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Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

The Aguamoose posted:

Have a great time. We loved Peru. We're currently in Valparaiso, Chile, and heading to Mendoza in Argentina tomorrow. Chile is very cool so far, in some ways it has a much more European feel than the other counties we have been but is still different enough to be exciting.

Well, when you get to Argentina you're going to really feel like you're in Europe. Chile is Europe plus the United States. Most of Argentina is just like... straight up Italy, except that the streets are still on a grid layout, whereas modern Italians have done their damnedest to remove any effort at city planning made by the Romans.

Italy's great though! Definitely wouldn't let that discourage anyone. It's just that our month going around Argentine's major cities felt markedly not exotic (as Europeans). Getting to out of the way places, like Iguazu and Patagonia, were super different and incredible. We had a great time, it just also felt very familiar. I have gone to Italy for at least two weeks every year for almost 15 years now, and have loved every moment, so I don't at all mean that as a criticism of Argentina.

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The Aguamoose
Jan 10, 2006
"Yes, I remember the Aguamoose..."
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.

So far in Mendoza we did a great wine tour - we looked at the ones recommended (thanks for that), but in the end we had a company arrange it for us (Trout and Wine) as logistically we could visit more in one day that way. It was fantastic. Loads of wine at vineyard sof different sizes and feels, a great guide and some excellent food. We also have a tango show and white water rafting planned while we're here.

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!

Chikimiki
May 14, 2009

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 :v:

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010
Sounds like it’s changed a lot, Valparaiso. It was always the grittier alternative cousin to (loving boring) Viña, but when we were there in 2015 it was the super gentrified alternative atmosphere, at least around Cerro Alegre which I think is where everyone goes anyway. Large parts of the city are regularly destroyed by huge fires too, Chile seems absolutely shambolically organized but I guess so is almost everywhere else in South America except maybe like, Uruguay.

Bariloche is *really* going to feel European. Hopefully services work better there too, since it’s a very wealthy city. If things aren’t working smoothly in Bariloche then they definitely won’t work anywhere else in Argentina.

Oakland Martini
Feb 14, 2008
Refugee from the great account hijacking of 2008

The Aguamoose posted:

...planning to bus south to Bariloche, cross the border to Puerto Varas and then fly to Puerto Natales for our W trek.

If you are hikers and this suggestion is not too late, I highly recommend this long day hike near Bariloche: https://thisremotecorner.com/refugio-frey-from-cerro-catedral-best-day-hike-bariloche/ It was just as good, if not better, than any of the hiking I did in Torres del Paine and El Chalten.

Edit: You might need poles and/or microspikes in mid-November. There was a fair amount of snow up there in late December when I went.

Oakland Martini fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Nov 14, 2023

The Aguamoose
Jan 10, 2006
"Yes, I remember the Aguamoose..."

Oakland Martini posted:

If you are hikers etc.

Probably just too late unfortunately, but thanks for the suggestion. We're still in Bariloche but tomorrow is our last full day here. We had to stay a little longer than planned as the buses across the border were booked up in advance and we hadn't been sensible enough to do so ourselves.

Bariloche is lovely, the day we arrived it started snowing which was quite a change from the 30C heat we had had in Mendoza the day before.

We've not had any issues with the western unions since I last posted about it, I think we must just have been a bit unlucky that day.

Oakland Martini
Feb 14, 2008
Refugee from the great account hijacking of 2008

The Aguamoose posted:

Probably just too late unfortunately, but thanks for the suggestion. We're still in Bariloche but tomorrow is our last full day here. We had to stay a little longer than planned as the buses across the border were booked up in advance and we hadn't been sensible enough to do so ourselves.

Bariloche is lovely, the day we arrived it started snowing which was quite a change from the 30C heat we had had in Mendoza the day before.

We've not had any issues with the western unions since I last posted about it, I think we must just have been a bit unlucky that day.

Ah well. Enjoy the W trek! Should be awesome this time of year.

