G'day Mates!
This is the first installment of the adventures in Australia blog! I am working and living in the heart of Sydney, the CBD (central busines district), for the next 6 months. I never got around to studying abroad in college so I guess this sort of makes up for it!! Upon arriving, I could have kissed the ground. Why you might ask? Coming from chilly New York it was absolutely wonderful to step outside of the airport to be greeted by humid, warm temperatures and green lushness everywhere.
My accommodations are at Fraser Suites, http://sydney.frasershospitality.com/accommodation.php, a swanky hotel/corporate apt that's close to just about everything. While the complex is awesome, the clients have been across the board from corporate folks to tourists to borderline prostitutes (I think they were just some promiscuous looking women...hopefully). Jackie Chan also stayed at the hotel earlier this week per the bell boy.
The area is very convenient to lots of restaurants. The Spanish Quarters is right around the way and there are all types of Asian food nearby as well. The supermarket is a block away for when I get tired of eating out. The restaurant mix is quite varied. It's sort of like NY, though their mix of Asian food is of a greater variety. Can't say that I've had anything really 'Aussie' yet with the exception of Tim Tam's, a chocolate biscuit that is really popular here. It's sort of like a chocolate covered Oreo or wafer, but instead of lard they fill the cookie with a light chocolate ganache filling. I've never seen a product dominate the cookie isle like this one. Who ever did Tim Tam's marketing was a genius.
It hasn't all been fun and games. On my first day here, I went to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown and was happily enjoying my first meal in Sydney until I looked down at the ground and saw a baby roach running around the feet of a couple eating next to me. I tried to block out the image and focused in on eating rice, well, because it's white. I had a couple more bites and stopped completely after a medium sized roach walked in a wall that was right behind me where I'm quite certain the rest of the family members could be found. Because the climate is on the humid side, I guess roaches are common like they are in the summers in NYC (yuck). If you know me well, you know that I have a slight phobia of cock roaches and dirty bathrooms. I walked out hungry searching for my next meal which was at McD's (I'm almost too embarrassed to admit). I have been here a week and have eaten out a total of four times, of those I've seen roaches for three :( My co-worker tells me that they follow me because they know how much I hate them.
The first week has been about acclimating to things like different brands and product names. For example, Rice Krispies is Rice Bubbles, Burger King is Hungry Jacks and there is a heap of lamb in every kind of cut possible! Also, they have a lot of discounted beef and meats at the grocery - sort of gross and something I don't recall seeing in the states all that often. Fruits and vegetables are god sent. It's like being back in California where produce is quite fresh and tasty. Also, the sun must be really intense here since some items are huge! Carrots in the supermarket are almost the same thickness of my wrist and the melons could do some damage if thrown.
Things are expensive! I never thought I'd say that after living in NY, but I'm saying it now! The Aussies include tax and tip in everything which results in a pricey menu. What's been more interesting is the people, they are absolutely hilarious. Everyone is super-laid back, yet a little edgy. Also, it's a very slang-like culture, I may try to compile a little list to share; there's so many things that people say here that just crack me up.
Other than that, the city is a great walking city and it reminds me a lot of SF with the rolling hills and bays. So far I've checked out Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Hyde Park - I work across the street from the park, the Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens and Bondi Beach. The beach was pretty awesome, it is like Venice Beach and Santa Cruz meeting in the middle. I went with a couple of co-workers and we even got to surf for a little bit! So far so good though I miss things at home a bit, mainly familiar faces. That's all for now, will be writing ad hoc when there's enough to write about so stay tuned....
Friday, March 14, 2008
Zihuatanejo, Mexico: New Years 2008
What better way to ring in the new year but in a sunny, beach destination with great friends and Mexican food! Well, that's what I did for New Years, 2008. A couple of friends, Carolee and Christina, just turned 30 (old hens ;p) and wanted to celebrate in style which resulted in a trip to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. For those of you that don't know where Zihua is, it's on the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico, about 2/3 of the way down the country. It's a little fishing town that is a vacation destination for Mexican locals and in the native tongue means 'place of woman'. Rightfully so that it was mostly a girls trip! It's also the town that's referenced at the end of the movie, Shawshank Redemption.
The first day was spent just chilling by the beach and enjoying the delicious food, we went to Sirena Gorda for dinner, which translates into the Fat Mermaid. Strange, slightly depressing name but I suppose goes with the meaning of the city name. On the next day we went to Ixtapa to lounge at one of the fancy resorts pools that friends of friends were staying. Life was quite amazing sipping pina coladas by the pool and again...eating good Mexican food! A couple of us also went para sailing which was totally cool. It was really nice to see the city from a different angle. Imagine brown/tan villas tucked away along the mountainside that cascade to the beach front. Fantastic! We spent the evening eating and drinking the night away and preparing for NYE!
