On my first trip to Mexico years ago, I remember my friends telling me that it was unsafe, full of drugs, hookers, bandits and that everyone would try to take my stuff at every turn. In Trinidad, the bandit copied the “Colombian” kidnapping habit, hence my Trini friends would tell me that they knew someone, [...]
As I write this, I can’t help but be a bit confused about my thoughts regarding Nuit Blanche 2009 – the Toronto edition. On one hand, it was amazing seeing so many people wandering the streets, energized by the prospect of seeing “Art” and seeing things that they hadn’t seen before. The mood on the [...]
So after a nice long drive from Nichael’s, we decided to head back to the Botanical Gardens for three reasons. Photographing flowers in great sunlight is great practice for someone fairly new to DSLR photography. It was a beautiful, warm summer day. It was FREE! It’s a shame that I didn’t spend more time in [...]
For a couple years, everytime I passed by St James United Church in Montreal, it was closed for renovations. In fact, it was closed since 2005. So today, I decided that I would take Diane to the church to see the restoration work. I don’t why but I was quite underwhelmed with what I saw. I have [...]
Last night I was looking at the Toronto skyline and I couldn’t shake the Hong Kong Skyline out of my head… when I think about three skylines….the CN Tower dominates The NYC skyline from on top the Brooklyn Bridge Then there is the Hong Kong skyline and the light show that accompanies it And a typical [...]
Sometimes we pick up travel magazines and they paint these wondrous images in our minds of far off exotic places all drenched in mysticism and light. So for instance, while on my way to meet Diane tonight in Halifax, I pick up the Travel & Leisure magazine and I read about one of the trips [...]
Man to tell you how inflation and demand has allowed promoters to assrape people into buying tickets for this fete! Over the year the price of Moka tickets has skyrocketed!!! 2004 : $300 2005 : $400 2006 : $600 2006 : $750 2008 : $800 This fete is exactly the same thing over the last [...]
Yes really!! I went to Soca Monarch in the Queen’s Park Oval. But we had Richard to guide us and give us the lay of the land! It was sooo funny though, since among Beena, myself and even Sal, we were a bit intimidated by the whole mass of humanity! So Richard gave Sal the [...]
So really when you get to Trinidad, there are a couple things we Trinis are amongst the World Experts in. Some advanced Trini topics would be Liming / Feteing Carnival Wining Food Learning to drive without dying while going at 190 km/h on a potholed road Anyways so after a long, long drive all day [...]
Well when a fete is properly organized with the right people and what not, you have a fete like Eyes Wide Shut! So to start, Sal and I were properly hydrated from the beginning Fete was good throughout, then Machel came on and the rain came down too.. what can I say, that is when it [...]
So Sal and I finally got to Trinidad from Toronto and Cancun respectively. Of course, his flight gets in on time and my flight is about two hours delayed. Long wait for those guys so of course my dad and the persian get acquainted. We got home and had a nice dinner : Sada roti, [...]
Well long day getting from Cancun to Miami… almost missed the plane in typical style and all…. but of course in the end I got the plane but I lost a 100$ bottle of tequila because the flight attendants from Cancun didnt remind me to check the bottles in the luggage. Anyway now I am [...]
Well got in this morning quite early, right after midnight into Le Meridien. Nice hotel and lots of pools. It has been about 8 years since I was last in Cancun and I will say that it has changed a lot since then. Very very developed and chains and franchises everywhere to be seen. The [...]
We did an in-depth study of our proprietary historical airfare database (world’s largest) and pinpointed the cheapest day to fly is Wednesday for domestic travel (gory details at the link).
Wednesday is one of the three cheapest days, the others are Tuesday and Saturday (Friday and Sunday the most expensive days to travel). The cheapest day to travel internationally are a bit different — we are working on this research and it should be up shortly.
The cheapest time to fly is typically the first flight out in the morning – yes, that means you have to get up at 4am. Next best times are flights during/after lunch and flights at the dinner hour (of course the absolute cheapest time to fly is on those limited routes with red eyes).
Travel photography tends to be a lot easier, if you have an eye for space, vista and colours. That being said, I generally hate looking at other people’s travel photos, especially if they are not really travelers because the photos typically border on the mundane, boring and regurgitated shots that everyone else seems to take. I have a couple personal guidelines that I use when taking travel shots, that have prevented from always falling into the boring travel photo shot trap. I’m not perfect but since I do get a number of compliments on my eye for travel shots, I thought I would list my tips to avoid travel photo disasters
Stay out of the picture
I can’t repeat this enough. You know what you look like … you see your tired ugly, mug everyday … your friends know what you look like, they know what your tired, ugly mug looks like – why spoil a lovely view point or great shot by injecting yourself into it? Travelers are cliche in their photography because they have an overwhelming urge to insert themselves into the landscape, perhaps to prove that they were really there, and they looked good…
Do you need to prove that you actually went to <insert location>, by standing in some god awful pose with your hands up or some forced smile at the aforemention location. People seem to like the shots I take, because I’m never in them.
