We stopped by in Costa Rica to make an advertising film for a local hostel in exchange for food and lodging. You can watch the film here:

The hostel was in Manuel Antonio which is the second biggest tourist attraction in Costa Rica. Big groups of American and European tourists were herding everywhere. We knew that Costa Rica attracts a lot of Westeners but what we saw was beyond any of our expectations.

Naturally, the beach and the scenery in Manuel Antonio are great but the downside of the heavy presence of tourism industry is that all nice places are incredibly crowded and the prices in the area are very high, at American and European levels. Some people working in customer service are also totally fed up with foreigners, and they let you know it. In sum, it was not our cup of tea but we did enjoy the film-making and socialising with the hostel staff.

From Manuel Antonio we headed towards Nicaragua via San José. It was Easter week, Semana Santa, so the traffic was heavy because also the locals rushed to the beaches with their huge picnic and beach gears. As a result, the capital San José was almost empty. It was inhabited only by the homeless who obviously had no possibility to go on a beach holiday.

Downtown streets were like New York suburbs: people were sleeping side by side under their blankets and cardboards. This dark side of Costa Rica is something that tourists do not usually want to hear about let alone go and see it by themselves. The disempowered show, in an uncomfortable way, that the wealth tourism has brought into the country is very unevenly distributed. At the same time, everybody has to pay the high prices of food, accommodation, and health care partly resulting from the blooming tourism industry.

Darién Gap is one of the most difficult areas on earth to travel and it is considered to be extremely dangerous. This documentary film includes rare footage from a speedboat ride from Turbo to Capurganá, border villages, and the jungle on the both sides of the border between Panama and Colombia. There are interviews of the two travellers who crossed the Darién Gap, one from Switzerland and another from Peru. Crossing the Darién Gap (40 minutes, produced by Päivi & Santeri in 2013) has English, Spanish and Finnish subtitles.

Transcript

1
00:00:07,771 --> 00:00:10,910
Päivi & Santeri

2
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,494
A Colombian paramilitary group has reportedly
kidnapped three Americans in the Darién Gap

3
00:00:18,494 --> 00:00:21,849
We strongly advise you not to travel to the Darién
Gap because of the risk of violent criminal activity

4
00:00:21,849 --> 00:00:24,204
Drug-running Colombian rebels are using the
dense, lawless jungle to smuggle cocaine

5
00:00:24,404 --> 00:00:26,404
Colombian terrorist groups, drug traffickers and other
criminals throughout the Panama-Colombia border

6
00:00:26,404 --> 00:00:28,404
Foreign nationals have been the victims
of violent crimes, kidnapping and murder

7
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,200
Crossing the Darién Gap

8
00:01:22,705 --> 00:01:24,889
Colombia

9
00:01:25,412 --> 00:01:27,913
Darién Gap

10
00:01:29,820 --> 00:01:32,250
Panama

11
00:01:50,226 --> 00:01:53,226
Capurganá, Colombia
March 14, 2013

12
00:02:49,873 --> 00:02:55,500
Is this your first time in Colombia?
Yes, this is my first trip to Colombia.

13
00:02:56,365 --> 00:02:59,657
I think I will come back again.

14
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000
Do you like it here?

15
00:03:03,035 --> 00:03:09,120
Yes, there are a lot of nice
and beautiful places here.

16
00:03:10,774 --> 00:03:14,774
How do you feel
about this place?

17
00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:22,947
It's a quiet place, small
village, really nice.

18
00:03:24,740 --> 00:03:28,169
People are not very very friendly.

19
00:03:30,508 --> 00:03:35,389
But it is an isolated
place and if you want to

20
00:03:35,415 --> 00:03:39,415
relax a couple days
it is perfect here.

21
00:04:47,595 --> 00:04:50,774
Immigration? It is not here.

22
00:04:51,342 --> 00:04:55,721
Are you going straight to somewhere?
Umm...

23
00:04:56,290 --> 00:05:00,191
Because the immigration is not open
now because there is no electricity.

24
00:05:00,333 --> 00:05:03,333
They can't stamp your
passport without electricity.

25
00:05:15,963 --> 00:05:17,915
Breakfast US $4

26
00:07:36,063 --> 00:07:40,063
What was your route from Peru to Capurganá?

27
00:07:41,895 --> 00:07:45,895
My trip was quite
monumental I would say.

28
00:07:47,657 --> 00:07:52,945
I left from Lima and went to Tumbes.

29
00:07:53,729 --> 00:07:59,729
I was at the beach at the border.
Punta Sal was very beautiful.

30
00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,000
I wanted to go back
there one day.

31
00:08:07,700 --> 00:08:09,200
Is it in Peru?

32
00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,200
Yes, it is at the border in
Tumbes in Northern Peru.

33
00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,400
Very beautiful and also the beaches.

34
00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:24,300
From there I went
Guayaquil, Ecuador, then

35
00:08:25,606 --> 00:08:30,037
to Quito and to the
Colombian border.

36
00:08:32,031 --> 00:08:36,031
From the Colombian border I went

37
00:08:36,055 --> 00:08:42,426
to Medellín, Turbo
and Capurganá.

38
00:08:44,827 --> 00:08:49,903
How did you come here?
By speedboat and bus from Medellín.

39
00:08:50,295 --> 00:08:54,153
OK, so you took a bus from Medellín
and then where did you go?

40
00:08:54,679 --> 00:09:01,537
To Turbo. And then by
speedboat 2.5 hours.

41
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,000
How was the ride?
Bumby.

42
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:07,000
A little bit, yeah.

43
00:09:08,064 --> 00:09:11,600
I came here by boat.

44
00:09:11,700 --> 00:09:16,622
I realised that it was
really a boat, not a bus.

