Now that I am doing a Master in tourism, working in the travel industry, do a fair bit of copy-writing, and have friends visiting the city every couple weeks, I just live and breath tourism. When you enter a new industry, your vocabulary and daily lingo changes along with it. Back in my consulting days, the words that […]
travel
12 Surprising things I learned in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a city most well known for its tolerance and its canals… And although I had been there 15 years ago, there were things that caught me by surprise this time going there as an adult! 1. Public Male Toilets. Like… Really public! To combat public urination into the canals, the Amsterdam city government […]
Highly recommended Brazilian destination – Paraty
The Brazilian town that surprised me the most by its beauty was Paraty. Having gone to Paraty with no prior information other than that it was beautiful, I was shocked by how gorgeous it really was.
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No reciprocal visa fee for US citizens entering Chile!!!
Upon learning that the US has worked out a deal with Chile to waive the $160 visa fee from May 1st, 2014 onwards, I took it as a sign to visit Santiago in late May. When I flew in from Brazil to Santiago, it gave me infinite satisfaction to see the sign of the Entry […]
Illegal border crossing to Paraguay
When I left Florianopolis, I took a 14 hour bus to Foz do Iguaçú not only to see the famous waterfalls, but also for my curiosity about the tri-country border. I had read on the internet that the Brazilian-Paraguayan border is delineated by a river which is crossed by a bridge called Ponte da Amizade. […]
Getting out of the hostel life
Hostels are a great place to meet new friends and fellow travelers, and those that have stayed in a hostel would be able to relate to participating in the icebreaking activity called “Where are you from?”, “How long are you traveling for?”, and “Where are you going next?” Florianopolis was my first stop after leaving […]
How to order a Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil
Caipirinha, Caipifruta, Caipiroska, Caipisake… which would you like? “Caipirinha” is the national Brazilian cocktail. The first caipirinha I ever tried in Brazil rocked my world! It is perfect for a hot day on the beach; the traditional version uses the acidity of lime and sweetness of sugar to balance out the burn of the cachaça […]
How to get around Florianopolis
Despite being the island of magic, Florianópolis is infamously difficult to get around. I’m going to say this straight out: the best way to get around Floripa is with a motorcycle. The reason is that the major problems in Floripa transportation are terrible beach traffic, few roads, and infrequent/indirect buses; with a motorcycle you get […]
How to find an apartment in Florianopolis
So, you want to move to Florianopolis either just for a couple months or permanently. There are two ways to do this – the old school way – walking on the streets, or the way that we are used to – using the internet. I will talk about both and discuss the neighborhood options in […]