My gut and pose ruined a perfectly good picture here
If you are in the picture, please stand to the side
It’s not a portrait shot. If you are in the middle of an icefield in Greenland, your picture is a snapshot of the icefield not you with an icefield behind you. Standing to the side also gives your subject more of the frame and in some instances, the perspective of you on the side will actually enhance the picture.
Taking pictures of other people taking pictures is always cool It tells a story and frames the other person in the shot without making them the focal point of the shot.
Contrast and colour is always great Photos are meant as snapshots of time, location and memory. Taking snapshots of things that you can see everyday is never interesting, however taking a snapshot of an everyday travel scene infused with a specific time of day event or color is always a talking point
When you’re in the shot, have a picture of something memorable. This should be a no-brainer tip, but I’ve seen too many pictures of people just standing around when there is all this goodness and wonder around them. For instance, how many more tired pictures of Niagara Falls can I look at without thinking “Holy crap … couldn’t you at least make a funky pose or something?”
Of course, holding a sting ray, always makes a good picture!!
Be original Another no-brainer tip. Going to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and doing the same tired shots, using perspective to make it appear that you are holding the tower up is tired, boring, contrived and over done. Why have the same shots that everyone else has?
You then end up looking like these morons…
Good food shots while traveling are always awesome. Note the use of the word “Good”. Learning how to use light, angle and perspective in taking a good food shot is a skill that takes practice and time. Food shots are great because they elicit discussion, especially if someone has never eaten <insert cuisine> food from that country.
For instance, I took a picture of plate in Brazil at Casa de Feijoada and I remember getting about 20+ compliments from friends and other people on that particular shot because it made them go research the word “Feijoada” and “Casa de Feijoada”.
You can only fix, what you measure; so compile a list of “Cheese” and try not to repeat it.I have a personal list of “cheese”, that I keep in mind when I am taking a shot. We’ve done it time and time again … I have been guilty on numerous times of a cliche pic – the difference is that I tend to bury my cheese among 1000′s of pictures.
Cheesy photo clichés: sunsets, beaches, famous road signs, the couple standing on the beach at sunset, villagers, famous sites, children in the village, people working the rice fields or some other field, cafes, people kissing on park benches, and water fountains.
Background: Landmark/Sunset/Hillside Foreground: Me or someone else standing with their arms up, “OMG!” face with mouth wide open, sometimes jumping. It’s past cheesy, it’s like soft cheese. The Camembert/brie/feta of photos.
Waterfalls are always a good time … if not for the swimming and the pictures you can take while at the waterfalls, usually the process is somewhat painless, some stiff walking and you’re there in no time. The La Fortuna Waterfall is no different and offers a nice little adventure and some wonderful scenery. The waterfall is located about 5 1/2 kilometers from the town, hidden in a lush green environment. The fall has a drops about 70-75 meters and is located at the base of the dormant Cerro Chato Volcano.
The 70-meter ribbon of water falls into a great swimming hole, surrounded by lush tropical forest, protected by the local conservation project.
A couple notes about seeing La Fortuna waterfall
There is no way down without going down the couple 100 steps. Since there is no way down without the steps, it also means that there is no way up without the steps. The steps are brutal and tiring, it easily takes about 15-20 mins of straight climbing to make your way out and if it you’re going to the falls at the end of the day, then you will have to contend with the dim lighting typical inside a rainforest canopy. If you have asthma, then that uphill climb is absolutely terrible.
Go in the early morning, when you have the daytime light to guide you. The later you go to La Fortuna, the higher the probability of sheer panic. If you go to the waterfall after 4pm, then it’s almost not worth your time going down, since you will have very little time to explore.
Take some water sandals or water shoes – you will need them.
Take a waterproof camera with you -
There is a very strong undertow - that actually pulls you towards the plunge pool, so be very careful about swimming close to the waterfall.
A couple video clips of La Fortuna … it is a long way down there, so take all the time you need to shoot pictures and take video – no matter how annoying you might to be to the locals.
My personal thoughts were that there was a lot of organization and thought put into making the waterfall an attraction – big parking lot, a place to pay your entrance fee, a little shop where you can buy cold drinks. When you get down to the waterfall, you can go swimming to the left away from the force of the falls.
