Tourism

From Mendoza, Argentina, I entered into Chile, the world’s narrowest and longest country. Like Argentina, I did not go to Patagonia as I felt that it deserves a trip on its own (and also Shelly wants to go too!) Other than that, I felt like I got a great insight in travelling in Chile by visiting Santiago, Valparaiso, and the Atacama Desert. Below is my budget breakdown, giving you an insight of the cost of travelling in Chile.

Currency Info: When I was there in April 2019, the exchange of the Chilean Peso to the Canadian Dollar was 509 CLP to $1 CAD.

I flew with budget airline Sky Airlines from Santiago to Calama, which was the closest airport to get to San Pedro de Atacama. The cost of the 2 hour flight was $50.93 USD.

Overlooking the Atacama Desert

With its long coastline, a wide variety of seafood is present in Chilean cuisine. The influence from the Spanish and the indigenous Mapuche culture also creates the blend that is Chilean food. The following are some of the food and drinks I tried during my 8 days in Chile:

• Chilean sea bass and ceviche as a starter. For those that do not know what ceviche is, it is fresh raw fish drenched in lemon or lime, and spiced with chili peppers, chopped raw onions, salt, and cilantro. Definitely get this when in Chile or Peru! 8550 CLP ($16.80 CAD)
• Chorrillana, Chile’s answer to Canada’s poutine. Imagine a plate of french fries topped with different types of sliced meat, sausages, fried eggs, and fried onions. It is a large dish meant to be shared. 7000 CLP ($13.75 CAD)
• An Italiano hot dog. Hot dogs are popular fast food in Chile and have many different variations. The Italiano completo has toppings of chopped tomatoes, mashed avocados and mayonnaise, resembling the Italian flag. 690 CLP ($1.36 CAD)
• All you can eat sushi, Chilean style. I had cravings for sushi and decided to try out the sushi scene in Santiago. I thought Brazil loved cream cheese on their sushi, but Chile is on whole other level. Every piece of sushi had cream cheese. It seems like it was as common as rice and seaweed. 9850 CLP ($19.35 CAD) includes unlimited ceviche and a drink as well.
• Chile’s national cocktail, pisco sour. The cocktail is a simple mix of pisco, a brandy made of fermented grape juice, lemon juice and sugar. 2500 CLP ($4.51 CAD)
• Terremoto (Earthquake) a drink of sweet Chilean wine topped with pineapple ice cream. Best place to get in Santiago is at La Piojera. 2700 CLP ($5.30 CAD)
• Mote con huesillo, a traditional Chilean street drink. It consists of a sweet juice with caramelized peaches (huesillo) mixed with fresh cooked husked wheat (mote). The juice and peach was really good and refreshing, but I didn’t care too much for the wheat. 800 CLP ($1.57 CAD)

Chilean Ceviche. 8/10 Chilean Sea Bass. 8/10 Chorrillana. 7/10. It’s no poutine! Look at all that cream cheese! Terremoto

Chile is a big country. My transportation costs would have been a lot higher if I had visited more areas in Chile such as Patagonia. I only went to the cities of Valparaiso and Santiago, which are close (for South American standards) and San Pedro de Atacama, which I found the cheap flight with Sky Airlines.

Buses are a great way to get around. The bus system is quite extensive, with many buses running between major cities. The interior of the buses are also comfortable. I primarily booked my buses with Busbud.com. They are easiest to book and charge minimal to no admin fees. Here are the buses that I took:

• Mendoza, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile: a 12 hour overnight bus journey which included about an hour wait at the border (at around 3 AM). During the winter season, which is June to August, it is not uncommon for the road from Mendoza to closed for days at a time. 19,500 CLP ($38.16 CAD)
• Valparaiso to Santiago: a 1.5 hour bus ride. 7800 CLP ($15.32 CAD).

Here are some of other transportation costs:

• Santiago to the Airport: Instead of taking an uber or taxi, I took the Centropuerto airport bus which picks up passengers at the Los Heroes metro station and runs every 10 minutes. The ride costs 1900 CLP ($3.73 CAD) compared to 15,000 CLP ($29.47 CAD) that you would pay for a taxi.
• Calama to San Pedro de Atacama: Another opportunity to save on transportation, I decided against a direct shuttle from the airport. I shared a taxi with other travellers who were doing the same route to the centre of Calama which came to 3000 CLP ($5.89 CAD) per person. Then we took a 1.5 hour bus to San Pedro for another 3000 CLP ($5.89 CAD). The shuttle would have been the double the cost at around 12,000 CLP ($23.58 CAD).

There is a sales tax in Chile of 19%. Foreign tourists can be exempt from this 19% additional fee by either paying in US dollars, or showing an immigration card and passport, depending on the hostel. This is why I paid some of my accommodation in US Dollars.

Casa Volante Hostal for 1 night at $9.46 USD per night

This hostel has a great location as it is within walking distance to many attractions of Valparaiso such as Plaza Sotomayor and Cerro Concepción. Breakfast costs extra, but the hostel has great amenities such as a kitchen and comfortable common areas.

Merced 88 in Bellavista for 2 nights at 12,000 CLP ($23.58 CAD) per night

This hostel is situated in a great location, with Bellavista having lots of restaurants and bars. It was also walking distance to many attractions such as Santa Lucia, the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, and Cerro San Cristóbal. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are maintained pretty well. They also provided free fruits all day, which is quite nice. Unfortunately, it was hard to meet other travellers as the hostel was pretty large with no single common area and no social events other than Fridays.

Hostal Yungay in Yungay for 2 nights at $10.50 USD per night

I decided to stay in this hostel as it was across the centre of Santiago, closer to attractions such as the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Plaza de Armas, and the Chilean National Museum of Natural History. The rooms are spacious as I had three beds in a room, whereas most other hostels can fit in another three beds. This was the only hostel where I had to pay in cash to be exempt from the 19% tax.

