Best Things To Do in Montevideo, Uruguay: Tips for Tourists Traveling to Montevideo

On January 17, 2010, In Fun, Other Destinations, Travel, By Vanessa

There are a few things that tourists should do while traveling or staying in Montevideo, Uruguay.  Be sure to also check out our travel tips to Montevideo, Uruguay as well as our Location Handbook for Montevideo, Uruguay.

Here is what you should do if you are traveling to Montevideo, Uruguay:

1. The Old City

This is an area protected by the UNESCO World Heritage center.  Go to the Plaza Constiticion and Mercado del Puerto for some shopping. You can also pass by Casa Garibaldi, Casa Riviera and Museo Romantico.

2. Iglesia Matriz

The  is also in the old city and one of Montevideo’s earliest public structure, dating back to 1804, Iglesia Matriz is located near the Plaza Constitucion (also known as the Plaza Matriz).

3. Museo Historico Nacional and Museo del Gaucho

These are two great museums in downtown Montevideo and show the former residences of the country’s first president.

4. Plazas: Independencia, Fabini and Cagancha

Each of these plaza’s are within walking distance and have the Mercado de Los Artesanos, a cool underground art exhibit in the Subte (subway area) and great outdoor markets.  Be sure to stop and get a Pancho-hotdog at a local café.

5. Teatro Solis

This opened in 1856, and has a beautiful exterior.  You can also get tickets for some of their local events.

6. Palacio Estevez

This is a great view to see how Montevideo is really a combination of old Europe and South America. You can also take a look at the Palacio Salvo which was the tallest building in South America when it was built in the 1920s.

7. Pocitos Neighborhood

This is a more upscale area with quiet shops, cafes and some great buildings.  We also stopped at Cake which has the most amazing desserts in the city! (José Ellauri 1067 )

8. La Rambla

This is a port city so the Rambla lines the port for many miles.  It is a great walk up the coast to see the latte colored water (from silt not trash), Rio de la Plata beaches and the city.

9. Barrio Sur

Not a huge stop but worth at least a drive through in a cab. This is the African Uruguayan community—the center for candombe which is a Uruguayan African musical rhythm.  The older buildings and interesting graffiti are a different side to Montevideo for tourists.

10. Tristán Narvaja Street Fair

Here you will find everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to amazing vintage jewelry!

This is a city to sit and watch people in the many parks and plazas.  There is not a whole lot to do in Montevideo, but the people are incredibly friendly and the steak great!

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Top 10 Things to Do in Puerto Madryn, Argentina: Tips for Tourists

On January 17, 2010, In Fun, Other Destinations, Travel, By Vanessa

Puerto Madryn is on the Eastern coast of Argentina and has amazing wildlife. It is a relatively new city and the area has more sheep than people, but has some beautiful sites. Tourists can spend one or two days here (you need a car or van) because everything is very spread out.

1. Punta Loma Natural Reserve

This is about 15 miles outside of Puerto Madryn, but has tons of great sites for wildlife spotting.

2. San Lorenzo Estancia

San Lorenzo Estancia is great for tourists visiting Puerto Madryn! It is the land of the penguins.  You can travel there and see a beach full of the little waddling cuties.  They also have great authentic Argentinian lunch and Mablec wine.

3. Tehuelche Monument

This is a statue on top of the hill overlooking the bay and is dedicated to the indigenous Tehuelche people.

4. Puerto Madryn Paleontology Museum

This is a great little museum that has a wonderful display of dinosaur fossils to check out.

5. Punta Tomba

This is another area for penguins—approximately 2 million inhabit these beaches.  The area is a little farther south than Puerto Madryn but if you are a penguin lover, totally worth it.

6. Gaiman

This is a sweet little town on the Chubut river.  You can visit a number of cute tea houses in this area as well as see some structures similar to the original colonial style.

7. Puerto Madryn Ecocenter for Tourists

Another thing that tourists can do in Puerto Madryn is visit the Ecocenter. Patagonia has a rich oceanographic ecosystem and this museum and research facility helps conduct this research.

8. Valdes Peninsula

This is a famous peninsula northeast of Puerto Madryn and has many beautiful sea birds and sea elephant to see.

9. Bird Island

Take a catamaran out to Bird Island to see the coast line as well as some gorgeous native birds to this area.

10. Doradillo Beach

This is a great place to go whale watching.  Of course, it depends on the season, but the area is perfect for spotting all kinds of migrating whales.

Puerto Madryn is really building up their tourist industry and we highly recommend spending a day or two exploring the area.

Cruising to Puerto Madryn

If you are cruising to Puerto Madryn and wondering what to do or if you should take one of the boats shore excursions in Puerto Madryn, I would recommend hiring a local tour guide and having him take you in a smaller car to many of the areas.  There is a lot of driving here and the motorcoaches have to go slow over the mostly gravel roads and take much longer.  With a guide/driver you can visit more places in a faster pace.

We loved Patricio Escobar who is an amazing guide and naturalist for this whole area.

Tour Guide Information for Puerto Madryn: [email protected], 15321924 (cell)

Also be sure to check out some of our other articles on cruising tips and tricks.

