.
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Apr 11, 2016 21:25
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Anarkii posted:I'm a bit confused about Iquitos vs Puerto Maldonado as a gateway to the peruvian amazon. I'm looking for a remote jungle experience with wildlife spotting. My idea of the trip is taking a river boat to a remote jungle lodge, then going on some trails with a guide/naturalist to spot some wildlife and live there for 4-5 days and then go back. Which is the right place for me? Kind of old question, but in case you're still figuring it out, I went to Iquitos last year, and was able to have about what you're looking for. I think you can probably do it at either of those spots. Iquitos itself is a decent sized city. Kind of a weird place, but I did enjoy wandering around it for the day or so I spent there. We took boats about 3 hours upriver to a small lodge where we spent 3 nights. From there we'd have little outings by boat each day. One time went another 2-3 hours upriver to camp in the jungle. The boats move pretty slow, so a few hours travel isn't actually that far from Iquitos, but it definitely felt very remote. Lodge had generator power a few hours per day, not many people around, only way to get around is by boat. Saw birds, monkeys, spiders, snakes, fish, dolphins, caiman, Held monkeys, sloth, piranha, anaconda, caiman
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Apr 18, 2016 03:41
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I'm flying out of SFO tomorrow, for an 18 hour flight to Santiago (including a layover in Panama City). Excited, but scared! I've also read that Panama City doesn't have doesn't have air conditioning in the terminal. That could make five hours there very uncomfortable. 
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Apr 19, 2016 01:48
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glowing-fish posted:I'm flying out of SFO tomorrow, for an 18 hour flight to Santiago (including a layover in Panama City). Excited, but scared! Good news for you: the Panama City airport is very modern, developed, and absolutely had AC almost everywhere. Whoever wrote that either had a bad day or was there prior to their major renovation 10 years ago. Even the awful Albrook AIrport that's actually in Panama City has AC in the terminals Bad news for you: the airport is pretty far from town and traffic is AWFUL so you're stuck in the airport the entire 5 hours unless you REAAAALLLY want to see the canal for 5 minutes at a cost of like $80.
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Apr 19, 2016 07:37
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Saladman posted:Good news for you: the Panama City airport is very modern, developed, and absolutely had AC almost everywhere. Whoever wrote that either had a bad day or was there prior to their major renovation 10 years ago. Even the awful Albrook AIrport that's actually in Panama City has AC in the terminals I'm totally fine spending five hours eating at Subway, internetting on wifi and reading airport fiction. I'm going to Santiago and have a modern city to explore for months. No reason to look at the city just to look at the city.
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Apr 19, 2016 08:14
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Booked a trip on short notice for Mid May in Panama. Going to be there 9 nights. Was thinking I'd spend my first night in Panama City then do 5 days in Bocas Del Toro chilling then 3 days in Boquete doing a tour package. Looked like a lot of activities for $170: Day 1: Rafting, Day 2: Island Trip, Day 3: Morning hike then afternoon canyon trip. I'd go back to Panama City for one more night then fly out. Any advice on what to do in Bocas for that time? Should i cut my time there by a day or two and go somewhere else? I'm not really interested in any cities, I'm looking more for outdoorsy stuff and relaxing. I figured I'd so some kayaking snorkeling and maybe some surfing if the conditions are good. I understand it's the rainy season so the afternoons may be wet. Pinche Rudo fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Apr 20, 2016 |
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Apr 20, 2016 00:26
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Post a review when you get back. I've heard of lots of people flying through Panama but nobody in this thread has actually ever gone there as a destination as far as I can remember.