First thing in the morning, Giao went to lay out some towels to save a chair for us all. Bless her heart considering she was several months preggers and probably quite tired at 7 in the morn. We arrived to the chairs around 9:30am only to find most of them taken! In addition, the hotel wrote a mean, poorly written sign stating that people couldn't save chairs. Thanks for letting us know beforehand!
Given that we had a chill day the previous day, Carolee and I decided to go on an adventure. We walked up, down and around the area. We walked and walked and walked some more till we finally made it to the area we were trying to reach, Las Gatas. It is a cute little area with snorkeling and clear shallow waters. After having a refreshing drink by the beach and admiring the water, we took a boat to town and caught a bus back to the hotel. After we got back, both of us fell asleep on the beach chairs. I woke up to a swarm of people in front of the area we were lounging. People were taking pictures, and instantly I wondered if there was a famous Mexican star that I was just not aware of. Turns out there was a turtle that laid her eggs right under the guy sitting in front of us. They must have dug out approximately 100 of them - they were quite cute! They were quickly placed in a bucket of water until sun down when they were released into the ocean. I actually missed the release part because Carolee and I were doing happy hour at a beautiful bar (I believe it's called sunset bar) at a mountainside resort eating fresh guacamole and drinking tropical drinks. What a way to end the day!
In the evening the whole group met up and had a lovely dinner under the stars and watched the fireworks for new years eve. Also, some of the folks we were with decided to take the challenge...the grape challenge. We were all given 12 ginormous grapes, symbolizing twelve sweet months, and the goal was to eat a grape a each second and then to make a wish. I think Travis was the only one that finished and made it - Travis, hope it was a good one!
After dinner, Christina, Carolee and I headed to downtown Zihua to get loco (not really). We got there and venues were practically dead, but we found a dive bar and had a drink and we also watched the local people dance in the town square. FYI, the town square doubles as a basketball court during the day. That was the trip in a nutshell, it was a very relaxing and refreshing way to bring in the New Year and birthdays. Viva la Mexico!
The first day was spent just chilling by the beach and enjoying the delicious food, we went to Sirena Gorda for dinner, which translates into the Fat Mermaid. Strange, slightly depressing name but I suppose goes with the meaning of the city name. On the next day we went to Ixtapa to lounge at one of the fancy resorts pools that friends of friends were staying. Life was quite amazing sipping pina coladas by the pool and again...eating good Mexican food! A couple of us also went para sailing which was totally cool. It was really nice to see the city from a different angle. Imagine brown/tan villas tucked away along the mountainside that cascade to the beach front. Fantastic! We spent the evening eating and drinking the night away and preparing for NYE!
First thing in the morning, Giao went to lay out some towels to save a chair for us all. Bless her heart considering she was several months preggers and probably quite tired at 7 in the morn. We arrived to the chairs around 9:30am only to find most of them taken! In addition, the hotel wrote a mean, poorly written sign stating that people couldn't save chairs. Thanks for letting us know beforehand!
Given that we had a chill day the previous day, Carolee and I decided to go on an adventure. We walked up, down and around the area. We walked and walked and walked some more till we finally made it to the area we were trying to reach, Las Gatas. It is a cute little area with snorkeling and clear shallow waters. After having a refreshing drink by the beach and admiring the water, we took a boat to town and caught a bus back to the hotel. After we got back, both of us fell asleep on the beach chairs. I woke up to a swarm of people in front of the area we were lounging. People were taking pictures, and instantly I wondered if there was a famous Mexican star that I was just not aware of. Turns out there was a turtle that laid her eggs right under the guy sitting in front of us. They must have dug out approximately 100 of them - they were quite cute! They were quickly placed in a bucket of water until sun down when they were released into the ocean. I actually missed the release part because Carolee and I were doing happy hour at a beautiful bar (I believe it's called sunset bar) at a mountainside resort eating fresh guacamole and drinking tropical drinks. What a way to end the day!
In the evening the whole group met up and had a lovely dinner under the stars and watched the fireworks for new years eve. Also, some of the folks we were with decided to take the challenge...the grape challenge. We were all given 12 ginormous grapes, symbolizing twelve sweet months, and the goal was to eat a grape a each second and then to make a wish. I think Travis was the only one that finished and made it - Travis, hope it was a good one!