The Aguamoose
Jan 10, 2006
"Yes, I remember the Aguamoose..."
W Trek was great. Lovely weather, even when it was super blustery we were fine just in t shirts. Perito Moreno was also very cool.

We're going to Buenos Aires in a couple of days and from there to Iguazu falls. We are flying home from Rio on the 15th, and should be ready to leave the falls on about the 7th. Can anyone recommend somewhere between Rio and Foz de Iguazu worth spending a couple of nights? Or should we just spend more time in Rio?

Edit: Other than Sao Paulo - we have a layover there and weren't planning to go for longer than that (my wife lived there for a bit and would rather go elsewhere if possible).

The Aguamoose fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Nov 28, 2023

theOctagon
Apr 22, 2005

I bet you are wondering what I call my penis... it's the
Does anyone have any experience or recommendations for NYE in Rio, specifically on Copacabana. We are going to be there this year and for months of one of the group members repeatedly assured me that we were all set. I was getting suspicious and pressed for info it turns out they were “waiting for a good deal” and have nothing. Obviously it’s way too late and we are screwed but I am trying to pull something together for my groups sake. I can’t decide if the beach stalls with tables I can book online are a scam or if I’m better off buying a cooler and just staking out a spot on the beach.

Here is the company I’m looking at online:

https://reveillonchoppbrahma.com.br/localizacao/

DeadMansSuspenders
Jan 10, 2012

I wanna be your left hand man

The Aguamoose posted:

W Trek was great. Lovely weather, even when it was super blustery we were fine just in t shirts. Perito Moreno was also very cool.

We're going to hit part of the W trek in January - expecting it to be a bit windier and cool but very much looking forward to it! Any little tips?

The Aguamoose
Jan 10, 2006
"Yes, I remember the Aguamoose..."
I don't know how much of it you've booked in advance but if possible avoid booking food at refugio central. It's expensive everywhere but at central the quality was very poor, and it looked like you could get passable cheap food at the welcome centre next door.

If you want some WiFi then you can pay for access but it's super expensive. Next to Refugio Central is a hotel and their WiFi password is Lastorres.

Refugio Paine Grande has free bag storage so if you are doing the round trip to grey glacier before getting the boat you can leave your bag there to make it a lot easier.

Ramrod Hotshot
May 30, 2003

Oakland Martini posted:

If you are hikers and this suggestion is not too late, I highly recommend this long day hike near Bariloche: https://thisremotecorner.com/refugio-frey-from-cerro-catedral-best-day-hike-bariloche/ It was just as good, if not better, than any of the hiking I did in Torres del Paine and El Chalten.

Edit: You might need poles and/or microspikes in mid-November. There was a fair amount of snow up there in late December when I went.

Really? Better than the W?

I'm trying to plan a trip to Argentina (and maybe Chile, but probably just Argentina) for next December, around Christmas. It's honestly overwhelming to figure out, there's so many areas of places to see and hike in Patagonia (Bariloche, Calafate, Chalten, Torres del Paine, Ushuaia) and none of them close. Very hard to pick.

Is there more great hiking in Bariloche or just that standout? And what did you like so much about it?

Oakland Martini
Feb 14, 2008
Refugee from the great account hijacking of 2008

Ramrod Hotshot posted:

Really? Better than the W?

I'm trying to plan a trip to Argentina (and maybe Chile, but probably just Argentina) for next December, around Christmas. It's honestly overwhelming to figure out, there's so many areas of places to see and hike in Patagonia (Bariloche, Calafate, Chalten, Torres del Paine, Ushuaia) and none of them close. Very hard to pick.

Is there more great hiking in Bariloche or just that standout? And what did you like so much about it?

The thing about the W is that it's pretty flat (with the exception of the climbs to the Torres and Mirador Britanico, which are very nice of course). You are pretty much always looking up at the mountains. It is beautiful, but you see the same stuff from more or less the same angle the whole time. The hike I mentioned near Bariloche has a lot of ridge walking, high alpine lakes, etc. Personally I find that stuff more exciting. Here are some of my pictures from that hike:





There is a lot more to do in Nahuel Huapi park than just the Frey por filo hike. There are several multi-day treks that look amazing. I wanted to do this one but I couldn't quite make the timing work: https://destinationlesstravel.com/cerro-tronador-bariloche/. There are also a lot of nice hotels and restaurants in Bariloche for before/after treks.

