Monthly Archives: May 2012
Bogotá - Review
When I mention Bogotá, what is it you think? I know, I know… You are probably thinking about drug lords and violence. To set things straight, Bogotá never was the center of all that. There are no in the street gang wars constantly happening, and there are not drug dealers on each corner trying push something onto someone. As a matter of fact, Colombia in general has moved way past that stigma. Guess you will have to keep watching the stereotyped films to see all that.
What is Bogotá like? To some it up, it is large and sprawled out, much like Los Angeles, but filled with artistic culture, like San Francisco and just a lot of old history and buildings like Madrid. Bogotá is filled with all kinds of different walks of life, from the poor to the rich and everyone between and offers a great place for anyone who wants to explore this wonderful city.
So Bogotá is grand, large and a very sprawled out city, much like Los Angeles. It is vast and has so many places to visit. But like Los Angeles, it also suffers from an insane amount of traffic. So much that it has a restriction on driving on certain days depening on your licensee plate number, a system known as Pica y Placa. The idea is to narrow the amount of traffic.
If you do not want to deal with the traffic, Bogotá has a “metro” bus system known as Transmilenio, which is an above ground bus system that has dedicated lanes and roads for the purpose of commute. It is a fast convenient way to get around Bogotá with out having to pay extra (yet still inexpensive) for the many many taxis you can take otherwise. The biggest drawback is the be weary of using the Transmilenio during peak hours, you may find yourself getting extra friendly with people on the bus with you.
One of the things I really enjoy about Bogotá is all the art in the city. From street/graffiti art to mounds and mounds of museums it has a lot to offer. One example is a great collection from the Botero Museum collection. A collection of great, including some Dali, Picaso and other great names in the art field. The art scene can mostly be found in the dowtown area of Bogotá, near Candeleria. There is also museums in other places of interest as well.
Art is not the only culture that can be found in Bogotá. One of thing that most Americans think about when they think of a latin country is Latin music. It is true there is a fondness for reggeaton in, and a lot of club dancing. But as you walk through the square of Chorro de Queveda, you will see a very different culture. It is a lot of rock. There is a huge rock and hard rock culture in Bogota. Sitting in a small pub in the heart of Candeleria while drinking soem chiche, a corn fermented alcoholic drink, I noticed the music of Metallica and local bands like Parabellum.
For those who like to dance, Bogotá is filled with such a thing. One thing that Colombians like to do is dance. And there are a fair share of dance clubs in Chapinorte and suba areas, as well as the northern areas of Bogotá.
For those who are more of those who want less energetic culture experience, there are a lot of sites to see in Bogotá. There is the large tower of Colpatria, and the beautiful old buildings of the Candeleria district. There is a the beautiful walk of Cerro de Monserrate and the view of Bogotá at the top of that mountain. The amazing square at Plaza de Bolivar offers a lot of culture and some of those amazing museums I mentioned earlier. And churches, Colombia definately has it’s fair share of churches and cathedrals, all worth photographing for their amazing architecture.
So what does Bogotá have to offer if cant fit the stereotypes of the what is shown in the movies? Well as you can see, it has a lot to offer, from amazing new and old cutlure and art in it’s amazingly sprawled out city.
So have you visited Bogotá? Maybe you have some questions about the large city? Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.
Airbnb.com - Review
I am looking and looking and all I can find a hotel for is as low as $120 per a night, AND that is with a discount that I am privy to. I am thinking, why not go to a hostel? So I check and there are private rooms for $90- $110. I only get private rooms as I travel with thousands of dollars worth of photography equipment.
I know many travelers, like yourself have been in a similar situation. You look for a hotel, and it is the largest expense on your vacation. But which do you book at? Are you getting the best deal for the price? The reviews make it hard to decide, and how do you know if it is as good as in the images? You are not planning on living in the hotel, you want to go out and see the attractions and live the culture. Spending too much is not the plan but how can you plan on spending cheaper?
At this point I looked into renting an apartment. Yes, I said an apartment, and despite what you are thinking, it is actually cheap. An apartment was found as cheap as low as $83 a night or I can rent a room at some one’s house for as cheap as $45 a night. The great thing about getting a room, is I can get advice from the person who lives there about local places to visit.
The website I found these great deals is Airbnb.com, a great place to find a good place for a good price, stay in a local area that is safe, and travel like being in the comfort of your own home.
