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tripwood posted:Does anyone know exactly how much the welcome tax is in Chile for canadian visitors? Every website tells me something different and it's loving annoying. I was there last week - I *think* it was $US50. All I know is that it was cheaper than Australia.
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Dec 31, 2011 17:09
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The girl and I are both interested in moving abroad and ex-pat'ing it up. Currently we reside in Milwaukee, WI. We have both traveled quite a bit. I was stationed in Germany for a couple years and she has studied abroad in Spain and Mexico. Neither of us have been to Central America yet. We are both educated. She's a high school Spanish teacher and I'm an aircraft mechanic with a poor grasp on Spanish. We were thinking about Panama which we've heard is relatively less expensive and safer. The climate seems great, too. What's the general consensus and where can I get some good info or a link to certain posts? I'm paging/skimming through the thread but it is quite long. I also have a dog that must come with. What are the rules for that?
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Jan 4, 2012 04:15
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davey4283 posted:The girl and I are both interested in moving abroad and ex-pat'ing it up. Currently we reside in Milwaukee, WI. We have both traveled quite a bit. I was stationed in Germany for a couple years and she has studied abroad in Spain and Mexico. Neither of us have been to Central America yet. Check out international living, they really like Panama. It is geared towards retirees, but they have a lot of practical info that would benefit you.
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Jan 4, 2012 16:38
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davey4283 posted:The girl and I are both interested in moving abroad and ex-pat'ing it up. Currently we reside in Milwaukee, WI. We have both traveled quite a bit. I was stationed in Germany for a couple years and she has studied abroad in Spain and Mexico. Neither of us have been to Central America yet. Panama is not particularly cheap, especially not Panama City.
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Jan 4, 2012 17:06
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How is free wifi access across central America? I've spent the previous 8 months cycling round the US where places like McDonald's are everywhere and so I can always get online. I'll be heading down into Mexico through Baja in March/April and so wondering how things will be there.
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Jan 6, 2012 22:14
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HolaMundo posted:For Montevideo I'd recommend Pocitos Hostel (http://www.pocitoshostel.com/) and in Colonia, Sur Hostel (http://www.surhostel.com/). I have to say that Pocitos Hostel was one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at. The vibe was very good and while it was a chill hostel, it definitely wasn't dull. Thanks so much for the recommendation.
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Jan 17, 2012 05:15
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Sad Panda posted:How is free wifi access across central America? I've spent the previous 8 months cycling round the US where places like McDonald's are everywhere and so I can always get online. I'll be heading down into Mexico through Baja in March/April and so wondering how things will be there. I didn't find any free wifi the entire time I was down there, but I'll be honest I wasn't looking for it; though Wifi is readily accessible at hostels.
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Jan 17, 2012 06:28
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I'm going to have about 5-6 days in Argentina. I want to spend 1-2 in Bs.A then hit Patagonia - I realize this will give me only a day or two to explore so I want to make the most of it. Due to the time constraints I'll be flying. I'm not sure which city to base out of in Patagonia, Bariloche is closest, Ushuaia looks freaking awesome, but I am really tempted by the glaciers in Calafate and Chalten. I'm mostly interested in day hikes. Does anyone have any suggestions for Argentinian Patagonia?
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Jan 19, 2012 05:02
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Any goon have advice about spending <a week (not counting travel days) in Guatemala? I'd be there in late March. My spanish is currently quite awful in that I can understand quite a bit but can't speak worth poo poo, but if i decided to go I would definitely make sure to bulk up my skills before going. My time would obviously be quite limited, so would it be worth it to try to travel anywhere or would my best bet be sticking to Guatemala City?
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Jan 23, 2012 04:48
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Philo posted:Any goon have advice about spending <a week (not counting travel days) in Guatemala? I'd be there in late March. My spanish is currently quite awful in that I can understand quite a bit but can't speak worth poo poo, but if i decided to go I would definitely make sure to bulk up my skills before going. My time would obviously be quite limited, so would it be worth it to try to travel anywhere or would my best bet be sticking to Guatemala City? Guatemala City is a horrible crime-ridden cesspool without redeeming features. With a week, you'll want to base yourself in Antigua probably. Antigua is a 45-60 minute shuttle ride from the Guatemala City airport. Unless you have a compelling reason to go, avoid the capital. Antigua is a gorgeous town surrounded by volcanoes, one of them active. On some cloudy nights, you can see the glow from the crater reflected on the cloud bottoms. It's very touristy, but for good reason. If you're staying a week, consider Lake Atitlan, which is a volcanic crater lake surrounded by Maya villages, about three hours from Antigua. Or, if you can afford the flight, head up to Flores in the Peten, and check out the ruins at Tikal. Bear in mind that Semana Santa (week preceeding Easter) begins March 30 this year. The entire country seems to travel to Antigua during that week, and you'll never find decent accommodations at this late date.
