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Hand of the King posted:I’m planning a trip to Peru to visit some landmarks for last week of March 2016. We plan to do the following activities (pretty much straight from trip advisor, and in no order): I'd say skip Lima altogether. As for Cusco, I feel like the general advise is to just spend two days getting acclimated so I'd spend day 1 and 2 walking around town and doing the museums and such. The altitude is a bitch and it hits everyone differently. I signed up for a full day tour which went to Moray, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Pisac which was great. The half day tour went to the salineras which are salt mines and that was also cool. If you want to get really crazy with your trip I'd suggest the 4 day/3night hike through the mountains to arrive at Machu Picchu. Probably one of the best things I've done in the past few years. Also as far as food, do you speak Spanish? If not, I'd suggest learning a few basic phrases and exploring the local restaurants, they are absolutely amazing. It's fixed menu and you order your choice of meat or fish, you could probably get by just always asking for beef or chicken. And they serve you everything else. It's different every day. As for a place to stay, Ninos Hotel was quite lovely and about a block or two from the central square. They have a lovely restaurant and are right near a food store. Alright enough wandering thoughts let me know if you have any more questions.
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Dec 18, 2015 04:42
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huhu posted:I'd say skip Lima altogether. As for Cusco, I feel like the general advise is to just spend two days getting acclimated so I'd spend day 1 and 2 walking around town and doing the museums and such. The altitude is a bitch and it hits everyone differently. I signed up for a full day tour which went to Moray, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Pisac which was great. The half day tour went to the salineras which are salt mines and that was also cool. If you want to get really crazy with your trip I'd suggest the 4 day/3night hike through the mountains to arrive at Machu Picchu. Probably one of the best things I've done in the past few years. Also as far as food, do you speak Spanish? If not, I'd suggest learning a few basic phrases and exploring the local restaurants, they are absolutely amazing. It's fixed menu and you order your choice of meat or fish, you could probably get by just always asking for beef or chicken. And they serve you everything else. It's different every day. As for a place to stay, Ninos Hotel was quite lovely and about a block or two from the central square. They have a lovely restaurant and are right near a food store. Alright enough wandering thoughts let me know if you have any more questions. Hmmm, haven't thought about skipping Lima completely. Is there really nothing there? Does my activity list look like it's too much for 5 nights? Do you recommend staying in Cusco for majority of the trip or in Sacred Valley? Or elsewhere? I don't speak Spanish - just know some things here and there. I'd definitely need to brush up on my Spanish again.
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Dec 18, 2015 07:21
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Hand of the King posted:Hmmm, haven't thought about skipping Lima completely. Is there really nothing there? I spent a total of 9 days in Cusco, not including my 5 day hike and it wasn't until the 8th day that I felt like that was enough. Place is quite lovely and there are tons to do in the surrounding area. I'd say just day trip it everywhere unless someone has experience otherwise. Might be worth spending a night up near Machu Picchu and getting the 5am bus to the entrance. There's a whole tourist town that you take the train to just outside the entrance. I think your activities are a lot for 5 nights but I'm the kind of person that backpacks for weeks or months at a time so I'm probably not the right person to comment.
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Dec 18, 2015 08:08
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Hand of the King posted:Hmmm, haven't thought about skipping Lima completely. Is there really nothing there? Lima is a fantastic destination if you care about food even remotely. There are tons or top notch restaurants for the price of going to like TGIF in the states. Especially sea food--I think Lima is worth it just to go to the La Mar restaurant. Downtown Lima is kind of dirty and crowded absolutely don't stay there, stay in Miraflores. Everyone speaks English in Miraflores anyway since it's the richy rich area of Lima (and architecturally faceless). The prices to go to Machu Picchu, even without the trek, are a comical ripoff (the two hour train ride from Ollantaytambo is like $140 round trip), but it's by far the best-looking site since it's been largely rebuilt. It's also not a day trip from Cusco--it's about four hours each way, so you will have to stay in Aguas Calientes. You might consider two nights there even as it'll give you a little more time to acclimatize (it's at 2000 meters). I mean, stay the night before Machu Picchu and the night of Machu Picchu. I would not do the hikes to Machu Picchu in March since you'll just get soaking wet and there will be clouds covering everything and you won't see jack. I did not like Cusco and I've heard Ollantaytambo is much nicer to use as a base, but I didn't spend enough time in Olly (just like an hour while transferring) to give a personal opinion on it. Saladman fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Dec 18, 2015 |
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Dec 18, 2015 13:11
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I haven't been to Peru but when I was in Chile recently, Peruvian food was everywhere and it was really tasty. It seems like food would be a highlight of the country.
