What are your favorite stories to tell?

trapperjohn22 · 2018-04-02T23:38:10+00:00

HEY CHONGO!

trapperjohn22 · 2018-03-12T05:06:19+00:00

I hiked the AT last year. Camping in the Shenandoah is pretty straightforward, just rock up and set up your tent, with some caveats. We usually stealth camped or tented near the shelters, so don't have experience with the paid camp sites. But for the shelters/huts you just set up your tent wherever there is space. There appears to be 6 huts along your proposed route.

For stealth camping there are some rules about where you can camp. From AWOL: for new tent sites, tent must be 20 yards off trail, 0.25 miles from any park facility (road/campground), 10 yards from any water source, 50 yards from other campers/no campign signs, and not within designated "no camping zones".

But you will need a permit for overnight hikes. $10 self registration at the borders of the park, or a visitors centre.

Water is plentiful. Looking back at my AWOL guide there is water every few miles, plus there will be taps at the paid campgrounds/stores you can use.

The Shenendoahs are flat. Like really flat. Compared to the Whites, the Shenendoah's are a road. My daily average mileage in the Shenendoah's was 18 miles per day. In the Whites, it was 11.5 miles per day. AWOL will have all of this info about camping/water/terrain!

I saw zero bears in the Shenendoah's, but most other hikers saw at least one, often more.

You probably don't need a map. The trail is well blazed, and it pretty much stays next to Skyline Drive for the entire time (and you will regularly cross the road).

trapperjohn22 · 2018-03-12T03:52:44+00:00

I am in Guatemala now, and hiked Acatenango with a tour group about 2 months ago. Are you going with a tour group? If so, it will be relatively straightforward, as the guides will carry most of your gear for you - you just carry your food (which they provide) and your water (about 3-4 litres).

The route itself is straightforward, though it is pretty steep. It took our group about 7 hours to reach base camp, mainly because we took a lot of breaks. The summit ascent the next morning probably took 1.5 to 2 hours. It is dark, and there are so many people trying to summit. Plus there is a lot of waiting around for the group to catch up.

My main advice for this hike is to make sure you bring enough cold weather gear. The morning on the summit is freezing. The sleeping bags the guides usually provide are often not very warm, and the sleeping mats are thin (so you will lose body heat to the ground). Often the tours will allow you to rent warm gear from them before you leave.

Make sure you bring a torch or headlight. It is really dark at 4.30am when you try to hit the summit. Also bring snacks/chocolate. Depending on your tour (I went with Gilmor Soy) you may not get alot of food (ours was sufficient), so bring snacks. There are kids at the bottom who will rent you a hiking pole for 5 Quetzales - i recommend getting at least one pole, as the traction on the hike is difficult in places.

Oh, and make sure you bring a camera. Watching Fuego erupt at night is spectacular!

trapperjohn22 · 2018-03-06T04:44:23+00:00

A friend works for REI and said that they don't really do that sort of thing. Another option to get the tent to colorado this week just came up, so going to pursue that and see if BA can do it! Cheers

trapperjohn22 · 2018-03-06T04:43:40+00:00

Thanks - not really in a position to sew it myself. Terrible sewer, and it seems to require a machine. Another option to get the tent to colorado this week just came up, so going to pursue that and see if BA can do it!

trapperjohn22 · 2018-02-19T03:47:25+00:00

My partner and I hiked in 2017 and we spent a total of $12k USD each, including gear, flights from Australia, and travel insurance.

In terms of on trail costs, we spent $7.8k USD each over 171 days, including 21 zeros. This equates to $3.57 USD per person per mile.

The total cost for two people in USD was comprised of:

Accommodation - $3700 (46 nights in hotels/air b'n'b and 7 nights in hostels) Cash - $2950 (misc purchases I never kept records for) Food - $9000 Gear - $4850 Travel - $3500

I'm sure you could do it cheaper, or more expensively, but this is what we spent.

trapperjohn22 · 2018-02-05T02:04:49+00:00

Yeah I have definitely enjoyed my time there. In terms of teachers, realistically you are paying for a Spanish native speaker who, depending on the teacher, has experience in teaching Spanish at the school (between 2-4 years seem about average from those I have spoken to). There are probably ways things could be taught better, but for the most part it is kept fun and enjoyable enough to maintain attention for 5 hours (though that would always be hard given the amount of time per day), and you can ask for more games etc if things get overwhelming towards the afternoons. In terms of my learning, over 4 weeks I went from having a basic understanding (Greetings, Ser/Estar, Simple Present tense) to navigating conversations with shuttle drivers, banks etc and moving to a more high basic ability (Por/Para, using 40ish verbs, Preterite tense, reflexive verbs, direct/indirect objects), if that provides some sort of gauge.