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Jan 23, 2012 11:06
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Philo posted:Any goon have advice about spending <a week (not counting travel days) in Guatemala? I'd be there in late March. My spanish is currently quite awful in that I can understand quite a bit but can't speak worth poo poo, but if i decided to go I would definitely make sure to bulk up my skills before going. My time would obviously be quite limited, so would it be worth it to try to travel anywhere or would my best bet be sticking to Guatemala City? Definitely get out of Guatemala City and head to Antigua. The shuttles cost about 10 USD and take an hour. We were there in 2009 and used Antigua as our home base, taking the overnight bus to Tikal for two nights and doing a day trip to Chichicastenango. Tikal is a must-do, and you should spend the extra money to stay at the park. It's never "busy", but this way you can get in before the tourists show up and have the whole place to yourself, and it is HUGE. We stayed at the Hotel Tikal Inn. There are three hotels to choose from and they're all about the same price and quality. You can fly into Flores for a few hundred bucks or take an overnight bus for about $20. We took the overnight but and it was really quite ok, except for a drunk guy who tried to steal our seats (the driver threw him off). The bus station in the Peten is in the town of Santa Elena, which is a dive. Chichi is not worth the time; the market is alright but it's very touristy and the touts are awful. If I were to do it again, I would spend that day in Antigua instead. Antigua is a gem. We stayed at two different hotels, and I highly recommend both: http://www.quintadelasflores.com/ http://www.cflorencia.net/ (request a room upstairs). TheLizard fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Jan 23, 2012 |
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Jan 23, 2012 14:05
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The other benefit to spending a night at Tikal is seeing the sunrise from the top of Temple I. Flores is an hour away from the ruins, and it's difficult to arrive in time for the sunrise if you're sleeping in Flores. Early in the morning, and around dusk you'll hear howler monkeys roaring like mad in the jungle. It's hard to believe such small animals can make so much noise. Accommodation and especially food at the site are overpriced, but sunrise there is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Flores is a really charming town in its own right, set on an island in Lake Peten Itza. There are decent food and hotel options there - much better than at Tikal. Don't bother staying at El Remate. You lose the benefit of being able to walk to Tikal, and also the restaurants available in Tikal. With only a week, you won't have time for anything besides Antigua and Tikal, especially if you take the overnight bus. There is a huge number of activities in and around Antigua. I always stay at Posada Juma Ocag, not far from the bus terminal. It's extremely friendly and good value. If you're on a shoestring budget, you can find places to sleep for as little as $4-5/night just about anywhere in Guatemala. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Jan 23, 2012 |
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Jan 23, 2012 14:34
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Can someone tell me bit about travelling to Costa Rica (and maybe Panama and Nicuragua in the last two weeks of september and first two weeks of october? It seems to be the only time I can go on a longer holiday this year and I really want to visit Costa Rica, but it's in the rainy season. How rainy are we talking about? Does it get cold? Does it gently caress with your travelling experience? I'm from the Netherlands so I can handle a bit of rain, but I'm not flying half way around the world to experience more rain then in our own autumn. Maybe someone can ease my mind about the rainy season.
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Jan 23, 2012 16:51
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Rojkir posted:Can someone tell me bit about travelling to Costa Rica (and maybe Panama and Nicuragua in the last two weeks of september and first two weeks of october? It seems to be the only time I can go on a longer holiday this year and I really want to visit Costa Rica, but it's in the rainy season. How rainy are we talking about? Does it get cold? Does it gently caress with your travelling experience? http://www.govisitcostarica.com/travelInfo/climate.asp It's never rainy season everywhere in Costa Rica. The Pacific and Caribbean coasts have different rainy seasons. Puerto Viejo and Cahuita (and Bocas del Toro in Panama) will be dry in September and November. Besides, it rarely rains all day, even in rainy season. Typically it's at night, or an hour-long downpour once during the day. The Pacific is lush in rainy season, whereas the rest of the year it's dry and arid-looking.
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Jan 23, 2012 17:34
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TheLizard posted:Definitely get out of Guatemala City and head to Antigua. The shuttles cost about 10 USD and take an hour. We were there in 2009 and used Antigua as our home base, taking the overnight bus to Tikal for two nights and doing a day trip to Chichicastenango. Good advice. I would agree that for a week in Guatemala Antigua is required as a base. I would recommend the flight to Flores, it isn't too expensive and will save you a lot of time. You could probably also squeeze in a trip to Lake Atitlan in a week. And as Macunaima said watch out for semana santa, you might be able to find room in a hostel in Antigua during the week but most hotels want 3 day min during semana santa and would probably be booked by now.
