Latin America | 4 feet 2 mouths

Archive for the category “Latin America”

Mexico’s past is so alive throughout the country it’s impossible to ignore it. I definitely came away from my trip with a deep appreciation for the various kingdoms that have controlled this land over the past few thousand years. Especially since the customs of the various ruling groups have morphed and transformed to be the mix of cultural and religious traditions that exist today. We visited a variety of historical sites throughout our trip so I thought I’d collect them in a single post.

The main drag of Teotihuacan

On top of the Sun Pyramid

The first was Teotihuacan just outside Mexico City. The giant pyramids of the sun and moons are carefully placed along a broad, straight axis surrounded by smaller pyramids and temples. They really are huge – the Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest in the world (right after Ginza in Egypt). The structures of Teotihuacan were built many centuries before the Spanish arrived. In fact, by the time the Aztecs were in power they did not even know who had built the pyramids; they were assumed to be the work of the gods.

Map of Tenochitlan, now known as Mexico City

Map of Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City

Aztec disc found when digging a sewer tunnel in Mexico City

When the Spanish did arrive, the Aztecs ruled over much of Mexico and Tenochtitlan was their capital. Today we know it as Mexico City. To imagine that a urban area built in a lake, similar to Venice, could metamorphisize to the megacity that DF is today is incredible.

Aztec carving of skulls similar to day of the dead

Aztec skull wall from an excavation in Mexico City

Death was a major part of the culture and skull carvings were prevalent. These centuries old carvings are practically identical to the modern Day of the Dead motif celebrated throughout Mexico in the first days of November. Nathan and I couldn’t resist dressing up in this beautifully morbid style to walk around on Halloween last fall.

Monte Alban in Oaxaca

My mom and I finding shade at Monte Alban

My dad making his way to the top

Vegetation taking over the ruins at Monte Alban

Vegetation and agave taking over the ruins at Monte Alban

To the south of Mexico City, just outside Oaxaca, Monte Alban was built almost 2000 years ago on a mountain top overlooking the Oaxaca valley. Like Teotihuacan, the form is dominated by large pyramids arranged in and around a very flat, linear plaza. It was practically rock climbing to get up the steep stairs with the sun beating down our backs. But the views were worth it.

Mitla courtyard from 1300s

Intricate geometric designs symbolizing religious principles

While Monte Alban was a political center, nearby Mitla was built around 1300s as an important religious site. Geometric carvings and some original paintings still cover the site, much of it unrestored. It truly felt like stepping back in time, through short, squat doorways to ancient courtyards. The geometry has a deeper meaning than just decoration. Each design symbolizes complex ideas, like the cycle of life or the watchful eye of God.

Ancient corn tclayuda at Itanoni

Mexico’s history is not only evident in crumbling ruins or city architecture, it’s also present in the food. While in Oaxaca, we made time to stop by Itanoni, a cafe that specializes in heirloom corn to make its tortillas, tamales and sopes. As in the United States, GMO corn has come to dominate Mexican fields. I loved seeing the ancient corn strains being treasured in its native land.

This was really just the tip of the iceberg. So many different great civilization have passed over this land, all of which have influenced the multitude of ethnic cultures coexist in Mexico today. It’s a diversity that makes me want to come back for more.

Posted in Latin America, Mexico and tagged Mexico City (DF), Ruins, Travel

30 Oct 2015

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I left my heart in Oaxaca (by Carmen)

Some people leave their hearts in SF, but not me. I left mine in Oaxaca. I’m not sure when I first wanted to go to this artistic corner of Mexico but it lurked somewhere deep in the recesses of my memory. Once Nathan and I narrowed our vacation destination to Mexico, it resurfaced as a top choice. I happened to mention to my parents that we were planning to go to Oaxaca in November and was met with a few moments of silence and then, “Are you serious?”

“Um, yes. Why?”

“We were talking this morning about going to Oaxaca in November, too.”

That’s right. Without even discussing the fact that Nathan and I would be going on any vacations to my parents we had both planned the same trip for the same month. It was fate.

If it hadn’t been for my parents, I doubt I would have booked a whole week for Oaxaca. But I’m so glad I did. It is a beautiful region with so, so much to explore. I already can’t wait to go back, which is rare for me. I’m usually excited to explore parts unknown to me.

Templo Santo Domingo

The Tree of Life inside the monastery

One of the first things to greet us in Oaxaca was the Templo Santo Domingo. This 16th century Jesuit monastery stands tall and proud with immensely thick whitewashed stone walls. The layout of agave in the front accentuates the simplicity and symmetry of its facade.

Jardín Etnobotánico

Cacti at the Jardín Etnobotánico

Behind the Templo Santo Domingo is one of the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever been in. I am particularly fond of succulents and this sustainable garden was full of native varieties. The jardín etnobotánico was conceived by two artists as the city contemplated converting the disused monastery estate into a parking lot. The result is a stunning compilation of trees and cacti arranged in an aesthetic manner instead of according to biological groupings (like most botanic gardens). I saw plants I never knew existed, including some cacti that were no more than a half meter tall but were centuries old. Just beyond the garden entrance, the Restaurante La Olla was fresh and delicious. It felt like a local hang out despite the fact that I found it through the guide book.

Bride & groom waiting for one of the Oaxaca’s many parades

Fun textures at the textile museum

One of the many reasons I find Oaxaca so enticing is the many cultural activities and sites sprinkled throughout the town. Our very first night in the city, we observed a wedding parade (turns out this is a popular destination wedding location). The parade is lead by two bride and groom puppets, specifically commissioned to look like the bride and groom. As far as cultural sites, the Textile Museum was a beautiful example, full of historic weaved patterns sourced from Oaxaca and the surrounding states. Each tunic and shawl told a story, literally woven into the pattern of the fabric.

Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Parrilla hall

Every good city has a good market, and Oaxaca is a very good city. My parents, Nathan and I decided we were in need of a market meal. For this we turned to a smoke filled hall at the edge of the market lined with bright red steak and sausage ready for grilling. You pay separately for each service – for the meat, then for the person next to the butcher to grill it (interestingly, some meats, like the sausages were placed directly on the coals), then as you sit you pay for someone to provide tortillas, salsas and other fixings and, finally, someone comes around with drinks. A unique system, but it works deliciously well.

Queso de Oaxaca

Oaxacan food is world renowned with it’s most famous dish being mole. I was excited to learn some of the city’s kitchen secrets to bring back to my tiny NYC apartment so I could try to recreate all the yumminess that surrounded me. My family and I signed up for a class with Seasons of the Heart which took place in small ranch just outside of town. First up was a cheese class where we learned how to make amazing queso de oaxaca, which is similar to mozzarella. He strung it out and eventually wrapped it into this little rosette, a shape he said was a specialty of the his hometown.

