I have traveled to many countries around the world. Some accept credit cards. Some only deal in cash. Some accept US Dollars. Some only accept local currency. Nowhere, however, I have dealt with a system as weird as Argentina. There are myriad exchange rates.
El Calafate is the gateway to Argentina鈥檚 Patagonia region. However, there isn鈥檛 much to do in this city as such beyond the Perito Moreno Glacier. If you are flying into El Calafate, then I would recommend first going to El Chalt茅n. And then spend your last day in El Calafate before flying out from the airport that鈥檚 less than 20 minutes away by taxi. I took an 11500 AEP guided bus tour to Perito Moreno Glacier that included a pick-up and drop-off back to my hotel....
El Chalt茅n, a small town in Patagonia, Argentina is a hiking heaven. There are three major hiking paths in El Chalt茅n, and all of them are easily accessible from the town. One is located in the south, the other two are in the north-west and north-east side of the town, respectively. Here鈥檚 my recommendation on how to do all those hikes in three days.
Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, is located in the remote Tierra Del Fuego region of Argentina. Despite its remoteness, unlike Alaska, the city is gorgeous and prosperous. The whole city is mostly oriented around one single street (Ave. San Mart铆n). And I would recommend staying close to it.
There isn鈥檛 a single city in Latin America that鈥檚 as gorgeous as Buenos Aires. The city is aptly termed Paris of Latin America. The city has relatively good public transport. There is a single SUBE card that one needs to use in the expansive bus and metro system of the city. There are two major airports EZE and AEP. EZE is used primarily for flights in the South American region and AEP for international flights outside this region....
Panam谩 is one of the wealthiest countries in Central America. The gorgeous skyline of its capital, Panama City, reminded me of Singapore. Beyond that, there isn鈥檛 much to do in the city. The Panama Canal, in my opinion, is a bit overhyped for tourism. I had a much better experience seeing the locks in Seattle and going through locks in Stockholm. Major areas to visit in Panam谩 San Blas Islands - gorgeous islands that are equivalent to mini-French Polynesia Boquete - Gorgeous small town in the highlands Bocas Del Toro - Caribbean vibe, I decided to skip this Darien National Park - It is filled with Narcos and human traffickers. I skipped it this time.
The oil-rich twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago are the southernmost island in the Caribbean. The smaller Tobago island is more beautiful, safe, and worthy of spending time on than the bigger Trinidad island. So, if you are short on time, just visit Tobago island. There are 30 USD one-way flights between Trinidad鈥檚 POS airport to Tobago鈥檚 TAB airport.
Singapore is a small country on the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Thanks to its visionary leader, Singapore is one of the most prosperous countries in the world.聽Once you get passed the heat and humidity, it is a wonderful place to visit. I had a short stay in Singapore while taking a Royal Caribbean cruise. Here鈥檚 my recommendation on what to see in Singapore.
We did a 3-day Royal Caribbean cruise from Singapore with a stop in Penang, Malaysia. This was my first time cruising in Asia. Unlike the Caribbean and French Polynesia, most passengers were from Chinese and India. And this reflected well in the activities as well as food choices. The quizzes were geekier, e.g., guess the airport from the codename. Food choices were way more vegetarian friendly including a Jain food counter!
Chile is one most remote countries in the world to visit. It is far from Europe. It is far from Asia. It is far from North America as well. And the country is deceivingly large. Unlike the USA, Canada, or Brazil, Chile looks small because of its appearance as a narrow strip on the map. Except it is long. The length of Chile is the same as the distance from San Francisco to New York. So, it is hard to visit all of Chile in a few days. The major areas that you have to choose from are Santiago - in the middle of the country Atacama Desert - in the north Torres Del Paine National Park - in the Punta Arenas region in the south For our first trip to Chile, we decided to focus on the Santiago region.