After some consideration between Trincomalee and Kandy we decided we were after something a little different after all our recent beach time so started to figure out the best way to get to Kandy. Knowing that 9 hours on a bus sounded hellish (the Sri Lankan buses are fine they’re just cramped for long journeys) we instead decided to hop on a train to Kurunegala (Rs290/$2.45 AUD/1.80 USD - 6hrs 3rd Class) and then catch a bus the rest of the way to Kandy (Rs78/$0.65 AUD/0.50 USD - 1hr). This takes almost as long as the bus but is a much nicer experience. At Kurunegala all you have to do is walk from the train station up to the main road, cross to the other side and flag down any bus with Kandy written on the front. It really is that easy. Once we arrived in Kandy, Dani set off to find us somewhere to stay while I waited with the bags and after 45 minutes she was back glowing with excitement. She had managed to negotiate us a beautiful room at Lime Grove Inn for Rs2000 a night ($17 AUD/12.60 USD), which was Rs1000 less than the initial price she had been quoted. Sri Lanka is a minefield of negotiations but its possible on pretty much anything, from food to accommodation, gifts and sometimes even local transport (not trains). Our plan for Kandy was a simple one. We wanted to learn how to cook some of the delicious food that we had been living on over the last few weeks and the only way to do that was to sign up for a cooking class. We had been tempted to try a new shared economy website With Locals and with €30 credit to spend on your first trip this seemed perfect. We signed up for a class to learn how to make 5 dishes. Dahl, yellow rice, devilled potato, egg curry and eggplant salad and we were served traditional buffalo curd with treacle to finish. This was really not the hands on class we were hoping for and was more of a demonstration but we did learn a lot about the cooking of Sri Lankan food and actually the surprising amount of flavour that can be imparted within a short timeframe. In Kandy we decided to avoid visiting the Buddha’s Tooth temple as although I understand the huge significance to Buddhists the $15 USD ($20.25 AUD) entrance fee seemed unreasonably high. It does however look like a beautiful temple to visit so if you don’t mind the steep fees it might be worth the visit. After the cooking class, a few trips to the markets and some lovely walks around the lake it was time to take the train to Nanuoya to return to Nuwara Eliya. This really is a stunning train ride but there is certainly no reason to take the fancy 1st class observation train. For Rs80 ($0.65 AUD/0.50 USD) you can get perfectly adequate 3rd class ticket which gives you the exact same view (but without the aircon or a cushion in your seat). On arrival at Nanuoya we ignored the calls of the taxi drivers and walked the 200m up the hill to the main road. There, waiting just to the right was a bus to Nuwara Eliya. It cost Rs28pp ($0.25 AUD/0.15 USD) and took about 30mins to reach the centre of town. We had booked our room in advance so headed off out of town in search of it but in hindsight this was totally unnecessary as just behind Victoria Park were a number of guesthouses that looked great and reasonably priced. The number 1 thing to do in this pretty colonial town is to visit tea plantations. We decided on 2 while we were there. The first one, Pedro’s is close enough that we decided to walk there and the other Bluefields is a 45minute bus ride on the Kandy Road (this should cost you Rs60/$0.50 AUD/0.35 USD on any Kandy/Colombo bound bus but they will try and charge much more - I was quoted 220Rs one way by one driver!!). Pedro’s Tea Estate is also close to Lover’s Leap waterfall which is an easy, 30 minute, signposted walk from the factory. Pedro’s cost Rs250 ($2.10 AUD/1.55USD) for a quick tour of the factory and a cup of tea over looking the plantation. At Bluefields an almost identical tour is free. As Dani believes that tea is more essential than oxygen we were pretty happy to do both tours but it probably isn’t necessary for the non tea drinkers/enthusiasts out there. From here it was time to head somewhere new again. So, back to the train station by bus we went and then on to Haputale by train (Rs40/$0.35 AUD/0.25 USD 3rd Class) which was actually even prettier than the last train journey. It’s only a 2 hour ride so we were there by early afternoon ready to find somewhere to stay. This was where we seriously lucked out and met Ali. Haputale turned out to be our favourite destination in Sri Lanka and Ali probably had a lot to do with this. Dani and I don’t always shy away from touts at train and bus stations as we have found some of our best deals on accommodation have come from them, it’s just a bit of a case of knowing who you can trust. Ali was someone we definitely felt we could trust. After listening to the pitches from a few other guesthouse proprietors we decided to followed this strange man with his bright orange beard down to what looked like the most out of our price range hotel we’d seen. Knowing that if we were too enthusiastic we may loose all bargaining power we had to seriously contain ourselves when he offered us a beautiful ensuite double room with the most glorious view out over the hills and tea plantations for only Rs2000/night ($16.90 AUD/12.55 USD). Sri Lak View turned out to be one of the Lonely Planet picks and it does offer some seriously good value. The only downside is the mosque perched behind the hotels annexed wing that will wake you up briefly at 4am with its call to prayer. This being said if you get one of the rooms close to reception you can’t hear it (we had to move rooms during our stay so experienced both). Haputale offers a lot in terms of a travel location. It still isn’t on the main tourist trail so prices are fairly reasonable and locals are less likely to take you for a ride. It’s in a pretty location and there is a lot that’s accessible from there. We had chosen it to go to Lipton’s Seat. Not really wanting to get up at the crack of dawn we decided to risk not having the view at the summit. We discovered there is a bus you can take from Haputale all the way up to near the ticketing booth for Lipton Seat (Rs60/$0.50 AUD/0.35 USD) cutting out the need for a pricey tuktuk. It drops you off 2km from Lipton Seat meaning you have a smaller walk than the hike from the tea factory but a nice enough one to make it worthwhile. When we reached the top there was no view to be had at all but the ascent through the plantations had been stunning so we were not bothered at all! We both agree that if we’d just taken a tuktuk from Haputale to the top (1500Rs wait and return) the whole thing would have felt a bit pointless but because we walked it was actually one of our highlights of the whole country. Knowing that we had almost 2 hours before the bus back to Haputale was due we decided to walk as far as we could back towards the factory. We took another path back from the summit that took us through the plantation village which was really quite beautiful and then along the main road back to the factory. We made it back before the shuttle bus arrived so we were able to take one of the normal buses back to Haputale (Rs33/$0.25 AUD/0.20 USD). From Haputale you can also access trips to Horton Plains as well, so it makes a great alternative base to Ella if you want to avoid the tourist trail a bit! We had stopped in Ella for a soda when we were on our safari tour and we already knew we weren’t going to like it. I’m really sorry if you’re reading this and Ella was your favourite in Sri Lanka but to us it represented everything that is wrong with a place once it’s “discovered” by people. Food costs 3 times what it should and is dulled down for the tourist palate, accommodation is the same, the hustles become more evident and the calls for taxis, tours and souvenirs become more aggressive. The only reason we were coming to Ella was to attempt another cooking class. We were lucky again when we got off the train (Rs25/$0.20 AUD/0.15 USD) and jumped in the back of a touts tuktuk, this time to be taken to his sister’s guesthouse. Walkers Nest was good value at Rs1750 ($14.80 AUD/11 USD - down from Rs2000) for a double room with private bathroom and was set in a nice location close to the station. The cooking class while more hands on than Kandy still left a lot to be desired but wasn’t expensive at Rs2000 ($16.90 AUD/12.55 USD). We noticed about 5 different signs for cooking classes here so I’d shop around and potentially avoid Ella Rocks, which was the one we had chosen. Our month in Sri Lanka was coming to an end and we had decided to round it off with a trip to Galle. From Ella we had 2 choices...we could either catch the overnight sleeper train to Colombo and then another train to Galle or we could catch a bus from Ella directly to Galle during the day. The funny thing was we actually chose the train but tickets in sleeper class were all sold out. This left us with the only other option of the bus. In fairness, despite my misgivings about this option, it turned out to be much easier than anticipated. There are 5 direct buses (7.10, 9.35, 11.30, 12.10 and 21.40) that go a day to Galle, taking between 6-7 hours and costing Rs400 ($3.40 AUD/2.50 USD). To catch the bus you go to the bus stop (it’s fairly obvious) just beyond the Ella-Passara Road (outside the Ella Gap Hotel). From here you can also catch the bus to Matara, Trincomalee, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and to Monaragala or Siyambalanduwa Junctions to carry on to Arugam Bay. If you are heading to Arugam Bay from here it is worth while banding together with other travelers and bargaining for a taxi for the journey. With some good negotiating you can pay Rs8000 ($67.65 AUD/50.25 USD) for 6 people which although more expensive than the bus seemed worth the money to forgo the 2-3 buses and a tuktuk it would take otherwise. Having left on the 9.35 we arrived into Galle a little before 4. The immense heat was immediately evident as we stepped off the bus and our initial attempt at finding accommodation in the Old Fort quickly showed us this was not where we were going to find reasonably priced lodgings. For a reduced rate of 2000Rs/night we were offered a glorified bedsit room complete with broken window, dirty bathroom and a single poorly functioning fan, not a great start! A little tired and grouchy now we headed out of the fort and into Galle proper where we were lucky enough to stumble across Home Living Unit. This was a full apartment complete with living room, bathroom and kitchenette and Dani managed to negotiate it down to Rs2000/night ($17 AUD/12.60 USD). All sense of dread about making mistakes heading to Galle lifted as we walked up the stairs to settle in. Galle fort is nice to wander around and has some great architecture but I would definitely recommend staying outside of the fort walls as it is not far to walk and you get significantly better value for money. It also comes with loads more local places to eat and they aren’t hiking up their prices because of the tourist dollars. We really enjoyed our last few days chilling out in Galle, wandering around and filling up on delicious Sri Lankan food while we still could. Our time in Sri Lanka was almost over but one thing was for certain…we would be coming back. Our final leg was taking us back to Colombo on the train (Rs100/$0.85/0.60 USD 3rd class train ticket) for our final night. We had chosen to stay quite close to the bus station (near Colombo Fort Train Station) at City Hotel (the owner gave us local rates which are Rs3000/$25.35 AUD/18.85 USD) so that we could catch the bus to the airport