One of the best blogs on India... with both the highs and lows. Gives every potential traveler a balanced view of what to expect should they choose to visit.
The beauty of India My eldest daughter is a regular visitor to India, usually getting a six month visa each time. So I was VERY interested to read your excellent post about the highs and lows of travelling in that fascinating country. And I'm a great fan of Gandhi. My favourite saying of his is "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Peace & love for all your future travels! Michelle
Bangladesh We almost made it to Bangladesh two years ago but our plans changed. Enjoyed your impressions. I'd like to see those mudskippers. Hopefully we will make it there in the near future. Sounds like a great travel experience.
Colombia In 2012 we spent two weeks in Colombia, visiting Bogota, Villa de Leyva, Santa Marta & Cartagena and LOVED it. We really had no intention to visit Colombia until we got a wedding invitation from one of our international home stay students who was from Bogota - we live in Sydney Australia. I'd encourage anyone to visit - check out our travelblog under the name of michelleandkev.
Thanks for letting us know what you've been up to... your degree will be very useful should you decide to live overseas again...lots of places with little water. I'm looking forward to your local blogs.
Obviously you were not in Toronto in November... not hot then! My mom's side of the family comes from Toronto so I spent many vacations there when I was younger. I really like the town with its Lake Ontario waterfront and many grassy parks. So ending up there wouldn't be so bad. I also spent time vacationing north of Toronto in the Muscoka Lakes region so your pictures brought back memories. Good luck with your Masters degree. Oh, and you can violate your self imposed rule about blogging a country only once as often as you have a great story to tell.
I\'m planning on moving to Heredia within the next 4-6 weeks and would like to start teaching english, in order to support myself. I do not have a TESLA or TEFL (or whatever those certifications are called). However, I have read some reviews and blogs where it\'s been said that a certification is not necessary as long as english is your first language and you have some college education. Considering the fact that you\'ve been living in Costa Rica for some time now, I\'d like to hear your thoughts and/or any advice you can give. Thanks, Michael Araujo
I haven't heard of people getting ESL jobs with zero English teaching qualifications or experience. However, I know people that got work having done only online TEFL courses because the school liked their personality.
I would recommend doing a course because it would make you a better teacher.
It is a nice place to live and work.
Padern Just reading through and saw Padern. We have some friends also from Australia who have bought a little house in Padern which we hope to see in the not too distant future. Looks lovely.Maybe Colette and Neil know Nicole??
Salvadore Gets a bad rap. Since 1992 my wife has traveled to E.S. at least a dozen times. I have been 3 times. The purpose was mostly to see what could be done to help rebuild the country after the horrible civil war, and to support projects. We spent time in a variety of communities includinG San Salvadore, the capital. Never did we fear for our safety. Never were we robbed, assaulted, or even uncomfortable. No matter where one ends up on this planet there are risks and one has to be smart...It is wise to avoid problem areas at niGht...ANYWHERE. I have been warned often about New Orleans, but I loved it and had no problems. El Salvadore is a beautiful, underappreciated, country. The people are extremely hospitable, friendly and Generous even with the little they have. There are wonderful Guest houses where you can stay inexpensively, have home-cooked meals, and you can always arranGe to have Guides drive you places and they will watch out for you. As in many countries, drink only bottled water, and be very careful what you eat. Fresh fruits and veGGies are a no no unless you peel them your self. If you start worryinG every time you see an article like this bloG, you won't Go anywhere and soon you will be stayinG at home with your shades down. Good luck. Vive El Salvador!
Please Read All the Blog Dear last person who commented
I assume you have commented on my blog after only reading the title. If you read the whole blog you'll see that I'm actually promoting El Salvador and encouraging people to visit.
D
A VISIT TO KRIBI IN NOVEMBER 2O11. I am a catholic christian in Bamenda and i wish to visit Kribi and stay there for sometime.I am worshiping here at Big Mankon Metropolitan cathedral.I wish to have contact with any anglophone or Francophone christian for directives.i will be coming in November 2011.May God Bless You.
Hi Tara
If you want to work in a private school for kids or in a good university you may need a working visa but almost everyone I knew that taught English had only a tourist visa. It is not 100% illegal, there is some grey area in the law where you can be a paid volunteer on a tourist visa or something like that.
The school where I worked gave us extra days off and $50 cash to leave the country for 72 hours every 3 months. I actually enjoyed the opportunity to have a weekend in Nicaragua or Panama.
Good luck
VISA hi,
I really enjoyed reading your blog, and am currently looking into teaching English in Costa Rica. I was just wondering how you went about the work Visa as I hear it is difficult to obtain. I have read on a few websites that people tend to just travel across the border to renew their travel visa.
Any advice you could give me would be really appreciated, especially from someone who has experienced it first hand, rather than reading it off various websites.
Tara (Ireland)
Salvador I have been to El Salvador 4 times over the past fifteen years and have not been in danger. I have heard from Salvadoreans that the danger has increased. What happens is gangsters requiring daily money from store owners and bus drivers and threatening those who don't comply. In El Salvador it is a good idea to bring baseball hats, jeans and other gifts for people to make yourself extra welcome. Food is great.
Hmm... Ok I haven't been there for a few years and I don't have a picture to reference, but that looks like it could be my guide from when I went...
Or maybe I'm just racist.=p
Hooray for making Uhuru summit at 15 years old!
cigarros I have a empty pack of 16 cigarros made in Habana in 1943 aprox .says no.28 and i have been looking for some information on them can you help me please
When I started this blog in 2007, it was more of a highlights package of trips generally focusing on one place or aspect. My rule had been one blog per country unless I lived there, but I eventually realised that fewer blogs were appearing. Having got around quite a bit, I'm now revisiting many countries. It's getting trickier to get to completely new countries so I might break that rule on occasion. The PhD fortunately didn't curtail travelling with research in sub-Saharan Africa and India as well as the chance to attend conferences with a sneaky bit of travelling tacked on before or after th... full info
Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
One of the best blogs on India...
with both the highs and lows. Gives every potential traveler a balanced view of what to expect should they choose to visit.