That wasn’t enough to encourage me to write this post, what did is when I found this same picture in Potosi, Sucre, and now La Paz. It seems somehow at least one or two  restaurants in every town we visited in Bolivia that serves pizza, and there is a lot, has this photo.

So, the question remains. Who are these 4 Pizza loving tourists? Also, why is it all over Bolivia and do these four realize they are spokespeople for at least a half dozen pizza joints.

S

Do You Know These 4 Pizza Lovers? is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post Do You Know These 4 Pizza Lovers? appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

We try to make it a habit to show up to new towns during the day, especially when we don’t have any hostel reservations to guide us where to go. We could just go and wing it, or catch the bus which had a special going on directly to Punta del Este. We decided to forgo the few towns before – if we really wanted we could always back-track, so we headed to Punto del Este.

And here is the breakdown for Uruguay…

Our “Special” event really is just the Uruguayan equivalent of my Visa for Argentina.

If you see any other indicators where there is U$0.00 for accommodations, or that I visited for more days than I had listed as paid for accommodations it is because we used Couchsurfing.

Our “Other” slot was a catch all so when we bought bathroom supplies, sim card, or using public restrooms.

“Transportation” not only includes local transportation (bus, metro, and taxi) but our tickets to each destination as well. To give you an idea of what we paid for each leg (this is the total for our tickets):

Punta Del Este -> Montevideo U$394
Montevideo -> Buenos Aires (Bus + Ferry) U$484*

*We had problems reserving our ticket online at first to Buenos Aires and decided to go to the terminal to purchase our tickets. Plus this would allow us the opportunity to become familiar with our route before we go with all our stuff. When we arrived at the terminal the same companies we were looking at online were charging double, if not more, for the same tickets. They informed us it was better to purchase online, we we later did but had to purchase our tickets individually.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Budget Breakdown++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here is a break down of a few items you may be interested in purchasing

Food

Beer – U$65-82 for 1 liter

Lunch at dine-in restaurant U$250-632 for two people (may be more expensive depending on drinks. The U$250 was for a Chivito that we split with 2 beers, the $632 was when we purchased individual plates.

Public Transportation

Bus U$49 per-person for a bus from Punta Del Este to Punta Ballena, U$13 public buses in Montevideo

How Much Does It Cost: Uruguay is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post How Much Does It Cost: Uruguay appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

Image Property of Couchsurfing.org and was taken from their facebook page.

If you’ve checked out my budget posts on our travels you may have noticed that I mentioned that Couchsurfing is one of the reasons we have a zero listed next to the accommodations section of our budget. That zero is enough to intrigue a lot of people, especially the budget traveler – but what exactly is couchsurfing?

Well, to be honest it is many things wrapped into one site – think of it as Facebook for Backpackers with a free hosting bonus attached to it.

However, it really is so much more than that, and difficult to really quantify the Couchsurfing experience.

How Does It Work?

Well first off you need to sign up and create a profile. The more information and pictures you put about yourself the more a potential host can learn about you and make sure you are someone they want in their home.

It is also a network built up on a reference system, the more friends you have – be they personal friends, Facebook friends, hosts you’ve stayed with, or surfers you let stay in your home – the more appealing your profile looks to others.

Now, everyone has to start from scratch so just because you are a newbie doesn’t mean you’ll never get to fit in with the “in” couchsurfing crowd. Our first time surfing was in Paranagua, Brazil. A wonderful family agreed to host us for 3 nights, even though we’ve never surfed before. We’ve also been on the other end where we were looking for a couch in Santiago, Chile and a guy who was brand new to CouchSurfing offered to host us because we seemed like a nice couple and had plenty of references (by that point we surfed at least 6 times).

It’s More than Just Crashing on Someone’s Couch

There is an events section located in each city/region that allows people to create events or meet ups where other travelers can get together. Some cities, usually larger one that tend to be more populated by tourists, will have an official weekly Couchsurfing meetup.