Yummy mole

Nathan entertaining classmates while making tetelas

Delectable smells filled the kitchen as the class divided and conquered under the oversight of the instructors. Everyone was anxious to observe the making of mole (think: Mexican curry) which used a wide variety of ingredients as a flavor base, including almonds, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and thyme. Tetelas were another hit – we each took a turn to flatten the dough, spread some spiced, fried beans into the center and then carefully fold it into a triangle before tossing it on the fire-heated griddle. Our feast was complemented by herbed rice, salad, salsas and fresh tortillas. The culmination was a spectacular bread pudding which, although not a traditional Mexican recipe, used local ingredients like pumpkin and piloncillo (evaporated sugarcane juice). Fantastic.

Memelas

Oaxaca has that something special about it. Some magic in the air that makes it both exciting and new but totally welcoming and comfortable at the same time. The food was as amazing as I’d hoped – whether enjoying homemade mole or street side memelas (thick corn disks with toppings, very similar to a sope). The surrounding villages each had their own artistic specialty, whether weaving, pottery or painted figurines, providing endlessly entertaining markets. Mezcal is locally made and abundant. The people were kind.

Camino de Santiago pilgrim

And on top of everything I saw a sign from above – literally. A Camino de Santiago pilgrim was randomly painted on the side of a building, pointing towards the heart of Oaxaca, telling me where to go.

I shall return.

Posted in Latin America, Mexico and tagged Food, Markets, Small Cities, Travel

11 Aug 2015

Al Pastor in Puebla (by Carmen)

View down the street in Puebla

There is really only one reason we went to Puebla: tacos al pastor. Given that we already sampled many, many tacos al pastor in DF, it may seem crazy to come 2 hours south to Puebla just to eat more. But this is the supposed home of al pastor. And let’s face it, we’re fanatics.

Inside the cathedral facing the zócalo

So it was with great anticipation and hunger in our bellies that we found ourselves in the zócolo (main square) of Puebla. A city of 1.5 million seems positively tiny after DF (which holds about 21 million). The zócolo had a relaxed atmosphere with families and friends collecting in clusters and balloon sellers meandering around. The centuries old cathedral towers over the south side of the square flanked by arcades full of cafes to watch the world go by.

Las Ranas’ version of al pastor

Just a few blocks away was our al pastor mecca, Las Ranas. Al pastor (literally shepard’s style) was brought to the country by Lebanese immigrants. Like donner, thin sliced marinated meat (in this case pork) rotates on a spigot slowly becoming carmelized and juicy. The meat slicers at Las Ranas were pros and we watched them cut the meat into ever so thin slices to be placed on tortillas, queso fundido (melted cheese), bolillos (bread rolls) or pan árabe (literally arab bread; pita). The pita is what really brought home the origins of this specialty – it was soft and a little chewy, perfect with the seasoned meat and spicy salsas. Las Ranas will forever stay in my memory as a place that 1) has some of the best al pastor in the world and 2) made me fuller than I’ve ever been in my life.

Capilla del Rosario

One of Puebla’s many churches

The next morning we discovered more of Puebla beyond its culinary treasures. An important colonial town, the city is full of lavishly decorated churches and religious sites. My favorite was the Capilla del Rosario. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful chapels I’ve seen anywhere in the world. The bright white stucco was shaped into intricate, weaved geometric patterns and then strategically covered in gold to accentuate the design. It was over the top baroque but instead of being tacky it felt fun, as if it were a puzzle to try and decipher the underlying geometries.

Chalupas

Near the church, a group of girls cornered us to ask us questions about America for a school project. They were adorable and very enthusiastic to practice English. One of the cutest moments was when the best English-speaker asked us if we really called calabacitas “zucchinis.” She thought it was such a strange word that she had doubted her teacher’s translation. We asked the schoolgirls what their favorite comida poblana (Pueblan food) was and they responded “chalupas!” We specifically sought these out and discovered that these are comprised of fresh tortillas dragged through rich tomato or tomatillo based sauces and then fried on a griddle. Thanks for the tip, chicas.

Bar in Puebla (I love the dancing woman painted above)

Pork cemita from Cemitas América

Another Pueblan specialty is cemita. What makes these small sandwiches special is the buttery, flakey, spiral shaped bread it sits on. We chose the most hopping cemita joint we could find and ordered two. This place only did one type of cemita – pig face. I like it when an eatery is bold enough to just do one thing well and, in this case, it paid off. Pig face is not for everyone but if you can learn to enjoy the jiggly factor, you’re in for a treat.

At the train museum

Inside a vintage Mexican train

Puebla continued to charm me with a museum dedicated to Mexico’s basically extinct passenger rail system. El Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum) had a collection of old rail cars, some of which you can climb inside. The information signs provide details on the origins of the various cars, how and when they were used and background on the lives of the people who worked them. Inside Puebla’s former rail station, a photography exhibit displayed photos of the many migrants who boarded these trains in the mid-1900s to work in the US. My grandfather was one of these men, traveling from Guadalajara to Chicago, which made the exhibit particularly personal for me. I searched the faces in each photograph to get a sense of both the fear and the bittersweet excitement the men must have felt as they boarded the trains to a such a foreign place and culture.

Quesadilla close up with squash flowers and mushrooms

Heading back to the town center, we couldn’t resist the sizzle of quesadillas on the grill. Ours contained squash blossoms, mushrooms and fresh gooey cheese on a purple corn tortilla.

Living my librarian dreams at the biblioteca

Directly in the center, we were once again surrounded by colonial splendor. An elegant example of this splendor was the 17th century biblioteca (library). I love libraries. I’ve always been intrigued by becoming a librarian. I think it was the scenes from Beauty and the Beast in which Belle waltzes through the castle library stacked high with leather bound books that influenced me as a child. In short, I was very happy here.

Artsy mole at El Mural

Our final meal in Puebla diverged from all the previous ones we had had in Mexico. Thus far, we had focused on street food and hole-in-the wall eateries to get the most authentic food we could. In general, Nathan and I are weary of white tablecloth restaurants that only the local elite and tourists can afford. But we heard good things about El Mural and we decided to give it a try for breakfast on our last morning in town. They totally had me with their homemade miniature pan dulce. And their café de olla (coffee with spices). And their fresh juices. And pretty much everything else.

Street vendor in Puebla

I’m so glad we stopped in Puebla on our trip. It was a charming and calm counterpoint to the frenetic energy of DF yet still had an urban feel. Next up was through the gorgeous four-hour drive through the mountains to Oaxaca.

Posted in Latin America, Mexico and tagged Food, Small Cities, Travel | Leave a comment

22 May 2015

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Vivid Colors of Coyoacán & Xochimilco (by Carmen)

The glorious and very clean DF metro takes you to the outer reaches of the city

There is much to see in the center of DF, but even more possibilities exist in the outer neighborhoods. Thankfully, the excellent public transport system made it possible to make it out to these areas without too much trouble. From the variety of choices, we narrowed our sights to two ‘hoods: Coyoacan and Xochimilco.

