Boat – Maldo Travels

San Andres – Semi Submarine

Jean Maldonado — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

We booked this tour for the afternoon with Ecodivers Tours following our Scuba Experience Tour in the morning. The minibus that picked us up from the dive center dropped us off in Centro and we headed to the tour agency’s office. From here, one of the reps walked us over to the pier where the semi-submarine boat was located. It was a large boat which was anchored in deeper water, so we first got on a smaller boat which took us to the semi-submarine. The semi-submarine had lots of seating space for about 50 people and lots of shade. We set out at around 3 PM and headed in the direction of Haynes Cay for about 30 minutes.

The boat slowed down near a shallow zone where there was lots of sea life and we were invited to go down to the hull. The hull was full of windows so you could see all the marine life swimming around. The guide pointed out the different species and gave us information on them. Another guide dove into the water to lure fish toward the boat. This part of the tour lasted for about 20 minutes before we headed to another zone for swimming. The boat anchored in and we were free to go for a swim. The current was very strong so not many people got in, but it was a refreshing swim to cool down from the sun. At around 4.30 PM we began making our way back to the pier and finished the tour at 5 PM. It was a quick boat ride into the sea and a good way to explore the sea life without getting wet.

San Andres – Caribbean Paradise

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

At the departure airport, everyone has to purchase a Tourist Card which costs 25 USD¹ and can be paid in USD or COP². you must make sure to keep the Tourist Card throughout your stay and present it at the San Andres customs when leaving the island. We arrived at the San Andres Airport at around 4 PM. The airport is quite small so we got through customs quickly. Upon exiting the airport, several taxis are waiting to pick up passengers. Our hotel was located in San Luis on the east side of the island which was a little far away from Centro where the main strip is. We decided to first walk to the main strip to see if we could get a tour for the following day.

The main strip is a short 20-minute walk from the airport, and you can first walk to the beach and walk alongside the sea which is a beautiful walk. Once we got to the main strip, we found a couple of tour agencies and bought an Islands Tour for the next day. We then took a taxi to our hotel which cost us 25,000 COP. We stayed at San Luis Place by Dorado which had a private beach. A perk of the hotel we stayed at is that we also had access to the private beaches and facilities of the other hotels By Dorado. That evening we headed to one of them in the San Luis area Hotel Reina del Mar which had a bar and restaurant.

We spent a week in San Andres which is great for both relaxing and going on tours to explore the island. Many of the hotels have private beaches and we found time every day to chill at the private beaches and pools of the hotels By Dorado. There are also lots of tours and activities available and we headed out on the Islands Tour, a Scuba Diving Experience, a Semi-Submarine tour, rented a golf cart to tour the island, and went to a Boat Party. Overall, it’s a great island destination to experience Caribbean beaches with lots of activities.

Nusa Penida – Scenic Island Beaches

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 23:14:50 +0000

We booked this tour in Kuta for 800,000 IDR³. The tour bus picked us up from our hotel at around 7.30 AM and it’s a 30-minute drive to Sanur Beach. We’re given our boat tickets here and have 15 minutes to walk around the beach. It’s quite empty in these early hours but some of the stalls are open if you want to grab snacks or drinks. The ride on the speedboat to Nusa Penida takes 1 hour and we arrive at around 9.15 AM. We get off on the north side of the island at Toyapakeh. There are several guides here picking people up so you have to wave your receipt for yours to spot you. We then get on another tour bus and head to Kelingking Beach. The island is quite mountainous and we drive through the winding roads of the mainland to reach the south-west side of the island. It takes about 50 minutes reaching our first destination at 10.15 AM. We arrive at the cliffside which has an amazing view of the beach and the peninsula reaching out into the sea. We only have about 15 minutes here to take pictures so we can’t head on the trail down to the beach.

Our next stop is a 30-minute drive away to Angel’s Billabong arriving at 11 AM. This is a natural infinity pool that looks over the sea. However, it was closed off so you cant swim in it and can just take pictures from around it. It is very busy here and we stayed for about 10 minutes to get some pictures. We then headed to Broken Beach which was a 5-minute walk away. This destination is a cove where an arch in the cliffs lets water flow in to form a pool. We get around 30-minutes to walk around the perimeter before heading back to the tour bus.