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Apr 20, 2016 09:29
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I spent about 15 days in Panama a few months ago, and I've been there before too, a few years ago, for about 10 days. One of my closest friends for many years is Panamanian so I've heard a lot about it too and travelled around with her for about half my time there. I guess I've spent ~2 weeks in Panama City or within day trips of it, and the other ~10 days in the west in Bocas/Boquete/David. Note that Bocas del Toro does NOT have the same climate as Panama City, particularly regarding its rainy/dry season. I guess because of the mountains around Volcan Baru, it does not have a dry season AT ALL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocas_del_Toro_Province#Climate vs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_City#Climate so don't worry about that. You'll get rained on, but you'd get rained on any time. Hopefully it is not rainy your entire stay as that would make the beaches pretty pointless. 5 days sounds like way too much since there are only 2-3 days worth of activities, and if it's not sunny then all you can do is sit around in Bocas Town which is not very nice or interesting and it's quite expensive considering how terrible quality everything is (the hostels and restaurants are astonishingly bad, both in personal experience and from the other people I know who have been there). I'd take 2 days off Bocas and put one in Boquete and one in Panama City. Are you flying from Panama City to Bocas? If not, you should because the bus ride is awful. How are you getting back from Boquete to Panama City? The bus ride is a little less awful in that direction but I'd still recommend flying from David. I'd also recommend getting a shuttle from Bocas to Boquete, it's like $25 vs ~$5 or so for the standard public bus, but it saves you a couple hours and the hassle of having to transfer in David. Note that these flights will leave from / go to the Albrook airport and not Tocumen, assuming you fly with Air Panama, which you should because Copa is almost certainly going to be a ripoff. Bocas: absolutely go snorkeling. There's a "5 destination" tour or something that every company offers for like $20-$25 for the day, they basically all go to Crawl Cay (also sometimes spelled Coral Cay and all sorts of other ways), Dolphin Bay, the Zapatilla island, sloth island, and a couple other places. The snorkeling near Crawl Cay was really good, although there was a huge barracuda there that freaked me out. The current is quite strong and it was just sitting there, totally motionless and somehow resisting the current without seeming to move its fins at all. Probably the most interesting thing I've seen snorkeling. The fish and etc around are colorful, visibility is usually good, etc. If it's pouring rain then Zapatilla Cay will suck but the rest of it should still be fun. In the Dolphin Bay we had a bunch of dolphins chasing us and breaching in our wake. http://www.hablayapanama.com/ecotourism/bocas-del-toro/boat-tours/ shows the area and major destinations. I spent 3 days on Red Frog Beach and it was super nice and totally devoid of people. I don't know how the rainy season is in Bocas though — if it will rain all day or whether it'll just be a couple brief downpours. Don't go on the beaches at night unless you like sand flies biting the poo poo out of you. Daytime is fine. Bocas: If it's sunny, I recommend checking out Red Frog Beach. We stayed there 3 nights and spent 1 night in Bocas Town, but even without staying there you can get a 'day pass' and check it out. They have huge, expansive, and almost deserted beaches since it's difficult to access the area and you have to pay like $10 to get there if you're not staying on the island. Boquete: I spent 5 days there and I 100% recommend Hostal Refugio del Rio. They have 3 or 4 private cabins (with ensuite bathrooms) which are super nice for like $40/night or you can stay in the dorms which looked fine, but honestly the cabins were super cool and worth the money unless you're on a shoestring. This hostel was one of my favorite places I stayed in 4 months backpacking around Latin America. What hike are you going to do? I've heard the Quetzal hike is kind of lame and you don't see any wildlife but we only did part of it and I can't say my opinion on that is definitive or super-well informed. We did the first part of the Mount Baru hike which we enjoyed. IMO take a taxi from the city to the end of Volcancito Road ("Evenvida Boquete" on google maps), this will save you about 2 hours of walking on the paved country road. The hike along the road is OK and mildly interesting, but it's cool enough walk to warrant doing it both up and down, just doing it down is plenty. We did not do the whole Volcan Baru hike because (a) it starts at 11pm and (b) we already knew it would be cloudy and we wouldn't see anything from the top. If it's definitely going to be a clear day any of the days you're there, it sounds awesome, and I hope to go back and do it some day. If you can drive a scooter, I'd recommend renting one and driving it around the area as the taxis are pretty expensive and inconvenient and the distances are too far to really walk everywhere. David: Ugly and nothing to do there, not even worth an afternoon. The only thing I've heard positive about it is that it's the only place with decent restaurants in Panama outside of Panama City. The food is all terrible in Boquete too. By far the worst food we had in 4 months of backpacking was in Bocas and Boquete. Panama City: The casco viejo has been MASSIVELY renovated in the past few years. Even when I first went in 2009 there were still buildings full of bullet holes and 90% of the place was a squat. Now it's full of trendy shops, bars, and rich Panamanians. If you read about it keep