45
00:09:17,363 --> 00:09:19,663
Were you seasick?

46
00:09:19,747 --> 00:09:25,570
No, fortunately I took
some precautions.

47
00:09:27,185 --> 00:09:30,398
Did you take something?

48
00:09:30,424 --> 00:09:37,269
No, I just relaxed and
tried to enjoy the ride.

49
00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,000
The trip took a bit over 2 hours.

50
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:50,000
I am not used to sea.

51
00:09:53,247 --> 00:09:56,247
Was there a lot of water flying?

52
00:09:56,500 --> 00:10:02,500
Yes, a lot of water and
jumping up and down.

53
00:10:07,942 --> 00:10:11,648
But the trip went fine
and we enjoyed it.

54
00:10:12,740 --> 00:10:15,740
Some people were yelling.

55
00:10:17,137 --> 00:10:23,137
Soon I was anxiously
waiting for the arrival.

56
00:10:24,769 --> 00:10:28,220
When we were in Turbo,
it was funny,

57
00:10:28,246 --> 00:10:31,695
we were just shooting
there in the harbour.

58
00:10:32,085 --> 00:10:34,612
And then they got really
irritated that you

59
00:10:34,638 --> 00:10:37,336
can't shoot here. And
then the immigration came

60
00:10:37,423 --> 00:10:39,923
and they took us to
some place and checked

61
00:10:40,198 --> 00:10:42,327
our passports and
then they were asking

62
00:10:42,376 --> 00:10:44,817
all the time that are
you journalists.

63
00:10:44,843 --> 00:10:46,094
Are you journalists?

64
00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:49,810
I think I have seen you.
OK, you saw us shooting there?

65
00:10:49,812 --> 00:10:52,949
Yeah.
OK, yeah, so it was really funny.

66
00:10:53,638 --> 00:10:55,230
Then I was asking them that why

67
00:10:55,256 --> 00:10:57,001
are you so afraid
of journalists.

68
00:10:57,176 --> 00:10:58,976
"Just show me your passport."

69
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000
"I need to check it for
your own safety."

70
00:11:01,396 --> 00:11:04,388
Then we showed them, he
checked them, alright, and

71
00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:07,170
then he asked once more:
"Are you journalists?"

72
00:11:09,667 --> 00:11:14,667
Once in your lifetime to
be in a city called Turbo.

73
00:11:14,678 --> 00:11:18,412
Yeah, it sounds like funny name.

74
00:11:18,861 --> 00:11:21,961
Turbo. Sounds like some
kind of drug or something.

75
00:11:22,490 --> 00:11:26,490
It's a strange city, noisy.

76
00:11:29,973 --> 00:11:32,973
It was actually the only
Colombian city we have

77
00:11:33,065 --> 00:11:36,119
visited so far where the tap
water was not drinkable.

78
00:11:36,353 --> 00:11:40,730
It was so bad that it looked like porridge.

79
00:12:02,956 --> 00:12:06,956
Turbo, Colombia
March 10-13, 2013

80
00:18:07,238 --> 00:18:10,238
We went yesterday for a little walk.

81
00:18:10,387 --> 00:18:12,887
We walked from Capurganá, from here,

82
00:18:12,910 --> 00:18:15,110
all the way to Panama.

83
00:18:15,329 --> 00:18:18,329
How was the trail,
how did you like it?

84
00:18:18,631 --> 00:18:22,631
Nice, a bit muddy,

85
00:18:22,657 --> 00:18:26,656
like always in the jungle.

86
00:18:27,574 --> 00:18:32,574
The hike was a bit tedious

87
00:18:32,692 --> 00:18:36,192
but when we arrived,

88
00:18:36,298 --> 00:18:40,031
I changed my mind.

89
00:18:40,257 --> 00:18:43,257
It was worth all the trouble.

90
00:18:43,587 --> 00:18:46,587
It was fabulous.

91
00:18:47,576 --> 00:18:50,576
I have to admit that it

92
00:18:50,617 --> 00:18:53,617
was indeed worthwhile.

93
00:18:54,142 --> 00:18:59,142
As I said, my trip
was monumental.

94
00:18:59,554 --> 00:19:02,054
The whole journey.

95
00:19:02,079 --> 00:19:04,579
But coming here,

96
00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,800
yes, it was definitely
worth the trouble.

97
00:19:08,078 --> 00:19:11,778
The jungle is so
beautiful and peaceful.

98
00:19:12,186 --> 00:19:15,430
It rains 3 times a day or so and

99
00:19:15,456 --> 00:19:18,955
that path gets really
muddy when it's raining.

100
00:19:23,489 --> 00:19:25,989
It is something you
can walk without

101
00:19:26,020 --> 00:19:28,020
backpack and a lot of stuff.

102
00:19:28,217 --> 00:19:31,017
But if you have all
your gear with you,

103
00:19:31,189 --> 00:19:36,189
then it it's not so fun anymore
because it's a slippery mudslide.

104
00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:48,411
Scenic place

105
00:24:53,353 --> 00:24:58,853
Of course there are some problems
in touristy place like this.

106
00:24:59,041 --> 00:25:02,717
Yesterday we took a
boat to Sapzurro.

107
00:25:04,159 --> 00:25:09,174
There was a small
incident with the price.

108
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:17,400
Yes, I understand that as
a Latin American person.

109
00:25:20,167 --> 00:25:27,167
You expect these kind
of things to happen.

110
00:25:30,128 --> 00:25:34,128
Many times you have to adapt.

111
00:25:34,381 --> 00:25:37,381
 These things happen.

112
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,997
Some people take
advantage of others.

113
00:25:41,497 --> 00:25:44,997
Like yesterday,
there was a price

114
00:25:45,022 --> 00:25:50,022
for the trip that was
changed afterwards.