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Dec 18, 2015 13:37
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Lady Gaza posted:I haven't been to Peru but when I was in Chile recently, Peruvian food was everywhere and it was really tasty. It seems like food would be a highlight of the country. Peru is really the only Latin American country besides Mexico with a well-developed and delicious cuisine of its own. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Dec 18, 2015 |
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Dec 18, 2015 15:18
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Saladman posted:The prices to go to Machu Picchu, even without the trek, are a comical ripoff (the two hour train ride from Ollantaytambo is like $140 round trip Wow really? My 5 day/4 night hike included an amazing chef, all the food, people to carry your stuff, one night in a hotel room, shuttle to the starting point, ticket to/from Machu Pichhu, train back, and a guide for like $550 or so.
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Dec 18, 2015 16:22
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huhu posted:Wow really? My 5 day/4 night hike included an amazing chef, all the food, people to carry your stuff, one night in a hotel room, shuttle to the starting point, ticket to/from Machu Pichhu, train back, and a guide for like $550 or so. Yeah, the transport was a lot of that price. From Hydroelectrica to Aguas Calientes it's $28, each way. $70 from Aguas to Ollantaytambo, each way. The shuttle from Aguas to Machu Picchu is something like $15 each way too. I did this like two months ago, so those are approximately the current prices at least. We did the three hour walk from Hydroelectrica to AC because gently caress PeruRail's prices. $550 is still a lot though. We paid $250 for the 5d/4n Salkantay (probably same as you) that had all the same except no shuttle and no train from Hydroelectrica to Aguas (it did include the way back). Given that like $120 of this was for Machu Picchu and the train, I don't know how the company even made money on us. Tips were only like an extra $15/each total too. You probably booked the trip online in advance? You get huge discounts booking in person at the agencies in Cusco. E: our cook was terrible, although I think that's luck of the draw. A friend of mine who did the trip one day before us for the 4d/3n with the same agency said he had amazing food. Saladman fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Dec 18, 2015 |
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Dec 18, 2015 16:51
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Surely the good food or not comes down to how many days in a row you get lomo saltado? Cos why would you order anything else in Peru?
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Dec 18, 2015 17:54
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huhu posted:I spent a total of 9 days in Cusco, not including my 5 day hike and it wasn't until the 8th day that I felt like that was enough. Place is quite lovely and there are tons to do in the surrounding area. I'd say just day trip it everywhere unless someone has experience otherwise. Might be worth spending a night up near Machu Picchu and getting the 5am bus to the entrance. There's a whole tourist town that you take the train to just outside the entrance. I think your activities are a lot for 5 nights but I'm the kind of person that backpacks for weeks or months at a time so I'm probably not the right person to comment. Okay, I think we'll spend at least 1 night at AC for the early morning sunrise at MP. I have no idea if the stuff I listed is too much, and, honestly, rather than just sightseeing, my wife and I would rather do stuff like cooking classes, zip lining, and other engaging activities. Saladman posted:Lima is a fantastic destination if you care about food even remotely. There are tons or top notch restaurants for the price of going to like TGIF in the states. Especially sea food--I think Lima is worth it just to go to the La Mar restaurant. Downtown Lima is kind of dirty and crowded absolutely don't stay there, stay in Miraflores. Everyone speaks English in Miraflores anyway since it's the richy rich area of Lima (and architecturally faceless). We'd love to try out some great Peruvian food. I think we will stay in Miraflores, especially if that's the nice part of town. Idealy, we'd like to spend 1 or 2 nights in a nice part of Lima at the end of our trip to unwind. And we prefer to spend the extra money to be safe and have the comfort and peace of mind.
