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No Tour Guide Needed

Getting lost and finding adventures around the world!

Trains in Rio are sometimes not what they seem…

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I have written about Rio before in my blog but I was telling someone the other day about going up to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer.  I thought it was worth its own post…

Let’s just go ahead and suppose that most people of the educated world at least know what the Christ Redeemer statue is right?  We have seen photos and such.  So, when visiting it, you would think that it would be a big tourist destination.  Maybe even theme park like lines.  Crappy souvenirs.  People trying to getting you to buy things you don’t need.

Well, you would be wrong.

We hop in a cab and tell the driver that we want to go up to see the statue.  He starts driving.  We have gotten used to sitting in the Rio traffic.  What is better.. sitting in a hot cab and not moving or walking on the hot steaming side walk?  Yeah we are sitting… Okay so we are creeping along and we turn into a neighborhood.  Oh good, a short-cut.  We love going through where the locals live and seeing the.. oh wait, he stops.

He tells us to get out at this corner.  Walk down the block. Go left (or something like that) and then we will see a sign.  Pay at the counter and then they will tell us what to do.  Um.. ok?

So, we start walking and we come across a small open air pavilion.  There is a ticket booth.  We pay.  She says to wait and a train will arrive to take us up.  There is what appears to be a teacher with about 10 kids and maybe 5 other couples.  That’s it.

We wait and the train arrives.  It is the coolest thing.  It isn’t new but it is open air and we are about to take it through the jungle forest.  So up we go!!  The kids’ fascination make the trip up even more exciting.

The train is coming along quiet nicely and it is a lonely ride.   Then the train stops.  Everyone seems to be concerned as to what is going on.  I am keenly aware that I am a very pale individual in the middle of South America.  Then we see the train conductor get off the train and walk away from the tracks.  Then we start to roll backwards.  VERY QUICKLY.  People scream.  It only lasts for about 5 seconds but it is enough to frighten everyone.  And then another train passes us.

Ha!

Clearly we were just getting out of the way for a another train.   A little communication maybe?  Na, we were okay.

So, the conductor showed back up, put the train back in drive and we headed back up to the statue.

Once you get up there it is incredible.  The view is spectacular from all angles.  The statue is cool too but the view is what you really want to see.

I was expecting to buy a bunch of stuff to take back, like a french quarter of the Rio.  Uh, no.  There was 1, yes 1.  ONE store up there to buy souvenirs and they were the nice kind that you really don’t ever buy.  We aren’t talking about your $5 t-shirts.   Maybe now that the Olympics are there it has changed, but I kept thinking what a waste of capitalism.

I mean the view was great but there was so much space to sell stuff too!  🙂

Read more about my trip to Rio here:  RIO

 

Christ Redeemer
Walking up the steps after getting off the Train
Christ Redeemer
View
Christ Redeemer
View
Me back when I was blonde :)
Me back when I was blonde 🙂
Me at the Christ Redeemer
Me at the Christ Redeemer
View at Christ Redeemer
View at Christ Redeemer

 

 

 

Barcelona

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Barcelona is one of the best cities in Europe.  It is especially good if you are intimated or not quite sure if you are going to be okay in a foreign country.  Because Barcelona has the cruise ports, there is a huge tourist population.  It has great food, shopping, architecture and the city is easily laid out to find things.  If you are looking for your first trip, I’d highly recommend Barcelona.

We have been there many times as it is a good hub between USA and other European cities.  You can also read about our Spanish cruise here too.

The first thing I like to recommend in a city is the hop on hop off bus.  The hubs hates these buses, but I think they are great to get acclimated to the city. Plus, in Barcelona, there are lots of things that you just need to see while driving by, such as Gaudi’s buildings.  They are cool but unless you want to stop the bus is a great way to see them.

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You don’t want to miss Las Rambla. It is a famous touristy street. You walk down the middle and there are lots of little carts and street art.  The stores are okay but the touristy stuff is quality.  I have bought scarves, magnets, etc there.

