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  • Getting Around London: Tube, Bus and Oyster Card

    Getting Around London: Tube, Bus and Oyster Card

    Each time people ask me “how does the public transport in London work?” a shiver runs down my spine. It’s actually more complicated to explain than it is to understand. I reckon it’s a very clever system, a bit expensive, but efficient.

    During your stay you’ll either use the tube or the bus and, according to the length of your stay you might go for single tickets or passes, either in paper form or on a Oyster Card. Let’s see in details how it works and what suits you better.

    What’s best for a few days in London? Found your best Oyster deal on our special post.

    Tube, Bus, Overground

    With the exception of the Thames clipper and the Greenwich cable car, these are the means of transport that will carry you around London:

    The Tube

    The oldest underground system and probably the most famous with its iconic “mind the gap”, the Tube has recently turned 150 years old and survived the millions of Olympic visitors. You can take the Tube to the most famous places, including Heathrow airport.

    It’s the quickest way to get across the city, but also the most expensive. If you’re in London for a visit you’ll probably be limited to the zones 1-2 in case you were wondering what that means when you try to buy a ticket or a pass.

    The Bus

    The world famous double decker buses are one of the most representative symbols of London, and they can be found in key-rings and on fridges all over the world.

    They recently retired the good ol’ routemaster and replaced it with a brand new one, with a futuristic design, that can be found on the routes 38, 9, 11 and 24.

    A ticket or a bus pass will cover all the 6 zones, with no time limit, but if you have to change don’t forget that you will be charged (in case you have a pay-as-you-go oyster) a fare on each bus.

    In the unlikely event the weather is rough, you just missed your bus, and you want to know if you have time for one more drink before the next bus, check this very accurate website: countdown.tfl.gov.uk

    Follow this link for a full bus map.

    Night bus

    Technically there’s nothing different from the above buses but these are real life-savers. Some lines run on 24 hours, some they just slightly change the route and add a ‘N’ before the number. Wherever you’re going to spend your night the night buses will take you home (unless you fall asleep and wake up in a deposit or in the middle  of nowhere).

    Overground

    A urban train network, the Overground is often underestimated. However it’s very useful to cross the city west-east. It’s been recently extended to cover many areas where the Tube doesn’t go, especially where the “east line” were supposed to be, crossing the east end and connecting popular areas such as Hoxton and Shoreditch. The Overground trains are not included in the TFL passes and you will be charged on your pay-as-you-go money.

    Tickets and Passes

    Single ticket

    The memories of my first visit in London will always start with me arriving in Stratford (way before the Olympics, it was still pretty rough), getting the tube to St. Paul’s and being charged £4. Five stops, nearly £1 per stop. Lesson learned: never buy a single ticket unless you can’t really avoid that. To know how much is a tube ride from A to B click here. It might happen to buy a single ticket for a bus, you can usually do that on board or at the automatic machines that can be found at some stops. The bus ticket is £2.50 and can only be paid via contactless, no cash accepted.

    Daily pass

    If you seek peace of mind and you want to take any necessary mean of transport without worrying about the maths, the daily pass is your choice (unless you stay for more than 4-5 days):

    • Daily travelcard tube + bus: £12.00 (zone 1-4)
    • Bus daily pass: £5.00 (travel the day of purchase up to 4.29am the following day)

    Oyster Card

    If you’re staying for longer than a weekend and you want to make your life even easier, or you want one more souvenir to take back home, then go for an Oyster Card. It can be obtained at any tube station and requires a £5 deposit that you will get back once you won’t need it any more. You’ll need to top it up, and you have pretty much two options:

    Pay as you go

    If you have a laid back approach and no schedule, if you don’t know whether you’re going to barely take a bus a day or if you’re going to spend more time on a tube than actually at ground level, this is your option.

    Top your Oyster up and touch it on the reader each time you get in the tube or on a bus. Each access will deduct a single fare, that’s way cheaper than buying tickets:

    • Single access to Tube with Oyster: £2.30 (£2.90 peak: 6.30-9.30 / 16.00-19.00 Mon-Fri)
    • Single trip on bus with Oyster: £1.50

    What if you take the Tube 100 times in one day? You won’t be charged £230, as there is a limit, that equals the cost of a daily pass:

    • Price cap tube + bus: £6.40 (£2 cheaper than in 2014!)
    • Price cap bus: £4,40

    To know the exact amount of each fare you can use this this service.

    Weekly and Monthly pass

    On your Oyster you can also put a weekly or monthly pass, available for tube+bus or just bus. At this stage you can be considered an advanced user, so you can read the price tables easily:

    Many people don’t know that pass and pay-as-you-go can be on the same Oyster at the same time, which is the beauty of this system. For instance you can have a bus pass some credit, so that when you take your occasional tube or overground train, which are not covered from that pass, money will be deducted from your allowance. If you really want to know more enjoy the TFL website: www.tfl.gov.uk

  • 3 Great Places in Milan to hang out

    3 Great Places in Milan to hang out

    There are a few really cool places that we love to regularly visit in Milan. They’re quite eclectic and we found it difficult to categorize them. Yes, we go there for food but we couldn’t fit them in our article on the restaurants in Milan as they’re way more than just a restaurant. Let’s find them out!