At around noon, we continue to our last destination at Crystal Bay stopping for lunch at a tourist restaurant. We’re done with lunch by 1.15 PM and reach Crystal Bay at 1.30 PM. This is a popular sandy beach lined with beach chairs, umbrellas, and bars/restaurants. We’re given snorkeling gear and the guide says we don’t have to swim too far to see some sea life. We head into the water and is very shallow for about 20 meters. There are corals and rocks in the shallow water so it would be best to head out with water shoes. It’s a great snorkeling spot where you’ll get to see plenty of corals, fish, and other animals swimming around. We had about 2 and a half hours at Crystal Bay and we spent most of our time snorkeling. We then also grabbed some ice-cold beers and sat on some benches in the shade enjoying the view.

At around 4 PM, we headed back to the harbor which was a 30-minute drive away. We got on the boat and were back at Sanur Beach by 5.30 PM. Our pick up was late and arrived at around 5.50 PM. This was rush hour time and after dropping off other tour groups at their hotels, we reached our hotel at around 6.30 PM.

Gili Islands – A Remote Paradise

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 22:01:37 +0000

Coming from Kuala Lumpur, we arrived at Bali International Airport at around 10 PM. Getting through customs was fairly straightforward and when exiting, there were several tour sales reps around. We found an ATM at the airport to get cash out and then we got a Grab⁴ to our hotel in Kuta. We didn’t have boat tickets yet for the Gili Islands so we asked our driver who gave us a Whatsapp number for a sales rep. There was no more space on the boats departing from the nearby port at Serangan, but the rep said there was a boat leaving from Padang Bai to Gili Trawangan at 10 AM. This harbor was about an hour’s drive away and the sales rep said he could offer us return tickets plus transportation for 1,600,000 IDR⁵ for both of us. It was quite pricy but it was similar to what we found online for just boat tickets. The car picked us up at around 8.30 AM the following day to take us to Padang Bai. There was a lot of traffic getting out of Kuta but we made it to the harbor in time for the boat. The pier at the harbor was very busy with lots of people waiting to get on their boats. We’re all given stickers to help the staff determine who goes on which boat. As you board the boat, they take your luggage to secure onto the boat. You then head down to sit in the lower deck. The boat travels quite quickly and about 20 minutes in, the captain announces that people can head to the upper deck. Beer is also available to buy on the boat. It’s quite a long journey and we arrived at Gili Trawangan at 12.30 PM.

The Island

We stayed on the largest of the Gili islands, Gili Trawangan, which is also known as Gili T. The main strip on the east side of the island is filled with tour agencies, restaurants, hotels, and bars. There are also lots of certified scuba diving agencies, many of which also offer accommodation. This part of the island is very lively and great to relax in during the day. It has beautiful sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters. In the evening, you can catch the sunset whilst having a drink or some dinner with a view of the sea. At night, the bars have live music and there are 2 or 3 clubs on the strip. The atmosphere is great with people dancing on the beach outside the club. There is also a night food market that does some great barbecues and fresh seafood. The west side of the island is less busy and has some resort hotels. It’s a great spot to catch the sunset and it’s a short 25-minute walk from the east side. You can also rent bikes if you’d like to explore more of the island.

Snorkeling

We booked this tour for 100,000 IDR each and the boat left the pier at 1.30 PM. The first snorkeling stop is at the shore of Gili Meno. There are some corals here and lots of colorful fishes. The main attraction is some statues on the seabed where lots of fish swim around. The water is clear, calm, and quite shallow which makes it great for snorkeling. We spend about 30 minutes here before heading to Turtle Point. The waters here are much deeper and fewer fishes are swimming around. The highlight here is that you are pretty much guaranteed to spot turtles swimming or resting on the seabed. We made 2 stops at different parts of the Turtle Point and got to see lots of turtles. We stayed in the area for about an hour and 15 minutes before heading to Gili Air for some food. We’re taken to a restaurant inland and then have some time to walk around the island. This is the smallest island and much quieter than Gili T, but it also has similar sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters. After a short walk, we then headed to the boat and back to Gili T.

Lombok – Waterfall Tour

Jean Maldonado — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 23:21:27 +0000

After several beach days on Gili T, I looked into some adventurous tours. We found a private tour to visit some waterfalls in Lombok on a day trip for 400,000 IDR¹ each. The speedboat left from the beach at 8.30 AM and it was a short 20-minute sail to the Lombok harbor on the northwest side of the island. At the harbor, we waved our tour ticket and someone came over to take us to our transportation. It took about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the starting point of the trail to the waterfalls. The driver said he’ll be waiting there and we headed out with a guide who was waiting for us there.

