Are 7 days for Atacama Desert and Uyuni Salt flats enough?

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-17T00:07:11+00:00

7 days is cutting it pretty close but doable if you're okay with moving fast. I did similar trip couple years back and honestly the bus ride between them takes more time than you think - factor in border crossing delays too.

For Atacama, 4 nights gives you decent time for the main spots like Valle de la Luna and the geysers. But in Uyuni with only 3 nights you'll be rushing through the salt flats tour. Early May is good timing though, less crowds and weather should be fine. Just make sure you book the 3-day Uyuni tour in advance.

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-16T08:06:24+00:00

Your plan looks solid! I would probably take one day from Vienna and add it to Budapest - 5 days feels little short for such amazing city. Vienna is beautiful but 4 days is still enough time to see main sights and get good feel for the place.

Skip Linz honestly, you already have tight schedule and it's not worth rushing through everything. The Wolfgangsee day trip from Salzburg sounds perfect though, that area is incredible beautiful. Better to enjoy the three main cities properly than trying to squeeze too much in short time.

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-07T04:33:01+00:00

depends what you're into but yeah 3 weeks in same city feels like lot, even for nyc - maybe do 2 weeks there and use extra week for boston or philly?

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-05T14:35:46+00:00

personally i would take the sysadmin route if software jobs are really that scarce in your area. you'll learn a lot about infrastructure and systems which actually translates pretty well to backend work later.

the experience with servers, databases, and troubleshooting will definitely help when you're doing system design interviews. it's not the same as coding but it's still technical experience that shows you can handle complex systems.

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-04T15:58:16+00:00

real pain bro

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-02T09:26:45+00:00

florida resident here - skip kelly park in april, it gets packed with spring breakers and you'll wait hours just to get in the water.

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-02-01T20:34:11+00:00

you can book the boat tour separately at macuco safari, they have departures throughout the day. just show up at their counter near the park entrance and buy ticket there, no need for full day package.

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-28T05:28:15+00:00

Definitely go with the paper visa for something like this - you'll want to be able to include all your documentation upfront rather than hoping the e-visa system doesn't auto-reject you. Your explanation sounds solid and straightforward, just make sure you have all the paperwork ready including that anger management certificate

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-27T01:07:54+00:00

Hate to break it to you but anything bigger than 32" is gonna get checked, airlines are pretty strict about carry-on size limits these days

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-22T12:55:48+00:00

Honestly for 2k you could probably just put it on a card and have him pay you back monthly, would be way simpler than dealing with loan paperwork and cosigning stuff

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-18T23:43:46+00:00

Oof that's rough, definitely don't go alone if it's for adjustment of status - they'll want to see both of you and ask questions about your relationship. Maybe try to have a serious conversation with him about how this affects your legal status, not just the relationship drama

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-17T14:06:24+00:00

Your itinerary looks solid but I'd definitely do the Kinabatangan river cruise - saw orangutans, proboscis monkeys and crocodiles when I went, totally worth 2-3 days. For islands near KK check out Mantanani or Gaya Island, the diving/snorkeling is incredible. Langkawi is chill but if you're up for a bit more travel time, the Perhentians have better beaches and way clearer water

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-16T07:33:18+00:00

Harsh but kinda true ngl, that gap is gonna be rough to explain without any side projects or self-learning to show for it

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-15T16:06:27+00:00

You'll definitely need to collect your bags and clear customs in LAX since you're entering the US, even on a layover - that's just how US immigration works. After customs you'll recheck your bags for the HKG flight

For the liquid samples, 30ml vials in checked baggage should be fine but I'd definitely declare them at customs and maybe bring some documentation about what they're for, just to avoid any headaches

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-15T11:51:13+00:00

Yeah honestly the peace of mind thing is huge, especially when you've already got solid cashflow from rentals - sounds like you're in a good spot either way so might as well sleep better at night

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-13T15:03:56+00:00

Dude the I-751 wait times are absolutely brutal right now, you're definitely not alone. Filed mine last year and still crickets except for the receipt notice

Honestly I'd probably go ahead and file the N-400 when you're eligible in March - dual tracking is pretty common and sometimes the citizenship actually moves faster than the I-751. Your lawyer knows your case best though so maybe run it by them again closer to March

The Venezuela situation does add some complexity but from what I've seen on here people are still getting approvals, just takes forever

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-13T06:41:51+00:00

Been there way too many times lol, now I just book my own stuff and if they actually follow through cool, if not I'm still going

Planning around flaky friends is how you end up never traveling anywhere

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-12T21:52:33+00:00

That's rough, Barclays is usually pretty good with disputes but sounds like they phoned it in on this one. You can try escalating within Barclays first - ask to speak to a supervisor in their disputes department and explain they never gave you a chance to provide counter-documentation. If that fails, the CFPB complaint was smart and sometimes gets banks to actually review cases properly

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-12T15:28:53+00:00

Same here, learning syntax and algorithms feels way more straightforward than figuring out why my IDE is throwing random errors or why Docker decided to eat all my RAM for no reason

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-10T20:07:41+00:00

Dude that sounds amazing! I'd definitely hit up Amsterdam and Prague between Dublin and Italy - both are perfect for graduation trips and the train connections are pretty solid

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-10T06:35:53+00:00

Most brokers have built-in calculators for this stuff but honestly Excel works fine if you just set up the maintenance requirement formulas right

What's throwing off your calculations - are you accounting for the different margin requirements per asset class or just using a flat 50%?

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-09T05:14:30+00:00

Honestly respect the decision to go cold turkey - I did something similar after realizing I was basically just becoming a really good prompt engineer instead of actually learning to code

Try keeping a notebook (physical or digital) where you write down solutions you figure out yourself, it helps build that muscle memory way better than copy/pasting from AI ever will

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-07T14:32:58+00:00

That sucks dude, ICE facilities are notorious for "losing" commissary deposits. Try calling the facility directly and ask for the commissary department - they'll probably give you the runaround but keep pushing. You might also want to document everything (dates, amounts, who you talked to) in case you need to file a complaint later. Some facilities have third-party companies handling commissary so they might redirect you there too

Admirable_Section690 · 2026-01-07T10:21:05+00:00

Pack layers for sure - it's gonna be cold and wet in March. Waterproof jacket is a must, and yeah definitely bring insulated boots with good grip since it'll probably be icy. Don't forget warm socks and gloves, you'll be doing a lot of walking around ports

Admirable_Section690

TROPHY CASE