115
00:25:50,636 --> 00:25:57,636
They tell you no, they try
to take advantage of you.

116
00:25:58,233 --> 00:26:01,033
You always see that.

117
00:26:01,233 --> 00:26:06,233
This means that you
need to be prepared.

118
00:26:06,658 --> 00:26:10,958
Keep things clear and
always check the price.

119
00:26:11,083 --> 00:26:13,083
It is settled.

120
00:26:13,233 --> 00:26:17,433
When someone changes
the rules on the way,

121
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what can you do?

122
00:26:21,170 --> 00:26:26,170
You will have to agree
so that nobody loses.

123
00:26:26,383 --> 00:26:29,083
You have to meet halfway

124
00:26:29,180 --> 00:26:34,180
so that you don't
lose and I don't lose.

125
00:26:34,205 --> 00:26:38,205
Solomon's judgement.

126
00:26:39,047 --> 00:26:43,559
You have travelled with
Markus who is from Europe.

127
00:26:44,756 --> 00:26:50,156
Does he have more problems than

128
00:26:50,319 --> 00:26:54,519
you because you speak Spanish?

129
00:26:54,679 --> 00:26:56,679
Yes, yes.

130
00:26:58,064 --> 00:27:02,064
There is a big difference.

131
00:27:02,089 --> 00:27:06,379
You see it in many places.

132
00:27:07,405 --> 00:27:10,905
I see it right away.

133
00:27:11,130 --> 00:27:15,130
In prices, when talking with
people, when buying something.

134
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,720
When you want to do something,
everything changes.

135
00:27:20,745 --> 00:27:24,745
They see you with a
different person.

136
00:27:24,770 --> 00:27:31,770
I do the negotiations because
I speak the language.

137
00:27:33,395 --> 00:27:39,395
So we try to get
the right price.

138
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:45,520
Their prices change
according to the customer.

139
00:27:45,570 --> 00:27:49,570
They take advantage of you.

140
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,200
It is discrimination in that sense.

141
00:27:54,225 --> 00:27:59,225
It seems to me that you
often feel discriminated.

142
00:27:59,336 --> 00:28:04,336
Because of your skin colour, the
prices change straight away.

143
00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:08,000
It is just another form
of discrimination

144
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:13,700
even if they think you have
more money than they have.

145
00:28:13,780 --> 00:28:17,280
I don't like it but there
is a big difference.

146
00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:21,620
Does that happen only in Colombia?

147
00:28:22,851 --> 00:28:29,851
No, it is everywhere here,
also in Peru and Bolivia.

148
00:29:41,348 --> 00:29:48,348
What is the image of Colombia
and Colombians in Peru?

149
00:29:49,739 --> 00:29:57,739
The image I had was that
Colombia is dangerous.

150
00:29:58,341 --> 00:30:04,717
There are guerrillas
that make it dangerous.

151
00:30:04,886 --> 00:30:09,886
Thanks to this, I was prepared.

152
00:30:11,312 --> 00:30:16,312
There is a lot of policemen and
soldiers around.

153
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:21,400
They guarantee peaceful travel.

154
00:30:22,225 --> 00:30:30,225
When you are not there
you hear rumours.

155
00:30:30,450 --> 00:30:36,450
But you need to see it yourself.

156
00:30:36,475 --> 00:30:42,475
You might want to return.

157
00:30:43,673 --> 00:30:46,673
Is it dangerous here?

158
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,800
At the moment no except the sea.

159
00:30:54,300 --> 00:30:59,300
Fortunately not.
Everything is fine.

160
00:30:59,525 --> 00:31:06,525
It's an inner peace, you
have to transgress limits.

161
00:31:06,820 --> 00:31:10,820
When you are relaxed,
you are not thinking

162
00:31:11,007 --> 00:31:16,007
all the time what bad
could happen to you.

163
00:31:16,727 --> 00:31:22,367
Something can always happen, but...

164
00:31:23,896 --> 00:31:27,096
Have you felt unsafe here,
are there some dangers?

165
00:31:27,258 --> 00:31:28,258
No, not at all.

166
00:31:29,541 --> 00:31:34,638
Is there anything
negative in Colombia that

167
00:31:34,664 --> 00:31:39,296
you have experienced
during your travel?

168
00:31:40,577 --> 00:31:42,077
Prices.

169
00:31:42,283 --> 00:31:46,283
Yes, prices, they are high.
Colombia is very expensive.

170
00:31:46,931 --> 00:31:52,231
That is the only negative thing.
Prices, travel costs.

171
00:31:52,386 --> 00:31:55,386
Accommodation, food?

172
00:31:55,518 --> 00:31:58,918
No, I can manage with
food and accommodation

173
00:31:58,967 --> 00:32:02,967
but the travel costs
are out of proportion.

174
00:32:03,974 --> 00:32:08,974
Of top of everything else,
you have to pay that, too.

175
00:32:11,706 --> 00:32:16,206
This is the only
negative, nothing else.

176
00:32:39,244 --> 00:32:41,244
Panama

177
00:33:06,207 --> 00:33:07,707
Welcome to Panama

178
00:33:46,457 --> 00:33:49,582
At the Colombia-Panama border

179
00:33:49,608 --> 00:33:52,200
there was a little shack

180
00:33:52,630 --> 00:33:55,278
where they checked passports and

181
00:33:55,304 --> 00:33:57,758
wrote down passport
numbers and names.

182
00:33:58,154 --> 00:34:02,877
We asked them about
walking all the way from

183
00:34:02,903 --> 00:34:07,240
La Miel, the border city
on the Panaman side,

184
00:34:07,392 --> 00:34:12,151
to Puerto Obaldia where there
is airport and transportation.

