Tag Archives: Hostel

Hostel Booking Sites Compared

Hostel Booking Sites Compared

Frugal

Frugal, Not Cheap. Notice it’s a Five, Not a One

I’m a budget traveler. My friends tell me I’m a hard-core budget traveler. Some of them even say I’m obsessive but I don’t really agree. I think I travel like I want to travel. Yes, it can be a little rough sometimes but I don’t mind. I’m old-school, I think you have to suffer for your art form and mine is travel.

I’ll be leaving for a three month trip to Asia in Continue reading

How to Rate a Hostel

Inspiration and ContemplationIt occurs to me that it’s time for a little contemplation. I’m in Nice, France and I wanted to go out and see the lights of Nice at night from somewhere elevated. The problem is that there is not a lot of public transportation late at night in Nice and I’m not familiar enough with the transportation system to go wandering out without more information. So, Continue reading

Me in Alley to Hostel Marrakesh

Me in Alley to Hostel MarrakeshThat’s me. That’s the street, alley, path, walkway, or whatever you want to call it that leads to the hostel where we stayed. The hostel was actually at the end behind me. It was a dead-end. There were no cars that were going to drive down this lane. We rarely saw anyone that wasn’t coming or going to the hostel. Street noise was virtually non-existent. The place was so hard to find we had to pay someone to take us there. Luckily, they only wanted 10 dirhams or $1.25. Strangely enough, that’s how a lot of young people make money in Marrakesh. They take tourists places. The charge the tourists for taking Continue reading

Hostel Patio Rabat

Hostel Patio RabatI have stayed in many hostels and can tell you that each one of them is unique. I think that’s good. I look for uniqueness in the world and I have no trouble finding it wherever I go. But this hostel was one of the most unique hostels I ever stayed in. Why? Because it’s the only one I have ever been locked into. Now I know that some of the hostels lock Continue reading

Dorm Mates Playing Beer Pong

Dorm Mates Playing Beer PongIf you’ve never played beer pong, it’s time you started. According to Wikipedia, “Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two teams of two players each with 6 cups set up in a triangle Continue reading

Barcelona Hostel Breakfast

Barcelona Hostel BreakfastHostels are not for everyone. Actually, they’re not for most folks. But if you travel a lot they are almost a necessity. Unless, of course, you have a lot of money. I don’t. That means I need to stay in them to conserve resources. The cost is so much less than a hotel. This is the breakfast at the hostel where I stayed in Barcelona. There was juice, coffee, and tea. Continue reading

Guayaquil Ecuador Hostel Patio

Guayaquil Ecuador Hostel Patio

Guayaquil Ecuador Hostel Patio

This is the night view from the patio that overlooked the street that was adjacent to Malecon 2000, the Guayaquil River Walk Guayaquil is a city of over 4 million people. Interestingly, I had never heard of the city prior to considering visiting Ecuador. It’s funny how we think that we would have heard of cities of several million people in size, but the odd thing is that there are dozens of them we’ve never heard of. At least I’m aware there are dozens I’ve never heard of. I’m not say I think I should know the major cities if the earth. I probably should , but there is so much more information that tends to be relevant in my life. But when I’m on the road I become a geographer. You have to. At that point you need to know what’s going on.

Lima Peru Hostel

Lima Peru Hostel

Lima Peru Hostel

I got lucky. I booked an $11 a night dorm room and it seems that the hostel was virtually empty, meaning I got the room all to myself. The hostel was nice. It was clean. The breakfast wasn’t very good, but it had some of the best tea I’ve ever had. The location was great. It was in a safe neighborhood with lots of eateries and only a few stairs away from the Pacific Ocean. The wi-fi worked well and the water stayed hot for a long time. What can you really expect for $11 a night?

Bogota Colombia Hostel Breakfast

Bogota Colombia Hostel Breakfast

Bogota Colombia Hostel Breakfast

From left to right we have toast with butter and jam, sugar frosted flakes, coffee and fruit. This is what I had every morning after waking up in my $12 hostel dorm room. I figure the breakfast, included in the price of the room, had to be worth a couple of bucks. Make no mistake, my estimate of the value of the meal has to be on the low side. The coffee alone was worth at least a dollar. It was excellent and I could have all I wanted. I believe that I could have gotten more than one serving of the toast, cereal and fruit as well, had I chosen to do so. But, there’s no sense in making a pig of myself. At least not over cereal, toast and fruit.

Hostel – Jakarta

Hostel - Jakarta

Hostel – Jakarta

This was the building where the hostel was located when I first came to Jakarta. I only stayed one night. It was a bit too upscale for me. It was interesting though. The pool was the best part. The hostel was on the ground floor with this amazing view of an amazing pool area. I moved out of the dorm in this hostel the next day into a private room without a pool view in the backpacker area of Jakarta for half the price. There was, however, a substantial difference in the neighborhoods.