Feel Atacama Hostel for 3 nights at 9090 CLP ($17.86 CAD) per night

This remote hostel has some of the best views! During the day, you can see snow capped mountains and at night, thousands of stars. This chill and social hostel has bonfires every night, making it easy to meet other travellers. Unfortunately, the pros ends there. The bunk beds are not sturdy and some do not have ladders. I had to use a chair to basically jump onto my bed. As it is a 20 min walk from the centre, it makes it very inconvenient when you want to go out to get a bite to eat (they also don’t have breakfast available). They do have shuttles, but only 6 times during the day. The staff are also not organized, as it took me an hour to check in. Apparently the only staff that can check guests in is also the shuttle driver. Power outages are also common.

The view almost makes up for it

Hostel Rural for 1 nights at 11,900 CLP ($23.38 CAD) per night

After my experience at Feel Atacama, I moved to Hostel Rural, which was a few minutes walk from the main centre of San Pedro. The hostel creates a perfect atmosphere with nightly activities and made it easy to meet other backpackers. The staff was friendly, offering great advice for the area.

Even though I missed a lot of the amazing landscapes in Patagonia, I was able to do a lot of other stuff in Chile’s cities and the surreal Atacama Desert. Here is what I was up to:

• A Valparaiso Free Tour with Ecomapu, checking out art murals and riding the funiculars to get some awesome views of the UNESCO World Heritage city. This tour ended up being a private tour, as I was the only that arrived. Don’t forget to tip your guides!
• A trip up to Artillery Hill, a panoramic view of the Valparaiso and its port. Watch the cranes do its magic picking up container boxes from ships. Can hike up or take the funicular which is 300 CLP ($0.59 CAD)

Colourful streets of Valpraiso View from Artillery Hill

• A Free Historical Centre Tour of Santiago with Strawberry Tours. We got to learn more about Santiago’s culture and history. The tour includes the main sights of central Santiago such as La Moneda Palace, Hills of Santa Lucia, Lastarria neighbourhood, etc.
• Hike up (about 50 minutes) Cerro San Cristóbal for views of Santiago. You can also take the funicular which is 1500 CLP ($2.94 CAD) one way.
• Learn about the dark past of the dictator of Augusto Pinochet and his regime’s human rights violations at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. FREE. Since many exhibits in the museum lack of English translations, I got an audio guide for 2000 CLP ($3.93 CAD)
• Take in the fine arts scene in Santiago at the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA). This FREE museum doesn’t house a lot of art pieces compared to other museums, but is worth an hour or two of your time.
• Learn more about the diverse landscapes, fauna and animals of Chile at the Chilean National Museum of Natural History. FREE. Again, the lack of English translations made it difficult for me to fully enjoy it.

View of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal Posters at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights

• Visit the other worldly views of the Valle de la Luna. This Salt Mountain Range offers stunning rock formations that make you feel like you are standing on the moon! I took a tour from my hostel which cost 15,000 CLP ($29.47 CAD), but it is possible to bike from the town and just pay the entrance price. The half day tour led us to the Grand Crater, the Salt Canyon, salt mines, the Salt Caves, ending with a beautiful viewpoint for sunset.
• Explore Geysers del Tatio. At 4200 m above sea level, these are some of the highest geysers in the world along with the third-largest geyser site on Earth. Again I went on a tour from my hostel for 22,000 CLP ($43.22 CAD). We arrived there at the break of dawn as that is the best time to see them. Before any sunlight, it gets ridiculously cold up there (around -8 degrees Celsius). I found the geysers to be not as what I expected, they didn’t erupt high like I thought it would. Also being up so high, be careful with altitude sickness. Drinking lots of water and eating some sugar helps your body recover. After the geysers, we went to a bunch of viewpoints with wild vicunas (a relative of the llama) before heading to a village where we got to taste roasted llama meat.
• Gaze at the beautiful stars as the Atacama desert is one of the best place on Earth to see the night sky. There are many tours offering star gazing tours, but unless you are a big astronomy nerd, you can just walk 15 minute out of town and enjoy them for FREE.

Sand Dunes at Valle De La Luna Like the Moon, but not the Moon (same same but different) Freezing my butt off at Geysers del Tatio If you look close enough, there are Vicunas

Here are my other expenses in the 8 days in Chile:

• ATM fee at San Pedro de Atacama. 4738 CLP ($9.31 CAD). I was able to withdraw without any fees with Scotiabank in Santiago, but getting to San Pedro, I needed more cash to pay for my accommodation and activities (including the Uyuni Salt Flats tour). Make sure you use a debit card that doesn’t charge you for any foreign transaction fees. If you are from Canada, I recommend using STACK!
• Laundry for 5000 CLP ($9.82 CAD)
• Extra socks for my trip to Uyuni Salt Flats 3500 CLP ($6.88 CAD)

The Sum of Travelling in Chile

For the 8 days in Chile, I spent a total of 321,315 CLP or $631.27 CAD which came out to 40,164 CLP or $78.91 CAD per day! I think this is a fair representation of the cost of travelling in Chile. My budget would’ve been a lot higher if I also included Patagonia on my trip.

Chile is considered to be most expensive country to travel in South America. The cost of living in Chile is significantly higher than in Argentina, with my food, drinks, and accommodation costs being 15% to 25% more expensive. The tours I partook in San Pedro de Atacama were also pretty expensive, further increasing my spend in Chile.

For the May long weekend (Victoria Day), my friends and I took a road trip to Pittsburgh. Having visited Pittsburgh in the past as part of my long road trip to Florida with my parents, I remembered it being a really nice city to visit.

The drive from Toronto to Pittsburgh took us 5 hours, as we left Friday morning. We got to the Motel 6 in Crafton, which is a suburb, 20 minutes away from downtown. We headed downtown to sightsee and to head to Howl and the Moon, a bar with live band performing songs based requests from the crowd. The place had an amazing atmosphere and was a lot of fun!