After dinner, Christina, Carolee and I headed to downtown Zihua to get loco (not really). We got there and venues were practically dead, but we found a dive bar and had a drink and we also watched the local people dance in the town square. FYI, the town square doubles as a basketball court during the day. That was the trip in a nutshell, it was a very relaxing and refreshing way to bring in the New Year and birthdays. Viva la Mexico!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Venezuela and Curacao
Patria, socialismo democrático y vida....'patriotism, socialism or die'. This is the tag line for one of the first notable billboards I saw on the drive to Caracas from the airport. This advertising effort for socialism is all over the country. Before planning to visit Venezuela, I did not know the degree to which the country was struggling to be socialist and that it affected everything from government monopoly of natural commodities (i.e. oil) to everyday things like buying eggs at the supermarket.
As a tourist, I was affected most by the currency exchange. There is something called the parallel or 'black' market where American dollars are exchanged at a higher rate than the government issued rate because foreign money is not easy to come by. So, for example, if I was to take bolivares out of an ATM, I would receive 2100 bolivares for every dollar. On the black market I could receive 3500 bolivares for every dollar. To bring that to life...if I had dinner and it cost 50,000 bolivares, with the government issued rate it would cost approx $25 vs. $16 with the black market rate. Venezuela was a very cost efficient trip especially on the black market :)
My friend Leo, who is Columbian but lives in Venezuela with his wife Marcia were kind enough to put us up in their apartment the nights we stayed in Caracas. The first night we stayed in Caracas for about 7 hours since Alyson (friend from AMEX) and I had a flight to Merida at the crack of dawn the following day. The first day was spent acclimating to the altitude and eating lots of delicious foods. Cachapas, which is grounded corn batter filled with jamon y queso or however you like it, was delicious. I also had fabulous fish on the trip, Merida is especially known for their trout. Yum. In addition, we checked out a heladeria (ice cream parlor) that had around 200 ice cream flavors including salmon, pepsi cola and calamari to name a few.
Most of the trip centered around outdoor activities and enjoying the beautiful, lush Andes. On the second day in Merida we went canyoning - which is repelling down a rope through a waterfall and treading through streams, rivers and jumping into small bodies of water. In wetsuits and helmets, we tackled three waterfalls, one of which was so powerful that it was impossible to keep balance. I was so disoriented from the impact of the water coming down that by the time I got to the bottom all I could say was 'gracias' several times to the guide that helped me unharness my safety rope...first for helping me, but second because I made it through ok! The remainder of the canyoning trip was fun and exciting until I hurt my ankle. There were three rocks that we were to slide down slowly. I made it through the first couple fine but the last one I slipped off of and landed on my right ankle. I had it wrapped in gauze and was told not to put too much pressure on it. This took place right before the big daddy waterfall and hike back down to the van that was take us back into the city. It was a very exciting first day, to say the least!
In the days to follow we did more outdoor activities like bike riding. We began our bike ride 56km from Merida, mostly downhill and a little bit of off-road biking. The grand finale was to bike up a hill that would never end. We must have been going vertical (think Andes mountain steep) for a good 15km. Keep in mind this is after a long day of biking and enjoying the small cities we passed through. Sheesh, I was completely out of shape and nearly passed out from dehydration. Quite an opposite experience was the teleforico (tram) -- the longest one in the world which is located in Merida, that we went on the day after. It was a low energy day on our way to the top of a snow capped mountain. It was sort of cool because as you got closer to the top the vegetation changed dramatically from large, lush trees to cactus like plants. The one day we did do separate activities, I went horseback riding through the Andes and had a wonderful picnic at the top of a mountain peak with a crazy Frenchman guide, Jackie, and an Austrian law student while Alyson went paragliding.
Another hobby we took part in was shoe shopping. The Venezuelans are crazy about shoes. There were so many shoe shops we must have visited over 20 stores in Merida alone. There was every kind of shoe color, shape and style - it was fun!
On our last evening we decided to try a street food vendor across from our hotel. Boy, was that a bad idea for me. I had major stomach pains on the flight back to Caracas. When we arrived I spent half the day trying to get better, the other half shopping :)
The following day Alyson and I traveled to my 30th country....Curacao which is part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). What better way to spend my 30th country but on a beach....sleeping and reading! It was such a treat after all of the activities we had done in Venezuela - to do nothing. Though my favorite moment in Curacao was a day I decided to swim out to a platform about a quarter of a mile from the beach. It was built as a part of our hotel but apparently the bridge that connected land with the platform had collapsed. There was no way to get up on this platform since it stood about 3 feet above the water. Someone who must have tried getting up had tied some wire to the base of the platform but it was pretty hard to maneuver while swimming to stay afloat. Just as I was about to give up there were these three Dutch kids that swam out to try as well. We all tried to get up there for a good long while and we were about to give up when these three Italian guys swam over like a swat team. They re-engineered the wire and they made it up and helped us get up as well. The view was amazing (there were two stories on the platform) and it felt good to accomplish something, even on a relaxing part of the trip.
