diga Posted February 23 Posted February 23 On 2/20/2025 at 12:34 AM, Laaloo said: Anyone has ever been to Costa Rica? Why Costa Rica? Jurassic park?
Laaloo Posted February 23 Posted February 23 4 hours ago, diga said: Why Costa Rica? Jurassic park? Natural sceneries and tired of resort vacations like Cancun or Aruba. I went to coorg a few years back and was mesmerized by lush greenery. I'm expecting the same in Costa Rica. raki05 and BacktoCricaddict 1 1
EnterTheVoid Posted March 2 Posted March 2 (edited) Some pictures from my recent 2 week trip to East Africa. The volcano is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. And the tribe is the Masai Mara. Edited March 2 by EnterTheVoid diga, mishra, coffee_rules and 1 other 2 1 1
Mariyam Posted March 3 Posted March 3 (edited) @EnterTheVoid Why did you decide to go to Masai Maara instead of Serengeti (in Kenya)? Any specific reasons? I am planning this trip and current undecided between the two. Edited March 3 by Mariyam
EnterTheVoid Posted March 3 Posted March 3 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Mariyam said: @EnterTheVoid Why did you decide to go to Masai Maara instead of Serengeti (in Kenya)? Any specific reasons? I am planning this trip and current undecided between the two. Hi Mariyam, The Masai Mara and the Serengeti are the same park. On the Kenyan side, it's called the Masai Mark, on the Tanzanian side, it's called the Serengeti. The Tanzanian side is about 10X bigger. Same animals but spread out over a much larger area. More time driving, more expensive etc. Everything is in USD. A far cry from South East Asia where everything is cheap as chips ;( Edited March 3 by EnterTheVoid Mariyam 1
coffee_rules Posted March 3 Posted March 3 3 hours ago, EnterTheVoid said: Hi Mariyam, The Masai Mara and the Serengeti are the same park. On the Kenyan side, it's called the Masai Mark, on the Tanzanian side, it's called the Serengeti. The Tanzanian side is about 10X bigger. Same animals but spread out over a much larger area. More time driving, more expensive etc. Everything is in USD. A far cry from South East Asia where everything is cheap as chips ;( Did you do any trophy hunting?
Mariyam Posted March 3 Posted March 3 3 hours ago, EnterTheVoid said: Hi Mariyam, The Masai Mara and the Serengeti are the same park. On the Kenyan side, it's called the Masai Mark, on the Tanzanian side, it's called the Serengeti. The Tanzanian side is about 10X bigger. Same animals but spread out over a much larger area. More time driving, more expensive etc. Everything is in USD. A far cry from South East Asia where everything is cheap as chips ;( Thank you. Yes, Maasai Mara is in Kenya. So I've had friends/family who have visited both and have arguements for both. Did you see the big 5? And since you went in the months of the great migration, could you see any of it?
EnterTheVoid Posted March 3 Posted March 3 (edited) 5 hours ago, coffee_rules said: Did you do any trophy hunting? LOL, no. 5 hours ago, Mariyam said: Thank you. Yes, Maasai Mara is in Kenya. So I've had friends/family who have visited both and have arguements for both. Did you see the big 5? And since you went in the months of the great migration, could you see any of it? The Big 5 are overrated IMO. Buffaloes are a dime a dozen Lions and Leopards sleep during the day. Leopards are difficult to spot as they hide in the long grass Rhinos are so and so Elephants are also a dime a dozen After you have seen them once, seeing them from a distance gets very boring very quick. It's when the animals are interacting with each other that it becomes fascinating to watch. The Masai Mara itself is absolutely incredible. But the end to end experience from Nairobi is very ordinary. The road journey is very tiring, you are either dodging potholes or are forever behind a convoy of slow moving trucks (transporting goods from the port city of Mombasa to the landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda etc). The accomodation and the food are also nothing to write home about. That said, the Masai Mara sells itself. Even if all the other services are rudimentary, people will still flock to it. I went during the low season. Even than, there were no less than 15 - 20 Land Cruisers at any one time. Every time you spot an animal, these hordes of vehicles just congregate and surround the area. During the migration, everything is 3 - 4x more expensive. And given the hordes of crowds, I'd give it a miss. I'll leave it to the experts at BBC and National Geographic to document the migration. Edited March 3 by EnterTheVoid Mariyam 1
MechEng Posted March 4 Posted March 4 On 3/31/2024 at 7:22 PM, Mariyam said: I am going to Portugal in May with my mom and my daughter. A girls trip. Lisbon, Peniche, Nazare, Coimbra, Porto and Algrave. If we can jugaad for the tickets, will also attend a Taylor Swift concert while in Lisbon. Are there any parts of Europe you would advise to skip? Or one must visit the entire continent at least once? I visited Georgia and Azerbaijan recently, it was nice/okayish, got the soviet feel there and need not visit Russia or all stans (Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Turkmen etc.)