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Dec 18, 2015 19:46
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Hand of the King posted:Okay, I think we'll spend at least 1 night at AC for the early morning sunrise at MP. I have no idea if the stuff I listed is too much, and, honestly, rather than just sightseeing, my wife and I would rather do stuff like cooking classes, zip lining, and other engaging activities. Don't go zip lining. I feel like that's just asking for trouble in a developing country. Also, as an example, my friend almost smashed his head into a rock wall because the guy in charge of slowing him down wan't paying attention. Some other worker ended up throwing their arm in as a pillow or something and smashed his arm to bits and had to go to the hospital.
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Dec 18, 2015 20:24
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huhu posted:Don't go zip lining. I feel like that's just asking for trouble in a developing country. Also, as an example, my friend almost smashed his head into a rock wall because the guy in charge of slowing him down wan't paying attention. Some other worker ended up throwing their arm in as a pillow or something and smashed his arm to bits and had to go to the hospital. drat, that's an awful story. I thought zip lining would be fun because I saw this on TripAdvisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294314-d3849665-Reviews-Zipline_Inka_Flyer_Santa_Teresa-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html I mean, internet reviews! Edit: what hotels should I stay at in Cusco and Sacred Valley to be safe and cost effective? Hand of the King fucked around with this message at 07:30 on Dec 19, 2015 |
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Dec 19, 2015 07:24
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Would someone mind critiquing the rest of my Mexico trip for me? I already was in Monterrey, I'm in Guadalajara until the 26th and from there I'll be in Mexico City until the 3rd of January. After that my schedule is not set. I have to be home by the 18th. I want to try to make it down to the Yucatan by then. I was thinking maybe the following cities: Oaxaca, 3-4 days San Cristobal, 3-4 days Tulum, 2 days Valladolid + Chichen Itza, 3 days Merida, however remaining days left Is this a good amount of time to see most of the good stuff? Am I seriously omitting any cities and is the Yucatan too much of a stretch for the time I have?
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Dec 21, 2015 17:13
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OOPRCT posted:Would someone mind critiquing the rest of my Mexico trip for me? I already was in Monterrey, I'm in Guadalajara until the 26th and from there I'll be in Mexico City until the 3rd of January. From what I've heard, go to Palenque instead of Chichen Itza. Don't forget it's winter break and Chichen Itza and Tulum might be overrun with college students. Maybe Merida too. I stopped into Campeche for a day. It was an absolutely beautiful small ocean front city that was fun to explore for a day. I went Palenque -> Campeche -> Merida. Otherwise all your cities are great.
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Dec 21, 2015 17:19
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OOPRCT posted:Would someone mind critiquing the rest of my Mexico trip for me? I already was in Monterrey, I'm in Guadalajara until the 26th and from there I'll be in Mexico City until the 3rd of January. The Yucatan does seem like a bit of a stretch. Google maps says its a 12 hour drive from San Cristobal to Tulum. And from what I've heard you can spend a week in Oaxaca pretty easily. I'm not sure about Chiapas, tho I know that Palenque is amazing. And you have to account for a full day of travel from Mexico DF to Oaxaca and then Oaxaca to Chiapas.
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Dec 21, 2015 17:32
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OOPRCT posted:Would someone mind critiquing the rest of my Mexico trip for me? I already was in Monterrey, I'm in Guadalajara until the 26th and from there I'll be in Mexico City until the 3rd of January. That's way too much ground to cover in 15 days. Mexican buses are very comfortable, but travel time to Yucatan is long. The bus from San Cristóbal to Tulum is 14 hours, from what I remember. Frankly, I don't even think 15 days is enough for Oaxaca and Chiapas. Palenque (Chiapas) is a far more interesting site than Chichén Itzá, which is overrun with tourists from Cancún. If you need beach time, the Oaxaca coast has gorgeous beaches at places like Puerto Escondido, Mazunte, and Zipolite. As mentioned earlier, early January is holiday time, and Mexicans do a lot of travel during that time. Especially for transport and accommodation involving the beach or popular tourist sites, you'll want to book ahead.
