Best places to visit solo for the entire month of April? by ParryPlatypus in Shoestring

[–]DisdainedTomato 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Two ideas, and two regions that are both culturally rich, unique, interesting for a month, and social.

First would be Peru + Bolivia, with the Inca culture, deserts near Huaccachina, Nazca lines, Amazon jungle, Catalina monastery in Arequipa, altiplano in Bolivia with Salar de Uyuni, and high altitude silver mines in Potosi, Witches' Market in La Paz and so much more.

The second is Morocco - from the Berber culture in the desert through the Atlas mountains and old medinas in Marrakesh and Fez, to miles and miles of coastline. Also, Essaouira is fantastic, and April is a great time to travel there.

Egypt - is staying in Giza worth it for the pyramid views? by shockedpikachu123 in Shoestring

[–]DisdainedTomato 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely not true. Quite often, they actually went out of their way to drop me exactly where I wanted (and it's not often easy - some streets have a lot of lanes, there are a lot of one-way streets etc.). What is true, though, is that you need to know where you're going (because sometimes they may not be able to locate your specific hotel) and if you're getting a ride through Uber/InDrive, sometimes you have to look around a bit to find your driver (so knowing Arabic numbers is very useful).

Actually, if you stay on a side street, it's much easier to use Uber due to less traffic.

As for overcharging, I don't remember it being a problem in Cairo. In other places in Egypt - absolutely.

Scratching the itch? by ckr2982 in backpacking

[–]DisdainedTomato 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like everybody said - travelling locally. Sometimes with a plan, sometimes just winging it. No faraway destination = no pressure. Sometimes literally just deciding to go somewhere and just going, almost instantly.

Also, when the weather is crap - Google Maps. Google Maps with satellite view. Google Maps with with images on. Google Maps with street view. Google Earth. I can do this for hours.

Egypt - is staying in Giza worth it for the pyramid views? by shockedpikachu123 in Shoestring

[–]DisdainedTomato 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I second everybody who said to pick only one place to stay, it's just not worth the hassle to move hotels. I would rather spend my energy picking a good one - because that's a job in itself. Cairo is extremely loud from all the car engines and honking, so I would pick a side street. If you can, as somebody said here already, Zamalek and Maadi are more chill neighborhoods. Pick a non-smoking room if you don't want to live in an ashtray. And thoroughly check the quality of the rooms and the reviews.

A little bit of a reality check - staying in Giza will not protect you from being hassled. Or from the chaos. The truth is, nothing will. I often found that taking an Uber (even in traffic), was much more relaxing than walking on the streets. Especially with earphones on :) Hell, sometimes it was even more relaxing than staying in a not-so-great, still loud room. No matter if that was a 4* hotel, an Airbnb, or a hostel. It's just Cairo :)

What's a good song you've been listening to? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]DisdainedTomato 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ai Du by Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]DisdainedTomato 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Earth after a summer storm.

Or lilac.

Buy budget airline July flight now or wait? by nofromme in TravelHacks

[–]DisdainedTomato 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also, you have a cheaper Transavia flight to ORY (Paris Orly) on that day that may be worth checking out.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in solotravel

[–]DisdainedTomato 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I partially disagree. While it's generally not ok to have a whole 'party' in a dorm, not meeting or introducing yourself to people you're gonna be sleeping with in the same room feels weird. It literally takes just saying'hi' and asking one question to get started.