Travel Advice

Shipwrecked! Or, the story of how The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode almost ended up as shark bait. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
When you go on a regular vacation and it rains, you open your umbrella and keep plodding along. When it rains at sea, it's a bit more complicated. After a couple of days of pleasant, relatively uneventful sailing, we were given a route going northeast and told it would take around 4 hours. Unfortunately, we'd be sailing against the wind, so we'd have to tack a lot. (Tacking - remember? It's where you go back and forth in a zigzag instead of straight ahead.) Also, the waves were about 12 feet high. What started out as a choppy ride turned really nasty when the rain started. (Of course I left my rain poncho on the kitchen table, where it really came in handy, right?)

So we have howling winds, 12 ft. waves, pounding rain, and one big fat crybaby of a Fifi. After 5 hours and no closer to port than we were 3 hours ago, I totally freak, like in shock. I'm shaking, crying, blubbering, you name it. Fortunately my husband is a few notches up on the sanity scale and insists no harm will come to us. I put on my life jacket just in case and have visions of me as Kate Winslet on the raft in "Titanic." Then I get in a bad mood - self-pity does that to you - and blame my husband for all of this, since the vacation was his dream holiday, not mine. He asks what I want him to do. I order him to forget sailing as a sport today and turn on the darned motor and get us to port. He meekly complies. Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Trouble on the ... »

Anchors away! The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode sets sail for the British Virgin Islands. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
I am not a sailor. So it was with much trepidation that I agreed to go with my husband on a sailing vacation to the British Virgin Islands, especially since we'd be sleeping on a boat. Did I mention that I'm not into camping either? He was so convinced I'd like it that he paid my way - what a guy! It was starting to look promising...

We flew to Road Town, Tortola, the capital, and there was our boat, the Panacea, in the harbor. It was a 37-footer, complete with bathroom, shower and the sleeping quarters which were surprisingly adequate. So was the storage space. We sailed in a flotilla, which means there were 12 boats and a leader who plans an itinerary and each night you dock or moor in a different spot.

You sail about 3-4 hours a day and then when you're in the harbor you do what you want. They suggest a restaurant in each place and you can go and meet up with others from the group and share experiences, or not. You buy your own groceries for making breakfast or other meals if you'd rather just stay on the boat. For you non-sailors, you get from the boat to the restaurants by dinghy, which can be an experience when you come back after a couple of drinks and can't find your boat because it's dark and they all look the same!

This was quite a trip and I would highly recommend it for the following reasons: Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Fifi Goes Sailing" »

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode tells you everything you need to know about planning a fabulous trip to Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Hopefully, after reading my last series of articles, you are packing your bags and waiting for Fifi's tips for your upcoming trip to Guatemala. So here goes:

Visa: None. They want us to visit, so they make it simple. You fill out a card on the plane. That's it.

Air: Too easy. It's 3 hours from Houston, 5 from NYC on nonstops. Connections are painless. I flew Continental through Houston but other airlines go as well. The airport in Guatemala City is modern, clean and efficient.

Getting around: The currency is the quetzal (named after their national bird which is gorgeous but you'll never see because it hides in the middle of the jungle), but US dollars are also used in shops and hotels. ATM's are everywhere and you can get money in dollars or quetzales. How easy is that?

Tours: I used General Tours (www.generaltours.com) because the groups are small (mine had only one other person!) and in Tikal it was just me and the guide, which was great), the hotels are top-class, and the guides are excellent. You have ample free time and are not limited to huge hotels and restaurants that cater to large bus tours. Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Planning Your ... »

Pyramids that rival the pharaohs' await The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode in Tikal, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
The Mayan city of Tikal dates back to 800 BC and at one time was home to over 100,000 people. The entire complex is a national park and Guatemala's pride. Howler monkeys make eerie noises which make you think you're in Jurassic Park. We were lucky enough to see not one but three toucans in the same tree. Other colorful birds, among them the trogon from the quetzal family, abound. If you are fortunate enough, you just may see the peanut bug which is a huge green thing in the shape of a peanut. They are very rare and I'm told they bite. We saw two mating - eeeeuw.