I haven't hiked in Ushuaia, but I don't think it is quite as good as the other stuff in Patagonia from what I've heard. From personal experience, my ranking is Nahuel Huapi > Chalten > TdP, but I realize not everyone would agree with that. I also really liked Cerro Castillo near Coyhaique in Chile as well. I only did a day hike there but it looks like there are some incredible multi-day trips.

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010
We did a hike up Glaciar Martial in Ushuaia. It was fine but totally unremarkable to anyone who has ever been in temperate Alpine mountains before. If you grew up in Kansas it’s probably amazing, but anyone who has ever been to the Rockies or the Alps will shrug super hard and be like "this is pretty nice but I wouldn’t travel 1,000,000 km for it."

But again, depends what you’re used to. If you literally have lived in Kansas your whole life it will be mind blowing - although you could drive to Colorado Springs in 6 hours instead of flying to Ushuaia in 20.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

Saladman posted:

It was fine but totally unremarkable to anyone who has ever been in temperate Alpine mountains before. If you grew up in Kansas it’s probably amazing, but anyone who has ever been to the Rockies or the Alps will shrug super hard and be like "this is pretty nice but

This summarizes coastal Ireland for anyone who's ever been to coastal California

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

My experience with Colombia ATM is about 95% success rate, even when locals are telling you it's broken. They have very sensitive state machines, if you plug your bank card into it too soon it freaks out and pauses and restarts again. Wait until the green ring around the card slot turns green, then put in your bank card

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

Hadlock posted:

My experience with Colombia ATM is about 95% success rate, even when locals are telling you it's broken. They have very sensitive state machines, if you plug your bank card into it too soon it freaks out and pauses and restarts again. Wait until the green ring around the card slot turns green, then put in your bank card

The issue with Argentina isn't the ATMs being broken, but the country being broken. Either that or you're replying to something that I missed.

The other issue which is apparently persistent - as I just had a friend traveling who had this issue (albeit in China) - is that some ATMs require 4 digit PINs, not allowing you put in all 6 digits, while others require 6 digit PINs, and immediately fail when you put in the 4th number. I've always made sure to travel with cards with PINs of both length, and then every now and then I'll come across an ATM that just randomly won't work on certain ATMs, regardless of whatever network it says on it. We had this issue in Uruguay, when we went to get USD but only 1 of our 4 cards actually worked in the like, two ATMs in all of Colonia. We had a similar issue in Ethiopia, but there we just went into the bank as we wanted way more stacks of cash than you could withdraw from an ATM anyway.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

My post was just me shouting into the void about Colombia, not Argentina, because some bro dude told me the machine was broken. I actually ended up completing my transaction before his

Used a BBVA terminal at Medellin) about halfway between the international arrivals and Starbucks on the lower level (no line!) And it has a 6 digit pin thing but doesn't choke when you only give it 4

Super duper gently caress all these atms that won't let you pull out like, $400usd at a time

Hibajubwa
Oct 30, 2003

KILL ALL HUMANS

Hadlock posted:

Super duper gently caress all these atms that won't let you pull out like, $400usd at a time

Look for Servibanca or Davivienda ATMs, they often have higher withdrawal limits than the international bank ATMs.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

Cartagena international departure terminal is about an 11 out of 10 on the misery index. Some lady shouting unintelligible garbled messages into the microphone in basically an under air conditioned echo chamber. The only food option is a lovely coffee thing with a 45 minute line that wraps around the terminal. Plenty of shops to buy stuff though. There's no concept of a line it's just a mass of bodies trying to board

The main ticket hall and domestic terminal is fine, it's the post emigration part that's awful

EricBauman
Nov 30, 2005

DOLF IS RECHTVAARDIG
What's Mexico City like on Christmas day?