    Santeria

    Address: Via Ettore Paladini, 8 Milano (Bus 54, Tram 5)
    Phone no.: 02 36685216 / 02 36685215 (shop) 
    Milan should be full of places like this. A nice spot, based on a simple solid idea, that would fit perfectly in Shoreditch, Prenzlauerberg or Williamsburg, and that (sadly) in Milan is the first and only of its kind.
    Breakfast, brunch, lunch, aperitivi, vintage clothes records and book shop, gigs, indie movies and co-working space. If they also had mattresses to lay down between the tables there wouldn’t be a reason to leave Santeria.
    Visitat their website: www.santeriamilano.it

    Ostello Bello

    Address: Via Medici, 4  20123 Milano (MM1-3 Duomo, Tram 2-3, how to get there)
    Phone no.: 02 3658 2720
    Not only it’s one of the very few authentic hostels in Milan, but Ostello Bello offers some of its services and activities to a wider audience. Anyone can visit it without necessarily having to spend a night. They have food all day round and leisure activities from music to games, sometimes they’re improvised so any day is good to pop there. If you’re after a meaty lunch make sure to go there for the monthly “Turbo Burger” day. Only one item on the menu, guess what it is?

    Visit their website: www.ostellobello.com and follow them on facebook to keep up to date.

    La Balera dell’Ortica

    Address: Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 78, Milano (Bus 54, 39)
    Phone no.: 02 70128680
    It takes just 20 minutes by bus from Duomo, or a short bike ride, to end up in a place where time seems to have stopped 50 years ago. The “Balera” could be a perfect set of an old school Italian movie, like Fellini showing the more trivial aspect of the Italian working class having a good time with the few spare money they had. As you enter you will find the balera itself to your right: a open-air dance floor where couple dance the night away whirling on the rhythm of the traditional popular music called liscio, which means smooth.

    To the left you’ll find the bar restaurant. A very rough diner, not the same quality of the bocciofila Caccialanza but cheaper. Ideal during the warmer months, when you can enjoy the patio outside and chill with few drinks. Few minutes in and you’ll forget to be in a big city and you’ll start feeling the relaxed atmosphere of a vintage countryside.

    Open every day of the week from 13.00 to 00.30 (1.30 Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
    Visit their website: www.labaleradellortica.com

  • Iceland: What’s the Best Travel Guide?

    Iceland: What’s the Best Travel Guide?

    Choosing a travel guide is never an easy task. The best would be to buy all of them or, at least, go to a library and go through the most of them, before deciding. For our trip to Iceland went for the Rough Guide, just for a change, as it served us well in Warsaw. Since we were driving a car we also needed to buy a detailed map.

    Our Iceland Road Map

    We were expecting to consult our map outdoor, under extreme weather conditions, the paper torn apart by strong gales and battered by icy rain. This never happened but we decided to buy a waterproof and tearproof map, one of the folding type. We would have preferred a book map, much easier to use inside the car, but the difference of price between the two models was high enough to influence the choice. I would now go for the book map, or for more detailed regional maps as details can be significative when you’re lost in the middle of nowhere with nobody to ask directions to. Check our article for more tips about maps and driving in Iceland.

    Rough Guide Iceland 2013

    Iceland Travel Guides

    Our Rough Guide let us down in few occasions. The Snaefellsnes peninsula was described as a collection of eventless towns, wooden churches and rocks, while our host in Grundarfjordur penned down for us an unforgettable one-day itinerary.

    In the Myvatn region we were massively disappointed as we missed out on this just because it wasn’t clearly described and it wasn’t on the map. Talking about guides with a couple, whose path we crossed a few times along the road, they had the same feedback about their Lonely Planet. Sure we might have got all the hints if we had read the guide thoroughly but I reckon guides should be thought for being consulted quickly on the go.

    They can be found at any tourist information centre of the country, I started collecting them even if we initially thought they were just an excuse to advertise local hotels and restaurants. As a matter of fact they turned out to be incredibly useful, rich of details on the area they cover, from the most popular destinations, to the best activities, to some precious info that wasn’t on our Rough guide. They’re for free and can also come with an extra folding maps which, even though is not quite as detailed, have been very helpful to us in several occasions.

    Self-drive tours

    Before planning the trip ourselves, we’ve contacted some companies organising self drive tours. They are pretty cool as they organise everything for you but they are not intrusive (which we hate) so, once you’re there, you’re on your own and you are completely free, either to stick to the plan or to go off route. Their offer includes: car rental, accommodation booking, maps, suggestions, GPS, assistance. Considering the costs in Iceland, what those guys charge is perfectly acceptable for a nicely planned trip and a safety net. However it was above our budget so we decided to do it on our own.
    The companies we contacted, that seemed professional and reliable, are the Reykjavik based Extreme Iceland and Discover the World.

    Car rental

    First thing we had to get the car sorted. After reading countless forums and blogs we picked Blue Car Rental as our company of choice. It appears to be one of the cheapest and one of the most reliable with smashing reviews. They also offer some older model for a cheaper price (like the guys at SADcars do) so we opted for a Jimmy. If you are not going to use the “difficult” roads, called F-roads, you really don’t need a 4×4 but, since this model costs only little more than small car we opted for a 4×4. And also we figured it’d be cool to drive a car called Jimmy. Different combinations of days – for pick up and drop off – and location – either Keflavik or Reykjavik – can change the final bill massively. Moreover those companies usually offer a transfer service so they will come pick you up wherever you are and they’ll take you where you need to go after you’ve given the car back.

