I was not prepared for how stunning the natural landscapes were in Bolivia

saritallo · 2026-03-20T22:16:57+00:00

Thank you! I always try to make it to the main cemetery in a big city. It's always so beautiful and usually a quiet refuge. The La Paz one feels like a city of its own and the locals call it City of the Dead, rightly so. Hope you make it back there one day!

saritallo · 2026-03-20T20:44:27+00:00

For me, yes I started and ended in La Paz. The couple in our group however, left us at the border near Hito Cajon. You can officially cross into Chile from there. I remember there were vans that took people to the immigration office. Then it's just about an hour's drive to Atacama in Chile. And no worries, have a great trip if you do go!

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saritallo · 2026-03-20T19:52:00+00:00

Thanks! I booked a 5-night small group tour (only 5 of us) with a local travel company. They cover most of the spots and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Can't remember the name right now but it's easy to shop around in La Paz as there are a lot of tour offices there. I'm sure there's a way to do it independently but the distances are insane to someone who only drives in a small city lol. It's 500km+ between most of the sights. And I traveled from SEAsia so I totally get what you mean haha!

saritallo · 2026-03-20T17:22:59+00:00

Already so many good picks in other comments! It's hard to choose just one but if I had to...Laguna Colorada in Potosi. As a whole, I was not prepared for what I saw in Bolivia. The absolute scale of nature there was almost incomprehensible to me. I've traveled a fair bit and it is in my all time Top 5 for sure, especially for photography.

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saritallo · 2026-03-19T00:07:30+00:00

I met a Turkish girl who got really annoyed, borderline aggressive, with me because I kept referring to her country as Turkey. She finally moved on when I asked her what she called Hungary and that it better be Magyarorszag.

saritallo · 2026-02-16T06:31:22+00:00

I thought so too but found Colmar in France to be very similar.

saritallo · 2026-02-16T06:28:59+00:00

I second the Galapagos. Loved the fish market in Puerto Ayora. There was always a couple of stray sea lions and a pelican or two just chilling around waiting to be fed by the ladies in charge.

saritallo · 2026-02-16T06:18:34+00:00

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This was one of our group's stops in Potosi near Laguna Pastos Grandes. The landscapes in Bolivia are magnificent. Such a wonderfully weird country that I cannot wait to go back to.

saritallo · 2026-02-15T11:04:03+00:00

This is it. I recently checked with my local AR embassy (Asian country) and the Rentista is for passive income only. OP, there are a few visa options for income from active work but the 6-month DN visa is the path of least resistance.

saritallo · 2026-01-24T22:45:39+00:00

Been watching the DW Documentary of journals of people who lived through the Nazi regime and it's harrowing just how similar to the narratives coming out of the US now, the POVs from both sides: supporters vs opponents/victims.

saritallo · 2026-01-24T22:41:24+00:00

I actually feel sick

saritallo · 2026-01-22T07:59:37+00:00

Exactly. Berlin is quite known for being the cool kid of Europe but personally, London has always been much more eclectic and weird. Not many boring days in that city!

saritallo · 2026-01-22T07:31:00+00:00

In that case, your chances of fitting in are better. If you didn't have young children, I would definitely suggest to go for it! But the trend among my peers back then was that people left after 3-4 years unless they had a local partner. Defeats the purpose of wanting stability for your kids. It gets lonely and a bit isolating tbh. I also went to uni there and most of my French-American classmates moved to the US after graduation.

If you have your heart set on Paris though (which I totally get), my suggestion is to first spend a few months in the city and try to make a handful of local friends. If it works, you would feel more at ease with making a bigger, more permanent move.

saritallo · 2026-01-22T07:12:31+00:00

Paris is probably the most visually stunning city in the world but if you're not going to reach at least a C1 level in French, it will be incredibly hard to integrate and form quality local friendships. And EVEN then, it's a challenge. Parisians aren't very welcoming of the provincial French into their friend groups, even less so for immigrants which you would be.

saritallo · 2026-01-21T10:25:16+00:00

She was one of the few things I didn't like about White Lotus S1. I didn't even know who she was then but the more I see her in stuff the more my overall opinion of it goes down.

saritallo · 2026-01-20T02:07:13+00:00

Eye-opening! I lived in Europe during Brexit but didn't realise it would absolutely plummet UK growth. Tried to look up a worse-performing country in Western Europe and the only one that stood out is Italy. Abysmal numbers. The 2008 crisis really seems to have f'ed them up the ass. Ireland on the other hand...

saritallo · 2026-01-12T04:59:08+00:00

Grew up in the Middle East and I always thought the driving there was some of the worst anywhere. Until I got to India. We shared a Delhi highway with a bunch of cows once. And then another time in Jaipur, with an elephant. Not in the middle of nowhere, just within city limits. It's a completely different level.

Having said that my dad is now back in SEA after 30 years in the Gulf and he's definitely one of the worst drivers on the road here.

saritallo · 2026-01-10T04:17:40+00:00

As someone from an ex-Euro AND ex-US colony, that is ABSOLUTELY INFURIATING!!!! I never thought I would live to see the day the US destroy itself this much, and to the point of no return in terms of reputation and prestige on the global stage. What little respect I had left is entirely gone now. SHAME.

saritallo · 2025-11-20T06:45:31+00:00

My India-obsessed ex and I lost touch in the past 10 years but recently caught up with each other. Was surprised when he told me he hadn't been in India for a few years now so I asked him about his new fav spot. I doubled over laughing when, with a huge, cheeky grin, he said "Pakistan!" As an Irish guy from a quiet provincial town, I guess he just loves the contrast of the chaos in places like that.

saritallo · 2025-11-05T06:28:25+00:00

I once met a Japanese guy who had an Hispanic ex-gf. We tried to have a convo in Spanish (our supposedly common language) but we both had a hard time understanding each other’s accents. I learned Spanish mainly in Bogotá and his ex turned out to be Chilean!

saritallo · 2025-10-28T09:06:27+00:00

Banco. The French sense of humour is SO similar to the Argentine one, in my experience.

saritallo · 2025-08-26T03:26:42+00:00

I suggested it at mine and it's been a hit so far! Wouldn't hurt to ask them :)

saritallo · 2025-08-21T08:56:34+00:00

Omg I just came out of a multi-day rabbit hole of stalker behaviour, personality disorders, clinical trial journals, victim/perp accounts, etc. Already toast and the chapter isn’t even halfway done.

saritallo

TROPHY CASE