I'm considering taking a trip there, but I wonder if everything will be closed on one of my 12/13 days there.
I've run into this problem in other very Catholic countries over Easter.
I don't mind museums and attractions and shops being closed, but I'd at least like to be able to go to a restaurant.

Or is CDMX a big enough city that that's not going to be a problem?

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010
I was there on Christmas a couple years ago. Pretty much everything was closed - my phone has literally zero photos taken on the 25th so I suspect everything was closed. 24th was fine - we went to the Sotomayor museum and the mall next to it was totally open and we saw Avatar 2, and 26th was fine and we went to Teotihuacan. It was with my family but we haven’t done anything for Christmas since I was a kid, not really an important holiday for us and we’re all pretty active, so us not leaving the house means that likely nothing was open.

I’m sure you can find somewhere to eat if you don’t rent a house, like inside a big hotel or something, but in general yes everything will be closed on the 25th.

EricBauman
Nov 30, 2005

DOLF IS RECHTVAARDIG

Saladman posted:

I was there on Christmas a couple years ago. Pretty much everything was closed - my phone has literally zero photos taken on the 25th so I suspect everything was closed. 24th was fine - we went to the Sotomayor museum and the mall next to it was totally open and we saw Avatar 2, and 26th was fine and we went to Teotihuacan. It was with my family but we haven’t done anything for Christmas since I was a kid, not really an important holiday for us and we’re all pretty active, so us not leaving the house means that likely nothing was open.

I’m sure you can find somewhere to eat if you don’t rent a house, like inside a big hotel or something, but in general yes everything will be closed on the 25th.

Thanks, this is helpful!

Now I just need to think if I mind a quiet day with a meal in the hotel restaurant and maybe a walk in a park, or if I should plan to go in November or earlier in December instead

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

As a general rule I try and schedule my travel in the region on Sundays and religious holidays

I don't know if cdmx has a Jewish quarter or China town but they'll probably have something open?

I did Christmas in Buenos Aires in 09 and it was really quiet. Probably could have gone skateboarding on the avenue around the obelisk. I picked up a nasty flu and had to travel quite a ways to get to one of the two pharmacies open that day

theflyingexecutive
Apr 22, 2007

A lot of CDMX closes on regular old Sundays, even. I'd imagine Christmas would be dead as everyone else has mentioned.

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

Hadlock posted:

As a general rule I try and schedule my travel in the region on Sundays and religious holidays

I don't know if cdmx has a Jewish quarter or China town but they'll probably have something open?

I did Christmas in Buenos Aires in 09 and it was really quiet. Probably could have gone skateboarding on the avenue around the obelisk. I picked up a nasty flu and had to travel quite a ways to get to one of the two pharmacies open that day

I'm sure something will be open in Mexico City on Christmas Day, you wouldn't starve to death in the way that a visitor to Germany might. It looks like Museo Soumaya (which I called Sotomayor) actually is open on Christmas Day, but everything else (including Teotihuacan) is closed on Christmas.

I did like CDMX a lot, but I absolutely would think of it as spending 12-13 days in Lyon, Chicago, or Munich — where you would be thoroughly done with the city, rather than comparing it to spending 12-13 days in Tokyo, Rome, or New York City, where you'd still have lots of "must dos" left undone. If it had been just a trip with me and my wife, and not a family trip over Christmas, we would have bailed out 7 days into the trip and gone somewhere else. Even if you go to like two 'target things' per day (roughly my typical pace of travel), you'll have significant downtime with 13 days on the spot, even if one day is Christmas. We spent 15 days there and we travel at a pretty relaxed pace, and honestly felt like we covered the city pretty much as completely as we'd ever want to. I mean yeah it has an unlimited amount of good restaurants, but I don't actually want to eat in a restaurant every day. Unless you like exceptionally slow paced travel, I'd personally go for like 7 days in CDMX and stick the other days in doing a weekend trip to San Miguel de Allende or something. There's not really a lot within a reasonable day trip distance of Mexico City (which is < 90 minutes each way, for me) besides Teotihuacan.

