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TheImmigrant posted:Brazil Stuff Good info there! As someone flying to Brazil in 3 weeks with my better half for 2 weeks 1/2, I have a bit of last minute worries... Our plan is to spend a few days in Sao Paolo visiting some friends of us, then exploring Rio de Janeiro, and the general region around both cities, maybe even go to Minas Gerais if possible. Is that a realistic itinerary? As carnival seems to be in full force when we arrive (more of a coincidence really, didn't plan on that), is it still possible to find some accommodation, and if yes, is there a good website to book in advance (no need for 5-star hotels, a cheap clean hostel is enough)? Also, as a European that never left his home continent, how safe is it? I like being off the beaten path and have been around shady neighborhoods in Eastern Europe without worries so I know a bit about how to keep my wits with me and not flash my shiny new smartphone around (never been mugged or been threatened with a weapon), but Brazil (and especially Rio) seems to be a whole other level, if the stories you hear are to be believed. So will I get mugged and later die from dengue fever, or are there some areas to avoid and behaviors to adopt in order to stay safe? Thanks in advance! Chikimiki fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Jan 12, 2016 |
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Jan 12, 2016 08:00
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Thanks a lot guys! Didn't think Ouro Preto was that far away, then again I am used to european distances. But anyways, it seems there's so much stuff to do around Sampa and Rio that we won't have time for a third region in our schedule. The Costa Verde looks like a really great spot, I hope it's not too crowded! For carnival, according to our friends we'll be arriving right into Sao Paulo's at its height, so we'll have a first taste of this event - though I'd still like to see the one in Rio, because even if it is daunting, I'd rather not miss the opportunity to see it. Is that a stupid idea? What is the worst that could happen, besides getting mugged, starting a fight or drinking a spiked drink?  Speaking of (in)security, it seems to me that being a bit more cautious than I usually am should be sufficient; I don't wear expensive clothes, my smartphone is budget option, and I always use a secret pouch while traveling too, but I guess I have to prepare myself psychologically for the possibility of theft, since I thankfully never experienced it  PS: Santa Teresa really looks like a great neighbourhood! Is there more like that in the city? 
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Jan 17, 2016 13:58
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Ur Getting Fatter posted:Any Brazilians here? Went to Brazil a couple months ago, didn't drive there but it didn't look too bad, outside of the Rio clusterfuck of course. Worst thing that could happen is your GPS taking you through a favela because it's shorter, but you can recognize the sketchy areas easily from afar. Another alternative is to take the bus, there are quite a lot going down the coast: http://www.buscaonibus.com.br/
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Sep 3, 2016 19:25
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SixPabst posted:I've been in Rio for the last week and a half and I highly recommend it. Especially now that - as of January 15th - US citizens can apply for an e-visa online for $40 and don't have to do the paperwork / pay $160 like we did. It's been one of the easiest places to travel in SA and I personally think the "danger" aspect is pretty overrated as long as you're not walking around looking like travel dad and staring at your iPhone. People are real chill. Rio is a really cool city, and yeah if you stay street smart it's not that dangerous. The worst was when we tried to venture into Lapa, on a friday night, during a carnival bloco - lots of sketchy people and guys looking for fights, so we took the first cab home. But this is kinda the worst case scenario, barring venturing into a favela. Basic advice: don't look like a travel dad, know which areas are ok, and look around you. Also, if you hear loud baile funk, retreat Fwiw, Paraty in Rio state (4 hour drive) is a very quaint colonial beach town, with lots of fun things around. I've heard good things about Ilha Grande too for nature gazing.
