 Linz Crowe - linzcrowe | All Comments |
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| 4th December 2009 linzcrowe | The trouble with getting out of Caracas - From: Caracas, Ciudad sucio y peligroso Yeh its quite the ordeal in Caracas. It is also quite the experience though! So while the feedback may be negative, I could guess what it was going to be like and still went =) though I did get out as quickly as possible... Tourists do certainly do all the wrong things. Having a bulge in your pocket (looks like a camera/wallet), dressing differently than locals, and yes using dollars. I was fairly well trained by the time I hit Venezuela. I'd survived all of Central America and Brazil, doing it all local and cheap, but Caracas still had me a bit by surprise! I tended to wear older dirty clothes, never shorts, a non-english or no words Tshirt, and nothing in my pockets. Unfortunately a 15kg large hiking pack, blondish hair and white skin is harder to hide heh. Even little things like never looking at a map in public, and even when lost always walk like you know exactly where you're going. They're all good hints and they truly all work. The issues lies in ever NEEDING all these tactics. However, that is the situation... The foreign currency situation is very sad though. I met a student studying English who was explaining that really to get his English to a higher level he needs to travel. But, the government won't allow him the money to travel in a foreign currency.. they'll support his education up to that point but then cut him off at the knees when he is so close to becoming qualified. Don't worry about the control over the media as far as the rest of the world is concerned. The word on Venezuela does get out, and is quite easy to find. You can however always get more of the word out by doing things like writing your own blog on the situation from an internal perspective as there are of course many facets of Venezuelan society that even with a lot of time in Venezuela I could not get access to and hear about, especially in Caracas. The issue seems more that Venezuela, while people want to assist it how they can, gets left at the bottom of the priority list because most western people including myself do not want to support a dictatorship. Umm take that last comment softly, as I know thats a very broad comment and it isn't meant in a broad way, but to clarify it would start an eternal political debate, and I'm just about to head to the pub and can't be bothered heh. |
| 4th December 2009 linzcrowe | Time to start importing some beers - From: Whiling away time in Tulum Hey, its an awesome place Tulum hey! Heh Mexico has some bad beers, but it certainly beat most of the countries before it! Its also related to my taste. If you are a corona style of beer fan then you'd be in heaven I would guess. Bohemia was good, XX mm not as much. Ahh yes, a michelada! I did try that but can't remember what it was like, meaning I was probably already too drunk to know heh. I'll have to find a real one in Sydney (if thats possible) to give it a good try... or wait till I'm back in Mexico as I still want to travel the North at some point! |
| 4th December 2009 linzcrowe | A sad reality - From: Caracas, Ciudad sucio y peligroso It is indeed a sad reality. The poverty there is phenomenal. I have seen more poor areas than Caracas but it looked the most unhealthy (not in the superficial way, but the overall society way). Its extremely unfortunate. The rule of Chavez does not help. I'm not saying he is a poor leader or the right or wrong choice, but that lack of outside information in the city is unhealthy. Meeting people that blindly believe what the controlled media feed them is never going to end well. My trip to the interior was incredible, especially the Gran Sabana! Near the border with Colombia was beautiful too. |
| 17th November 2009 MS | That sucks - From: Caracas, Ciudad sucio y peligroso i didnt know it was such an ordeal for foreigners to be in this city. i live in caracas, and as a local i could say its not so bad as you say, but the truth is, it may be even worse. the problem is, tourists like yourself do all the wrong thins that in a city like this will get you in trouble. looking like a tourist is one of them ( no offense intended), and also looking like you may have anything of value. dollars are one those things. by the way, the exchange rate is so crazy because in an attempt to prevent people from going outside the country and/or emmigrating (or having a business based on imported goods) the goverment limits the amount of money you can change into foreign money. only people with goverment connectiopns can -illegally- have enough $ to mantain any kind of big business here. also, travelling outside is trouble too, because the goverment only allows for the equivalent of 300$ per person, and theyre trying to find a way to track down and limit where and how you spend it, too. it sucks and i woulnt blame you for never coming back. actually, i would recommend that you never do. but while youre at it, please spread the word of how bad it is here. the wild baboon we have for president controls the media -also, ilegally- and very little of the real situation gets out. good luck in your travels. |