Coyoacan (coyote) main plaza

The cobblestone streets of Coyoacan feel worlds away from the broad boulevards just north of the neighborhood. Once its own village, Coyoacan was eventually swallowed up by the urban sprawl of DF. Cozy boutiques line Avenida Francisco Sosa which eventually opens up to the small, cozy plaza that forms the heart of the area.

Nathan at Frida’s

The major draw to Coyacan for most people is Frida Khalo. She and her on-again / off-again husband Diego Rivera lived in a bright blue house not far from the plaza. I admire Frida for being strong, independent and eccentric at a time when these traits were not valued in women. Apparently, I’m not the only one since the museum was packed. Something new I learned while there is that the couple were passionate socialists. They even welcomed Leon Trotsky and his wife in their home when they were exiled from the Soviet Union. Trotsky eventually settled in a house down the street where shortly thereafter he was dramatically assassinated by a USSR sympathizer.

Posole

We didn’t have long to soak in the tranquil atmosphere of Coyoacan before the weather turned and rain came pouring down in sheets. Seeking shelter, we ducked into a covered market lined with posole (pork stew) stalls. Posole is in the upper echelons of comfort food. Pork is slow cooked over many hours then spiced with garlic, cumin and chiles to provide a rich, deeply flavorful broth. Traditional accompaniments include hominy, fresh radishes, chopped onion, cilantro and lime. Our stall gave us the choice of pork shoulder or head meat to mix into our broth and we just knew this was going to be good. That first bite was magical with the slow cooked meat and sweet hominy contrasting with the crisp fresh toppings. We journeyed back to the city center soaking from the rain but warmed from within by posole.

Busy boats in the canals of Xochimilco

On a sunnier day, we debated making another journey from the center of DF. I was heavily undecided about whether to go to Xochimilco (pronounced sho-chi-MEEL-ko). On the one hand, the lively collection of boats gliding down an ancient canal seemed like a fun party. On the other hand, it could easily turn into a tourist free for all where everywhere we turn we are being pressured to make a purchase or tip for something. Armed with directions from our hostel owner (the gracious Alfonso from Anys Hostal) we hoped for the best and headed into DF’s deep south to find Xochimilco.

Xochimilco is now a neighborhood of DF but at one time it was a separate village, a satellite of the Aztec city of Teotitlán. When the Spanish arrived, the entire Mexico City basin was a lake so the only way to live in it was by building up canals and small islands (think Venice). While the rest of DF has largely lost the canals (which has lead to water problems and the spongy soil issues I’d mentioned in earlier posts), these centuries old waterways can still be found in Xochimilco. Each weekend, hundreds of people descend on this sleepy section of town to hop on a lancha (gondola-like boat). The owners have gussied up their lachas to attract business such that each has become a riot of colors. Floating services have popped up – some serve food or drinks while others contain mariachi bands to entertain you.

Colorful boats!

We made it to Xochimilco on a Sunday since we heard the weekdays were pretty tame. I’m glad we did because I feel like we were able to blend in with the crowds more and observe the fun. This also meant that many markets were in full swing so we took our time to explore them. We snacked on coctel de camarón (shrimp cocktail), admired the chicharrones (fried pork skin) and ate and long-stewed pork tacos.

Chicharrones in the market

Market stalls of Xochimilco

There are many different embarcaderos (docks) from which one can depart on a privately rented boat but we were hoping to get to the lancha colectiva (ferry) that we could share. After a moderately long walk from the light rail station to Embarcadero Nativitas, we found a our ferry which charged us M$30 each for an hour ride along the canals. (As a sidenote, if you are interested in getting a private rental the lanchas seemed to be going for M$300 per boat for 2 hours, plus tip.)

Michelada time

To kill some time before our ferry’s departure we celebrated our successful navigating skills with micheladas. A michelada is typically a beer with lime squeezed in it served with a salted rim glass. The place we went skipped the salt and instead added a sticky, sweet and salty chayote paste to the rim. It was messy but somehow that matched the scene. As we alternated sipping our beer and licking the slowly dripping red paste off our cups we watched the jumble of colorful lanchas narrowly missing collisions interspersed with the vendor boats racing each other for sales.

The craziness continued as our lancha launched into the thick of it. The bands played songs, people sang, people danced, people fell off the boats. It was a great party to celebrate our arrival to Mexico.

Posted in Latin America, Mexico and tagged Big Cities, Mexico City (DF)

01 Apr 2015

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Exploring Mexico’s capital, DF (by Carmen)

After all of our travels around the world, it took much longer than expected to find my way to Mexico. I think it was simply too close to home. In the literal sense, since growing up in Southern California meant I was never more than 150 miles from the Mexican border. On top of that, the huge Mexican population in California means it’s easy to find mariachi or salsa music in the streets, piñata stores and taquerías. And on top of that, I’m half Mexican. So a bit of the culture goes with me wherever I go.

Beautiful church interior in DF

Nonetheless, my visit to Mexico floored me. I thought I knew what I was getting into but at every turn I was humbled by the kindness, beauty and generosity of the people I encountered. The food was fresher and more scrumptious than I thought it could be. The landscapes were grand and varied. In short, it was a welcome international trip after nearly a year and a half of staying close to home.

Zócolo in DF

Nathan and my visit to Mexico began in the capital, Districto Federal (DF). Over our days there we learned the fascinating and lengthy history of this great city. One common thread throughout the turmoil of wars and conquests is that the city has maintained the same main square, known as the zócolo. It’s huge. It’s one of the biggest in the world (after the Red Square in Moscow and Tiananmen in Beijing). Even the word zócolo shows its age as this a word originating from the Aztec language, Nahuatl, rather than Spanish.

Catedral Metropolitana

Catedral roof

On its northern edge, the Metropolitan Cathedral stands guard as one of the first buildings Hernán Cortés ordered to be built after conquering the Aztecs in 1520. If you stand square with the cathedral and look closely, you realize it’s actually kind of tilted. That has to do with the notoriously spongy soil of DF in which the heavy stone buildings fare particularly poorly. Soon enough, Nathan and my game was to point out all the churches, fountains or archways that were obviously sinking in precarious ways. This was pretty much all major structures more than a couple hundred years old.

Pan Ideal

The entire neighborhood surrounding the zócolo is filled with colonial architecture. In one of the more cavernous historic buildings, I noted Pan Ideal. Streams of people were exiting the panadería (bakery) with white pastry boxes decorated with a blue and red floral motif. All panaderías operate the same way, whether a huge one like this or the small ones in your local town: you grab a tray and some tongs when you walk in and fill up the tray with whatever takes your fancy. Take the tray to the counter where they will calculate the amount you owe. Either pay them or head to the cashier with your bill. At Pan Ideal, most people were buying fully trays of pan dulce (sweet bread) such empanadas (stuffed dough pockets), conchas (literally shells; bread rolls with strips of sugar) and orejas (literally ears; flat, thin, crispy pastries). We only had room for a couple pastries which presented some tough choices as there were dozens of options!

