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Visit to the Colombian Amazon Notebook 1/4: Leticia (Colombia) & Tabatinga (Brazil)
This article is part of our series of articles “JB & Anh in the Amazon”, to see all the articles of the series, click here. To read our practical guide, click here. DAY 1: A day in Leticia Bogotá => Leticia From any city in Colombia, to visit the Colombian Amazon, it is absolutely necessary to pass through Leticia, a small town on the edge of the Amazon, bordering Brazil and facing the Peruvian island Santa Rosa. There is no road leading to Leticia and the only Colombian city “linked” to Leticia is Bogota, 2 hours by plane, or 27 days by boat. The small cars that drive to Leticia…
- America, Around the world, Colombia, Country Guides, During the World Tour, TDM, Tips, Top Destinations
3 Weeks in Colombia: Itinerary, Budget, Practical Advice
Today, I propose you this 3 weeks itinerary, inspired by our road trips in Colombia (we stayed 2 months but working in parallel). With this itinerary, you will explore the Amazonian forest, visit the most beautiful colonial villages, take a nice walk in the mountains, and gild the pill on a Caribbean island. A very busy but relaxing vacation too. Abstract Colombia is one of the countries we have had a big crush on. The landscapes are very varied, you can go from the sea to the high mountains in one hour (by plane). The prices are very affordable, the Colombians, not used to see tourists, are extremely nice and…
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Route Medellín – Bogotá (Colombia) by bus with Flota Magdalena: 11h drive, Rates, Reviews
Usually, we don’t talk much about our bus trips, but we talk about them if it was particularly funny or trying, like the one between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. After a month in Medellín, we decide to spend our last 10 days in Colombia in Bogotá, to facilitate our travels for our trip to the Amazon, then our next stop in Panama. As we were much too late for the plane tickets, we choose the bus, much longer but more economical. I ask JB to choose us a “luxury” bus for tourists, with Wifi, touch screen like the one we took from Salento to Medellín, and two companies with a…
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Mobile Phone Theft: What can you do to protect yourself?
In Medellín, I had the bad experience of having my cell phone stolen in the subway. My cell phone was password-protected (indispensable!), making the risk of further inconvenience quite low. But since I have most of my life on my phone, I still took a number of steps to protect my sensitive data as much as possible, here’s what I did. Locking / Erasing my phone remotely Most smartphones now have a feature that allows you to lock or even delete your phone remotely If you have an Android phone, you have to go here: https: //myaccount.google.com/find-your-phone If you have an iPhone, go here: https: //www.icloud.com/applications/find/ For this to work,…
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Xoom service from Paypal: send money anywhere in the world at low cost (Review + Promo Code)
EDIT JANUARY 2020 : We’ve had several feedback suggesting that the Xoom service is unreliable and customer service is unresponsive. Feel free to comment on your experiences. While waiting for a possible improvement of the service, we advise you to use the Azimo competitor service instead. If you wish to register on Xoom, click on this referral link, you will receive 25 € after your first money transfer. Better than a coupon code! In July 2019, Paypal launched the Xoom service in Europe. This service makes it possible to send money anywhere in the world (in 130 different countries) at a lower cost. For travelers, this service can be very…
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2 months in Quebec (Canada) as a Digital Nomad
We arrived in Canada in May hoping to have a little better weather. But the winter lasted longer than expected and it was very cold when we arrived, the nice weather did not come back until mid-June. So we enjoyed Canada as locals, not as tourists. Here is a non-exhaustive list of what we have found, or things we have been told by French expatriates in Montreal. We went there to test the ground and see if we really want to settle there one day. The answer is no😀 Apartments that aren’t too expensive but difficult to rent by the month like a normal Canadian We rented 1 Airbnb in…
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Comparing Icebreaker’s Merinos Wool T-shirts to Decathlon’s
One advice that a friend who traveled around the world gave me was to buy little (to wear little) but of quality. Comfort during the round-the-world trip is essential, and you shouldn’t save money on this point, especially since good gear isn’t to be found everywhere in the world. Even if JB already has a Decathlon backpack, he bought a real Gregory Baltoro 65 pro bag, which changes everything! Apart from the backpack, there are other items on which one should not be thrifty: the shoes merino wool t-shirts winter clothes: the lighter, the better, the more expensive it is Today, I will compare several merino wool T-shirts/tops I bought…
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Iguazú Falls (Brazil & Argentina): Practical Travel Guide (Rates 2020)
Note October 2019: thanks to the internet users who just visited the falls (thanks Anne-Laure and Alexandra), I was able to update most of the prices. Please note that the high inflation in Argentina makes the exercise difficult. When I wrote the article for the first time, the rate was 1€ = 16.38$AR. Now, the rate has increased to 1€ = 64$AR (October 2019). Remember to take a lot of dollars or euros to exchange on the spot because the distributors are often empty and take a lot of money or go through Azimo when you are in La Plata (near Buenos Aires). A. Which side to visit? The French…
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La Comuna 13: a ghetto transformed thanks to graffiti – What to do in Medellin #3 (Colombia)
It is the last day of Philippe (JB’s father) in Colombia and we chose to bring him to see the best of the best of Medellin: the Comuna 13, formerly the most dangerous district of the most dangerous city in the world, because directly associated with Pablo Escobar in the 80-90s. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary The history of Comuna 13 There are 16 comunas (boroughs) in Medellín and Comuna 13 is the best known for the wrong reasons. After Escobar’s death, the municipality passed into the hands of organized gangs. Only the inhabitants could enter, the others were mercilessly killed. The metamorphosis began…
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Escobar Tour, Plaza Botero, Parque Bolivar, Cultural Center – What to do in Medellin #2 (Colombia)
At 2am, we are woken up by muffled noises, which come back every 5 to 10 minutes. For an hour. Even if a careful analysis of the noise makes us conclude that it isn’t shooting but rather a firecracker or fireworks… it makes us startle every time. Confirmed by locals during the day who tell us that birthday parties are often accompanied by fireworks or firecrackers… especially at 2am. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of a day that will end badly. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Escobar Tour We start the day with the Escobar Tour. Meeting at 9am in front of one…