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Buenos Aires 101: An Online Handbook for Tourists

On December 31, 2009, In Fun, Other Destinations, Travel, By Vanessa

For every destination we go to we write the following three articles, which you should check out if you are going to Buenos Aires!

__Things to Do in Buenos Aires

__Tips to Travel to Buenos Aires

__Buenos Aires 101: An Online Handbook for Tourists

If you are traveling to Buenos Aires there are a few things you should know.

Background to Buenos Aires:

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.  Many call it the Paris of South America because it has European style architecture and streets.  It is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. It is a very fun and romantic city with a population that tends to stay up all night, eat three hour meals and spend a ton of time in cafes.

Airport (EZE)

(0)11 5480 6111

The Buenos Aires airport is about an hour outside of the city (depending on traffic which can be a bear!). There are two terminals, but you can easily walk between them.  The airport has parking spaces available in a multi-storey covered parking garage and an open-air parking lot, next to Terminal A. There is no distinction between long- and short-term parking at the airport. Spaces are subject to availability; reservations are cannot be made. You can also rent a car from Alamo, Avis, Hertz and Localiza, located in Terminal A Arrivals. Telephone and Internet access is available in Terminal A Departures and Terminal B Arrivals. Mobile phone hire and services are available in Terminal A Arrivals and Departures.

Airlines

Delta, American, Air Italia, LAN Chile and of course, Argentinian air all come to Argentina.

Accommodation Locations

There are a few different areas you can stay in Buenos Aires:

1. Puerto Madera

This is a very business area.  There are a ton of restaurants, but not much shopping.  You can walk to historical landmarks, but this is a business and tourist area so there is not much nightlife or local culture.

2. Palermo Soho

Pricey, but awesome.  This area is filled with shops, restaurants and parks.  It is hip and young but can be a bit noisy at night and you will no see any historic landmarks or churches.

3. Avenida De Mayo

There are a good number of restaurants and sites in this area.  It is an exciting street with subways connecting pretty much everywhere.  Can be a bit trafficy.

4. Recolleta

This is a great area with some nice outdoor antique markets.  Highly recommend it although not much to do at night.

We do not recommend staying in: La Boca, San Telmo or Palermo Hollywood.

Type of Accommodations

Hotels

There are some nice, decently priced hotels in Buenos Aires, the Hilton in Puerto Madera is beautiful, but Buenos Aires is not known for its service.

Boutique Hotels

We would not recommend highly staying in some of the smaller boutique hotels, they are not as charming as they look, often do not have a concierge or breakfast and you need a key to get in the front door at night.

Apartments

We stayed in an apartment and loved it.  Make sure you are going with a company not Craigslist.  You want to make sure that there is a contract and a cleaning crew before you arrive.  Our apartment (in one of the best areas, kitchen, dining room, bed, fold out couch, internet and bathroom) was $400 US per week to give you an idea.

Couch Surfing

Argentinians are wonderful and we have heard some great things about couchsurfers here in Buenos Aires.  Make sure that they come endorsed and certified and they are in a central area otherwise you will spend a lot of money on cabs.

Buenos Aires Location Handguide:

Local Cuisine: Meat, Pasta and Pizza abound! You also have many sweets featuring Dulce de Leche.  You must try some empanadas.

Drink Specialties: Yerba Mate is all over and Argentina has a great signature red wine called Malbec.  Torrontes is also a signature white wine only grown in Argentina.

Currency: The Argentinean Peso.

Useful Words and Phrases when Traveling in Argentina:

Che-informal hello

Chau- informal goodbye

Chorro- Thief

Tacho- another word for taxi

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10 Tourist Tips: What You MUST Know Before Traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina

On December 30, 2009, In Fun, Other Destinations, By Vanessa

Here are a few tips that you MUST know before traveling to Buenos Aires Argentina! If you want to know what to do in Buenos Aires, check out our article on Things to Do in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tips for Traveling to Buenos Aires

1. Plan Your Day According to Weather

In the summer especially it is beautiful (but hot) in the morning from 9-12, then deliciously cool from 12-3 and then grey and rainy from 3-5.  From 5 to 8 it is clear and gorgeous again as it gets dark.  So, if you can see a lot in the morning (but do not do wide open spaces like Casa Rosa because it is so hot) until it cools down, then plan for a long lunch while it rains (or a siesta) and then tour around until late dinner at 8:30!

2. Know Tipping Practice

It is customary to tip 10% in Buenos Aires for waiters, cabs and tour guides. If you hire a cab at the airport also be sure to tip your handler.

3. Water

You can drink the water in Buenos Aires.  Bottled water is also very cheap.  Make sure that when you order water you say “sin gas” (without bubbles) or “con gas” (with bubbles) depending on your preference or they will choose for you.

4. Buenos Aires Cuisine

Everything is Pizza and Pasta! There are tons of cafes here, but most serve every variation of ham and cheese you could think of! Pizza and Pasta and Sandwiches (with the crusts cut off) are everywhere.

