2012 Piggy Awards

Read about the 2012 Backpack ME Awards!

 

After we have rated the best places we had the pleasure to stay at and experience, it’s time for the ugly ducklings!

Here are the top NOT SO GOOD THINGS from our 2012 travels:

 
 

Creepiest place we spent the night at :O

 

1. Adams’ Family inspired Franco’s house in Mexico City (Mexico)

 

2. Poo Scented Posada del Quijote in Comitan (Mexico)

 

3. Non-flushing Wifala Thematic Hotel in Cusco (Peru)

This category is called “creepiest place we spent the night at” because calling it “creepiest place we slept at” would be giving way too much mercy to these businesses! In any of the above, your dreams are likely to become nightmares. Still the award goes to FRANCO’S HOUSE in Mexico City. Neither the floating lettuce in the loo in Wifala (after the lady mentioned “maybe you do not know how to flush properly“!!!), nor the overwhelming poo scent in Comitan can compete with the extreme creepy feeling we experienced at Franco’s house. Read the full story!

 
 

Biggest Rip-off!!!

 

USD900 for 4 nights of sleeping on the floor during Carnival in Salvador da Bahia (Brazil)

There are no other nominees in this category, because nothing else could really compete with the horrible rip-off and experience we had with this Airbnb apartment rental during carnival in Salvador da Bahia. We paid USD900 for 4 nights of sleeping on the floor in ultra thin and uncomfortable mattresses, with dirty bed sheets in a house with zero furniture and no ventilation. Everything during this peak season was expensive, but this was just pure extortion.

 
 

Worst Moment :(

 

1. Getting assaulted in Salvador da Bahia (Brazil)

 

2. Tick Fever from Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica)

 

3. Diahorrea and sea sickness in Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

Also in Salvador da Bahia, we had a bad moment that couldn’t compete with any other during the entire year. We were assaulted, robbed and our friend Dushy, who came all the way from Dubai to spend carnival with us in the land of samba, got punched in the face! We ended the festivities in the hospital getting his nose stitched.

I also got bitten by ticks in Costa Rica and had tick fever by the time we reached Brazil – I was in bed for about a week in an overpriced hotel, watching ridiculous shows on TV, where everything was about 6 packs and boobs. And in the Galapagos Islands, we got diahorrea from bad water and Ashray was even more shaken up by an unsteady boat ride. Still, the worst moment of our 2012 travels was definitely the ordeal in Brazil!

 
 

** What a f*cking weirdo award **

 

1. Meditating Axel in Havana (Cuba)

 

2. Kidnapped Jose in Cancun (Mexico)

 

3. Racist Ramiro in Havana (Cuba)

 

Honorary Mention: Australian girl who was actually Brazilian, in Banos (Ecuador)

A guy that replies with the words “I meditate” to the question “what do you do for a living?” had to win the Piggy What a F*cking Weirdo Award! Read about the day we met Axel in Havana – I promise it’s worth the click!

But he’s not the only weirdo we met during 2012! Jose, the guy we met at Franco’s house in Cancun, Mexico, claimed to be kidnapped and beaten up by his kidnappers  - check out the full story for juicy details!

Ramiro, our host in Havana, Cuba, was pretty particular himself: basically he was a racist sucker who would only talk to me and COMPLETELY ignore Ashray! One might think it’s because I talk Spanish and Ashray didn’t back then, but Ramiro happened to be an English professor at college, so nope!… it wasn’t a language issue! When I questioned him about this behavior (after he offered me butter and, once again, ignored Ashray) he simply said “I don’t like people questioning me in my own house”. So we paid and moved out.

And then there’s this girl we met in Banos, Ecuador, who claimed to be Australian but later on sort of mentioned she’s actually Brazilian. We were talking about our trip to Brazil and the moment I mentioned we were robbed in Brazil – and I didn’t even go into detail telling the whole story! – she STOPPED TALKING TO ME! She continue talking to Ashray normally and I was ignored for the rest of the evening. ACKWARD!

 

There is no doubt that traveling wouldn’t be as entertaining if we didn’t meet tons of characters around the world. We have actually written more about those funny people before – click here to read about the funny and weird things we heard last year!

We can only hope 2013 will be filled with these many good, bad and so-so experiences that make us love travel the way we do.

 

We hope you have a 2013 full of travels and happiness!

 

Happy New Year!!