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Feb 9, 2018 20:27
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Cheers LAM goons! We are currently looking for a destination to do a 3 week backpacking trip in March with my girlfriend in South or Central America. We've heard a lot of good things about either Guatemala (and Belize) or Colombia (depending on who you speak to), so I was wondering what the goon advice would be for these countries, or if there is another country absolutely worth doing instead About us: we are from France, both around 30 and like to do a bit a little of everything - city exploring, food tasting, historic sites, some sports and/or scenic hiking, some beaches (if it's worth it), etc. We've only been once to South America, namely Brazil, otherwise we've been around somewhat in Eastern Europe and South-East Asia. We don't mind basic comfort (bus rides, hostels, street food, etc.) as long as it is reasonably safe & clean. Also, we don't speak Spanish, but we can understand some basic stuff owing to the proximity with French. Thanks a lot in advance guys! T Zero posted:Seconding this request for info. If it's not too late, from Rio you could go to the colonial city of Paraty, or to the island of Ilha Verde. Of course, Rio and Sao Paolo are both great themselves (though SP is more rough around the edges) and have lots of stuff to do. Can't advise you on the Museums unfortunately, but if you like bohemian neighborhoods, you can check out Vila Madalena in SP or Santa Teresa in Rio. Chikimiki fucked around with this message at 09:10 on Sep 25, 2018 |
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Sep 25, 2018 08:56
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Bumping this thread, based on airplane ticket prices we've finally decided to go to Colombia in March  We'll be flying in and out of Bogota, and we'll surely do the Bogota-Santander-Cartagena-Medellin(-Popayan-)Bogota loop. Any recommendations along the road or in the big cities, based on what I wrote above? Something in particular to watch out for, both positive or negative? Thanks in advance!
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Nov 6, 2018 14:34
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Stanky Bean posted:I hope you are flying some of those transitions because otherwise you are going to be spending alot of time on busses. Colombia has nice busses but still. For example Tunja to San Gil which is around 180 km took around 5- 6 hours by bus with stops last time I did it. Yeah we'll have to look at flights between the 3 big cities (Bogota, Cartagena & Medellin), we've already had the pleasure of loooong bus rides in Brazil. Any airline you'd recommend or avoid completely?
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Nov 9, 2018 11:10
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Hey goons! How does this Colombian itinerary look to you: 27/02 - Flight to Bogota 28/02 - Bogota 01/03 - Bogota 02/03 - Flight to Cartagena 03/03 - Cartagena 04/03 - Cartagena & Travel to Santa Marta 05/03 - Santa Marta 06/03 - Snorkeling or Diving in Santa Marta & Travel to Minca 07/03 - Minca 08/03 - Travel to Tayrona 09/03 - Tayrona 10/03 - Tayrona 11/03 - Travel to Medellin 12/03 - Medellin 13/03 - Medellin & Guatape 14/03 - Travel to Salento 15/03 - Valle de Cocora 16/03 - Sightseeing around Salento 17/03 - Travel to Bogota 18/03 - Flight back to Europe As usual, I'm worried simultanously about missing out some cool stuff, and also overdoing it - it's our vacation after all. At least I'm trying to spend at least 2 nights anywhere, because changing beds every day sucks way more past 25. Thanks in advance guys, cheers!
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Jan 10, 2019 17:39
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Thanks for the tips! Santa Marta I mainly added because I was a bit afraid that Cartagena would too touristy & expensive, and figured that Santa Marta would be more "authentic" (for lack of a better term). Shame about the diving though, is there any good place on the coast for it? Islas del Rosario maybe? Keeping in mind we're absolute amateurs, apart from a diving baptism in the Mediterranean and some snorkeling in Sri Lanka we didn't do much, so any coral or sea critter will be amazing to us Minca was recommended to us by quite a few people for relaxing in the mountains, so it seemed a cool place to spend a day or two. Would have liked to do the Ciuadad Perdida trek as well, but I'm afraid we wouldn't have time and physical condition for it. I've looked at Barranquilla and it looked interesting, especially as we would be there in the middle of Carnival, but I don't know how complicated it is to get around etc. How about Medellin? Are 2 days enough to enjoy the city? Otherwise, as much as we prefer overlanding in public transport, I guess we'll be taking some internal flights and tourist shuttles if the alternative is too complicated, especially given the travel times in this country Thanks again guys, appreciate it!