185
00:34:12,887 --> 00:34:18,237
And the border guard
told that there can be

186
00:34:18,337 --> 00:34:23,337
some gansters or some
drug smugglers or

187
00:34:23,433 --> 00:34:27,233
bad guys or at least there
has been at some point.

188
00:34:27,259 --> 00:34:30,059
Or at least everybody is
forbidden to walk there.

189
00:34:30,154 --> 00:34:33,754
On the Colombian side everything has
been very safe and nothing there,

190
00:34:34,011 --> 00:34:37,701
also on Panama side what we saw
there, there was nothing really.

191
00:34:37,932 --> 00:34:41,932
The only guns were in the hands of border
guards. Everybody else was pretty relaxed,

192
00:34:42,383 --> 00:34:45,883
just some local indigenous
people and that's all.

193
00:34:46,041 --> 00:34:50,041
Yeah.
Didn't feel so dangerous.

194
00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,333
But anyway, maybe...

195
00:34:52,359 --> 00:34:56,407
I think they want to
promote their (boat)trips.

196
00:34:56,886 --> 00:34:59,886
Yeah, maybe that's the reason.

197
00:35:00,142 --> 00:35:04,142
In the viewing platform we
saw an American woman who

198
00:35:04,162 --> 00:35:09,662
was travelling with a local
guide and she had been

199
00:35:09,741 --> 00:35:15,241
hiking to the South
and she told that

200
00:35:15,305 --> 00:35:20,305
there are paths to the South
so it might be possible

201
00:35:20,315 --> 00:35:24,215
to walk all the way from
the South to Capurganá.

202
00:35:24,313 --> 00:35:26,227
Not to take that speedboat.
Oh really?

203
00:35:26,581 --> 00:35:29,573
According to her, yes.
Her guide told that you

204
00:35:29,599 --> 00:35:32,162
can't walk all the
way on the beach.

205
00:35:32,317 --> 00:35:35,835
You will have to go at some point
to the inland but there are paths.

206
00:35:36,061 --> 00:35:38,061
So if you can use
your map and compass

207
00:35:38,094 --> 00:35:41,894
and know a little bit how
to survive in the jungle

208
00:35:41,895 --> 00:35:43,495
it should be possible.

209
00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:48,000
Or if you hire a guide like she did.
She was from New York.

210
00:35:58,086 --> 00:36:00,586
La Miel, Panama
March 15, 2013

211
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,966
Taking a flight
sounds stupid because

212
00:37:58,992 --> 00:38:03,167
Panama is near and
Colombia is its neighbour.

213
00:38:03,857 --> 00:38:07,173
So why not try something else?
Then we checked sail boats.

214
00:38:07,199 --> 00:38:10,386
Crazy expensive and we
drink a lot of water

215
00:38:10,420 --> 00:38:13,772
so we can't carry enough
water with us there.

216
00:38:14,198 --> 00:38:16,675
Then we found this route.

217
00:38:17,210 --> 00:38:20,410
From Turbo speedboat
and then walking.

218
00:38:21,737 --> 00:38:26,737
Yes, coming here was
worth of the trouble.

219
00:38:27,370 --> 00:38:31,370
After all, I am here,
what else can I say?

220
00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:35,500
It has been beautiful,
interesting and

221
00:38:35,526 --> 00:38:40,625
it has changed my
image of this place.

222
00:38:41,250 --> 00:38:47,250
Coming here was worth
all the trouble.

223
00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:53,200
I guess the biggest challenge
for people crossing

224
00:38:53,220 --> 00:39:01,220
the Darién Gap has been taking
some motor vehicles with them.

225
00:39:01,728 --> 00:39:04,728
That's what makes it complicated
because there are no roads,

226
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,351
just walking pathways.

227
00:39:07,441 --> 00:39:10,441
It is OK to walk, but
if you want to drive

228
00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,980
your car, it might get hard.
Yes.

229
00:39:15,054 --> 00:39:18,454
Even from Capurganá to Panama,
think about driving there.

230
00:39:18,558 --> 00:39:22,919
In the mud and over the hills,
it's just jungle.

231
00:39:25,591 --> 00:39:30,091
Thanks a lot!
You are welcome.

232
00:39:37,681 --> 00:39:39,681
Crossing the Darién Gap

233
00:39:40,461 --> 00:39:42,961
Interviewees: Magnolia, 41, Peru.
Markus, 44, Switzerland.

234
00:39:44,303 --> 00:39:46,803
Music: Jungle Boys, Bach,
Grieg, and Santeri

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Maps: 2D © OpenStreetMap contributors.
3D by NASA

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Production

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Päivi & Santeri, 2013
PaiviSanteri@GMail.com
PaiviSanteri.BlogSpot.com

This is the 9th episode of the mini documentary series we made for the Nelonen Maailma TV channel in 2012. We believe it was never broadcast in the TV. Perhaps there were too many naughty words and heretic opinions for the Finnish TV. The film is in Finnish but there are English subtitles thanks to Ian.

Description: Santeri is pondering his past life, Nokia, and the meaning of life.

Song: Minga Rosa Pineda

Marimba Los Juanes de Masatepe

Juan Murillo López, Director
Dirección: Entrada
Nimboja 1c. al Norte, Masatepe, Nicaragua
Tel. +505 8660 7600

Amenizamos actos Culturales y Sociales
con Equipos Criollos y Electrónicos

Are we living in the fool´s paradise? Feel free to share!

Blogger has failed to fix an annoying bug in the dynamic views templates for six months. About every tenth page view custom CSS fails to load, there is no menu, and the dock is empty. This makes all blogs look ugly, leaves users without navigation, and makes Google look bad. When that happens to you, just reload the page with [ctrl]-R or [shift]-[ctrl]-R once or twice and everything should get back to normal.

