We are planning to visit Zimbabwe in August (3 adults plus 2 kids) for 3 weeks. We are flying into Bulawayo and hope to visit Matobo, Hwange and Victoria Falls. We were planning to hire a car to self-drive for most of our trip but are very concerned by reports of fuel shortages. Has anyone driven there recently? What is the situation?

Failing self-drive, can anyone recommend other ways to get around? Train? Coach? Tour companies? We would welcome any advice before we book anything!

As there's little information on the web regarding this border crossing I summarized my experiences in this short trip report (also posted on the wikivoyage article of Puerto Quijarro).

There are some reports on the web stating difficulties to cross this border (bribery, extremely long queues etc.). So I was a bit worried because we crossed the border on August 5th (one day before Independence day in Bolivia). Moreover we only had a tarjeta electronica because we entered Bolivia at El Alto airport - prime target for bribery attempts.

So as of August 2019 the situation was as following:

• no long queues
• fast and efficient exit and entry as well as at the Bolivian as on the Brazil side; all in all 25 minutes
• there's only one queue for exit and entry; be sure to state your desire and be sure to get the right stamp (clearly marked); Bolivian side is manned with 2 officers, Brazilian side with 3
• no exit tax for tourists (Bs 18 for Bolivian residents)
• no problem exiting with a tarjeta electronica (issued on the main airports in Bolivia instead of the physical piece of paper received at land borders)
• no bribery problems at all
• no customs officers present
• there's no time difference between Puerto Quijarro and Corumba
• the Brazilian border post was surely operating well before the advertised opening time of 09:00 a.m.
• nobody asked for the yellow fever certificate
• on the Brazilian side: get a luggage tag for the bus, then enter Bus 102 (on work days twice per hour at full and half hour, on Sundays once per hour, Rs. 3,60) to get to Corumba

So we either had immense luck, or the bad reports regarding this border are not too representative.

Best regards,
Stoni

I'm planning a trip in Mexico the 2nd half of October after my friends' wedding in Cabo through el dia del los muertos. My plan so far has been to do San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Oaxaca (City) and Puerto Vallarta, although now I'm wondering if instead of Puerto Vallarta I should consider the Oaxacan coast.

I mostly want one beach town to break up the small cities, although I'm definitely not a beach resort traveler, so in either I would not be planning to stay at a resort. I mostly like the cultural experience aspect of travel. I'd likely be flying into Puerto Escondido and out of Huatulco (into Oaxaca City) if I went that route.

I realize there is one other similar thread on this here, but most of it is recommending that user stick in the Yucatan. Since both of these are about the same route to my other planned places I'd love some recommendations. So far what I've got is Puerto Vallarta is bigger and the Oaxacan coast is more small fishing towns. I'm not a surfer (or at least haven't been) so I'm not sure the impact of that on Puerto Escondido. I don't drive so I'd be taking transportation to get around.

I found some basics details here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/hotels/clarks-exotica-convention-resort-spa/a/lod/636b88ce-e908-43d3-8123-e1b8774a239b/356314
But not a whole lot about spa.
We have a trip coming up, with 3 days at the resort before we hop on to Chennai, and I would like to make it a good/memorable one for the both of us.
The reviews are more or less great about the place, but I can't find much about their spa facilities. There are some details at: https://clarksexotica.com/spa-in-bangalore/
but it's not clear of what exactly is in the offerings.
Is it just a massage and a sauna or a steam bath? Or is there something else? What can we expect there?
If anybody here has used their services please share your experience.