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Central Post Office interior

A little further west of the zócolo the narrow streets of the colonial corridors open up to the Alameda, a nicely landscaped park the offers a bit of peace from the crowds. Up against the park’s east side, the colorful tiled dome of the Palacio de Bellas Artes peaks out. Taking many years to complete, this cultural center has a somewhat art nouveau exterior but a geometrically deco interior. Both are stunning. But what really took our breath away was the nearby central post office, covered in gold and intricate metalwork.

Churros at El Moro

Nearby, we made another sweets stop, this time for churros. Thanks to the ubiquity of churros at American amusement parks and fairs, this is probably the only Mexican dessert most Americans are aware of. Which is too bad given the scrumptiousness of pan dulce, flan, arroz con leche, tres leches, etc. I rarely eat churros but since this churrería dates from 1930, I decided I should make room. The traditional way to eat churros (as they also do in Spain, where this dessert originates) is to dip them into thick warm chocolate. El Moro offered various types of dipping chocolate and we happily sampled two. It was the type of good that make your eyes roll back in pleasurable bliss.

Geometric traffic divider on Paseo de la Reforma

The buildings continue to modernize as one moves further west from the Alameda, with most high rise and new construction centering on Paseo de la Reforma. This huge boulevard, punctuated with ornate glorietas (traffic circles), is generally choked with traffic. But on Sundays, from 9am-12pm, the street is gloriously bike and pedestrian-only.

La Casa de Toño

The streets narrow again and leafy trees provide shade in the Zona Rosa neighborhood, which contains an unexpected mix of embassies, Korean businesses and gay bars. It’s also home to the first restaurant we ate at in DF, La Casa de Toño. There is a perpetual crowd of people waiting outside but it goes by quick and the service is prompt and friendly. We gorged on sopes, tostadas, and pozol (a pork and hominy stew).

Tclayuda in the bosque

DF is a sprawling city so accordingly the Bosque de Chapultepec provides sprawling green space in the form of a huge wooded park. This name is a mix of Spanish and Nahuatl translating to Grasshopper Forest and has been an important site since pre-Hispanic times. Today, the park is dotted with museums and cultural institutions and each major walkway is lined with vendors selling everything from face painting to knickknacks to snacks. We of course focused on the snacks : ) We gravitated to a tclayuda stand with lots of turn over. Tclayudas are similar to tostadas with a crisped, rustic tortilla being smeared with a thin layer of mashed beans, then topped with onions, salsa, cream and queso fresco (fresh cheese). A light, healthy-feeling snack.

Late night gordita

While the city center shows the colonial heart of DF, and Paseo de Reforma it’s economic strength, then the Roma and Condessa areas are its youthful hipness. Our Roma-located hostel was a short walk to many stylish restaurants, bars and coffee shops. While they were enticing, we didn’t actually go to many of them as we were hard bent on eating only the most authentic and delicious food we could find. Often, this was on the street, which is how we found ourselves gulping down gorditas (literally little fatties) late one night on the walk between our hostel and the metro. The masa (cornmeal dough) was being formed right in front of us, fried, then stuffed with a delicious filling of carnitas (braised pork) before a final pass on the griddle. Topped with salsa, washed down with Senorial (Nathan’s favorite mexican soda), what more could you ask for?

Amsterdam Street in Condessa

Chilaquiles

Beyond just the food scene, Roma and Condessa are full of beautiful tree-lined streets that are perfect for wandering. We often found ourselves drawn to Amsterdam Street, an oval street that encompasses Parque Espana. It has a graveled path down the center for runners, pedestrians and dogs to meander without the congested traffic persistent in other parts of the city. It was around Amsterdam Street that we often did plonk ourselves down at one of the aforementioned stylish cafes to watch the world go by. One morning while we walked in the neighborhood, we stopped to order a favorite breakfast of mine, chilaquiles. Fried tortilla strips are topped with a tomatillo sauce, cream, cheese and egg are mixed for a most satisfying way to start the day.

Trip planning over café and conchas

I’m realizing that this is a huge post, but perhaps that gives a sense of the scale of DF as it’s one of the biggest cities in the world. We barely scratched the surface yet still experienced so much. And this post doesn’t even cover the outer neighborhoods or pyramid excursions or the amazing array of tacos yet! But we’ll get there. All in due time.

Posted in Mexico and tagged Big Cities, Mexico City (DF), Travel

09 Aug 2013

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Eat Where We Ate (by Carmen)

While I was traveling I started to wonder if I would ever be able to find all the eateries I’ve visited if I eventually returned to a particular city or region. I mean, it seemed easy enough now since it was all relatively fresh in my memory. But in a few years? There are some places I know I will return to and others less so. Just to be on the safe side, I figured I would note down as many of the places we mentioned in the blog as I could whether or not I plan to revisit. Turns out, that was A LOT. The culmination of this effort: The 4feet2mouths Food Map

I adore maps, old and new – in this case of Istanbul (Sources: Duke University, Rifle Paper Co)

Memory is an amazing thing (and has fascinated me even more since I read Moonwalking with Einstein). Our brains are incredibly adept at spatial memory. I was astounded how much location-specific information I could recall when I really tried. I even started testing myself with restaurants from earlier travels and found that by studying a google map I could find places without the help of google search. It is probably obvious by now that I am a complete map nerd. Seriously, cartography is absolutely beautiful!

Screenshot of 4feet2Mouths Food Map, zoomed in on Istanbul

There’s an added bonus to my map memory game – now you can eat where we ate! I am using this as a tool to make recommendations to others about our favorite restaurants and food stalls (and a few sights as well). So if anyone says, “Do you know any good places in Istanbul?” I can send the link and they can zoom in from there. I have to admit, this idea stemmed from a map my friend Andrew shared about his favorite places in New York. It was useful for me so I hope mine will be useful to you.

Datli Maya in Istanbul is one of 150 listings on the 4feet2mouths Food Map!

The permanent link will be at the top of the page

So from now on the 4feet2mouths Food Map will be housed on the Eat Where We Ate page of this blog (see the link at the top). It was quite the effort and I’m proud of the result. I will update it periodically as our travels progress. In the meantime, I hope you can enjoy some of our recommendations.