If I had to pick three themes for this trip, I'd say it was physically challenging, culturally enlightening and motivating for future plans and aspirations. On that note, this is the end of my 30x30 journey, but not my travels. Thank you to those who provided fabulous suggestions for places I visited- they will be forever memorable. Also, thanks for the rockin company steph, kevin, cat, amy, malik, alyson, leo and marcia!!!
As a tourist, I was affected most by the currency exchange. There is something called the parallel or 'black' market where American dollars are exchanged at a higher rate than the government issued rate because foreign money is not easy to come by. So, for example, if I was to take bolivares out of an ATM, I would receive 2100 bolivares for every dollar. On the black market I could receive 3500 bolivares for every dollar. To bring that to life...if I had dinner and it cost 50,000 bolivares, with the government issued rate it would cost approx $25 vs. $16 with the black market rate. Venezuela was a very cost efficient trip especially on the black market :)
My friend Leo, who is Columbian but lives in Venezuela with his wife Marcia were kind enough to put us up in their apartment the nights we stayed in Caracas. The first night we stayed in Caracas for about 7 hours since Alyson (friend from AMEX) and I had a flight to Merida at the crack of dawn the following day. The first day was spent acclimating to the altitude and eating lots of delicious foods. Cachapas, which is grounded corn batter filled with jamon y queso or however you like it, was delicious. I also had fabulous fish on the trip, Merida is especially known for their trout. Yum. In addition, we checked out a heladeria (ice cream parlor) that had around 200 ice cream flavors including salmon, pepsi cola and calamari to name a few.
Most of the trip centered around outdoor activities and enjoying the beautiful, lush Andes. On the second day in Merida we went canyoning - which is repelling down a rope through a waterfall and treading through streams, rivers and jumping into small bodies of water. In wetsuits and helmets, we tackled three waterfalls, one of which was so powerful that it was impossible to keep balance. I was so disoriented from the impact of the water coming down that by the time I got to the bottom all I could say was 'gracias' several times to the guide that helped me unharness my safety rope...first for helping me, but second because I made it through ok! The remainder of the canyoning trip was fun and exciting until I hurt my ankle. There were three rocks that we were to slide down slowly. I made it through the first couple fine but the last one I slipped off of and landed on my right ankle. I had it wrapped in gauze and was told not to put too much pressure on it. This took place right before the big daddy waterfall and hike back down to the van that was take us back into the city. It was a very exciting first day, to say the least!
In the days to follow we did more outdoor activities like bike riding. We began our bike ride 56km from Merida, mostly downhill and a little bit of off-road biking. The grand finale was to bike up a hill that would never end. We must have been going vertical (think Andes mountain steep) for a good 15km. Keep in mind this is after a long day of biking and enjoying the small cities we passed through. Sheesh, I was completely out of shape and nearly passed out from dehydration. Quite an opposite experience was the teleforico (tram) -- the longest one in the world which is located in Merida, that we went on the day after. It was a low energy day on our way to the top of a snow capped mountain. It was sort of cool because as you got closer to the top the vegetation changed dramatically from large, lush trees to cactus like plants. The one day we did do separate activities, I went horseback riding through the Andes and had a wonderful picnic at the top of a mountain peak with a crazy Frenchman guide, Jackie, and an Austrian law student while Alyson went paragliding.
Another hobby we took part in was shoe shopping. The Venezuelans are crazy about shoes. There were so many shoe shops we must have visited over 20 stores in Merida alone. There was every kind of shoe color, shape and style - it was fun!
On our last evening we decided to try a street food vendor across from our hotel. Boy, was that a bad idea for me. I had major stomach pains on the flight back to Caracas. When we arrived I spent half the day trying to get better, the other half shopping :)
The following day Alyson and I traveled to my 30th country....Curacao which is part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). What better way to spend my 30th country but on a beach....sleeping and reading! It was such a treat after all of the activities we had done in Venezuela - to do nothing. Though my favorite moment in Curacao was a day I decided to swim out to a platform about a quarter of a mile from the beach. It was built as a part of our hotel but apparently the bridge that connected land with the platform had collapsed. There was no way to get up on this platform since it stood about 3 feet above the water. Someone who must have tried getting up had tied some wire to the base of the platform but it was pretty hard to maneuver while swimming to stay afloat. Just as I was about to give up there were these three Dutch kids that swam out to try as well. We all tried to get up there for a good long while and we were about to give up when these three Italian guys swam over like a swat team. They re-engineered the wire and they made it up and helped us get up as well. The view was amazing (there were two stories on the platform) and it felt good to accomplish something, even on a relaxing part of the trip.