in the morning. We had read some seriously conflicting messages about this bus and I was filled with anxiety as we arrived at the bus station mid morning on departure day. It turned out I needn’t have worried. The information counter directed us to the bus, which is an airconditioned private bus that has 187 on the front and states that it uses the highway route. This bus, contrary to reports does go from the actual bus station, doesn’t stop a 100 times along the way and does drop you off at departures all for only Rs150pp ($1.25 AUD/0.95 USD). We absolutely adored our time in Sri Lanka. Both of us are aware it’s taking off as a backpacker destination but are astounded that it’s taken this long. It really does have it all. You can visit it all year round due to its unique weather pattern of having two seperate monsoon seasons on opposite sides of the country. It has beaches, wildlife, tea plantations, surfing, hiking, culture and cuisine. There really is something for everyone here and best of all it is amazingly cheap. I would recommend travelling there before everyone finds out how incredible this place really is. LGBT: Sri Lanka was a hard one for us. There was never any time we felt unsafe or unwelcome but at no point did we ever feel that we should share our true relationship. Homosexuality is still illegal in Sri Lanka (no one has been prosecuted for over 60 years) and never was an assumption made about our relationship being anything other than friends (except when people mistook Dani for my son... not as funny as it seems). The hardest time we had was on our 6 day safari where we felt uncomfortable coming out to our driver who would then make up his own story as t o why we were traveling together and I got to say it got hard not to scream... "She's my wife!!!". It feels as though Sri Lanka is definitely a don't ask, don't tell kind of place and due to the illegal nature and general non acceptance it's probably safer to stay quiet. Budget Time $$$Budgeting in Sri Lanka was an absolute dream, in fact, for the most part, spending money in Sri Lanka is the difficult part. We went in with a very reasonable sounding $25USD ($33AUD)pp/day. This would have brought it in at slightly under out general South East Asian target of $35AUDpp/day. As you can see below we came way under this! However, it is worth noting that they sum we spent overall did not include entrance to any of the majorly expensive national sights (Sigiria, Horton Plains etc) nor did it include safari park entrances, both of which are major attractions in Sri Lanka and can really eat into a budget. These were all included in our very indulgent safari trip. However, I have costed that up for you in the safari break down so you can have a better idea of what that would cost in addition to basic expenses on the ground.
Entertainment expenses are more than likely going to be the biggest part of a standard backpacker budget in Sri Lanka. The entrance fees for certain attractions are inexplicably high so if you want to keep your costs down then you need to really think about which ones you want to do and what you consider to be good value for money. In other words, do your research before you come. Transport in Sri Lanka is unbelievably cheap. Local transport on trains and buses will literally not even be noticed in a budget and if you want to go first class or hire a driver or take a long distance taxi these are all affordable options on a backpackers budget! Accommodation costs, like everything else is always up for negotiation, the longer you can guarantee to stay somewhere the more likely you are to get a discount. Again, don’t always accept the first offer and have an idea of what a reasonable amount should be or what you are willing to pay per night or for your total stay. Tips for Sri Lanka in terms of budgeting are fairly simple. Haggling everywhere, for nearly everything is essential! That’s just the way the culture works. Prices of accommodation, day trips, souvenirs, food…are all up for negotiation! If you don’t haggle, you will be likely to pay too much. If you think the cost of something is unreasonable then just walk away and look elsewhere for the same product/service. Locals will almost always try to get a bit more out of you than something is worth. The trick is to find a middle ground that you both agree on, it might not be the exact value but if you think what you are paying is reasonable then everyone’s happy. 99% of the time they are willing to play the game with you and they are willing and happy to be reasonable. If they aren’t then someone else will be! Before considering paying for ANYTHING make sure you have an idea of what it should cost and/or what you are willing to pay. Sometimes the difference in your own money may be negligible but there is no reason you should be expected to pay four times the price for a short local bus journey than a Sri Lankan would. This policy goes for eating in local restaurants too. If there isn’t a menu with prices on it (which is rare – and if there is one you may find it has inflated tourist rates on it anway!) always ask how much something costs before you order it and total the cost of things up in your head as you go. In spite of following this method throughout our time in Sri Lanka I had to question the bills we were given after meals almost daily! Like I said before, this is rarely done out of malice and more out of a sneaky little hope that they can make a little extra out of the foreigner, but in local places for local products/services this wasn’t something we were willing to put up with. If we had agreed a price before hand, that was what we were going to pay. Overall, Sri Lanka is cheap, amazingly cheap, unbelievably cheap. Backpackers can live there best life for almost nothing. Luxury is also attainable for much less than you would pay almost anywhere else in the world. Yes, some things like major attractions can quickly push up daily expenses, but savings on food, accommodation and transport can easily cover this! What it actually cost: $760.35AUD for 22 day (doesn't include our 6 days on safari) Accomodation: $334.48 Food: $127.11 Drinks: $89.19 Entertainment: $85.43 Souvenirs: $66.76 Transport: $45.84 Miscellaneous: $10.31 Bribes: $1.24 This works out at $17.28 per person per day.
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We bid farewell to Guam and our new friends with heavy hearts only to discover our plane was delayed...yet again! This meant we really weren’t going to be arriving into Manila till really late. After what transpired to only be an hour long delay and an uneventful flight we ended up in an inexplicably long customs queue on the other side...this wasn’t starting very well. On advice the advice of Jose we had already downloaded the Grab app (Asian ‘Uber’) so as soon as we were through we jumped in a car and could finally head to our hotel for some much needed sleep (P305/$7.80 AUD/5.70 USD). Worth noting if you don’t have the app already or you can’t connect to the airport WiFi there is a Grab stand where a guy with multiple mobile phones will book one for you...just follow the Grab signs close to the taxi stand outside the airport. Manila is a strange mix of extremely modern and very poor. Driving along the highway it’s all flashing lights, fancy hotels and large shopping malls but as soon as you start winding through the back streets the poverty is starkly apparent. We had booked a hotel near the port as we had an early morning ferry to catch but we may as well have stayed at the port for the night with the amount of sleep we managed to get. I have never heard so many different sounds through one wall...including all night construction, prayer groups, cats, dogs, roosters and bad karaoke!! As soon as one noise would stop another would start and by the time we had to be up we’d managed about 20mins sleep between us. Walking to the port took us through what would normally be a no go area of town in other cities. Makeshift slum houses made from corrugated iron wound through street after street but one thing that is striking about the Philippines is how friendly everyone is and not once as we walked through this part of town did we feel threatened or unsafe. Hot and sweaty, we arrived at the port about half an hour later, ready for our long journey to Coron. We were taking the 15hour 2Go ferry (P) but had read on our tickets that we needed to be there 4hours before our departure time. Although I wouldn’t push it too late this was definitely excessive and you could easily arrive 2hours beforehand with no problems as all beds in all classes are assigned beforehand. The only thing being they do change the departure times with very little notice so be warned it is best to check your departure time on the day if you don’t want to arrive so early. The cheapest tickets (P1550/39.30 AUD/29 USD per person) give you a bunk on the deck and a basic meal, tourist class is inside with aircon. When we booked tickets in advance there was very little difference in price. If this is the case go for tourist class as it gets very hot on deck. If not, you’re in for a long but not too unpleasant night. We managed to befriend 2 other couples (both British) along the way who helped while away the hours. The ferry was actually early arriving into Coron and suddenly and quite unexpectedly we found ourselves out on the street and piling into a trike at 4am heading into Coron Town (P50/$1.25 AUD/0.95 USD but it should only be P20/0.50 AUD/0.35 USD). Having spent the last 3 months in Eastern Asia where booking in advance is essential we were excited about being a little more flexible again. Now, having extensively traveled through both Southeast Asia and Central and South America we have our system down and not once has it failed us! Leave one with the bags and the other goes to check out what is available. Dani headed off in to the dark while I hung out with Sophie and Josh who we had met on the boat. About 50 minutes later she appeared again with a face like thunder. 15 guesthouses she had been to and not one had any room. Very dejected and slightly concerned, we decided to take a risk at head with Sophie and Josh to their guesthouse Maritonies which was quite far out in the hopes that even though they had no rooms online they may have some space. We could have kissed the woman when upon enquiringly desperately, she smiled apologetically and said “we only have fan rooms, is that ok?”