People walking on Las Rambla in Barcelona

 

On Las Rambla, there is the major market that is a site all in its own.  The colors and flavors are like nothing you have ever seen in one place.  There are wine bars and restaurants on the perimeter and I highly recommend you get a bite and just take it all in while you are there.

Market in Barcelona

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The Sagrada Familia is a must to see.  The church is Gaudi’s work of art that we worked on for 43 years before his death.  The church is still being completed to this day so it is a little odd.. it is this magnificent church with construction everywhere.  It is set to be completed in 2026, but we shall see.  I am confident that by then other improvements will need to be made.    Get there early as the lines form long and you probably need a couple hours to take it all in.

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The Beach.. oh goodness.  Go.  I have been to many beaches in the world and the Mediterranean is unlike anything else.   There are party beaches and peaceful beauties. My favorite on is about 45 minutes south in a little town of El Vendrell.  You don’t have to go that far to experience the beaches though.

 

 

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Tips on Going to Machu Picchu Peru

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Machu Picchu is on my bucket list and I wanted somewhere adventurous to visit for my Birthday in 2015.  So off to Peru we went.

The Peruvian people are some of the most warm and friendliest people I have ever met.  Everyone was friendly.  Everyone.  It seemed like people just wanted us to enjoy life.  The food was fabulous and the nature was unbelievable.

So, planning a trip to anywhere in South America is not easy and Machu Picchu is not the exception. We didn’t want to take an organized tour and we are glad we didn’t because you really don’t need one.

 

Options

From Houston (and most US) you fly direct to Lima.   You will probably get in around midnight or so. Then you have options.  You can hang out in Lima, or go directly from Lima to Cuzco.  From Cuzco you then take a train ride to Aguas Calientes.  That is the city you stay at for Machu Picchu.  Then from Aguas Calientes, you take a bus up to the ruins.

You can also walk from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes, known as the Inca Trail.  We did not do this option so I am not going to have much information on it.  However, we met a lot of people who did walk it and everyone raved about how great it was.

We decided to go straight to Cuzco from Lima and take the 4am flight.  Our flight was cancelled and we had to wait until 8am for the next flight.  Lima Airport has plenty of options.

 

The Lima Airport…

There are things you should know about the Lima Airport.

1. United operates only during certain times, so there is not a United rep there all the time.  On the way out, we got to the airport 10 hours early and we were told to come back in 8 hours.
2. The Lima Airport does not close.  You can sleep there.  Lots of people do.  On the floor, in the chairs, everywhere.  There is a hotel connected but it runs about $200 a night (why spend $200 when there is the floor??).   There is a very very tiny lounge in the domestic area.  When you land, you are landing in the domestic area (I know it is odd).  BUT, on your way out, you can hang out in the VERY VERY NICE international lounge.  I could have spent the whole day there.  Unfortunately we needed to check bags so we had to wait for the United rep to get there until we could get to the lounge.

3.  Behind the stairs is an official baggage hold.  Since we had to wait for United, we checked our bags there and then got a cab to sight see.  It wasn’t cheap but the alternative was to hang out in ticketing.  Boring.

4.  There are LOTS of cab drivers at the airport.  They are aggressive and everywhere.  The guys in Green are reputable.

5.  You can easily see most of Lima in 6 hours.  We went downtown, saw the churches, went to the beach and took a bus tour.  I highly recommend you check out the city.

 

Cuzco

Our trip had us in Cuzco twice.  Here is our itinerary

Houston to Lima  (air)
Lima to Cuzco  (air)
One night in Cuzco
Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (train)
Two nights in Aguas Calientes
Aguas Calientes to Cuzco (train)
Five nights in Cuzco
Cuzco to Lima (air)
Lima to Houston (air)

Cuzco is a great small city.  Everywhere was walkable except to the ruins.  You can take a tour to that but we just took a cab and I think that was really all we needed.

Here is the big issue.  Altitude sickness.  Cuzco is 3.400 m up.  Altitude sickness can begin at 2,400 m. You are high up.