Saturday, we headed to a baseball game. We had tickets to the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates. This was the first time I have been to a real baseball stadium (Sorry Skydome, you are not a real baseball stadium). PNC Park was awesome to be in, and have a great view of the city skyline. It ended up to be a pretty boring game (Pirates won 1-0), as it started to rain in the later stages of the game.

Sunday morning, we headed to many viewpoints such as Mt. Washington, where you can find the best place to see the city skyline.

The Sum of my Pittsburgh Trip

The road trip to Pittsburgh cost me $ 284.92 CAD. I went on this trip with 3 other people, so it was nice to split a motel room, gas, and uber with 3 other people.

Thailand has an abundance of yummy eats. From Southern Thailand’s curries to Northern Thailand’s papaya salads, you can find many different tastes that will cater to any foodie. Having been in Thailand for over a month, I got a good grasp of the cuisine and in this list I will go over my top 5 eats in Thailand!

1. Stir-fried Holy Basil (Pad Krapow)

Not the food that you think of Thai food but this is probably the most popular dish for Thais. You can find so many stalls and restaurants making these filled with locals.

Pad Krapow consists of meat such as pork, chicken, beef, and seafood stir fried with Thai holy basil and garlic. It is served with rice and maybe (should be) topped up with a fried egg. My favourite that I tried was the one with the roasted duck that you can find at Soi 6 Potchana in Bangkok. The dish is a bit more pricey as it came to 100 THB ($3.97 CAD). The more common chicken or pork in other places come around 60 THB ($2.38 CAD). It was worth it however, as the roast duck with the basil was really flavourful and goes so well with the egg. Make sure you add on some fish sauce with chillies if you want more of a kick!

Stir-fried holy basil with duck. 9/10

2. Pad Thai

From stalls in the street to high end restaurants, you can count on this popular dish being on their menu. Rice noodles are stir-fried with eggs and tofu, and flavoured with tamarind, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar. A type of meat is usually served with it such as shrimp, crab, squid, or chicken. Condiments can be added such as red chili pepper, lime wedges, roasted peanuts, bean sprouts. These are really cheap eats as they can be found for as low as 25 THB ($0.99 CAD)!

The best one I tried was Pad Thai wrapped in egg which is called Pad Thai Haw Kai Goong Sot wat at Thipsamai Pad Thai in Bangkok. They open at 5 PM and you can expect long lines before they even open. I got there at 5:30 PM and the wait was over an hour long. I decided to get take away, as that was a lot quicker. The noodles were so flavourful, perfectly cooked and were complemented well with the jumbo prawns, egg, and garnishes. The portion size was a bit smaller than what I would like, as I could definitely have eaten two in one sitting. Due to its popularity and quality of this restaurant, they charge 90 THB ($3.57 CAD) for each plate.

Pad Thai. 8/10

3. Papaya Salad (Som tam)

Papaya salads are a type of Isaan food, which comes from the Northeast of Thailand. Som Tam is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya. Sour lime, hot chili, salty, fish sauce, and palm sugar are then added. Other ingredients are added depending on the place and the type of salad requested. The ingredients are then mixed and pounded in a mortar. This salad packs a punch of flavours. So many things are going at once, the tanginess of the fish sauce and lime, the spiciness of the chilies, sweetness from the palm sugar, and the fresh crunch from the papayas. It is definitely a salad that you have never had before! Be careful if you can’t handle your spice, this is really spicy!

Papaya Salad. 8/10

You can get the salad by itself for 60 THB ($2.38 CAD), but this is commonly eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken, which I got at Som Tam Jay So in Bangkok. This whole meal which is more than enough for one came to 108 THB ($4.29 CAD)

4. “Toasties”

7/11 are everywhere in Thailand. You can walk a few blocks in Bangkok and pass by dozens of stores. I have seen 7/11 stores right across from each other. Inside these stores, you can find toasties, which are different kinds of frozen cheese sandwiches which are then grilled at the counter. It makes a cheap eat as its only around 25 THB ($0.99 CAD). Being convenient and delicious makes it super popular among backpackers. They get even more popular after midnight as it makes a great snack after a night of drinking!

There are different kinds such as:

• Ham
• Sausage
• Tuna
• Spinach & ham
• Chicken pizza
• Carbonara

Just grab the sandwich of choice from the cold section, hand it to the counter worker, where they will toast it for you, and then enjoy!

You haven’t been to Thailand until you had a toastie!

Carbonara toastie. 8/10

5. Khao Soi

This soup dish is popular in Northern Thailand. This curry like soup consists of deep-fried crispy egg noodles and boiled egg noodles, with your choice of meat. Garnishes such as pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime, ground chillies are added to your liking. The soup is what makes this dish as the the coconut milk makes it delicious and creamy. The deep fried noodles add some crunch to the meal. The meat and noodles absorbs the curry and the pickled greens, lime and shallots bring in a sharp and pungent flavour.

You can find this dish all over Chiang Mai for around 60 THB ($2.38 CAD).

Khao Soi. 7.5/10

Other Thai eats I tried

• Thai spring rolls
• Spicy glass noodle salad
• Tom yum kun
• Green curry
• Penang curry
• Seafood salad
• Thai fried rice
• Mango sticky rice
• Massaman curry
• Oyster omelet
• Thai crepes
• Pad see ew
• Coconut-rice pancakes (Khanom khrok)
• Deep fried chicken and lemongrass
• Mini Thai Pineapple

Let me know what your top 5 eats in Thailand are!

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With a country so diverse as Brazil, their food will be heavily influenced by its people and its geography. In Southern Brazil, the flatter cooler land makes it ideal for cattle ranching and along with the heavy German immigration in the area, red meat and churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) is very popular. In contrast, Brazilian Northeastern cuisine is predominantly influenced by African cuisine with seafood being more common along the coasts. Having solo backpacked around the country for a month, I think I was able to try most of what Brazil has to offer. Below are my top 5 eats in Brazil.

You will find this snack all over Brazil. This dish is made of frozen and mashed açaí berries (which is similar in appearance to a grape). They are commonly topped with granola and banana, but can also be topped with honey, strawberries, condensed milk, etc. The taste is similar to a sorbet but more sweet and satisfying and is a must while on the beach or on a hot day.