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Jan 23, 2012 17:35
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Tyro posted:I'm going to have about 5-6 days in Argentina. I want to spend 1-2 in Bs.A then hit Patagonia - I realize this will give me only a day or two to explore so I want to make the most of it. Due to the time constraints I'll be flying. I don't want to poo poo on your parade, but 5-6 days is barely enough for BA, much less Patagonia. For the amount it'd cost you I'd hardly think it's worth it. Seriosly save up some more capital and time and do a few weeks. But if your set on it I'd go down to el calefate or el chaltan. If you've never seen a glaciar before that is one huge piece of ice, and you can watch bits of it fall off etc etc. Then you'd have to fly back to ba. Getting to the other town which has cerro fitzroy and then doing a hike would probably take another day and a half. So I dunno, pretty dificult. If I could only go to one place in Patagonia it would be torres del Paine nat park, but the trek (W or circut) takes at leat 3 days pls prep and poo poo. But if I had just the one day i'd do the big gently caress off glacier.
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Jan 23, 2012 22:43
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I had 17 days in Argentina and I knew I didn't have enough time to do Patagonia and BA right. So I did BA, Mendoza, Cordoba and Rosario and I think I did them pretty good. When I go back, I'll do Patagonia and probably save at least two weeks. I'll probably go back a third time and do the North.
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Jan 24, 2012 03:00
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Macunaima posted:The other benefit to spending a night at Tikal is seeing the sunrise from the top of Temple I. It's Temple 6 and unfortunately it's almost always foggy in the mornings so you don't actually get a sunrise. Also staying in the jungle lets you hear the howler monkeys at 3 AM! Oh! I remembered a redeeming thing about Chichi - the church there is an awesome blend of native beliefs and Catholicism.
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Jan 24, 2012 04:11
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TheLizard posted:It's Temple 6 and unfortunately it's almost always foggy in the mornings so you don't actually get a sunrise. Also staying in the jungle lets you hear the howler monkeys at 3 AM! No, I climbed Templo I ... or maybe II - it was the one you can climb on the main plaza. Of course I climbed VI later in the day too, but saw the sunrise from the main plaza. I remember it being somewhat foggy, but it was very low, and you could see the treetops breaking through it at dawn.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:52
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Hola amigos! I've planned a trip to nicaragua for two months. We'll be spending time in Granada and a hostel outside of Granada for a few weeks. Can anyone tell me about Bluefields? It looks incredible. I've done a bit of research but I'd love to know of places to stay, food, etc.
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Jan 29, 2012 21:34
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So, I'm probably going to Costa Rica as well in the next few months. Can anyone offer any general tips? It's a pretty loosely defined itinerary at this point, flying into San Juan, going to the Osa Peninsula, other than that, it's all in the air. I have a rudimentary grasp of Spanish and am somewhat used to international travel, so I think I can get by with my father and brother. Weather looks semi-decent at the end of March/early April. Anything to definitely see? Anything to definitely avoid?
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Jan 31, 2012 19:53
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a shameful boehner posted:So, I'm probably going to Costa Rica as well in the next few months. Can anyone offer any general tips? It's a pretty loosely defined itinerary at this point, flying into San Juan, going to the Osa Peninsula, other than that, it's all in the air. I have a rudimentary grasp of Spanish and am somewhat used to international travel, so I think I can get by with my father and brother. Weather looks semi-decent at the end of March/early April. You'll have your pick of volcanoes to see, but my favorite was Irazu. Arenal is the general favorite because it is the most active, but Irazu allows you to actually explore the crater which is pretty sweet. As far as San Juan, there isn't much to the city but it does have a decent center. Also, if you are visiting the week between Easter (April 8th), be prepare for the country to be very dormant. Everyone goes to the beaches during that week, the center of the country will be dead but the beaches will be crowded beyond belief. I only spent a week in CR but it was exactly around that time but I still had a great time. There are a great beaches on the Pacific side, the general favorite is Santa Teresa. I went to Jaco and I'd suggest staying away from it, if I were you. It's full of middle-age men looking for prostitutes. I was fortunate to find some good people in the hostel there, but otherwise, it would have been a horrible place to visit.
