[cin3]

Santiago still has an incredible live music scene spanning multiple genres which rivals that of BsAs or any European city.

The food isn’t as good as it was 10 years ago nor of the calibre of Argentina but still very good. As is the theatre and art. Amazing vibe to deg immersed in and definitely worth spending some time there if you like culture.

Unfortuntely Pinochet-supporting JAK is going to be bad news in almost every way for all the above and the country as a whole (he’s against abortion for rape victims, same sex marriage and his father was a nazi).

[cin3]

For surfing, there are other good areas in Oaxaca such as barra de la cruz. Further afield consider Mazatlán, Sayulita, and Baja. Puerto Vallarta is almost as ruined as Escondido.

[cin3]

Puerto Escondido might not be a full blown Tulum but it’s still pretty awful. Maybe some people’s cup of tea but personally I wouldn’t travel all the way to Mexico for something so unmexican. There are some incredible coastal towns in the country, escondido would be very low on my list.

Oaxaca city is good for food but definitely overrated as Mexican cities go. Have been a few times but the most recent trip had more misses than hits. Zandunga and Levadura de Olla both very gringo dumbed down, Cobarde was better but much much worse than what you get in Guadalajara or DF. Much much better off concentrating on those two cities as a foodie.

Edo omakase was good if you don’t want Mexican cuisine but by far the best food was street food especially lechóncito de oro and empanadas del carmen alto.

[cin3]

qc wrote:

@cin3

We went to Bariloche and didn’t hike anywhere never mind the 10k that @strickers can do but really enjoyed it.

Interesting, what did you do? Personally, there are a dozen places I think you’d get more from if you can’t do what are by far the highlights of the Bariloche region – Trogador, Frey por el filo, Llao Llao. The town itself is a bit tacky and overpriced.

strickers wrote:

@cin3 I can walk, comfortably 10k plus, struggle a little downhill but a walking pole helps. Why would I unnecessarily shorten a trip if I’m already travelling that far?

Oh absolutely don’t shorten your trip, it’s already a whirlwind. 8 nights in BaAs and 1 in Calafate would be far preferable as you’ll be bored to tears otherwise.

Even better add on El Chalten. Even if you can’t do Huemul, you’ll be able to do a handful of the second tier sights there. Or pass through Córdoba or Rosario. But honestly, even with a few weeks in BaAs you’ll still have dozens of things you’ll want to do when you leave. You’ll gain a lot more from an extra 3 nights there than a rushed trip to Rio.

[cin3]

qc wrote:

@cin3

We went to Bariloche and didn’t hike anywhere never mind the 10k that @strickers can do but really enjoyed it.

Interesting, what did you do there? Personally I found the town quite overpriced and tacky so would recommend spending some time in other places if you can’t do the main highlights of Frey por el filo, Trogador and Llao Llao.

[cin3]

Oh absolutely don’t shorten your trip, it’s already a whirlwind. 8 nights in BaAs and 1 in Calafate would be far preferable as you’ll be bored to tears otherwise.

Even better add on El Chalten. Even if you can’t do Huemul, you’ll be able to do a handful of the second tier sights there. Or pass through Córdoba or Rosario. But honestly, even with a few weeks in BaAs you’ll still have dozens of things you’ll want to do when you leave. You’ll gain a lot more from an extra 3 nights there than a rushed trip to Rio.

[cin3]

strickers wrote:

OK folks, I’m initially following a similar plan in November 2026, at the moment I have:

5 nights Buenos Aires
4 nights El Calafate
5 nights Bariloche
3 nights Iguazu Falls
3 nights Rio

I have about a week extra and would appreciate some suggestions on whether to extend or to add somewhere else. One option would be the ferry to Montevideo for a couple of days? It will be just the 2 of us, late 50s with 3.75 knees between us!

Thanks as always.

Skip Calafate entirely or drop to one night. Drop Iguazú to one night if possible. Save Rio for another trip when you can do it justice.

If you can’t do a decent multi hour hike would question going to Bariloche too.