Even if going to events isn’t your thing, it really is more than just sleeping on someone’s couch – it is an invitation into their life. I’ll be honest it is a little awkward at first, but before you know it you are chit chatting and having a good time. That is, if you sent a request to someone who you think you can get along with, if you just looked for any old couch to crash on it may just continue to be a really awkward encounter or possibly worse.

You really get to know some locals and experience things that you may not otherwise have even known about. We had one host take us camping, we’ve been invited to cook outs, one host drove us from Santiago to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar for a day, another host drove us to Elqui Valley near La Serena. The experiences are unpredictable, we stayed with one lovely couple – a student and a street juggler- and were unsure about it when we slept on a mattress on their floor of their small apartment. However, after the first day we got the chance to really know them and had a wonderful time with them. What they had to offer may have been a bit more basic but they were great people and opened up everything they had to ensure we were able to have a great experience in their city. On the other end, we’ve also had the opportunity to sleep in a nice condo in Punto Del Este, Uruguay on the 17th floor with a great view of the whole city.

So How Does This Thing Work?

It is free, but at the same time these people are welcoming you into their homes and basically into their lives. I’ve heard lots of different examples of how surfers can express gratitude, though it isn’t obligatory it is a nice gesture, such as cook for their host, share music, some bring small flags from their home country, we made small bracelets to give to our hosts, and there are many other examples of trinkets that represent you, your town, or home country that you can share.

In some cases you find hosts who are more generous than you could even wish for – I had one host give me a jacket since we were going to colder climates. Another host gave me a hat to keep me warm after he saw Aiko and I crocheting scarves.

A Word of Warning

It is a common question, is Couchsurfing safe? Read the profiles, if you are a single female traveler looking to Couchsurf and see a guy who only likes hosting single female travelers and only has his one bed to share, then be careful. If a host or surfer has negative references, be sure to read through them to see if it was a misunderstanding or the person is just a really bad host/surfer that would best be avoided. Also, to be extra precocious you can search for vouched Couchsurfers, which are members who have verified their identity and address.

Also, it is better to send out more than just one request and send them out far enough in advance to give your host time to see if they are available and willing to host you.

Couchsurfing has given us an amazing unique view of South America that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to know. True, I also like that it has saved us a lot of money along the way, but it has also brought us friends that we can only hope to return the favor one day in the future.

Have any questions about Couchsurfing, feel free to write a comment below and I’ll be sure to answer to the best of my ability. If you don’t want to publicly post a question/comment feel free to email me at Cornelius@MonkeyBrewster.com

Couchsurfing is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post Couchsurfing appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

The neck pillow adds the needed comfort for extended or continuous traveling. It also server as a regular pillow by simply placing it in a pillow case. *I’m OK with the kid’s size neck pillow, but most grownups may be best with an adult size one.
By using your own pillow and pillow case, you also have that piece of mind when going to bed, that you are not sleeping on someone else’s drool.

Travel Gear Review: Travel Pillow is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post Travel Gear Review: Travel Pillow appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

80+% polyester towel. Travel friendly (doesn’t take up much space and it’s not heavy). Absorbent enough for after showers, dries fast. For abundant long hair we recommend considering a second one.

Travel Gear Review: Travel Towel is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post Travel Gear Review: Travel Towel appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

One other thing to factor into our budget – we didn’t eat out a lot and only rarely went out for drinks at a night club. We did drink, but that is covered in our “Food & Beverage” total, we often bought beer or wine with our groceries so it became too troublesome to sort out. We also often splurged when we didn’t have to pay for housing – and in Sao Paulo we had an almost nightly tradition that involved a bottle of wine and playing cards with family. If you don’t drink and can live off of rice and ramen I’m sure you could do better with your food budget than us.

And here is the breakdown for Brazil…

Our “Special” events included getting into a Samba school, Pao de Acucar (R$106), and Carnival (R$370).

If you see any other indicators where there is R$0.00 for accommodations it is because we used Couchsurfing - which I’ll be writing a post on that soon.

Our “Other” slot was a catch all so when we bought havaianas, bathroom stuff, sun tan lotion (which is expensive in Rio), or the first and last time we bought cigarettes it is all included here.