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Jan 31, 2012 20:45
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pitchblende posted:You'll have your pick of volcanoes to see, but my favorite was Irazu. Arenal is the general favorite because it is the most active, but Irazu allows you to actually explore the crater which is pretty sweet. As far as San Juan, there isn't much to the city but it does have a decent center. Also, if you are visiting the week between Easter (April 8th), be prepare for the country to be very dormant. Everyone goes to the beaches during that week, the center of the country will be dead but the beaches will be crowded beyond belief. Thanks very much for the prompt reply. I'm looking forward to seeing the volcanoes. I'll be spending about a week in Costa Rica as well, trying to get as many sights in as possible. I also appreciate the advice on avoiding Jaco. Was there a particular beach that stood out to you? Any other natural wonders you saw that you particularly enjoyed? My father is talking about doing whitewater rafting on the Pacuare, though if it comes down to it, I'd like to do a guided hike or zipline tour instead.
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Jan 31, 2012 22:39
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a shameful boehner posted:My father is talking about doing whitewater rafting on the Pacuare, though if it comes down to it, I'd like to do a guided hike or zipline tour instead. I rafted the Pacaure and stayed at the Pacaure Lodge in 2007. It is pretty incredible, although I find a tarantula on my bed. They have been talking about damming the river, so you should do it while you can. The Pacaure Lodge has guided hikes and a zipline tour as well, so it could be win-win-win for you.
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Feb 1, 2012 03:01
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TheLizard posted:I rafted the Pacaure and stayed at the Pacaure Lodge in 2007. It is pretty incredible, although I find a tarantula on my bed. They have been talking about damming the river, so you should do it while you can. The Pacaure Lodge has guided hikes and a zipline tour as well, so it could be win-win-win for you. I also did a hiking, horseback, zipline and boating tour on the Pacaure. It's probably your best bet right outside of San Juan. You can probably find better places to do these things further outside the central valley though. Playa Santa Teresa is generally considered the best beach. However, any beach on the Pacific on the Nicoya peninsula is pretty good. Problem is that there are a lot of ex-pats in that region of the country. The beaches on the Caribbean are nice but not as built up. If you want a really laid back atmosphere, the southern part of the Caribbean side is heavily Jamaican influenced. Puerto Viejo is a beautiful area but perhaps not the place to go with your dad, unless he's into the green smoke.
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Feb 1, 2012 03:47
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Thanks for the feedback, guys. Not particularly enthused with the apparent size of insects down there, but well, it is a tropical jungle climate. I assume there's netting and some general rules, like "dump out your shoes/sandals before you put them on" and so on. Is Costa Rica public water potable, or can I assume that I will need to keep filters on hand? I'm looking forward to volcanos and ziplining, but the one thing about whitewater is that I know it's pretty exhausting - I've done the Colorado and the Ocoee as well. With travel and dealing with a new area it may be a little much for my first trip, but we'll see. Also, my dad's cool with the green smoke, but I don't really need/want it while in CR, I get enough in the states. I/we are more interested in exploration and seeing as much of the country as we can.
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Feb 1, 2012 18:03
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a shameful boehner posted:Is Costa Rica public water potable, or can I assume that I will need to keep filters on hand? Bottled water is so cheap and convenient I would say skip the water filter. On my trip I brought an MSR ceramic filter + two nalgene bottles. they ended up being used for sock storage because I never used them. It's just way more convenient to grab a 1.5L bottle on your way out the door in the morning for $0.75. I wouldn't trust the water once you leave the US unless it's from a sealed bottle. Unless you end up on a 2 day hike or something you won't need a filter.
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Feb 1, 2012 18:11
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Once again pointing out how awesome the mountain cities in Colombia are. You can drink the water in Bogota and Medellin. Also, if anyone is gung-ho on drinking tap water, the MSR MIOX purifier is the best for traveling. I used it in the low-lands of Colombia, Egypt and other places to save a ton on bottled water. All it requires are AA batteries and salt.
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Feb 1, 2012 18:56
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Water is fine in Costa Rica and Panama. Bottle water is keep, but bottle beer is cheaper!
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Feb 1, 2012 21:34
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pitchblende posted:Water is fine in Costa Rica and Panama. Bottle water is keep, but bottle beer is cheaper!
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Feb 3, 2012 21:57
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My Fiancee and I have been looking at options for our honeymoon in the second half of july. We have only 6-7 days most likely (sunday-saturday or sunday) but can maybe add on a day or two. Neither of us are looking for just a typical island resort full of tourists and such. We're looking for a mix of relaxing, exploring historical things like ruins, some fun activities, and soaking in some culture. We're hoping to stay in a budget of <$2k. I've been reading up on a lot of places, and also talked to a friend who has gone there, and Belize sounds amazing. In my research, however, it seems that July is nice a rainy and we would expect a lot of rain. Then it's also the start of hurricane season, too. Any information on if Belize would be possible at this time? We're also interested in other central and south american countries that can be done on a budget and in July. Costa Rica probably isn't an option, however, because our friends just went there recently for their honeymoon so of course we need our own place.