in mind that what you're reading might be old, or might have been written by someone who has not been there in years. In the daytime it's sort of an average renovated old town with boutiques and sandwich shops, but it's nice enough for a half day of walking around, and it has good views on the skyline of modern Panama City. The nightlife in Casco Viejo is a LOT of fun and will be a mixture of rich Panamians and expats and surprisingly few tourists. There are some cool restaurants around here, especially there's a cool rooftop place -- maybe the Santa Rita? It's right around there anyway and should be easy to find. Plenty of venues with live music and a variety of bars, all the way from dive to high-end. Again if you're reading old guidebooks they might talk about Calle Uruguay for nightlife, but that's the has-been part of town, which is also good for you because it's way harder to get to and from if you're staying in or around Casco, which you should. The Panama Canal museum is overpriced and boring, but I thought going over the Bridge of the Americas was fun. Gamboa is also nice. Panama Viejo is a bunch of old ruins that are also not particularly interesting (IMO). Panama City, except for Casco Viejo, was designed by someone with a seething hatred of pedestrians, and traffic in the city is the worst I've seen anywhere, ever, including Marrakech and Naples. It is so unwalkable that it makes Houston and Dallas look biker/pedestrian-friendly. Uber works very well in Panama City. 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Apr 20, 2016 11:49
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Checking in from the Tocumen Airport, which isn't terrible but which isn't great. Pretty tired after a cramped flight from San Francisco. Just waiting five hours for my connecting flight to Santiago de Chile. More exciting news in day to come.
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Apr 20, 2016 15:50
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That is a ton of awesome info Saladman. I was planning on flying to Bocas, taking the private bus shuttle to Boquete, then taking the shuttle to David and flying back to Panama City. gently caress the overnight bus ride that sounds miserable. If I shave a day or two off Bocas is there anywhere else worth going with good beaches, maybe on the Pacific coast? I live in a big city and booked this trip more for relaxation so I want to avoid spending more than two nights in Panama City. Money isn't a big issue I can spend up to probably $100 to $150 per night for a hotel if need be
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Apr 20, 2016 17:54
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Costa Rica Trip Review Landed at the airport, immediately zerged by touts and taxi car drivers. Find the "official" taxi car stand and the guy seemed pretty indifferent, but eventually we get in a reasonable cab to our ALoft. ALoft is as one would expect, above average breakfast. Rent our car from Poas/Vamos, which I highly recommend. I didn't feel strong-armed into buying extra insurance, and they were pretty casual about everything. Communication leading up to the rental was spotty, but eh. $170 for 3+ days rental is worth it. The drive to La Fortuna are pretty crappy once we got off the highway. Single-lane highway means one has to roll the dice a bit when stuck behind slow trucks, and everyone in towns just kinda walks in the path of traffic as if it's no big deal. The quality of the road was decent, though one can't really zone out since it's curve after curve. Get to our resort, Los Lagos, which was fine. I paid about $140 a night, which seemed reasonable considering what they offered in hot springs and decent breakfast. No way I'd pay the $300+ what some people were paying to stay there. We were able to get a glimpse of the volcano with clear skies, so that was great. Downtown La Fortuna isn't good, nor should anybody expect it to be. It's pretty clear that the resorts are good at keeping visitors on-property. Our tours were all above average, albeit somewhat expensive. The ticos we met were genuinely the nicest people I've ever met while traveling. We did rappelling, hanging bridge tour, and rafting. I wish the water had been higher, but that's what I get for booking in April. Transportation seemed to be the big surprise cost in most of the tours, so having our own car was very helpful with some of the tours. The food was US-priced (we tend to eat at nicer places than your average traveler) but quality was good both on and off resort. That was one of the nicer things about traveling here-- no worries about bad food or bad water. Drove back to San Jose, which again was pretty crappy. All it takes is one beater truck going 20 km/hr under to jam up traffic for a long time. Overall, what people said was kinda true-- it is the Absolut Vodka of tourism. But, that comes with some good upsides-- no worries about dirty water, relative safety, a good experience when traveling with someone who appreciates the ease of which everything is done and isn't very concerned about cost. I'd actually recommend it to anybody traveling for the first time or traveling with a significant other. It's very much easymode abroad, so it's a great starter country that comes at a bit of a premium. Saladman posted:Good news for you: the Panama City airport is very modern, developed, and absolutely had AC almost everywhere. Whoever wrote that either had a bad day or was there prior to their major renovation 10 years ago. I thought the duty-free and like shops were good, but the dining options were pitiful. IIRC, one terminal has a Subway and then three round-high tables that haven't been cleaned in a few hours. Did I just miss something last time I flew through there? The really nice part is that I think anybody can get to anywhere in the airport within 5 minutes.