[cin3]

Serrae Villa Fiesole was lovely. Don’t eat bistecca In Florence, far better quality stuff found a shirt drive outside the city. Worth clearing a whole day for the Uffizi.

[cin3]

If travelling to the Galapagos make sure you have your AOW and preferably nitrox ticked off before you go and ideally have drift experience too. You miss out a huge proportion of the fauna without this.

Agree that Uruguay is lovely and there’s a fantastic art and music scene in Monte.

[cin3]

Delete wrong topic

[cin3]

Cdog wrote:

I liked Kyoto but it was definitely my least favourite stop in Japan, it was just unpleasantly busy everywhere. Fushimi Inari was so deeply unpleasant that I was furious at myself for going, it was worse than Disneyland.

I thought it was common knowledge that you have to go to Fushimi Inari at the crack of dawn? We went early and had the place to ourselves for an hour or saw and it was sublime. When the hoards arrived later the vibe really changed. Do agree that Kyoto was probably my least favourite part.

If you’re remotely into good, Kyushu is a must see. Some of the best meals and unique local dishes that don’t exist anywhere else to be found in Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Nagasaki and the new shinkansen works very well in the area.

Okinawa I would skip but if you are definitely going get as far away from Naha and preferably explore the wonderful coast in the north east side of the island.

Strongly recommend Kamokochi and the alps, Takayama and you must do the Shimanami Kaido (though unfortunately this has to be booked in advance).

Best music after Tokyo was Osaka and Nagoya. You could easily get lost for months in each city exploring the local scenes there. But possibly the one thing I would not miss on any trip is Teshima, Naoshima and Inujima – a truly trascendental travel experience.

[cin3]

Peggerz wrote:

Hi @cin3.
I can’t help you with the restaurants you have mentioned as they are too high-end for my tastes in Korea. They all seem to get good reviews so, unless anyone else here has personal experience, I think you just pick a couple and go for it.
Re food markets, we had a couple of meals in them when we were in Seoul this year. The central sites in the alleyways of Gwangjang market can have some visitors there and they were good fun. Our ‘guide’ was my daughters Korean partner so he was quite happy and didn’t feel they were tourist traps or overly priced. In fact we went to one market stall to sample Korean black pudding (Sundae, don’t judge me until you’ve tried it!) that we couldn’t get elsewhere. However there are at lot less tourists in the restaurants that line the alleyways, really busy with locals.

My understanding is that Gwangjang has fallen off a cliff in recent years and the better market for actual local food is Mangwon Market. Thoughts?

[cin3]

When? For what? Sharing a widely-shared opinion on an online forum?

[cin3]

Sprout wrote:

Just returned from there and Rio last week.
Main issue for us was cash – please take cash with you or USD.
I’ve always used cashpoints but it was impossible to get any more than £30 in one go and the ATM fees were @£18 per transaction. Many smaller shops don’t take card at all.
Oh and I quickly learnt how to use uber for the first time as it wasn’t easy finding taxis that took card payments.

Can’t you use the standard WU dolar blue trick? You should never be using an ATM in Argentina…

[cin3]

Can anyone who has been recently help with picking two from this list for meals out? Mingles, Eatanic, Kwansooksoo, Solbam, Evett. Any particular recommendations?

Also very keen for tiny locals resto and street food picks as some of the food markets have become massive tourist traps in recent years.

Regarding vegetarian food, it’s definitely not easy as shiukd be obvious from the famous Han Lang novel…

[cin3]

The best cenotes are not on any maps and you’ll have to get chatting to locals to get directions. And as mentioned, the most impressive have areas only accessible by cave diving which you’ll have to arrange at least a day or two in advance.

With only a week or two for the Yucatan I’d personally prioritise Mérida over Valladolid.

Don’t rule out impressive sites like Palenque and the rest of Chiapas.

