Backpacking

Preamble

Here's the NEW index to 404. Today is Saturday, the 24th, 4:45am but you probably don't want to read this one either. It's just notes I made, and I believe posted to a yahoo group that i was managing at the time,about my experience backpacking on my first Central American adventure. The next two paragraphs are just recycled, so you can definitely skip those

Also, of note is another section I am adding to the site (I'll put it on the new 404 index). The section is 'Extra.' Right now its just got 3 pages, 'I Got Your Six' which is basically lyrics and videos from the album I love so much, Buku Boogie Down, which is just that list of songs from down below here and the myTunes player page i put up as a programming project. And I also put up my ringtones, all 300 of them in case you wanted some weird shit as a ringtone, you can download them. And lastly of the three ages in Extra is a Page of all the links that I've made or I visit, quite a reference collection. Without further ado, here's a funny to me joke and then that sweltering 8000 word write up on Belize

“A Man’s Guide to Love and Lasting Relationships. 1. Find a woman who will make you laugh. 2. Find a woman who has a job and and likes housework 3. Find a woman who is honest. 4. Find a woman who will wait on you hand and foot 5. Find a woman who is awesome in the bedroom. 6. Most of all. It is very important that these five women never meet.”

Backpacking Notes from 2014

What I've learned about backpacking. 

1. Take everything you packed and throw it on the ground before you go. Only actually pack every third item. Trust me. You don't need it and don't want to carry it. No one is going to care if you wear the same shirt a few days in a row. 

2. Unless you already have a backpack, get a smaller one than you want. You will inevitably fill up whatever size you have a have and you'll regret lugging around an 80 lb monster the size of you. 

3. Guidebooks are useful and worthless at the same time. Usually in a strange town it's hard to find the hostel you though from the description in the book that was perfect. We have found that you can keep that hostel in mind but wandering around will usually get you a room or bed that's as cheap or cheaper and isn't overrun with guests because it was featured in a book. 

4. Food. Don't eat at a sit down restaurant unless money isn't an issue. The prices will be from 3 to 10 times as expensive as a street vender and the good not necessarily worth it. Usually we have found awesome food by looking around at the street venders and eating at the one with the biggest crowd of locals. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. 

5. Language. Learn some before you go. At least a few phrases will get you a long way to living more local and simply getting a little respect. It's fucking awesome after stumbling through a paragraph in a foreign language to hear back that your Spanish is great. They really do appreciate the effort. Plus. It makes you less of a snobby American. 

6. Bargaining. Don't be afraid to walk away from a bad deal, even if you really want something or need the service. Usually by starting to walk away or putting you money back into your wallet and in your pocket, the price will drop. We have gotten a bag that started out as Q180 down to Q40 and a hammock that started out as C470 down to three for C520!

7. Making your money stretch. Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to the community and save precious travel dollars. Helpx.net and workaway.info and idealist.org are all excellent sources to hit up. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Also do not copy and paste one response into all your potential positions, that's just tacky. Instead, read and reread the description and tailor a specific response to each one. 

8. More on packing and supplies. Do not pack extra toiletries. Everyone in the world shaves, brushes their teeth, washes their hair and uses deodorant. While it may be highly unlikely that you'll find your exact brand you'll find a popular brand and chances are it'll cost you a third of what you'd pay in a first world country. 

9. Transportation. I suggest the local public busses. They are cheap and effective. A 20km ride in a taxi can cost you $12USD but the same ride on a public bus can be 48¢. There are a few notable exceptions. When arriving to an airport the best option in a new city is usually a taxi or better yet have the hostel you are staying at come and pick you up. In Central America they also have collectivo pickup trucks that are also public transportation but they can get full, very full. As in people with one foot on the bumper full. The chicken busses can get full also with people crammed in the aisles but I've found them easier to deal with in many cases. If you are traveling across a border the best bets and easiest times at the border will be had on an international bus line such as transnica or tica bus. These rides will also streamline the border crossing for you, handling all of the formalities except for you filling out the necessary paperwork and in some cases running your bags through customs. 

10. International border crossings. These can be hair pulling experiences especially if you have never done one and are walking across. Never get jivved. Do not listen to the hecklers. Walk past them and tell them no thank you. Never ever pay for paperwork. All paperwork is free. ALWAYS. Dress nice and try not to look like a bum. I like to wear real shoes (not sandals) and a button up shirt. Additionally always have a pen maybe two in case one fails. The last thing you want is to have a connecting bus to catch and no own with which to full out your paperwork. 

11. What to see and what to do. A good rule of thumb is not to attempt to see everything. Plan on returning. Pick a highlight or two that costs money for a guide and see a few free attractions, some lesser known spots. Just because many people go there every day doesn't make it a great place. Many times better and less expensive options are nearby and off you more chances to explore at your own pace. And with less of a crowd. Don't be afraid to ask people you meet at a given attraction want they have seen, liked, didn't like, and are going to see. And definitely be flexible. 