First, we head to the Tiu Kelep waterfall which takes about 50 minutes to reach. On the way, we go past Sendang Gile waterfall and the guide says we’ll stop here on the way back. The trail starts by following the canal and is partly paved. When we reach a stream, the trail becomes a little more tricky and at some points, you have to climb over boulders and fallen tree trunks. There weren’t many people on the trail and when we arrived, there were only about a dozen people there. It’s a 2-platform waterfall where the lower waterfall is wide and the upper waterfall is narrow and tall. There are several photo spots around. You can also try and get closer to the waterfall but you get wet by a mist created from the water splashing down.

We spent about 20 minutes at Tiu Kelep waterfall before getting back on the trail to the Sedang Gile waterfall. It took about 20 minutes to reach the waterfall and there’s a rest area with benches. This waterfall is taller but you can also get close to it and have a shower beneath it. We also spent about 20 minutes here before heading back to the car. At the starting point of the trail, there’s a restaurant where we had some lunch. At around 2.15 PM we then begin the journey back to the harbor to catch our boat back to Gili T. We got there at around 3.45 PM and in the main pier, we asked where the next boat to Gili T leaves from. They pointed us to the beach area and we saw some people gathered around there waiting. The boat came at 4 PM and got back to Gili T by 4.20 PM.

Hong Kong – Scenic Island City

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 10:42:00 +0000

From Beijing, it’s a 3-hour 30-minute flight to Hong Kong. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 3.30 AM so we took a taxi to the airport for 130 RMBRenminbi.'>⁵ plus a 10 RMB airport toll. Since there was no traffic, it was a short 40-minute drive to the airport. In these early hours, the airport was very quiet so checking our bags and getting through customs was quick and easy. We landed in Hong Kong at 7 AM and once again went through customs and security quite quickly. There are bus and train options to get from the airport to the city. We connected to the airport WiFi and got an Uber⁶ since we wanted to get into the city quickly. It took about 45 minutes to get to our hostel in Causeway Bay and cost 332 HKDHong Kong Dollar'>⁷. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we left our bags and set out to explore the city.

The City

We stayed in Hong Kong for 4 days and other than checking out some viewpoints, we explored the city. There’s a very well organized metro system which makes getting around the city quick and easy. The fares depend on how far you’re traveling on the metro and you can check on the machines which can be set to English. We stayed in the Causeway Bay area which is bustling with lots of shops and restaurants. It’s also a short ride on the metro to Central where there are more malls among many skyscrapers. There is also a lively nightlife in Central with many bars and clubs in the area. Central also has ferries to cross the bay or for a day trip to Macau. Ferries to the mainland at Tsim Sha Tsui cost 3.70 HKD. At Tsim Sha Tsui, there’s a nice boardwalk called the Avenue of the Stars which goes along the bay. It’s a good spot to catch the sunset but we decided to catch the sunset at the Sky 100 observation deck in the International Commerce Center building. We bought our tickets for 135 HKD each and found that it’s cheaper to buy online rather than at the ticket office. Back on the Central side, there is also an Observation Wheel at the AIA Vitality Park which costs 20 HKD each. Overall, Hong Kong is a beautiful city that can be explored at your own pace via public transport.

Victoria Peak

This viewpoint is easily accessible via a funicular and its cheaper to buy tickets online. You get great views on the journey up to the peak and once at the destination station, there are several viewpoints. There are also some shops and restaurants there as well as the Madame Tussauds wax museum. From the station, there is another viewpoint along a trail that goes down the mountain which is a short 10-minute walk away. After taking some pictures there, we followed Google Maps for the Victoria Peak viewpoint. We got a bit lost and ended up at Victoria Peak Pavillion which was also a nice viewpoint. We then had to make a bit of a U-turn to get to Victoria Peak. The route is mainly along narrow roads with a couple of cars occasionally passing by. The last 5 minutes of the walk is along a dirt path going through trees and bushes. Once at the top, you get a great view of the city and the bay. The way back down to the station took us about 25 minutes so it’s not that far away.