(P800/$20.55 AUD/15 USD). After discussions with not only Sophie and Josh but other travellers in the guesthouse it transpired that Southeast Asian travel has changed. People no longer show up and search for a room on the ground, they book in advance online. This apparently means all the good, cheap places are booked by the time you get somewhere which spurs more people to book ahead meaning more guesthouses are getting online and so the disappointing cycle continues! I’m not sure what this means for the carefree traveller but I think it’s sad because the whole nature of backpacking is the beauty and freedom of waking up one morning and deciding to go to another town, city or even country on a whim and if you’re booked in for the next 3 nights maybe you won’t follow your new friend to the next place etc. Having at least found somewhere decent to stay it was time to find some food. There’s not a lot going on when it comes to Filipino food but we found some cheap meals in the market on the way to the port (there are two markets in this area and you actually want to head to the souvenir market not the local fruit and vege market). Our next task for the day was to book a tour to see what Coron is really famous for, it’s surrounding islands and marine life. Dani managed to negotiate a trip for (P1200/$30.80 AUD/22.50 USD) which included snorkel gear and lunch but be careful as a lot of companies try to charge extra for the gear but don’t tell you this when you book. We chose this package because it took us to all the major highlights The next day the 4 of us set off for our excursion and it was this trip that really showed us we were back in Southeast Asia. We had gotten used to the organisation of Japan and Korea and it was a bit of a harsh reality check when we were suddenly jumping from boat to boat to get to ours at the end of the line as well as having a tour guide who showed almost no interest in guiding us what so ever. In hindsight it was exactly what it said on the tin...transport to Siete Pecados, Kayangan lake, Beach 91, Skeleton Wreck, Malwawey Coral Garden, CYC Beach, and Twin Lagoon, safety equipment (actually more than a lot of countries) and a good lunch. While the spots you get to visit on this trip are incredibly beautiful, the sheer number of boats and tourists in each location makes it almost impossible to appreciate this. There appears to be no limit on the number of people allowed in each place at one time and all the companies seem to follow exactly the same itinerary so there isn’t even a steady flow of people in and out. This made it hard to really enjoy the trip as we spent most of our time battling with other tourists or boats to get to where we wanted to be or see what we had set out to see. That being said it’s not an unpleasant trip, just uncomfortably busy. Coron Town itself leaves a lot to be desired. It’s dirty and dusty as well as personality-less. The town almost entirely caters to tourists and most of it is overpriced and underwhelming. Due to this we felt it would be better to head to El Nido earlier than we had initially planned. After 3 nights we headed back to the port for the fast ferry to take us to El Nido. Having booked online (P1848/$47.50 AUD/34.60 USD and playing totally into the new culture here) we needed to swap our reservation documents for tickets at the office approximately 50m from the port back towards Coron Town on the right hand side. You only need to be there an hour beforehand but also make sure you check that the boat is leaving at the scheduled time on the day as this changed. Pre booking online does cost a tiny bit more than the set rate you are offered in the travel agencies throughout Coron Town but they can only be purchased a day in advance and if the once daily boat you want to catch gets booked up then you’re stuck there for another day. The journey has a reputation for being pretty rough at times but we were lucky and it was smooth sailing the whole way (good news for me who gets sea sick). From the moment we sailed into the entrance of El Nido harbour it was clear we had made the right decision moving on. Although it has the same ‘cater only to tourist vibe’ it is a much prettier place. It’s a sheltered harbour surrounded by soaring cast cliffs and scattered with coconut palms. Everything is walking distance from the port so we ignored the calls from trike drivers, bid farewell to Sophie and Josh who were staying outside of El Nido and headed off to find the guesthouse (that yes we had booked online). The place we had chosen was the cheapest place ($15.70 AUD/11.60 USD) left and had some fairly hit and miss reviews. We found while it was nowhere near luxurious it was definitely a lot better than most of the reviews made it out to be. Again (like in Japan) we had found that booking online via Klook (we’ve found this a great booking website for Asia) was cheaper for the standard trips in El Nido. We had booked on to tour D ($25.80 AUD/$19 USD) which we knew was not the “must visit” spots but having seen how crowded everything had been in Coron we felt it might be better to go to some lesser visited sights. We had this tour booked for our first full day and waited eagerly downstairs a good 30 minutes prior to our pickup time...and we waited and we waited. Finally after calling numerous times we were whisked down to the port not really knowing what was going on. Once there it was explained to us that our guesthouse had our names wrong and had told the tour company that we weren’t staying there. Due to this we had missed our chance to go on a trip but that they actually weren’t running tour D due to lack of demand at the time and offered us places on want of there other trips for the next day instead. It made sense to choose the most expensive tour so we decided on tour A. After reading reviews it turns out they never seem to run tour D so it’s a great way of saving money on doing the more expensive tour by booking D through Klook and then choosing tour A! This actually turned out to be a really good day despite 10 minutes in, it pouring with such heavy rain that you couldn’t see more than 3 or 4 meters in front of the boat. It was quite scary being on a fairly rickety boat with bamboo stabilisers being lashed with rain but none of the crew seemed in the slightest bits phased by it and within 20 minutes it was blue skies and sunshine again. The crowds actually felt a lot less offensive on this trip and the snorkelling was a lot better than it had been in Coron. It’s not quite the stunning coral reef it’s made out to be (everything is damaged or dying) but the fish are really beautiful. El Nido is quite a nice place to chill out and relax. We didn’t feel any pressure to go on any other trips or explore the surrounding area so we spent our spare days just walking out along the beach and having a few San Miguel’s at sunset along the waterfront. After 4 relaxing nights it was time to head to our last stop in the Philippines, Puerto Princesa. We had booked one of the minivans in town (P500/$12.65 AUD/9.35 USD) and understood that we needed to make our own way to the bus station (which is definitely walkable from town) to start our journey. Our problems began when we arrived to be told our minivan wouldn’t be going, but that it was ok because they would happily buy us a ticket for the bus instead. Now, the fact that the bus is cheaper, slower and arrives 7km out of town meaning we would need transport on the other side, meant we really weren’t happy with accepting this offer of a bus ticket in exchange without a refund of the difference (P120/$3.05 AUD/2.25 USD). After about a 20minute stand off (and almost missing the only bus) the man grabbed our tickets and sped off on a motorcycle muttering something about a refund. Pretty sure we’d lost our money and resigning ourselves to having to pay for the bus as well, the man arrived back at the station with a full refund just as the bus choked into life ready to leave. What we learned from this was that an earlier minivan is a better choice and you would be best getting to the bus station and getting on the next one that is leaving rather than prebooking a specific minivan through a specific company. We saw 4 other sets of tourists in the same boat as us and only us and one other couple got on the bus so hopefully the others found alternative solution. The bus is painfully slow but it gets you from A to B. We were told that the road quality was terrible but from our experience it’s now well constructed the whole way. It’s the constant stopping that makes this bus so slow. When we arrived into Puerto Princesa we found ourselves a trike (P120/$3.05 AUD/2.25 USD) and set off for our guesthouse Fanta Lodge. Now, this place is functional enough and walking distance from the airport but the basic rooms ($8.15/6 USD) are literally concrete cells under tin roofs and are roasting hot. The nicer rooms with private bathroom and aircon were well worth the sneaky upgrade for our second and final night ($12 AUD/8.85 USD). Puerto is a town really only good for transiting through. We were flying back to Manila from there and we hadn’t wanted to spend 3 days in transit (El Nido - Puerto - Manila - Bali - Timor-Leste) so had opted for a rest day in Puerto. We did our best to explore what it has on offer but that isn’t a lot so I wouldn’t recommend spending any more time here than necessary. On our final day in the Philippines we walked to the airport and checked in for our flight. Surprise surprise we were delayed again but luckily we had plenty of time between our 2 flights for the day. We were also flying into the right terminal in Manila so wouldn’t even have to change. Our flight landed an hour after it was scheduled to meaning we now only had 5 hours to kill at Manila airport before boarding our flight to Bali. It turns out that there is a pretty decent food selection for reasonable prices here but we ate back at our newly discovered favourite Chow King. The time passed surprisingly quickly and soon we were on our 2 leg of 3. Because you can only fly to Timor from Bali, Singapore and Darwin we would be spending the night by Bali airport before getting on our final leg. We actually were really stoked by our airport accommodation Chillin Kuta Homestay which had only cost $17AUD (12.55 USD). It had comfortable beds, good WiFi and a decent ensuit bathroom. Best of all it is only a 3 minute walk from the airport (you can see the airport from the balcony). Definitely a great deal if you happen to have an early flight. It was time for our next adventure in Timor-Leste which would be the last country in Southeast Asia for us to visit. Overall, we had enjoyed our time in the Philippines but both left wishing we had explored it when we were on our big Southeast Asia trip in 2013. Back then the Banana Pancake trail hadn’t hit the Philippines and it was still a little undiscovered. That being said the people are wonderfully friendly and very chatty and I bet there are still some wonderful undiscovered gems but Palawan certainly isn’t that. LGBT: The Philippines is a conservative Catholic country but overall we found them to be pretty accepting. There was a lot of misgendering of Dani which got frustrating at times but it was never with malicious intent. The Philippines has also been ranked as one of the most gay friendly nations in Asia. The marriage equality debate is currently being argued in the Supreme Court and they have a female openly trans politician serving in congress who was elected in 2016. Budget Time $$$The Philippines was an interesting location in terms of setting a budget. Prior to going I had looked at a couple of backpacking blogs which stated that if one was to island hop around the area then a much more generous budget than the average South East Asian norm would be needed. Seeing as we were going to be in The Philippines for less than two weeks we decided to punt for a higher daily budget than our standard $35AUDpp/day. Knowing that we didn’t need anything too extravagant once we were on the ground in terms of accommodation and food we agreed on $45AUDpp/day, which gave us flexibility in terms of how we would get around but didn’t push us out of a backpacker’s spending power. As has become a bit of a trend for us, we came in under this. In fact, as you can see below we only very very slightly came outside of our standard South East Asia zone.
