Gallivanting the globe 2019 - RTW and then some

[JohnM]

Some great memories of Mexico with your photos. Any reason you didn’t hire a car and do it yourself? From memory you self drive quite a bit, we found driving around Mexico fascinating and fun.

I am certainly not averse to renting a car and travelling independently, and it could be easily done in Mexico. I would never bother with an organised tour in W Europe, UK, N America, most of S America, S Africa, Namibia, Morocco... However, as with everything, there are upsides and downsides. Renting a car is great for just roaming around to national parks and scenic locations, but I think generally less so for more 'mission-orientated' travel such as seeing archaeological sites - and, for me, Mexico was pretty much mission-orientated.

One-way car rentals can also be problematic and I didn't want to be looping back.

Since doing my first organised tour in Madagascar (not really practical/cost-effective to rent a car and drive yourself - especially on some of the 4WD roads I went on), I have found that there is a lot of upside to them. They take you to key places and there is a leader doing the organising and providing information, which can have great advantages over poring over Lonely Planet. Also, they engage a local guide at the major sites to explain in detail. OK, I could rock up and engage a guide, but again it's choosing and having to research cost and so on.

Often there is a well-worn tourist trail in places where you will find yourself, whichever way you travel, passing along. I recall one of the pax in my Sudan tour saying she was sceptical about the need for or benefit of an organised tour, so she and her partner peeled off after a tour in Laos or somewhere to do the Vietnam combo by themselves. They kept bumping into the group along the way - and had to use up time reading the LP and finding accommodation.

Overall, I'd also say these types of tours are cost-effective and good value for money.

Remember also that I'm a solo traveller. The other thing I've enjoyed on these tours is the company of the other travellers in these small groups (maximum number is usually 16; I've ranged 2-16). People who go on these tours, particularly the more 'unusual' or remote-location destinations (eg. Sudan, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Oman, Iran, 5 Stans, Costa Rica, the Panatanal, Egypt, Russia) are usually very experienced travellers.

I've picked up from fellow travellers some great tips for destinations that otherwise I may have missed, plus the fact that the conversation tends to be great around the extensive travel everyone has done. I have no problem travelling solo and living in my own skin, but the company is good - and it's still easy to do your own thing in the evenings or in free time, should you wish.

Those sorts of places are mostly where renting a car and travelling independently (and solo) is generally not practical or cost-effective (rental cars, especially 4WDs, can be ultra-costly or impossible to get in developing countries). And travelling solo into remote and rough locations by 4WD is generally not sensible - even in Australia. I've pushed some limits in the Andes a few times that really I should not have...

Even I have to become practical at times .

I was initially sceptical with my first one (only in 2016), but I was determined to see Madagascar. The organised tour really did exceed my expectations, so I was hooked and started looking more intently at other offerings by similar companies - and haven't stopped! Also, I've 'done' much of the 'easy' places by car and I am becoming increasingly focussed on even more unusual places. That is now starting to involve far more 'out there' travel companies (eg. I'm going to Chad next year - not somewhere even the Intrepids/Peregrines/Exodus go ).

The other way in which the organised tours work well for me is that can be stitched into my annual DONEx quite nicely because of their defined dates and duration.

PS. If you'd seen my Cuba tour leader, I reckon you'd want to join that tour as well . She was gorgeous, super-smart and knowledgeable - and a heap of fun .

 

[Antoallison]

I think that hiring a car when travelling solo can mean that when you have to concentrate on driving, traffic and not taking a wrong turn etc you actually miss out on a lot of the scenery along the route.

A good quality tour group or using public transport options in countries with a good transport infrastructure is the way to go.

I prefer train travel where possible as it’s comfortable, and the railway station is always right in the town.

That means I have to do the LP type research before the holiday, as I plot the direction of travel. However now that I am not time poor, the prior research becomes an enjoyable if time consuming part of the whole holiday.

 

[JohnM]

The navigating doesn't bother me. I've had my own GPSs for years that I've loaded with the appropriate maps, grabbed a rental car, set the depot as 'home' and then hit the road.

Of course, a dedicated GPS is no longer necessary with free offline maps such as Maps.me and Here on your phone; they make a GPS in your pocket.

 

[VPS]

I think that hiring a car when travelling solo can mean that when you have to concentrate on driving, traffic and not taking a wrong turn etc you actually miss out on a lot of the scenery along the route.

A good quality tour group or using public transport options in countries with a good transport infrastructure is the way to go.

I prefer train travel where possible as it’s comfortable, and the railway station is always right in the town.