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Dec 21, 2015 17:50
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Hm. The cheapest flight I can get would be on the 13th and flights out of Oaxaca and Tuxtla are roughly the same. In that case would it make more sense to cut out Chiapas altogether and just go to Oaxaca for an extended time. 10 or so days in Oaxaca isn't too much time is it?
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Dec 21, 2015 23:55
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OOPRCT posted:Hm. The cheapest flight I can get would be on the 13th and flights out of Oaxaca and Tuxtla are roughly the same. In that case would it make more sense to cut out Chiapas altogether and just go to Oaxaca for an extended time. 10 or so days in Oaxaca isn't too much time is it? Just FYI, the airport nearest to Palenque is Villahermosa, which is only two hours away. But no, ten days in Oaxaca is absolutely not too much time. It's one of the most rewarding states in Mexico for a visitor, between the indigenous cultures of the interior, and the beaches along the coast. I lived in Puerto Escondido for a while, so if you're headed to the coast at all I can give you some detailed recommendations.
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Dec 22, 2015 02:06
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Ok so I'm going to be going to Argentina late January to visit a lady friend. The plan is 2-3 days in BA, 4 days Mendoza and 2-3 days in BA again (yeah I know, short trip). She's from BA so I don't want to force her to spend like her whole time there but wondering if this sounds like a good use of time? She's certainly said she's pretty happy to go whereever. Personally I want to try SCUBA diving when there but doing some research it seems like the good sites are all down around Patagonia so I think there's not really enough time to drag a non-diver down there. Checked the first page but didn't see any Argentina recommendations. Is the BA/Mendoza thing a decent plan? Any goon recommendations for either place? I basically love cafes, restaurants and bars. I would like to splurge one or two evenings but I kind of love funky dive bars, constantly craving that hipster authenticity (ideally without the actual hipster part. I cannot stand places that turn people away because they're wearing suits or similar). Also meat and wine, meat and wine...
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Dec 28, 2015 22:21
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MrNemo posted:Ok so I'm going to be going to Argentina late January to visit a lady friend. The plan is 2-3 days in BA, 4 days Mendoza and 2-3 days in BA again (yeah I know, short trip). She's from BA so I don't want to force her to spend like her whole time there but wondering if this sounds like a good use of time? She's certainly said she's pretty happy to go whereever. Personally I want to try SCUBA diving when there but doing some research it seems like the good sites are all down around Patagonia so I think there's not really enough time to drag a non-diver down there. It's a long way from BA to Mendoza... it doesn't seem like such an awesome use of a week to spend a full 13 hours each way on the bus ride unless you live somewhere that has no wine country and really want to see it. We're from Switzerland and we thought the wine country around Mendoza was pretty "eh" in comparison. If you're from Kansas it'll be lovely, but if you're from Sonoma it'll be pretty unremarkable. YMMV. Cordoba is definitely better than Mendoza for hip cafes/restaurants/bars since it's a huge student town (Mendoza is not), but it's still pretty far (~10 hours each way). To be honest you could just stay in BA and environs the whole time if you've never been there before. You can do day trips to Tigre or Colonia (though TBH we were not big fans of Colonia), or do an overnight trip to Punta del Este or Montevideo which are a lot closer than Mendoza or Cordoba. God drat the food is great in Argentina though. Make sure you take enough USD and/or Euros for your entire trip, if you're not already aware of the outgoing government's hosed monetary policy that charges you ~50% transaction fees for using ATMs or credit cards within the country.