    Booking Accommodation

    This has proven harder than we thought. With few properties, and far between, there’s no much choice in Iceland for a bed to sleep, especially if you’d rather choose for a lower budget. To make things worse the tour operators book, at the beginning of the season, as many rooms as they think they’ll need, leaving even fewer options for the independent traveller, especially in busy areas such as near the Skaftafell National Park. For this reason we recommend to book every night, largely in advance, unless you have a camping kit as a back up plan.
    We’ve booked a mix of rooms in hotels and guesthouses on Booking.com, and AirBnB. We’ll stay in a wooden cabin and in a vintage van parked in a back yard of a house overlooking a fjord… not sure whether to look forward to that or be scared.

    Given the nature of this country and the scarcity of accommodation I highly recommend to contact every property booked, asking for confirmation of availability and if the location is correct. A room booked on AirBnB turned out to be in Reykjavik, not near Akureyri as shown on their map. Luckily we found out before leaving and not once there, in the middle of nowhere.

  • Restaurants in Milan: Good and Cheap

    Restaurants in Milan: Good and Cheap

    Milan is full of restaurant but finding one that meets the two basic requirements: good and cheap, is not that simple. If you walk in the city centre, holding your city guide you’re pretty hopeless and the chances of being ripped off for some basic meal you would find at your local Italian franchising restaurant are very high. After long researches, horrible experiments and precious tips by locals, we’ve shortlisted a few trusted ones:

    • Bocciofila Caccialanza (traditional milanese – home made)
    • Il Doge di Amalfi (pizza – neapolitan food)
    • Da Giannino l’abruzzese (traditional trattoria from the Abruzzi region)
    • Poporoya (sushi – japanese)
    • Trattoria Albero Fiorito (traditional milanese)

    Bocciofila Caccialanza

    Via Padova, 91 20127 Milano, tel.02 2826059
    Closed on Sundays
    “Bocciofila” is the name given to those local joints where old people meet for drinking wine and playing bocce, the italian version of petanque. This has came quite in fashion recently and many places have taken this name without the attitude. But not Bocciofila Caccialanza. This one hasn’t changed in 50 years, and still preserve a charme like time stopped. If you  go there in summer you would be sitting in the big gravelled yard surrounded by other cheerful guests and grumpy waiters. There’s no english menu here, which is a good sign, and actually there is no menu at all. Just ask the waiter…I don’t know if they can speak any english so get ready and write down some of my favourites: Tagliatelle al ragù di cinghiale (tagliatelle with boar meat ragu) Cotoletta alla milanese (the traditional battered veal escalope) Grigliata mista (tasty grilled meat) If you’re still hungry after all this ask for the dessert “torroncino”, which is a creamy vanilla icecream topped with caramel and nuts.

    Il Doge di Amalfi

    Via Sangallo, 41  20133 Milano, tel.: 02 730286 Bus 93, Tram 5
    Closed on Mondays
    If you’re looking for a taste of “real Italy”, according to the stereotypes, this is the place to be. A noisy, crowded pizzeria, serving the best neapolitan pizza in Milan, it’s an unforgettable experience for your tastebuds and for your ears. Try to come quite late (from 9pm onwards) to find the confusion at its peak. This is when the owner warms up and gives his best, grinning and shouting something at everyone. If you’re up for it he will immediately focus on you, give you nick names and offer a limoncello at the end. He can speak english and god knows how many other languages, and if you’re not one of the locals you will get a special treatment. And when you think it can’t get messier, with the boss shouting, the waiters running around the tables and kids screaming, there comes the two musicians, loudly playing some popular tunes. Honestly unmissable. You should book in advance, especially if you’re going in the weekend.

    Da Giannino l’Abruzzese

    Via Rosolino Pilo, 20  20129 Milano, tel.: 02 2940 6526 MM1 Porta Venezia, Tram 23
    The real name of this restaurant is Da Giannino l’Angolo d’Abruzzo but if you’re asking for street directions you’d better call it Giannino l’Abruzzese and everyone will understand. Located on via Bixio, in one of the most elegant areas of the city, right behind Porta Venezia, you will be shocked by the change of scenario as you’ll walk in this “osteria” with a very traditional décor. We recommend the “tris di primi” a safe choice for the first course giving you three different pasta in one plate, and the regional legend arrosticini (Abruzzo is located in central Italy, in case you didn’t know), which is skinny sheep skewers served in large numbers.

    Poporoya

    Via Bartolomeo Eustachi, 17 , +39 02 2940 6797 MM1 Lima, Bus 60
    Open 11:00 am–2:00 pm, 6:00 pm–9:30 pm. Closed Sundays
    Tel.: 02 29512635 – 02 29406797 web: www.poporoyamilano.com
    In the recent years a growing number of Japanese restaurants popped up in the streets of Milan, from the most sophisticated ones with minimalist lounges and soft atmosphere to those offering the very popular all-you-can-eat formula. Between these two extreme there’s a restaurant that happens to be the first ever opened in Italy and, in my opinion, the best (at least in Milan. It’s called Poporoya and it was open by Master Shiro in Rome, near Piazza del Popolo, hence the name. This happened in the 70s and I guess that was a very bold move. After few years they relocated in Milan, and never moved since. It’s very small, there’s a shop at the entrance and walking through a door between the shelves you will access the dining room: 4 small tables and a bar facing the desk where Shiro is skillfully chopping the raw fish. He’s a very nice man and he’ll be delighted to entertain you. The food, of course, is amazing. Go for the classic Sushi, or Sashimi, but don’t skip those weird Japanese specialities that you won’t normally find in the other restaurant.