That means I have to do the LP type research before the holiday, as I plot the direction of travel. However now that I am not time poor, the prior research becomes an enjoyable if time consuming part of the whole holiday.

and when I was driving alone through Zion national park I wasn't able to stop and there were some amazing rock formations I would have loved to photograph. I think next big driving alone trip I may get a gopro or similar to take some scenery shots

 

[JohnM]

As I always say: upsides/downsides.

 

[JohnM]

For @amaroo - and the rest of you fellas - my Cuba tour leader .



Remember, you blokes with SWMBOs: you can get your appetite anywhere - just make sure to eat at home .

 

[JohnM]

Again, I am posting a lot of pics because some people may find it interesting, given the generally poorly understood nature of Cuba and general curiosity and appeal. I tend to skim – but suffice to say, for those who really like to poke about deeply in old towns, there is plenty to keep you interested in Habana Vieja for several days.
As we began moving out of Havana the next morning, the first stop was at funky Callejon de Hamel, an alleyway filled with art and sculptures (Callejon de Hamel).

 

[JohnM]

Then it was on to Fusterlandia (Fusterlandia), for more funky art. A few pics from the bus on the way. Not all the cars are ‘50s classics.

 

[JohnM]

That’s our bus. We only had six in the group. A couple from Sydney and a mother and her two early 20s sons from Cambridge in Britain; dad had become ill a few days before to the point that he couldn’t travel. So, with our sensational leader, a really great group of seven.

It was hot, so I had a pineapple smoothie made by this really friendly (why do I keep saying that? – everyone in Cuba is really friendly!) street vendor. Three top-ups included in the price. Muy bien – delicioso!

 

[amaroo]

I am certainly not averse to renting a car and travelling independently, and it could be easily done in Mexico. I would never bother with an organised tour in W Europe, UK, N America, most of S America, S Africa, Namibia, Morocco... However, as with everything, there are upsides and downsides.

One-way car rentals can also be problematic and I didn't want to be looping back.

Since doing my first organised tour in Madagascar (not really practical/cost-effective to rent a car and drive yourself - especially on some of the 4WD roads I went on), I have found that there is a lot of upside to them. They take you to key places and there is a leader doing the organising and providing information, which can have great advantages over poring over Lonely Planet. Also, they engage a local guide at the major sites to explain in detail. OK, I could rock up and engage a guide, but again it's choosing and having to research cost and so on.

Often there is a well-worn tourist trail in places where you will find yourself, whichever way you travel, passing along. I recall one of the pax in my Sudan tour saying she was sceptical about the need for or benefit of an organised tour, so she and her partner peeled off after a tour in Laos or somewhere to do the Vietnam combo by themselves. They kept bumping into the group along the way - and had to use up time reading the LP and finding accommodation.

Overall, I'd also say these types of tours are cost-effective and good value for money.

Remember also that I'm a solo traveller. The other thing I've enjoyed on these tours is the company of the other travellers in these small groups (maximum number is usually 16; I've ranged 2-16). People who go on these tours, particularly the more 'unusual' or remote-location destinations (eg. Sudan, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Oman, Iran, 5 Stans, Costa Rica, the Panatanal, Egypt, Russia) are usually very experienced travellers.

I've picked up from fellow travellers some great tips for destinations that otherwise I may have missed, plus the fact that the conversation tends to be great around the extensive travel everyone has done. I have no problem travelling solo and living in my own skin, but the company is good - and it's still easy to do your own thing in the evenings or in free time, should you wish.

Those sorts of places are mostly where renting a car and travelling independently (and solo) is generally not practical or cost-effective (rental cars, especially 4WDs, can be ultra-costly or impossible to get in developing countries). And travelling solo into remote and rough locations by 4WD is generally not sensible - even in Australia. I've pushed some limits in the Andes a few times that really I should not have...

Even I have to become practical at times .

I was initially sceptical with my first one (only in 2016), but I was determined to see Madagascar. The organised tour really did exceed my expectations, so I was hooked and started looking more intently at other offerings by similar companies - and haven't stopped! Also, I've 'done' much of the 'easy' places by car and I am becoming increasingly focussed on even more unusual places. That is now starting to involve far more 'out there' travel companies (eg. I'm going to Chad next year - not somewhere even the Intrepids/Peregrines/Exodus go ).

The other way in which the organised tours work well for me is that can be stitched into my annual DONEx quite nicely because of their defined dates and duration.

PS. If you'd seen my Cuba tour leader, I reckon you'd want to join that tour as well . She was gorgeous, super-smart and knowledgeable - and a heap of fun .