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Jan 11, 2019 10:54
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That reminds me Hadlock, I've seen your advice in quite a few travel threads and as someone who tries to size down his luggage, do you have a specific packing list? I've taken a look at the onebag reddit and the packhacker website, but a lot of what they recommend is either very goofy looking (barefoot shoes, zip-off cargo pants...) or expensive or both TIA!
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Jun 23, 2021 10:15
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Thanks a lot for the huge writeup! I have a tendency to overpack/overbuy so it's good to see something lighter. I noticed you didn't pack any hiking stuff (shoes or pants), wasn't it uncomfortable to walk or hike in jeans and sneakers? I like to walk and hike a lot everywhere I go. Also, no puffy down jacket for colder climates like the Andes or Northern Europe? And no pair of sweatpants to chill around? I agree on the waterproof shell though, unless you plan on doing long treks in an extreme environment, there's no need for an expensive goretex jacket. Also, any excuse for beer and banh mi is a good one  Cheers!
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Jun 24, 2021 15:18
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Yeah I dunno if I would wear flip flops in an airport, seems kinda grungy to me  By the way, I thought about replacing the flipflops by some thin sandals, so as to be able to better walk around in them, or even use them as water shoes; does anybody do this?
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Jun 26, 2021 09:28
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Yeah Rio is an amazing city to visit, despite the insecurity and prices Otherwise keep in mind that English is not very common in Bolivia and in Brazil (except for the big cities and the richer areas in the south), so you'll have better luck if you speak Spanish or Portuguese.
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Feb 2, 2022 09:56
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Hadlock posted:Medellin is nice. I've forgotten most of what little Spanish I had learned pre pandemic beyond basic pleasantries, probably should have been grinding Duolingo for the week before I got here, my pronunciation is probably even more horrific Good to know, we have a flight to Bogota from CDMX early August. How's the general mood there? Tourists welcome with open arms or rather circumspectly ?
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Jul 18, 2022 18:49
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webmeister posted:Update: today we changed at 315:1, things are going well! What is this rate thing? Quick googling suggests this means you'll have to arrive with your cash dollars in Argentina and change them for local currency on the  black market Is that right?
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Jul 21, 2022 18:01
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Having done a few months of travel in LatAm recently, we were almost never asked for proof of onward travel - except before boarding a plane from Mexico to Colombia. There are also some websites like bestonwardticket where you can buy a "fake" ticket just in case.
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May 3, 2023 18:52
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Has anyone been hiking out of the Huaraz area in Peru? How was your experience? Went there last October, what exactly would you want to know ?
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Jun 30, 2023 16:47
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:How was the weather/hiking conditions? I understand October is something of a shoulder season, between the dry and wet seasons. Weather-wise it was very nice, though it was supposed to be the start of the rainy season we had exceptionally dry weather for end of October. This also meant there were less people on the trek and a few agencies already had closed down. YMMV. We did a few acclimatization day hikes (very important!) before doing the Santa Cruz trek: Laguna Wilcacocha, Laguna Churup and Pastoruri Glacier (little hiking but nice scenery and a good altitude training). Santa Cruz has really amazing scenery, totally worth it. Although you can do the trek by yourself if you are experienced enough, by bringing your own equipment or renting stuff in town (Montañas Magicas is a good adress), we went with the guided tour from our hostel. Can't remember the name unfortunately, but it wasn't one of the big names in the guidebooks. For the price we paid it was really worth it, you have a guide, donkeys to transport your stuff and tent, and a cook that prepares plenty to eat every day. I'm guessing that if you go for the more reputable tours you get better equipment, English speaking guides, smaller groups, etc. but for us the basic package was fine. Not the easiest trek we did but really doable if you're reasonably in shape and acclimatized.
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Jul 1, 2023 17:44
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Awesome. So you booked the trek once you got there? In my experience in Latin America, that’s usually the way to go if you don’t want to be massively overcharged. Of course, this time I’ll be on a shorter schedule than I was as a backpacker in years past, so hopefully it’s easy to just walk in and book something for after you do the accilimitization hikes. Yeah we booked it once we were there, after having done the acclimatization. We checked out a few agencies that were recommended by our guidebook, and while they seemed very good they were about 4 times more expensive.