There is no other workarounds available at the moment except reverting back to a non-dynamic, traditional template, or changing the blogging platform. For us changing back is not really an option because we just got all of our 180+ blog posts fixed in this blog to work with the new dynamic views template. The risk of yet another critical bug appearing while Google is not willing to fix it makes changing the blogging platform the only viable option.

A similar incident happened in 2009. Is Google planning to shut down blogger? Does this imply that the dynamic views template will soon be discontinued? Why Google fails to react to the complaints they have received from angry bloggers? In any case, this is exactly the same kind of bad customer service that made us to ditch Google Books permanently in 2007.

After Colombia and Panama inexpensive Nicaragua was great. Food and accommodation are affordable and the country is not as touristy as the neighbouring Costa Rica. People are friendly and they do not expect tips for example for giving you directions.

We spent most of the time in Managua house-sitting and cat-sitting for a fellow hospex member in a nice neighbourhood outside Managua. We were able to restart jogging after a break as we found nice routes where we didn’t have to look out for cars all the time. We started at 4:30 AM when there was little traffic and the air was cool and relatively clean. In the house we had a big, fully equipped kitchen including an oven, and we cooked and baked a lot. From one of our guests we learned how to make Argentinian empanadas. We also had a pleasure to host people from Latvia and Portugal.

The cat family consisted of mother and two babies. Pet-sitting was great fun. The last time we had pets (again a cat family) was in India one year ago. A few weeks before the babies went to their new homes, they were pretty wild, running around the house, scratching sofas and chewing wires, but other than that they were like little angels. Santeri became the babies' favourite. Whenever they had some nightmares, they sought refuge in him. The mother, on the other hand, became Päivi’s cat. She was waiting for Päivi to wake up in the morning behind our door—probably not so much for affection though but to get more food.

Downtown Managua is quite dreary and there is really nothing to see but there are nicer little cities like Masaya near, and bus rides cost virtually nothing (a 20-kilometre ride costs US$ 0.40). The buses are really crowded at rush hours so better avoid travelling in the morning and in the late afternoon.

The weather was superb until the rainy season started in late May. The rains are usually followed by power outages which are pretty common also in the dry season but they tend to be shorter. We also had a three-day water outage. The pump of the water company was broken and the whole neighbourhood was without running water. We had a tank in the yard but unfortunately the gardener had emptied the tank for the lawn just before the pump broke. There was no means to get water except in 20-litre bottles. This is the everyday reality for many Nicaraguans. In some places, there is running water only in the morning and in the evening, and during that time you have to refill water supplies for the whole day.

For travelling, Nicaragua is very safe compared to what we have heard about the other Central American countries. There is generally no hassle. Beggars are few and people keep a polite distance. Some, especially children, might call you a gringo and a few market vendors and bus attendants might try to overcharge you a little but that’s basically it. You can always choose supermarkets if you want to avoid haggling over prices and walk instead of taking buses. Happy travels!

We all know that travelling without lists is simply impossible. This is not just because many travellers are obsessed with lists. If there was no need for such lists, there would not be any lists, right?

Here is the ultimate list for each and every real traveller to follow. Ignore this ultimate list and you will perish or even worse: stop travelling. Nobody likes ignorant travellers. Read it, memorize it, and share it. This is the last list you will ever need.

1. Remember to breathe, if you stop you will quickly perish.
2. When you want to walk, move your feet forward one at a time. If you move both, you are jumping and that is not walking.
3. Don’t pick your nose, otherwise people will think you are from Africa. If you are from Africa, nose-picking won’t be a problem.
4. Luggage is important. Without luggage you are not travelling, and if you are not travelling, then this list is not for you.
5. Remember to take photos, lots of photos. They will be your only proof that you actually travelled and didn’t just mail order your souvenirs.
6. You must put your tooth paste into check-in bag…

May the spirit of lists be forever with you!

We have been working for a hostel to update their website and help to develop their social media marketing. As part of the process, we reviewed their competition and other travel websites. We were surprised by our findings. When we started full-time travel and travel blogging in 2004, there were hardly any bloggers around. Now Internet is full of glittering travel blogs selling dreams to their readers.

Competition demands that travel bloggers offer all the time fresh content, make practical lists, and visit fancy places. This is the way to attract readers and make them return. To finance their travels, bloggers accept freebies from tourism boards, hotels, tour organisers, and sights. As a result, most blogs are paid advertisements that offer praising reviews of the visited destinations and services used.

A few leading travel blog sites acknowledge the corruption, but like always, making money justifies the means. Travel blogging and tourism industry do not tolerate balanced travel writing; they want value for money. Criticism is not fit for this purpose. Tourism is a positivist practise which is interested in numbers. It is OK for example to abuse animals if companies can make more profit that way.

The new elite of travellers

The travel budgets of those travel bloggers who have revealed their income are lavish. They spend more than their readers. Travel bloggers are jetsetters with a backpack and tourism sales reps in T-shirts and shorts.

Travel dreams become nightmares if ecological footprints are considered. Promoting luxury sights and hotels, fastest means of travelling, highest classes and the most faraway places not only messes up local economies but also generates a lot more waste and pollution compared to slow travel: taking time, living with locals. But travel bloggers can’t afford to mind on their footprints. Without the most exotic stories there are not enough readers meaning no more freebies and paid advertisers.

We are grateful that we can stay away from that scene. The websites and other works we have made for hostels have been in exchange of accommodation and food, not for pushing products to our readers and friends. Our modest income comes from our published books and for that we owe thanks to our publishers and readers.

See also: Generic travel blog generator.

