Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Money Shortage in Guatemala - Update

Since the beginning of December there has been a money shortage in Guatemala, especially at the ATM’s. The shortage was caused by many factors (see our previous posts) but Guatemala’s central bank announced the circulation of new bills on January 18th. New bills were issued and put into circulation but the problem isn’t completely over and if you are relying on your credit card to take out money from the ATM’s (especially in Antigua) you will have to hunt down THE ONE that has money (usually where there’s a big line of people) and stand in line approximately 20 minutes. It is now no longer impossible to find a machine with money but it is still a hassle.

This post was written by Yvonne Faass, our editor in Guatemala.

Muddy Waters in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is also known as the 'Cidade Maravilhosa' for its incredible beaches, mountainous landscape and vibrant culture. Unfortunately the marvelous city also has some drawbacks. We have posted before about the violence that plagues the city. Today there is yet another issue that travelers should be aware of in the weeks leading up to Carnival: contaminated waters.

Lee Weingast, our editor in Brazil, has the following warning:

It's commonly known that it's not a great idea to swim after a day of rain since toxins/pollution are stirred up by the rains. The recent rains in Rio have brought this warning to a new level. Official recommendations made last Thursday by the State Environmental and Engineering Foundation (FEEMA) cautioned that the water at some of Rio's beaches is not fit for swimming. The causes are Microcystis Aerugionosa (an algae) and sewage in the water. Toxins from the algae can cause liver, intestine and skin problems. The warning includes Ipanema, Leblon and Barra da Tijuca. The beaches of Arpoador, Copacabana, Leme, Praia Vermelha, Grumari and Prainha are apparently okay for swimming. 

Lifeguards who have entered the water to try to convince swimmers to get out have experienced stomach pains and skin irritations.

Be aware that when red flags and signs on the beach warn of undertow there is a real risk. I have seen many swimmers--often dubbed "silly foreigners" by the huge crowds of onlookers--rescued by dramatic and galant efforts of skilled lifeguards, often with the use of helicopters. Even the shallow waters can be dangerous.

Oh, and just because you may see other people swimming, that doesn't mean that the water is safe: the newspapers report that, despite the alerts, the beaches were full over this past warm weekend and swimmers refused to heed the warnings. So, to escape the heat without risk of drowning or rash, use the showers on the beach or stop by your hotel's pool (if there is one).

You can also consider some of our activities for a Rainy Day in Rio!

Singlish - Singapore's 5th Official Language

Our two recent posts about Airport Food and Great Travel Websites both mentioned Changi Airport and gave me fond memories of my adventure living in Singapore while studying at INSEAD. This highly-manicured Disneyland for adults is a unique place to visit. I was always fascinated by the fact that Singapore's three dominant cultures (Chinese, Malay and Indian) all managed to live so harmoniously on this island-nation. Travelers to Singapore benefit from this diversity through the colourful ethnic festivals and wide variety of culinary options.

A stroll through Chinatown, Arab street and Little India will give you a glimpse of this enormous diversity. Although Singapore has 4 official languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English), Singlish is one of the most common. Singlish is essentially English with the words 'la', 'le', and 'ma' attached to the end of each phrase. Go to the bar-la! Don't do that-le! It is distinctively Singaporean (although it often reminded me of French-Canadian) and extremely amusing.

Today I came across this great post on Gridskipper featuring Singapore's Karaoke Cabbie, Jeffrey Tan. Evidently, Tan will drive you around for $35 an hour while you belt away your favorite tunes on his in-car Karaoke system. Only in Singapore!

The Crystal Ball of Airfare

A few months ago we wrote about a new website, Farecast, that predicts flight prices for certain routes. A great idea for those who are planning in advance (except that the predictions are only for a one-week period). Unfortunately, the folks at the Seattle Times tested out their claim of 75% accuracy and found that the rate was only 61% (which is nearly as reliable as taking a wild guess).

In an effort to curb the skepticism, Farecast has rolled out a FareGuard option, which allows you to buy a $10 insurance policy (on sale now for $3) on their predictions. If Farecast tells you to hold off on buying a ticket with a prediction that prices will fall, and then prices actually rise, they will pay you the difference of what you were originally quoted and what you ended up paying.