What is Airbnb.com you ask? Well it is a website where apartment and house owners can put their apartment/house or a room up for others to use while they are away or even there. Places are available from all around the world and you can feel like you are at home (without all the hassles) while you are traveling. Below the video explains more in depth on how Airbnb works:
How do you use the website? First you go to the website and choose the destination you are traveling to and the dates you are traveling and then hit search. On the left side you can filter out whether you want an entire home/apartment or if you want a private room or share a room. Also is a map feature that allows you to look for places base on where in the town/city you want to stay at. Choose a pin and check out the information.
One of the drawbacks is that you most places require a deposit (which are sometimes pretty hefty) and that it is all charged on your credit card. This requires money “up front” which is a temperary charge on your card, and removed/charged back to your card when you check out (and you haven’t damaged anything). This is just to help insure the renter from those who want to throw a massive party and thrash the place. Also the credit card is not charged for the room Until you check in (via the website or mobile app) to prevent an owner from taking your money w/o giving you a key.
The website is really well designed, simple and easy to get around. The mobile App is also the same and very easy to use. The mobile app is hands down of the best designed apps on my phone as it offers wonderful stunning images and a great lay out to find out the information you are looking for. The app makes it easy to find a place when you are on the road, simple and easy. I almost exclusively use the iPhone app more so than the actual website due to its ease of use.
Airbnb is a great solution to those who are looking for a place to stay but do not want to spend a lot of money on a hotel. It is not for those who want to be pampered, but it is great for those who don’t want to stay in a not so clean hotel to save money. Check it out and see about a place to stay on your next trip, I know I will to reduce my stay price on my next trip. Here is a $25 credit for your first time using Airbnb.
Have you ever used Airbnb? Let us know of your experience. Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.
The Way - Pilgrimage Travels
When I saw the movie The Way, by Emilio Estevez, I was moved by character development the man played by Martin Sheen. The movie follows Tom, a Crabby doctor who goes to France to claim the body of his son after a tragic accident. Tom decides to take a journey on a path his son never finished through beautiful northern coast of Spain. The journey he takes is a famous christian pilgrimage known as “The Way of Saint James” or “The Way”. Tom meets some companions and on his journey and on his this path learns more about himself.
This reminded me of why I love traveling. When you travel, you learn more about yourself. Even more so, you learn more about a culture and other people, even more so if you experience a pilgrimage. In my travels I have experienced a few pilgrimages including the holy city of Rishikesh, India, climbing the Trikuta Mountain in Katra to Vaishno Devi Shrine in India, found myself at the Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura, India, and climbed the steps of Hanginan in Maasin, Philippines. All of these being spiritual journeys, and much like Tom, they landed on me at the last minute.
This got me thinking, Tom meet some interesting people on his pilgrimage, and so did I. I also realized that pilgrimages are great way to inspire travel, meet amazing people, and learn more about cultures of the area.
Always wanting to travel is dream of many. But where does one decide to travel to? And how do you decide? A pilgrimage could be the answer to such a thing. Many buddhists see the four holy spots of Buddha in India and is an inspiration for me to return to India. Many Christians walk “The Way” or “The Camino” like in the movie The Way and explore Spain. There is also the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan. All of these are great reasons to want to travel and great inspiration for anyone to want to travel.
It is always amazing when you are doing something, and someone shares that same idea with you. That is great about a pilgrimage, you are surrounded by people who share your same ideas. My pilgrimage in Katra to Vaishno Devi I really got know my good friend, and meet some other great pilgrims, young and old along the way. In They Way, Tom comes across companions all walking “The Camino” all looking to find themselves, or just something. As one walks to lose weight and another is trying to quit smoking. They stumble upon writer with writer’s block who is finding his way. They all become friends on their common journey. Journeys like these are a great way to meet new people.
Tapas or Pinchos? Which do you order when you are in Pamplona? Well you could always be like Tom and find out the hard way. Something you always seem to learn about a pilgrimage is the local customs and culture of where you are at. Nothing like trying samosas for the first time and falling in love with them forever. Food is a great thing to experience on a pilgrimage, as you are forced to eat the local foods. You are also learning about the villagers in the area when talking about them, and finding similarities and differences, like whether to order tapas and pinchos.
So why go on pilgrimage? Well you do not have to do it to be spiritual, it is a great reason to be inspired to travel. You can make new friends along the way as you try new foods and learn new cultures. Pilgrimages are just a great travel experience. Do not forget to check out They Way on BlueRay now.
So if you could take a pilgrimage where would you go? Perhaps you would like to share an experience of a pilgrimage with us? We could use some good ideas of where else to go. Are there any other movies out there that have inspired you to travel? Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.