If I had to pick three themes for this trip, I'd say it was physically challenging, culturally enlightening and motivating for future plans and aspirations. On that note, this is the end of my 30x30 journey, but not my travels. Thank you to those who provided fabulous suggestions for places I visited- they will be forever memorable. Also, thanks for the rockin company steph, kevin, cat, amy, malik, alyson, leo and marcia!!!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Argentina and Peru
The main characters:
Cat (Catherine) = great friend from CA, roommate, traveling buddy, google guru extraordinaire
Amy = well traveled, care free co-worker/friend of Cat’s
Malik = co-worker, friend, traveling buddy that photographs like it’s nobody’s business
Bill = friend of Malik’s and ex pat of beautiful
And the story begins….
Cat and I decided several months back that we’d go somewhere…just not sure where the where was until about a month before the trip. We decided on
I took Copa Airlines, a Panamanian airline, down to
There, I walked around till I was tired, shopped till I was tired and then ate my first (one of many) delicious meals. It was fish/shrimp sauteed in a cream sauce, Peruvian style. While I ate, I overlooked the sea with the sunset in the background and watched paragliders letting the wind take them to wherever the heart desired.
When my time was up, I went back to our meeting place but no Segundo…. I waited for a good twenty minutes before I needed to take another taxi so I wouldn’t miss my flight. I felt TERRIBLE since I didn’t even pay him for the portion of my ride coming from the airport. Thoughts of him needing to feed his family made me feel even worse. I figured at best, he’d have good karma with his next ride. I checked my bags in and was on my way to the gate when I heard my name… “Susana! Susana!!!”! I look to the left and see Segundo! He claimed that he was at the meeting spot and that I wasn’t there. Either way, I was really impressed that he found me. I quickly paid him the last of my US dollars and was on my way.
At the airport, I met Malik and we started our journey down south on an overnight flight. Landing into
Afterwards we caught a futbol game and this was an interesting experience. The fans were going loco; making music with their cheers and a beat with anything that was in smacking distance. In the evening we went and had some Argentine carne. Now that’s what I’m talking about. We had about 5 different cuts of meat, papas, vino, ensalada and dulce de leche for dessert and all for about $10 per person. Life was really good at this point.
We continued to eat really, really well the next couple of days. In between all of the eating we also went to visit Evita’s cemetery, visited the place where Evita’s house stood (at one point in time, it’s now only a statue), visited Evita’s famed balcony where she spoke to her people, drove down Avenida 9 de Julio: claimed to be the widest street in world (it was pretty wide, but apparently NOT the widest said our tour guide). In addition, Cat, Amy and I took a tango lesson and watched a tango show afterwards. The lesson was awesome – our teacher was this little man that had some serious skills. Either way, I have a new appreciation for the art of tango.
Mid-way through the trip, us gals took a trip to
In my pictures you’ll notice butterflies….there were LOTS of them. Do you see butterflies and think ‘how pretty’? After this trip, I will never look at them in the same way. They were ALL over the place! They would try to fly in my ear, would land anywhere they could on me and their favorite place to land appeared to be on hats. At some point in our hike around the fall when there were so many, I would run through sections in order to avoid dozens that were waiting to inadvertently tickle me and gross me out. Back to the falls….we visited both the Argentine and Brazilian side. Every view of the falls provided a unique one. We took a jungle tour – which really turned out to be a plant tour. Our guide was so passionate about the plants that he made it interesting, but boy, were there a lot of bugs around. I’d definitely recommend checking it out the falls and the jungle tour, but only if you like plants :)
Cat, Amy and I were scheduled to go back to BA on a
Back in BA we did some shopping, which was excellent! The day after we were supposed to go to
Afterwards we met up with Bill and his Argentine friends and went to the poonchie poonchie. What is poonchie poonchie? It’s the sound techno music makes and is what the local peeps use to describe clubs. Anywho, we went to the poonchie poonchie and danced till about 6 in the morning. What I really liked about clubbing is that people were getting their groove on, not necessarily in a ‘I’m trying to mack on you’ way. If you don’t understand, I guess you just have to go see for yourself. It was a refreshing environment.
My final day in BA was spent shopping, eating some dang good empanadas and departing for the airport to
There I stayed at a place called Ninos Hotel very close to Plaza de Armas, the main square. The first day there was really just about acclimating to the altitude (11,500 feet above sea level) and catching up on sleep. Between poonchie poonchie and sleeping at the airport, I was a little sleep deprived. That evening Malik tried the alpaca – it’s one of the typical dishes in the area. I tried a bite and thought it was OK. It tasted like beef and had a really chewy consistency that I didn’t really like.