It's an interesting idea until they get big enough and the airlines start to find that their pricing is getting skewed. At that point they will likely shock the system so that Farecast ends up paying more than they are worth. In the meantime, Farecast has partnered with a lot of the big airlines in an effort to ensure that this doesn't happen - but will this bias their predictions?

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Airport Food

On my way back from Peru, waiting for my connection at Newark airport, I can still feel the unrelenting sun of the Nazca desert on my face, when the chill hits me as I exit the airplane.  Already I can sense the space between people, the smooth flow of things that work efficiently, and I notice the large portions at the restaurants.  Finding a nutritious meal at airports can be a challenge.  Not only do you know you’re getting ripped off but also you know your body is cringing at what you’re feeding it.  Laden with fat and calories, and low in fiber and nutrients, most airport meals for me are desperate responses to short hauls not serving food anymore and wanting to prevent traveling on an empty stomach.   

I was surprised at the variety of choice at the Lima airport when I started my journey back home.  Where there used to be only a simple café available as a dining option, now there is a fast food court, as well as a 4D, a famous Italian gelateria that also serves great coffees, sandwiches and other meal options.  Be warned that the only good eating options for the international terminal are outside, before going through security.  The restaurant that is in the waiting area inside is grossly overpriced and of terrible quality.  I couldn’t have more than two bites of the mushy, greasy pasta I was served for US$12.  The only other alternative are soggy, pre-made sandwiches.

Lima's Jorge Chavez International airport overall has come a long way from what it once was since its operation and renovation was taken over by a German-American-Peruvian group back in 2000.  They implemented a number of security measures that have made this place much more hospitable.  They renovated the building and now have plenty of options for eating, shopping and other services, including an internet café.  Certified taxi services of different price ranges are now available right before exiting the arrivals area, making the whole arrival process less stressful for new travelers.  The place overall runs much more smoothly than it once did, back in the days when you would be swamped by taxi drivers and locals on arrival, not knowing which way to go or how to hang on to your bags tightly enough to prevent theft.  The one thing the place is still lacking is much comfortable sitting area before checking in, but presumably that is done on purpose so as not to encourage relatives and stragglers to hang around longer than needed.

Back to being back in North America, my challenge at Newark Liberty International, looking for a redeeming meal to make up for the previous night’s food fiasco in Lima, proves as unrewarding.  Breakfast options were either an oversized sandwich or over-fried scrambled eggs.  I’m excited when I find a yogurt and stick with that not wanting to throw off my calorie count for the week on breakfast.

Whenever possible I eat full meals before traveling prior to leaving home or I bring snacks for the road.  I dread being caught at an airport at meal time…unless, of course, that airport happens to be Changi Aiport in Singapore, the five-star of airports, with swimming pool, lounges, shopping malls, even a cinema!  You have to love an airport where you can have Thai food or sushi and then go catch a movie!

This article was posted by Veronica Montero

Travel Recommendations & Advice From Local Experts

Great Websites For Travelers

A couple of new (to me) sites were sent to me this week that are worth pointing out:

Flightstats is a great resource for anyone who is planning a trip to any destination around the globe. You can look up the status of any flight and also see their historic performance (on time, etc) as well as setting up personalized email / mobile status alerts. If you have a long layover and you're wondering about your host airport, check out the 'airport forum' or if you want to know about a specific airline's reputation check out the 'airline forum'. Watch for Flightstats information which we'll be incorporating on the 'Getting There and Away' sections of our Brazil, Argentina & Guatemala pages.

Sleeping in Airports is another good one - focused on backpackers primarily, unless your business travel entails curling up on the floor to catch some zzz's before that big meeting. Here you can find the inside scoop on how easy it is to spend that extended layover in the airport if it's not quite long enough to shell out for a hotel room. You'll also find tips on how to sleep in an airport and funny stories from those who've lived to tell their tale. I was delighted to see that Singapore's Changi Airport made the top of the Best Airport list: when I lived there Seth used to try to go to the airport early just so he could take advantage of all the amenities. I was also happy to see that the Vancouver airport made it to the list. There's nothing like seeing a smiling mountie when you arrive in British Columbia!

