Travel!! Where are you headed; Where do you want to go? Where have you been?

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Ble_PE said:
Machu Picchu is amazing! Mrs. Ble is Peruvian, so I've been to Peru several times and we made the trip to Machu Picchu and Cusco the first time I went down. I can't wait to go back and I plan on making the hike that @cement did with mini-ble1 when he's a few years older. What does your Peru itinerary look like exactly?
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ughhhhhh peru is the most hectic. I convinced my mom to add MP to the galapagos itinerary so we fly GPS-UIO-LIM (sleep during 8h layover)-CUZ, train up to MP and do the afternoon shift (less people and maybe catch the sunset?), then hang out in aguas calientes for the night and AM - maybe hot springs, then PM train back to cuz, flying back to quito in the AM to spend 1.5 days doing equator and other random sight seeing and then head home.  any suggestions are definitely welcome! I need to find a local guide I guess, to get into MP? 

 
Holy cow that's a crazy side trip!  Do you get altitude sickness? Typically people take a day to acclimate to the elevation, but it will help that you aren't staying in Cusco because Machu Picchu is about 3000 feet lower. It's still almost 9000 feet above sea level though. I would go ahead and look into getting your tickets just to be safe, because I've heard that they've really cut down on how many tourists they are letting in to try to preserve it some. Aquas Calientes is a neat little town, so you should have some fun just hanging out there.  

 
Yeah I already got our tickets, and altitude and timing was the reasoning for going straight to MP. Hoping for the best! Haha. Just passing through nothing to see here! 

 
Speaking of relaxing vacations, the Mrs. and I just booked a 5 night trip down to Playa del Carmen to stay in an all-inclusive resort. I'm looking forward to unlimited drinks and food and doing nothing all day except laying on the beach.

 
I can't do a "relaxing" vacation.  I'm a big time tourist.  I figure if I'm going to expend the time and money to travel somewhere then I want to see all the unique things to that place (like the world's largest ball of string or the museum of medical oddities, etc.).  A beach is a beach and MA has a nice coastline.  Hanging at the beach all day isn't my idea of a good time. 

 
MA_PE said:
I can't do a "relaxing" vacation.  I'm a big time tourist.  I figure if I'm going to expend the time and money to travel somewhere then I want to see all the unique things to that place (like the world's largest ball of string or the museum of medical oddities, etc.).  A beach is a beach and MA has a nice coastline.  Hanging at the beach all day isn't my idea of a good time. 
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same.

 
MA_PE said:
I can't do a "relaxing" vacation.  I'm a big time tourist.  I figure if I'm going to expend the time and money to travel somewhere then I want to see all the unique things to that place (like the world's largest ball of string or the museum of medical oddities, etc.).  A beach is a beach and MA has a nice coastline.  Hanging at the beach all day isn't my idea of a good time. 
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I've always been a big tourist as well, but sometimes it's nice to just take time off and sit on your ass. I haven't had a vacation that allowed me to just sit and do nothing in probably 6 years, so I"m overdue. And I'm sorry @MA_PE, but a beach is not a beach when you've seen some of the ones I have...

 
I have been to the Caribbean, the coast of Maine, both sides of Cape Cod, Hawaii (when I was kid), California, Gulf of Mexico (Florida panhandle), Miami, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and Bermuda, and I'm sure there are others.  Not to mention viewing the photos online of exotic places and I maintain that sitting on the sandy beach and looking out at the ocean is pretty mundane and very much consistent. :)

 
Ble_PE said:
I've always been a big tourist as well, but sometimes it's nice to just take time off and sit on your ass. I haven't had a vacation that allowed me to just sit and do nothing in probably 6 years, so I"m overdue. And I'm sorry @MA_PE, but a beach is not a beach when you've seen some of the ones I have...
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I agree with this, but I also don't have tons of PTO time or funds to allow myself to just relax on a beach. I need it though! 

I'm hoping the soon to be acquired companion pass and related points will allow me to fly more places for less funds and maybe do weekend trips etc.

 
MA_PE said:
I have been to the Caribbean, the coast of Maine, both sides of Cape Cod, Hawaii (when I was kid), California, Gulf of Mexico (Florida panhandle), Miami, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and Bermuda, and I'm sure there are others.  Not to mention viewing the photos online of exotic places and I maintain that sitting on the sandy beach and looking out at the ocean is pretty mundane and very much consistent. :)
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Well obviously you're wrong and I'm right.

:p  

 
tj_PE said:
I also have a problem with not having very relaxing vacations lol 
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Yes, I typically like to take an "every other day" approach. Do a bunch of stuff one day, then take a day to relax and do nothing. Rinse and repeat.

Ble_PE said:
Speaking of relaxing vacations, the Mrs. and I just booked a 5 night trip down to Playa del Carmen to stay in an all-inclusive resort. I'm looking forward to unlimited drinks and food and doing nothing all day except laying on the beach.
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Nice! I really enjoyed Playa del Carmen. Very nice vacation destination. If you can, take the ferry over to Cozumel. Some great little shops and dining experiences there. The scuba diving/snorkeling is also pretty great. :thumbs:

 
knight1fox3 said:
Nice! I really enjoyed Playa del Carmen. Very nice vacation destination. If you can, take the ferry over to Cozumel. Some great little shops and dining experiences there. The scuba diving/snorkeling is also pretty great. :thumbs:
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We went to Playa del Carmen back when the Mrs. was about 5 months pregnant with mini-ble2 and mini-ble1 was about 18 months old. We had a great time, but we stayed on the resort the whole time because it would have been a pain to try to go anywhere. We're wanting to go to Chichen Itza for sure. We went to Cozumel a few years ago on a cruise so I'm not sure if we'll head out there again or not.

 
grab the medical travel insurance!

my wife has had a bunch of patients recently who got sick in Play del Carmen, they racked up literally hundreds of thousands in bills before finally getting a med flight back to the states. Her patients families said basically if you end up in a Mexican hospital they come around in the morning and either want cash or a credit card every day or else they put your ass on the street!!!

They were notably older than you guys but some of these stories I have heard just make me take mexico off the list.

 
the reef in Cozumel is pretty shallow, maybe 25'-30'? you should be able to swim to the surface if something goes wrong ;)

 
Ble_PE said:
We went to Playa del Carmen back when the Mrs. was about 5 months pregnant with mini-ble2 and mini-ble1 was about 18 months old. We had a great time, but we stayed on the resort the whole time because it would have been a pain to try to go anywhere. We're wanting to go to Chichen Itza for sure. We went to Cozumel a few years ago on a cruise so I'm not sure if we'll head out there again or not.
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Cool. Chichen Itza (or as we called in college, "Chicken Pizza") is a neat landmark to visit. And if you venture into the neighboring town by the ruins, pack your own lunch but for the love of all that is holy, don't get anything with lettuce on it. Montezuma's Revenge is alive and well in that town! :D

 
N.S. Nandagopal, P E

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