We left for Macchu Picchu early the next day. We took a taxi, to a bus, to a train, to another bus and were at the trail after five hours of travel. Our tour guide took us through all of the major sections of the lost city of the Incas and we got to spend a lot of time taking pictures. The pictures just don’t do justice to the beauty of Macchu Picchu. I want to go again at some point to do the trail – one day was just not enough. Upon returning to
The following day was all about doing touristy stuff in
The day after Malik left and I did a self guided tour around
Early in the morning I left for the airport and began my arduous travel back home from
That was my trip! I feel like I got to do so much in two weeks and that some down time was much needed to think about those things I put off in my normal, everyday life.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Edinburgh, Scotland
I was really excited about this trip for several reasons: 1) it was my first trip in 2007, 2) it marks country #25 and, 3) got to see and travel with my friend Steph, who moved to London last year, and her beau Kevin.
After taking a red-eye on Friday after work I got off the plane there was a beautiful greeness all around, as far as the eye could see. It reminds me of how much I miss vegetation.
WARNING: if you're taking a weekend trip and pack light like me, get ready to justify your existence and passion for travel! ...... I had a rude awakening when I got to the customs fellow. I recapped most of my convo with the customs official at the bottom of this entry, it was too amusing looking back, but I assure you I was as red as a tomato with anger at the time.
After I got out of the airport, I made my way to city centre. I met up with Steph and Kevin at a rented apartment right down the street from Edinburgh Castle. It was super cute and centrally located. We made our way down to a cafe to get breakfast. Had some delicious bacon - real bacon - it was so good! Kevin got some haggis for us and we tried it out. Not too bad! It tasted like a garden burger.
We started our journey by walking down to Prince Street on the new side of town. The city was one big facade - you can walk down a mile and it looks like an eternity away. We made our way up to the Nelson Monument. At the very top there's a ball that raises and drops at 1pm so that the boats in the harbor can sync their clocks. The ball drops with the firing of the cannon at the castle - I guess this is where the tradition began. We waited until 1:03 and saw nothing. The second we all looked away, guess what dropped?
We did some more walking and went to a gallery. Afterwards we went to the Whiskey Museum where we did a scotch tasting - well, more like steph and kevin did a tasting and I had a couple of spoonfuls of each just to get the taste down. BTW, famous words by Kevin who's a bit of a scotch connoisseur "Good scotch is really good" - this was before the drinking even began.
At that point sleepyness was catching up with me so I went to the apt to take a power nap. After I was refreshed and ready to go, we went and had dinner at Freshers? The place is known for their seafood and man was it good. That was one of the most delicious meals I had had in a long while. The dessert was AMAZING....Steph got sticky toffee pudding - it was heavenly. I had a lemon tart that I was feeling. We're kind of full and happy from a couple of bottles of wine and headed to the City of the Dead tour.
Apparently there is a poltergeist that lives in Edinburgh, along with other characters. We toured a graveyard that people have had random scratches/cuts and have been "knocked out", which our guide referenced again and again. It was fun but not uber scary...well not till I was sleeping that night and I woke up with weird scratch marks. j/k :) Rounded out the night by listening to some fiddle players.
The next day we started early and spent the first half of the day at the castle. The royale jewels were pretty cool and it was amazing to see how small things were back in the 1600's. Apparently I am on the tall side since my head was near the top of the door way for some entrances. Imagine that. There was also a demonstration on how to make a kilt (but it's actually called something else for the highlanders but I don't remember at the moment). It was amazing since this one piece of flannel fabric that served as a sleeping bag, day wear, evening wear, rain gear and man purse. The view of the city was also phenomenal.
After the castle we had lunch and then walked down the royal mile to the queen's residence. Unfortunately it was locked so we ended up spending time at the park walking around. We walked some more (notice a theme?) and went to another cool museum. The venue was incredibly large and housed all types of art from many periods - reminded me a lot of the MoMa in NY. We spent the rest of the evening eating, dining and chatting the night away.
I flew back the day after and that was my short, long weekend!
This is the conversation with the customs guy - imagine this:
me: [in my pj's with a shoulder bag and nothing more]
him: [an old Scottish man with a white mustache]
me: hi
him: hi, may i see your passport
me: sure [pass passport]
him: how long are you visiting for?
me: oh, just for the long weekend (giggles)
him: it's an awfully long flight to take just for the weekend [start the stare down]
me: yes, that's true, but i like to travel so it's ok
him: where will you be staying?
me: not sure, I'm meeting friends here
him: you don't know where your friends are? you must not be good friends
me: well, I am meeting them here and they flew in from London last night
him: why didn't you just go to London to visit them? why here?
