contest of the month

Can you explain yourself in just a few words? Then maybe Intrepid's 30 trips in 30 days contest is for you!

Each day in November Intrepid is posing a question that must be answered in 50 words or less. One response is chosen for each question and the winner gets an Intrepid itinerary of their choice (the itinerary is selected when the response is submitted.) It should be noted that since the trips are limited to the choices available on the contest page, you won't be able to win an awesome cruise around the Galápagos Islands... but still!

I've been submitting response pretty faithfully so far but have been looked over for other responses. There are some I agree with (see the lost in translation winner) and some that I certainly do not agree with (why should drinking on the beach win over contemplating the infinite vastness of the ocean?)

Hey, it doesn't hurt to try!

Image ripped straight from the Intrepid site
and does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.
Ever.

 I'm still hopeful that I can win a trip to Bolivia or - huge change of plans - Malaysia!

 

flying the friendly skies

I'm ar Terminal 1 in SFO right now and despite a few self-imposed setbacks, I am at the gate waiting to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. Now I'm not on my orignal flight but that's another story about alarm clocks.

Alaska deserves a great big hug for their customer service. The clerks at the check-in counter were very helpful with my checked bags. It's cheaper to check 2 bags than to pay overage for one, and these heroes of the airline will let you know. Now I just have to hope that the runway construction at SFO doesn't delay me too much.

So far, this Alaska Airlines experience could not be more different from Jetblue odyssey to and from Colombia. I have never been delayed coming and going, nor have I ever been delayed as long as 10 hours. Jetblue's proactive reroute of my itinerary to Colombia is commendable. Sitting on the tarmac for 1 hour and causing me to nearly miss my connecting flight is not. And that connection from dull Fort Lauderdale back to SFO? That was a jetblue flight, too.

This poor soul didn't make it, and I almost thought my fate would be the same. Beware Jetblue!

a wrench in the plans

My tour group has changed the initial lodging twice. And this time, I'm not impressed.

Miss Maroney is not impressed with the change in accommodations.

In June, the "joining point" in Bogotá was changed from Casa Platypus to Hostel Masaya. Not a big deal, since both offer similar room styles catering to a younger crowd with nice common areas and internet access. More importantly, both are located in La Candelaria, the district with most everything you want to see in Bogotá. Say you want to hit up the main Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and Montserrate in one day? All are located in La Candelaria, and that's why to me, Casa Platypus and Hostel Masaya are both perfectly acceptable.

Now last Friday - just a week before the tour starts - I received an email from the tour group informing me that the joining point had changed again. Oh sure, Casa Paulina doesn't look as appealing. That's okay because the reviews say that they have great staff and an internet lounge. I'm not going to research more bus lines so I'll take a taxi to the hostel but that's not a problem. The problem is that Casa Paulina is in El Chapinero, which doesn't seem to be a neighborhood that is particularly threatening but is a good 5 kilometers from La Candelaria. El Chapinero borders the financial district of Bogotá... hurray? Reviewers argue that it's not difficult to take the bus from El Chapinero to La Candelaria but you know what? If I get less than 24 hours in a city, I'd like to be staying somewhere where I can step outside and immediately sample the flavors of the place.

Since this is something out of my control, I have been trying to look on the bright side of things. Casa Paulina isn't far from Avenida Chile, which is supposed to have a lot of street food vendors. Sounds like my first dinner is already picked out.

I've been researching Bogotá a lot because I want to make the most of the 16 or so hours I have there. But I looked into our "finishing point" in Cartagena and to my knowledge, we are still going to the same lodging which is BEAUTIFUL and is located within the original wall of old Cartagena de las Indias.

Anyways, if I don't see everything I want to in Bogotá, that's just one more excuse to return.

if you've been saving up

and I mean really saving up, Condé Nast Traveler will be holding a "World on Sale" promotion to celebrate the magazine's 25th birthday. The presale starts August 13 and you must be a subscriber (or special credit cardholder, whatever) to access the sale. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until August 21 like the non-subscribers.

With over 30 itineraries at discounts deep as 65% off, it's quite tempting to star planning my next vacation before my upcoming one even begins.

But I must warn you, Condé Nast Traveler is a bespoke traveler's magazine (and bespoke is one of their favorite words.) This periodical profiles luxury cruise ships and hotels in Dubai. Once in a while there's a bargain to be had between the glossy ads for Cartier and the latest review of Costa Rica's newest 5-star eco-lodge but they are few and far between. Condé Nast Traveler is what I aspire to be but in reality, I'm more akin to Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel.

As a price point, The New Tork Times reports that a $13,000 Nepal trip that includes a helicopter ride over Mt. Everest will be sold at about $7,300. Well gee, that's a nice discount but that's still well out of my price range. Good thing I have no desire to climb that mountain!



Still, it can't hurt to look, right?

Hiram Bingham climbed up a hill

Happy 101st Anniversary of your coming out, Machu Picchu! People have been awed by your intricate architecture and extraordinary altitude since July 24, 1911!

When I first visited Peru in March 2011, I almost didn't go to Machu Picchu! After tossing my cookies at Lake Titicaca, I dreaded visiting the mountaintop ruin. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed at the inn and sleep off the dizziness. But I am so glad I stuck it out (having already paid for the tickets and tour was also a strong impetus for climbing the mountain.) After waking up at 5AM to and traveling 4 hours by van and train, I finally saw this:

  

And it was all worth it!

temptations

I just paid off the balance of my much-awaited trip to Colombia but I still have to wait until August!