    Trattoria Albero Fiorito

    Via Privata A. Pellizzone, 14
    Closed on Satuday night and Sunday
    Going to this trattoria (an italian term that stays for “traditional family-run restaurant”) feels like having the privilege of sharing a secret. Getting there can be challenging too: far from every metro station, it’s in a dead end street in a logistically absurd area where streets are laid as an asterisk. It doesn’t have a sign, except for a worn sign of a coffe brand, and it’s behind a hotel so you don’t really see it when you are at the beginning of such alley. For all this, writing about this place and divulging this little hidden treasur feels like I’m betraying this secret society. As we walk in the first question from the fiercely moustached landlord is “Are you here to eat and go or you want to spend the whole evening here?” we manage to give the correct answer. “Who sent you here?” We mumble a half munched answer and he goes “You must know the rules: you take the drinks from the bar and write down your order. Quick”. If you expect a proper restaurant don’t even bother going there. The food is simple but good, cooked at the moment, so it might take a while after your order. Prices are ridiculously cheap so they must ensure that the turnover is quick. This place checks all the boxes of a nostalgic vintage diner: checked tablecloth, fireplace, old signs, liquor bar, simple food and relaxed atmosphere. It’s so real that we never met any hipster, probably because they don’t find the comfort of a wifi connection and the word “organic” written here and there on the menu.

    Warning: the mission of this blog is to suggest places where you can fearlessly go and experience the real soul of the country and the city you’re visiting. It’s the case of this restaurant to but we highly recommend to go to Albero Fiorito with someone who’s fluent in Italian.

  • The Scottish Highlands: Into the Wild

    Our idea was simple: get a car in Glasgow and head off north towards the Outer Hebrides improvising our route on the way.
    How naive.
    Since a couple of years the usual national tourism has been joined by even more visitors from Europe and North America, thus saturating the entire accommodation market of West Scotland. Our trip has been then decided on the basis of where was the next available room, which prevented us from reaching the Hebrides but gave us some surprises. The first of which is a small island called Easdale.

    Oban and surroundings

    A quick search during our first night in Glasgow was enough to present us with hard evidence: the Isle of Skye was already full to the brim with tourist, and the Isle of Mull was inaccessible as there was no way to find a combination of: available room, a ferry to the island and a ferry back from the island.
    We then decide to stop in Oban, the town famous for its whisky, gateway to the Highlands. It’s really worth a visit, a whisky tasting, a decent meal and an ice-cream before entering the terra incognita where you might find the only restaurant in miles closing at 5pm. Less than one hour drive from there there’s Ellenabeich, where we park the car to and take the ferry to cross the 100 metres strip of sea to Easdale Island. We sleep in a tiny coal shed ingenuously transformed in a en-suite bunkhouse, enjoying for a short while the life of an island so small it can be strolled around in one hour. What’s to see here? Nothing, and everything. If you’re after stunning landmarks you’re in the wrong place. Scotland’s charme works on its own time and has to be enjoyed without rash, taking in every moment of it.

    Loch Ness and the tourists of Scotland

    The northward road runs along that long strip of lakes that seems to cut Scotland diagonally in two. It starts in Fort Williams, base camp for Ben Nevis excursions and walks in the surrounding woods, and goes until Loch Ness. In Fort Augustus, the town at the southern tip of the famous lake, we get stuck. Tourists are clogging the only road, queuing to cross the rotating bridge or to decide which service station to go to. All of this made worst by the left-hand traffic and by the flock-of-sheep instincts that somehow take over even the sanest people when on holiday. Along the lake there’s people everywhere, in cars, camper vans and tour bus, stopping to take a photo, buying some taking souvenir or booking the unmissable cruise on the loch. Which is just a long narrow lake, like most of the other Scottish lochs, and not even the prettiest I’ve seen.
    I’m astonished by the amount of business created around an invented story, but then I think of places like Lourdes or Medjugorje and Nessie seems more innocuous.

    Ullapool and the Wild

    More than just innocuous, Nessie ends up being helpful. Thanks to it most of the people won’t venture further from the lake shores and we end up sharing the road with just few other tourists for the rest of our trip. We head towards Ullapool taking a scenic coastal route, which I highly recommend. As previously mentioned Scotland is not a place where you use your car to go from A to B, because for real here the travel matters more, or as much as, the destination. Along the way we found woods abundant with blueberries, a castle with a cattle of hairy coos in its garden and, in an all but deserted valley, we witnessed a solitary majestic deer crossing the road and stopping to look at us, looking at him. All you could hear was the stomping of his hoofs.

    Ullapool is a pretty coastal town, one of the few in the area offering more than a restaurant and even a big supermarket. From our B&B window we could enjoy a spectacular view on the ocean reaching inland like a fjord. Not far from there, driving north along the coast, you can follow for Rhue to enjoy a beautiful sunset by a lighthouse. And you’ll be most likely swarmed by midges.

