Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Queenstown is only about “Adrenalone”, South Island, New Zealand
We spent almost 6 weeks in New Zealand, four on the South Island and a little less than two on the North Island. New Zealand is not a budget destination, nevertheless, we managed to spend 59 Euros per person per day, less than what we had budgeted. This is rather unexpected! How comes we did not spend much more? Continue Reading →
Hard Life …, Aitutaki Atoll, Cook Islands
Yes, we all know that the Pacific islands are extremely expensive, not talking about cost for getting there. But the Cook Islands are an interesting option for traveling in this region, not only because of their beauty but also for the fact that you can travel on a reasonable budget and still enjoy yourself! Continue Reading →
Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia – The very name Tahiti probably triggers the wildest imaginations in most people, a tropical island with white sandy beaches lined with palm trees
We only spent 6 days in French Polynesia, four of them diving in Fakarava and two stopovers in Papeete. So our summery has to be seen in this context. Continue Reading →
Moai, in Ahu Nau Nau, Rapa Nui or Easter Island, Pacific
This week on the Easter Island was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. We thought we would have lots of time to rest and do nothing spending a whole week on this island, but were very busy visiting the various events of the festival and the more famous sites of standing Moai. Besides, from midday to late afternoon, the sun is simply too strong for any major undertaking! Continue Reading →
Apart from cozy rooms and WiFi, Hostal Casa Azul in Puerto Montt offers a little, but nice kitchen, where almost every guest would cook dinner, have a glass of wine and exchange travel story and cooking recipies …
Chile is definitely the most expensive country we have been in South America, by far! Of course, prices are lower than in Europe or in North America, but are much higher than Brazil or Argentina, not to talk about Venezuela, Peru and of course Bolivia. Continue Reading →
Gilles in Aguas Qualientes, near Machu Picchu, Peru
All in all, we spent on average almost exactly the same amount of money per day as in Venezuela: 33.5 Euros or 47 USD. Yes, the present exchange rate Euro-Dollar is the best thing that could happen to us! Peru is to some extend a very cheap country, especially coming from Brazil, but classic tourist activities can be at times really pricy. Continue Reading →
Boat Tour in the Orinoco Delta, Venzuela – When you do not have any bathroom, you just improvise ! Taking a shower meant getting a bucket full of water and pouring it down on you …
Venezuela is a very cheap country to travel, especially if you use the black currency market that is widespread. The inflation is high and therefore has lead to a de facto strong devaluation of the Bolivares, the national currency. Since Hugo Chavez decided a fix parity to the US Dollar (1 USD = 2.120 Bolivares), a black market has developed for trading the USD, the Euro or the Brazilian Real. This black market is everywhere, and even the police at the airport offers the tourists to change money, even though they do not propose a good rate (3.000 Bolivares for 1 USD). Continue Reading →