On the way back up we noticed a little vista area that allows you to look down at the falls without hiking all the way down.
How to get there: The La Fortuna Waterfall is located about 6 km from the center of town on an unpaved uphill road. Take a taxi from the center of town and it’ll run about $4 to get there and the same to get back. The entrance fees are $10, which is a bit steep, but you are a tourist and your money does go to keeping the area clean and pristine. Do not attempt to walk there as you will get lost and it is about three hours walking – completely not worth your time if you are on a time crunch.
The hot springs around Arenal are definitely one of the highlights of going to Arenal. We spent a couple hours at Baldi’s … The Baldi Hot Springs are easily the most expansive hot spring facilities in the Arenal Volcano area. There are many different walking paths and gardens, and there is a combination of large and small pools with cascading waterfalls. They’re located a short way from La Fortuna (less than 10 minutes by car), was definitely quite the fun excursion. It cost $25 per person for entry, plus drinks/food.
It is made up of 20-plus pools of differering temperatures, from 93 to 150+ degrees! Since there are so many pools you can be with a lot of people in the main pools or find a secluded little spot for yourself or a small group. This is not Tabacon so don’t expect luxury (Tabacon is also at least triple the price). But the springs itself are great, very relaxing, some with waterfalls falling down on you.
The only negative was that the food/drinks was really expensive. Cocktails are $10; beers are $6; sodas $5. You can give your credit card before you get in the water and get a tab. The buffet restaurant was $9 but the food was not at all appealing – in fact looking at it, I think it looked pretty disgusting actually.
We didn’t stay in hotel or ate at the buffet … the service was poor, but if you walk up to the bars … you can walk and demand your drinks
I would recommend Baldi to those looking for the experience of hot springs and a variety of pools, but not to those who need a luxurious environment.
After all the fun of a random night of barhopping in Tamarindo Beach, which consisted of going from the Pacifico Bar to Sharkeys, who knew that the real fun was to come. To get my flight from San Jose back to St Louis through Houston, I had to get from Tamarindo Beach to San Jose in less than 6 hours assuming that I left at 6am in the morning. Seeing that me and the guys didn’t pull into Tamarindo until 8pm, this would be a huge stretch. My new plan was to catch a flight from Liberia to San Jose on Sanza, but the taxi from Tamarindo to Liberia was around 70$ USD … so instead I hitched a ride with two of Prince’s friends : a Russian named “C” and a Persian named “S”.
The next three hours consisted of the following events
Helping them pack.Is this exciting, interesting or other anything else but mundane and boring. Well not with these two characters – we got back to their place, and the rooms were s a disaster at best. But things were quickly packed up and the car loaded … although there was a lot of screaming, giggling and tomfoolery.
Finally, getting on the road with only 90 mins to spare to the airport. Getting from Tamarindo to Liberia is normally an hour, but then there has to be enough time for baggage checks. Did I mention that “C” forgot the way to the airport, and made me the navigator for all of 2 mins … when I explained that I am a terrible navigator unless I have a GPS. Well after all the adrenaline of the past two days including driving ATVs, Waterfall climbing, Zip-lining, “Tarzan” Jumping and midnight Volcano watching, nothing kept me awake like the journey at 90km an hour, over the terrible roads to Liberia. It was hair raising, gripping stuff, especially when all I could keep thinking was that if she crashes the car, I’m going to be road putty, since they will have to scrape me off the road.
Following conversation between “C” and “S” with me in the background
C : I am excellent driver who managed to learn manual in the three days I was here
S: Well you’re going too fast, which is stressing me out, and in turn I stresses you out.
<Car zooms through a small flock of birds and missed everything>
S : Damn you missed three points. It’s not a car ride until you kills something …
<19. Seconds later …. SPLAT on the windshield> S: OMG!! You totally killed that bird
C : <Starts sobbing loudly>: OMG!! OMG!! <Continues sobbing loudly … while S is fanning her to stop the tears>
Me : Tears block your vision. You need to stop crying, it isn’t safe for driving.
S: Well you didn’t kill that bird … you only hit and it flew away.
Me: (I can’t suffer fools … only pity them) Ummm… you do know that bird is dead … right?? It does go the bird clinic or anything. It is probably flopping on the side of the road, trying to expire quickly.
<Sobbing subsides>
There’s been more adrenaline leaving Costa Rica than being here … go figure!
Aramacao itinerary is almost exactly what I did for 4 days and it was perfect. My trip report is at my travelogue ... hope the pics and descriptions help Rishi […]
Anywhere in the world that there are tourists will have two sides ... the artificial tourist side and the real side ... this is no different from Jamaica, Trinidad or NYC or Miami.... […]
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