Mariyam Posted March 4 Posted March 4 23 minutes ago, MechEng said: Are there any parts of Europe you would advise to skip? Or one must visit the entire continent at least once? I visited Georgia and Azerbaijan recently, it was nice/okayish, got the soviet feel there and need not visit Russia or all stans (Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Turkmen etc.) Aren't all the stans in Asia? Even Georgia/Azerbaijan etc are almost Asia. haven't been to any of these. I've been to most of the touristy/scenic places in Western Europe and Scandanavia, and to Dubrovnik, Budapest, Prague and Russia. IMHO, Paris can be given a miss. Long queues everywhere and really not worth the $. I'd say the same for the rest of France except the southern coast of France, where you can book an airbnb for a week or so in a quaint village in Antibe and just wedge out.
coffee_rules Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Europe is not even a continent. We believe it is a continent because Europeans told us it is a continent. We should start calling it Eurasia.
MechEng Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) 5 hours ago, Mariyam said: Aren't all the stans in Asia? Even Georgia/Azerbaijan etc are almost Asia. haven't been to any of these. I've been to most of the touristy/scenic places in Western Europe and Scandanavia, and to Dubrovnik, Budapest, Prague and Russia. IMHO, Paris can be given a miss. Long queues everywhere and really not worth the $. I'd say the same for the rest of France except the southern coast of France, where you can book an airbnb for a week or so in a quaint village in Antibe and just wedge out. Just asked because I felt travelling entire EU might be expensive if I need to cover in short span of time (jitna chhuti boss dega tab). Hence I felt if I can visit select few 3-4 countries to get an exposure to Mediterranean, Scandinavian, Anglo Saxon or Eastern European feels. Georgia and Azerbaijan were Soviets like other stans, so you do get those Russian vibes there (Russia is considered European by some). Azerbaijan is very Iranic, but Georgia does have that European feel to it with cobblestone roads, exotic bakeries, very strong grape wine culture and the food! Edited March 4 by MechEng
bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 6 hours ago, MechEng said: Are there any parts of Europe you would advise to skip? Or one must visit the entire continent at least once? I visited Georgia and Azerbaijan recently, it was nice/okayish, got the soviet feel there and need not visit Russia or all stans (Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Turkmen etc.) Georgia is not worth visiting. Customer service is pathetic. Tblisi only place worth going to.
