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Coming soon: Showaround?

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SunsetSteve
  12/9/2016 21:44 EST

I have booked my trip for February 7 to Medellin, with a plan, yet undeveloped, to explore the areas we've been discussing for 2 weeks. That's all I can get away with this year. My question is: has anyone used the services of showaround.com to help in getting quickly familiar with a city? If so, do you recommend them?

timllowe
  12/9/2016 21:54 EST

No

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Andresen
  12/9/2016 22:02 EST

Never heard of them.

timllowe
  12/9/2016 22:05 EST

As usual, a more complete and thought full answer, Andresen. I'm sticking with 'NO'

Andresen
  12/9/2016 22:16 EST

Tim. And that's your final answer?

timllowe
  12/9/2016 22:24 EST

Final answer.

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PittsburghSound
  12/9/2016 23:46 EST

You don't need anyone's help to learn a city quickly. Put your best walking shoes on and get to it. Do you speak Spanish? Talk to people you meet in stores and coffee shops. Humans are social creatures. Use our talents to your advantage.

JasonWriter
  12/10/2016 00:38 EST

showaround seems like a pretty cool app. Couchsurfing meets Uber, sort of. Never used it. But a quick look at the site revealed some gorgeous showaround guides. Hey, 3 hours, at 9 bucks an hour, for a little narrated tour around the city. Whatever. Personally, I wouldn't do that if I wanted a trip to be magical, in the vein of all the things that make travel wondrous. Just going and stumbling into things is the great beauty of it. But if you're on a mission with a tight time frame, go for it. And let us know know how Showaround went

BrandonBP
  12/10/2016 01:34 EST

Steve, this is a great reason I love staying in hostels. You meet so many other travelers on the patio drinking an afternoon beer, and they will invite you to do things. I travel solo, but I'm never alone.

I don't know why people have so much apprehension about hostels. I think perhaps it's that movie "Hostel" where they're sleeping in the floor with blood on the walls. Hehe. It ain't like that.

Even if you stay at a hotel, most hostels will let you in to have beers at their bar. You'll meet other travelers very easily just sitting around, and you'll soon have some travel buddies to go explore the town.

dumluk
  12/10/2016 11:04 EST

@Brandon..........any hostels you can particularly recommend? Private rooms with bthrms? I like the hostel ambience but not into dorms........are you there now?

SunsetSteve
  12/10/2016 13:44 EST

Well, I am not going to stay in a hostel - I am more of an introvert that you are Brandon and not so fond of constant interaction. Need my own downtime space. So, to hijack my own thread: I am looking around for a low-price but well located Air BnB for 4 nights (Feb 7-11) before heading out to explore the hinterland. Any suggestions for preferred locations appreciated.

Then I have to work with the map and decide which towns I can visit by bus and which will require flight, and what order to put them in. I depart from Medellin on Feb 21.

I don't know if I'll be able to see them all, but on my list: Guatape, Jardin, Pereira, Armenia, Salento, Popayan . . . so many towns, so little time!

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Andresen
  12/10/2016 13:47 EST

Guatape is 2 hours by bus from Terminal Norte in Medellin for something like 14,000 pesos.

novato1953
  12/10/2016 14:02 EST

Depends how you roll, Steve. There are really several pretty interesting neighborhoods in Medellin. My problem with hostels is the obvious one that the folks you interact with are all pretty much from out-of-town themselves. English is generally the lingua franca. Nothing wrong with your itinerary, but among all those places I think only Pereira has a commercial airport, so buses will have to do. Some of the roadside scenery between Medellin & Cali, and then between Cali & Popayan, is pretty good, so I'd avoid the night bus.

SunsetSteve
  12/10/2016 14:27 EST

So I could visit Guatape while staying in Medellin, either when I arrive or when I return to depart. Fly to Armenia or Pereira (whichever has the best rate) on the 11th, visit Eje Cafetero for a number of days, then bus to Popayan (5 hrs). 4 days in Popayan (including 2 days travel) then return to Eje Cafetero and visit Salento. Return flight to Medellin in sufficient time to spend at least one overnight in Guatape. Depart on the 21st. This itinerary seems to give me enough flexibility so that I could spend additional time where needed/desired.

Comments?

novato1953
  12/10/2016 14:39 EST

That one sounds about as good as it can get. Didn't know Armenia was on the list.

SunsetSteve
  12/10/2016 14:55 EST

I notice there is a bus service from Medellin to Jardin, with service on to Salento - would save me (a) money and (b) backtracking - but at what mental and physical cost? I wonder what the conditions are for those many hours of bus travel?

jhutch621
  12/10/2016 15:14 EST

I took an all day trip 200 miles across the Yucatan and enjoyed the hell out of it. Think about being in less of a hurry in latin america.