“Transportation” not only includes local transportation but our tickets for each destination. Brazil has a really great website that lists bus routes from most bus companies called Busca Omnibus. To give you an idea of what we paid for each leg (this is the total for both our tickets):

Rio -> Sao Paulo R$151
Sao Paulo – > Curitiba R$135
Curitiba -> Paranagua R$44.82
Paranagua -> Ilha do Mel (Ferry) R$32
Ilha do Mel -> Paranagua R$32
Paranagua ->Curitiba R$38.78
Curitiba -> Florianopolis R$100.06
Florianopolis -> Porto Alegre R$139.80
Porto Alegre -> Punta del Este (Uruguay) R$329.50

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++UPDATE++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After reading a comment inquiring for a bit more information, I wanted to add a little more useful information.

Here is a break down of a few items you may be interested in purchasing

Food

Juice R$5-7, there are ‘Suco’ stands all over Rio de Janeiro and you will likely purchase an Acai or some other exotic fruit.

Caiparinha – R$5-10

Cocoanut -  R$5 on the beaches of Rio

Beer – R$8-14 for 1 liter

Lunch at dine-in restaurant R$40-60 for two people (may be more expensive depending on drinks.

Public Transportation

Bus R$2.35 per-person (non A.C. bus) in Rio, R$2.9 in Florianopolis

Metro R$3.20 per-person in Rio , R$3 per person in Sao Paulo

Other

Sunblock – R$16-30 (It is expensive here so bring your own)

How Much Does It Cost: Brazil is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post How Much Does It Cost: Brazil appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

A few days previous we met two couples on a free walking tour, and made plans to meet up for the parade and celebration. Three of them being Irish, were also intrigued on what Buenos Aires had to offer.

On St. Patrick’s day we decided to go and purchase some whiskey to help cut costs while still celebrating with a drink in hand. This would have been a bit better planned if we hadn’t skipped lunch and were hungry and drinking on an empty stomach. Luckily, everyone else was hungry too, so after the parade we figured we would find a bite to eat.

Parade should be used lightly, there was one band of bagpipes and drums, a small group with Irish wolfhounds, and a group of Irish dancers. All in all there was maybe 40 people in the whole parade. The spectators who joined in the parade and followed the group to Plaza San Martin, greatly outnumbered the parade itself.

After reaching the plaza, we headed over to Reconquista, a street only a few blocks away and is supposed to have a host of bars including a few Irish ones. The bars were still bare at 7pm, though the crowd that was gathering was a little more rough around the edges. Not sure where to go for a bite to eat, since our first two Irish pubs had nothing available, we decided to ask a local police and since we were chit chatting so casually I decided to ask him where I could purchase a patch like the one he was wearing.

Now here is the question you are thinking, why would I even want a policeman’s patch? Well my father and brother  are both police officers and they collect patches from other counties and states in the US. The idea of sending an Argentinian (and if I can help it maybe a few more) patch to their collection sounded like a great gift idea.

So with whiskey on my breath, an empty growling stomach and Aiko at my side we inquired about his patch. He pulled his off, it was Velcro, and casually said to make him an offer. My stomach started to turn in knots, at least the little more it could as it already was pleading with me for food. I’m bad at bargaining, I mean really bad at it but add to the fact I’m trying to negotiate with a pistol carrying police officer over how much his patch is worth – well then you got yourself in a fumbling whiskey slurred kind of situation.

Luckily Aiko was there to my rescue and asked him how much he wanted for it, as we didn’t want to insult him. His starting offer was 150 Argentinian pesos, which seems a bit steep but his reasoning was he’d have to buy a new one. This, I wouldn’t doubt from my experience with my father – though they usually get a clothing allowance. Either way, it was $30 US, which in the long term would be worth it as an addition to my dad’s collection.

We made plans to meet the next day, at such and such a spot in order to purchase the patch. I had the cash but didn’t want to pull it out, as it was stashed in my pacsafe belt. We walked away and met up with our friends who insisted we were silly not to just purchase it then, as the opportunity might not present itself again.