MechEng Posted March 4 Posted March 4 49 minutes ago, bharathh said: Georgia is not worth visiting. Customer service is pathetic. Tblisi only place worth going to. Georgia has a different beauty to it. It's not as cosmopolitan as mainland Europe but has lots of natural beauty. Food is quite good unless you're not a fan of cheese, I loved the Adjarian Khachapuri, Khinkali was so so since I tried the cottage cheese one. I was staying at Courtyard Marriott right in front of the Liberty Square, so yes a very happening location of Tbilisi. Customer service I agree maybe because they're not used to tourists yet. But yes, Georgians are quite racists towards Indians and really look down on them, I had such hostile experiences there. Only thing I miss about Georgia is the churchkhela, especially the ones from the badagi store. Among the best candies I've ever had.
bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 2 hours ago, MechEng said: Georgia has a different beauty to it. It's not as cosmopolitan as mainland Europe but has lots of natural beauty. Food is quite good unless you're not a fan of cheese, I loved the Adjarian Khachapuri, Khinkali was so so since I tried the cottage cheese one. I was staying at Courtyard Marriott right in front of the Liberty Square, so yes a very happening location of Tbilisi. Customer service I agree maybe because they're not used to tourists yet. But yes, Georgians are quite racists towards Indians and really look down on them, I had such hostile experiences there. Only thing I miss about Georgia is the churchkhela, especially the ones from the badagi store. Among the best candies I've ever had. They are hostile to everyone. I saw almost everyone complain about their service. However, had a bad interaction at the ATM where one elderly couple acted like I was trying to jump them even though I was standing 2m behind. My wife and her girlfriends were denied entry to a nightclub for the first time in their lives. Not like the nightclub had anyone fancy or anything inside though. There are better places to go and spend money. Georgia definitely does not deserve it. Stayed there a week and went pretty much across Georgia. Only awesome place I saw was in Kutaisi. MechEng 1
bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Georgian food is ok. The Khachapuri is good the first time you eat it. All the regional varieties are just more or less cheesy than the base variety. Not worth it IMO. Chuchkela is good fresh. Packed a bunch and came back. Didn't taste as good
bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Tbh. If India picks up its hygiene and cleanliness and good facilities - I would not want to travel anywhere else. We have almost every kind of geography available in our country. I haven't been to the North east and to the BIMARU belt. Need to visit Rann of Kutch as well. Can't beat our food and hospitality IMO. MechEng 1
bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 The Bihar govt could milk being the holiest place for Buddhism to the max. Pity that state is a gone case. That alone would be a multi-billion GDP earner and employer for that state. For millenia Bihar was almost the cradle of Indic civilization afte rthe Indus Valley. Wonder how it has become so backward in the last 500 years. Did Bukhthiyar Khilji and the Bengal Sultanate decimate the area so much? Until Nalanda was burnt down it was considered to be one of the most advanced places in India.
MechEng Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, bharathh said: Tbh. If India picks up its hygiene and cleanliness and good facilities - I would not want to travel anywhere else. We have almost every kind of geography available in our country. I haven't been to the North east and to the BIMARU belt. Need to visit Rann of Kutch as well. Can't beat our food and hospitality IMO. Absolutely, the diversity of cultural experiences that India offers is matched by very few countries let alone being bettered. Things need not be perfect but some of the chhapris have to be kept under check who spread filth. You must visit Rann of Kutch and Arunachal Pradesh in North East. Out of Bimaru states maybe UP and Bihar are worth giving a miss because most of the chhapri population resides there. Edited March 4 by MechEng
MechEng Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, bharathh said: They are hostile to everyone. I saw almost everyone complain about their service. However, had a bad interaction at the ATM where one elderly couple acted like I was trying to jump them even though I was standing 2m behind. My wife and her girlfriends were denied entry to a nightclub for the first time in their lives. Not like the nightclub had anyone fancy or anything inside though. There are better places to go and spend money. Georgia definitely does not deserve it. Stayed there a week and went pretty much across Georgia. Only awesome place I saw was in Kutaisi. I visited mostly the eastern side - Sighnaki, Kazbegi and Tbilisi, was there for 5 days approx. How's the western region - Batumi and Kutaisi? Did I miss out something? If people were nicer, I would have considered exploring Georgia again followed by Armenia. However, now I feel that if I want good experiences at a modest budget, I am better off exploring less touristy areas of Thailand instead of going to Georgia again. Edited March 4 by MechEng
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