How long can I park here for?

November 13, 2007 By 5 Comments

This sign really puzzles me:

schild_bewohner.jpg

Mondays to Fridays I can park for 2 hours between 8am and 6pm using a Parkscheibe, or if I am a local resident with Parkausweis Nr.5. But what happens after 6pm?

Can I park here as a non-resident then? Or is it residents only? Or unlimited time?

I asked some people local to the town where I saw the sign (and wanted to park), but no-one really seemed to be too sure. I have also heard that traffic warden have checked the cars after 6pm, so perhaps it really is just for residents? Anyone know for sure?

Filed Under: Cars, Photos, Signs Tagged With: , , ,

Why it pays to speak Spanish

November 13, 2007 By Leave a Comment

If you go into a shop in Europe, then the prices of the items on sale are usually on display. They are fixed an non-negotiable.

If you take a taxi in Europe, then the price is shown on the meter. It depends on the distance travelled and maybe the time of day.

In Bolivia, things work a bit differently. For a start, taxi fares are agreed in advance, and are normally a fixed price for anywhere within the local town, but per person. It is, however, possible to arrange a discount when travelling in a group and you fill the taxi up.

Then there are the shops and the markets – you can bargain with the vendors and arrange a lower price if, for example, you want to buy more than one item.

This obviously takes some getting used to, and is made easier if you can speak Spanish well enough. If you don’t, then your efforts will be less successful.

It is a fact of life in Bolivia, that tourists who speak Spanish (or at least attempt to) get a better deal when buying products and services.

But there is another factor in the buying equation that should not be ignored – being accompanied by a Bolivian. This can often knock the price down a little more.

And if know exactly what you want and can get a Bolivian friend to go into the shop on their own and buy it for you, you may even save an extra Boliviano on top.

I remember that a taxi ride in Sucre used to cost 3 Bolivianos per person, regardless of distance. For 3 people I could knock the price down to 7Bs, if one person was a Bolivian, they might even get it down to 6Bs.

In Cochabamba our Bolivian friends even stopped the taxis to ask them to take us for 1Bs/person. There were so many taxis in the queue (and we were 24 people in the group) that if a driver wouldn’t agree to the price, then they would just ask the next one. It worked!

So it really does pay to speak Spanish!

Filed Under: Bolivia, General

Flying with Iberia

November 13, 2007 By 8 Comments

I first flew to Lanzarote with Iberia six years ago – returning this year I found out that the level of service had gone downhill.

It’s worth remembering what has happened in those six years – airport security has been stepped up considerably. It is no longer possible to take liquids onto planes (with few exceptions).

Firstly, it was almost impossible to find out when we had to check-in by. The airport, online travel agent and the Iberia website all gave different answers, so we got there as early as possible, only to find that the check-in desk hadn’t opened yet. The “check-in by” time from the airport seemed to be the time that the desk actually opened!

Then there were conflicting details about hand luggage – Frankfurt airport allows 8kg, Iberia stated 10kg. As if this wasn’t enough, returning through Arrecife the signs at the gate showed a maximum of 6kg.

Changing planes in Madrid (T4/T4S) was also a long process, which involved not only a long walk but also a ride on an underground monorail. Admittedly, nothing to do with Iberia itself, but it all added to the experience.

At the gate in Madrid, the time on the gate did no match the departure time on the board. Someone asked the employee sitting at the gate desk if the flight to Frankfurt (this was on the return journey) went from this gate and was told “no”. Actually, in the end, it did!

But my real gripe has to be the on-board service. Firstly, the crew from Frankfurt to Madrid spoke almost no German and only a smattering of English. This may not affect me so much, but it did affect those passengers who spoke no Spanish. Even the safety announcement in German was from a tape that did not entirely match up with the information being given on the PA in Spanish.

But worse – there is no longer a meal or drinks on board! Six years ago, drinks were included in the price of the flight and there was even a snack on the way to Madrid and a warm meal on the way to Arrecife.

This time you had to buy any drinks (remember, you can’t take your own on board!) at 2,50EUR for a can of soft drink (per person). The only food was a selection of baguettes and rolls at horrendous prices (6-8EUR!)

In future, I think I’ll pay more attention when booking flights as to what is in included, or at the very last have a packed lunch ready. How times have changed…

Filed Under: General, Lanzarote Tagged With: , ,

Please click on ACCEPT to give us permission to set cookies [more information]

This website uses cookies to give you the best browsing experience possible. Cookies are small text files that are stored by the web browser on your computer. Most of the cookies that we use are so-called “Session cookies”. These are automatically deleted after your visit. The cookies do not damage your computer system or contain viruses. Please read our privacy information page for more details or to revoke permission.

Close