Tikal is spectacular - a much bigger area than I expected and surprisingly easy to get around. The walking paths are wide enough for 2 cars, though passenger vehicles are forbidden. The weather was unusually mild due to this year's La Nina effect (The same La Nina which caused such a horrible winter in the US also cooled off the jungle.) It's a quiet place, permeated only by jungle noises. The mounds of vegetation hide ruins which will not be dug up (only 15% of the city is uncovered), so we can only imagine Tikal's grandeur in days past. A careful balance is kept with nature in this very unique ecosystem.
Continue reading "Savvy Travel: History in the ... »

Is it a museum, monastery or hotel? The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode reviews the Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
The Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua is a most unusual place. It's built along the ruins of a colonial monastery and in addition to being a 5 star hotel, the best in Antigua, it houses several museums. From the outside you can't imagine its grandeur, but once you enter through the gates, be prepared for surprises.

The hotel itself is outstanding - the rooms have fireplaces, balconies overlooking wonderfully colorful gardens (more toucans and parrots!), and along the passages are neat pieces of antique statuary and furniture. Very old-worldish. The ruins of the monastery are a museum in themselves, but they also house statues, paintings and other Spanish colonial artifacts. There are also a couple of art museums on the grounds, and a very small pharmacy museum. All are free to hotel guests, and non-guests pay a very reasonable fee.

The ambiance in the hotel is superb and the staff is dressed in these monk-like cream-colored outfits: loose linen pants with matching hooded tops and a brooch/clasp in front. Very elegant. The hotel also has the usual amenities: pool, restaurants, bar, etc., but more of an open air environment - you access everything by walking through the gardens. The restaurant serving the huge buffet breakfast is out of this world - made-to-order omelets, waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, local specialties, fresh fruit and bread, everything your heart desires in the morning, accompanied by birds singing and a gentle breeze. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are grand. What more can a person ask for after a long day's touring?
Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Where to Stay ... »

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode enjoys a few moments of solemn reflection in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Several villages dot the landscape around Lake Atitlan. Probably the most visited is Santiago Atitlan. The shops on the narrow streets sell paintings, handicrafts and richly embroidered fabrics. Each region of Guatemala has its distinctive embroideries. In Santiago Atitlan it's birds: Quetzales, macaws, you name it.

What is also unique to the area is the headdress the women wear. It's a thin red woolen band that wraps around and around the head, forming a sort of halo effect. Of course the women make it look easy but it's a thin strip of wool and I don't know how they wind it around without anything slipping. The tradition is very old as these headdresses can be found on monuments from at least 1200 years ago. This area is also known for ikat, a tie-dyed thread used in weaving.

In the square there is a church that's a reminder that it was not always so peaceful in Santiago Atitlan. Guatemala suffered immensely during a 30-year civil war which ended in 1996. Many civilians died or disappeared. Some of the deaths were caused by guerrillas, some by government militias. Sometimes one masqueraded as the other to shift blame. Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Santiago Atitlan" »

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode explores the rich spiritual and religious traditions of Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Guatemala is a Catholic country for the most part. But due to its rich pre-Christian traditions, many of the old customs have been incorporated into Catholic rites. Sometimes the lines get blurred, as in the case of Maximon, a mixture of Judas Iscariot and St. Simon, who always seems to be smoking a cigar. His popularity stems from his human weaknesses (and in colonial times, because the church didn't like Judas, the Mayans adopted him as a form of protest for being forced to renounce their old beliefs) - he's the patron of prostitutes, mob bosses and other characters living on the fringes of society. An offering to Maximon, or Hermano Simon, consists of a bouquet of 7 herbs, all meaning something.

In a small village near Antigua we were taken to his chapel. Along the street were shops selling candles not unlike the Cuban "Santeria" and herb bouquets. In the courtyard was an old woman smoking a huge cigar and a shaman performing a ritual on someone - he was smoking a cigar, chanting, and dancing. Inside the chapel was the statue, with a modern suit, tie, hat and cigar. Loads of heady incense and people lined up to make offerings. A little creepy... Continue reading "Savvy Travel: Saints, ... »