Walking Tour – Maldo Travels

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 HKD¹. 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.

Rio de Janeiro – Vibrant Megacity

Jean Maldonado — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 22:07:37 +0000

From Iguazu Falls to Rio de Janeiro, the bus journey takes around 20 hours an it wasn’t recommended when I was looking online, so we decided to take a flight which is only 2 hours. We left at around 10.05 AM and arrived at the Rio Galeao International Airport at around noon. We then connected to the airport WiFi to get an Uber² to our hotel in Copacabana. The airport is in the north of the city and Copacabana is at the south end of the city. It took us about 45 minutes with some light traffic to get there and it cost 57.73 BRL³.

The City

Rio is huge and I had about 5 days to explore. For the first 2 days, I stayed in Copacabana since I read up it was a little safer than some other areas. Walking around Copacabana felt safe as long as you stick to the main roads and tourist spots. If you wander off into side roads, it starts to get sketchy. The beachside walk is also great at night with several bars and restaurants along the beach with live music. The other 3 days, I stayed in a hotel in Centro which is the city center. This area didn’t feel as safe as Copacabana so make sure you stay on the main roads and tourist spots here. One of the interesting things I noticed is that Rio is very nocturnal. During the day, most of the shops are shut and the streets are deserted. But then in the evenings, the streets are filled with people and the shops, bars and restaurants open well into the night.

I had a free day where I went for a walk around Centro. Having been out early to find deserted streets a couple of days before, I left closer to noon at around 11.45 AM. I first headed to the Municipal Theatre which was a 15-minute walk away. Once I got to the Municipal Theatre, there were a couple of other tourists there. I took a couple of pictures and then walked another 10 minutes to the Arcos da Lapa. Again there were several tourists here, so it felt fairly safe going at this time and sticking to main roads. Next, I headed to Bossa Nova mall which was a 20-minute walk away.

I got some lunch and then walked up the riverside to the Museo do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow). This was a longer 40-minute walk but I made a couple stops on the way. I would have checked out the museum but it was my last day in Rio and I was running out of money. The area I was in was called Boulevard Olimpico, and there were a couple of street vendors here selling food as well as arts and crafts. I read up that there were painted murals in the area so I continued walking further. I found the painted murals walking to the AquaRio aquarium on a pedestrian road parallel to Avenida Rodrigues Alves. After taking a couple of pictures here I went to get some food and then back to rest at the hotel.

Maracana Tour

The day we arrived, we headed to the Maracana Stadium soon after we checked into our hotel. We took an Uber from Copacabana to the stadium which cost 32.29 BRL and took about 25 minutes. The driver told us to be careful walking around the stadium as the area can be dangerous. He dropped us off in front of the Bellini Statue. We took a picture there and then headed to the entrance which was at the other end. It took us about 10 minutes to walk to the other side but we managed to make it in time for the last tour at 4.00 PM. Tickets cost 60 BRL and you can browse around the museum before the tour begins.

The guide then calls the group and first takes us to some key parts of the museum talking about its history. We are then taken to the locker room where there are several Brazilian club shirts. We’re given some time there for pictures before heading into a viewing room where they play a short video. Next, we walk down the tunnel and out to the sideline. We have about 10-15 minutes here before heading back in and into the media room where they hold press interviews. That’s then the end of the tour and we’re directed back to the museum.

Full-Day City Tour

Initially, we had planned to check out the city ourselves via public transport. However, whilst walking around Copacabana Beach we came across a full day city tour for 200 BRL each. The tour included entrance tickets to the Corcovado and Pao de Acucar, other quick stops, transportation, and a guide. It was a good deal since we’d cover more sites than by attempting to go via public transport so we went for it. The tour bus picked us up from our hotel at around 8.30 AM. After picking up other groups, we headed to the Corcovado mountain which is where the Christ the Redeemer statue is. We arrived at the car park at around 10 AM and the guide took us to the ticket office for him to buy the tickets. Once we had our tickets, everyone boarded an official bus which took us further up the mountain. We then have to walk up the rest of the way but there are also escalators. We got to the top at around 10.30 AM and it was already quite busy. There are viewpoints all around with amazing panoramic views of the city. Towering over the city, you can see just how massive Rio is from up here. We were given about 30 minutes for pictures before meeting to get the official bus back down to the car park.

