Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday Morning in Bogota

Breakfast at Bakers.
There really is no point to waking up early in Bogota on a Sunday.

There's no place you can go.

Waking up at 6:15, I forced myself to lie in bed another 15 minutes. But being completely awake, that was it.

After doing some things on my computer until 7:30, I went out for a walk in the Zona Rosa, looking for someplace to have a coffee.

But no such place exists at that hour on a Sunday in Bogota.

This is not North America, where we always have a Denny's or Starbucks or McDonalds open at almost any hour of the day.

Monday, October 17, 2011

VivaAerobus: Greyhound with Wings?

(Mexico City) -- What do you do when the cheapest option (for a product or service) is the one that you dread the most, the one you fear is the worst from a quality/service perspective? Do you still go for it? Or do you pay more for what you perceive to be the better quality service?

That's the dilemma I faced when preparing for an short excursion to the popular surfing town of Puerto Escondido, located on the Oaxaca coast in southern Mexico.

I had four options:

1. Aeromar, a small regional airline that flies an unusual brand of turboprops. Cost: $460
2. Low-cost airline Interjet, flying on an Airbus A320 to nearby Huatulco. Cost: $185
3. Autobuses ADO, resulting in a trip of some 14 hours each way. Cost: $110
4. Ultra-low-cost airline VivaAerobus, flying a Boeing 737 to Huatulco. Cost: $100

(Note: Figures in USD, for round-trip travel from Mexico City.)

So the winner was VivaAerobus. They do fly direct to the Puerto Escondido airport, but in my case, the Huatulco airport offered better schedules and fares. This meant a 1.5 hour bus ride from the airport to Puerto Escondido, adding a whopping $3.50 to my bill.  Whatever.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

A Taste of Brazil in Mexico City

If you are a vegetarian, I suggest you quit reading this now. Go watch TV, or read a book or something.

If, however, you are a proud carnivore like me, then I've got a place for you.

It's called Brasileiríssimo.

Brasileiríssimo's Condesa location.
This Brazilian churrasqueira (churrasquería) has four locations in Mexico City. And I've concluded that no human being could leave this place and still be hungry.

Their specialty is the “rodizio” service, which for $185 pesos, gets you all the cuts of grilled beef, pork, chicken, turkey and sausages you could want. And then some.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Molotov en Vivo

Grabado Octubre pasado, en La Trastienda Club, Buenos Aires.