Party – Maldo Travels

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.'>¹ 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 Uber² 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'>³. 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.

Patong – Phuket’s Party Beach Town

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 22:28:00 +0000

With our flight departing at noon from , we left the hostel at 8.45 AM for the Airport. A Tuk Tuk from the hotel cost us 8 USD⁴ and took 30 minutes. We had a connecting flight in Bangkok with a transit time of only 1-hour 45-minutes. The lady at the counter said we had to pick up our bags and re-check the bags in Bangkok but we should have enough time. With another 2 hours to wait, I logged into the WiFi to check emails and saw our Patong hotel had been canceled so I spent 30 mins booking another one. We landed at the smaller Don Mueang International Airport so getting to customs was quick. We let the staff know about our flight leaving soon and were put in the priority queue. We managed to clear customs, re-check our bags, and go through customs again within the 1 hour 45 minute connection time. It’s a 2-hour flight to Phuket and the airport there is also fairly small.

At the exit, there were stalls offering shuttle services and sim cards. We tried to use the airport wifi to see if they had Uber⁵ or an alternative app but that didn’t work. We had to take cash out at the ATM to buy a Sim card since they didn’t take credit cards. After connecting to the internet, we looked up taxi apps but didn’t find anything reliable and it had been over an hour now so we got the shuttle service which was 180 THB⁶ per person. We were directed to the shuttle pick up location and waited there for about 15 mins until the next shuttle came. We were first taken to the office a 5-minute drive away where everyone got off to give their hotel details. After everyone was done, we hopped back in and the driver instructed everyone to put their seat belt pointing at a sign saying 1000 THB fine for no seat belt. The driver didn’t speak much English and wasn’t very friendly. It was about an hour’s drive and the traffic was a little crazy with winding roads closer to Patong. Our driver also drove quite quickly whilst lane hopping. We got dropped off on the main road a short walk from the hotel. We checked in and were in our room by 6.30 PM.

The Town

After settling into our room, we went for a walk on Bangla Road. There was lots of light and music along this road. The first part was mostly bars and restaurants. The stretch closer to the beach was then filled with clubs and bars. The side roads also had bars and some street food areas. It’s a very lively and nice atmosphere filled with people. We walked up to the beach and then across. There were still tour agency stalls open as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. We walked along a street parallel to Bangala and found a nice food market called Otop. We decided to eat here and were not disappointed. Prices were reasonable between 100 and 200 THB for food. We then walked across until we reached Bangala and headed back up to the hotel. We were in Patong for another 3 days and had tours planned during the day. In the evenings we went out to Bangala and found the bars with live music to be great.

On one of our free afternoons, we headed to the and rented some Beach chairs from 4 PM until close which was 6 PM for 100 TBH each. We also bought some ice-cold 750 ML Chang beers for 180 TBH each and played cards. There are several water sports at the beach as well including jet-skiing, parasailing, and the banana boat. We then went for a walk along the beach until the sunset before heading back to the hotel to get changed before checking out a bar. We went to a live music bar called Lion Livemusic and the band was amazing. They could play practically any song and the singers were great. We then checked out the two big clubs; Tiger and Illuzion. There are loads of reps selling drink deals and we thought this was needed for entry. Turns out entry is free once you dodge them. Both venues are huge and the music played is mainly charts/electro.

Montañita – Thrills and Beach Party

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 20:16:22 +0000

Located in the province of Santa Elena, Monañita is approximately an 8-hour journey by bus from the capital; Quito. The ride is a descent of over 2800 meters along the scenic winding roads from the Andean city. If you are prone to motion sickness, the bends in the road will likely make you ill. This is a frequented route and several bus companies of all budgets leave quite frequently. There doesn’t seem to be a way to book or get the schedules online so you’ll have to go to one of the two bus terminals in Quito (Carcelen in the north; Quitumbe in the south). Alternatively, you can take a short 50-minute flight to the city of Guayaquil and then catch a 2-hour 30-minute bus from Guayaquil to Montañita. There are many lodging options as well and can usually be found upon arrival. However, do look up Ecuadorian public holidays as it’ll be extremely busy on these days and more difficult to get a hotel upon arrival.