Unsurprisingly our greatest expense was transport and accounted for nearly 50% of our total spend – something which has never been the case before. All of the blogs out there are absolutely right; ferries/flights between the islands in The Philippines are not cheap. As we have said in the main blog, booking in advance stands to save you a really decent amount of money! Obviously the name of the game when visiting the islands is to go out and explore and that means organised trips. What we noticed about these trips on both Coron and El Nido is that the prices within the budget range are pretty much standardised and what you get for your money is all much of a muchness. They go to the same places and pretty much include the same things – boat, ‘guide’, lunch (watch out for snorkel and mask hire extras). You don’t need to do much shopping around or haggling if you’re just going to follow suit and do the standard day trips. All of these trips are reasonably priced and can easily be fitted into a basic backpacker budget. Food throughout the country was inexpensive but also generally pretty uninspiring. We paid $3-5AUDpp/meal at local places and this got us satisfactory portions of rice/noodles with meat, fish or eggs and veggies. Budget accommodation throughout the country was fine. It was in Coron that we discovered that pre-booking is almost a necessity in parts of SE Asia now which I find incredibly disappointing, but fortunately this does not appear to have affected the price too much, as long as you get your booking done in time to catch the budget options. We paid an average of about $15AUD/room/night and this got us comfortable and satisfactory rooms every time. They didn’t always have en suite bathrooms, or aircon, but they were always acceptable for the price. The jump to get all the real comforts in the Philippines is pretty significant, so on a budget you really can’t expect it all. Overall the Philippines was not as expensive as we had been lead to believe it would be on the basis that we did island hop and we weren’t there for very long so we crammed a lot into a short time. You definitely don’t get as much bang for your buck as you do in certain other SE Asian countries, but it is absolutely doable on a reasonable backpackers budget! What we actually spent: $781.82 AUD in 11 days Transport: $358.09 AUD Accomodation: $147.14 Entertainment: $123.67 Food: $97.17 Drinks: $42.29 Souvenirs: $7.30 Miscellaneous: $6.17 This works out at $35.53 AUD per person per day. Touching down on the tarmac and careering side to side as the wind and plane struggled against each other. We were in South Korea, which had been on Dani’s list since she had begun teaching 8 years ago. Our first stop was a town an hour south of Seoul called Dongtan where we were staying with our friends Ana and Hambit. We had met Ana on our last big backpacking adventure while in Laos and we were really excited to be able to see her again as well as have a really local introduction to South Korea. We spent three days with them and were absolutely spoiled throughout! They showed us wonderful hospitality, introducing us to a range of local traditional foods, taking us to a beautiful bamboo grove, Damyang (yes it absolutely rivals the one in Kyoto) and down to Jeonju, the area that gave the world the famous Korean dish, Bibimbap. Because we were driven we can’t give you an idea of how to get to or where to stay in Jeonju but I can say it is definitely worth a visit. It has a large set of hannok houses, which give the town an old world feeling and it is very pretty to wander around. Also, if you have time to really explore, head up the hill that overlooks the city. At the top you will find the most wonderful selection of unusual and eclectic street art, it is certainly an interesting place to see. Probably the best advice we can give you is to go to Jeonju with an empty stomach. The area is known as the kitchen of Korea and food is certainly King here. Everything from street snacks to full sit down restaurant meals can be got there and it is some of the best you’ll find in Korea. After 2 great days with Ana and Hambit we had to bid farewell and head to Seoul. Our main reason for visiting Seoul was to go on the JSA and DMZ tour on the border of North Korea, however, we received and email just before we got there saying that our trip had been cancelled due to preparations for the talks between North and South. Unfortunately for us the email explained that they would not be going to the JSA until May meaning we had no hope of setting foot in North Korea this trip. This was deeply disappointing for Dani, as she had been looking forward to this for ages but there was nothing we could do. While in Seoul we were staying near Seoul station in what we truly hope will be the last dorm we ever stay in (we’re far to old these days for dorms)! Kimchee Station Hostel was only W10,800pp ($13.05 AUD/10.10 USD) for a mixed 6-bed dorm, which is amazing value for Seoul. Unfortunately, we ended up sharing with potentially the least considerate (we’re talking lights on at 3am, eating loudly through the night and rustling plastic bags at every opportunity) loudest snorer we have ever come across. As a basic hostel that is cheap, well located and functional we would say Kimchee is fine but I think there are probably better options out there for only a little more money. Having planned to spend our 7th anniversary together crossing into North Korea we were at a bit of a loss on how to celebrate. We decided a silly day at the Trick Eye museum sounded fun so we headed to Hongdae to check it out. As funny as it was it wasn’t really worth the W15000pp ($18.60 AUD/14 USD), but it was a decent enough way to spend a couple of hours. Hongdae is the trendy youthful area of Seoul and it has some great streets to wander around as well as good shops for souvenirs like fun Korean socks which I developed a bit of a thing for in Eastern Asia and now have an ever expanding collection of. We hear it’s a 24-hour kind of place that has some great nightlife and some good accommodation options so if you’re into nightlife it’s probably a good place to base yourself. Not the anniversary we were hoping for in the end but we decided we’d make up for it in our next destination. Another thing we had planned for Seoul was to visit one of their many palaces. It was going to be interesting comparing the architecture to the Japanese castles we had just come from and we thought the best way to learn about the history was to book onto a guided tour. We booked onto one online but the guide never showed up. Lucky for us Gyeongbokgung Palace (entrance: W3000/$3.64AUD/$2.70USD) also provided a free hour long guided tour around the complex at midday, so we waited the extra 30 minutes, which allowed us to also see the changing of the guards before we started. This was an enjoyable and interesting introduction to Korean architecture and history. At the end of the tour you can walk out the back entrance to the Blue House where the president lives. There are a plethora of palaces you can choose from on your visit to Seoul and they even have the option to buy a multi palace pass costing W10,000 ($12.50AUD/$9USD). This gets you entry to Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Huwon Secret Garden, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo Shrine which would cost W14,000 ($17 AUD/12.60 USD) if bought separately. After our palace tour we decided to explore the city on foot and walk back to our hostel (there are really good subway connections around Seoul if this isn’t your kinda thing). While walking back to the hostel we came across Lotte Mart in Seoul station and discovered a real trick to keeping the budget down in Korea. Supermarket samples! The supermarket handed out so many food samples we didn’t need to eat that evening. Everything from instant noodles to vegetables was available for sampling. Watching the locals dig into multiple samples of everything also meant we felt comfortable grabbing a few slices of pepper or a whole square of chocolate rather than half. Also we noticed that all supermarkets appear to have a food station with tables that you can eat at which offer basic but decent looking meals at very reasonable prices. As per usual we signed up for a city walking tour while in Seoul and with a range of options available we chose the one that took us around the older district of the city. The strange thing we discovered about the free walking tours in Korea is that they do not expect tips. It actually appeared to embarrass our tour guide when we attempted to tip her and although she took it she did say that it really isn’t the norm. This tour took us through the older hannok styled area of the city, which was really pretty in comparison to the modern surroundings. It really wasn’t the most informative tour but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. As we aren’t really city people we were looking forward to heading out to less busy and hectic parts of the country. Our next destination was Sokcho, on the east coast of the country. We had found out that there was a direct bus to the station we needed from Dong Seoul station that would cost W12,800pp ($15.50 AUD/11.55 USD). To get to the station from Kimchee was really easy as it was on the green line, which goes directly to the bus station. The bus journey was comfortable and easy. Arriving at the bus station we were elated to find that the motel we had booked was actually right next to the bus station. We loved our motel (‘Rocustel’ $41.25 AUD/30.70 USD) but it was here that we discovered that in Korea motels are not simply cheaper hotels like they are in the west…they are actually for couples looking for some…alone time. I’ve got to say if you’re looking for reasonably priced accommodation, that’s of a high standard (for a backpacker) and has good amenities these (love) motels are definitely a great option! Our main objective for stopping in Sokcho was to visit the national park. The number 7 and 7-1 goes all the way from the city to the park entrance for W1,200 ($1.45 AUD/1.05 USD). The national park entrance fee is only W3,500 ($4.20 AUD/3.10 USD) and the park itself has many different trails you can take, most of which split off after the giant Buddha statue. We decided to take the trail up to the poetry inscriptions which is 3.8km. This park is beautiful and we really enjoyed the time we spent there. Sokcho itself has few noteworthy points of interest but we really liked it mainly for the chilled vibe it has. Following Sokcho we were off to Gangnueng, from the bus station on the other side of Sokcho (W6,300/$7.60 AUD/5.65 USD) to go to Unification Park. This meant us checking into another love motel aptly named Sketch ($41.20 AUD/30.65 USD and this one came with a little pouch at check in that included condoms, his and hers toothbrushes, lotions, potions and soap). Gangneung has a wonderful market that we stumbled across, full of weird and wonderful snacks which we loaded up on for dinner on our first night. The next morning we caught the number 113 bus to the park to see the infamous North Korean submarine…I’m not sure what either of us were expecting but this wasn’t really it. It had an old navy ship you could tour (W3000/$3.65 AUD/2.70 USD), the submarine which you could look at and after a walk up the hill you could visit the museum, which was entirely in Korean. This also did have a number of retired military planes you could check out. This place in short was weird, but not a total waste of time if you’re in the area. I feel like if you’re short on time Gangneung could be skipped altogether. From here we were off to Andong so that we could visit the traditional village of Hahoe. From Gangneung there are only a few buses a day direct to Andong (W19,200/$23.50 AUD/17.50 USD) so we’d actually bought our tickets on the day we arrived. This probably wasn’t necessary but it helped us relax. Andong was to be our last motel (‘Queen Motel’ $40.55 AUD/30.20 USD) and we received another great pouch full of goodies from the shy girl who wouldn’t make eye contact with me from behind the desk. I’m going to say Hahoe is another place