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Dec 29, 2015 00:56
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Saladman posted:It's a long way from BA to Mendoza... it doesn't seem like such an awesome use of a week to spend a full 13 hours each way on the bus ride unless you live somewhere that has no wine country and really want to see it. We're from Switzerland and we thought the wine country around Mendoza was pretty "eh" in comparison. If you're from Kansas it'll be lovely, but if you're from Sonoma it'll be pretty unremarkable. YMMV. Hmm... I'm actually UK based so French wine country would be my reference. I'm not so sure about Mendoza now, although we'd be doing it as a road trip so there's the option of stopping off some place on the way. Not being American though I'm not sure that 2 days of road tripping really appeals... Might look to reconsider Mendoza. If it was just me I'd consider just sticking around BA but since she lives there I don't really want to just stay there. Montevido sounds like a decent idea, having a few day trips lined up might work better than half a week in the countryside. Cordoba sounds like it might be interesting and there's definitely a bigger list of things to do than Mendoza. Any particular cafes/restaurants or cool museums you'd recommend?
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Dec 29, 2015 10:50
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MrNemo posted:Hmm... I'm actually UK based so French wine country would be my reference. I'm not so sure about Mendoza now, although we'd be doing it as a road trip so there's the option of stopping off some place on the way. Not being American though I'm not sure that 2 days of road tripping really appeals... Might look to reconsider Mendoza. If it was just me I'd consider just sticking around BA but since she lives there I don't really want to just stay there. Montevido sounds like a decent idea, having a few day trips lined up might work better than half a week in the countryside. Montevideo is pleasant enough - I lived there for a few months - but it is really just a smaller sibling to Buenos Aires. I really enjoyed doing a tour of the Graf Spee sites. That was the German pocket battleship scuttled in Montevideo Harbor in 1939, just after WWII began. Part of the ship still pokes above the surface, and there are a few outfits in town that will take you out there. There's also a cemetery in Montevideo for the British and German sailors who died in the Battle of the River Plate. Colonia in Uruguay is definitely worth visiting too. It was the first settlement in the area, and an easy trip from Buenos Aires. Punta del Este is like the Miami Beach of South America, about an hour outside of Montevideo if traffic is light. It is insanely busy during Christmas and the first week of January, but by the end of the month should be calmed down a bit. Further north along the coast, Cabo Polonio is an isolated fishing village full of sand dunes where you'll feel like you're falling of the planet. It's one of my favorite places I've ever been. Gualeguaychú is another easy trip from Buenos Aires, and they have one of the biggest Carnavals in South America. By late January, things should be ramping up for it.
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Dec 29, 2015 16:11
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The official Machu Picchu website (https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe) allows the purchase of both MP and Huayna Picchu as a combination ticket but only for 1 day at a time. Is it possible to do both the 7 am Huayna Picchu hike AND Machu Picchu ruins (after finishing HP hike) in one day? Also, if I buy the Huayna Picchu tickets now, I don't have to worry about the 200 people cut off when I get to the location, right? Like, there's no other first come first serve line that could bump me out? Hand of the King fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Jan 4, 2016 |
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Jan 4, 2016 19:59
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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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Minas Gerais has some pretty sights like ouro Preto but it's quite a drive. Near rio there's petropolis only an hour away that's really pretty and different from what you'd see in sp or rj. Also cooler if you want to escape the heat for a bit. Buzios is a beach town with pretty beaches but extremely touristy. Also full of Argentinians who think it's a good idea to spend 40 hours in the bus to go to a beach. Not saying that's bad but I don't quite get it. Accommodation will be expensive, start looking now. Safety is quite a bit worse than Eastern Europe. You quite likely won't get robbed but just don't bring anything you don't want to lose. Don't carry more than $100 at a time and split it up so you don't bring out a big wad of cash when buying water in the street. Cellphones are handy if you're not bringing a camera but consider using an old lovely one. A new iPhone is like half a year minimum wage so whipping it out might give some people ideas. If you do get robbed just hand over everything immediately and remember they want your phone as well. A dude got shot in the head last week during a bus robbery, they don't give a poo poo about your life so make sure you do.
