Accommodation Review – Baikaler Hostel

The Baikaler Hostel in Irkutsk, Russia, has a pretty good reputation and I was very glad that I was able to get a room there – especially as there was only one private room in the whole hostel! Apparently it is owned and run by an interesting and friendly character named Jack. Unfortunately for me …

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A Great Hostel Experience in Ulaan Baatar – Zaya Hostel

And in Mongolia I returned to the ol’ ‘hostel’ experience. Which I have to say, was pretty bally splendid! It’s been a long time since I can say I stayed in a place that was good in so many aspects as ‘Zaya Hostel’, in the Mongolian capital of Ulaan Baatar. Firstly I was met by …

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Accommodation Review – Jade Garden Hotel, Beijing

Hi folks. Back with another review of a place I stayed, we’re now rolling out the ones from my latest adventure. In Beijing I prebooked through hotels dot com. I’ve finally got to the point where I get a free night and am actually pretty close to another so that’s very exciting. I rifled through …

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Accommodation Review – Ibis Hotels in Brazil

The Ibis is a bit of an institution in a way I guess for me. I first stayed in one in 2006 at Charles de Gaulle Airport. I’m going back there in June. They are reasonably reliable, if simple, comfortable places to stay. Not expensive generally depending on where you are, but also quite plastic …

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Accommodation Review – Hostal Copacabana, La Quiaca, Argentina

The word Copacabana seemed to follow me around in South America from the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia to Rio de Janeiro. And then there was the Hostel Copacabana in the dusty border town of La Quiaca. I crossed the border and decided to walk to the hostel. It was a bit further than …

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Accommodation Review – Hotel Avenida, Uyuni, Bolivia

If you’re coming to Uyuni to hook up with a tour to the salt flats, there’s a good chance you’ll need to stay a night or two in the town of Uyuni. I stayed the night before the tour and the night after the tour, and I ended up staying at Hotel Avenida, although originally …

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Accommodation Review – Hotel La Dolce Vita, Sucre, Bolivia

Well. The name says it all, doesn’t it? Sucre is a delightful city in South-Central Bolivia which is definitely worth a short stop if you’re there. It can be reached in a couple of hours from Potosi by share taxi which was great as at the time I was well and truly sick of the …

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Review – Intrepid Tour to Galapagos. Pretrip, Days One & Two

So here it is, a step by step record for anyone who might be interested of my ‘Nine Day’ Intrepid Tour to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. I’ve written about this tour before but I really wanted to get down to some details in not quite ‘diary’ style but I wanted to cover it well. …

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Accommodation Review – Hostal Los Uros, Puno

Puno seemed like an interesting little place, between Machu Picchu and the Bolivian border. It was just a one night stop over for me on my journey across South America. So, I wanted a cheap bed for the night. I arrived after dark and left early in the morning, so it didn’t need to be …

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