Next, we were taken to the Maracana Stadium which was about a 50-minute drive away. It’s only a quick 10-minute stop here for pictures with the Bellini Statue. We were happy to have visited earlier to go on the tour of the stadium. From here, it’s then a quick 10-minute drive to the Sambadrome. This is uniquely for the famous Rio de Janeiro Carnaval. There are some costumes on display if you want to try them on for pictures starting from 10 BRL or there are also dancers dressed in Carnaval outfits. This was also a quick 10-minute stop before continuing another 15-minutes to the Catedral Metropolitana. This cathedral has an interesting circular pyramid shape and is beautifully decorated with colored stain glass. Again it’s another 10-minutes for pictures before getting on the tour bus for another 10-minutes to get to Escadaria Selaron. This is the iconic colorful stairway that is decorated with mosaic tiles. We were given 10 minutes here as well and the guide told us not to go to the top of the stairs since there are thieves there.

By now it was around 1.20 PM so we were taken to a tourist buffet restaurant for lunch in the area. The 20 BRL buffet plus a soft drink was included with the tour and it was a great buffet that included Picanha (Brazilian steak). After lunch, it was about a 30-minute drive to the Pao do Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain). After the guide got our tickets, we got on the cable car which takes you up to the first smaller mountain. There is a viewpoint here and some cafes/restaurants. Then there’s another cable car which takes you up to the peak of the Sugarloaf Mountain. From here you get great panoramic views of the city. We had about an hour to explore the site before meeting back at the cable car station. This was the end of the tour and we were then taken back to our hotels.

La Paz – Highest Capital in the World

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:05:00 +0000

We booked our tickets from Copacabana to the Bolivian capital La Paz for 25 BOB⁴ each from a tour agency in Copacabana. The bus left at 6.30 PM and the seats on the bus were comfortable enough for the 4-hour journey. We saw that it’s also possible to buy a ticket directly from the bus driver when boarding, which is probably a little cheaper. It took about an hour to reach Tiquina where everyone has to get off the bus and get on a boat to cross the Strait of Tiquina. It was dark and a little chilly so make sure you wear warm clothing. The bus crosses on a ‘ferry’ which looks like a large makeshift wooden boat. It’s amazing and scary to see how they carry the buses across the strait. It takes some time for the bus to cross over and there’s no indoor seating area to wait in. Some street vendors were selling hot drinks and snacks which you can get while you wait. The whole process isn’t very well organized. We asked where to wait for the bus and we were just told to wait at the corner of the street. There doesn’t seem to be any signposted area of where the bus picks us up so we just joined the group of people we saw who got off the bus with us. Once the bus came, it was another 2-hours 30-minutes to La Paz. We arrived at around 10.15 PM and the bus stopped at the terminal by the cemetery rather than the main terminal. It was dark and deserted, so we quickly ordered an Uber⁵ to take us to our hotel in the the Witches Market. Once we checked in, we just went to bed to get up early to explore the city the next day.

The City and Finding Tours

Our hotel was located in the Witches Market area. We went for a walk around and other than arts and crafts shops, we found several restaurants and tour agencies. There is also the general market in the area to buy fresh produce and also market restaurants if you’re looking for cheaper and more authentic dishes. As you walk around the city you’ll notice most of the locals are indigenous. You’ll especially see several ‘Cholitas’ who are known to be hard-working indigenous women. They are the ones selling produce in the markets and you’ll see them carrying their merchandise and kids everywhere. One of the tourist attractions is ‘Cholita’ wrestling in El Alto where most of the indigenous people live. We had 2 more days in La Paz so after some breakfast, we went to look for tours. We chose to go on a Death Road bike tour (380 BOB each) the following day and then on our last day, we decided to visit the Moon Valley without a tour. It’s worth noting that all the tour agencies we went to charge a credit card fee, so it’s worth taking cash out if you don’t want to pay an extra 3-5 percent for the fee. With those two days sorted, we went back to our hotel since we saw they had a city walking tour at 2 pm for 65 BOB.

Walking Tour

The meeting point for the tour was at Plaza Murillo which is close to the Witches Market. It was a small group of around 7 people and the guide took us to several tourist sites in La Paz. The highlight was the journey she took us on to El Alto. This was particularly interesting since she took us via public transport. So it’s a great way to learn how to take the combis⁶, which are like minivans that the locals take to move around the city. Also, to get to El Alto, she showed us how to take the cable cars and told us the prices and what would be most convenient for us. Overall it’s a great way to learn about and get around the city like a local. She also gave us a great recommendation for a Harry Potter themed restaurant called Avada Kedavra which we checked out in the evening.