    Lochinver and the North-West Beaches

    From the port of Ullapool you can take the ferry to Stornoway on the Outer Hebrides, unless you get there during the 4 days of Celtic Fest, like we did. The festival doubles the island population, and for its duration all ferries are fully booked. We then end up having more days than we expected to spend in a place we didn’t expect, so we invest our time exploring the coastal routes around Lochinver travelling, on an average, at walking speed. Without the luxury of time we would have missed a colony of seals, hiding in a bay visible only from a specific points along the road. We wouldn’t have taken all the deviations, some of which took us to unexpected white sand beaches with turquoise water, like tropics with Scottish weather. And mostly we wouldn’t have had time to spend with the locals, a people hardened by the weather but not disheartened by it. We were welcomed with warmth and friendliness that went way beyond our expectations.

  • Milan: How to Get There

    Milan: How to Get There

    If you’re planning on visiting Italy, whether you’re going by train or plane, you’re very likely to arrive in Milan first. The city is well connected to the rest of Europe by the railway and, thanks to its 3 big airports, also by the main airlines.

    It’s the perfect starting point for the classic tour: Venice, Florence, Rome.

    By Train: Stazione Centrale

    Surely Central Station is not displaying the best welcoming committee for you. Whether you arrive by train, or by coach coming from some airport you will find a place so messy to even look picturesque. Getting useful information there is a tough challenge, and I speak Italian…good luck if you don’t. I also feel quite unsafe there, even though it’s been renewed there’s always a strange feeling…like of being under siege, and sometimes the evil world from outside might leak in. You get off the coach and you’ll be surrounded by men with a trolley offering help for carrying your luggage (I don’t think I really need to specified that but their services are not “for free” as they claim), people selling you umbrellas if the weather is lousy or some useless item when it’s not. You work your way to the metro station, try to purchase a ticket at the automatic machine and you are surrounded by women kindly volunteering to help you with that complicated machinery and with the change (I don’t think I really need to specify that they’re not moved by sheer generosity and altruism).

    The Station is served by the underground (lines 2-3) and several other surface transport lines. Check out our detailed article on public transport in Milan.

    Arriving by plane: Malpensa, Linate, Orio al Serio

    If you’re flying to Milan you will land at one of these airports:

    Malpensa is the international airport. If you’re on an international flight you will land there. The airport is connected to Milan city centre by buses arriving to and leaving from Central Station (10 euro one way, 16 return, you can buy tickets at the newsagent’s) and by the Malpensa Express train (www.malpensaexpress.it) arriving to and leaving from Cadorna, another train station, mainly used for local connection. A one way ticket costs 11 euro, but there are other trains from/to Central Sation. A ticket for one of those local trains is 10 euro but they’re very slow, so for 1 euro more I’d definitely get the Express.
    If you arrive late or leave early you might go for a taxi, but consider that a ride to the city centre will cost about 90 euro!

    Malpensa has a smoking cabin and offers free wifi.

    Linate is the city airport. Is connected to the city centre by a bus line that costs like a single ticket (€1,50) and arrives to San Babila, right behind the Duomo. The line is either 73 or X73, the first is the regular bus, while the latter is an express service, with no intermediate stops. The distance is quite short but the bus will have to work its way through the nightmarish traffic and will take at least half an hour. Make yourselves comfortable.

    Orio al Serio is tagged as a “Milan airport” but it’s actually near Bergamo. The best way to reach Milan from there, or the other way round, is by bus. There are several companies connecting the airport to Central Station (roughly 50km), for the cost of 5€ each way. The price was originally higher so it might get back to the original fare. There are buses departing each 15-20 minutes and the trip takes about 1 hour (you’d better factor in 1 hour and a half in case the bus get stuck in the traffic).

    Orio al Serio airport has been recently renewed and has a modern shopping gallery and a smoking room in the gates area.. Wifi is free, you’ll only have to sign up. The form is a bit tricky when it asks where you live. Apparently it doen’t accept non-italian cities, but type Milano or any other Italian city and it’ll do

    You can buy tickets at the newsagent’s or directly at the bus. Check this website for the timetable:

  • Machu Picchu: a Cheap and Sustainable Way to Visit

    Machu Picchu: a Cheap and Sustainable Way to Visit

    The most famous and spectacular way to reach Machu Picchu is hiking the Inca Trail: a path carved across the side of mountains that takes about four days, according to the route you choose. It recently became so popular that the maximum capacity is quickly reached and it’s quite hard to find a place in a tour, unless you opt for the high luxury range.

    We got there from Cusco, in pure DIY fashion and keeping the costs to the bone. Here’s how we did it…

    How to get access to Machu Picchu

    The archaeological site, UNESCO heritage, has a limited number of daily tickets which are dealt with by the government. The tickets need to be purchased in advance if you want to guarantee your access on a specific day, and even more so if you want also to climb to Huayna Picchu, which is the peak visible in the most iconic photos. From up there you’ll have a great view on the site and you’ll have access to what remains of the buildings that the Incas thought well to build on those all but vertical walls at 2700m.
    As an alternative the other mountain (which name is Machu Picchu but to avoid confusion is called montaña) can be added to the ticket. The view is less rewarding and the climb is tougher.