We got the cash and walked up like we were preparing to make a drug deal, I handed him the cash and he pulled off his patch. A quick “gracias” was uttered and we were on our way back to a few exciting adults circling around the patch like a bunch of kids, muttering things like “cool” and “sweet.” I felt like a bad ass with a policeman’s patch in my pocket and I can’t wait to send it off to my father for Father’s Day. For the time being, the patch has given me a great story and that’s worth it in the end – even if we broke our daily budget because of it.

The Night I Bought A Police Officer’s Patch is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post The Night I Bought A Police Officer’s Patch appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

I don’t  regret that decision.

We spent three days in Florianopilis, and only did one touristy thing by accident, but that is what makes this story interesting.

Before I tell our story of Florianopilis, I need to give you a bit of a background information. We spent 3 weeks in Rio de Janeiro and of course we were beach bums there as well. We came to Rio prepared with swimsuits but what you get in the US is much bigger and covers more than what you find in Rio. I convinced Aiko to pick up a bikini, not a super tiny dental floss like one but something a little less conservative than what she had already brought with her. As you can imagine, it didn’t offer a lot of support. I already had my sunga (speedo) from my previous time in Rio. We were fitting in with the crowd – or at least that was our excuse.

Back to Florianopolis.

We decided to go for a walk down Compeche beach towards Joaquina. We would walk a little, then swim a little, then walk a little and so on and so on until we reached that point where you don’t know if it is better to return or keep going. Luckily at the point where Joaquina beach ends we could see houses and beach umbrellas, compared to the nothing that we had walked along. The sand dunes didn’t seem like an enjoyable trek after a long walk on the beach, in hopes of a road or some way back.

These were the little dots on the horizon beckoning us towards civilization

Things have a way of appearing closer than they really are, that or we just vastly underestimated our walk. Though, we did arrive eventually, albeit tired and hungry, but arrived there never the less.

After we ate and had a beer (to rehydrate of course), and maybe some more relaxing on the beach, we decided to catch a bus back. So we waited. And waited. And then waited some more until finally the more expensive air conditioned bus came by – but at that point we didn’t care if the fare was double we just wanted to get home and rest our feet.

We knew we would have to get off at a bus terminal and change buses, and although this particular bus didn’t stop at the terminal it did pass it and the bus driver agreed to let us know when to get off.

As we passed a bus terminal and began heading up hill, I started to wonder if we were heading in the right direction. We zigged and then we zagged and then we zigged some more to the point that my worries melted away at the beautiful view we were enjoying. We reached the top, and my eyes caught the bus driver’s in his rear view mirror, only to see a look that can be described as, “oh shit!”

We missed our stop. It was down the mountain, and so we got off under the advice to catch a bus down to the station.

We walked over to the outlook post at the top of the mountain, enjoying the view. We asked around if there was a sidewalk, or pathway all the way down and decided to forgo spending the extra money and just walk down to the terminal.

The path ended after the first turn, but we made a commitment and we were going to follow through. The only problem is that cars were flying in both directions, and next to  the road there was barely enough space to walk without falling down into woods, or a few very nice and steep driveways. So we ran from corner to corner, from zig to zag, resting in between on the little grassy area that was available.

Remember that speedo and bikini I mentioned earlier. We might have had a pair of clothes to throw over top but they still weren’t designed for jogging down mountains, and neither were our havaianas (flip-flops). My speedo gave too much support and Aiko’s top wasn’t giving any.

With sore feet, and dressed like beach bums, we ran down towards the bus station laughing the whole way.

In any other circumstance we probably would have reacted differently, but at that point it all seemed too funny to be true.

We eventually made it to the terminal and caught a bus ride home…which, forgot to tell us to get off at our stop. Only this time our walk was a lot shorter and a little less adventurous.