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Apr 20, 2016 19:01
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Blinkman987 posted:[Regarding PTY] I thought the duty-free and like shops were good, but the dining options were pitiful. IIRC, one terminal has a Subway and then three round-high tables that haven't been cleaned in a few hours. Did I just miss something last time I flew through there? Yeah-- I didn't mean it's a particularly amazing airport. But in the context of the original question of "I heard it doesn't even have air conditioning??" it's good. It's been renovated and has the big windows, white everything stereotypical 2000s airport feel to it, a/c, an average food court etc. So, it's not a third world nightmare airport like Berlin Tegel. Saladman fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Apr 20, 2016 |
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Apr 20, 2016 20:35
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glowing-fish posted:I'm totally fine spending five hours eating at Subway, internetting on wifi and reading airport fiction. I'm going to Santiago and have a modern city to explore for months. No reason to look at the city just to look at the city. Jenkem Delivery posted:That is a ton of awesome info Saladman. I was planning on flying to Bocas, taking the private bus shuttle to Boquete, then taking the shuttle to David and flying back to Panama City. gently caress the overnight bus ride that sounds miserable.
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Apr 20, 2016 21:43
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huhu posted:Las Lajas, just outside of San Felix and Santa Catalina are two pretty dope places to check out. Santa Catalina is still quite basic and hasn't turned into a full blow tourist destination yet. Las Lajas might be a bit closer but also really lovely. Seconded this. The entire Chiriquí coast around there is pretty. It's out of the way, and takes a little bit of effort to get there from David City, but worth it if you're just looking to chill. I spent a few days at a camp called 3 Palmeras, about 45 minutes walking down the beach from Las Lajas (go to San Felix first), back in 2004. (I've heard that the place is no longer there - the owner was a Panamanian guy who was planning on moving to Germany with his German girlfriend.) There wasn't much to do other than hang out on the beach, read, play soccer, and smoke pot/drink rum and beer, which was right up my alley. I enjoyed the towns in the Azuero Peninsula too, but can't tell too much about beaches there. As for Bocas del Toro, I had a lot of fun there. There are reef breaks for surfing, but you'll need to hire a boat to take you to most of them. There is one that breaks near Bocas town, but I didn't ride that one. Red Frog Beach is a must see. I have photos of probably a dozen other ones too, whose names I never learned. There are a few hundred islands in the archipelago, and most of it is accessible only by boat. Don't get your hopes up for snorkeling or diving there. I've heard it can be good, but there are dozens of rivers that empty into the sea around the islands, and visibility was really, really bad when I was there. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Apr 20, 2016 |
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Apr 20, 2016 22:47
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So bad news: Immediately after getting out of my taxi in Santiago I was robbed by multiple attackers. I lost every thing and have spent the last week trying to get my things back together. I have an emergency passport and replacement credit cards and am trying to adjust, but to be honest having this as my experience has certainly made the normal process of adjusting a lof harder.