[cin3]

Seems madness to travel so fast especially with all the things it’s clear you’re missing out on. 7 countries (some absolutely huge) in just 8 weeks?! You could scratch the surface of just BsAs, Bogotá and Santiago alone in 8 weeks…

[cin3]

Agree CH is a great place to base yourself and completely safe. Have explored there solo well into the early hours many a time.

Condesa is nowhere near as bad as Polanco but still pretty soulless. Roma a much better option but you’ll have to get out to local areas for the best street food.

Unfortunately the current FCDO advice is ridiculously overcautious especially about Chiapas, Colima, Jalisco and Michoacán and I’d perfectly be completely comfortable ignoring it, but you do have to be aware of the insurance implications.

[cin3]

Seems bemusing to go to El Chalten, a place pretty much dedicated to hiking or climbing and not do by far the best hikes in the area: Huemul (most people take four days but give and extra day or two for optimal weather for the pass), sunrise at Fitz Roy (two days), Laguna Torre (one day).

It’s a long way to travel to for just a few days and I’d really feel you’ve massively missed out by skipping any of those three.Seems bemusing to go to El Chalten, a place pretty much dedicated to hiking or climbing and not do by far the best hikes in the area: Huemul (most people take four days but give and extra day or two for optimal weather for the pass), sunrise at Fitz Roy (two days), Laguna Torre (one day).

It’s a long way to travel to for just a few days and I’d really feel you’ve massively missed out by skipping any of those three.

Calafate however needs a day maximum and arguably should be skipped in favour of an extra day almost anywhere else in Patagonia let alone the test of the country.

[cin3]

memesweeper wrote:

cin3 wrote:

Can anyone confirm that it’s currently possible to cancel a biz and get a new one revejng the sub on both without waiting in between?

And that neither prevent you from getting a personal sub if it’s been 24 months?

There have been reports that when a card is closed for you, internally, Amex systems prevent the same card getting reopened within a few months regardless of SUB rules or qualifications. I got a fresh Platinum business a few months ago about five months after closing the last one. I certainly wouldn’t apply within weeks, leave it three months perhaps? No point dinging your credit file with a failed application.

But zéro impact on getting a personal sub?

[cin3]

Can anyone confirm that it’s currently possible to cancel a biz and get a new one revejng the sub on both without waiting in between?

And that neither prevent you from getting a personal sub if it’s been 24 months?

[cin3]

Tariq wrote:

In 2024, American Express removed all restrictions on who qualifies for the sign-up bonus on Business Platinum and Business Gold. If you are accepted, you qualify.

This means, for example:

if you have or recently had Business Platinum, you can apply for Business Gold and receive the bonus
if you have or recently had Business Gold, you can apply for Business Platinum and receive the bonus
if you have or recently had a personal Gold or Platinum card, you can apply for Business Platinum and/or Business Gold and receive the bonus
if you have British Airways Accelerating Business, you can apply for Business Platinum and/or Business Gold and receive the bonus

Because the thread has diverged towards personal Ax Platinum.

So, to clarify:

1. I can get a Biz Gold now. Cancel after getting the SUB and then get a Biz Plat or another Biz gold and do it all again?
2. I can potentially do two simultaneously with different businesses?
3. And in addition, none of these cards affect my eligibility for a Personal Gold/Plat?

[cin3]

Seconding Tbilisi for August.

[cin3]

Don’t forget Montbell is much cheaper for lots of clothing in Japan too. April will be warm – I only use down for the Alps then.

[cin3]

JDB wrote:

Would definitely prioritise Hanoi over HCMC. The former has retained much old world charm whereas HCMC is a badly planned modern city and you really could be anywhere. As for Phu Quoc, read the previous comments/threads on HFP. Emphasis is on the phu which the local farmed fish/shellfish are eating and the extraordinary volume of phu to be found with other detritus in the sea (plus box jellyfish) and on the beaches. The island is like one’s local municipal dump.

Strong agree on this. HCMC is one of the dullest cities I’ve ever been too while Hanoi is bursting with culture. Budget about a week there.

Don’t miss Hoi An, Hue, Ha Long and Ninh Binh.