The 4feet2mouths Food Map

Posted in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Trip Tips, United States and tagged Best Food, Markets, Summary, Trip Tips

22 Jun 2013

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Costs of Travel #1 – Blowing Up a Budget in South America (by Nathan)

Travel is expensive! Yes, but it does not have to be. Exploring the world is a dream that many of us have, but in Carmen and my case we went after it. There are just too many beautiful places to see and too much awesome street food to eat. There was a clear point in our lives where travel had to happen, no matter what the cost. That intense excitement led to a thrilling exploration of South America and eventually the world. Through trial and error we did learn how to travel cheaply. In our explanation of how to finance a trip around the world we must first discuss our failed budget when we went to South America. I’ll detail some of our mistakes and hopefully we all can become better travelers from it.

We set our original goals at $10,000USD for 3-1/2 months in South America. We had some experience traveling in Asia and Europe; we reviewed some guidebooks checked out some prices and $50 per person per day seemed like a plausible goal. We had an excellent trip to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Peru and we saw some fabulous things. We kept track of our finances, we had thought (cough) we were on track, but when we returned home that summer we found that we had spent twice what we had planned. Ouch! And our end expense exceeded $98 per person per day.

We mapped out all of our costs to shine clarity on the culprit of this over expenditure. We divided costs into 10 categories. Eating, sleeping, shopping and flights are obvious ones. “Transit” describes buses and taxis within a city while “Get In” refers to the regional transportation costs of traveling between cities by long-distance bus. A night at a club, entrance to a museum or winery, or drinks at a bar are part of our “Fun” category, but multi-night treks would be considered a “Tour.” The category of “Visas/Ins/Fees” refers to the inescapable costs of travel- entry visas, travel insurance and the bank fees are impossible to avoid in the midst of a 4 month trip across South America. Miscellaneous costs include toiletries, internet cafes, travel memberships or batteries. What stood out as the burden to our budget? All of it! South America is expensive and to make it cheaper we would have to change our whole travel style. Our budget goal would have been impossible provided all the fun that we had and the speed and diversity of our travel. But we still took away some key lessons that we worked into our later travels.

One example: entry visas. In South America we spent over $1,100 just to enter into these countries. That is over $5 per person per day. In many ways these are unavoidable, but we learned the valuable lesson that next time we will make the visas worth it by spending more time in the countries. When you are trying to determine how many days to travel in a country a good goal is for a visa cost to be in the range of $2 per day. The visa for Bolivia was a pain in the ass, but we got through it, Brazil was paid for ahead of time, but two countries could have been avoided entirely with the proper planning. Here’s how: the Buenos Aires and Santiago airports charge a reciprocity fee of $140 per person. They can be avoided by arriving by land or boat. In hindsight we would have bused to Santiago from Mendoza and boated from Uruguay to Buenos Aires and we could have saved $560.

The food was not all bad in Argentina: Pierinos was some of the best grub we had!

Argentina was where we thought we would save, but it turned out to be much more expensive than we thought. We lived in Buenos Aires for three weeks. We took Spanish classes, explored the city’s best restaurants and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in that wonderful city. Later in our trip, we explored central and northern Argentina in depth with wine tastings, canyon tours and days at the spa. Looking back on it, we were not traveling with a budget in mind. We were using a guidebook that was three years old and already the prices of everything had doubled thanks the country’s infamous economy. The challenge with Argentina is that the food really is not that good. We were spending European prices for ok steak and crappy salads. We had a handful of excellent meals, but after six weeks of traveling in Argentina, we should have learned our lesson: cook more when food is expensive.

Costs that we thought were unavoidable were bank fees. Argentina is the worst because the max withdrawal limit is $200, then there is a fee by MasterCard, the local ATM fee and my bank’s fee. That’s $12 for every $200, ouch again! Four months in South America seems even more expensive when $300 is lost in ATM transactions. Here is the solution: get an internet bank account to significantly lower fees. We use Scottrade, and they cover the local ATM fee of any ATM anywhere. We only pay the 1% fee to MasterCard. That means on our next 7 month trip we spent $75 in fees, twice the trip and a quarter the cost.

Similar to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are not cheap destinations for travel. The countries are very progressive, modern and exciting to visit; the food, lodging and entertainment are all similarly priced to what we pay for things in San Francisco. Don’t expect any deals. (Note: Uruguay sleeping costs were covered by Carmen’s parents, whom we were traveling with at the time.)

Brazil stands out as one of the most expensive countries we have visited in all our travels this past year. Yet the country is beautiful and worth every penny! From Iguaçu, to beaches, to samba and tropical fruit, Brazil is exotically wonderful. It is a challenge to get affordable housing, hence the favelas; food is similarly priced to the US, and regional transit between cities is quite expensive. My next visit to Brazil will include more economic adventures, like chilling on the beach.

Bolivia is the most poor (affordable) and underdeveloped (adventurous) country in South America. We can say it a million times, but Bolivia is the one place everyone should go and see. The scenery is majestic – abnormal even – the people nice and the Spanish easy to understand. Our most expensive activity was a four day jeep trek across mountains and canyons to the Salar de Uyuni. It cost a whole $220 per person for food, lodging and the tour. If you fly into La Paz, you can avoid all the challenges of a land crossing along the border.

Trekking with friends below Salkantay

Everyone that goes to Peru is going to see Machu Picchu. The tickets are expensive and the permits to walk the Inca Trail come with the price of a tour group. We took an organized trek for six days with our friends. It was well worth the cost of $800 per person and we saw the rustic mountainous ravines of Peru alongside the expected hordes of tourists. Peru does not have a visa cost, so I encourage travelers to see more of the country to lower your overall travel expenses in South America: we particularly enjoyed Arequipa and Colca Canyon.

Flights are a huge cost to any trip. Our flights alone to South America break down to about $12 per person per day which in retrospect was a lot. We believe that getting that cost under $10/day is a better goal for travelers on a budget.

Splurge day at a thermal spa, well worth it at the time.

Splurge hotel overlooking Lake Titicaca – so worth it!

There is a difference between vacation and long-term travel. Without a job and only a savings account a budget must always be considered. This took months for us to adjust and during our time in South America we leaned more towards the vacation end of things. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed our spa day, shopping splurges, high-end dining experiences, bottles of wine and private hostel rooms instead of dorms but we realized that in South America we needed to moderate it more. In many ways, South America was as expensive as Europe! But because we had a preconceived notion that it wasn’t we didn’t try as hard to save.

Even with the outlined changes, we would not have achieved our original budget. But we could have made it hurt a little less:

$560 saved by rearranging our entrances into Chile and Argentina
$260 saved by having a better bank account for traveling
$580 saved by cooking just three more meals per week in Argentina & Brazil
$800 saved with moderation of “splurge” purchases, dining and lodging.
$300 saved by Couchsurfing in cities where hostels were expensive

All that cutting and what does it save? A whopping $11.5 per person per day. Not a whole lot, but it is a start. Even at our best South America would still cost $86 per person per day. And $2,500 goes a long way when traveling. The lessons are valuable: travel slower- enjoy the places, eat the food (cook from markets) and take the time to meet the people (Couchsurf). Banking and entry visas require advanced planning, but it is an easy way to save money. And the biggest lesson: moderate the time in the expensive countries with the ones that are cheap. Traveling for $50 per day cannot be done in South America alone, but mix in a little South-East Asia or Central America and your trip may be a budget success!