SunsetSteve
  12/10/2016 16:37 EST

Everything I am reading about the various bus services are pretty positive. And Medellin to Pereira seems faster by bus that by plane, and 10% of the cost I am coming to the conclusion that unless I need to be in Bogota for some reason I will stick to busses for inter-city travel. Busses as in more than one bus. I doubt I will garner the other kind of buss. If that's even still a word. :)

timllowe
  12/10/2016 17:15 EST

Bus travel is a good way to see the country. There are buses and there are buses. If possible use Bolivariano. Large seats, clean, mostly have wifi and tend to go non-stop city to city with stops for meals if it's a long haul.

The exception would be Bogota. Say you want to go Bogota to Popayan. AT LEAST 12 hours by bus (could be 2o if there's a bad accident on the road across the central range) vs a barely 1 hour flight. I only take the bus Cali/Bogota if I want to see the scenery (which is spectacular). Otherwise I'll pay a really small premium and fly Viva Colombia.

Note that Avianca is the worst airline on the planet with a seriously bad on-time record and surly service. Avoid it at all costs.

SunsetSteve
  12/10/2016 17:31 EST

oops

BrandonBP
  12/10/2016 18:45 EST

@Brandon..........any hostels you can particularly recommend? Private rooms with bthrms? I like the hostel ambience but not into dorms........are you there now?
===============================
I can't give you any recommendations for hostels in Medellin. There are some hostels with great ratings in Parque Lleras, but every time I tried to stay in any of them, they were booked full. I had a small room above a pub for 7 weeks in Medellin and loved it.

If you're going to be traveling around, though, here are some hostels I LOVED. And they have private rooms, too. A hostel doesn't mean you have to sleep in a dorm.

Salento (Coffee Region)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1580963-d9567538-Reviews-Luciernaga_Salento_Food_Drinks_Music_Hostel-Salento_Quindio_Department.html
Man, this place is like a nice hotel for hostel prices. Hard wood floors. A nice second floor deck on one side, and a huge ground floor deck on the other. Great views from either side.

The beds were all new and comfy with huge fluffy pillows. There's a band every night in the bar. But not overly loud. Just a couple of guys playing acoustic guitar and singing classic music.

The food is GREAT. The waiters are all dressed up and wearing ties. The owners are from the USA and are very young (30ish) and nice guys.

This place was like $9 a night for a dorm. They have single rooms also with queen beds. I heard someone say their private room was $22. What a steal. I looked inside a private room and it was really plush for 22 bucks.

Villa de Leyva
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g676524-d9456446-Reviews-Buda_Hostel_Camping-Villa_de_Leyva_Boyaca_Department.html

I spent 8 days here at Buda Hostel. They have private rooms, and they even gave me and my date the private suite for free for a weekend since they liked me and business was slow.

It's a new place that's a refurbished mansion sitting on the mountain. The views of the town and mountains are truly beautiful. It's a little walk outside of town. But worth it. I was so happy at this place. They have a nice bonfire every night overlooking the city.

I posted the first tripadvisor photos for this new place because I liked these people so much and had such a wonderful time there. Say hi to Ivan and Vivi for me.

What a great little town. Cobblestone streets. There's a dinosaur fossil museum and an ostrich farm outside of town. We had a tour of their very nice vineyard, too. That was impressive. They're very worth seeing.

San Gil (Small Town Adventures)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1221358-d1657043-Reviews-Macondo_Hostel-San_Gil_Santander_Department.html
If you haven't seen San Gil, then get to it. It's a great little town with lots of stuff to do.

Sean, the owner, is an awesome Aussie and will take everyone to Tejo Tuesdays. There's a nice hottub out back where everyone drinks beers. Right in the middle of town. Very inexpensive.

Pereira
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297479-d3544365-Reviews-Kolibri_Hostel_Pereira-Pereira_Risaralda_Department.html

I had such a huge time at this place. It took me a while to find it. I walked all over Pereira. It's in a little alley.

It has a nice second floor back patio with a great view of the mountains. The place is quiet and there's a upper-scale restaurant attached with tasty food. I rented a private room with a great view and a queen bed for $20 a night.

The back deck is really great for meeting people. I can't say enough nice things about this place.

Filandia (Coffee Region)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g3147813-d6608442-Reviews-Bidea_Hostel-Filandia_Quindio_Department.html

I was really pleased with this little village. I should have stayed longer. I had an awesome few days there.

I felt very welcome. Filandia doesn't get many tourists, still, so they're very excited to see gringos.