If you speak Spanish fluently then that probably opens up more possibilities. My Spanish is OK, but it's not good enough to actually enjoy theatre or whatever style performances in Spanish.

PS: Also if you want to go to the house of the eyebrow painter lady, reserve your tickets like ... six months in advance. They sell out absurdly, ridiculously far in advance.

Saladman fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Mar 21, 2024

theflyingexecutive
Apr 22, 2007

I can't remember what black magic I did to get Casa Azúl tix the day before, but it's not outstanding. It does get you free tickets to Anahuacalli down the road, which rocks.

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

theflyingexecutive posted:

I can't remember what black magic I did to get Casa Azúl tix the day before, but it's not outstanding. It does get you free tickets to Anahuacalli down the road, which rocks.

We were there over Christmas so it was likely particularly bad. I think we checked tickets around five weeks in advance and literally every day was sold out until Jan 7th or something. We looked at it from the outside and went to Trotsky house and Anahuacalli, which were both neat, and we watched the film Frida and got a good enough idea of Casa Azul to not care. (I did actually blank on Frida Kahlo's name last night when writing the previous post.)

The Anthropology museum in Chapultepec park was also incredible. We went to a bunch of other museums too, most of which were decent but not unmissable. The National Museum of World Cultures in downtown was the only notably bad one, although my wife was very disappointed by Diego Rivera's house although I don't remember what the main issue was. It's small but kinda unique architecturally and looks like it would be the absolute worst, most inconvenient and uncomfortable possible house that a wealthy person could possibly live in. But it's architecturally neat.

E: Actually it looks like Teotihuacan is open on Christmas Day. Now I vaguely think maybe we went on the 26th and just stayed in our house on the 25th because it was cold and rainy on the 25th?

Saladman fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Mar 22, 2024

EricBauman
Nov 30, 2005

DOLF IS RECHTVAARDIG
Thanks for all the input, guys!

I've gone ahead and booked. Kind of weird to book this far in advance, but I got a nice flight deal and now I won't have to worry about it anymore. It's going to feel like a free vacation once the time comes

theflyingexecutive
Apr 22, 2007

Also make sure to plan for a chill day or two (i.e. not Teotihuacan) to adjust to the altitude if you live at/near sea level.

EricBauman
Nov 30, 2005

DOLF IS RECHTVAARDIG
Yeah, I'm definitely going to take it easy for at least a day and a half after arrival.

I'm flying in from the Netherlands (sea level or below lol) after a few days in Madrid, but Mexico is still quite a bit higher altitude. And I'm travelling West and arriving early in the evening, which is going to suck for jetlag/time zone stuff. It's always a gamble how I feel after pretty much a full day of travelling

webmeister
Jan 31, 2007

The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

EricBauman posted:

Yeah, I'm definitely going to take it easy for at least a day and a half after arrival.

I'm flying in from the Netherlands (sea level or below lol) after a few days in Madrid, but Mexico is still quite a bit higher altitude. And I'm travelling West and arriving early in the evening, which is going to suck for jetlag/time zone stuff. It's always a gamble how I feel after pretty much a full day of travelling

In my experience, travelling westwards is much easier, timezone-wise, than travelling west to east.

If it helps, I've done a shitload of long haul flights and I basically get zero jetlag with the following:
- no sleeping tablets
- once the plane takes off, set your watch/phone to the destination time and eat/sleep appropriately (ie don't sleep on the flight if it's daytime where you're going to land)
- stick to the new routine as soon as you land, ie stay awake until at least 7-8pm and then have a long sleep until morning.

Oh and seconding the recommendation above for the National Archaeology Museum in Chapultepec. It's absolutely fantastic, and one of my favourite museums. It might even be worth seeing first, so you get more context on who were the Aztecs vs the Olmecs vs the Mayans etc, and the various time periods each were around.

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

EricBauman posted:

Yeah, I'm definitely going to take it easy for at least a day and a half after arrival.