Travel Recommendations & Advice From Local Experts

Experience Carnival in Brazil's Salvador de Bahia

One of the world's largest festivals is less than a month away. Nowhere is Carnival more authentically celebrated than Salvador de Bahia, on the Northeastern coast of Brazil. Salvador de Bahia was Brazil's first capital, and the nation's busiest port until the 1800's. It was also the arrival point of the first slave market in the new world, with many slaves arriving from Africa to work on the sugar plantations. Today Salvador is the center of the Afro-Brazilian culture and the heart of Carnival. The African influence is apparent in most aspects of the city: the spicy foods with their African names; the martial art / dance called Capoeira which can be seen on the streets and in some tourist locations; and the Condomblé ceremonies which arose from the suppression of African deities.

Yesterday's article on CNN describes the Carnival festivities in Salvador. It is slightly less commercial than the celebrations in Rio (see OTR's article about Carnival in Rio de Janeiro), and displays the ever-present vibrance of the Afro-Brazilian culture. Visitors don an abada which is their 'ticket' to follow a band throughout the festivities and distinguish yourself from the pipoca (popcorn), which is the throngs of people on the other side of the thick rope who watch the festivities for free. 

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The festivities have been well under way since December (see our Calendar of Events). If you haven't booked your tickets you may be sleeping on the streets, during Carnival and the weeks leading up to it, accommodations become scarce and prices skyrocket. Be sure to book in advance and check out our recommendations for hotels and restaurants in Salvador for next year!

The Real Story Behind Your Travel Guidebook

Anyone who has traveled with a Lonely Planet or other similar budget travel guidebook has been caught in that frustrating scenario: you spend hours wandering the streets looking for a recommended restaurant that doesn't exist; you follow a map that has absolutely no relation to the area you are supposed to be in; or worse yet, you have booked a hotel for your once-in-a-lifetime travel experience that is absolutely horrible!

Most first-time travelers don't realize exactly how these guidebooks work. The publishing companies typically hire students and pay them a flat fee to travel around and create or update the content of their guidebooks. They get to keep whatever they don't spend on research. The typical 19 year old will jump at the opportunity to visit a new country on someone else's tab, pocket the cash and sit on the beach all summer, simply calling the places to make sure that they are still around. Trust me... I've heard this story from several writers. 

The Sunday Times (UK) this weekend ran an article about this exact subject, pleading the case of these travel writers who are getting continuously squeezed by the publishers. As the article states, the  reliability and quality of writing has fallen dramatically... authors are cutting corners, not bothering to visit places as low fees do not cover expenses. What is even more telling is the comments at the bottom of the article, most of which have been written by travel writers themselves. One, whose alias is 'planeteer' sums it up by saying 'We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us'.

I cannot even count the number of times that I have been led astray by a guidebook. I often wonder whether the writer was even in the same town I was visiting. On one incident, both the Footprints guide and the Lonely Planet described a cafe in Flores, Guatemala as having a 'Jackson Pollock' feel. True, the cafe had creative decor, but this description was certainly a stretch. I laughed picturing the scenario where one travel writer decided to skip Flores and simply copy what another had written... but why would you plagiarize such a unique description?

User-generated sites, such as tripadvisor, obviously provide a more up-to-date and perhaps reliable account of what is out there. But, consider the number of hotel owners who now understand the power of these sites and simply get on to anonymously promote themselves, or worse, bash their competition. Further, how do you know that the person who is rating a hotel has enough travel experience to really distinguish what's good from bad. Someone who has traveled the world will understand that each country has different standards than someone who has been accustomed to staying at the Four Seasons wherever they go.

In a shameless plug for On The Road Travel - it is our goal to overcome these issues. We have local editors on site who provide up-to-date recommendations on a daily basis. We pay their expenses and we don't allow them to take freebies. They have extensive travel experience and they have visited all the options so that they can recommend the best of best. Come check out our recommendations and advice for Brazil, Argentina and Guatemala... more coming soon!

Kiss & Tango With Sandra Bullock in Buenos Aires

Some exciting news on the pop culture front - Sandra Bullock will be producing a film version of Marina Palmer's Kiss and Tango: Looking for Love in Buenos Aires. I first read about it through one of my favorite expat blogs and recently confirmed from Marina herself that the actress / producer read the book and fell in love with it. She went to Fox with Denis DiNovi (the producer) to ask them to sign on last spring. Although Marina doesn't yet have confirmation that the project is a go, we are all keeping out fingers crossed... it would make a great film!