Suicide Cliff

Another hike to a viewpoint is the infamously named Suicide Cliff. Although the path can be a little treacherous, it’s a fairly straightforward hike up to the viewpoint. There are several trails to the viewpoint and we chose to do a long one starting at City One metro station. We followed the directions on this site and they also have a handy Google Maps route. It’s a scenic hike with several views of the city along the way. From City One, we walked along the road towards Lion Rock Country Park. Once inside the park, there is a dirt trail going through trees. There is a small stream along the way to fill up your water bottle if you have a filter. It was very hot when we went with temperatures reaching 34 degrees. The route goes through Kowloon Peak Viewpoint which has great panoramics of the city. It’s possible to get a taxi/Uber here if you’re not into hikes. From this viewpoint, the route continues into the mountain and there is a warning sign saying it’s not safe. This is when the hike gets more difficult as the trail goes through overgrown grass and bushes. I was wearing shorts and got a couple of cuts from the bushes. Eventually, the trail leads past some antennas of the radio station and arrives at Suicide Cliff. The views of the city’s skyline from here are amazing. Overall, the hike was very tiring taking about 4 hours and 30 minutes to get to the top but with rewarding views. It was then another hour to go down to the main road. We were looking to get an Uber but it was about 5.30 PM now and the traffic was horrendous. So we decided to walk another 30 minutes to Choi Hung metro station to get back to our hostel.

Macau – The Vegas of Asia

Jean Maldonado — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 18:59:00 +0000

Ferries leave from the piers at Sheung Wan which is one stop away from Central. When we arrived, there were 2 ticket offices open selling tickets and the Cotai operator was cheaper with tickets at 171 HKD⁸. We saw someone reselling tickets for 150 HKD but only took cash. The ferry was scheduled to leave in 15 minutes at 11.10 AM. Going through security was very quick and we managed to board the ferry on time. The journey takes about an hour and we arrived at the port in Taipa which is next to the airport. Going through customs and security here is also quick and easy. Once at the arrivals hall, we set out looking for tours and an ATM. We met a tour guide offering his services for 150 HKD each. He took us to several casinos using the free bus transportation between casinos. At the casinos, he took us to the areas where they have timed shows. At Wynn Palace, there was a water fountain show like the Bellagio in Las Vegas. You could also tour around the water fountain in a cable car for free.

After visiting a couple of casinos, our guide took us to the historic city center. There are many colonial buildings and pedestrian streets which make for great walks. We walked through Senado Square, St. Dominic’s Church, and the Ruins of St Paul’s. We passed through some markets as well which were good for picking up some cheap souvenirs. We then head to a couple more casinos which include Studio City, The Parisian, and The Venetian. The guide also arranged for us to buy our ferry ticket back to Hong Kong with one of his friends. He got us first-class tickets for 200 HKD and we met up with his friend in the afternoon to pick up the tickets. We were done with our tour at around 7 PM and the guide dropped us off at the port.

Ko Phi Phi – Island Boat Tour

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:55:54 +0000

On the main island Phi Phi Don, there are private and group boat options to explore the smaller Phi Phi islands. We got an afternoon snorkeling tour with a group boat for 1200 THB⁹ each. The meeting point was at Loh Dalum beach on the north bay at 1.30 PM. There were about 10 of us in the group and once everyone arrived, we were given life jackets and set out to Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don. We visited this beach earlier when we went kayaking in the morning. Visiting on the boat tour in the afternoon was quite different since the beach was very busy now with several tour boats anchored at the beach. It was a quick stop here for pictures and some snorkeling. There are a couple of fishes here but not that many. The next stop was then Long Beach on the south side of Phi Phi Don. The ship anchored in by the cliffside in an area called Shark Point. One of the guides said there was a chance to see some sharks hence the name of the site. We didn’t manage to see any but there were many fishes and some corals, so it was still a good snorkeling location.

We then left Phi Phi Don and headed further south to Phi Phi Leh arriving at the north side of the island at around 3 PM. The boat sailed around the perimeter of the island passing by Monkey Bay and a quick stop at Viking Cave where the guide tells us of the paintings found in the walls of what appear to be Viking ships. The guide also gives some info on how locals get edible swiftlet bird nests from here to sell. It is believed the bird nests have some health benefits and is considered a delicacy. We then continue sailing via Pi Leh Lagoon and then anchoring in at Loh Samah Bay for some more snorkeling. This was also a good snorkeling spot with corals and several different fish species.