| 5th November 2009 evZENy | Hm... - From: Whiling away time in Tulum We discovered Tulum 5 years ago and it is still our favorite place to go (less than 2 months to next trip). Was surprised by your last picture. Mexico has some bad beers, which tastes like the usual US crap - Corona, Sol, Tecate, Superior). But XX is not among them. I would say Bohemia and XX are the best Mexican beers, that we drink even in the US. Negra Modele - close behind them. One of the discoveries I made in Tulum was drinking michelada - try it, if you haven't. For me this is the best way to drink beer now in warm weather. Cheers! |
| 17th October 2009 Fernando Rendon | ITs reality - From: Caracas, Ciudad sucio y peligroso This is the reality of a country that once was great and now suffers from massive poverty and the lack of investment in education. The reward for the bad decision made by poor people is to have an even worse goverment in power. Chavez fuel are the poor and he will make sure they stay poor, only an elite group will watch from the rich hills how the rest of the country simply rots. Hope your trip to the interior of the country was better than the sad Caracas experience. |
| 17th September 2009 Cody Price | viva EH! - From: Time mush at El Sunzal hey dude- i hope you had a blast in Sunzal and will return; the place gets better all the time. I am the other owner of the place, and I appreciate the blog! paz fuera |
| 11th September 2009 linzcrowe | Safe surfing, accomodation and maybe some DJ gigs - From: Sun, surf, and beautiful plastic women Well Florianopolis rocks for surfing, night life, and everything else really. Accommodation wise I recommend Sunset Backpackers (http://backpackersfloripa.com/backpackers/sun.php) where I stayed. You can find both cheaper and more expensive but the place is so damn beautiful, is right near Mole beach, has some free surfboards for you to take out when you want, and has a knowledgeable bunch of guys n girls working for them that surf and live there so they're the perfect people to ask about getting gigs at local clubs and where and when to surf. I know how to surf so didn't ask around about any schools there for it but knowing the area there would have to be a fair few to pick from. For advice on that I would check them out locally once there and ask the Sunset Backpackers crew. Sunset Share House, the "brother/sister" hostel of that place is cool too although I don't think the hostel itself is as well setup however it IS right next to a beginner surf beach. Watch out for the rips at Mole if you're not an experienced/strong surfer as they can easily pull you a long way out. As for taking a laptop, I had that and more and stored it all in my locker there. You get locked up lockers in both places (not necessarily in all rooms though so make sure when you book that you are getting a room that does have one for you) so its all pretty safe. Getting there from Rio is dead easy! There will be dozens of companies in the bus terminal in Rio offering you direct, comfortable and safe buses to get you there. Choose your price bracket / comfort level there. Its an awesome bus service there in Brazil, better than here in Oz... Ahh Capoeira I was kinda sick of by the time I got there so I didn't go looking for any but it would be easy enough to find, be it shows or groups of people learning or whatever. Just walking around the streets and on the beaches you'll see people practising. Umm yeh, any other questions (or if I waffled on and didn't really answer yours) then please just let me know! |
| 1st September 2009 calvin | Thanks for a greta blog - From: Sun, surf, and beautiful plastic women I'm looking to surf for a couple of week somewhere. So I'm looking for a good school but accomodation that is safe where I can lock a laptop would be great. Id love to bring my midi controller and mix a bit, do you think there might be opportunity there to play ? Did you see any capoeira going on. How easy is it to get here from Rio. And the same questions about good safe accomodation there if you have any advice ? thanks |
| 16th July 2009 Princesa Zapoteka | wowo.. Machu Picchu !! - From: Machu Picchu It's an awesome place... i want to visit this place.. i hope so...=) |
| 10th July 2009 linzcrowe | Will replyin an email - From: Cusco, The Sacred Valley, and a sacred vine called Ayahuasca A bit much to write here so will reply in an email to ya man. Its a good one to ask about though as its not always easy to get first hand info on... |
| 6th July 2009 Chris Dison | Ayahuasca costs? - From: Cusco, The Sacred Valley, and a sacred vine called Ayahuasca Hello LinzCrowe- I am a fellow traveler coming to Cusco in 2 weeks and I am interested in trying ayahuasca. How much did it cost to experience it with the shaman? Do you recommend it? On a scale of 1 -10 (1 lowest, 10 highest), how would you rate your experience? If you've done othe rhallucinogenic drugs (mushrooms, LSD, etc.), how did this compare to those experiences? Similar or very different? Thanks a lot for your response and feedback. Sincerely, Chris |
| 5th April 2009 linzcrowe | Thankyou! - From: Monstrous Mexico City Haha thanks Lyenet, I couldn`t remember the name of it for the life of me! |