We had a peculiar incident with Tripadvisor discussion forum. All our discussions regarding Greece were deleted yesterday. Earlier a member calling himself aldro10 had been accusing us of lying because we had claimed that Greece was not as cheap as he said it to be. After asking if differences in opinions and mere discussion on various different views qualify as lying, all our posts related to Greece were removed. Also a post where we recommended to check Hospex options, namely BeWelcome, was removed perhaps because it was hindering his efforts to promote his favourite, or his employer’s, hotels.

To find out what is the official stance of Tripadvisor regarding censorship we posted another question to support group asking about their policy regarding censoring opinions. After a few minutes, this message was deleted as well.

Having a travel discussion forum where people can only discuss certain things that the moderators agree is quite pointless. The value of discussions is exchanging opinions and having a chance to change our own opinions. This is only possible if different opinions and free discussion are permitted. Arbitrary censorship will drive critical users away and promote negative groupthink.

A quick look at user complaints against Tripadvisor revealed that there are censorship problems in reviews as well. Realistic and negative reviews are harder to get published than positive ones. If this is true, who trusts Tripadvisor’s hotel reviews anymore?

See also: Bookmooch experience.

With this brand new TOP 100 travel website and blog list generator you can make your own hugely popular top list and copy-paste to your website. Our top-secret, sophisticated algorithms make sure that your own travel website will always appear on top of the list without any fees or payments.

If you link to this page, it will automatically show the linking website's referrer address on top of the list.

See also: Generic Travel Blog Generator

How to use Twitter as a marketing tool for websites? Let's start with basic vocabulary:

• tweet is like a text message with 140 character size limit, tweets can contain links and images
• retweet or RT works just like forwarding an email except you can’t edit retweeted messages
• hashtag is a string that begins with hash sign (#) and hashtags can be used for searching tweets
• bot is a program or script that automatically sends tweets or/and retweets posts, can also manage following and unfollowing people, and react to tweets sent by others
• #ttot means Travel Talk On Twitter, mostly travel related spam.

There are basically two kinds of tweets:

1. Retweets of the old tweets of others for receiving reciprocal retweets
2. Advertisement of own blog posts. For example: 6.94 ABSOLUTELY Vital Travel Tips http://www… via @blahblahblah#ttot#oldpost

Tweets are not for initiating a real discussion. Most tweets appear to be written by bots, and unfortunately majority of the followers you will attract are bots, too. Don't trust on the amount of followers some people have as followers can be bought just like likes can be bought on Facebook. The ongoing rate (see the link below) for Twitter followers is US $32 for every 5 000 delivered in 24–72 hours. Facebook likes are a bit more pricier: US $32 for every 1 000 likes. If someone buys for example 120 000 Twitter followers, their value is US $768. Here is one website selling likes and followers:

Another marketing tool on Twitter are live public chats, marketing competitions . Chats are identified by a hashtag, they include 5-10 questions asked by a host, and a sponsor organisation who is paying for the host and giving the prize which is usually a gift card. For sponsor, competitions are marketing, the host gets paid for his work, and the handful of participants can demonstrate their wits to each other. In order to participate in the competition, participants are required to follow both the host and the sponsor, so anyone participating can expect spam after the chat is over.

After spending one and a half months on Twitter, we noticed that Twitter is suffering from the same problem as all social media: they encourage talking but not listening, which is far from ideal marketing.

Our Work Exchange Track Record

We tried work exchange for the first time in Borneo, Malaysia in a chilli farm in 2011. However, that was only half work exchange, half house-sitting in a family farmhouse. In Borneo, empty houses are an invitation to repossess whatever there is to take, and as none of the family members wanted to live in the countryside, we got the house. There wasn’t any rent but we paid for the utilities and for our groceries. We were happy with the solution because their organic farm wasn’t exactly what we expected: too much pesticides, growth hormones and chemical fertilizers.

Our first real work exchange was in India for Jaipur Inn hotel. Work included taking photos, making a commercial video, designing print works like brochures and business cards, and updating their website and programming them an Internet booking system. The assignment lasted a couple months and we enjoyed it fully.

In Manuel Antonio, we also did a commercial video, website, booking system and some print jobs for National Park Backpackers hostel. The atmosphere was relaxed, perhaps because of Costa Rica’s better economic situation compared to India. The country draws a steady influx of wealthy American tourists.

We have also done house-sitting and pet-sitting, and compared to these, the upside of work exchange is that food is paid, but the downside is that we don’t get to spend time with animals what we love the most. Next we are going to do two pet-sitting gigs.

Getting Involved

How does work exchange function? The principle is the same as with farm hands of old. The host provides food and lodging and the helper pays to the host by working. There is no money involved. There are diverse jobs available from farming to programming. Usually the exchange doesn’t require a full-time commitment so there is also time to explore the surroundings for those who like sightseeing. We enjoy the work itself and do our normal routines: jogging and cooking.

There are several websites selling work exchange information, however we have not joined any of them. They are paid services and don’t offer any added value. We search for work exchange places by first deciding where we want to travel, then figuring out what we would like to do, and finally contacting directly the businesses that might be able to offer suitable work for us. Sometimes these places are also listed in work exchange sites, which means that they are aware of how the system works.

Due to the lack of suitable services, we are thinking about programming a free system in future, as well as a free book exchange and a free house-sitting site. Let us know if you are interested in helping with these projects.

If you are looking for work exchange places, the two places we have been to might be interested in offering you work exchange. Just ask them. And if you know someone who is looking for people to do work exchange, please let us know. We would love to hear have you tried work exchange and how did you like it?