Florianopilis – Beaches, Mishaps and Mountains is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post Florianopilis – Beaches, Mishaps and Mountains appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

My friend who had hosted us in Rio for 3 weeks was moving to a new apartment. This was another 1 bedroom, although this time he was moving in with a friend. Because he was moving, we decided to bring everything with us, but purely by chance because we were sure we would be returning. Our short visit, extended a week and then it was Carnival, and then we stayed 1 and then 2 weeks more. Before we knew it we had spent a total of 30 days in Sao Paulo, though what I can tell you of the city is very limited.

Our apartment for the month was a small two bedroom apartment that belonged to Aiko´s cousin , although this really only served as a temporary until she moved into a new apartment in March. Along with her own two children, Aiko´s cousin was also hosting her parents – this caused for a very packed apartment. Though, somehow we all made it work. We sat around the little table and enjoyed meals together, elbow to elbow perhaps, but enjoyable all the same. At night we would open a bottle of wine and play cards hours. On occassion we would visit the city, but our plans had to coincide with the regular afternoon showers. It is easy to forget that this sprawling megalopolis was built over what once was a jungle. Though the jungle is gone, the climate remains, and afternoon showers seem to be the regular during the summer months.

Each trip to the city cost us R$3 each, each way. So we traveled sparingly and usually with intent to visit a specific site. We visited Plaça Se, which consisted of some shops and a monumental church which covered the street lined with prostitutes and cheap, by the hour, hotels located behind it. We visited Liberdade, during a Chinese New Year celebration and once before which entertained us for a short while before we were idly window shoping. We also visited Sao Bento, which is not as touristy but has streets lined with stores, and a building full of craft supplies. This was a favorite of Aiko´s aunt who is Martha Stewart crafty. We got into making little braided bracelets and have been using these as gifts for our CouchSurfing hosts. Other than the addition of Carnival, there is little more we truly experienced in Sao Paulo.

True there are parks and Museums, which the latter could have been a great activity to explore during the rainy afternoons. However, the 20 minute walk to the metro station looked longer and longer as the clouds grew darker. Thus we stayed, opened a bottle of wine and played.

What did I learn about Sao Paulo, little. With little internet access, I´m sorry to say I blogged very little too. Instead, it was so very easy to get lost with time spent with family. One that I am greatful we were able to experience.

Hopefully, I learn to become a bit of a better tourist in my travels.

1 Month in Sao Paulo & None The Wiser is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post 1 Month in Sao Paulo & None The Wiser appeared first on Monkey Brewster.

A pesar de nuestra ‘mala’ experiencia (mala entre comillas porque me tomó por sorpresa, pero en retrospectiva no estábamos en peligro) la primera noche en Lapa, la mayoría de la gente que hemos encontrado durante nuestras aventuras en Rio de Janeiro han sido amables con nosotros. El truco, como sospecharían, ha sido andar con cautela, saber quien puede ser de mas confianza y que cosas evitar.

Cuando somos niños nos enseñan a ser cuidadosos y no hablar con desconocidos, pero ‘no hombre es una isla’. Nosotros tenemos la necesidad de comunicarnos, conectar con los demás y expandir nuestros horizontes, por lo cual, la regla anterior es modificada ne! La diferencia es que mientras crecemos, vamos aprendiendo a tener un mejor juicio de las personas, lugares, situaciones, etc. (aunque muchas veces nos equivocamos).

Alguna vez has visitado un local irlandés, sea un restaurante, barra, etc.? Quizá te percataste de un dicho en la pared que dice ‘Aquí no hay desconocidos, sólo amigos por conocer’ (o más probablemente en inglés: ‘there are no strangers here, only friends that are yet to meet’), y esta, en mi opinión, es una lección tan importante como la primera.

Una de las lecciones que he aprendido en este viaje es que a pesar de estar en un lugar con diferentes condiciones a las que estoy acostumbrada, no debo andar en pánico, únicamente con cautela y disfrutar de la cultura en la que estoy emergida. De lo contrario, quizá no valdría la pena viajar.

La Bondad Ajena is a post from: Monkey Brewster

The post La Bondad Ajena appeared first on Monkey Brewster.