After a sweaty two-hour hike to the Naso community of Bunjik, the first thing I wanted to know was how can I get back without walking. The friendly community leader, Raul, laid down the options. If I didn't want to walk I would have to wait for a boat, though there is no telling when those come. Then, in a passing comment, he mentioned another option - rafting. Of course I was suddenly curious, so I asked a few questions, and sure enough rafting was an option. This is the poor-man's option, so naturally as a poor traveler, I took it. Here's how it works:
Costa Rica’s political system has three claims to fame: its democracy, its military’s non-existence, and its president’s Nobel Prize. Not only is Costa Rica the Latin American country with the longest uninterrupted record of free elections and the first on the planet to voluntarily abolish its military, but its president, Óscar Arias Sánchez, is the first Nobel Laureate in history to be elected to such a post.
Mérida supports a flourishing art scene. Yucatán Living, an online magazine run by American ex-pats, produces a useful guide to galleries and artist studios. We’ve listed three of our favorites below:
Only eight species of sea turtles exist in the world; four of them nest in the state of Quintana Roo. At Akumal, snorklers are likely to see two types of turtles. The loggerhead turtle or tortuga caguama has unique orange patterns on its shell. The green turtle, the tortuga verde, has a rounder and predictably greener shell.
We are thrilled to announce our new Maps section, with over 1000 maps from our books, now all online for you to peruse and use. Check out our global map coverage of Europe, North America, South America, Central America and Asia Pacific.
Bicycles rule the road in Cambridge, but they may soon have a new motorized competitor. It’s small, runs on three wheels, and is more a novelty than serious transportation.
No, it’s not a tricycle–it’s a tuk-tuk, a miniature cab popular in Southeast Asia. They can get up to about 30 mi. per hr. and they fit in narrow lanes that big-boy cars can’t reach. In Asia they are a serious mode of transportation, but in Europe they mostly serve as a joyride for tourists. Entrepreneur Malcolm Fulcher wants to expand the role of tuk-tuks by turning them into normal cabs.
Not everyone, however, is excited about sharing the road with these newcomers. The Cambridge Drivers Association, which represents taxi drivers, has challenged the project, citing safety concerns while avoiding mention of the competition regular cabs would face. Previous tourist tuk-tuk fleets have run into problems elsewhere in England. They were even kicked out of Bath after two riders were injured in an accident.
Proponents argue that accidents are relatively rare and that smaller vehicles are better for the environment. It’s unknown yet whether the tuk-tuks will be approved, but if you’re starving for slow and quirky transportation, there’s always punting.
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For 50 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.