I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit. Sold as a traditional Korean farming village it really does feel more like a movie set than anything else. There are no people around and it feels slightly voyeuristic wandering around, peeping over fences and in through windows wondering why you’re there and what you’re missing. If you are going though its fairly easy to get there as there is a bus that leaves from opposite the supermarket in Andong and goes all the way to the ticket office for Hahoe (Bus: W1,300/$1.55 AUD/1.15 USD Village: W5,000/$6.05 AUD/4.50 USD). If you’re really looking for traditional head to Jeonju, Geongju or the area in Seoul that has maintained its older houses, in many ways this just felt like a bit of a constructed tourist trap. Andong itself is actually a nice town and does hold a more traditional vibe than a lot of other towns in South Korea. We heard they are very conservative here but we found everyone warm and welcoming. They also have a great food street to find a cheap dinner. Our last stop on our South Korean tour was Busan and we had planned a side trip to Gyeongju. Fairly fast to get to from Andong on both bus and train we decided to take the slow cheaper train (W15,000/$18.15 AUD/13.50 USD) there for the more scenic route. This takes you as far as Napo station on the outskirts of Busan and then you need to take the metro from here into the city (W1,400/$1.70 AUD/1.10 USD) and we had chosen to stay by Busan Station. It looked really central when we booked it and it was incredibly good value at $29.60 AUD ($22 USD) for a private room with ensuite at the sister hostel to where we had stayed in Seoul. It turned out that this location is actually “Little Russia” otherwise known as the red light district (I know I’m good at finding us these places to stay), which has a pretty dodgy reputation after dark. Luckily we’re not night owls so this worked out fine. Our only real plan for Busan was Gyeongju and this is just about doable in a day trip from there. However, in hidsight we really liked it in Gyeongju and wished we had stayed and explored it from there rather than on a rushed day trip. To get there you need to catch the metro back to Napo station (W1,400/$1.70 AUD/1.10 USD) and then get a bus to Gyeongju (W4,800/$5.80 AUD/4.30 USD). From there if you are planning on visiting Bulgaksa Temple it’s another bus (W1,700/$2.05 AUD/1.50 USD) and entrance to the temple is a further W5,000 ($6.05 AUD/4.50 USD). Our favourite part of Gyeongju was actually wandering through the park where the tombs of old emperors are found and the old village which is really pretty. It’s a long round trip from Busan (6ish hours all up) so again I would say you’re better off staying there but it’s totally doable if you’re stuck for time as the connections are frequent and easy. We also did another walking tour in Busan run by the lovely Ben. He gave us a great tour around old Busan and it’s version of Hollywood. We had a great time with him and he was able to show us another side to Busan we wouldn’t have got otherwise including the famous Gukje market. Overall I think I speak for both of us when I say I’m glad we’ve been to South Korea but I’m not sure it’s somewhere that needs to be high on anyone’s travel bucketlist. Our favourite part of the trip was spending time with our friends and we were really shown a different side to the country that I’m not sure is possible to get without a lot of time here. We found 2 very distinct sides to this culture that very much seemed to contradict themselves. When with Korean friends we were welcomed and treated so well by not only them, but everyone that they introduced us to. When we were on our own we found that people could often be rude, abrasive and unhelpful. I read something that seemed to resonate with our experiences which was if you have been introduced to someone you become a person and are shown the upmost warmth and respect. If there has been no formal introduction, then you don’t count as a person so you are not awarded the same social courtesies. There are weird and wonderful things to discover here but it’s not an easy place to be and the national treasures seem to miss the mark in comparison to their neighbours. That being said you should definitely go and check it out for yourself because you may just find something we didn’t. LGBT: We didn't face any problems while we were here and didn't even get questioned when checking in to love motels (they even gave us the condoms). This being said there is an extremely present Christian community here that makes you feel as if discression is neccessary. There has never been any legal discrimination against the LGBT community in South Korea but it really is more of a don't ask don't tell culture. Budget Time $$$Korea’s budget was a nice $45AUD ($35USD) per person per day. By the end of our trip we came in nearly $300AUD under budget for the whole 16 days, however, I’m not sure this would have been the case had we not spent 3 nights staying with a friend just outside of Seoul at the start. That being said, I think we would have been pretty much on point with our budget, making Korea a very affordable destination in terms of a backpacker’s range. Unsurprisingly (and as was pretty much the norm for the whole of Eastern Asia), accommodation was our greatest expense in Korea and accounted for almost exactly 30% of our budget, which is what we aim for as a maximum. The cost to quality ratio wasn’t always what we hoped for but we found that ‘motels’ were a great option for budget comfort. Solo travellers will definitely find hostels and dorms a good deal but as a couple we could pay as little as a dollar more than two dorm beds a get a private room. In terms of transport costs, Korea is pretty reasonable. We opted to use the bus to get around the country and on journeys between 3-5hrs long the average cost was around $15AUDpp ($11USD). It’s not the cheapest but it certainly wasn’t anything like the expense of Japan and the buses were always comfortable. Korea does also have it’s own version of the JR pass but it is much more limited in terms of the ground that it covers so for us it wasn’t even worth considering. Inner city transport like buses and metros are also very reasonably priced with journeys averaging no more that $1-2AUD ($0.75-1.50USD). We were pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive activities in Korea were compared to Japan and Taiwan. Entrance to National Parks, museums and other tourist locations of interest rarely surpassed $5AUDpp ($3.50USD). The combination of reasonable transport and entrance costs meant that doing all of the things that interest you in all locations around Korea is absolutely affordable! Food is not the cheapest in Korea, and if you want to eat any fresh fruit or vegetable then you can absolutely forget about any budget! If it’s not yet fermented then you pay a premium for it!! Obviously Korean noodle pots are a bit of a thing in Korea and these are incredibly cheap to pick up from a supermarket ($1AUD/0.75USD average). If you are looking to eat in a restaurant, even the cheapest local places will set you back $10-15AUDpp ($7-11USD). While that’s not astronomically high, on a budget of $45AUD/day that quickly eats into your budget...pardon the pun! Generally Korea’s budget travel accessibility it much greater than it’s popular neighbour Japan. All aspects of travel life (accommodation, transport, food and entertainment) can be found for reasonable rates with limited effort. This makes it a comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy exploring. What it actually cost: $1,250.87 AUD for 17 days Accomodation: $443.81 Food: $375.25 Transport: $246.84 Entertainment: $85.91 Drinks: $73.65 Souvenirs: $13.31 Miscellaneous: 12.10 This works out at $36.79 AUD per person per day. We chugged into the pretty, colonial Antigua at around 3.30pm meaning that the whole journey had taken us around 8 hours. Considering we had waited for over an hour for a new tyre to be delivered and then changed, and we had successfully avoided Guatemala City, this meant we were feeling tired but pretty good. Unfortunately our hostel turned out to be on the other side of Antigua resulting in a pretty unwelcome 2km/45minute walk in the sun with our bags! The hostel that had been recommended by our friend Megan turned out to be absolutely perfect after such a long journey. Best of all…hot showers and a hot tub! (Hostel Matiox (75Q/$13.65 AUD/10.50 USD) in a 6 bed female only dorm per person) We dumped our bags, walked 20 meters down the road to the nearest local place for food, ate and then collapsed into bed. Day one in Antigua and we knew that we would be meeting our friends Camilla and Matt after their volcano trek in the afternoon and also that David (a friend we met on a previous trip) would be around too. We had already arranged with Camilla and Matt that we would all be leaving the next day together to go to Lake Atitlan, which gave us 1 full day to explore. Our hostel offered a free walking tour that sounded like a good option to learn about the city (in hindsight the guide was a fellow backpacker that knew nothing about Antigua and this was a complete waste of time) so we signed up and arranged to meet Camilla, Matt and David at a bar later in the afternoon. Antigua is beautiful and Guatemala has done well to preserve it the way they have but it is very heavily tourist orientated and does not really feel like Guatemala at all. After a lovely few hours wandering around we met up with the others to discuss the plan for the next day. David helpfully shared with us that when he had been to Lake Atitlan he had ended up taking 4 buses when the journey only required 2. Armed with this knowledge we also got the woman who worked at our hostel to write down where we needed to change and what we needed to look out for. In the morning we arrived at Camilla and Matt’s guesthouse and set off together to the bus station. The first stage was fairly simple. We got on to the bus that had Chimaltenango (where we needed to change) written on the front and confirmed with the driver that we wanted to transfer to Panajachel. He kindly stopped in Chimaltenango where we needed to get off and change (not the end of the line). When we got off we confirmed with a local that this is where we could catch the bus and then sure enough a bus stopped about 10 minutes later asking us where we were going. Now, it didn’t have Panajachel on the front (mistake) but the bus conductor insisted that that was where this bus was heading. It wasn’t until the four of us were unceremoniously dumped off the bus at a non descript crossroads about an hour and a half later that we realised he had completely lied. We certainly weren’t anywhere we were supposed to be (or even anywhere close for that matter) and we now had to find another bus to take us where we originally wanted to go. It turned out that now we needed another 2 to get to the port to take our ferry to San Pedro…not ideal and certainly not the plan! Luckily this whole process only took 3 1/2hrs (and cost 34Q/$6.20 AUD/4.80 USD) and we were soon happily skimming across the sparkling waters of Lake Atitlan towards our final destination (25Q/$4.60 AUD/3.55 USD). Unfortunately for Camilla and Matt this was the second journey in a row where they had been outright lied to and ended up not taking the desired route. Luckily on this journey this had not put them in any danger unlike the last one that had diverted them through Guatemala City. On arrival in San Pedro Matt and I were put in charge of finding the accommodation for the group. A tout at the port was offering a good rate on rooms at Hotel