Next, we continue to Maya Bay, the famous beach featured in the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio. The beach was closed off due to damage caused by tourism so we could only sail past it from a distance. This was the last location on Phi Phi Leh and we set off to Bamboo Island for the sunset. On the way, we made a brief stop at Nui Beach to take pictures. We arrived at Bamboo Island at around 4.20 PM and were told we could wander around the island and pointed to good snorkeling locations.

It’s a very small island and a great place to relax at the beach and swim in its refreshing waters. We stayed here until 6.30 PM when the sun started to set. We then got to see the rest of the sunset from the middle of the sea. The colors of the sky and silhouettes of the islands were beautiful. Once the sun had fully set, we headed to the south bay on Phi Phi Don for a swim with fluorescent plankton. When you jump in the water and splash around, the plankton light up. The plankton is tiny and I couldn’t capture it on a GoPro, but it was good fun. We were then dropped off at the pier and we headed to the hotel to change into some dry clothes before heading out for some dinner.

Phuket – Sea Canoe Tour

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 20:41:28 +0000

An exciting activity which we looked up beforehand was of a kayak/canoe tour in Bahía de Phang Nga Bay. We did some research and decided on John Gray Sea Canoe who had been operating for some time. They have several tours available and decided to go with the Hong By Starlight tour which costs 2950 THB¹ each. Our pick up was 35 minutes late arriving at our hotel at around 11.15 AM. We were the first ones and the driver picked up 2 more groups before heading to the pier. We got there at around 12.15 PM and were given tickets to get on another bus which took us a couple of minutes down the pier to the boat. We then boarded and were handed life jackets to put on. The whole thing was somewhat unorganized and we weren’t always sure who to follow. Once the boat pulled off the pier, the guide gave his welcome talk and went over the schedule.

It took about an hour to reach the first cave (Bat Cave) and this travel time was used for lunch. It was one of the best buffet-style lunches I’ve had included in a tour. Before arriving at the cave, we had to pick a name out of a hat to see who would be our guide. We got ‘Term’ and as our designated guide, he would do all the rowing throughout. Once at Bat Cave, the guides unloaded the canoes and we had to look for Term who helped us onto the canoe. It was 2 people max or 2 adults and a child (plus the guide) per sea canoe. We made it out of the boat first and Term took us into the cave. The cave was a little smelly and Term said it was from the smell of the mud. We soon had no more sunlight and it was pitch black. Term turned on his flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling for us to spot the bats. There were hundreds of them. He handed me the flashlight so that I could have a look around. We soon made it out of the cave and emerged into the lagoon. It was beautiful and looked a lot like the scenery from the movie Skull Island. There were tall peaks all around filled with vegetation.

We continued to another lagoon and the tide here was quite low and we could see some ‘mud islands’. Term pointed out some fish that were jumping through the mud which looked like tadpoles. They had the appearance of an early evolutionary species. Being the first ones at this lagoon, we took several pictures before everyone else came. We couldn’t stay long since the tide was getting lower which would mean there would soon be no water to canoe out of the cave. When we got out of the cave, Term took as along the shore and there were many stalactites. We then reached another cave that took us to a lagoon which looked similar to the previous one but here we managed to see monkeys. They were digging into the mud looking for worms to eat. We stayed for a bit and then had to head out as the tide was getting lower.

Once back on the boat, they served tea/coffee with some banana cupcakes and watermelon. It was about 30 minutes to the next stop and during this time, we were taught how to make a Kratong. This was similar to the lanterns that are lit and released into the sky. But the Kratongs are made from a section of a banana trunk, lit, and sent to float in the water. It was a fun activity and nice to learn about some of the Thai traditions. Once we were done, they stored the Kratongs to show us how to release them later that evening. When we got to the next stop, we were given 40 minutes of free time to go for a swim or take the canoes out. We chose to take the canoes to a nearby shore and walked around for a bit. The guides went to another shore and when we got there, they were digging up clams. We rowed back to the boat and saw they had lined 4-5 canoes for people to attempt to run across them. Many failed but some were successful.

At around 3 PM we made our way to Hong Island since the tide was now high enough. We hopped on the canoe with Term and he took us around the island. We then made it to the cave and this one was much narrower. We only made it to the first lagoon as the tide was too low to go to the next lagoon. When we headed back out, Term took us into another lagoon and told us to look up and at the outline of the trees. It formed the shape of an elephant’s head. After this, we headed back to the boat.

