Today I went in search of a decent place to exchange a book in Bogotá, Colombia. Being a large city with numerous popular hostels, I assumed any number of them would have a moderately good book exchange. I was mistaken. However, after visiting several hostels and asking for suggestions, I was told to visit Bogotá Bike Tours, which does indeed have many books. … [ Read more ]
Subjects: Entertainment on the Road, Tips for Traveling Better, Tourism (Places)
Backpacking invariably means staying in hostels, even if not exclusively. Here is a list, in no particular order, of what I think contributes to making the “perfect” hostel. Obviously not every item will be of equal importance to everyone and this list is a work in progress based on my continuing experiences and your feedback.
Subjects: Tips for Traveling Better, Tourism (Places)
When I started my trip in Mexico in March of 2009 I started hearing about the option of sailing from Panamá to Cartagena, Colombia, visiting the beautiful San Blas islands (also known as the Kuna Yala) en route. Sounded good to me! More than a year later I have realized that travel goal aboard a boat called the Sacanagem captained by Brazilian/French Federico Layolle.Before getting … [ Read more ]
Subjects: Personal, Photos, Tourism (Places), Travel Guides
In the summer of 2008 I decided to spend a few months in Antigua, Guatemala studying Spanish and avoiding the awful heat of my home base, Austin, Texas. I have a strong interest in languages, having studied Japanese for years (for those interested, I run a site for Japanese language learners). I had wanted to travel since college, when circumstances prevented me from … [ Read more ]
Subjects: Personal, Product Reviews, Tourism (Places)