Rolando, which had the most beautiful views of the lake and really decent double rooms with hot showers (again!) for only 100Q ($18.40 AUD/14.20 USD). After settling in we headed out for some food. In San Pedro, there are an abundance of tourist restaurants down on the water but we headed up the hill to near the local market where we stumbled upon a little comida (food house) where the loveliest old woman cooked us up a feast for 20Q ($3.65 AUD/2.80 USD) each which included rice, beans, salad, chicken for the 3 meat eaters and eggs for me and an endless stream of freshly made tortillas. It only took that one meal to ensure we would be returning every day for both breakfast and dinner! Stuffed full and ready for a beer we picked up a few bottles of Brahva (12Q/$2.20 AUD/1.70 USD each for 1 litre) and utilised our stunning balcony view and hammocks. We wanted to visit 2 other villages while we were on the lake so first we decided to check out the nearby San Juan (20Q/$3.65 AUD/2.80 USD return in a small commuter boat). San Juan is smaller than San Pedro and has a more chilled out vibe. It wouldn’t be difficult to see multiple villages on the lake in one day as after about 2 hours we had explored every street and every art gallery and shop San Juan had to offer. Matt wasn’t feeling well so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon and Dani and I being creatures of habit we headed back up the hill for dinner. San Marcos was on the schedule for our last day on the lake, which is slightly further away than San Juan but no more expensive to get to. San Marcos is quite different from the other villages we saw. Definitely the least Guatemalan of the 3, but the prettiest to wander around and look at. It has a very distinct western hippy vibe (read yoga classes, silent retreats, vegan restaurants and organic health food stores) but does feel like the gringos have taken over which is quite sad. Feeling refreshed from our 3 days at the lake it was time for the 4 of us to brave the long journey to Semuc Champey. As no local would ever feel the need to go from Lake Atitlan to Semuc, the only way to get between the 2 within a single day is to book a tourist shuttle (190Q/$34.90 AUD/26.90 USD), which is supposed to take around 8hrs. There are a couple of things that we learnt about this journey that in hindsight we would like to share! At all of the tourist agencies in town it is cheaper to book the shuttle to Lanquin (160Q/$29.40/22.65 USD), which is the nearest town to Semuc rather than all the way. Regardless of your decision to book to Lanquin or Semuc, your journey will be terminated in Lanquin as the road between the two is basically impassable in anything other than a 4x4. We were told we would go all the way to Semuc (just another little lie) but that was not the case and we were all told to alight in Lanquin. Save yourself the money and just book through to Lanquin. If you (like we were) are planning on staying in Semuc then all the hotels will have sent out pick up trucks to meet the shuttles and they are free for guests (including those who don’t have a reservation like us). Also, when they stop at McDonalds on the way in Coban it’s a good idea to grab food there or at the supermarket or across the road at the snack shacks, as we didn’t end up getting in to Semuc until 8.30pm having left our hotel at 6.30am. In Semuc Champey we stayed at El Portal, right at the entrance of the park and it is incredibly good value at 50Q ($9.20 AUD/7.10 USD)pp in the 6 bed dorm. There was a driver to meet the shuttle and we were able to negotiate this rate at the station. The ecolodge don’t allow any outside food so if you don’t want to pay the expensive hotel prices there are food stalls at the entrance of the park as well as a small local restaurant on the corner about 50m to the left of the entrance to El Portal which we can highly recommend at 20Q ($3.65 AUD/2.80 USD) a plate. Semuc Champey itself is absolutely beautiful and despite the 14hour journey there it felt worth it. Most people you meet along the gringo trail in Central America will tell you the same. This area seems to hold some kind of magic and within minutes of being there the stress of the long (frustrating) journey seems to melt away. For us it was being in the back of the pickup and looking up to see the clear night sky that took me right back to my childhood. It was also waking up and walking out onto the balcony of our dorm room to see the most stunning aquamarine coloured water rushing around the limestone boulders. This was before we’d even reached the park to be treated to the impressive sight that was the limestone bridge and pools we had actually come to see. We spent a few hours diving in and out of stunning pools and taking endless pictures. We didn’t really have any interest in caving while we were there, which is the other major draw of the area for tourists. On that basis we didn’t go on a tour or visit independently (both of which are options) but all hostels and hotels in both Lanquin and Semuc can organise tours (although these seemed pretty over priced to us). We knew that the next journey to Flores for the Mayan ruins in Tikal was going to be equally as long as the one from Atitlan to Semuc, so thought it best to head to Lanquin for the night to catch a shuttle from there for our onward journey. This is also a good way to save a bit of money, as the shuttles directly from Semuc are a lot more expensive than those from Lanquin. To get from Semuc back to Lanquin we all jumped in the back of one of the many pick ups doing the back and forth journey between the two places (20Q/$3.65AUD/$2.80USD per person). In Lanquin we managed to arrange a shuttle for 90Q ($16.65 AUD/12.85 USD) leaving the next morning at 8am. The journey started off really well with a friendly driver who spoke pretty good English. He asked us if we wanted to stop at the McDonalds in Coban that we had stopped in on the way in. As Camilla was starting to have some serious withdrawals from western food we agreed to a 20minute stop. It turned out that all shuttles seem to stop here as we watched people we recognised from our hostel in Lanquin pile off others that arrived. True to form we were back at the stop in 20 minutes ready to resume the ride. We watched as all the other groups piled in to their shuttles and took off with still no sign of our van or our driver. We stood there getting increasingly worried, then frustrated and finally angry as an hour passed with no sign of our driver or our luggage that was still in the shuttle. After 1 hour and 20 minutes later our driver rocked up told us he’d be leaving us there and handed us over to a new driver in the same van. No explanation about where he had been, no apology for being late or for worrying us, nothing. Guatemala was really starting to get under my skin and not in a good way. The journey continued towards Flores at a good pace and just when it looked as though we may be making up some time we came to a halt in to road. The queue we could see snaking around the corner was for a boat across the river we had reached. There is only one ‘boat’ powered by 4 speed boat engines to push a wooden platform loaded with cars and trucks across the river and it turned out we would be waiting for about an hour to get across. Had we not had such a long and painful time up until this point this may have been amusing but tired and hungry we just wanted to get to our final destination which was still 60 km from the other side of the river. We didn’t arrive in to Flores until after dark and this time, the reputed 7hour trip had taken us 10! Dani and Matt went in search of lodgings this time and managed to find us some simple yet acceptable double rooms at a place called La Canoa for 100Q ($18.40 AUD/14.20 USD) for a double, which had lake views from the terrace and was close to everything. We had factored in a day off the next day before heading off to camp in Tikal which we spent finding a decent supermarket, eating and organising the camping trip and transport to the site. There are almost endless options in relation to the times you can go and what you want included in terms of guides and added extras. It’s definitely worth shopping around though as fundamentally they are all offering the same services and the range in prices is vast! Having discussed it as a group, we decided that we didn’t actually need a guide and as we were going to be staying by the entrance to the park we didn’t need to pay the extra for early entrance at 4am instead of 6am when the gates officially open. Dani and I had agreed we only needed a single day in Tikal but Matt and Camilla wanted two, so we arranged that they would head out in the morning the next day and we would leave on the 12.00pm shuttle and meet them at the campsite. The shuttle to Tikal was late but did finally arrive at 12.30pm and took us to the park. We were camping at Jaguar Inn for 100Q ($18.40 AUD/14.20 USD) per person, which included the tent and all the camping gear. This was the most expensive place we had stayed in all of Guatemala so when the woman placed us in the tent with holes in it and no rain cover we weren’t particularly happy and quickly christened the tent El Crapo! We asked to move but they refused, until the tent started to fill with ants, at which point we demanded a better tent. Begrudgingly the manager moved us in to one of the nicer/newer tents that had been pitched, while telling us it was our fault as we must have left the tent flaps open…never mind the gaping holes in the mosquito netting as well as the wear marks that meant the grass poked through the floor of the tent! We met Matt and Camilla once they were done and we all hung out and chatted about their experience that day before an early night ready to explore the next morning. The whole point of sleeping there was to be able to get in to Tikal early to be able to spot the wildlife and we were not disappointed. Minutes after we woke up the howler monkeys started giving you the sense that you had awoken in Jurassic Park. The thunderous boom of their calls echoed through the surroundings in a way that truly let you know you were in nature! The park opens to general public at 6am so we were there ready to go then. Tikal is a pretty magical ruins and the deep jungle setting does give it something different to other Mayan Ruins. I would recommend heading to Temple 4 first to get a sense of the scale and beauty of Tikal first because we kind of felt like we were missing something until we gazed upon the complex from above the trees and were struck by the sheer scale and beauty of the place. It is also teeming with wildlife and if you pay attention you’ll also see the spider monkeys in the trees and the toucans fly past. You can easily spend 2 days wandering around but we found 6 hours a pretty good amount of time to spend to see the main highlights (this covers about 10km of walking) and by 12pm we were ready to head back to Flores. This timing worked out perfectly as there was a shuttle at 12.30pm to take us back…or so we thought. It turns out that although we had originally been told there was a shuttle at 12.30pm and it was written on our ticket, we had booked the only company that didn’t have a shuttle at 12.30pm that day and we would have to wait until 2pm. It was a little bit of the last straw with Guatemala for me really. We had been tossing up between heading straight to Belize from Flores, as it was so easy or taking the longer route via Rio Dulce and Livingston. Until that moment I had been leaning more towards Rio Dulce as we had met a couple during our travels in the Galapagos that had made it sound so wonderful but something