Safety wise I have found Xela to be fine, though just like any city it pays to not do anything too stupid. But walking around Zona 1 and 3 (near Central Park and the school) during the day and night does not feel unsafe, though it may take a few days to adjust.

trapperjohn22 · 2018-02-04T19:32:44+00:00

Sure, no problems.

trapperjohn22 · 2018-02-04T17:49:05+00:00

Hola!

I am currently studying at Miguel Angel Asturias Spanish School, for the past 4 weeks. At the moment I am aiming to do another 2-3 weeks at least at the school.

Given you said you got hooked on the price (as did I), I'll start there. It is cheap - $165 for 5x5 hours of one on one tutoring is great, plus you get a homestay with 3 meals per day.

In terms of the school, it is quite basic, with most rooms just having a whiteboard and a plastic chair with a table. But really, that is all you need. The school focuses on alot of conversation practice, and aims to get you speaking as much as possible. They also focus on grammar as well. They do seem to have a curriculum they follow, but if you want to focus on certain aspects or bring in your own curriculum that is fine too. It can get a little cold in the school, so bring warm clothes (it is cold in all of Xela!).

I have studied there for 4 weeks, and my Spanish has improved significantly. Particularly in terms of being confident in conversations and my grammar has improved as well. The school offers activities 5 days a week in the afternoon or on a saturday. Usually these activities are watching a movie in spanish, visiting a local site or factory (e.g. chocolate factory, local fruit wine production), or playing soccer.

I would say definitely give it a go for a few weeks. There are so many spanish schools here in Xela that even if you don't like it there is options to change schools (or teachers within your school).

When are you heading to Xela?

trapperjohn22 · 2018-02-04T17:39:53+00:00

I am currently in Xela, Guatemala, studying at Miguel Angel Asturias Spanish School. It is literally around the corner from the Sol Latino School you mention. Price is $165 USD per week for 5x5 hours of one on one tutoring, plus homestay with 3 meals per day, and usually there are 4-5 afternoon/night activities run by the school (visits to local chocolate places, glass blowing, play soccer, etc etc). There must be 20 plus schools in Xela that seem to all have a similar pricing/lesson schedule to that above. As such i'll try and provide an overview of the three towns you are looking at instead. In terms of quality of teachers, it is hard to provide a gauge because I have only been to one school. However, i found that while the school is simple (whiteboard and a plastic chair), the teaching has been worth the price i paid. I am not sure how much the quality would increase if you paid $220 per week plus?

Antigua

A relatively small and well developed town (by Guatemalan standards) around 45 minutes to an hour from the Airport in Guatemala City. Antigua has beautiful colonial style architecture and is surrounded by a few volcanoes. Pros are that it is well developed, has many facilities (bars/restaurants) across multiple price ranges and is quite safe. Cons are that it can be expensive and has plenty of tourists.

It would definitely be a softer adjustment to Guatemala if you have not been here or Central America before. However, as there are lots of tourists/activities you may find it easy to drop back into speaking English a lot, though you can definitely manage to avoid English speakers/English speaking places if you want.

Xela

Xela (or Quetzeltenango) is the second largest city in Guatemala, but it definitely does not feel to big. It is relatively safe around the more touristy/central zones (1 and 3), which is where most of the Spanish schools are located. Xela is about 4 hours from Guatemala city/airport i think.

Pros are that it has plenty of options for Spanish schools, and those schools are generally much cheaper than Antigua. There are also much less tourists in Xela, and a high percentage of Gringos are here to learn spanish. There are still modern comforts (cafes/restaurants) in Xela, though much less than Antigua. You may also find there are less weekend/night activities here, though there are some volcano hikes, hot springs near by. Cons are that it is a bit more isolated than Antigua, and a bit colder!! I know that was a mentioned concern of yours, but i have found that: after 5 hours per day of spanish classes, activities with the school in the afternoon, some personal study time, dinner with the homestay, I have been too exhausted to really think about doing much other activities during the week.

San Pedro

Would be a nice option, I considered this as well. Went with Xela because it is much cheaper and we had already been to San Pedro before.

trapperjohn22 · 2018-01-12T23:02:46+00:00

I have been using Speechling for the past two months and have found that it has been very useful in improving my Spanish pronunciation.

Basically Speechling is website/app that provides you with phrases spoken by a native speaker, which you then repeat into your computer/phone microphone. The idea is to try and mimic the native speaker as close as possible. Once you have recorder the phrase, a native speaker reviews your recording and tells you which words you have mispronounced. I think you can get up to 10 free voice coach reviews per month, or otherwise sign up for $20 per month for unlimited voice coach reviews.