12. Finding a good place to stay. Many times you'll arrive in a new town exhausted. Maybe you'll have a reservation but we never did. Look at your travel guidebook and pick one. Ask someone for directions. Go there and rest for a bit. Take a siesta, get some brochures, ask the receptionist what's around. Then explore the town, maybe first thing in the morning, hunting for a better and possibly cheaper option. They always exist. We have sometimes cut our bill in half. In fact our first five nights in León, Nicaragua cost us over $100USD. We subsequently for a room that we rented that cost us $120USD for an entire month!

13. What is that food? There have been many times in a foreign country where I've seen good sold that was inexpensive and I didn't know what it was. Asking only have me the name of the item and my language skills weren't good enough to understand what the heck it was. The solution is simple and often yummy. Buy it and try it. Certainly it's a hit and miss solution. But when it's a hits totally worth it. We've ran across many a yummy snack by simply buying first and then digging in.

14. Photography. Do you need a stand alone camera? I sometimes wish that I did but mostly no I do not. And I don't think how average backpacker needs one either. Firstly they are another expensive item to get damaged, lost, stolen, and to lug around. Space and weight are very important when your whole world is on your back and getting slung and crammed into overhead compartments. My smartphone provides decent enough resolution and provides for much more functionality than a camera alone. Focus instead on making sure you have ample storage space for your photos. I can take a lot of photos and 2500 plus a hundred or so videos can easily fill the lions share of a 32gb smartphone. Additionally backups are critical. One cheap and effective solution is to get an gmail account, and to periodically email your photos to it. Gmail offers unlimited storage for you to exploit. A Dropbox account can also be a lifesaver. The free version provides just a few gigabytes of storage and that may be limiting. It does offer automatic camera uploading and that in and of itself is wonderful. I would suggest ponying up the extra cash for a bigger Dropbox. It seems like a chunk if cash but backups really are that important. 

15. Don't be shy. Talk to people, as many as you can. Talk to the hostel receptionist, the resort owner, guests at the hotel, people you meet at the beach or an attraction. Whomever you meet, ask questions and share experiences. Don't be afraid to say this attraction sucks or omg you gotta visit this one place. And most importantly recommend places you enjoy. You'll find that other people have fascinating travel stories and equally as interesting recommendations. If you can, I'd suggest following through with recommended excursions or hostels. We've found towns we loved and didn't know existed, great places to eat, warnings about excursions and saved a few dollars here it there just by asking. 

16. Lost? Don't lose your cool. Ask someone for directions. Most people are more than happy to help. I've even had police walk me a few blocks to help me find my destination. Police, especially tourist police, are wonderful resources, and they are in place for you!!! Use them!

17. Crime. Most of the times if you aren't looking for trouble it won't find you. Certain places can be shady and if that's the case and maybe even if it's not, when the local restaurants close, it's a good time to be indoors or if you are out, to take a taxi home. It's worth saying that expensive gadgets and jewelry aren't a great idea to be wandering around with. The same goes for money. Do not carry around a huge wad of cash. In order to save on foreign access ATM fees, you will need to take out a few hundred each time you access the ATM but there's no need to keep it in your "walking" wallet. Keep it on you, certainly, but cram it deep in your pockets in a plastic bag, not in the wallet you pull out for a $2 purchase. 

18. Plastic bags. Huh? Yea. Plastic bags. The ziplock kind are almost invaluable. I like to keep my smartphone and wallet in one. Why? Water, rain and sweat happens. Less than perfect American dollars many times cannot be spent. Protect your stuff. Put your food in marked ones in the shared hostel fridge to clearly mark what is yours.  And reuse them if they don't have holes. Rinse them out and use them again. Don't risk being dashed by a sneaker wave, slipping in the mud or getting caught in a sudden downpour without having your valuables tightly sealed in a waterproof bag. 

19. Raincoat. You doth need one. Unless you are going in the rainy season to a place with 18 hours of rain each day an occasional dousing in a warm and humid won't kill you. I lugged one around Central America and never used it. I do pack the cheap plastic ponchos just in case, as they are cheap, small and lightweight. Trust me on this one. You won't melt. 

20. Online reviews. When you find a place, excursion or your company you like, or perhaps one with serious flaws, a good idea is to post a review online. Online services such as tripadvisor.com are a great place to let the world know the ins and outs of a particular venture. Additionally good information can be gleamed from Trip Advisor. I find that the five star glowing reviews are sometimes best to be skipped and reading the negative reviews can provide useful insight. At one particular hostel we visited upon scanning through the reviews and reading only the negatives yielded a tribe of information. Namely that the complaints were very petty. A valid complaint in a third world country where the average day time temperature (Costa Rica) was well into the 90°F range was not that the showers did not feature hot water. 

21. Airports & Airlines.  Airports can be a hassle. Being on time, making your next flight, not busting the budget on a bite to eat are just a few of the nuances. One thing most people will tell you is to make sure you have enough time to catch your flight, known as being in time. I can't stress this enough either. And if you can, check in online 24 hours ahead of time and print your boarding pass. Even though 

22. Don't worry, be happy. This is the one I need the most practice at perfecting. Chances are, no one is going to rob you and most people are very willing to help you if you ask. Unless you are getting wasted at a bar or trying to score drugs your odds of getting in trouble are about the same as winning the lottery.