snapped and I could not face having to travel through a country that so often lied to you to get your money and made things more difficult when you paid more money to go the easy route (just catch the chicken buses it’s less stressful). By 2pm I’d calmed down but we had made our decision to give ourselves another day in Flores to sort out ‘house-keeping’ things and then to head straight to San Ignacio in Belize. We got back to Flores around 3.30pm, spent one final night with Matt and Camilla before they moved on to Belize the next day and then carried out our day of banal organisation. Long term travel is rarely as glamorous as it seems! Ready to bid farewell to Guatemala we packed up and grabbed a mototaxi to the bus station (5Q/$0.90 AUD/0.70 USD) to catch a bus to the border. We were already aware that this should cost us about 30Q ($5.40 AUD/$4.15 USD) and after a little haggling we were able to get this price. The border crossing here is relatively straightforward and we were through within 15 minutes, having also changed money for a really good rate with the money-changers. There was a taxi waiting outside customs to take people to the bus station and as with most things we discovered in Belize had a set price of 15BZD ($9.90 AUD/7.50 USD). Looking back on Guatemala I/we’ve realised that it had some pretty wonderful things to offer. I can’t speak for Dani but I know while we were there I found it difficult to understand having just come from El Salvador (where most travellers skip) why people got stuck in Guatemala instead of carrying on. I think this may be because we are doing the trail backwards but if you are coming from Mexico, Guatemala somehow feels more “authentic” as well as cheap and accessible in comparison. Because we were travelling up, I think we found more authentic experiences in El Salvador and Honduras which were also cheaper and easier to get around and therefore did not feel the same warmth towards Guatemala as others do. I know I certainly found the people to be a lot less friendly or helpful but in saying that it really does have some wonderful experiences to offer. The volcanos, and lakes, limestone structures and Mayan ruins are all incredible and well worth visiting. LGBT: I felt the least comfortable in Guatemala when it came to being a couple. This wasn't due to any particular incident it was more a general feeling of conservatism in Guatemala that we hadn't felt in other parts of Latin America. There are no legal protections for the LGBT community however homoxsexuality was decriminalised in 1871 which is extremely progressive for such a religous country. There is still targeted violence in Guatemala and due to no anti-discrimination protection violence towards members of the LGBT community but especially the trans community violence is not considered a hate crime. Budget Time $$$In terms of budgeting, Guatemala was one of very few places in Latin America where we actually over spent slightly. Granted it really wasn’t by very much, but it was an overspend. Looking back on it this is likely to have been for a couple of reasons. Number one being that this was one of the only countries where taking money out of an ATM was not free anywhere! Before leaving to embark on this epic trip I spent months looking at all the different cards and accounts that we could get in Australia that would be beneficial for our travels (being the budgeter and money person in this travel partnership my role involves a lot more work before we actually get on the road). Unlike the USA there isn’t a huge amount of reward based variety and being a non-resident of Australia I was unable to apply for a credit card so this limited us even further. After extensive research I discovered that Citibank AU had an account that offered almost market level exchange rates at point of sale and ATMs and no ATM fee with any of their affiliate banks of which there are literally thousands all over the world. This meant that in the first 18 months of our travels we had paid about $10USD in total for all of our bank transactions across the world.
When we arrived in Guatemala, after trying literally EVERY ATM in Antigua, I discovered that this banking network had two main players and neither of them were affiliates of Citibank. This meant that it was going to cost 30Q ($4.30USD/$5.40AUD) every time I wanted to take out money…AND, to add insult to injury, there was a limit of 2000Q ($285USD/$360AUD) per withdrawal. On a $25USDpp/day budget, this would mean a minimum of three ATM transactions while in Guatemala. This might not seem like big deal given that totals less than $15USD, but it frustrated me massively as it was for this exact reason that I spent literally DAYS in Australia trawling the internet and various banking forums trying to find the best option! What I think made it feel worse as well was that from the very beginning Guatemala felt like a country that was going to be a bit of an unnecessary but unavoidable money pit and I did not appreciate the idea that not only would we have to pay over the odds for things, but we were going to have to pay for access to the money for the privilege of doing that! Anyway, apologies, I digress, that was financial issue number one. Financial issue number two was the necessity of utilizing massively over priced tourist shuttles in order to move ‘efficiently’ between locations. Unfortunately, because Guatemala is quite a large country and all of the places of interest as a visitor a fairly spread out, getting between them either has to be done on a shuttle or needs to be done in a sequence of days. While we were there we chose the former as the preferred option, in hindsight, given the inefficiency of most of these journeys, we probably would have chosen the latter. So, in Guatemala, it cost money to spend money and long distance transport was uncomfortably expensive, not a great combination. However, in general accommodation and food were not overpriced. On average we spent about 100Q ($15USD/$19.50AUD) per night on accommodation for both of us and food came in at about 20Q ($2.85/$3.60) per person per meal. Entrance to national parks and landmarks was reasonable but we did note that a lot of the organised tours seemed shockingly overpriced. This may have been due to us travelling at that start of the peak season but we did notice that the price quoted was rarely the final offer and there was quite a lot of negotiating room in most cases. Shopping around for shuttle tickets and excursions/tours is definitely worth the time and effort as you have the power to play all of the different companies off against each other! What it actually cost:$981.25 Accommodation: $293.52 Food: $224.36 Transport: $202.24 Drinks: $96.88 Entertainment: $73.53 Miscellaneous: $62.42 Souvenirs: $28.31 This works out at $37.71 AUD per person per day Having already started panicking the night before about the border crossing to Costa Rica we decided to take the easy route and book a shuttle ($27 USD/34.40 AUD) to Puerto Viejo across the border. I woke up anxious and there was nothing much that could really be done to calm me down...what was I panicking about you may be wondering? The lack of onward trip anywhere. I had done a lot of research into traveling into Costa Rica and almost everything I read stated you must have a return ticket out of there or proof of onward travel elsewhere. Having decided to risk it, I was almost paralytic with anxiety (anyone who knows me knows I’m terrified of customs and border crossings at the best of times, despite having been to 51 countries and it’s completely irrational). Well, it turns out my panic was all for nothing. They were really friendly at the border, and the only question they asked me was what my occupation was. I’m not saying that you won’t get asked more questions, or be required to provide evidence of future travel arrangements, but we didn’t and I did read that the more stamps in your passport the less likely they are to question you as it is apparent you stick to visa rules. The process was really easy and the shuttle driver even stopped to let us look at a sloth on the side of the road. The process I would imagine is fairly similar independently where you take a water taxi to Almirante, a taxi to the bus station, a bus to the border go through panama customs, walk across the bridge (it’s a new bridge so the stand by me bridge you may have seen online is no longer an option), go to Costa Rican immigration, then get on another bus either to San Jose or Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is a great place to chill and party if that’s what your into but it wasn’t really our scene. We did find a cheap room at The Lion Fish Hostel ($25 USD/31.85 AUD) which unfortunately turned out to be really noisy and resulted in two predominantly sleepless nights. However, Puerto Viejo’s saving grace was the wonderful soda (Costa Rican local restaurant) around the corner. It didn’t have a name but it was on the first street on the right past Lion Fish towards the beach. It was the second block back, next to the lavanderia and the lovely woman there serves huge plates of food for 3000c ($5.25 USD/6.70 AUD). Other than eating and wandering, Puerto Viejo served very little purpose or held any further appeal to us, so after our two restless nights, we moved on! Our next stop was Tortuguero but it turned out getting there was not going to be simple if you didn’t want to take the shuttles available. It was going to be a 5 stage journey but we decided to give it a go. We arrived at the first bus stop at 7.30am and bought our tickets from the shop opposite the bus stop. This first stage cost 1,825c ($3.20 USD/4.10 AUD) and was an easy hour and a half to Limon. Now, at Limon we needed to change bus stations which is quick and easy…provided you know where you’re going. Follow the green exit/salida signs out of the terminal you arrive into and head out onto the street. Turn right and then take the first street on your left. Follow this up until you find the big green bus terminal called Carribe Terminal on your left hand side. This is only about 500m and multiple people were willing to help show us the way when we simply informed them we were heading in the direction of Guaplies. Once here we were immediately directed to the bus to Guapiles. This cost 2,200c ($3.85 USD/4.90 AUD) and took just over and hour and a half getting us into Guapiles before the 11am bus to Cariari. The Cariari ticket window is away from the other ticket windows and is actually opposite where the bus leaves from so look for the sign over the bus parking spaces then look directly back and you’ll find the window (alternatively you can just ask for “bolito para Cariari” and you will be pointed in the right direction). This bus is only 500c ($0.85 USD/1.10 AUD) and took just over half an hour. Up to this point in our journey, all our ducks had lined up perfectly and each journey was seamless…that was until we reached Cariari! We pulled into the bus station at 11:37 and had thus just missed the 11:30 bus, which had frustratingly actually left on time! The next one wasn’t until 3pm and a 3 1/2hr wait in the middle of a long day at a dusty and uncomfortable bus station did not seem appealing! Lucky for us (and by this stage Michelle who we met in Guapiles) we were approached by Owen, a guide on Tortuguero, who was heading home. He offered us a shared taxi to the port. This ended up costing us 2500c ($4.40 USD/5.60 AUD) each, which although double what the bus would have cost, was much quicker and meant not hanging around. We know Owen was able to get local price for the taxi at 14,000c ($24.60 USD/31.35 AUD) but even