Recycling cars

November 21, 2007 By 2 Comments

Have you ever wondered where the cars damaged by hurricane Katrina ended up? It’s not something that I can really say that I’ve thought much about, even if I am spending a lot of time thinking about environmentally friendly cars!

This report has the answer: they ended up Cochabamba! Despite the cars being classed as total write-offs and the insurance companies paying up, it seems that a lot of those that may normally have been sold for scrap were sent southwards to Bolivia and are now waiting to be repaired.

Modifying cars for the Bolivian market is nothing new – I remember seeing cars that had been converted from right-hand to left-hand drive because they were cheaper to import that way.

But are these write-offs really going to be safe to drive?

Filed Under: Bolivia, Cochabamba

A Bolivian in Madrid

November 21, 2007 By 1 Comment

For those learning Spanish, there is an excellent podcast called “Notes in Spanish” which offers three levels of difficulty and accompanying worksheets.

This episode of the advanced podcast is an interview with a Bolivian lady called Silvia who now lives in Madrid.

If you can understand Spanish, take a listen and hear the Bolivian accent as well as a comparison between the Bolivian and Spanish cultures.

Filed Under: Bolivia, General

How do you fly?

November 17, 2007 By 4 Comments

This article from Radio Megawelle reminded me of something that I forgot to mention in my Iberia article.

Why do people take direct flights to Lanzarote? Most seem to think that a direct flight is more convenient, even cheaper. I prefer to fly via Madrid for the following reasons:

– often, as stated in the article, the normal flights are slightly cheaper
– the departure time is usually more convenient in Frankfurt
– the luggage and hand-luggage allowances are sometimes bigger
– the queues in Arrecife for the return flight are much shorter

Of course, a direct flight is quicker and you spend less time in the aeroplane as a result. But the first time I flew out I had another reason for going via Madrid – I was just plain curious to see somewhere in Spain that was new to me – even if it was the airport!

How do you fly to Lanzarote?

Filed Under: General, Lanzarote Tagged With:

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