Our durable, small backpack that had served for a decade got stolen in Spain. It was made in Finland and available only there. We tried a bunch of other small rucksacks that all broke in 2-4 months and as they were made of polyester fabric, they could not be fixed. Finally in Borneo we received visitors from Finland who brought us a new backpack from Finland, the same Savotta 123 that got stolen in Spain. However, meanwhile the manufacturer, Savotta, had updated their model that was originally introduced in 1950s. Those updates proved to be less than desirable at least for our needs.

This is how the backpack is being promoted:

“The Savotta Pack 123 is the traditional model produced by Savotta since the 1950s. In all its simplicity it is a very durable piece of equipment.”

This is what happened in real life, and how the backpack ended up in the trash bin in less than two years of use:

We did not get discouraged and continued our search for a truly durable backpack. We approached Osprey, Fjällräven, Deuter, Haglöfs, Halti, and Rei only to learn that none of them was interested in making durable, heavy-duty backpacks not designed to break. All the backpacks are OK if you go for a short two-week hike once a year. That way your backpack will perhaps last ten years and you are happy. But if you use it all the time, it will break just in a few months´ time because it is not made to last: fancy straps get ripped off in aeroplanes, fabrics wear out, plastic buckles and rivets break, zippers jam, stitches open, shoulder straps snap, hip belts become loose.

Have you found a heavy-duty backpack that is not designed to break? Do you know any manufacturer who is more interested in making durable and ecological products than maximizing short-term profits with fragile products? We would love to hear your experiences and recommendations.

See also: Recycling Tricks To Consume More

If you were somehow involved in the election of Obama, please try to influence him not to start massacring the Syrian people. Don´t have their blood on your hands. Peace cannot be made by killing people.

When we met one Syrian guy last year in Turkey, his only wish was that the USA would not invade Syria and make it another Iraq. He could not go back home because Turkey had closed the border, and he was very upset about the situation and worried about his family and friends.

The motivation for all recent wars appears to be oil, selling arms and employing mercenaries and soldiers. Weapons of mass destruction are used as a tool to spark conflicts. In order to disarm the US and help the world to move one step closer to world peace, it is time to stop believing all what is said in the media. Some of the stories are fabricated and planted to give a pretext to yet another war crime and crime against humanity. This is a fairly normal procedure in any war and it is called war propaganda.

If you don´t want the worst to happen, please spread the word and assess critically the media you follow. The only trustworthy source of information are the people who live in Syria and who experience these events first hand.

We landed in New York, slept the first night in JFK airport, and travelled from east to west and north to south by bus. On the way we were pet-sitting in Cincinnati and Seattle and visited friends in Syracuse and San José before exiting to Mexico. Our journey proved that it is not only possible but also easy and comfortable to travel in the US without renting a car, taking a train, or flying.

Greenhills, Ohio

Our first pet-sit was in Greenhills near Cincinnati, Ohio where we took care of a big nine-year-old mixed-breed dog Toby. Toby was a great companion for our 5–10 miles (7–15 km) walks. Apparently, such walks are not common in the US as dogs are usually just let out to piss and poop in the backyard. Sometimes sheriffs slowed down to stare what we were doing. To put things into perspective, in Greenhills kids were taken by bus to school that was just 1 mile (1.5 km) away.

In many highways, walking is strictly prohibited and sidewalks are rare. The country is heavily subsidizing fuel prices making driving and transporting goods inexpensive. The downside is increased air pollution, piles of road kills on roadsides, and heavily overweight nation suffering from all kinds of diseases due to lack of physical exercise. Sometimes it felt as if the country was run by car manufacturers who have outlawed walking to promote their businesses. One gallon of gasoline costs US $3.5–4 (0.7–0.8 €/liter). Everything is designed for driving: there are even drive-in ATMs, pharmacies, restaurants and shops where you don´t have to bother to get out of the car in order to get what you want. In many places there was a special lane for car pools and buses. It is reserved for cars with more than one person inside. Usually those lanes were empty while all the other lanes were crowded.

Greenhills was enjoyable. It is one of the four green belt areas that were established by the federal government during the Great Depression in the 1930s. There are both townhouses and ranches and big green areas everywhere with old trees and squirrels running around. The area resembles the garden city of Tapiola in Finland, which probably got its inspiration from the US. The weather in Ohio in July-August is nice, hot and humid, and crickets were chirping all night long.

Going Greyhound

From Cincinnati we took a 2,5 day bus ride to Seattle via Chicago, Minneapolis, Fargo, Billings, Butte, and Missoula. The scenery was flat and monotonous until we came to Montana and Rocky Mountains. We travelled by Greyhound buses that cover the whole country. The tickets can be bought online and there is an advance discount for tickets purchased 21 days beforehand. Usually the longer the journey, the cheaper the tickets are. The whole 2344 miles (3800 km) trip from Cincinnati to Seattle was US $150 each but if we had stopped on the way, the price would have almost doubled. When we compared prices, AmTrak trains were the most expensive option. Flying with budget companies was a bit cheaper, then came renting a car and riding a bus. Not all the bus trips sold by Greyhound are theirs. There might also be some other operators providing the service with less services and crampier seats.

Seat selection is done on a first-come, first-served basis so it is a good idea to be in terminal well in advance. All buses have a toilet in the back, and often also electric plugs and a wifi. Toilet we didn´t actually test. When Santeri was going there, our fellow co-passengers offered him a bottle of perfume and asked to spray the stinky and filthy toilet before going in. Santeri cancelled his mission and waited for the next stop. The buses stop frequently in Greyhound terminals, at least every two hours as most of the passengers are smoking addicts and it is prohibited in the bus. Almost all of the terminals we visited were clean and they all had free toilets, wifi, and a fountain for drinking water.