Marina Palmer, born in New York and raised in London by a Greek mother and an American father, discovered the tango during a two-week visit to Buenos Aires in 1997. After realizing her fate, she picked up and left her job as an advertising executive to move to Buenos Aires in pursuit of her passion. Kiss and Tango is the story of her experiences searching for the perfect tango partner. Marina also wrote On The Road Travel's Kiss & Tango Guide to Buenos Aires - a guide to discovering Tango in Buenos Aires.

Orbitz Mess

I recently purchased an airplane ticket through Orbitz for the first time and I know for sure this will be the last.  All went smoothly in terms of getting the booking done, receiving their convenient notifications prior to departure (I always have trouble locating my e-tickets the day before my trip) and actually departing Toronto and getting to Lima.  The problem arose when I wanted to change my return date and I fell into the bowels of their outsourced Customer Support department, out of which I emerged having spent hours on the phone with Orbitz representatives and having two unauthorized credit card transactions for over $1,200 for a change that never happened.  I was quite honest and detailed in my feedback when I received a customer support questionnaire from them that same day I discovered their colossal mistake!

My first phone call with them was a little longer than I would have wished but I got the information that I needed.  My ticket had a 30 day limit so to extend it by three weeks I would have to buy a new one-way ticket that they quoted me at around $500 (plus the $35 penalty) and cancel the return portion of the original.  I considered my options and called back the next day to make the change.  This is when the Customer Support ping-pong started.  I went from one agent to the other, eventually being transferred to Sales because the agent told me that she couldn’t book a flight that originated in Lima, then being transferred back to Support because Sales said they don’t deal with changes, and back to Sales again.  One hour later, I had gotten nowhere, no one could give me the same story I had received the day before and, in fact, I had no alternatives other than purchasing a new round trip ticket originating in Toronto (for at least twice the price of the one-way I had been quoted the day before) and I should call the airline to make sure I could only use the return portion.  This all sounded pretty fishy to me and, besides, I could not justify buying a whole new ticket to extend my stay so I gave up on the idea and told them not to cancel anything, that I wasn’t making any new purchases.

A bit deflated from the experience, I decided to call the airline a few days later to check up on what their story was and, sure enough, they confirmed my suspicion that buying a return ticket and only using one portion was considered fraud. 

A couple of days later my husband gets two credit card transactions from the day of my second conversation with Orbitz – one for $35 and one for $1180.  We had used his credit card for the purchase so I was pretty sure I knew who the charges were from.  I called Orbitz yet again and the agent confirmed that they had made the transactions but could not tell me what change they had made was and simply said they would investigate only once I faxed them a copy of my credit card statement.  I explained to her that I was traveling in Peru and had no access to a fax nor to my printed statement and all I got was a reply out of a training guide: ‘We’re sorry for your inconvenience.  We will investigate once you send us a fax.’  Trying to speak to a supervisor meant waiting on the phone for another half hour which I could not spare at the moment.  I am now resorting to asking my credit card company to not process the unauthorized transactions, not trusting that I will be able to sort out this mess with Orbitz themselves given their original response.  I just hope that I actually have a spot on my flight when I show up next week and that they haven’t confused things even more. 

In my opinion, more than a solid user interface is required to run an online travel business.  The follow up customer support stage is just as important.  Orbitz has figured out the first in its over 5 years of operation but has lots of work to do on the second. 

UPDATE, March 27: Over two months later, I am still dealing with never ending customer support conversations with Orbitz.  Now I ask for a supervisor directly each time I call them, even though it takes between 45 minutes to an hour to get through to one and they are no more competent than the CSRs.  Orbitz did an investigation and concluded that they had mistakenly upgraded my ticket but they still have not reversed the charges on my credit card as they now need to call Continental Airlines to finalize the details of what they need to do to amend this.  Once they have sorted that our they said it would take between a week and 60 days to finally reverse the charges!  Maybe by next Christmas I will have my money refunded!  I will be relieved not to have to speak to an Orbitz CSR ever again after that.

This article was posted by Veronica Montero

Travel Recommendations & Advice From Local Experts