The beach town is very small; in fact, most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs can be found in a three block radius between Calle Primera and Calle de los Cocteles. The small size of the town makes it all the more convenient since you can find everything on a relaxing walk from souvenir shopping to grabbing some street food. The beach itself is clean and lined with beach chairs for rent for about 5 USD⁵ each for the day. You can also buy ice cold beers from the owners to enjoy while you take in the sun and enjoy the cool seaside breeze. If you walk further along the beach, there are even beach beds for rent. For the thrill seekers, there are several water activities including the banana boat, parasailing, jet skiing, surfing, and something called ‘La Bestia’. The last one is an extreme version of the banana boat where you hang on to a large circular buoy for dear life.

Montañita translates to little mountain, and this is because the beach town is next to a small hill that you can hike up for a panoramic view of the town. It’s a short 25-minute walk up the hill from the town and there’s a colourful ‘Montañita’ sign up there to take pictures with. Back in the town, the Calle de los Cocteles is the most lively street with many bars and clubs. There are also several cocktail stalls lined up on both sides of the street with chairs and tables to enjoy a drink. At the end of the street, you can also find bars on the beach itself. On public holidays, these bars turn up the music and it becomes a movie like beach party with people chilling and dancing on the sandy beach. The atmosphere is amazing and the party goes on until 4-5 AM when the police basically shuts it down. The street food stalls stay open all night and my personal favourite are the ‘pinchos’. These are meat skewers cooked on a grill and are a tasty way to end the night.

Caye Caulker – An Island Paradise

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 13 May 2018 14:41:30 +0000

To get to the serene island of Caye Caulker, you have to take a 1-hour 15-minute boat ride from the port of Belize City. Boats leave every hour, and if you just missed the boat, you can grab a drink and some food at the port while you wait for the next one. Caye Caulker is made up of two islands, however, only the south island is populated. The south island is very small, you can walk its length in about 20 minutes and its width in about 5 minutes. So no matter where you decide to stay, you will be walking distance to any destination. The activity not to be missed at Caye Caulker is snorkeling. There are several operators and my group went with Ragamuffin Tours which cost 70 USD⁷ each. With a name like that, you know you’re going to have a good time. The tour was an all-day tour with 4 stops for snorkeling and a drop off at the private beach of Koko King. A basic lunch was also included and of course, an unlimited supply of rum punch.

The boat stops for 30-60 minute snorkeling sessions on the way to and at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Snorkeling gear is provided and the group is split up and assigned to a knowledgeable guide who points out the marine life. There is a lot of wildlife that will be swimming around. We got to see a stingray, turtle, eel, sharks, and a wide range of fish species. There are also seals at certain time of the year, however, we didn’t manage to see one. The corals are beautiful and there was also a cave that you could dive under and come out the other side. The guide is a strong swimmer and is always there to help you out. The tour finishes at Koko King which is a private beach with a bar/restaurant, trampoline, inflatable pyramid, swings, kayaks, and buoys to float around which are all free to use. There are also areas with beach chairs and hammocks which you can rent out for 20 BZD⁸ which is fairly economical when split between a group.

Tulum – Scenic Beaches and Cenotes

Jean Maldonado — Thu, 10 May 2018 20:30:03 +0000

A 1-hour bus journey from Playa del Carmen takes you to the tranquil city of Tulum. Although the city is fairly small, all its tourist sites are well spread out and definitely not walking distances between each other. There is public transport available consists of combis/colectivos⁹. Another option is a car rental which would be of maximum convenience and comfort. Alternatively, there are bike rentals which at 100 MXN¹⁰ for a day turns out pretty cheap. The main beach at Playa Paraiso is a 15-20 minute bike ride from the downtown area depending on where you stay. Once at the beach, the views are cinematic with several beach chair rentals and bars/restaurants serving food and ice cold drinks.

Mayan Seaport Ruins

Tulum’s Mayan ruins are a 5-minute bike ride from the beach. There is ample parking space and you can lock up the bikes on the trees. Entrance costs 70 MXN without a guide and does not include the optional train ride to the ruins’ entrance which is a 15-minute walk away. These ancient Mayan ruins are one of the best conserved in the country and it also offers a stunning beach. The complex is quite small and can be completed in about 2 hours but there are several practically intact structures and walls. The Mayan city of Tulum is believed to have been used as a fortress and a port to trade with its neighboring civilizations. It is also rich in wildlife and you will be able to see iguanas up close and personal. The ruins are a very popular destination so plan to get there early to avoid the crowds especially at the beach. The weather is also very hot so take plenty of water and sunblock.