5. Transportation

Cabs are cheap in Buenos Aires, but traffic can be bad.  The subways are easy to figure out and pretty clean, but not very extensive.  We found it hard to find lines that went where we wanted to go and it took a while to get to each place even on the subway (Buenos Aires is big). Buses are slow and a bit old, but go everywhere you could want. It is about an hour from the airport into the city (about $35 US).

6. Safety

Buenos Aires is relatively safe.  You see a lot of houses with the bars or rolling metal screens, but this should not scare you. Always watch out for pick-pockets especially on the subway our crowded tourist areas. Your biggest danger here is crossing the street! Cars DO NOT STOP, they just honk before running into you. Cars also honk if they feel they have been sitting in traffic for too long. Nothing like sitting in a sea of horns in an unmoving street.

We did meet a few tourists who told us he got a gold necklace ripped off his neck by a guy on a bike and another person told us they got sprayed with a white substance and when some nearby pedestrians tried to ‘help’ clean them off they were pick-pocketed.

7. Tourist Buses

We highly recommend taking a two day pass on some of the tour buses.  BuenosAiresBus.com is a great one and you can hop on hop off with an English narration guide.

8. The People

Everyone is incredibly nice and friendly. It is also a very pretty population.  People spend a lot more time just relaxing here.  The city is much more casual and you see people all hours of the days lounging in cafes smoking, having wine and strolling through the many parks (and green streets).

9. Timing

This through us off a bit.  Timing here is very different.  People usually get up and eat a very small breakfast (croissant or yogurt or coffee), then eat lunch around 1:30-3pm and dinner at 8:30-11pm. The city stays up very late!

10. Know the Bills

We got swindled by a cab driver who gave us a 50 peso note that was out of circulation.  Be sure to take a look at some pictures of the notes that are new (very similar to ones that are no longer in circulation).

We hope you will love Buenos Aires and these tips will help!

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7 Tips on How to Apply to the Amazing Race

On December 21, 2009, In Business Ideas, Fun, Travel, By Vanessa

If you love adventure and travel you have probably considered applying to the Amazing Race. Last year (before the 2009 season) Scott and I applied.  We got pretty creative with our application, but found out later that because we speak so many languages and have lived in so many international locations, our chances of getting on were slim to none.  We think it is an awesome show so wanted to share some tips for getting on.

1. CBS is not always accepting applications, but you can see if they have next season’s application up here: CBS Application FAQs

2. Be Unique!

We actually printed out the yellow clue envelope and made our own clue so that our application looked like one of the pit stops.

3. Make Your Video Fun

As you can see in our video we made it like their intro and tried to be pretty fun and interesting. You have to think to yourself, would people want to see a few hours of you on television after seeing this video?

4. Be Genuine and Don’t Lie

It never works to your advantage to lie. If they catch you after going through the whole process everyone will be upset. Plus you do not want to contradict yourself later.

5. Have An Angle

Almost all of the pairs on the Amazing Race have an angle–two gay brothers, the hippie couple, the sorority girls, the divorcees…think of your angle.

6. Follow the Instructions

Make sure to read the instructions. Don’t get eliminated because your video exceeded the time limit or because you did not fill out a question.

7. Have An Emotional Reason to Apply

Almost every pair has an emotional reason for wanting to be on the Amazing Race.  If you are going to apply think of a reason you want to be there other than the money…to bond, to show the world your unique perspective….

Good luck!

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10 Best Beaches in Israel

On December 21, 2009, In Fun, Other Destinations, Travel, By Scott

After returning from Israel this summer, I wanted to write a post about the ten best beaches in Israel. Check out my trip:

YouTube Preview Image

1. Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach: This beach is a great place to see a variety of beautiful people visiting Israel.  You get the sunbathers, the partiers and the families at this beach.

2. Caesarea’s Aqueduct Beach: Ceasarea is stunning, this beach is even better.  It can be a little rough for swimming, but a great are to go after visiting the ruins.

3. Tiberias: This beach is a bit rocky, but I love the music playing on the speakers and the little cafes that line the water.

4. Sea of Galilee’s Ein Gev Resort Village Beach: It does not get much better than the freshwater in the Sea of Galilee, which is known for its healing qualities.  You have to be a guest here to use the beach but it is so worth it!

5. Dead Sea: The sea is said to cure everything from cancer to dry skin.  Bath in the salty waters and use some of the mineral rich mud on your skin and you will never feel softer.  Watch the rocks and do NOT shave before heading in.

6. Eilat’s Coral Beach Nature Reserve: Enjoy the snorkeling in this great nature reserve.  Amazing sea life and beautiful scenery to boot!

7. Haifa Beach: Not a beach where you can get some peace and solitude, but great for scenery, people watching and a nice swim below the Bahai Gardens.

8. Eilat’s Dolphin Reef Beach: Yes, a real resident dolphin population! Check out this beach for swimming casually or to see some amazing marine life.

9. Netanya Beach: Catch a game of Matkot on this beach.  This played by using two paddles with a small rubber ball. The object of the game is to simply hit the ball back and forth. This and beautiful sunbathers will lay along Netanya’s beaches.

10. Herzelia Beach: Known for being one of Israel’s richer areas, there are some gorgeous people on this beach as well as some great cafes and swimming.

Add yours below!


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