NewYorkJay

Everywhere I went at Sikandara people were offering to be tour guides and would follow me for a bit gibing me information. When they figured out that I wouldn’t pay them 100 Rupees for their “services” they left me alone, but it was a bit annoying. Still, I they should me some interesting things. There were some kids around though and they just asked for chocolates and money.

Seen it, done it, worth going once, but not worth going again.

I have heard a lot of people complain that Agra is a dirty, ugly city when they go to visit the Taj Mahal and other sites. I found it to be a nice and charming small third-world city. Having said that, most people thrive off of the tourist business and are always looking to make a few extra rupees so keep your wits about you.

When I went to Red Fort we got in line to buy tickets and had missed the special line for foreigners (probably because nobody was in it). A kind old-lady pointed it out to us. We paid our 100 rupees to get in and later discovered that Indians only had to pay 5 rupees. This was my first experience of blatant price-gouging for tourists. Unfortunately it was not my last in India.

I just got back from my THIRD trip… I’ve been coming since 2005 and there are changes in the town of Copán Ruinas… for one, wireless internet is available in a lot of the hotels and cafes and it actually works (most of the time). Cell phones also work, too, but mine was VERY expensive. I love this little town although it is a bit touristy.

When I was in college in St. Pete, we used to go to Ybor to hang out at the clubs… with a fake ID I could drink everywhere and it was one big party. Be sure to check out the Gasparilla Parade around Halloween!

Because the building is owned by the city (the restaurant leases the space) they are not allowed to make it completely private. That means the bathrooms are open to anyone… and they are MUCH nicer than anywhere else you can find in Central Park!

I was here for my birthday about 2 years ago. We had reservations and sat in the Crystal room. The service as terrible, the food not much better and the prices ridiculous. There are plenty of much better places on the Upper West Side. To make it worse, they had a photographer taking pictures of guests and then trying to sell them to us later like we were at Disney World.

Antigua is a nice little town only about an hour from Guatemala City and the airport. It seems to be a hven for expats and college students wanting to travel and spend some time learning Spanish. Many others simply pass through. The accomodations are nice and cheap, too. There is also plenty to do – you can trek on a volcano, take kayaking or mountain bike tours, it is also a great place to set your “home base” while seeing other places in the country. Most places will arrange an airport shuttle for you for just a few bucks if you ask.

Guatemala is a fun country – there is so much to do! The capital is like a lot of Latin American cities – dirty, overcrowded and not very safe at all, but there are so many other places to go. Antigua, Xela, Rio Dulce, Monterrico, and of course Tikal are all highlights. The prices in Guatemala are some of the cheapest in the world and the Spanish schools are some of the best. If you are looking to learn the language, do some volunteer work, study Mayan ruins, climb a volcano, or just sit back and rest a while, it’s definitely worth heading down there.