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Apr 28, 2016 22:00
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Jesus, sorry to hear that. Hope you didn't lose anything irreplaceable. I'm surprised that happened to you in Santiago, but I guess poo poo can happen anywhere.
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Apr 28, 2016 22:33
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Saladman posted:Jesus, sorry to hear that. Hope you didn't lose anything irreplaceable. I'm surprised that happened to you in Santiago, but I guess poo poo can happen anywhere. Yeah the consensus I've heard is that Santiago is pretty safe. Malos Suerte I did have a volume of my personal journal going back about a year. That was the only really irreplaceable thing. I guess the problem coming in is that I was told that this city is pretty modern and safe. There certainly is a lot of that, of trendy shopping districts and new infrastructure, but there is certainly shadows of a much less pleasant and older society, and my initial mugging has just let me be very aware of that. Some of it might just be normal homesickness, too.
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Apr 28, 2016 23:12
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glowing-fish posted:So bad news: I'm so sorry, thats just terrible. If you don't mind me asking, in what neighborhood was it? Santiago can be super sketchy in certain areas, while in others absolutely nothing will happen to you. The idea of the super modern city though... keep in mind that Chile is a 3rd world country, no matter what the numbers tell you. If you have any questions about the city/services or anything similar either pm me or ask here
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Apr 30, 2016 01:57
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glowing-fish posted:So bad news: There is a large Facebook group for foreigners that are living or visiting Chile. It's mostly Santiago-centric. But there is lots of good info, mixed in with dumb info (especially the spider id posts) and sometimes people meet up for activities, etc. https://www.facebook.com/groups/thechileexperience/
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May 1, 2016 20:35
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Souvlaki ss posted:I'm so sorry, thats just terrible. In Providencia, right across from the French Embassy and two blocks from a big PDI station. It was at 1 AM in the morning...which of course I would have avoided but there wasn't a lot of options in flying from San Francisco to here. The best theory we have is that the robbers were following my transvip and some people have thought the driver or someone in transvip was in on it. Just speculation. Anyway, since then I've recovered and have enjoyed being here. I live in Providencia now.
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May 5, 2016 04:23
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Souvlaki ss posted:I'm so sorry, thats just terrible. One of the things that is hardest for me to adjust to is the fact that this isn't a third world country. I mean, if I was in a Peruvian village or a Nigerian city I would know to throw away my expectations. But here, lots of things look and feel enough like the U.S. that I start getting in a U.S. groove just to be reminded that it isn't.
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May 5, 2016 04:26
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Looking for some advice on potentially doing the Inca trail in September... is it tourist hell or does it still feel remote? Do you absolutely have to book with a guide (I know you need passes)? I'm particularly uncomfortable hiring a porter, I appreciate they need the work but having someone carry my crap just feels wrong. We only have about 10 days, is getting over the jet lag and acclimatising to the altitude viable in just a couple of days or should we opt to do a shorter route (we were thinking 5 or 7 day walk)?