Posted in Costs Of Travel, Latin America and tagged Adventure, Advice, Average Cost, Budget, Costs, Costs of Travel, Travel

13 May 2013

5 Comments

The Best of 410 Days of Travel (by Nathan)

Northside of Uçhisar castle in Cappadocia

Life without travel, to us, is not life. In February of 2012 we set out on an adventure beyond what anyone could fathom. Our destinations would be magnificent and our itinerary complex. We gave up most of our possessions and set out to explore the world. I remember our last night in Berkeley, we sat on the floor of our empty apartment eating a fabulous cheeseboard pizza washed down with rosé (from a winery aptly named L’aventure, The Adventure). Both of us were nervous about what might happen over the next year. We wanted needed to travel. There is only so much ground that can be covered on two week vacations, so we postponed our careers in search of historical, cultural and culinary education. We met wonderful people and saw countless jaw-dropping sights. In total we explored over 100 villages, towns and big cities in eighteen countries on four continents through 410 days of travel. It was a wild ride of buses, rickshaws, trains and walking on our own two feet. The best part is that I would not change any bit of it. Every experience has its place and memory that I love.

Last meal in our Berkeley apartment: Cheeseboard pizza & L’Aventure Rose (perfect)

I think the most impressive achievement of traveling is the accumulation of memories. Every day traveling creates a new experience, a beautiful sight, a peculiar food or an awkward cultural exchange. Each one of these unique events is stored within my brain like a painting of a vibrant and textured year. The events shine with such color and flavor that Carmen and I can quiz each other and remember what we ate, saw and did exactly on any day of the last year. What were you doing last May 7, 2012? We woke up at sunrise and walked across the Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, then bused to Puno, Peru and had Chinese food while watching a Bruce Lee soap opera with a funny theme song chorus. I look back at my years working and there are a few standout events, work milestones, or an exceptionally fun weekend or a fabulous meal we created with friends. But for the most part, memories just are not stored vividly because they get lost in the routine of the day to day while traveling provides so many novel experiences.

Nathan taking a rest during a hike

Carmen and another day of travel

The memories of our trip hit me with amazing detail. We are constantly asked what our favorite part of the trip was. It is virtually impossible to compile millions of wonderful memories and synthesize them in a single answer. We hiked mountains, canyons and through forests and ate dosas, ceviche and hot pot. And we loved every bit of all of it. I have tried to go through some of our favorite activities, tastes and sights and tried to compile a brief list of some of the “bests” of fourteen months of travel.

Rio de Janiero – Ipanema Sunrise

Best Big Cities: London, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Chengdu

Carmen and I love big cities. We love the life that one can feel in a city. The people thrive with high-rises, public transit, beautiful museums, beaches and sights. The food tingles with flavors so intense that the tongue and entire body becomes addicted. And although there may be culture-shock these cities are welcoming and encouraging to be a tourist and maybe an inhabitant. I loved Rio de Janiero from our week traveling there in March 2012. The city is beautiful and the music passionate. I can’t wait to go back. London and Hong Kong are of course one of our most favorite cities in the world. Chengdu feels a bit more scattered in its design, but remains one of my favorites for the food alone. Istanbul is a gem in the world, a perfect crossing point for Asia and Europe with all the delicacies and beauty that make it uniquely Turkish.

Shaxi, our favorite small town

The small towns often get missed in lists like these. We visited a perfect little village named Shaxi in between Dali and Lijiang. It was quaint and picturesque, and a wonderful variation from the Chinese tourist cities that are so common. Unfortunately it is changing and I expect that it will not be the same when I return. We visited countless small towns during our Camino de Santiago trek, each dainty or dusty, but fun to explore in search of a café cortado.

Tartine bread pudding with strawberries

Best Sweets: baklava, sweet soup. Mango sticky rice & alfajores

Amazingly enough we did discover coffee during our travels abroad. Both Carmen and I appreciated coffee, but refused to be addicted so we drank it very rarely. Walking across Spain changed that, now we just have to limit intake. There are few better things to have a coffee with than bread pudding. Tartine in San Francisco makes my absolute favorite dessert of the year. We always used to eat here, but after having it again with strawberries, I cannot help but put it at the top of the list. Other favorites include Honeymoon Desserts’ sweet soup and alfajores. Mango sticky rice is so simple and perfect that I wish I could eat it every day. In Turkey we tried to eat baklava every day, which were all phenomenal. One place, Karaköy Güllüoğlu, created nut and phillo pillows of gold. The fact is that there are just too many excellent places to eat while traveling.

Gong Bao Ji (Chicken)

Best Foods: ceviche, rajas y queso, boat noodles & pho

I still stand my original statement on Chengdu that the gong bao chicken we ate on Renmin Zhonglu remains one of my favorite meals. I am so happy that we ate there twice! Another favorite is La Super Rica; you can order blindly here and you will be very happy. Boat noodles and pho are charactieristic of the flavors of Thailand and Vietnam. In general, the everyday food in South America is rather mediocre. Culinary enthusiasts should rightly stay in Asia. Although we loved the pizzas of Buenos Aires, my real favorite of South America was the ceviche that we consumed in large amounts in Lima Peru. Survival during travel is not on food alone, it is the sights that often distinguish the destinations.

Ephesus library

Best Ruins: Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Caryatids on the Acropolis, Vittana Temple & carved church in Cappadocia

In school I never really liked history. It seemed like such a mish-mash of random wars and crap that never mattered. Then I started traveling and developed a love of understanding cultures and people and the history leading to their current lives. I find that I can spend all day bouncing around a set of ruins, crawling around a cave or reading countless interpretive signs. Seeing a place brings the history to life and ingrains a sense of reality that these events actually happened. Some of my favorite places were the Inca Trail, Angkor and Athens; there are so many ruins that can be enjoyed and each building, wall and path defines a little bit of history that is easier to understand. India’s civilization is thousands of years old and the variety of ruins and temples demonstrates a wealth of history. One of our favorite cities was Hampi, the ruins were spread out, but beautiful and easy to explore. Cappadocia was honestly unbelievable: underground cities and fairy chimney houses really do exist.

Hagia Sofia, most impressive building

We were doubly awestruck when visiting the Hagia Sofia. It is old enough to be in ruins, built 500ad, but still remarkably towers above and beyond what many modern engineers are designing. I was deeply moved and inspired by this magnificent building and I look forward to seeing it and Istanbul again. Beyond the buildings and the history it was the landscapes that intrigued us and kept us walking and walking and walking.