me: well, I've been to London plenty of times and if you looked at my passport, you'd see that
him: you don't have any stamps for London [me now remembering my passport was renewed last year, oops]
me: i have a new passport, check the date
him: do you know that less than 10% of Americans have passports (I think the number is a little higher but I didn't question it)
me: well, I travel alot
him: let me see your return ticket
me: i don't have it - i was going to check into closer to my departure date
him: (checking every single entry in my passport)
me: [feeling uncomfortable because all the other Americans are waiting for customs to let me through]
him: [no 'thank you', no 'welcome to scotland'. i get stamped and pass through as though i hadn't been a victim of 20 customs questions]
the end... :)
After taking a red-eye on Friday after work I got off the plane there was a beautiful greeness all around, as far as the eye could see. It reminds me of how much I miss vegetation.
WARNING: if you're taking a weekend trip and pack light like me, get ready to justify your existence and passion for travel! ...... I had a rude awakening when I got to the customs fellow. I recapped most of my convo with the customs official at the bottom of this entry, it was too amusing looking back, but I assure you I was as red as a tomato with anger at the time.
After I got out of the airport, I made my way to city centre. I met up with Steph and Kevin at a rented apartment right down the street from Edinburgh Castle. It was super cute and centrally located. We made our way down to a cafe to get breakfast. Had some delicious bacon - real bacon - it was so good! Kevin got some haggis for us and we tried it out. Not too bad! It tasted like a garden burger.
We started our journey by walking down to Prince Street on the new side of town. The city was one big facade - you can walk down a mile and it looks like an eternity away. We made our way up to the Nelson Monument. At the very top there's a ball that raises and drops at 1pm so that the boats in the harbor can sync their clocks. The ball drops with the firing of the cannon at the castle - I guess this is where the tradition began. We waited until 1:03 and saw nothing. The second we all looked away, guess what dropped?
We did some more walking and went to a gallery. Afterwards we went to the Whiskey Museum where we did a scotch tasting - well, more like steph and kevin did a tasting and I had a couple of spoonfuls of each just to get the taste down. BTW, famous words by Kevin who's a bit of a scotch connoisseur "Good scotch is really good" - this was before the drinking even began.
At that point sleepyness was catching up with me so I went to the apt to take a power nap. After I was refreshed and ready to go, we went and had dinner at Freshers? The place is known for their seafood and man was it good. That was one of the most delicious meals I had had in a long while. The dessert was AMAZING....Steph got sticky toffee pudding - it was heavenly. I had a lemon tart that I was feeling. We're kind of full and happy from a couple of bottles of wine and headed to the City of the Dead tour.
Apparently there is a poltergeist that lives in Edinburgh, along with other characters. We toured a graveyard that people have had random scratches/cuts and have been "knocked out", which our guide referenced again and again. It was fun but not uber scary...well not till I was sleeping that night and I woke up with weird scratch marks. j/k :) Rounded out the night by listening to some fiddle players.
The next day we started early and spent the first half of the day at the castle. The royale jewels were pretty cool and it was amazing to see how small things were back in the 1600's. Apparently I am on the tall side since my head was near the top of the door way for some entrances. Imagine that. There was also a demonstration on how to make a kilt (but it's actually called something else for the highlanders but I don't remember at the moment). It was amazing since this one piece of flannel fabric that served as a sleeping bag, day wear, evening wear, rain gear and man purse. The view of the city was also phenomenal.
After the castle we had lunch and then walked down the royal mile to the queen's residence. Unfortunately it was locked so we ended up spending time at the park walking around. We walked some more (notice a theme?) and went to another cool museum. The venue was incredibly large and housed all types of art from many periods - reminded me a lot of the MoMa in NY. We spent the rest of the evening eating, dining and chatting the night away.
I flew back the day after and that was my short, long weekend!
This is the conversation with the customs guy - imagine this:
me: [in my pj's with a shoulder bag and nothing more]
him: [an old Scottish man with a white mustache]
me: hi
him: hi, may i see your passport
me: sure [pass passport]
him: how long are you visiting for?
me: oh, just for the long weekend (giggles)
him: it's an awfully long flight to take just for the weekend [start the stare down]
me: yes, that's true, but i like to travel so it's ok
him: where will you be staying?
me: not sure, I'm meeting friends here
him: you don't know where your friends are? you must not be good friends
me: well, I am meeting them here and they flew in from London last night
him: why didn't you just go to London to visit them? why here?
me: well, I've been to London plenty of times and if you looked at my passport, you'd see that
him: you don't have any stamps for London [me now remembering my passport was renewed last year, oops]
me: i have a new passport, check the date
him: do you know that less than 10% of Americans have passports (I think the number is a little higher but I didn't question it)
me: well, I travel alot
him: let me see your return ticket
me: i don't have it - i was going to check into closer to my departure date
him: (checking every single entry in my passport)
me: [feeling uncomfortable because all the other Americans are waiting for customs to let me through]
him: [no 'thank you', no 'welcome to scotland'. i get stamped and pass through as though i hadn't been a victim of 20 customs questions]
the end... :)
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Guatemala: Antigua, Panajachel
Guatemala was interesting, we spent a couple of days here mostly doing activities. We went horseback riding through coffee plantations and got to see life in the day of a local. Also we did a challenging bike ride from Ixmche to Panajachel. I used the following tour company which I'd totally recommend - it's reasonably priced and the tour guides were great: http://guatemalaventures.com/.