    How to buy the ticket

    Tickets are sold on the website machupicchu.gob.pe. The procedure is not straightforward but quite simple to sum up:

    1. Select site, ruta (route), date and number of people to proceed with the purchase;
    2. You’ll get a file with a booking code. Such code will be needed to make the payment in the “PAGOS” section of the website. The payment needs to be processed within three hours from the booking;
    3. Once the payment is confirmed you’ll need to check-in, in the “CHECK – IN” section of the website. Only now you well get the proper entrance ticket, one page per person.

    You’ll receive in total three documents but the entrance will be only guaranteed with this ticket. Absolutely necessary to bring the ID specified in the ticket and the bank card used for the payment.

    How to get there

    If you got this far in the page I guess you’re not considering taking the helicopter or the train to get there. Otherwise you’re on the wrong blog.
    The Inka Rail trains have ridiculous prices, unless you are a Peruvian citizen. But for those who won’t make it to the Inka Trail there’s an alternative – and significantly cheaper – way to reach Machu Picchu from Cusco.

    Any agency in Cusco can book the bus per Hidroelectrica, via Santa Teresa. It will be a small creaky 12 seater recklessly driving on dusty roads for 6 hours. The last part of this road is on the edge of a precipice and, obviously, two-ways. Make sure you have enough coca leaves and anything you might need for motion sickness.
    After the bus starts a 13km walk along the railway to get to Agua Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo. The walk takes on a pleasant path cutting across a strip of forest at the foot of the Inca mountains where you can see exotic plants such as mango, papaya and avogado, eat coffee beans straight from the plant and perhaps spot a flock of green parrots.
    The next day will start at 4am, queuing up at the gate where the ascent starts. The gate opens at 5 and from there is a good hour of steps to get to Machu Picchu: 1.3km for a 500 climb.
    We spend two nights in Agua Calientes, dedicating one day for each way of the trip and a whole day in Machu Picchu rather than having to run away at noon to catch the bus.

    Suggestions

    The worst mistake I made was the choice in clothing. Despite the high altitude the area is subtropical, hence warm and humid.
    Another big problem is represented by insect bites: mosquitoes, midges, sand flies… whatever those beasts were they left conspicuous marks on arms, face and any other corner of exposed flesh.
    Last thing about water and food provisions: the shops in Agua Calientes aren’t cheap but not exceedingly more expensive than the ones in Cusco. Just take the necessary for the bus trip and the hike and avoid taking on your shoulders, say, 6 litres of water. In Hidroelectrica there are several restaurants serving decent food for 10 soles.

    To sum up:

    • Light / technical clothing
    • Long sleeves, long trousers
    • DEET repellents to soak your clothes in
    • Antihistamines in case of bites
    • Water and food for 6 hours on a but and 3 on foot

    Sustainable tourism in Machu Picchu?

    I have no doubts, tourism in Machu Picchu is unsustainable. As a UNESCO site the daily limit should be 2500 people, but it easily gets to 5000 or more. More than the 70% of those, according to our guide, don’t even bother walking the last bit of just over 1km and take instead one of the many diesel shuttle buses incessantly going up and down. Often they reach Agua Calientes by train which, as romantic as it might sound, not only is absurdly expensive but vomits on each trip thick clouds of black smog on the lush forest it crosses.
    It’s also easier to observe that the less effort a tourist puts into reaching a place the least is their respect for it. The guides spend their time explaining facts and stories to deaf ears, mostly patiently waiting for each member of the group to take the perfect facebook photo, telling off those unlawfully feeding the lamas or putting their and others lives in danger with the ubiquitous selfie stick.

    The government turns a blind eye for the sake of money and, as it usually happens, who pays the consequences are those who cultivate a genuine interest and want to experience a meaningful visit of Machu Picchu and the remarkable guides. But also the future visitors as with this reckless policy of overcrowding and pollution the integrity of the site itself is in danger.
    If it was for me I would abolish all the buses, leaving a service only for those who are physically unable to walk, but this will just be a dream as long as short-term profit is the decisive factor.  I’m sure that these places need to be earned with time and sweat because, if its true that it’s everyone’s right to visit such an important site, it’s also true that everyone must also deserve it.

  • Monsters in the Lagoon: Cruise Ships in Venice

    Monsters in the Lagoon: Cruise Ships in Venice

    Before this summer I never heard about Gianni Berengo Gardin. If you too don’t know who he is don’t worry, I did all the googling for you: Berengo Gardin spent the past 60 years behind a camera and his black and white shots preserve intimate frames of a timeless Italy. His most famous photo is probably Venice Vaporetto (1960) and in the Seventies he documented the pitiful state inside the Italian madhouses, helping the dismissal of such anachronistic institution.
    More recently he documented with his typically crude images the horror of cruise ships in Venice and, once more, he stirred up some chaos.

    I felt like destroying something beautiful

    Walking around in Venice one has the feeling of being surrounded by a piece of art: precious palaces, alleys so narrow that both walls can be touched at the same time, stone bridge crossing canals so narrow that could be easily jumped over. And then you see them, the cruise ships. Enormous steel hulks of opulence – higher than the Doge’s Palace, longer than San Marco Square – sliding through in striding contrast, like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Such ugliness and such beauty, destroying it with the excuse of loving it.
    The photos of Berengo Gardin are an exact depiction of cruise ships passing through Venice, and his exhibition has been prohibited by the mayor as “it would damage the image of the city”.