While entering my plastic information on Intrepid's website, I couldn't resist browsing around. And I found out that if you book one of Intrepid's selelcted short trips by the end of June, you can take a friend for 50% off. Solo travellers can get 30% off one trip if they book two "short breaks;" if both short trips are also "urban adventures" (less than one day) then one is free!

The trips are organized into broad categories by the general trip idea and I love that they've added a food option... would anyone care to take a 5-day cooking tour in Morocco?

Now I can't help figuring out how to squeeze a weekend trip in before August!

yummy!
Image courtesy of google image search

this is where I'm going!

On the bright side, FARC is releasing prisoners, not kidnapping more.

celosa! (jealous!)

So last night the one and only Manu Chao crooned to thousands of faithful fans at the Festival de 7 Mares in Lima. I was lucky enough to drown my sorrows of not going back to Peru so soon... after all, yesterday (March 17) was St. Patrick's Day. And now I find out that he is doing a sooner-than-later mini-tour all along the north Andes, including a certain country I plan on visiting this August.

But he's going to be in Colombia starting in just two weeks! That includes a FREE show in Bogotá!

I seriously doubt I can find a $337 ticket to Bogotá on two-weeks' notice but that won't stop me from trying.

Manu Chao, please bring the La Ventura tour to San Francisco! ¡Traiga «la ventura» a San Francisco, por favor!


And to Lima, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela: enjoy it!

International Women's Day

March 8 is here and that means it's International Women's Day! Celebrate the sorority of womankind and thank a woman you know for being, well, her!

In Italy, men present yellow mimosas (the flower, not the cocktail) to women. In China, women don't have to work. But even though the holiday started in the USA, we don't really celebrate it here.

Fret not! Women can nab a deal in honor of International Women's Day from everyone's favorite Australian tour company, Intrepid. Just take the Adventure Girl quiz to find out what sort of adventure girl you are... it turns out that I am 38% Inspired Explorer and 31% Culture Connoisseur... and get a code for 15% off selected itineraries handpicked for the Adventure Girls.

Even better, one of the discounted trips for Inspired Explorer's is the Colombian itinerary I plan on booking!

viva Colombia!

Of course, you don't have to be female to take advantage of this 15% off deal.

is it too early to go back?

Even though I just went in January... is March 17 too early to return to Lima? Flight prices seem to be against me.

The reason for all of this Peru-mania: Manu Chao. Lima. March 17.

He is a true punk and true artist. He turns out heart-pumping fun music made for dancing and informed, intellectual folk music with ease. He mixed genres (Reggae! Ska! Rock! Hip Hop! And more!) of music before it was cool. He is like soccer, well-known everywhere except the in the USA. He is so phenomenal that he could be a stinking rich rock star drowning in excess but he chooses not to be. He sings of topics that most people are afraid to touch, yet handles them with such deft that anyone can listen. He is the voice of not just Paris or Spain or Latin America but the world. Everyone can relate to his lyrics, if they would only listen!

Unfortunately, he rarely tours in the United States... though when he does, I always seem to just miss him by a hair and a plane ticket. The story of my musically tragic life!

A seamless blend of "La Primavera" and "Radio Bemba," the latter being a song named for his band.

The visually fascinating music video for "Mr. Bobby," named for a late artist who would've been best buds with Manu Chao.

"Me Llaman Calle," sung not in a recording studio or on stage but in a neighborhood pub.

One of his sweetest songs is "Me Gustas Tú," an easy ballad that's also great for learning Spanish.

Oh man, I missed too many concerts last year, including a rare miracle when Manu Chao performed a sprinkling of shows in Texas and Florida. Is a weekend in Lima too much to ask?

If you like music, you'll like Manu Chao. Keep an eye out for ticket information from the Gran Parque de Lima, AKA Parque de la Exposición and tell me about it!

Madre de Dios

Before I left for Peru I was leaning towards going to the rainforest around Puerto Maldonado in the Madre de Dios region of Peru instead of Iquitos in the state of Loreto. I could've had a very different experience if I had chosen Puerto Maldonado...

The Mashco-Piro tribe is starting to shoot arrows

Experts in anthropology and policy hypothesize that the tribe has become aggressive in response to threats to their land. Reconciling respect for indigenous people with the ever-growing desires of the industrial and post-industrial world is never easy but Peru can't leave this situation alone anymore. Though I can't say that the USA has set a good example with the way we treat Native Americans, it's best if Peru doesn't leave this matter on the backburner anymore.

and we begin again

Hello!

After my second trip to Peru and a bus trip in which I pondered about the scattered nature of my lifestyle blog I hella live here! is, I've decided it's high time I organized my thoughts and experiences about traveling into a separate effort... and so I hella went there! was born!

This is where you can read about the places I've been to outside of San Francisco and the immediate Bay Area... the focus is on international travel but by no means am I discounting domestic destinations. And since I only gain so much vacation time per year, there will also be posts about travel tips, deals I or my friends see, and planning. Lots and lots of planning!

So... before I regale you with tales from the Amazon jungle, revisit destinations past in Europe or Asia, or dream about my next destination, let me spread the good word:

The Australian tour and travel company Intrepid is offering a Buy One, Get One Free deal on four trips to Peru. That means that that if you book a trip to Peru by March 31, 2012 and complete your trip by September 30, 2012, a companion can travel on the same itinerary for free. That boils down to the two of you paying 50% of the tour fee.

You and a friend could be here this year!

The only thing I'm miffed about is that these deals seem to pop up right after I return from abroad.

Take note: the deal is valid during the wet season in the Andes. It also comes the year after the 100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham stumbling across Machu Picchu. But if you haven't yet been to Peru, this is a deal not to be missed.