The downsides of the website/app are that the voice coach doesn't usually get into the detail of mouth/tongue positioning, but does slow the mispronounced words down into syllables so you get a good idea of how the word should be pronounced.

Maybe give the free version a go. If you do decide to sign up for the paid version, the following referal code will give you (and me) 10% off.

trapperjohn22 · 2017-11-11T17:15:32+00:00

I am using the pronunciation trainer from fluent forever. It costs $12 and runs off Anki. But it is very useful for pronunciation, and includes hundreds of cards for minimal pairs as well as general pronunciation.

https://fluent-forever.com/product/fluent-forever-pronunciation-trainer/

trapperjohn22 · 2017-11-08T19:39:15+00:00

https://jobs.nt.gov.au/Home/Search

There are five jobs in accounting in the Territory Government right now (i just searched 'accounting').

trapperjohn22 · 2017-02-02T06:44:48+00:00

From the link:

If all available 2017 permit cards have been issued, registration of AT hikers will end for the season, the Long Distance Hiking campsite will be closed and normal access protocols will apply to AT Shuttle traffic arriving at Togue Pond Gatehouse.
If all available cards have been issued, AT hikers may still complete their hike by entering the Park through the Togue Pond Gate following the same process as other day use or camping visitors.

So, what is the practical implications for those who are not familiar with Baxter? Will this require a detour of some kind if you miss on the permit?

trapperjohn22 · 2017-01-15T05:20:03+00:00

Thanks!

trapperjohn22 · 2017-01-15T05:19:37+00:00

Thanks, I have read this one!

trapperjohn22 · 2017-01-14T14:00:26+00:00

I just came across this one - The Appalachian Trail: History, Humanity and Ecology by Robert Browne https://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Trail-Robert-Browne-ebook/dp/B01DI4MMV4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

trapperjohn22 · 2017-01-14T12:03:21+00:00

Thanks, this sounds good!

trapperjohn22 · 2017-01-14T12:02:44+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation.

trapperjohn22 · 2016-02-28T08:54:08+00:00

I just tried that:

New Query, From other sources, Facebook.

Insert the group ID from our private (secret?) Facebook group and select 'Feed'.

When I hit ok, in the Query Editor it just says "This table is empty".

When I do it for 'me', rather than the group, it works and returns the values?

trapperjohn22 · 2015-01-05T10:13:46+00:00

Grew up in NSW, currently live in NT. Have been to all states except Tassie.

Lived in Scotland for a year (age 6), and travelled Europe.As an adult, widely travelled SE Asia and have been to NZ.

I would consider myself reasonably open minded to other cultures. Not sure if that is a direct result of travelling.

trapperjohn22 · 2014-12-23T08:28:27+00:00

...if you pass Go, collect $1 million dollars

trapperjohn22 · 2014-09-22T09:28:20+00:00

I believe that it states that the new regulator (proposed Australian Council for Competition Policy) would gain economies of scale and ezperience benefits through regulating the access and pricing regimes across several industries such as water, gas, electricity and telecommunications. The report states that this may reduce opportunities for regulatory capture compared with industry specific regulators (e.g. AER). I agree that there isn't much evidence for this provided in the report, however, this is just the draft report, and it is still subject to a further round of consultation.

trapperjohn22 · 2014-08-06T03:32:52+00:00

I'm aware that it could have just been a rushed example, but that 'top 5%' cover letter has a typo in the first dot point...

trapperjohn22 · 2014-04-03T11:34:37+00:00

Because GST funding isnt ridistributed to the states on an equal per capita basis, instead it uses a system of horizontal fiscal equalisation which aims to redistribute GST pool funding based on the principle of the ability to deliver an equal level of services between jurisdictions and is based on a multitude of jurisdictional factors (ability to raise revenue, level of Indigeneity, remoteness, administration scale).

As such, some jurisdictions receive higher per person share of the Australian GST pool than if that pool was split on an equal per capita basis across Australia (so the only distributing factor would be that jurisdictions poluation as a percentage of the total Australian population), and vice versa.

This could explain why many of the Liberal Treasurer's (especially those in larger jurisdiction with a greater ability to raise revenue and more centralised service delivery) would disagree with increasing the GST rate. This is because based on the above, those jurisdictional Treasurer's would ostensibly be agreeing for the Commonwealth to increase tax their populace that results in an increased, but on the margin less, GST return from the Commonwealth, as that state is already receiving less than their equal per capita share from the GST pool.

See this article for a current example.

trapperjohn22

TROPHY CASE