    Crociera

    The cost of money

    The current mayor of Venice, a practical and greedy entrepreneur, promotes a project that will allegedly improve the safety conditions digging new deeper canals for the ships. This was fed to the public as a sensible plan, even though ignoring the fact that new diggings will seriously compromise the fragile balance of the lagoon’s ecosystem. In this idyllic area, neither sea nor land, where unique species thrive and ancient traditions survive, we allow those ships to go through, deluded that it might be an advantage. Cathedrals of waste and tawdry tourism, disgorging thousands of people everyday for their blitz of selfies and trash.

    Cruise ships aren’t surely the only problem of Venice, and neither the only source of the flocks of bored tourists roaming the narrow streets of the city, but they are the most visible symbol of the illness that is chocking Venice. The local population, constantly under siege of hordes wearing silly hats and following red umbrellas, is forced to leave, as bread milk and meat in the shops are being replaced by expensive plastic souvenirs.
    A city orphan of its inhabitants is a city without memory and without daily activity, hence it’s as good as dead, sold by the kilo and transformed in an amusement park. Veniceland, as they called it with bitter sarcasm, appearing on thousands of photos all over the world, barely visible behind the faces of those who contributed to its death.

    Sino Grand Navi

    The Great Beauty

    To write this article I did an extensive research, digging deep into the economical, environmental and political reasons and consequences behind the cruise ships debate.
    I learned that all numbers can be opinions and all words can be twisted, but one thing that cannot be denied is Beauty. It’s obvious, simple and irrefutable. Yet we’re destroying it, to please the very same people who travel to see it and, in the process, deface it. So let’s build a proper Veniceland, since that is what everybody want, a perfect plaster reproduction somewhere else that in the photos will look exactly as the original one.

    Gianni Berengo

    Using the words of the photographer Berengo Gardin: “I was disturbed above all by the visual pollution; seeing my Venice having its proportions destroyed and being transformed into a toy, into one of those two-bit clones like you find in Las Vegas, unsettled me very deeply”.
    His exhibition is all about that and, if you happen to be in Venice by the 6th January 2016, you can still see it at Negozio Olivetti.

    “Mostri a Venezia” (Monsters in Venice) photo by Gianni Berengo Gardin

    The first two photos have been posted by the groups Vogliamo Venezia and Comitato No Grandi Navi, which I thank for their commitment.

  • 8 Ways to Prepare For a Road Trip

    8 Ways to Prepare For a Road Trip

    Going on a road trip can be a fun adventure, but it’s important to get ready to make sure everything goes smoothly. To avoid problems and make sure you have everything you need, take time to check your car and plan ahead. From checking your tires to bringing the right papers, here are eight simple ways to prepare for a safe and easy African road trip.

    Inspect Your Brakes

    Brakes are pretty important to say the least and you will be using them more on a road trip. To ensure your brake pads don’t have excessive wear that could result in a failure, it’s a good idea to have them checked. Brakes should be inspected at least once every six months.

    Check Your Tires and Bring a Spare

    We’ve all seen the bummed people on the side of the road with a blown-out or flat tire. You may have even been that person at some point. You can prevent blowouts and flats on a road trip by checking your tires before you take off, ensure you have enough tread on all four tires, consider getting your tires aligned and balanced and tire pressure in all four tires is right for your vehicle, As you head out, it’s also a good idea to have a spare tire just in case. Plus, you’ll need roadside assistance or the know-how and tools to change it yourself.

    Test Your Lights

    Your headlights, tail lights, turn signals, and brake lights will be important on a road trip. They ensure everyone around you knows what you’re going to do. You can also end up with a ticket for non-functioning lights, which is a major buzzkill on any road trip. So, perform a quick check to make sure all your lights are in working order.

    Consider an Oil Change

    Are you due for an oil change soon? If so, you might as well take care of it before your road trip. If you won’t come close to hitting the mileage milestone required for your next oil change, don’t worry about it. Either way, it’s a good idea to check all of your fluids and fluid levels before taking off.

    Get a Tune-Up

    If you’re not mechanically inclined, it’s not a bad idea to schedule a tune-up with your mechanic before a long road trip. That way, they can perform a safety inspection and make sure you don’t need any repairs so you can drive with confidence and peace of mind.

    Check the Weather and Roads

    Bad weather can turn a fun road trip into a nightmare. Depending on the situation, it could be dangerous and result in delays and detours. Being so, keep an eye on the weather and road conditions all along your route so you won’t be caught off guard. You can check both online.

    Have Your Right Full Travel and Vehicle Documents

    While it’s always important to have the required papers in the car with you, it’s even more important on a long road trip far from home. Ensure you have your license, registration, proof of insurance, and the contact information for your roadside assistance provider, if you have one.

    Get Enough Rest, Food and Water

    Long drives can be exhausting. You may start out feeling great, but after five or so hours, you’ll likely begin to feel strained. So plan out your trip carefully starting with the night before. Ensure you get seven to eight hours of sleep. Plan breaks to eat, drink, and rest. Consider taking turns with other drivers when possible. And don’t push yourself beyond what’s comfortable, as drowsy driving can be hazardous.