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Jan 13, 2016 21:53
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Lima is a hell hole, avoid Oaxaca is pretty awesome, 2 days is ideal, 3 days is pushing it Chiapas is loving rad as hell, it's a proper jungle with howler monkeys   
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Jan 14, 2016 09:25
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Chikimiki posted: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... If you're not prepared in advance, avoid Rio during Carnaval. I've been there for Carnaval twice, but it's absolutely not something you can just roll up and enjoy. Hotels are booked far, far in advance, with prices inflated three or four times what they normally are. Sampa, as far as I know is not a Carnaval destination, so I would arrange the itinerary accordingly. It's good that you have friends there, as Sampa is a daunting place to visit if you don't know anyone. The photo below doesn't do justice to how massive and sprawling the city is. Minas might be a stretch, although the state has a lot of worthy sights. For Rio (again, unless you find a miracle last-minute cheap place to stay in Rio, best to write off Carnaval there at this late date), I really enjoyed Rio Hostel and especially Santa Teresa, its neighborhood. It's away from the beach, on a hill above downtown Rio, with a totally different feel from the Zona Sul beach spots like Ipanema and Copacabana. Santa Teresa is a really artsy part of Rio, and just above Lapa, where you'll find the best live music in the city. I enjoyed Santa Teresa much more than Ipanema and Leblon, the beach spots where I normally stay. If I ever wind up in Rio for an extended business trip, Santa Teresa is where I would stay. Rio state has a lot of things to see. I'm a big fan of Ilha Grande, which has one of the last big sections of Atlantic rain forest in Rio state. It also has some of the best beaches in Brazil, like Praia Lopes-Mendes. It's about a three-hour bus trip from the rodoviária in Rio to Angra dos Reis, where you take the ferry to Vila do Abrãao on Ilha Grande. I think there's a ferry from Mangaratiba too, although not sure if it still runs. Paraty is an old colonial town on the mainland worth visiting. It's the capital of cachaça, and was built in a way so that the streets flood at high tide, although the sidewalks are elevated and stay dry. Great restaurants and hotel options here. Teresópolis and Petrópolis are also worth checking out. For safety, the reality is that the big Brazilian cities, São Paulo and especially Rio are places where you need to take significant precautions. A lot of locals will carry their belongings in disposable shopping bags, and dress down while out and about. Smart phones are a huge target. Always spread your cash about your person, and consider one pocket to be your decoy pocket. Keep a token bit of cash there (100 reais or so), and some plastic cards you don't mind losing (e.g., expired credit cards, library card, grocery store card from home). If you get mugged, reach for that one first, and hope that the robbers are nervous enough to be satisfied with that. In Rio, it's easier to avoid the favelas than it is in São Paulo if you're walking around after dark, which isn't a great idea after dark in either city. 
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Jan 14, 2016 16:43
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Hand of the King posted:Edit: what hotels should I stay at in Cusco and Sacred Valley to be safe and cost effective? I stayed at Hostel Frankenstein in Cusco, which is pretty weird but was a cool place to stay and as cheap as I could find. Seemed plenty safe. Hopefully the same weird Austrian guy is running it. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of all tourist related activities. In the Sacred Valley, we stayed a night in Pisac and two nights in Ollantaytambo. I can look up where we stayex, but they were humble little places that were cheap and met our needs. Both towns are remarkably sleepy so I wouldn't worry about safety too much. Stayed at an absolute shithole in Aguas Calientes for a night because it was cheap and available. What's the deal with the shittiest hostels in Peru not having toilet seats? That was the case at like four different sketchy hostels throughout the country.