Acai bowl. 9.5/10

Found in Sao Paulo’s Itaim Bibi, known for high-rise corporate headquarters and its glitzy nightlife. It is also known for its dining scene which includes high-end Japanese and French restaurants such as Kappa SushiBar. This “rodizio” or all you can eat place offers a great variety of sushi, all at a amazing quality. They have torched sushi and sushi with truffles, salmon carpaccio, temaki (hand roll) which are massive in Brazil. The torched sushi was the highlight as the a piece will melt in your mouth. The meal and a bottle of still water and tip came to a reasonable 82 BRL ($27.33 CAD).

Torched Salmon Sushi. 9/10 Assorted Sushi Platter

Another popular dish is Filé à Osvaldo Aranha which is any variation of grilled bovine fillet, rice and beans, farofa and French fries. All the ingredients are pretty simple but they go together well. What was new for me was farofa which is toasted cassava mixture. It is used to highlight the taste of meat and stews. On average, a plate can be around 19 BRL ($6.79 CAD) and will leave you satisfied for a good portion of your day.

Filé à Osvaldo Aranha. 8/10

Buffet style eating where you pay for the food by its weight is super popular in Brazil. You can find establishments like these from the high end section to the cheaper side. These places usually offers a wide array of options from salads, vegetables, meats, noodles, rice, pasta, and dessert. People start by taking a plate and taking the items they want. This is dangerous as a lot of the foods look good, and most of the time I took for more food than what I should have. Then go to the counter where they will weigh the plate wand charge you accordingly.

Brought from Italian immigrants, this sandwich is very popular in Brazil especially Sao Paulo. This sandwich consist of lots of mortadella, a large Italian sausage. The meat is similar to bologna but a bit different, being prepared with more spices and seasonings. It is topped with provolone cheese, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, in between sourdough bread.

The most famous version is the one found in Bar do Mané in the city’s bustling Mercado Municipal. This Anthony Bourdain approved sandwich is salty and cheesy goodness. I’d recommend a beer or a Guaraná soft drink to wash it all down with. Be warned that this sandwich is massive and that it was impossible for me to finish it all.

Mortadella Sandwich. 8/10

• Pastel- deep fried pastries with assorted fillings (commonly meat and cheese)
• Pão de queijo – small, baked, cheese-flavored puffs
• Coxinha – fried and battered dough with shredded chicken meat inside
• Brazilian version of hot dogs, usually garnished with tomato sauce, corn, peas and potato chips
• Biscoito de polvilho – a snack food made of cassava starch and commonly added with cheese flavour. They get kind of addicting
• Brigadeiro – chocolate bon bons
• Tapioca flour crepes – crepes made from manioc (tapioca) flour with a variety of sweet and savory fillings like cheese, coconut, or chocolate
• Churrasco – Brazilian BBQ, usually all you can eat. I went to a pretty cheap one and it reflected in the quality of the meat
• Feijoada – a stew of beans with beef and pork

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On my trip to Boston in May 2018, I got to eat a fair share of what the Boston food scene has to offer. In this list, I will share you my top 5 eats in Boston!

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So you just made it to Chicago, and are thinking of what to do?

These are my top 5 things to do based on my experiences and research during your visit in Chicago.

In: Budget Breakdown, Canada & USA

For the May long weekend (Victoria Day), my friends and I took a road trip to Pittsburgh.

Every winter, I like to escape the harsh Canadian winter to a tropical place where I can soak up some much needed sun. In the winter of 2017, I decided to go to Costa Rica with G-Adventures, specifically on their “Costa Rica Quest” tour.

If you haven’t already noticed, I love using long weekends to create mini trips. May 2018 long weekend was no exception, as Shelly and I booked a trip to Boston! I have only been to Boston once before and it was with a bus tour and was about 15 years ago! Shelly has not been there, so this trip was going to be new and exciting for us! Below is a little insight and our budget breakdown of our trip so that you will know how much a trip to Boston cost?

Before you start, make sure you check out my Top 5 Eats in Boston!

Day 1

The first thing we did after we dropped our bags at our AirBnb, was to head to Neptune’s Oyster for some lobster rolls. Before it was even open, lines were already forming outside the small restaurant. We waited in line, but unfortunately were not able to get a seat right away. We put on the waiting list where they would call us in 30 minutes when a spot would open up. In the mean time, we decided to do dessert before the main course by going to Mike’s Pastry which was close by. We went back to Neptune’s and had their amazing lobster roll and fresh oysters!

Later that night, we head to the Museum of Science for the Coldplay Experience. This $10 USD experience engages audiences in a visual show set to the soundtrack of Coldplay. If you are sensitive to light or prone to motion sickness, I suggest not going to this as I myself got a bit of a headache.

We also checked out:

Day 2

We started the day with a breakfast activity. Our breakfast activity consisted of comparing between donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts and donuts from the beloved Union Square Donuts. The former is one of the largest coffee and baked goods chains in the world, with more than 12,000 restaurants in 36 countries and the latter is a local favourite with all their 3 locations in Greater Boston.

The verdict: Between the Boston Cream Donuts, I actually prefer the Dunkin’ Donuts. It is also almost 3 times cheaper than Union Square Donuts. If you are looking for many unique flavours of donuts such as the Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch, definitely go to Union Square Donuts.

After our sweet treats, we headed to one of the most prestigious university in the world, Harvard University. We went on a Harvard student led walking tour of the campus. For $12 USD, we got see the campus while hearing stories of Harvard legends and more recent stories from current Harvard students.

A must visit in Boston is the Boston Central Public Library. This library is probably the most beautiful library I have ever visited. The building draws its inspiration from Roman architecture which shows in its lavish decoration and its central courtyard. Definitely check out Bates Hall for the amazing view below.