Gran Cenote

Cenote options are abundant in Tulum but one of the best has to be Gran Cenote and is located at just a 15-minute bike ride from downtown on Av. Coba. Entrance is 180 MXN for the ample site which offers great shower and changing room facilities. There are also several hammocks and seating areas to lounge around to relax or do some reading. They also rent out lockers (30 MXN) and snorkel gear (80 MXN) to take a dip in the cenote, however, both of these are optional. The water temperature is refreshing to cool off from the heat in Tulum. Once in the water, you can see fishes swimming around and if you look carefully, you may spot a turtle.

Cenote Cristal and Cenote Escondido

These two cenotes are adjacent to each other and are a 15-minute bike ride from downtown on Chetumal Street. The combined entrance for both cenotes has to be purchased at the entrance for Cenote Cristal and costs 120 MXN. There are no showers or changing rooms at either of the cenotes but there are a couple of benches and tables. Cenote Cristal has a platform where you can jump from into the water which is great fun. The only downside to this cenote is that there are a lot of mosquitos so make sure to take repellent with you. Cenote Escondido, in my opinion, was the better of the two. There are fewer mosquitos here and its shape is long but narrow like a swimming pool which makes for a great swim.

Playa del Carmen – Lively Beach Town

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 08 May 2018 20:34:45 +0000

A quick one and a half hour bus ride away from Cancun, we can find Playa del Carmen which offers spectacular beaches, fun activities, and a great nightlife. The pedestrian-only Fifth Avenue is a nice walk during the day with many shopping options and a variety of restaurants. There is also Plaza Paseo Playa del Carmen which is an outdoor shopping center with many high-end stores and a food court. The port to take the ferry to Cozumel island is around the corner from this shopping center. Other exciting activities which Playa has to offer are snorkeling, skydiving, and theme parks. At night, there are a number of bars and clubs along Fifth Avenue. My personal favorites are the rooftop or beachside bars where you can enjoy a nice cold drink whilst getting the breeze and fresh air from the ocean.

Cancun – Sun, Sea, and Resorts

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 06 May 2018 17:16:24 +0000

With a short two hour flight from Mexico City, you can reach the crystal clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean in Cancun. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be swarmed by tour operators offering to take you to your hotel. It is also possible to schedule transportation beforehand online and you simply look for the operator outside. There is no Uber¹¹ in Cancun and Taxis are quite expensive compared to shared transportation. Since Cancun is a popular tourist destination, anyone working in tourism speaks at least English. The airport is about a 20-30 minute ride to the hotel zone and downtown.

Boat Tour And Snorkeling

I’m not much of a beach person so naturally, my first instinct was to look for activities. There are a range of options and the one that interested me the most was the boat tour to Isla Mujeres with a snorkeling session to see the ‘underwater museum’. The tour operator picks you up from your hotel or in my case, from a nearby hotel and drops you off at the pier. The 220 MXN¹² Marina fee was not included in the tour price and is paid for at the pier. They hand out the snorkeling gear here as well and give you a colored wristband for when they call out groups by color. The boats are very big with capacity for about 50 people. There are benches with storage space underneath them for personal belongings and a net at the front of the boat to sit on. The boat ride is very relaxing as you feel a cool breeze whilst sipping on unlimited rum punch and taking in the amazing views of the crystalline water. It takes about 30 minutes to arrive at the snorkeling zone. There are several other boats in the area so it’s important to remember the name of the boat and stick with the guide. If you’ve never been snorkeling, then this 30-minute experience will make for a nice first time and you’ll see a couple of ruins and a car but not much sea life. There are other snorkeling destinations that are much better.

Once back on the boat, it’s a 45-minute ride to a restaurant at the southern point of Isla Mujeres. The restaurant has a private beach to relax and take in the view. After lunch, the boat takes you to Playa Norte which is the main beach at Isla Mujeres. There’s a tequila tasting session and then you have an hour to roam around. The island is long but narrow and you can cross to the west side in a 5-minute walk. The Isla Mujeres Sign is on this side and there aren’t many people here since they stay on the main beach. It’s also possible to rent quad bikes if you want to see the whole island. The beaches are beautiful but the island is quite expensive.