Many people choose to go to the other cities around Cuzco first and gradually make their way up.  I’ve been to high places and never had a problem.  Until this trip.  So, altitude sickness feels like you have ingested way too much MSG. Or, remember back in college when you had one too many shots and you just wanted to feel normal.  With a headache and nausea.  It was odd to walk down the hallway and have to rest and not know why.  The whole experience is very unpleasant.  I tried to walk up the stairs and just couldn’t.  I had to put my head between my legs because it was like I just ran up 10 flights of stairs, when in reality it was just ten steps.

So, keep this in mind.  We stayed at the JW Marriott in Cuzco and they were the most accommodating hotel I have ever stayed at, ever.  The hotel staff saw us as we arrived look pale and disoriented.  They sat us down until our room was ready.  They have a person on staff who administers oxygen when you cannot take it any longer.  Not to mention the hotel was beautiful inside.  And the spa was just wow.  If you go, get the chocolate massage.  You will thank me later :).

More on Cuzco

The city square is really pretty.  There is a market that sells anything you could possibly want.  There are several art museums and chocolate museum is a must.  The big drink there is a pisco sour.  I wasn’t a fan as they put egg whites in the drink but after a few days they grew on me.   The food was great everywhere we went.  Read my trip advisor reviews here:

Cicciolina
Don Carlos
JW Marriott

I would recommend you stay at least three days in Cuzco.  Many people were shocked that we spent five days but it was just a really relaxing city.  Plus the first two days we really felt bad and had we left then we wouldn’t have experienced the city like we did.

 

On to Aguas Calientes…

There are several ways to get to Aguas Calientes.  We opted for taking the train rather than walking/camping.  The train ride was super cool.  First, it was my birthday and they had the train singing happy birthday to me, complete with an apple pie and candle!  The staff just had fun the whole trip and the scenery was awesome.  The trip is narrated so you know what you are looking at most of the time.

Here are my thoughts on where to stay:

Stay at El Mapi or if you want to go cheap stay at a hostel.  Do not spend a lot of money for the main hotels.  We stayed at El Mapi and it couldn’t have been better.  We took a bird watching tour at the sister property (that charged $800 a night) and it confirmed we were happy with our hotel choice.  BUT do the bird watching tour!  The guide is super knowledgeable and I saw so many amazing birds.  They have a humming bird area too (you could go there for free but you are paying for the guide’s knowledge).

 

Aguas Calientes exists for no other reason than for people going to Machu Picchu.

It is a cool little city with a great market for take home items (I bought a bunch of stuff and I never by things) like pillow cases and little wooden owls.  Don’t expect much of this city, but it is cute.  We stayed two nights because we did not want to be rushed.  You would not need three nights, but the two nights was nice.

Many people took the morning train to AC, then went straight up to Machu Picchu, then took the train back to Cuzco.  But here’s the thing… if you are going to go through all the effort to get there, why not take it easy and enjoy the place??

The town
The town
more of the town
more of the town

 

Machu Picchu

We opted to go to Machu Picchu in the morning and using a private guide.  I am glad we did because they handled the logistics of standing in line for tickets and such.  There were various reports of when was the best time to go up.  I think the guides want to space people out so they try to convince people that the afternoon is the best time to go.  But there really isn’t a BEST time to go.  Many people line up to get there as the sun is coming up.  However, the actual ruins are covered in fog many mornings and it is kind of in a valley of other mountains, so sun rise isn’t all what it is expected.  There were some people who stayed at EL Mapi with us that went in the morning and it was packed so they went again in the afternoon.

Weather

Regardless of when you go, remember to take rain gear and mosquito repellant.  It was sunny and bright and within an hour it went from hot to cold to raining to hot ‘after rain’ feeling.  Take layers, layers and layers.

There is no shelter so when it starts to rain, you are going to get wet.

Getting to Machu Picchu

Our guide was very knowledgeable but you didn’t need to have a guide if you had a book or reference materials.  We used a guide because the process was little confusing.  Now that we know, I will share:

1.  You go down to buy your tickets.  You must take your passport with you.

2.  Pick your time and get in line for the bus.

3.  Get on the bus.

4.  Travel up a very windy road.  Some people walk it to save money.  Don’t do this.  There isn’t a pedestrian path and you could get run over.  And remember the weather?