then if there’s a group of you it may be worth forking out the extra for a quicker transfer (we passed the bus we missed on route). Owen was also kind enough to help us get a local boat across to Tortuguero instead of the public boat, which actually costs more. The reason this was even better was the local boats don’t charge you for your luggage. It was 2000c ($3.50 USD/4.50 AUD) per person and left again earlier than the public boat. All up our journey took us 5 hours and despite all the changes it was pretty easy (thanks to Owen!!). It was totally worth it when we arrived in what can only be described and untamed paradise. Owen had also recommended a guesthouse called Meryscar, which is towards the beach backing onto the second soccer pitch (ask at the orange tourist information centre at the arrival dock and everyone will know where you are asking about). Meryscar is run by a lovely Spanish/Nicaraguan couple, who have recently taken it over. They clearly love this place and made us feel so at home right from the beginning. They even brought out some ice-cold young coconuts to welcome us. It was $20 USD ($25.50 AUD) for a double room and had a great chill space out front with hammocks. It was through the woman at the guesthouse that we met Jungle Jon who would be our guide in the National Park during our stay. We chose to do the canoe tour early because it gives you the best chance to see wildlife. It was totally worth the 5.20am wake up as we watched capuchin, spider and howler monkeys swing through the trees and iguanas sunning themselves in the morning light. Jon was a great guide and really had a passion for what he was showing us. It really is worth the $35 USD ($44.60 AUD) it cost us including the park entrance fee ($20 for Jon and $15 for one days park entrance). The rest of the time was spent wandering around town. There are a few free walks you can do which give you some pretty good wildlife spotting opportunities. You can wander down the beach from 4-6pm before it is closed to the public without a guide. It is around this time that you may spot the baby turtles making the mad dash to the sea. We just missed this twice while we were walking, but Michelle managed to see them on her walk. You may also spot the Green Macaws that fly around town as well as some gorgeous coloured frogs in the banana trees just after dusk. All in all we absolutely loved Tortuguero and it turned out to be the Caribbean Island paradise we had been looking for in Bocas de Toro! So, it transpires that nothing about Costa Rican transport is easy. Having made the decision not to head to La Fortuna or Monteverde due to the recent hurricane that had done a lot of damage, the border town of Los Chiles seemed the closest/easiest place to cross in to Nicaragua. Well, just because something is close in Costa Rica does not mean it’s easy. I had done a lot of research into this little used border crossing and discovered that although there is a boat that will go from Los Chiles to San Carlos (Nicaragua) there is a newly opened land crossing that for all intents and purposes was supposed to be an easier and quicker option. I set about trying to find anyone else who had done the route from Tortuguero to Los Chiles in the bloggersphere and came across one guy who had done it…in 2013! He explained that it began with the reverse journey from Tortuguero to Guapiles and to give us the best chance of arriving before midnight we decided that 5am ferry to La Pavona was going to be our best bet. Here’s where the lovely woman in our guesthouse proved yet again to be amazing as she called her friend Quimi who does a private boat/shuttle transfer to Cariari all for 4000c ($7 USD/8.95 AUD). This would also mean not having to wait for the slower public bus at 7.30am as this shuttle would leave the port as soon as we arrived. We were in Cariari by 6.40am and then were on a bus to Guapiles (500c/$0.85 USD/1.10 AUD) by 6.50am. The next bus was to take us to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui and was leaving at 8am, which left us 20 minutes between arriving in Guapiles and getting on stage 4 of our journey. This Puerto Viejo is not to be confused with the town we started at in southern Costa Rica. This bus cost 1220c ($2.15 USD/2.75 AUD) each and took us just over an hour. It was here we ended up with our longest wait of the day because our connecting bus to San Carlos (know as also Ciudad Quesada - 1155c/$2 USD/2.60 AUD) was not leaving till 10.30am. One thing we can say is that despite awkwardly regular requirement for connections and round about routes, the buses are efficient. At 10.20am the bus pulled in and at 10.30am, we were pulling out of the terminal. This next leg was slightly longer and we didn’t arrive in to San Carlos until just before 1pm, at which point, we were ushered very quickly onto the final leg of the journey to Los Chiles (2500c/$4.40 USD/5.60 AUD) and it left within minutes of us jumping aboard. After nearly 12 hours on the road we pulled in to Los Chiles at 4.15pm, ready to drop, but triumphant that we had made it! Finding a guest house in Los Chiles wasn’t as easy as we had imagined in the tiny little border town but we were lucky enough to stumble upon Jabiru Villas that cost $25 USD ($31.35 AUD) a night and they upgraded our room so that it had aircon/a kitchenette and private bathroom for the same cost as their basic rooms. After an ok night’s sleep we were ready to tackle our 3rd border crossing in just over 2 weeks. This one was supposed to be simple so I didn’t have my usual pre-border meltdown. We arrived at the bus station just after breakfast and waited for the next bus to the border (“frontera”) to come through. Most of these buses are from San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada) but some are coming from San Jose. We were lucky again and only had to wait for 10 minutes for the next bus, which was just enough time to change our remaining Costa Rican colones into Nicaraguan cordoba. The bus to the border only took around 15 minutes and we were quickly lining up to pay the tourist exit tax out of Costa Rica. Everything I had read said that you could only pay this by card at the border but this is no longer the case. You can pay the $8 USD (4,500c/$10.20 AUD) fee in either currency and in cash. Being stamped out of Costa Rica was relatively easy and after a little confusion we found our way to the first Nicaraguan checkpoint. There were 2 men (one asleep) in a little shack as we crossed who asked to see our passports. After a short friendly interrogation (us answering as best we could in broken Spanish) he ushered us towards the more official looking building. We were 2 of about 6 people crossing at the time and we quickly realised that they don’t see many gringos passing through here. We had a similar, but this time more intense friendly interrogation here and both of us simultaneously became awkward when asked if we were married (we answered no as we are not legally married in Nicaragua) and finally were stamped through. The bag check was non-existent and the man behind the counter handed us a ticket to say he had checked both our bags (he hadn’t). Make sure you hold on to this ticket, as you will need it to get through the gate to the collectivos to San Carlos. It was at this gate that our passports were checked for the 3rd time and after another thorough inspection of our passports we were finally allowed into Nicaragua and onto the collectivo. Our passports were checked for a 4th time on the road out of the border zone at a police checkpoint. The whole process was difficult as our Spanish is basic but at all stages it was friendly and now we were ready to explore the next country. So that’s our journey across Costa Rica in 12 easy steps and on to Nicaragua! Just to recap if you’re going to do the independent route from Puerto Viejo to Tortuguero: Puerto Viejo to Limon Limon to Guapiles Guapiles to Cariari Cariari to La Pavona La Pavona to Tortuguero…and should cost from $14-16 USD ($17-20 AUD) From Tortuguero to Los Chiles or La Fortuna (as it is the same route until the last bus): Tortuguero to La Pavona La Pavona to Cariari Cariari to Guapiles Guapiles to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui to San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada) San Carlos to either La Fortuna or Los Chiles depending on where you are going next…should cost around $17 USD ($21.90 AUD) all up. Budget Time $$$Prior to us arriving in Costa Rica we had read a huge amount about how expensive it was as a destination and that in fact a lot of the same landscape and wildlife for which Costa Rica is famous could be seen in Nicaragua for a fraction of the cost. This resulted in us limiting our exploration of Costa Rica too intensely and meant we spent relatively little time there given it’s size. These days Costa Rica is basically a dual currency country using both the local colones and USD. In the places that we visited this duality was almost universal, from hostels to restaurants to supermarkets and even buses. It is definitely wise to carry colones as you may encounter times when spending the green back will not be an option or may result in an unfavourable exchange rate but our experience showed us that for the most part either currency can be spent anywhere and almost always was exchanged at the days rate. The rumoured hyper-expense turned out to be largely untrue in our experience. That’s not to say that it was a cheap destination, but the prices of accommodation, transportation, food and excursions were comfortably contained within our $40USD/person daily budget. This may have been partially due to the fact that we were travelling in shoulder season (October, before the peak started in November at the end of rainy season) but timing of travel is something that should always be considered, especially with longer-term travel and in more expensive destinations! One nice thing that we did notice was the fact that in a lot of the accommodations the prices offered for dorms or private rooms were per person rather than for the room itself. On that basis it would cost a solo traveller the same to stay in a private room for the night as it would for us as a couple. Like we have said, independent travel around Costa Rica is not easy (although it is surprisingly efficient). As with Panama, there are direct tourist shuttles that offer quick and easy transportation between all desirable tourist destinations but these are unbelievably expensive when compared to the local alternative and if you are willing to put up with a few changes and a bit of extra time then this is unquestionably a more financially savvy alternative! At this point we were beginning to learn that consideration needed to be given to the wether we valued time, ease and comfort or money more. At this particular stage it was certainly the latter for us, but that was not to say that at later points in the trip we would not bang for the former! What it Actually Cost: 7 Days = $495.45 USD for 2 people Accommodation: $200 Food: $145.16 Entertainment: $91.83 Transport: $86.84 Drinks: $63.74 Miscellaneous: $38.77 Souvenirs: $23.59 Daily spend: $35.60 USD per person LGBT:Again Costa Rica is an open minded country and we didn't face any problems. We even managed to meet another married lesbian couple in Puerto Veijo. As far as the law goes homosexuality is legal in Costa Rica and has been since the 70's (pretty progressive for Latin America). Unfortunately trans recognition is also non exsistent. Transpeople in Costa Rica are not able to legally change their legal gender to match their identity.
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