For a solo traveller - that makes sense.

But I don't agree with this...

Renting a car is great for just roaming around to national parks and scenic locations, but I think generally less so for more 'mission-orientated' travel such as seeing archaeological sites - and, for me, Mexico was pretty much mission-orientated.

We managed to squeeze in all of your sites, plus many more as an independent family travelling around in a hire car.

 

[Lat34]

We really enjoyed Havana, a lot. Your photos and comments bring back lots of fond memories, particularly stunning tile work at several locations and street art amongst other things. One really surprising "discovery" was how many of the old style cars had been fitted with diesel motors. Not the sound we were expecting

 

[JohnM]

We then left Havana behind, heading west and into the mountains to Soroa for a visit to the Orquideario and gardens in this cooler and damp environment. It was established by a Spanish lawyer in the 1940s in memory of his wife and daughter. Both endemic and exotic orchids.



Another view of the bus. Essentially a coach-style mini-bus. ‘Yutong’ brand – Chinese, of course. Very comfortable and with a fridge built in near the entry steps. I noticed that they are also common in India and Sri Lanka and IIRC, we also had some in the 5 Stans.



Hummingbird and woodpecker.



A wander through the grounds, then a short drive up to the adjacent hotel to take in some views before decamping for a home-style lunch.



Fiat 125? No – a nicely maintained Lada.

 

[JohnM]

We press on westwards to Vinales. The Valle de Vinales is a WH-listed site, for its natural beauty, particularly of the mogotes (limestone monoliths).

 

[Lat34]

Look forward to the cigar rolling

 

[JohnM]

Vinales is a tourist mecca for the hiking, cycling, horse-riding through the beautiful landscape. It also means some funky bars and restos and some groovy nightlife.

Very common accommodation is casas particulares (rooms in private homes). The side streets are lined with them. Our group stayed in two adjacent houses.
I can’t remember what the one I stayed in was called, apart from it being ‘XX’s Place’, where XX was our lovely host’s name. Never without a smile on her face and a giggle at our clumsy Espanol. The homestay part was the floor above where the family lived.

Not long after we arrived, there was a crashing thunderstorm and bucketing rain. It soon cleared and we headed up to the main street.

 

[JohnM]

Next morning was a walk out from Vinales. Note all the casas.



Coffee plant. And then to the cigar-rolling – and our smokin’-hot tour leader. It was quite gloomy inside the shed and my dinky camera was struggling with speed.



And a stop for a drink on the way back.

 

[JohnM]

That afternoon – salsa lesson. Mandatory!

That evening dinner on the verandah at a farmhouse restaurant outside of town and watching the sun go down. Order a fruit-concoction drink and it comes out – with a bottle of rum plonked on the table and ‘help yourself’.



Then back to town for some nightlife at the open-air nightclub.

 

[craven morehead]

That afternoon – salsa lesson. Mandatory!

That evening dinner on the verandah at a farmhouse restaurant outside of town and watching the sun go down. Order a fruit-concoction drink and it comes out – with a bottle of rum plonked on the table and ‘help yourself’.

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Then back to town for some nightlife at the open-air nightclub.

View attachment 194608

This place looks fantastic even if a little rustic

 

[drron]

I see they all still remember me in Cuba.My name is even on the glasses.

 

[JohnM]

Next day, swinging back east and heading towards the infamous Bay of Pigs on the S coast (Bay of Pigs Invasion - Wikipedia).

A stop at a roadhouse on the way.



We went past the village of Australia – in the rain. It was so-named because sugar mills were named after continents (Australia, Cuba - Wikipedia). It’s inland of the Bay of Pigs and served as Fidel Castro’s operations base during the invasion conflict.



Between Australia and Playa Giron, the invasion point in the Bay of Pigs is the sign: ‘The mercenaries got this far’ – which was not very far.



We stopped at the bay for a while for people to chill and do some snorkelling if they wished.



Then on to Cienfuegos, Cuba’s so-called ‘Pearl of the South’, a fine town on the S coast.

French rather than Spanish colonisers were pioneers of this region.

We stayed near the tip of Punta Gorda, a long point S of the main part of town. Palacio de Valle, built in 1917 by a Spaniard and with Moroccan-style flourishes, was next door. We went up to the rooftop bar for an evening drink.



The green building was the annexe to the hotel, and across the street. The hotel itself was a rather plain more modern tower. They apologised for putting us in the annexe, but we felt that it was better in the annexe. Very colonial feel with huge rooms. All we had to do was walk across the road for breakfast.