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Feb 8, 2012 04:10
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July 1st is technically the beginning of hurricane season, but that is sort of like... well I can't think of a good analogy. I'll eat my hat if one hits Belize in July though. If you were vacationing in Cancun during the second half of August I'd be more concerned.
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Feb 8, 2012 04:41
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tuckfard posted:My Fiancee and I have been looking at options for our honeymoon in the second half of july. We have only 6-7 days most likely (sunday-saturday or sunday) but can maybe add on a day or two. Cartagena, Colombia.
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Feb 8, 2012 11:29
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Antigua, Guatemala with a few days at Tikal. Belize is probably a fine option too, but a little more expensive than Guatemala. You might look into Panama, but it's lighter on the ruins down there.
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Feb 8, 2012 14:02
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pitchblende posted:I had 17 days in Argentina and I knew I didn't have enough time to do Patagonia and BA right. So I did BA, Mendoza, Cordoba and Rosario and I think I did them pretty good. When I go back, I'll do Patagonia and probably save at least two weeks. I'll probably go back a third time and do the North. If you pretend these are peoples names it sounds like the most efficent sex tour ever.
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Feb 8, 2012 17:19
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So I'm going to be traveling to Lima, Peru in about 3 weeks from the U.S. I'm a 27-year-old woman who will technically be traveling alone but I'm going to be staying with a guy (also from the U.S.) who has been there for a month now already, so I'm not going to really be alone, per se. I speak decent, albeit slowly paced Spanish but I'm out of practice. I have never left North America before though. I don't know what to expect from my experience or how I can minimize the culture shock involved. Also, I'm not really a touristy type of person. I just like getting a feel for wherever I'm visiting as though I lived there and experiencing it as a native would. The guy I'm going to see is staying in Miraflores, which I know is touristy but... any recommendations on things in that area to check out? He's been mostly doing stuff like playing chess in parks and going to the skate park there, but I'm not sure if there is something monumentally awesome worth seeing. I'm a huge nerdy nerd nerd, but I like nature-y things too. Is anyone here familiar with "disco bus"? Dude I'm visiting sent me a video of it and we're both a little scared to check it out in fear that we will be stabbed and have our kidneys harvested but I'm genuinely intrigued haha. Also, the U.S. travel site recommends getting vaccinated for Yellow Fever before visiting. How serious is that advisory? Can I safely ignore it given I have no plans to travel outside of Lima?
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Feb 8, 2012 20:37
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I'm planning on going to Patagonia the first of April for 3-4 weeks to do some backpacking with two others. I don't have the trip specifics yet but we plan on flying into Punta Arenas to do a 30 mile hike, hang out for a week or so around Punta Arenas, and then take a bus up and do the Torres del Paine circuit hike (52 miles, 10 days). Mostly I'm wondering what else is there to do in that area and, more importantly, how is the weather at that time? I've read it starts getting cold(er) at the end of April, but random snowfalls in early April are not rare.
yoohoo fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Feb 13, 2012 |
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Feb 12, 2012 21:55
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yoohoo posted:I'm planning on going to Patagonia the first of April for 3-4 weeks to do some backpacking with two others. I don't have the trip specifics yet but we plan on flying into Punta Arenas to do a 30 mile hike, hang out for a week or so around Punta Arenas, and then take a bus up and do the Torres del Paine circuit hike (52 miles, 10 days). Mostly I'm wondering what else is there to do in that area and, more importantly, how is the weather at that time? I've read it starts getting cold(er) at the end of April, but random snowfalls in early April are not rare. There are busses that run through from one (or both) of them into Argentina to the Perito Moreno Glacier which is really impressive. I think you can do it as a long day trip or there are hostels in El Calafate where you can stay.
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Feb 13, 2012 07:12
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I'm looking into a spanish study program in colombia for 6 months. Can anyone give me a ball park figure for tuition?
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Feb 15, 2012 01:25
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GZA Genius posted:I'm looking into a spanish study program in colombia for 6 months. Can anyone give me a ball park figure for tuition? Do you have an institution in mind? You will need visa support for six months, and the fly-by-night Spanish schools will not be prepared to do this for you.
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Feb 15, 2012 09:30
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