Later in the evening, we want to check out the sunset over the Boston skyline at the Top of the Hub. The restaurant offers an amazing view of Boston’s skyline from 52 stories high. Food and drinks are expensive as two cocktails and a charcuterie board came to $65 USD with tax and tip. I think it is still worth going as we enjoyed the views and the live music.

We also went to:

• Asian fusion at Double Chin
• Lobster rolls at Luke’s Lobster
• Boston Common

Day 3

We started the day with a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery. Samuel Adams is the flagship brand of the Boston Beer Company and has been brewed in Boston since 1984. We took the FREE classic tour where you learn all about the different beer ingredients and the brewing process. The best part is at the end where you can sample three Samuel Adams beers and receive a nice souvenir,  a complimentary tasting glass to keep.

After the brewery tour, we went on another kind of tour. We stepped back into time and went on the Freedom Trail tour offered by The Freedom Trail Foundation. Led by an 18th-century costumed guide, the 90-minute tour took us to 11 of the 16 Freedom Trail sites. This was a great way to learn about Boston’s history and how much it played into the American Revolution and American History. You also get to understand cool stories and the significance of many Boston landmarks. Tickets are at around $12 USD.

Some of the sights that we saw:

• Massachusetts State House
• Granary Burying Ground
• Old State House
• Faneuil Hall

Later in the day, we also:

Day 4

There was only half a day left in Boston before we had to fly out. We started the morning by heading to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where we walked around the buildings pretending to be one of its students. There was even FREE hot chocolate being handed around! We wandered around and stumbled upon an art installation by Sol LeWitt called Bars of Color within Squares. You can find this at the Green Center for Physics (Building 6C). MIT houses other great works of art and architecture such as the Stata Center, which was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry.

Later in the day, we checked out:

• Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park
• Union Oyster House again for their signature clam chowder

Bonus vlog footage:

The Sum of Our Boston Trip

The four day trip cost each person $ 848.68 CAD. I was expecting for the total spend for the trip to be around $700, but we obviously went over that. I found our Boston trip to be expensive because of:

• Flights from Toronto are generally more expensive than similar destinations such as New York and Chicago, and this time I couldn’t snag up a deal
• Accommodation is also pretty expensive as Boston has one of the most expensive real estate in the country behind San Francisco and New York.
• As Boston is known for its seafood, we ate a lot of it. Seafood is not cheap!

I had a great time in Boston but with how expensive Boston is, it makes you think twice about visiting again.

© 2020 The Sum of Travel | All Rights Reserved

When my friend asked me if I would like to join her to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Games in Russia, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes! Attending the FIFA World Cup has been a bucket list item on mine. I was also able to visit a country that I had a lot of interest in due to how foreign and different it was to Canada and the Western World. In this post, I will give you a budget breakdown of my 2018 FIFA World Cup experience in Russia!

Currency Info: In July 2018, the exchange of the Russian Rubles to the Canadian Dollar was around 47.32 RUB to $1 CAD.

Flights

When I was looking at flights to Moscow from Toronto for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it was at least $1,500 CAD. I played around with Google Flights to see if I can create a path that would be significantly cheaper. The cheapest flight to Europe I found was a WOW Air flight to Stockholm. My friends and I were already planning to take the Sapsan high speed train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, so I had to look for flights from Stockholm to Moscow and Saint Petersburg to Stockholm. In the end I paid $1,288.71 CAD on these flights:

• Toronto to Stockholm (Return) on WOW Air for $926.22 CAD
• Stockholm to Moscow on Aeroflot for $228.36 CAD
• Saint Petersburg on LOT (night layover in Tallinn) for $134.13 CAD

Over looking Iceland on Wow Air

Food & Drinks

I never had Russian food before my trip, so I really didn’t know what to expect. Good thing one of the friend who I went with was Russian and is able to guide me through the food scene. I find that Russian food is heavily influenced by its geography. Due to its harsh winters, lots of soups and tea plays an important role to a meal. I also noticed that Russians love mayonnaise and dill, as a lot of dishes have either one in them.

I was able to try a lot of different foods without breaking the bank as the three of us shared all the food we ate! All in all I spent $326.45 CAD on food & drink, which included:

• Beef stroganoff 740 RUB ($15 CAD)
• Pelmeni 250 RUB ($5.15 CAD)
• Salmon caviar 1400 RUB ($30 CAD)
• Vodka shot 250 RUB ($5.15 CAD)
• Chicken Kiev 480 RUB ($10.43 CAD)
• Honey cake 320 RUB ($6.96 CAD)
• Picked herring 290 RUB ($5.72 CAD)
• Lots of Georgian restaurants in Russia, and never trying it before I we got the classic khachapuri, which is baked bread topped with butter, cheese, and egg!
• and many more

Make sure you check out my Top 5 Eats in Russia!

Chicken Kiev. 8/10 Khachapuri. 8.5/10 What’s more Russian that this? Salmon Caviar. 5/10 Partying with Russians

Transportation

Stockholm

As I had a day layover in Stockholm, I visited my university friend who moved there. I took the cheapest way of getting from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport to Central Stockholm by using the Flygbussarna bus service for 99 SEK ($15.26 CAD). The journey takes about 50 minutes but is significantly cheaper compared to the 280 SEK ($40.68 CAD) train service provided by Arlanda Express.

Most of Stockholm is pretty walkable but I did take one metro ride which cost 44 SEK ($6.81 CAD).

Moscow

When I got to Moscow, I arrived at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is the main international airport. From there I took the 500 RUB ($10.57 CAD) 30 minute Aeroexpress train ride to the Belorussky Railway Terminal which is in the northwest section of the city centre. From there you can take the metro which cost 55 RUB ($1.20 CAD) for a single ticket to your accommodations. You can also purchase 3 day metro passes for 415 RUB ($9.10 CAD) which I unfortunately had to buy twice as I lost one.  The Moscow metro stations are also major attractions of the city as some have beautiful architecture. If I had more time in the city, I would visit a lot more stations and take a guide tour to learn more about the history.