| 5th April 2009 linzcrowe | true true... - From: Time mush at El Sunzal Heh the staring part yeh I can often understand. Down at the beach there it is pretty well run and touristy though! It was funny though because Id stopped noticing it but the girl I was with still saw it. Again with the girl, if its rare yeh then thats all fair enough... however there are curious stares i.e. on the bus, then there are stares that make you stop in your tracks. A look you tend to learn to watch for as its the kind the precedes a bar fight kinda deal. They were mostly the latter unfortunately =( It was the guys that were giving more dirty looks than the others... Haha yeh less touristy helps a million, wearing jeans, more plain shoes and a shirt not obviously gringo`ish does wonders! With the colour skin though, fitting in still doesn`t happen... unlike here in Brazil now where I first get asked if I am Brazilian, then if I am Argentinian as my Portuguese is terrible, then I explain I`m Australian. THAT is a beautiful feeling =) With all said and done though, El Salvador is unbelievable and worldwide well and truly one of my favourite places to be and has the most incredible people in Central America I think! |
| 1st April 2009 Princesa Zapoteka | hey amigo, de nada por las fotos =) - From: Monstrous Mexico City ahh¡¡¡ it`s cumbia no carimba , jajjajaajaj,.. you make me laugh jejejje... ok.. see ya ¡¡¡ |
| 27th March 2009 gabi | is not racism - From: Time mush at El Sunzal lol! im a salvadorean girl, born and raised,I was looking at your blog and i'm glad you liked our contry so much! :) Just wanted to make clear that the weird staring on the locals part is not racism AT ALL! believe me, i should know.... people here are just crazy curious and they are not shy about it! a lot of the time people are a bit "surprised" to see tourist so they, well...stare! the same goes with the girl you where holding hands with. It's just very rare to see that here! maybe they where just girls wondering how they're sister got such a hot australian guy ;) lol. Try wearing a less "tourist style" you know, those kind of shorts with bags on the side and worn off shirts with backpacks that tourist always dress with and you'll see how people stare much less. |
| 8th January 2009 Robert | San miguel - From: Carnaval San Miguel style - the papers tell me it was a really good fiesta! Hi, did u get that nice necklace in San miguel? and was the 3rd hotel, xpensive? coming to san miguel in feb. |
| 5th November 2008 PRINCESA ZAPOTECA | VIVA LATINOAMERICA¡¡¡¡¡ - From: The revolutionary city of Leon POR UNA LATINOAMERICA UNIDA.. PORQUE TODOS SOMOS HERMANOS ¡¡¡¡ ARRIBA LA REVOLUCION¡¡¡¡ |
| 15th October 2008 PRINCESA ZAPOTECA | - From: Granada - "The goose that laid Nicaraguan tourism's golden egg" the poverty in latin america ... its a big problem... i feel sad for my people.. my bothers... =( |
| 14th October 2008 PRINCESA ZAPOTECA | - From: Sad to leave Pavones but Volcanoes are calling me! the fist part is wrong linz.. =)... ya todas las estrellas han partido its all the stars have already gone. |
| 9th October 2008 Jen | - From: Goodbye Costa Rica, Hello Nicaragua and maybe bring some central american girls home si? glad ur still alive! s'all a bit exciting :) |
| 9th October 2008 Jen | life through lesbos eyes... - From: Sad to leave Pavones but Volcanoes are calling me! here's my online translation of your wall quote! "indeed. son. all the stars have already divided. but it never becomes darker than when it is going to dawn." how profound....hehe, thanks for brazilians as well! better than mine haha |
| 25th September 2008 PRINCESA ZAPOTECA | HEY HEY GUAPO¡¡¡ - From: Border run veo que tu viaje es muy divertido... que bien. =) Cuando llegues a Mexico ,,, i hope to see you ¡¡¡¡ and you should learn to dance ... me too.. i d like to speak with you in spanish.. TAKE CARE... LINZ SEE you soon |
| 22nd September 2008 linzcrowe | Nahh no Bocas Del Toro - From: Welcome to Panama! If I was just going to Panama or even just Panama and Costa Rica I would have gone to Bocas Del Toro as its an incredible area, as is San Blas and Boquete (I have no idea about Gamboa). As it is though, the cost reward ratio just wasnt there for me, I can find the same and better I think further down the line in other countries for less and when the wet season calms down a bit... thanks for the info though, always appreciated aye. |
| 21st September 2008 itzsodebo | - From: Welcome to Panama! did you go to Bocas del Toro yet? I just found this website called www.davidsbeenhere.com, this guy travels and promotes different restaurants, nightlife, sights, activities and hotels. That is one of the places that he has the most videos. Pretty cool place he also went to Gamboa, San Blas, and Boquete. Maybe this can be of a great resource for you! have fun in Panama, Dennis |
| 28th August 2008 adam | - From: Chilled out trekking... Sounds awesome man. I will be in Florida in December (if you happen to be within a few thousand kms). Last day in SW tomorrow! |
| 15th August 2008 ryan | yo - From: Chilled out trekking... hey man, pissed I didnt get to see ya again before u shot through... Will be keeping an eye on ya and what you get up to.....if all goes according to plan, we will se you in 18 months somewhere in north america!! stay outta trouble!! |
| 15th August 2008 Erika Wessley | - From: The cruisy English start - no "trekking" yet nice one Linz. If ever you make it to SE of Eire, youve always a room to crash in at mine Erika |
| 12th August 2008 Jeff | - From: Chilled out trekking... Working your ass off? Like hell! True though man that does look impressive ;) Looking forward to getting more updates from you! |
| 4th August 2008 Jeremy | You Lucky Bastard! - From: Chilled out trekking... Man that looks really impressive when you lay it all out on the map! I'm really jealous and I think the feeling will only intensify as I'm stuck here working my ass off so I can pay my mortgage and I get updates from you from all sorts of exotic places ;-) |
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