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Jan 16, 2016 21:52
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Hey, I just bought LAX to Liberia, Costa Rica for me and my girlfriend at the end of April for under $400 combined. Southwest sale plus she flies almost-free with me via the companion pass. Surprise! We've been wanting to do Costa Rica for a while and all the more adventurous stuff that goes with it-- climbing up waterfalls, ziplining (it seems people have strong opinions on this!), and whatever one can do at the volcano. Maybe even rafting, though neither of us has ever done it. We're both pretty fit, do races and work out. Definitely looking for guidance for anybody who can recommend specific things to do, organizations or outfits to do them with, and places to stay. I'm super bummed that the sloth rescue is on the other side of the country. Peru talk: Was super happy with this trekking outfit during our time in Peru. Peruvian owned and the group size was a manageable 9 people: https://www.alpacaexpeditions.com/ Our chef was excellent and the staff seemed like they were treated decently, not overloaded with gear. Some other groups there, especially the more popular orgs, were so laughably large that I would've regretted booking with them. Lima was fine. We stayed in Miraflores on the beach and it's South American, for sure, in surroundings but also very much like any other nightlife area in the world. Definitely glad we went, but also glad we didn't spend a week there. If you like post-punk and are staying in Lima, I have a club recommendation for you! Edit: The loving ham/pork sandwiches man. Lima knows its loving sandwiches. I loving think about those sandwiches every couple months. http://www.elchinito.com.pe/carta.html - Chicharron http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294316-d2708680-Reviews-Sangucheria_la_Lucha-Lima_Lima_Region.html - Jamon Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Jan 17, 2016 |
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Jan 17, 2016 08:59
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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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Blinkman987 posted:Hey, I just bought LAX to Liberia, Costa Rica for me and my girlfriend at the end of April for under $400 combined. Southwest sale plus she flies almost-free with me via the companion pass. Surprise! I just came back from a month in that general area (between San Jose and Managua) and my #1 recommendation would be to... get out of Costa Rica and go to Nicaragua and spend your time around Ometepe / Granada / San Juan. The main reason I'd promote Nicaragua over CR is that everything is just way, way, way cheaper. Like an all-day volcano tour in Granada cost us $25/ea. Tour companies wanted like $150 to do the same exact stuff in Guanacaste. Both countries have pretty bad public transportation systems, but the prices for tour operators and taxis in CR are absolutely out of whack with reality (e.g. $1/km for a taxi) while in Nicaragua you can hire a taxi for the day without being a millionaire. We did ziplining + "eco"adventure with Diamante Adventures and it was $90. Their place was cool but nothing spectacular and definitely it's a mystery why their prices are equally high for doing the same thing in Hawaii, where the employees make 5x the Costa Rican salary and the infrastructure is better. We were also super bummed out that watching turtles on the beach is almost no longer a thing, with ~98% of the leatherback turtle population wiped out in the past 10-15 years. We looked into it near Tamarindo, but apparently they've had zero turtles this year to date (as of two weeks ago; apparently they still hope to see a couple this year, although I think you're too late for the turtle season anyway in April). We did some hikes in the Rincon de la Vieja area and were really disappointed there too, especially given the park entrance fee of $15/pp (in addition to paying for your transit to get there) and the limited hours. In CR, we saw no wildlife to speak of except Howler monkeys and an occasional bird. We did a five month tour around Latin America, and Costa Rica -- particularly Guanacaste -- was the biggest disappointment of our entire trip, by a mile. On the other hand, southwestern Nicaragua was one of our biggest surprises and one of our best times. IMO there are lots of places in the US you can do "eco-adventures" -- do them there instead, and go to Nicaragua and enjoy the better culture (Costa Rica has essentially none), better wildlife, and much more striking landscapes. Plus you can actually go on an active volcano there — the Masaya Volcano, it has a smoking crater and you can see the glow of the red pit from the rim. You can't actually go up to any of the active Costa Rican volcanos AFAIK -- Arenal is no longer spewing fire and smoke, and Rincon de la Vieja you can't get anywhere close to the top. I dunno, maybe you'll enjoy CR (some people do--although I don't understand it), but I would seriously suggest looking into that area of Nicaragua, especially if money is any concern at all, as everything costs 1/2 to 1/5th as much as in CR. We very much got the impression that Nicaragua is an up and coming place for young people on vacation / backpackers, while CR is a "has been" place that's mostly filled with retirees or families going to all-inclusive resorts. Saladman fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Jan 17, 2016 |
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Jan 17, 2016 15:56
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Saladman posted:I just came back from a month in that general area (between San Jose and Managua) and my #1 recommendation would be to... get out of Costa Rica and go to Nicaragua and spend your time around Ometepe / Granada / San Juan. I second this, heartily. Costa Rica doesn't suck, but it's overpriced and overtouristed, sort of a Latin America Lite for American and Canadian retirees and suburban trustafarians on a safe study-abroad semester. Nicaragua is far more interesting in terms of history, actually has colonial cities (Costa Rica has none), and offers everything CR has at a fraction the price.
