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Inca Trail – Machu Picchu – Peru

 Like most people, I travelled to Peru because I wanted to check out Machu Picchu (click here to read the full blog). I didn’t really know what to expect, but my cousin had already booked a trip so I piggy-backed his plan. I had friends that backpacked up the north-west coast of Peru for a…

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The list of 48 World Heritage sites in danger

 The list of 48 World Heritage sites in danger – from whc.unesco.org: The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action. This section describes the List of…

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Gateway to the Inca Trail

Is Machu Picchu Closing?

 I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 2009. At that time, it was rumored that the Inca Trail would soon shut down and be closed to tourists. It never was – but now (5 years later, ) the rumors still exist. The truth is, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu will only close…

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Put Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Bucket List

 Mostar might be the #1 reason you visit Bosnia and Herzegovina and for good reason. For sightseeing, check out the Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque and the Kravica Waterfall. The best and most obvious to-do is a visit to the Old Bridge (I’m pretty sure it’s actually called “The Old Bridge”). Some of your best trip…

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Montenegro is Awesome

 On a tour through the Balkans with Intrepid Travel, we traveled through Montenegro. Sveti Stefan must be on a top 10 coolest islands list, so visit it if you can. Kotor is also an awesome city – tucked away in the Gulf of Kotor and feels very similar to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Kotor is a UNESCO…

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Vietnam

 We travelled through Cambodia into Vietnam with G Adventures and right into Ho Chi Minh city, formerly Saigon. There are quite a few things that rock about Vietnam. The food, for starters, is amongst the best in the world. A boat ride along the Mekong Delta is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced on water. The…

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Travel Scams and Tourist Traps

 Here’s a fun post recalling travel scams and tourist traps I’ve heard of, witnessed or fell victim too. If you have any feedback or other scams to report please comment. Taxi Scams Before you reach your destination do some research on its taxi system. Many countries have a regulated system whereby rates are fixed and rides are charged by the taxi meter rate. However still, there are other marked taxis that look legitimate but are a circus ride driven by crooks. Inflated rates and threats will leave you broke by the end of the ride. Drivers have been known to renegotiate rates half way to your destination giving to the…

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Museum of Uprising in Warsaw, Poland, a Must-See

 Of all the many things to do in Poland, especially Warsaw, the Uprising Museum should be among the top. This museum makes up for all the boring ones you’ve ever visited. There’s an amazing 3D flyover exhibition, large movie-style screen, and dozens of rooms telling stories of just about any era of the Warsaw uprising…

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Good Company in Tallinn, Estonia

 I found Tallinn, Estonia, home to many friendly and laid-back folk. Estonia itself is a very small and humble country with a history of not pissing anyone off. They love tourists and Estonia as a whole is a very safe country to visit. Residents of nearby Finland and Russia travel the extra distance to party…

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Extend Your Stay in Berlin, Germany

 I rarely visit the same destination twice, but found Berlin to be an exception. I’ve visited Berlin three times now and have found that each visit reveals something fun and new to consume your time. The city is massive and you could easily spend a week exploring it. Berlin Hotel and Hostel Tips The Berlin…

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Lukla Airport, Nepal

 Lukla airport in Nepal is the gateway to Everest. Whether you’re hiking to Namche or Everest base camp, chances are you’ll start in Lukla and arrive via its infamous airport. In my opinion, the less you research this airport, the better. The reason I say this is because your desire to hike in the Himalayas…

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Antigua, Guatemala

 A lot of major cities in Central America are over-populated and polluted, so I had no problems crusing right through Guatemala City to Antigua.  In my opinion, the less time you spend in the major cities and more time you spend in the surrounding towns, the better, especially in Central America.  A “nice-to-know” about the…

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Roatan Island Strike – Not the First Nor Last

 Unfortunately there was a strike of some sorts on the island. I don’t have the exact details, but apparently there was a conflict between the locals and the local power company that ended up with the power being shut off for the majority of the island. This was pretty scary, as with no power came looting and riots but for the most part we (as tourists) felt safe and excused from the conflicts. Roadblocks kept us from venturing outside our hotels neighborhood (which is why we had to kayak around to West Bay), but after a few days the protesters lifted the barricades to let us through and be on…

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Roatan Island, Honduras

 When travelling to Roatan by land, you’ll likely pass through Tela and take a ferry to the island.  Tela itself wasn’t that great to be honest.  While swimming in the pool of our hotel I remember watching rats run alongside it.  The restaurants and shops weren’t all that exciting either, and we even opted to order pizza instead…

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Tegucigalpa, Honduras

 For those looking for an eye-opener, travel through Tegucigalpa.  This is a massive city, the largest in the country, and absolutely packed. How the people and vehicles navigate through the small streets without causing massive carnage is a mystery to me.  This city will keep you on your toes – I hate to be that guy warning toursits, but you can’t ignore Tegucigalpa’s extremely high crime rate.  I wouldn’t recommend walking about late at night or straying too far from your hotel.