As for the rest of Guatemala, I loved the colorful outfits, the head basket balancing act and the architecture. A friend had been here earlier in the year and was able to recommend some great places to stay and see, which helped immensely. Be sure to check out Casa Santo Domingo - it's beautiful!!! The rooms are super quaint and there's a museum on the property: http://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/
People: I thought the folks were pretty nice for the most part. In Panajachel, the largest of 12 cities that surround beautiful Lake Atitlan, the vendors (and oh were there vendors) were a little too aggressive for my taste. Other than that, everyone was really nice and open to making conversation. Compared to El Salvador, I felt like more folks spoke English -- many very fluent. There were also a lot of tourists and students studying spanish here.
Culture: First off, I'm a BIG fan of Antigua's cobblestone streets - it adds so much character. Also, I like the simplicity of a small walking towns - both Antigua and Panajachel are perfect. Finally, I love colorful things and my, was Guatemala colorful. The detail of their textiles and the intricate patterns make them really one of a kind. The culture seemed very family-centric and simple - ah, so different from NY!
Food: I didn't get a chance to experience the food here since we were here for only a short amount of time.
Safety: Overall I felt like it was safe for me and my friend to travel - just the two of us. We encountered shady people every once in a while, but they were harmless. I probably wouldn't stay anywhere that didn't seem very secure since there are so many people in these cities. Things are way cheaper here so I'd put in a couple of extra dollars in lodging and stay somewhere semi-nice
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
El Salvador: San Salvador and Roca Sunzal
I had done quite a bit of research on El Salvador and after reading all of the books and reviews online and in travel books I decided that it was the best location for the amount of time I had to spend for a holiday.
Quite a few books and folks that haven't been to El Salvador recommended against it, especially as a female traveler, however I had so much fun and LOVED the culture, the people and the beauty of the country. The beaches were amazing!!! Palm tree lined beaches with black sand...what more could one ask for in life?
On the flipside....San Salvador is as smoggy as the books/people say it is, though it's not as touristy as the Carribean or Costa Rica, which I think makes the experience unique. Be sure to avoid cars/highways when possible - it's just noisy and unpleasant during rush hour. As with any place, take normal precautions - ask lots of questions and get recommendations from people you can trust. Also, don't roam around alone in the evenings (this should be a no brainer).
Quite a few books and folks that haven't been to El Salvador recommended against it, especially as a female traveler, however I had so much fun and LOVED the culture, the people and the beauty of the country. The beaches were amazing!!! Palm tree lined beaches with black sand...what more could one ask for in life?
On the flipside....San Salvador is as smoggy as the books/people say it is, though it's not as touristy as the Carribean or Costa Rica, which I think makes the experience unique. Be sure to avoid cars/highways when possible - it's just noisy and unpleasant during rush hour. As with any place, take normal precautions - ask lots of questions and get recommendations from people you can trust. Also, don't roam around alone in the evenings (this should be a no brainer).
People: The people were probably the most memorable part of my trip to El Salvador. There was not a time when I felt like I was unwelcome - even though my Spanish was not the greatest; it always felt like people were engaging, kind and understanding. I think a lot of people also wanted to practice their english so it worked out for us both
Culture: Although the books I read talked about El Salvador being on the conservative side, I didn't feel that was true. It may have been since we were in the captial and nearby beach towns. My friend and I wore bikinis at the beach - this was advised against, but we didn't get funny looks or perverts hitting on us. Also, books had recommended wearing skirts at all times but there were plenty of women in pants
Food: Papusas, a staple dish in El Salvador, were interesting - they reminded me a lot of something between a nacho and a tamale. They are flat and usually have a bean, cheese or meat filling. Overall the food probably is not the most eccentric, however the people and environment make up for it.
Safety: I felt like the areas I was in were safe. Mainly I stayed in Zona Rosa while in San Salvador and the rest of the time by the coast. In the cities, there are a lot of security guards with guns and it seems weird at first, but I think it's more for show than anything. I probably wouldn't try to upset one of these guys though....
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