I'm flying in from the Netherlands (sea level or below lol) after a few days in Madrid, but Mexico is still quite a bit higher altitude. And I'm travelling West and arriving early in the evening, which is going to suck for jetlag/time zone stuff. It's always a gamble how I feel after pretty much a full day of travelling

Don't drink alcohol for the first couple days, and you probably won't notice it. I'm pretty sensitive to altitude in general, but up to around 2200m I also don't notice it unless I'm going up several flights of stairs or going for a jog or whatever. Above 2500m if coming from sea level I notice sleep disturbances, and above 3000m definitely headache and stuff if unacclimatized. Mexico City is 2300m, and I think I noticed the absolute subtlest of headaches on the first couple nights. I do a lot of going from sea level to ~1500m-2000m sleeping unacclimatized, and never notice that in the slightest, and from sea level to 3000m I get a noticeable headache. Sea level to 3500m is nearly unmanageable for sleep. YMMV, my wife has never noticed issues even going from 0-3500m.

My dad was getting dizzy and nauseous when we walked around Teotihuacan on our 3rd day there, and he's an athletic and exceptionally fit guy for his age, and it turned out he was having some blood iron issue that would have probably cropped up like a year or two later (and probably more severe) if it hadn't been bad enough in CDMX for him to go to a doctor when he got back.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

I traveled to Teotihuacan after living at 600 ft ASL and in peak physical shape, or close enough, it kicked my rear end, I thought mostly because I tried jogging up the main steps, but in retrospect it was probably largely due to the altitude

I guess they banned climbing the steps around the time of covid, huge bummer, the view from up top is incredible

Ham Equity
Apr 16, 2013

i hosted a great goon meet and all i got was this lousy avatar
Grimey Drawer
I totally went looking for a "Latin America" thread, and managed to miss this one (I'm guessing Mexico counts for purposes of this thread):

I'm trying to do more travel, and wanted to go somewhere this year, so I asked a friend and he said he'd been wanting to go to Mexico City. I've never spent much time in Mexico (a couple of hours in Juarez is it), but Mexico City sounds great as a destination. I think ten daysish probably sounds about right; we're looking for nice but not luxurious rooms, we both see the room as someplace to sleep and shower in, that we're in Mexico City to do things outside of the hotel, but I would prefer an actual hotel over an AirBnB. We'd like to go during Day of the Dead, neither of us have kids so we don't have to worry about anything family-friendly. We don't mind getting off the beaten path, but I'm not interested in overnight hikes or anything like that (though he may be, and we may split up), but I'm fine to walk a lot (I went to Japan last year and averaged about seven miles a day of walking, much more than 10 and I don't think my fat rear end could handle it, especially if there's a lot of verticality). Prefer to avoid driving if at all possible, would love to ride the trains/buses. We're both very white cis-hetero dudes, I'm in my early 40s he's in his early 30s, no mobility issues. My friend speaks some Spanish, I speak some French and enough Spanish to get stabbed in a bar (I only know the bad words). He is into hiking, and we're both into infrastructure, history, food, and drinks (beer and cocktails, primarily; I will absolutely drink wine, but it's not really something I seek out); no serious dietary restrictions. I love unique liquor; it doesn't have to be good (in fact, while great liquor is my favorite liquor, awful liquor is my second-favorite liquor); if someone distills something from some kind of poisonous cactus or something that tastes like rear end but makes your mouth tingle, I'm 100% in. I did some Googling, and it definitely seems like some of the high points would be to check out Tenochtitlan/The Museo Templo Mayer, National Museum of Anthropology, the National Palace, and maybe Teotihuacan, if it's not too hard to get out there. Plus, it would be great to do at least one tequila distillery tasting/tour, maybe one or more brewery tastings, too. So, lots of questions:

*We're thinking leave late October, come back early November; would it be better to just leave right before the Day of the Dead celebration, and stay after?
*We're flying out of Seattle (SeaTac, specifically); as far as airlines go, Delta and Aeromexico seem pretty competitive; I see very cheap flights from Volaris, but some Googling seems to indicate it's the Spirit Airlines of Mexico; should it be avoided?
*I generally carry a couple hundred bucks in cash on me, along with a credit card, and leave another credit card in the safe at the hotel; is this the best way to go for Mexico, or are there better logistical ways to do it? Anything we should make a point of having/not having with us while we're there?
*For lodging, I'd say we'd like to keep it below $200/night; the place I got in Tokyo based on a Goon recommendation was $90 a night, no frills, but very clean rooms with three beds, that was a block from a substantial subway station; if we could find something like that, that would be ideal; location is more important than amenities, though it would have to be very nice for a very good price if it didn't have internet. The plan is to share a room with two beds to keep costs down. I'd love some specific hotel recommendations if you have them.
*Where are good areas to stay in? Are there any areas that should be avoided?
*I've had all the standard vaccines, plus Typhoid and Hepatitis A; doctor gave me some azithromycin just in case for digestive issues just in case for a trip to Cancun I wound up having to cancel earlier this year, any other health stuff I should be aware of?
*Some of the stuff I've read suggests finding a guide, is there a good way to do that? I found a Tenochtitlan walking tour that looks cool, but it's hard to judge, and just a random site on the internet.
*Food & drink recommendations; we both love trying new stuff, would love some places to drink, and like I said any local distilled liquor or unique beer/wine recommendations would be greatly appreciated. When I went to Japan, about 80% of the time we just went to places that looked decent near where we were, and that worked out excellently. It would be nice to get a couple of recommendations for high-end places to hit up while we're there, too.
*As far as sites go, what's underrated? What's overrated, and should probably be skipped? Is there any place worth day-tripping out to, specifically (definitely thinking of Teotihuacan, here, but also anywhere else)?
*What would be a good way to plan, like, a chill out & relax day in the middle of the trip? We did a ryokan in Nara for a night when I went to Japan, and that was great.
*Anything I'm not asking about here that I should be asking about?

Thank you for the help.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

Ham Equity posted:

I generally carry a couple hundred bucks in cash on me, along with a credit card, and leave another credit card in the safe at the hotel; is this the best way to go for Mexico, or are there better logistical ways to do it? Anything we should make a point of having/not having with us while we're there?

Last time I was in cdmx was 2018 but in general we had no issue using Uber to get around and paid for anything with a card and the very occasional with cash like you'd expect in a large city like NYC or London. A really nice dinner for two ought to set you back like $75 including drinks. Most every restaurant took visa mc amex

theflyingexecutive
Apr 22, 2007

Mexico City doesn't really "do" Day of the Dead. They have a hybrid DdlM/Halloween parade, which is very fun but not exactly steeped in tradition.

One fun local booze is pulque, e.g.: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GxTXEVdnXix46e3F7?g_st=ic

Anhuacalli is Diego Rivera's tremendously displayed museum of indigenous art.

Rosetta is a great fancy restaurant in Roma Norte.

theflyingexecutive fucked around with this message at 09:10 on Apr 3, 2024

Saladman
Jan 12, 2010

theflyingexecutive posted:

Mexico City doesn't really "do" Day of the Dead. They have a hybrid DdlM/Halloween parade, which is very fun but not exactly steeped in tradition.

Ha, yeah I remember being very surprised when I learned that.

Also I just realized this is the "Central and South America" thread, which very conspicuously leaves out Mexico. Funny that there's no catch-all term for "the Americas, minus Canada and the US", although I guess effectively "Latin America and the Caribbean" gets used for that, because who cares about the three tiny countries (Belize, Guyana, Suriname) that don't fit into that. And I guess Bermuda, which fits in to zero geographic regions. Is Bermuda even part of "the Americas"? I guess technically?

Ham Equity
Apr 16, 2013

i hosted a great goon meet and all i got was this lousy avatar
Grimey Drawer
If we're going to someplace relatively centrally-located in Mexico City, what's the best way to get from the airport to the hotel? We're relatively fearless travelers, we both are fine riding trains and buses, and would greatly favor that over a taxi if possible.

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Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

There's a subway station at the very furthest west part of the cdmx airport pickup/drop off area, supposedly, but I've always just taken Uber

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