Grand Canyon Sunset from Cape Final

Best Landscapes: Salkantay, Camino de Santiago, Salar de Uyuni & Cappadocia

The landscapes of the world vary drastically. The contrasts between mountains, canyons and forests are immense, but one thing is for certain: the human heart is sure to skip a beat at certain places on this planet. We sought out many of these spectacular sights, and some of my favorites include: camping beneath Salkantay mountain on the Inca Trail, The deserts, rocks and salt flats leading up to the Salar de Uyuni and Cappadocia rock formations and hot air balloons. Grand Canyon, despite its ubiquity as being a beautiful destination, remains one of my favorite places. We trekked for eight days and loved all the nuances, textures and colors that transition throughout the day. We experienced so many beautiful things: Tiger Leaping Gorge and Zhangjiajie come to mind in China or Cafayate and Iguazu in Argentina; each is its own special and vibrant memory.

Walking the Camino de Santiago towards Sahagún

I value each experience of our trip uniquely, but one was critical to my well-being and my development as a human- walking the Camino de Santiago. The steadiness of walking, the meditation involved with each step and the time to think is phenomenal. I finished the Camino confident that I could achieve anything, but humbled that I finished it with someone I love, Carmen. Walking the Camino de Santiago is special and life-changing for everyone in their own way. I feel that I could walk it again tomorrow and it would still bring value and pleasure to my travels.

Nathan & Carmen at Condoritos Park

We often get concerns about our travels. People care to know about muggings, stolen property and the life and death situations that might have caused us head home. Carmen and I were very fortunate to not have any serious turmoil happen to us while traveling. Our worst evening was spent shivering on the side of the road next to the Condoritos Park. We did hear of some friends who had cameras stolen from buses in Tupiza, or friends of friends who were pick-pocketed in Rio, but none of these things happened to us. We did accidentally leave a nice steel canteen in Sao Paulo and another Nalgene on a minibus in Zhongdian, but that is it. Carmen and I are very meticulous to carry very little, we pack light and we walk with our hands free and we secure our money when we get it. We were lucky, but I feel that the people of the world are generally nice and helpful. People in Vietnam were extremely welcoming and kind to us throughout our trip and we experienced zero hard feelings for being American. In fact, everyone was welcoming; we, for the most part, only encountered nice and thoughtful people. (That crazy girl in Tiger Leaping Gorge kung fu kicks into my memory.) Our trip was a great success and I feel confident that we could travel anywhere and have similar experiences and treatment.

Nathan getting a mud cleanse

Just as fast as the date came for us to embark, it was time to settle down. We traveled hard and fast. We were diligent to explore as many parts of the world as we could. Language and food was no barrier, and we were entertained by the beautiful sights that both nature and humans have created. The challenge with any travel is that the world never feels smaller. The world feels more accessible, but our bucket lits of places to go and things to see has only grown larger than when we left. The question we have to figure out now, is what country we will travel to next?

Carmen sandbar silhouette in Ilha do Mel

Many of you have been our readers throughout this journey and I thank you for your support. For those who have just started following us: there is a wealth of excellent photos and information in our past posts. Future posts will continue to entertain on the travel and food theme that we all love.

Posted in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, United States and tagged Adventure, Food, Summary, Travel

14 Dec 2012

8 Comments

Making The Most Of 100 Posts! (by N&C)

100 Posts!

We made it to 100 posts! The genesis of this blog was simple. The initial conversation went something like this:

Carmen: Hey, why don’t we start a blog? That way we won’t have to write all those emails to family and friends letting them know what we are up to.
Nathan: OK (with approving shoulder shrug)

What began as an easy method to update loved ones quickly morphed into a full on photo and text journalist exercise. Neither of us realized the amount of work we would end up putting into the blog, but as we put pen to paper we became enthusiastic to share our stories. With over 100,000 words and 1,300 images the blog has become a medium for us to relive, share and promote our exploration of the world. Our efforts felt particularly recognized when our blog was featured on the WordPress Freshly Pressed site, which highlights top blog posts..

4feet2mouths is Freshly Pressed!

Beyond journaling, the blog has even become a way to connect with other travelers and travel fantasizers. The feedback we received through your comments is much appreciated. (A special shout out to our most frequent commenter, Manish!) On our 100th post, we would like to simply say thank you to all our readers for joining this exciting journey with us.

Machu Picchu friends

Looking back at the past 10 months it’s hard to believe the incredible journey we’ve had. As we reviewed pictures for this post we kept thinking,”Wow, did we really get to do all that? Did that really taste as good as I remember?” People often ask us what our favorite places have been but honestly we’ve enjoyed pretty much all of it. Perhaps we can describe a few favorite moments, though.

Chowing down on onion and cheese fugazzeta pizza at a crowded restaurant in Buenos Aires
Enjoying the soft sand beneath our toes on Rio beaches
Drinking wine in Mendoza, Cafayate, Napa and Rioja
Breathing in the crisp mountain air in the Bolivian highlands
Commiserating with friends about our aching legs climbing on the Inca Trail towards Macchu Pichu
Hearing the wonderful stories of Nathan’s 93 year old Aunt Bea
La Super Rica
Staring at the Cathedral of Santiago under a full moon after walking 500 miles to get there
Eating huge slabs of feta on the waterfronts of Greek islands
Smelling spices and sweets in Istanbul markets
Admiring the mystical ruins amid lush surroundings in Hampi, India
Slurping dirty noodles with good friends Nalat and Tim in Thailand

And that is truly just a handful. We are incredibly excited for what is to come – more great memories and mouth-watering food. Our journey continues through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand as we make a counter-clockwise loop through southeast Asia. From Bangkok we fly to China where we will spend the last part of our trip.

Two hikers

The next biggest question we receive is how we can afford to travel for over a year. This is a challenging to answer simply and we will be writing a series of blog articles to encourage and mobilize the average traveler into the world. The key reality is that vacation and long-term budget travel are very different activities. Negotiating with a taxi driver to save $1 or finding a $6 room because it is without air conditioning, hot water or windows or eating food from street carts are daily activities for us. There is an art to traveling the world, it is a frugal expression, but it is possible. We have no bills, no mortgage, no car and only one mobile phone. Simple world travel is cheaper than when we lived in Berkeley! Most of all we had friends and family that supported us. We had the great fortune to gain college degrees with stable salary. After saving for several years, we took a leap of faith to sell everything and travel the world.

Buenos Aires Food

“Why are you not fat?” Well, our families tell us in amazement that we are looking thin. We eat a light breakfast and simple lunches and dinners. We search out great food and when it is good, we photograph it and put it on the blog. When it is bad, you don’t hear about it. Ten months of eating is a large number of meals, and we only have the best for you. Tasting the world is part of our journey and our passions, so if you are hungry when you finish reading- good. We also only choose the most slimming of photos of course!