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Copan, Honduras

 I highly recommended Copan as a great place to vacation, having plenty to see & do. There are a few pubs with live music and/or DJ’s, and the locals are party animals if you’re into that sort of thing. The food is authentic and simple, and everywhere we ate delivered large portions and seemed to always be prepared by a little old lady in the back of the kitchen. The Copan ruins, of course, are what attract most visitors and the site itself is massive, you could easily spend an entire afternoon walking about.  Even if you’re not that interested in the in-depth history lessons from the local guides, its nice to hire one…

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Nicaragua Tours

 We travelled with Toucan Travel, and our tour guide seemed to have the inside scoop on the best tours to take at the best prices. We noticed, just shopping on our own, that several independent tour operaters in Granada overcharged for a lot of services. By “overcharged”, I mean a $40 zip line tour from one operator costs $100 from another operator for the exact same tour.  For a taste of all the tours and excursions you can do in Nicaragua check out this website.

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Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

 We stayed on Ometepe Island for a couple of nights.  The best part about it was that it was a peaceful and quite retreat from some of the major cities we had passed through on our tour like Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa and Tela.  Ometepe is a volcano island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the only real “excursion” we did was a long afternoon horseback ride to a few viewpoints around the island.  This website has a lot of information on other things to see and do on Ometepe.  Our hotel was very secluded and simple, not a TV or computer to be found.  We had amazing weather on the…

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Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua

 This is a must-see sight if you’re in the region. We took a tour to the top of the active volcano which you can literally stand a the edge of and look down to see the orange/red glow below.  There’s a giant cross towering over the volcano which was apparently built to “exorcise the demon from the volcano”, and if you’re lucky enough (they only allow a certain number of visitors to walk to the top every hour) to see the volcano from the highest lookout point during sunset its a pretty amazing sight.  We were offered masks by our guides as an optional precaution from the sulfur dioxide gas.  I…

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Granada, Nicaragua

 No complaints at all about Granada, Nicaragua!  It’s a quiet, safe, friendly, cobble-stoned Colonial city with a lot of culture and plenty of things to see and do.  I remember it being rediculously cheap, too, you can stay at a great hotel, feast, and take excursions outside of the city for a pretty minimal cost.  In fact your money can probably be stretched further in Nicaragua than a lot of other places.

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Heidelberg, Germany

 One of the sweetest places I’ve ever visited was Heidelberg, Germany.  We didn’t plan on visiting, it was more of a fluke destination after passing Frankfurt and simply needing a stop before heading into Switzerland. I remember there being a lot of students in Heidelberg.  It’s home to one of the oldest (maybe THE oldest?) universities in Germany and the Main Street was either full of tourists in the shops or students having a beer in the pubs.  I specifically remember getting directions and travel tips from local students who seemed eager to help out a tourist and practice their English. We lucked out and had great 25+ degree weather…

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Auschwitz

 Auschwitz is the most bone chilling place I’ve ever been. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners killed by gas chambers, starvation, forced labor, disease, executions, medical experiments. The entire camp is open to explore, each of the main barracks has something on display, like documents or prisoners personal belongings. Signage at Auschwitz reads, “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.”. I think everyone who has the chance should definitely visit Auschwitz.

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Gdansk, Poland, Worth the Rail Trip

 The only bad thing about Gdansk is the train ride there.  A slow ride on a dirty train full of shady folk is exactly what to expect.  I remember some guy standing right outside our cabin (next to the no-smoking sign) smoking really smelly cigs the entire way from Warsaw to Gdansk, and the bathroom toilets were plugged and stunk like they hadn’t been cleaned in weeks.  It was a pretty sick ride, I was happy to get off that train. The city itself is awesome, one of those places that’s so old you lose sense of what age you’re living in.  Old streets, old vehicles, old buildings, old churches, old boats,…

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Sagres, Portugal, Edge of the Earth

 We rented scooters in Portimao for a day trip to Sagres, Portugal. It was fun ripping down the highway on the little scooters but I probably wouldn’t do it a second time. Getting passed by semi-trucks near blows you off the road, and the bugs aren’t very forgiving. Renting a car is much more practical. As soon as we got into Sagres we headed for a place called Tonel Beach. We had hear this is probably one of the nicest views you’ll ever experience – and rightfully so the most south-western point of Portugal gives you a near 360-degree view of the ocean from about 500 feet. We headed for the Sagres…

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Portimao, Portugal

 Picture a colorful marina and clean and peaceful stretches of beach that seem to go on forever with crystal-clear water and a maze of beach-to-beach pathways and you’ve got Portimao, Portugal.  This place was amazing.  We rented scooters to tear around the town – and although we were rookie-riders and could barely keep the things up-right nobody…

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sagres

Portugal

 Portugal is the best place on Earth and I meant it!  A friend of mine had travelled there before I, and he simply said “trust me, when you hit Portugal you’ll love it – and you’ll love it more when you visit the Algarve“.  So when travelling with my sister in Europe we landed in…

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