It's not very far from Salento, so take a day trip at least and go see Filandia. Go eat at the Mexican taco shop. The owner is a true Mexican chef and knows his food.

Bidea hostel was nice. I had two open air windows with shutters to the street with a queen bed and my own bathroom/shower for $24 a night. The owners are super nice and the kitchen is well-equipped. The only thing I didn't like is that there were lots of loud motorcycles on the street outside my windows.

BrandonBP
  12/10/2016 18:53 EST

"I don't know if I'll be able to see them all, but on my list: Guatape, Jardin, Pereira, Armenia, Salento, Popayan . . . so many towns, so little time!"
=========================

I'm sure some people may disagree with me, but you could completely skip Pereira and Popayan.

But you're on the right track. There's NOTHING more beautiful than the Coccorra Valley in Salento. I'll tell you what every traveler in Ecuador told me when I was about to visit Colombia. If you see nothing else in Colombia, see Salento! God, it's so great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYxqzX-MwwE

And while you're in Salento, go take a looky loo at nearby Filandia. Sweet little village with nice restaurants and good people.

And yeah, Guatape. You know my take on that beautiful little gem by now.

If you make it over by Bogota for some reason (like a chick or something - hey, it happens) then go see San Gil and Villa de Leyva.

You're right. So much to see in Colombia. What an adventure you're about to have. It'll be better than you even imagine it will be. It was for me.

Bobfrozen1
  12/10/2016 19:44 EST

Steve,

Easyfly from MDE to Pereira may be an option for you.

45 minute flight around 600k if you want to spend the extra money to save time.

Bobfrozen1
  12/10/2016 22:05 EST

Apologies 300K round trip 150k one way.

SunsetSteve
  12/11/2016 07:07 EST

Thanks Bob - but I have pretty much decided to enjoy the countryside by bus. The distances are manageable and after all, the whole point is to investigate the country.

cccmedia
  12/11/2016 14:47 EST

I took the bus from MDE to Pereira a few months ago. Over five hours portal to portal.

The scenery is grand. However, that’s a long time on a bus for some of us folks .. with only one stop along the way.

The bus had Internet but I couldn’t use it for long -- got dizzy, bordering on nauseous, on the windy mountain roads that comprise most of the first half of the trip. Had to put the laptop away.

The second half of the journey featured an action movie -- meaning loud, violent and unrelenting.

Plane travel has its own problems, but I’d choose it over the bus.

On my current trip I have my car (up from Ecuador). Heavy rain slowed me down for hours between Pasto and Depto. de Cauca. I encountered late-night rowdies south of Popayán who threw stones at my car from their tailgating moto and ran me off the road after their stones destroyed my back windshield. Somehow I got lucky and made it here.

cccmedia in Popayán

cccmedia
  12/11/2016 14:53 EST

I know, I know.

Don’t drive through rural southern Colombia late at night. (It was the Panamericana highway.)

Lesson learned.

cccmedia

SunsetSteve
  12/11/2016 15:27 EST

I have noise-cancelling headphones and plan to sue them as I did on the bus in Panama. I will certainly book daytime travel only. If I make it to Popayan, ccc, will you be there in Feb? Would enjoy meeting you as I have run across your posts in various fora. :)

SunsetSteve
  12/11/2016 15:28 EST

Although I am a lawyer, I will not sue my headphones. It will wiser to use them instead.

cccmedia
  12/11/2016 18:18 EST

As soon as they replace my rear windshield here in Popayan, Steve. which should be tomorrow, I am off to Zona Cafetera.

PPN couldn't hold me -- they closed the only blackjack table in town last year after it was discovered that a dealer was cheating to steal money from the casino in cahoots with some players.

The dealer was fired, the blackjack table was closed permanently.

cccmedia

awalles
  12/15/2016 01:21 EST

pit stop is a hostel with private rooms with baths. You might try Travelocity.com too. I'm booking a hotel room through them for $11 a night. It all depends on when you're going to be there and what's available.

SunsetSteve
  12/15/2016 06:27 EST

So far my itinerary is 4 nights in Medellin, then 2 nights in Guatape. I'll return to Medellin hopefully in time to catch a bus to Eje Cafetero, but I haven't yet decided where to land there. Possibly Pereira and plan from there.

jhutch621
  12/15/2016 07:45 EST

Steve, I think the bus rides will be much better than you anticipate unless they decide to do a movie. I went from one side of the Yucatan to the other, 8 hours, and enjoyed it. Too many Americans look down their noses at riding a bus.
BTW I invited you into my network in a previous msg that my PC disappeared before I could send it...

JJ

SunsetSteve
  12/15/2016 09:35 EST

I am looking forward to the rides. And confirming I have not received the invite.

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