Getting to Saint Petersburg, we decided to take the Sapsan high-speed trains to experience the train service in Russia. The journey took about 5 1/2 hours and was 3,185 RUB ($67.31 CAD) per person. Going through the Russian country side, you can see the quaint villages and rolling fields and trees. The ride was also comfortable and convenient as it takes you between the city centres of the two cities.

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a lot smaller than Moscow and as most of the tourist attractions are located in the city centre, we walked to most of the places we visited in exception of Peterhof and the Saint Petersburg Stadium. We took the high-speed hydrofoil to Peterhof and on our way back to Saint Petersburg. This is the fastest and most convenient way to the palace complex as it takes only 45 minutes and picks you up near the Hermitage Museum. However, at 1500 RUB ($31.70 CAD) each it is also the most expensive. We decided to take the hydrofoil as we had a limited time in the city. To watch the third place match, we took the cheap and reliable metro which only cost 45 RUB ($0.89 CAD) each way!

Accommodation

Luckily, my Russian friend was able to get us a free stay in Moscow near the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station. All three of us had to share the one room and the common areas with other housemates. I also had to sleep on a lawn chair padded with some blanket, but it did save us on accommodation costs in Moscow.

In Saint Petersburg, we stayed in a really nice apartment with one bedroom with a sofa-bed through AirBnB in for $127.53 CAD a night, which came to $42.51 CAD per person. It had a good location as it was located near the Moskovsky railway station and was 30 minutes walk to the city centre.

For those who have not tried Airbnb yet, sign up with my referral link and you will get $45 CAD off your home booking! You will also be supporting this website, win-win!

FIFA World Cup

The main reason I was visiting Russia was for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We got tickets to the semi final match in Moscow and third place match in Saint Petersburg.

Semi Final Match – England vs. Croatia ($285 USD)

Heading to Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium was an experience by itself. England and Croatian fans already started their chants from the subway stations. Mass crowds gather for drinks, food, and merchandise outside the stadium. Once you get in, you realize you are in a sea of people, all surrounding the football pitch. The atmosphere for the game was electrifying! You can hear chants from clusters of England fans and Croatian fans from each side of the stadium. There were also a lot of neutral fans like myself who were there to enjoy the game. The game went to extra time, which added to the intensity and when Mandžukić scored for Croatia, the stadium erupted. Croatia ended up winning the match and would advance to the finals, where I would watch England face Belgium in the third place game in Saint Petersburg.

Trippier’s free kick goal

Third Place Match – England vs. Belgium ($175 USD)

The third place match was held in the new Saint Petersburg Stadium. This modern stadium felt more cozy than the larger Luzhniki Stadium. However, the atmosphere in the stadium was not the same as the semi final match due to the importance of the games. These teams were playing for a consolation prize rather than a chance to win the World Cup in the semi final match, so you can see both teams did not play as intense as their previous games. There were still lots of fans who were there to enjoy the game. Belgium controlled the game and won comfortably to achieve its highest finish in a FIFA World Cup tournament.

With Kyrgyz fans in Saint Petersburg Stadium

Attractions

Moscow

Russia’s capital and largest city is home to around 13 million people and is massive in size. The city offers a lot of attractions and activities, and we did not have time to get to them such as the Lenin Mausoleum and the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines.

Here are the attractions that we went to:

• Red Square FREE
• St. Basil Cathedral 700 RUB ($14.79 CAD)
• Kremlin 500 RUB ($10.57 CAD) which includes access to
  • Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell
  • Ivan the Great Bell Tower
  • Cathedral of the Dormition
• Cathedral of Christ the Saviour FREE
• Gorkiy Park, a great place to walk around as it is Moscow’s version of Central Park
• GUM, a high end department store that used to be filled with Soviet-era goods. I recommended to go inside and look at the architecture
• Peter the Great Statue

St. Basil and Red Square Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Saint Petersburg

This city is one of the most beautiful city I have ever visited.  The city’s stunning architecture with its beautiful winding canals and a sun that never fully sets in the summer creates a place like I have never been before. Due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle, the sun only sets for a brief period of twilight, and the streets stay alive with locals and tourists around the clock. I stayed up until 4 AM and the streets were still filled with people out for food and drinks! It felt more like 4 PM rather than 4 AM.

Something to see in the summer is definitely the drawing of the bridges.  Starting at around 1:30 AM, bridges across the city are drawn to allow for the passage of boat traffic. And as the sun doesn’t fully set, it creates such a beautiful scene. Just take a seat and watch the boats pass by!

Here are the other attractions that we went to:

• Faberge Museum 450 RUB ($9.51 CAD)
• Peterhof Palace 1000 RUB ($21.13 CAD)
• Kazan Cathedral FREE
• Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood 250 RUB ($4.96 CAD)

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood Kazan Cathedral Drawing of the Bridges at 2AM Peterhof fountains

This is one city that I definitely have to go back to! There were a lot of attractions that I didn’t have time to go to such as the Hermitage and Peter and Paul Fortress.

Souvenirs

For souvenirs, I got a postcard for 90 RUB ($1.90 CAD) which unfortunately did not make it to Canada.

• Public wi-fi is only available if you register with a Russian number. Hence relying only on wi-fi will not work in Russia. I suggest geting a sim card with a data plan.
• Don’t be too intimated with fellow Russians. They might not seem to friendly to begin with, but that’s just who they are. Once they get to know you, they are one of the most friendly people I have met!

My trip to Russia cost me $ 2,661.38 CAD.  While this is a lot more than my other trips that I have covered in the blog, I think this was a reasonable amount. Keep in mind that the FIFA World Cup is probably the biggest sporting event in the world, and tickets do not come cheap! I felt that the $460 USD that I paid for the World Cup tickets were pretty reasonable. Accommodations and flights were also were more expensive due to it being high season and during the World Cup festivities.

I was also able to save money due to:

• Free accommodation in Moscow
• Free accommodation in Stockholm, thanks to my friend Stacey!
• Sleeping overnight in the Tallinn Airport (another layover), where they have sleeping pods available!