    Conclusion 

    With a little preparation, your road trip can be the enjoyable self drive experience you’ve been anticipating. By following these eight steps—whether it’s ensuring your car is in top shape, planning for the unexpected, or prioritizing your well-being—you’ll set yourself up for a smooth and memorable journey. So take the time to check off these essentials before you hit the road, and you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way. Safe travels!

  • Lake Titicaca: a few days between Islands and Folklore

    Lake Titicaca: a few days between Islands and Folklore

    Lake Titicaca is in the southern part of Peru, across the border with Bolivia. Located at the dizzying heigth of 3800m a.s.l. it’s the highest navigable lake and deserves a visit for its pretty islands and the colourful and lively communities that populate the area.

    Puno and the Islands

    The starting point for those who come from Peru is Puno. The city is pretty ugly and doesn’t deserve more than the necessary time. It’s all about a Plaza de Armas, a tourist strip with some restaurants and little more. Even the Central Market, usually our favourite place and focal point of every city we visited, is quite unremarkable. I feel almost guilty in writing that because it was here that we lived one of the best experiences of our stay: stranded in town while every other tourist was on some organised trip, we ended up in a colourful parade. It was beautiful and everyone was so positive and friendly that they made it up for all the time we didn’t enjoy the city.

    Puno Festa

    Uros, Taquile and Amantaní

    The only real reason to visit Puno should be the island that can be reached from there. To visit them there are two kind of standard tours:

    1. One day: visiting the islands of Uros and Taquile
    2. Two days: visiting the Uros Islands and sleeping on Amantaní; lunch in Taquile the next day

    In each agency you’ll be shown beautiful photos but it’s all a massive tourist trap. The floating island of Uros are fascinating: how they’re built and maintained, and the history behind that, but it’s mostly a big floating souvenir shop where you’ll spend most of the time dishing out “no gracias” to people selling all sort of things. It’s less dramatic on the two other islands but it all feels pretty false, and everything seems made just to please the average squandering tourist. The night on Amantaní island will be spent in a family house, a beautiful way to directly finance the local communities but bear in mind this is no couchsurfing: you might find an exceptionally friendly family but otherwise you’re business as usual. They’ll provide you with a warm dinner and clean bedding and that’s it, most of them also speak mostly quechua which is fascinating but might make the communication even more complicated. Moreover you’ll be forced to take part to a town fest that will take place exactly when you are there, what a coincidence. They’ll dress you up and make you dance. If you have a passion for the deliberate entertainment you’re going to love it.

    Where to sleep: Hostal Pukara (Jr. Libertad Nº 328). Good location, very clean, hot water and heating in the rooms.
    Where to eat: La Casona (Jirón Lima 423). Tasty alpaca meat, craft beers. Otherwise the city is plenty of pizzerias with wood fired oven most of them are on Jirón Libertad, go for the busiest one.
    Responsible Travel Agency: Any agency offers island tours, but this is the only one we found that gives importance to financing the local communities: at All Ways travel you will only pay the agency and transport fee while you’ll pay the rest directly to the hosting families.

    How to get in Bolivia

    After Puno it will be a relief to move to Bolivia, on the eastern shores of the lake. It takes 3 hours by bus and the ticket can be made directly at the bus station (if you want to save on the agency fees), or at the agency (if you want to save time and the moto-taxi fee to get to the station, which is usually 2 soles).
    If you don’t need a visa it’s very easy to get in: you’ll just need to fill the papers you’ll be handed on the bus and go through the two border offices for the stamps.
    The bus usually stops a bit before the border to change the local currency, the Bolivianos (which is roughly 10 to 1 Sol).

    Copacabana and the Islands

    Copacabana in Bolivia is just about more pleasant than Puno: the action happens all around Avenida 6 de Agosto, the classic bar-and-restaurants strip with the bus stops on one end and the harbour on the other.

    Isla del Sol Bolivia

    Isla del Sol

    Isla del Sol is stunning and offers some unforgettable views: terraces peppered with white alpacas, white sand beaches grazed by the deep blue waters and, far at the back, the snowy caps of the Andean Sierra.
    Boats leave Copacabana twice a day to the south of the island (the closest part, can be visited in one day), and the north. In the north is possible to visit the sacred sites of the Incas and, before them, the Aymara, from the port follow one of the guides that will lead the group for a one hour hike and will explain the history of the place, mixing facts and mythology.

    The best route, if you arrive in Copacabana in the morning, is: take a ferry to the Comunidad Yumani in the south (if you take the 1pm boats you’ll arrive mid-afternoon) and start the trek across the island. It’s a quite easy hike of about two hours and you can stop anywhere to spend a night, there’s plenty of hotels and B&Bs so I wouldn’t worry to much about it. The next day you can visit the archaeological sites and take a boat back.

    Where to sleep: If you don’t sleep on the island just look for a decent place near the port, which on Google Maps is marked here: Monumento Avaroa. Avoid the hotel Lago Azul and make sure your place has hot water and heating, you’ll need it.
    Where to eat: you’ll be spoilt for choice along Avenida 6 de Agosto, which looks like a 3D version of the Lonely Planet suggestions page. We had a good meal at El Trebol, a place with a preposterous but charming decor and some tasty vegetarian options.