Thank you for hopping on our Rickshaw Roller Coaster to see Camino Miracles and Carved Canyons. We hope you will be able to join us for the next few months as we trek across Southern Asia, return to the U.S. and search for jobs in Europe. Cheers to more great adventures!

: Buenos Aires

: Buenos Aires Food

: Rio Cristo

: Rio favela

: Ihla do Mel sunset

: Malbec grapes

: Tafi hike

: Condoritos

: Locro and empanadas

: Cafayate canyon

: Salar red lagoon

: Salar lagoon

: Salar jumping

: Bolivian hats

: Death road biking

: Coca leaves

: Lake Titicaca

: Copacabana party, Bolivia

: Colca Canyon

: Adorable baby alpaca

: Salkantay mountain

: Trail meal Peru

: Machu Picchu friends

: Llama Picchu

: Ceviche

: Nathan and Grand Canyon cookin’

: Horseshoe Bend

: Antelope Canyon

: Carmen and Highline Park

: NYC Toto Ramen

: Brooklyn

: Chicago deep dish

: La Super Rica

: Tres Sabores sheep

: Golden Gate sunset

: Burgos Cathedral

: Two hikers

: Camino landscape

: Octopus tapas

: The Pantheon

: Sardines in Greece

: Ano Syros alley

: Santorini churches

: Baklava

: Ephesus library

: Turkish yogurt and bread

: Unbelievable Cappadocia

: Romantic Istanbul

: Indian breakfast

: Indian markets

: Taj Mahal

: Indian street food

: Boat noodles

: Friends in traditional clothes

: Thai Island Bungalow

Posted in Europe, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, United States and tagged Adventure, Food, Summary, Travel

18 Jul 2012

1 Comment

My South America Favorites + Returning “Home” (by Carmen)

17th century map of South America

Our South America trip was better than I could have ever expected. I loved practicing my Spanish, scouting out local cuisine, imbibing lots of caipirinhas and red wine, and observing the mix of old world and new world traditions. One thing I hadn’t quite expected was the jaw dropping natural beauty, from jungles and beaches to arid, bushy plains; from huge cacti growing out of red rocks to stark Andean mountainscapes. It was a collection of unforgettable experiences.

With that in mind, I thought I would get through some FAQs. These generally begin with “what was your favorite…”. So here are a selection of my favorites from my fifteen weeks down south.

Cafe Tortoni in Buenos Aires

Nathan grilling up some lomito

Sifones used to store soda water

Fútbol fanáticos

Favorite City: Buenos Aires. The city has a special lived in elegance to it. I enjoyed the cafe culture, the pretty parks, and the slightly rough around the edges feel to it. And the Argentinian accent, which uses a lot of soft “j” sounds, was incredibly endearing.

Cafayate View

Last rays of sun in the Cafayate canyons

Favorite Town: Cafayate. Good wine, yummy empanadas, an alfajores factory, a spacious main plaza, beautiful scenery and wine flavored ice cream…Cafayate instantly welcomed us.

Pasta, wine, yum…at Pierinos

Quinoa salad at Market in Rio de Janeiro

Artemisia in Buenos Aires

Favorite Restaurant: Pierinos. I love pasta. This is the third time I’ve mentioned it in this blog but the slow cooked sauces Pierinos slathers on its homemade pasta steal my heart. Other favorite eats include Artemesia‘s mostly vegetarian fare, the fresh salads and smoothies at Market, any buffet in Brazil, and fresh ceviche in Peru.

Delicious fried trucha

Chicharron sandwich stand in Arequipa

Favorite Hole in the Wall: Trucha stands on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. So simple but so good with the fresh caught trout fried to perfection in garlic and oil. El Cuartito served my favorite pizza in Buenos Aires. The lomito sandwich in cordoba wasn’t much to look at but was delicious and big enough for the both of us. And then there was the chicharron sandwich Arequipa. Fried pork with spicy coleslaw is always a winner.

The spectacular Salar de Uyuni trip

Nathan and me enjoying Bolivian scenery

Nathan the mountaineer on Salkantay

Favorite Sight: Salar de Uyuni and Salkantay Mountain. We saw so many beautiful sights but it is the people you share it with that make it even better. Therefore it’s a tie between the non-stop excitement of the salar de uyuni trip and the first view of Salkantay with old friends from San Francisco. Oh and Iguazu Falls too!

Wine and Cheese in Tafí del Valle

Schwarzwald beer hall in Curitiba, Brazil – I loved the mini stein in the big stein!

Favorite Drinking Experience: Wine and cheese in Tafí del Valle. We brought a wonderful Malbec from Mendoza, sliced up some local cheese and sat on the porch of the historic villa we stayed at. Heaven. I also loved collecting mini beer steins at the convivial German beer hall Schwarzwald. And the most delicious caipirinhas I tasted were made by a Peruvian at Pepe’s Bar in Foz de Iguazu.

Bossa Nova in Rio de Janeiro

Marching band in Copacabana

Favorite Live Music: Los Tabaleros performing at the hidden restaurant. The chef and his friends played the show at the secret restaurant my classmate’s roommates hosted. I’m still happy I won the cd! Also enjoyed the classic bossa nova in Ipanema and the parade music at Copacabana’s festival.

Church roof in Potosí

Potato peddlers in Sucre

Best Place to Go If You’ve Only Got a Couple Weeks: Bolivia. The variety of the sights here is incredible! You can enjoy lush jungles or cold windy mountains. The people are friendly and helpful. They keep the traditional culture alive and well. And, importanly, it’s inexpensive to get around.

Chandelier in Argentina’s congress building

All the places we went and sights we saw, and there is still more to see. I was sad to leave South America when there is so much more to explore. On the other hand, adventures in other parts of the world beckoned.

Dewy rose in Tafí del Valle

From Peru we returned “home” to California but that’s a tricky word for me. If home is where the heart is, mine is rather split up. Immediate family in Southern California, close friends in San Francisco, extended family in Chicago. And then there’s the part of my heart passionate about travel, which creates an itch to make a home in new places.

So the final and most popular FAQ, “What’s next?” Should we travel for the entire year? You’ll have to read the next post to find out.

Where oh where will we go from here?

Posted in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Latin America, Peru and tagged Adventure, Food, Goodbyes, Summary, Travel

4 feet 2 mouths

walking and eating our way around the world

Archive for the category “Latin America”

Pyramids, Skulls and the Eye of God in Mexico (by Carmen)

I left my heart in Oaxaca (by Carmen)

Al Pastor in Puebla (by Carmen)

Vivid Colors of Coyoacán & Xochimilco (by Carmen)

Exploring Mexico’s capital, DF (by Carmen)

Eat Where We Ate (by Carmen)

Costs of Travel #1 – Blowing Up a Budget in South America (by Nathan)

The Best of 410 Days of Travel (by Nathan)

Making The Most Of 100 Posts! (by N&C)

My South America Favorites + Returning “Home” (by Carmen)

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