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Jan 17, 2016 17:12
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TheImmigrant posted:I second this, heartily. Costa Rica doesn't suck, but it's overpriced and overtouristed, sort of a Latin America Lite for American and Canadian retirees and suburban trustafarians on a safe study-abroad semester. Nicaragua is far more interesting in terms of history, actually has colonial cities (Costa Rica has none), and offers everything CR has at a fraction the price. Thirding this. Southern Nicaragua is amazing.
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Jan 18, 2016 04:27
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huhu posted:Thirding this. Southern Nicaragua is amazing. Except for the canal bullshit. That regime is a chinese/russian puppet. Ive heard a lot of great things about Grenada and it looks beautiful but I don't know if I'd want to support those politics with my tourist spendings.
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Jan 18, 2016 05:35
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davey4283 posted:Except for the canal bullshit. That regime is a chinese/russian puppet. You probably shouldn't travel anywhere then. I heard the world is a scary place.
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Jan 18, 2016 06:20
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Right, because being opposed to a lovely gov't obviously equates to scared.
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Jan 18, 2016 06:45
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edit: ^^ lovely governments don't care about tourists, they bring in a ton of foreign money, it's the journalists and diplomats they care about. Grenada or Granada? The county of Grenada is a pretty chill little island, if There was that whole thing about the Cubans building an airstrip on the island for the Russians back in the 80s but they're firmly under the control of the British again. 
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Jan 18, 2016 06:47
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Granada*, sorry. My wife and I are moving back stateside in the next year and once we do, we'll be looking for real estate in Latin America. Because of that, I've been reading up on current events for a while and the political landscape in Nicaragua really sounds like poo poo. Not somewhere I'd feel comfortable investing. I'm sure its great for a trip but I guess I'm more focused on the big picture.
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Jan 18, 2016 07:08
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The Nicaragua canal is on permanent hold status anyway, and none of it has been built at all, after the private Chinese guy who wanted to build it (it was not a Chinese gov't thing) lost like 90% of his net worth. Plus there's a multi-year drought affecting the lake right now, and it's right next to an active volcano and probably not very geologically sound in the first place. And the Panama canal just got expanded. It seems highly dubious if the Nicaragua canal will actually ever get built. Yeah their politics are lovely, but only as terrible as most of Latin America, and better than Venezuela, Guatemala, Bolivia, all the Guyanas, basically every kleptocratic Caribbean island country, and on par with the incompetence of Brazil, Argentina-pre-2016-election, Ecuador, etc. If you visit places based on their political stability/sanity, I think you're pretty much just left with Chile, maybe Peru, maybe Mexico, Costa Rica, and occasionally Panama. E: Oh yeah I sure as poo poo wouldn't buy property or invest in Nicaragua though. There's like a 50/50 chance the government will go ape-poo poo and confiscate your property. Panama or Colombia would be a much safer buy. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Jan 18, 2016 |
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Jan 18, 2016 18:24
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I looked at Nicaragua and flights there would cost us at least a day of time (out of our 3 full days down there) and ~$350 each, so that trip will have to wait for another time. Thank you for the recommendation, though.
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Jan 18, 2016 18:59
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