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Jun 7, 2016 13:36
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jiggerypokery posted:Looking for some advice on potentially doing the Inca trail in September... is it tourist hell or does it still feel remote? If you really want to do a hike on your own, there are a ton of other Inca ruins that AREN'T Machu Picchu and which you CAN hike yourself without a guide/porter/tons of other people. Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you actually want to hike to Choquequirao and not to Machu Picchu. The Inca trail gets the exact same number of tourists and porters/guides every day. It's strictly regulated (500/day?) and always sells out. You also absolutely have to book with a guide. You carry your own personal poo poo, the porter carries the tents and food and etc. It is illegal to go without a guide and porters but I'm sure you could ask your porter "hey I want to carry 100% of my poo poo" and they might let you. They also might not because "it's company policy" too. The Inca Trail is normally a 4 day hike. I guess you could probably start 'further out' and off the normal trail and do it longer, but then it would be on "a" Inca Trail and not "the" Inca Trail. In this case you could do those other days without a guide/porter/whatever but then meeting up with your guide is going to be a hassle (normally they will bus you all in to the start of the trail from Ollanta or Cusco). If you absolutely have to go to Machu Picchu then you can do the Salkantay Trek which you can also DIY but keep in mind that the normal route ends you like 20 km from Aguas Calientes and you'll need a full day longer than people who do it with guides (the guided Salkantay treks bus you from the end of Salkantay to Hidroelectrica and then you walk or take the ripoff train from there to AC). E: As far as fitness, that's a very personal question and depends both how your body reacts to elevation naturally (a question to which you may not know the answer), and how fit you are generally (which doesn't really correlate with reaction to altitude). Re: Jetlag, where are you coming from? If you're American in which case you won't have any jetlag. If you're European, 10 days flying to Cusco and hiking for 7 days of it sounds pretty tough. Also I guess you are flying between Cusco and Lima (don't take the bus). Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Jun 7, 2016 |
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Jun 7, 2016 18:06
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Would going to the Galapagos in November be worthwhile? I am thinking about going for a week. What are some good operators to explore the Islands while mixing in either scuba diving or snorkeling? Doing something relatively active is not much of an issue for me as I am in pretty good shape. I would most likely end up going by myself.
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Jun 17, 2016 03:55
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I don't know about November, but I just got back from a week there in April that was amazing. We planned/booked our trip through SA Expeditions, but I think that the boat itself was a separate operator called Galapagos Excursions. We spent a week on a nice boat, with decent food, but the activities were perfect. Every day but one had 2-4 hours of time set aside for snorkeling at different locations, all of which were good. The rest of the time was devoted to hiking around different islands, sometimes 2 different islands in a day. Only one of the islands was somewhat challenging physically. Highly recommend them.
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Jun 23, 2016 04:08
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Putting together a surf trip for the wife and I to Costa Rica sometime this fall. Currently I'm looking at going to Tamarindo the first week of December as it seems to be still fairly inexpensive and on the tail end of the rainy season. Is there a better option than Tamarindo? We're pretty set on Costa Rica as we're flying on Alaska Airlines buddy passes, my wife wants to go someplace warm, and I want to go someplace to A) surf & B) that I've never been to. I'm totally ok with being a tourist and pretty much just want to chill and surf for a few days. From what I can tell, Tamarindo looks fairly easy to get to from Liberia and is also more likely to be drier at that time of year.
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Jul 1, 2016 06:40
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So I want to move to Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador or, failing that, Argentina, permanently in the pretty distant future (at least 2 and a half years). I'm wondering what visa options there are for a dumbass like me who's not going to start a business, doesn't have a passive income, etc. Currently the only realistic option seems like going to Chile on a working holiday visa (which I'll sadly have to skip postgrad for since I'll be 29 by the time I finish my degree and to be eligible and you need to be under 30), and then using that to apply for permanent residency, with which I could start applying for jobs that are actually within my field but which require a visa. Uruguay and Argentina have working holiday agreements with my country (Australia) as well, but they require ridiculous amounts of savings (10k+) while Chile only requires $5000 USD. Pretty solid option, but I'm wondering if there's another way beyond getting a job offer before entering the country in any of these places? Any that will allow you upgrade a tourist visa to a work visa while already in the country? My first choice is Bolivia, but there is understandably little demand for English-speakers there, and second is Peru but they're pretty strict on immigration requirements. I'm not going to have any in-demand professional qualifications so I think my chances of enticing an employer to go through the trouble of sponsoring my visa before I go are very slim, unless a by-the-books English school gets really desperate for a native speaker with a random degree. Any input would be greatly appreciated. My field is Latin American Studies which I am certainly not going to get employment with without postgrad, unless I get very lucky and find an NGO or other such humanitarian organisation that's recruiting. I'd want to get consolidated and then finish my studies in the country I immigrate to, or finish them at home and then travel (but my field is so narrow that I probably won't find a job from outside the country anyway) THE PWNER fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Jul 1, 2016 |
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Jul 1, 2016 17:27
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