Most of the buses we took were half empty so we had plenty of space to sleep, sometimes the whole row. There are strict rules not always followed forbidding people from listening to music or talking too loud at night which makes sleeping onboard easier. The drivers give announcements informing the passengers where the bus will stop and for how long, which is nice. In India, buses hardly stopped at all and whenever they did, there were no toilets available.

People we met onboard were friendly and chatty, and we heard all kinds of stories. One man was boasting that he had three wives in three different states, while another was bragging about owning five-million-dollar movie rights. She also knew that Hitler never committed suicide in Germany, but lived in the northern USA. A fairly common topic was work, or more precisely the lack of it. One guy behind us was calling his friends and family to tell about his imaginary new job. The starting time, job description and the salary changed drastically from one phone call to another.

All in all, Greyhound was a pleasant experience for us except the last hassle in the border crossing from USA to Mexico. The driver didn't stop at the immigration so we got to Tijuana without any exit or entry stamps. Otherwise the only downside with Greyhound was that buses are sometimes late. This happened to us once, but fortunately the connecting bus was waiting for us despite the two-hour delay. Not everyone were as lucky as we. Some passengers had to wait twelve hours for the next connection.

Seattle, Washington

In Seattle we were pet-sitting two lovely and furry cats, Matan and Sinclair, who kept us great company. Matan liked to sit on Santeri´s chest while he was playing a computer game and Sinclair woke us up by jumping into our bed 4am in the morning to get some cuddling and food.

We were staying downtown Seattle by the waterfront, which was an awesome place for jogging. During the beautiful sunny days, which were surprisingly many considering it was already September, the pathway was almost crowded with joggers which restored our hope for the Americans. Not everybody is a couch potato. Seattle is small enough to be walkable. Besides waterfront, we explored the Capitol Hill and Chinatown which had great grocery stores with Asian fruits and vegetables.

The prices in the US are very affordable compared to Europe and not only because of the current favorable currency exchange rate. Also the lower transportation costs and the big home market helps to keep prices at a reasonable level. The selection in grocery stores is great. We don´t usually advertise any stores or brands but this we have to mention: Jungle Jim´s in Ohio. It is just about the greatest grocery store where we have ever been. There were shelves for different countries and we could find almost everything we could think of there. The only thing we missed in the US was European style bakeries instead of sandwich bars with ready made sandwiches. What we also didn't like so much was the great amount of GMO products, especially corn and soy in stores, and some vegetables and fruits just seemed to last forever in the fridge which made us wonder how they were produced.

Crossing from USA to Mexico in the San Ysidro-Tijuana border

From Seattle we continued southwards, first to San Francisco and San José where we stayed with a friend. The weather was superb and we had again an opportunity to enjoy the company of a dog, this time a pure-bred Finnish spitz Foxy.

We left the country from Los Angeles and headed to Tijuana, Mexico. That border turned out to be a bigger-than-life hassle when crossing it from USA to Mexico by bus. Nobody knew how it should be done and everybody refused to give any exact instructions. The first time we went through we just put our backpacks through x-ray machine and that was it. Nobody looked at our passports or even stamped them. In Tijuana bus station in Mexico we then learned that we should have have bought a tourist card costing some US $25/person, and that in the US side they should have stamped us out. The Greyhound bus driver had instructed us poorly so he assumed responsibility and arranged us a free ride back and forth across the border.

Getting back to the US was somewhat complicated as the border guard could not find the entry stamp from our passports. He had to call his boss for help. Finally they spotted the stamps and we got back to the US only to learn that they don't have a thing called exit stamp. They give exit stamps only in airports, not in land crossings. The border guards instruction about “swiping” our passport on the way out was also rubbish. They don't record anyone leaving according to the customs officer who was in charge.

So, here is how to do it in a correct way. Don't worry about the US side as your bus will not even stop on that side of the border. When you get to Mexico and enter the border building, first turn right to a small immigration cubicle, get the tourist card, fill it, go to bank around the corner, pay it, return to the immigration, and they will give you the entry stamp. With a EU passport, they will give you half a year, 180 days. Then proceed to customs and after that to your bus, which should be waiting for you outside in front of the office building. If you fly in, the tourist card price is included in your flight price.

We travelled in the US with an ESTA licence. For the sake of reciprocity, other countries should start insisting US citizens also to pay an extra imaginary fee equalling to ESTA (US $14), and Mexicans the same amount that the tourist card costs (US $25). Otherwise this outrageous ripping off can flourish unhindered.

Tips for bus passengers and US visitors

• In a bus terminal put your bag to the queue in front of the gate right after you get your gate number.
• People who get to the bus among the first have a chance of occupying double seats.
• If you are among the last, you will usually have to beg for a seat.
• Take care of your luggage by yourself, look after it and move it from one bus to another when changing buses. The most common complaint among passengers is lost luggage.
• If you are in a Greyhound terminal for transit, you will be allowed to board first to the connecting bus.
• If your diet is not American, based on fat and sugar, make yourself a lunch box for the bus trip as the buses stop only at junk food joints.
• Other passengers advised us that if buses run late and passengers miss their connections, at least women have a chance of getting a free accommodation for the night.
• For inexpensive vegan food ingredients, head to Chinatown grocery stores. Food is in general cheaper in the south.
• JFK and bus terminals were OK to sleep. You just need to have an onward ticket to be able to sleep there. We slept a few times in bus terminals.
• You can save tips if you don´t use restaurants, taxis, and other services.
• Don´t count on hospitality exchange in the US. It didn´t work at all. Instead, Pet-sitting and house-sitting worked well, at least for us.
• If you need an exit ticket from the US when entering the country for the immigration, the cheapest option is to buy a Greyhound ticket from San Diego to Tijuana.

Pelican birds fishing and eating fish in Mexico in October, 2013.