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Jul 2, 2023 16:43
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Hibajubwa posted:We’ve made our way up to Huanchaco and are now surfing the days away. Its a nice little town and the wave at the pier is great for our nonexistent skill level. I did that last year from Leticia to Iquitos. It was an interesting experience, I would do it again in a heartbeat but it's definitely not for everybody. You get to see the local life along the Amazon river, beautiful sunsets, lots of jungle... But on the other hand you spend several nights in a hammock, close to dozens of other people, the food is terrible (though there are snack vendors) and don't get me started on the bathrooms lol If you have any questions about it shoot!
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Jul 13, 2023 10:33
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Hibajubwa posted:
I wouldn't risk it, many locals warned us of pickpockets on the boat - it is quite an opportunistic environment, what with having roughly 100-200 people in an open room full of hammocks, lots of stops along the route and no way to secure valuables. Also, very few tourists so you tend to stick out. We basically slept above our backpacks, which we put locks on (despite there not being anything of value), and with our passports and phones in a neck wallet that we were wearing. Not the most comfortable, maybe overkill, but it gave us some peace of mind.
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Jul 24, 2023 10:45
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Hibajubwa posted:Nearly non-existent. It was a bit crazy. I didn't have any bites until the last day down there. Yeah same here last September, apparently it was the end of the dry season locally. I guess it really depends on when you go there.
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Aug 4, 2023 20:21
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mobby_6kl posted:I loving love tacos! And I rarely eat Mexican food since it isn't as abundant here. All of these are possible; in touristic areas it is easy to rent a car, lots of local guides will offer to include transportation, and buses are cheap and go everywhere. quote:I'm now trying to plan something outside of Costa Rica. I was considering Colombia but a bit discouraged by your reports, plus return tickets in December are like $250 - not horrible, certainly, but kind of silly when I'm flying to CR from Europe for less than $500 in the first place. So yeah cheaper but then I'd have to be during a pretty fixed time window and take up the time from something else. I'd stay in the general area around CR. Guatemala and Nicaragua I've heard good things about, though as usual, take care to follow the news a bit. Guatemala also has lots of Maya ruins if you're into that. No idea about Panama, there are supposedly some nice areas but it seems a bit underwhelming compared to the other neighbouring countries. While I love Colombia, I'm not sure a 10 day stint from CR is worth it: the country is huge and transports are very long. Unless there is one specific area you'd want to stay in for a week (for example the Caribean coast or the Coffee region) I feel your time is better spent in Central America.
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Oct 23, 2023 10:49
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The Aguamoose posted:Yep, you guys are right, Mendoza definitely feels super European. At least aside from the weird financial situation. We had trouble getting hold of any cash, we western union'd money to ourselves but it took us a few days to actually get it because the western unions either had no money to give us, enormous lines or had just plain closed earlier than they were supposed to (perhaps linked to the first point). Here in Mendoza for a few more days and then planning to bus south to Bariloche, cross the border to Puerto Varas and then fly to Puerto Natales for our W trek. Seems like it got worse since January, there were lines but bearable, and WU usually had cash to give out  quote:Has anyone else been to Valparaiso in Chile? It was great, really pretty and interesting with loads of cool street art. But of all the places we have been on this trip it felt like the one where we most had to stay on our toes. Did anyone else feel that way or was it just a bit unlucky? We definitely had a couple try and rob us while sat outside a bar (they were too drunk/off their face to get very far but the bar staff showed us their wanted photos on the local police Instagram afterwards) and overheard / spoke to a few other people who had either been in cagey situations or been robbed. Including our tours for tips guide who said not to go to an area after dark as he'd been stabbed there twice! We were there in January, it really is a pretty city but yeah, gotta stay on your toes. Didn't find it to be worse than other cities in Latam, but given its maze of streets and rather compact size there are no real "safe" areas. According to our friends who live there, it used to be wayyy better before the pandemic, inflation, etc. took a toll on it. Lots of blaming of Venezolanos and Colombianos as well
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Nov 6, 2023 22:10
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