Similar to my Costa Rica trip in 2017, I wanted to escape the harsh Canadian winter. At first, Shelly and I were deciding on either Hawaii or Mexico’s Yucatan. We decided that Hawaii was a bit too much to do in the week we booked off as Hawaii was a 15 hour flight from Toronto compared to the 4 hours to Cancun, Mexico. Rather than using G Adventures, we decided on planning the trip ourselves. Below is our journey exploring Mexico’s Yucatan!

Before we start, all our food commentary for this trip can be found in our Top 5 Eats of Riviera Maya & Yucatan.

Currency Info: In January 2018, the exchange of the Mexican Pesos is around:

• Canadian Dollar: 15 MXN to $1 CAD
• US Dollar: 19 MXN to $1 USD

After our flight arrived in Cancun, we directly went to Playa del Carmen, where our we would be spending the first 2 nights of the trip. I wanted to take a local bus to get to Playa, but as soon as you get out of the immigration and customs in the airport, there is a barrage of companies offering you rental cars, private taxis & buses, vacation rentals, timeshares, etc. Now I am usually pretty good at avoiding these things, but one of taxi companies got to me. For a steep price of 830 MXN ($55 CAD), we would get picked up straight from the airport to our AirBnB in Playa del Carmen, which was a distance of 55 km. We took this as it was a quick and easy ride to our AirBnB.

The AirBnB that we stayed at was quite far from the tourist area and the downtown beach (15 min bike ride). But what was nice is that it was close to Punta Esmeralda, a really great beach that is pretty secluded from the many tourists of Playa del Carmen. This small modern studio was a great stay that came with 2 free bikes to use. The room was quite clean and fresh and well worth the $60.82 CAD per night. I highly recommend this place if you are staying in Playa del Carmen.

Another reason we stayed at Playa was that we wanted to go to Xplor Park. It is a nature park which has a number of activities such as zip lining through trees, driving ATVs, exploring limestone caves and underground rivers. I felt that the zip lining there was just subpar, as my zip line experience in Costa Rica was a lot better. But what I enjoyed was driving the ATVs through hanging bridges, jungles and caves. Exploring the underground caves swimming was also q highlight The park also includes an all you can eat restaurant (which we ate for lunch and pre dinner) and an all you can drink smoothie bar. I booked this from their website in advance as you get a discount, which came to $124 CAD each person.

I really enjoyed my time in Playa. It offers a more relaxed environment compared to the busy Cancun. There are lots of foreigners that live here long term and I can see why, it’s an amazing beach town with great food and a great vibe. While walking on the streets, we randomly came across YouTuber Mark Wiens, so we had to take a photo with him.

On the way to Tulum, we took the ADO bus. Its a popular bus company that has routes all over this part of Mexico. We booked it in the bus station in Playa for 80 MXN ($5.33 CAD) per person. You can also book with Busbud.com in advance for around the same price.

Tulum is home to a popular Mayan archaeological site that overlooks to the sea. Where we were staying was part of Tulum Pueblo, which is the town next to the ruins that supports the surrounding tourism. The place had lots of restaurants, bars, and other amenities to cater visitors.

We got another Airbnb in Tulum, which was another awesome stay. It was located off the main strip but only a 5-10 minutes walk to all the fun bars and restaurants. The room was clean and comfortable, and there were also free bikes to use! A night stay was $66.55 CAD.

We decided to go on a snorkel tour along with seeing the Tulum Ruins. We first visited the ruins, which was cool but nothing spectacular. We then headed to one of the public beaches beside the ruins and head out to snorkel some of the coral reefs nearby. Along the way, we were able to take some closer shots of the Tulum ruins from the water. We spent the next 40 minutes snorkeling the waters. This whole tour was 505 MXN ($33.67 CAD) per person, which we probably overpaid for. If you are only planning to see the Tulum Ruins, the entrance fee is 70 MXN ($4.67 CAD).

Originally the plan was to rent a scooter and explore the nearby Mayan ruins and cenotes (more on that later), but the only scooter rental store ran out for the day. Therefore, we decided to rent a car instead.

With the car, our first destination was the ruins of Coba. A 50 minute car ride from Tulum, the Coba Ruins was my favourite Mayan Ruin and a definite must visit! It has the Nohoch Mul Pyramid, a 42 m (137 ft) tall pyramid that boasts a remarkable view of the Yucatán and one that you can actually climb! Just be careful of coming down as the steps are steep. You can also rent bicycles and explore the surrounding ruins which are surrounded by the forest. It was well worth the 140 MXN ($9.33 CAD) entrance fee.

We hit up our first cenote, the Gran Cenote. Cenotes are natural pits, or sinkholes which are scattered all over the Yucatan peninsula. A short 10 minute car ride from Tulum, Gran Cenote is reachable even if you do not have access to a car. Cenotes are probably the best way to cool yourself from the hot weather in the Yucatan. This cenote has clear blue waters and an extensive cave system that you can explore! The Entrance fee is pretty steep at 180 MXN ($12 CAD), but I still think the experience was worth the fee. Extra fees apply if you want to rent out life jackets, lockers, or snorkel gear.

Turns out having a car in Mexico made travelling so much easier. Initially, I was debating on whether renting from the start or just taking public transportation. I decided on taking public transportation as I heard stories of police pulling over tourists and asking for bribes. But driving around made it so much easier to get to many different ruins and cenotes which are often pretty far from cities. I highly recommend it as we were able to have “off the beaten” path experiences such as eating roasted chicken off the side of the road, visiting lesser known cenotes, and just being able to stop anywhere. Because of this, we decided that we would continue to rent the car and drive it to Valladolid and Mérida, rather than our initial plan of taking the bus.

Valladolid is a small town between Merida and Cancun, which offers a great base for exploring close by Mayan ruins such as Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and Coba. It is also rooted in the Maya and Yucatan culture and history. We stayed here for one night in this quaint Airbnb (it has since been taken down), and was enchanted by the small colonial town. The central town square is surrounded by picturesque colonial style buildings.