Next, we headed back to Bat Cave to watch the sunset. Once the sun had set but wasn’t completely dark, we set out on the canoes again with the Kratong we made earlier. We went into the cave until it was pitch black. Term then lit the candles on the Kratong and told us to make a wish. He then told us to release the Kratong into the water for our wish to come true. We let it float for a bit and then turned it off. Then when it was pitch black again, he taught us how to reveal the plankton. When you splash the water, the plankton emits light. As you splash you see hundreds of little dots of light. It’s a wonderful experience and unfortunately, it cannot be captured on a GoPro (I tried). We then headed out of the cave and back on the boat. It was now home time and took about 1 hour 30 minutes to get back to the pier. From the pier, we were put back on the buses and it took about an hour to reach our hotel.

Lake Como – Lakeside Towns and the Alps

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 22:15:00 +0000

The day following our arrival in Milan, we decided to head to Como. We first went to Milano Centrale and bought tickets at the machines which have an English option. Tickets are quite cheap with a one-way journey costing 4.80 EUR¹⁰ and you can also buy online beforehand. Our train departed at 9.04 AM and it’s only a 40-minute journey to the Como S. Giovanni station. From the station, it’s a short walk to the main plaza – Piazza Cavour. The ferry is opposite the plaza lakeside and after walking around for a bit, we headed there to get tickets for a ferry to Bellagio. We got there at around 10.30 AM and there was quite a long queue which we waited in for about 15 minutes. We bought fast ferry tickets for 13 EUR departing at 12.15 PM. There’s a complete list of fares available here. With about 1 hour 30 minutes to go, we went for a walk around the city. There are several plazas and pedestrian areas that make walking a nice way to explore the city. The lakeside walk is also beautiful and has some seating areas to enjoy the view.

By noon, we were back at the pier and the queue was already long. We boarded the ferry and all seats on the upper deck were almost taken but I managed to find one. The windows on the upper deck are a lot cleaner than the lower deck so it’s better for pictures. The windows on the lower deck also get splashed by the water. It took about 45 minutes to reach Bellagio arriving at around 1 PM. The views on the way are incredible especially the last 15 mins where you can see the Alps. We also got a peek at the small towns of Argegno, Lenno, and Tremezzo which the boat made stops at. Once in Bellagio, we walked up a narrow path and there were several restaurants along the way so we stopped at one for lunch. After finishing lunch around 2 PM, we headed to La Punta which is the peninsula that sticks out into the lake. This viewpoint has the best views of the Alps and it takes about 10 minutes to walk there from the town center. Once at the peninsula, there’s a small park and cafe/restaurant where you can relax and enjoy the view. We stayed here for about an hour then headed back to the pier to get tickets for Menaggio.

When we got to the main ticket office, there was a huge queue. We waited in line for over an hour. All the staff is behind the counter and there is no one walking about to provide info which was frustrating. We saw a ferry stopping at another pier at the other end of town, so one of us went to it to see where it went. It turns out there was another ticket office there with no queue. We had to run there as it was departing soon at 4.30 PM but we made it and ended up getting tickets for Varenna for 4.60 EUR since we’d lost so much time. It was a quick 15-minute sail to Varenna and again, the views of the lake and surroundings are spectacular.

After getting off in Varenna, we went for a walk and wandered through narrow hilly passages. It’s a nice walk and there are several restaurants/cafes in the colorful lakeside town. My favorite part is the path along the lake as there are several viewpoints with postcard-perfect views of the lake and colorful houses. There are some benches to rest at and take in the views or you could dine in one of the many lakeside restaurants. After about 2 hours of walking around, we headed to the Varenna train station and got there at around 6.45 PM. Trains to Milan leave every hour and we’d just missed the 6.37 PM train so we had to wait for the 7.37 PM one.

The ticket office was closed and there was no one around to provide info. A train arrived at 7.27 PM and we weren’t sure if it was our train being early or another train. We got on and there was no information about where it was going nor did the train conductor make an announcement. We asked passengers and they said it didn’t go to Milan so we got off. Our train was late and came at 7.50 PM. Since we couldn’t buy a ticket at the station, when the ticket inspector came by he sold us a ticket for 6.70 EUR and we were able to pay by credit card. On the route from Varenna to Lecco, the train goes right by the lake with views of the sun setting behind the mountains. The journey back took about 1 hour 20 minutes and we were back in Milan at 9.10 PM.