5.  Get off the bus, go through check in, follow the signs.

There are no toilets inside the gates so make sure you go (for a fee) before you go through the gate.

Our guide was from the area and his family held a lot of the traditions so it was interesting to hear his perspectives.  I still sort of recommend getting someone to help you for the stories but it isn’t necessary. The hubs thought it was a waste of money, so take your pick.

I hope you have a wonderful time.  Let me know how your trip goes!

 

There it is!
There it is!
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu

Rio

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I have always wanted to go to Rio, so we spent my birthday in 2014.

First, let me say that Rio is not the kind of place you can just fly into and figure it out.  We are adventurous travelers and were a little overwhelmed by the city.  The population is huge with 6.5 million people.  We spent a significant amount of time sitting (not moving) in traffic.   The wealth of the citizens is divided with many people living in favelas.

However, the beaches and culture are overwhelming.    Here are things to know if you want to go:

1.  The Rio airport does not have A/C.   I have personally experienced this.  I read this before we went and I thought the author just meant the airport is hot.  No, there is no air circulation.

2.  Get to the airport 4 (yes, 4, not a typo) hours before your flight.  We waited in security while people took their breaks.  It was crazy long and hot.  Very hot.

3.  We could not find little markets to buy things for the beach and thought this was very odd.  Then we learned why.  Go down to the beach and get comfy.  The markets come to you!   We had people selling beer, cocktails, shrimp on the BBQ, dresses, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen.  Pretty much anything you could possibly want.  Several times we saw the guy who sold dresses leave his stuff to run to (I assume) his car for alternative options.  I am pretty sure if I wanted something, someone would have went and got it for me.

4.  The Christ Redeemer is enormous, beautiful and worth going.  However, getting there is a little odd.  We took a taxi and after 45 minutes we made it the 2 miles.  Then the guy pulls into a neighborhood and says, “walk to the end of the block, turn right and you will see it”.  Very odd… I was expecting Disneyland type lines and such.  No.. there was a ticket counter for the train that takes you up the hill.   The train is quite impressive as I am not certain how safe it was, but it got us there.   At the top we saw the only tourist shop we ever saw in the whole city.  There was a place to eat and an ice cream shop that was quite good.

5. Soccer.  Football.  Learn it before you go.

6. Any attire is acceptable on the beach.  I saw a lot of women who were over 200lbs and sporting a bikini like it was nothing special.  Good for them!  It made me want to buy a bikini from the lovely merchants who walked around selling tops and bottoms, but alas I am not that brave.  However, don’t worry about what you are wearing or not wearing.  Clearly no one cares.

7. Caipirinha.  Do not be a show off.  These people take this drink seriously and the last thing you want to do is be drunk on vacation and not able to function the next day.  Ask a bartender to show you how they make them.  The trick is to not put the white insides of the lime into the drink.  YUM.

8. The hotels are not directly on the beach like in Miami or other cities.  You cross a major street and then walk a little ways to get to the water.  It isn’t bad, I just wasn’t expecting there to be a main street between our hotel and the beach.

9.  We stayed at the JW Marriott.  Fabulous place that overlooks the sea.  And they had a great lounge.  Highly recommend it.

10.  Do not go to the all you can eat seafood or meat restaurants.  Note the tour buses and make your own conclusions.

 

These coconuts are sold on the beach. They just cut them open for you and they are delish!
These coconuts are sold on the beach. They just cut them open for you and they are delish!
The Beach in Rio.. Aahh so relaxing!
The Beach in Rio.. Aahh so relaxing!
Rio is like no other place!
Rio is like no other place!
The statue is enormous and so worth the walk up there!
The statue is enormous and so worth the walk up there!

 

I only recommend products or services I use personally (unless noted) and believe will be good for my readers. I will disclose if compensation was made for the publication. All opinions and photographs are mine (unless noted).

Contact: Shelia@NoTourGuideNeeded.com

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