This is where we tried authentic Yucatan food. El Meson del Marques  is pretty touristy as it is a part of a hotel, but has wonderful atmosphere helped by the quaint fountain and courtyard. It feels like you are back in the colonial era as they have done a really good job in preserving and restoring the historic building. Unfortunately, the food was nothing amazing. We got the Poc Chuc, which is a grilled pork dish, and queso relleno estilo, a stew with stuffed cheese and meat. Both are signature Yucatan dishes. These dishes and a bottle of water will set you back 330 MXN ($22 CAD). Therefore, I recommend eating a lighter meal or for drinks to enjoy the friendly service and nice environment.

Just outside the town, we hit up Cenote Suytun. The breathtaking views of this cenote justifies the entrance fee of 70 MXN ($4.67 CAD). You probably have seen pictures of this cenote on Instagram! There is an opening at the top where it allows sunlight to shine on the clear blue waters and reflect onto the stalactites.

Located a couple of blocks from the heart of Valladolid is the Cenote Zaci. It may not be the most picturesque but it was my favourite cenote because we had all this space to ourselves. It was the least crowded of all the cenotes I have been to. You can also jump off from pretty high ledges (at least 3 metres high) onto the water, which made it even more fun. All this fun was had for 30 MXN ($2 CAD)!

The following morning, we headed to Chichen Itza which was a 45 minute drive away from Valladolid. If you head there early in the morning (around 9AM), you will beat out a lot of the crowds. Most of the tourists come from the resorts of Cancun, Playa, and Cozumel, which are 2 to 3 hours away. Therefore the hoards of tour buses won’t get to Chichen Itza until after 10AM. Because we got there early, I was able to get pictures with El Castillo with no one else in the background! If you are planning on driving there, make sure you go to the official entrance, as there are hotels surrounding that also have entrances to the archaeological sites. The official entrance fee is 242 MXN ($16.13 CAD) and parking is 30 MXN ($2 CAD).

Our last stop of our road trip was Mérida. It is the capital and the largest city of Yucatan. Like Valladolid, Mérida has an abundance of beautiful colonial buildings but at the same time, its a modern city with shopping malls, theatres, art galleries, and museums. Mérida has a rich cultural life with many free concerts, performances and other events held daily. Our first day, we went on a free walking tour provided by Pink Cactus. It was a fun and informative tour as we got to see many of the attractions of the city and got to learn the stories and legends of the city and each historic monument.

The city sponsors many cultural events during the week, free of charge. We got to experience a Chinese heritage festival, complete with a dragon dance performance.

On Sundays at the Plaza Grande, the streets around the square are closed to vehicles, and comes alive with craft vendors as well as street food stands. Paseo de Montejo, the beautiful, tree-lined boulevard, lined with mansions also closes. Here we found free bikes to rent for an hour. Check out for the Telcel booth!

The great weather, the rich history and culture, the friendly people, the delicious and abundant food made me love this city! I can definitely see myself living here for a couple of months.

We stayed in this city for two nights at the Nomadas EcoHostel. We got a private room for 460 MXN ($30.64 CAD) per night. This hostel is an amazing stay in Merida. There is an amazing vibe with a pool and lots of hammocks to lounge. They hold lots of free/cheap activities such as yoga, salsa, cooking demonstrations. They have an amazing breakfast with omelets and fresh fruit available to eat.

We decided after staying in AirBnBs and hostels to treat ourselves in an all inclusive resort called Temptation Cancun Resort for our last night. This definitely blew our budget as one night cost $194 CAD per person! It was a great all inclusive resort.

However, even though it included all our food and drinks for the stay, we realized that it wasn’t worth it as we could have booked just as nice accommodation with even better food for so much less.

After we checked out our last night, we headed to the airport. We flew back to Toronto where we would face reality of coming back to winter in Canada.

• Always pay in Mexican Pesos (MXN). Paying in any other currency, there will be some unfavourable impact for the exchange.
• There is no Uber (aside from Merida), so make sure when you are using taxis, that you ask how much it would be to get to your desired location before you get in.
• If you are heading to Tulum Ruins, do not park at the main entrance. I had to pay 160 MXN (10.67 CAD) for parking there. Next to the ruins, there are public beaches (Playa Maya, Playa Santa Fe) and you can park on the road there. Check Google Maps!
• If you are driving, do not park at the corners and on curbs with yellow lines.
• If you are planning on to visit a lot of cenotes, bring snorkel gear beforehand rather than renting each time to save money
• Don’t be afraid trying the street food. This is often where you get the most delicious and authentic Mexican food.
• We were able to stay at really nice stays at such affordable prices by staying in Airbnbs. For those who have not tried Airbnb yet, sign up with my referral link and you will get $45 CAD off your first booking!

The Sum of Exploring Mexico’s Yucatan

To be honest, I did not expect too much from trip. At the time, I just wanted to get away from the cold and go to somewhere that was sunny and warm. Little did I realize that this would be one of my favourite trips. I enjoyed the friendly people, the yummy food, the colourful culture & architecture, and amazing weather.

Prices here are also super affordable and great value for what you get! This definitely will not be my last time in Mexico! The ten days we were there we spent a total of $ 1,337 CAD each. Included in this was our return flight with Interjet from Toronto for an amazing $268 CAD! I found this deal through yyzdeals.com, an awesome website notifying great deals coming out of Toronto Airport.

We could have saved more by not doing the all inclusive resort in Cancun and continuing staying in Airbnbs and/or hostels and eating local cuisine.

Because we got it last minute, we paid a premium for our rental car in Tulum. We paid 3758 MXN ($251 CAD) for an initial two days, and then another two day extension with dropping the car off at Merida. If you are planning on renting a car, I suggest you book it with Rentalcars.com. They are my go to rental car website they have more rental companies and better prices compared to other sites like Expedia and Kayak.

Aside from these two, I was pretty pleased on how much I spent and what I got in return.