It's Right There, So Why Not?

Up bright and early to catch the overpriced (because I have become so non- committal and didn’t book until the last minute) 7:40am ferry to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Sure, I had to leave at 6am to clear customs and whatnot, but I would get there in plenty of time to enjoy the beach.

Yeah, a nice plan in theory.

Unfortunately the ferry’s entire computer system crashed so we left 3 hours late (after boarding). Of course I had NO idea why we were delayed since all the announcements were in espanol. All I knew is that I kept falling asleep and waking up and we still hadn’t gone anywhere. I couldn’t understand why the locals weren’t getting all pissy.

So, instead of getting there around noon, I didn’t get to the #1 ranked hostel until after 4--- not the beach day I had envisioned (after getting a taxi that cheated me a few bucks even after I fought with him for a while—I guess he knew I would at some point tire of arguing about the exchange rate.)

I did make it to Pocitos Beach eventually and it turned out I really hadn’t missed all that much. The beach was fine as far as city beaches go-- full of locals enjoying the Sunday afternoon, but it was so windy the sand was blowing everywhere making it somewhat unpleasant. I stayed for a while since I really wanted some beach time, but eventually I gave up and went back to extract sand from every crevice of my body. ;-)

I thought the day was a total loss until I met two guys (from LA and Switzerland) who were headed out to dinner. I joined them for Uruguay’s traditional sandwich- the Chovitos. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought a Philly cheesesteak was bad, but this trumps it! Imagine a hot sandwich of grilled steak, ham and bacon with melted cheese, a hardboiled egg, lettuce, tomato, peppers, pickles and onion (I opted against the mayo of course). It sounds kinda gross but it is pure deliciousness!

I even found room to share an apple pie and dulce de leche cake afterwards. Okay, I will admit after that I did feel kinda sick.

Since I didn’t really see anything redeeming about Montevideo (it was a ghost town when I arrived on Sunday) and the hostel was booked, I opted to move up my plans to go to the estancia (giant farms in the interior).

I took a 3-hour bus to the middle of nowhere, Cerro Colorado, to experience life in cattle country at San Pedro de Timote, a 253 hectar farm with buildings dating back to the mid-1800's (it was owned by the Jesuits until 1767).

I spent the next couple of days eating, riding horses (thanks Sargento- my horse), eating more, reading (I loved the library room with the spanish tile, dark wood and comfy leather chairs), sleeping and sitting by the pool. It was really very lovely looking out as far at the eye could see at the endless landscape. The only down side-- the biggest bug bites ever!

One morning I had a private ride with Beto, the gaucho/ horse riding guide, when we taught each other words in English and Spanish- it was quite amusing to say the least. I think I mistakenly told him that I am an only child, but sure he understood the traveling for a year bit based on his facial expression.

I happened to find myself in the middle of some cattle wrangling too, which was pretty sweet.

The return bus was not as seemless since first I couldn’t figure out how to buy a ticket, then it was super late and finally it dropped me off at some random stadium. Luckily I figured out how to take the free shuttle to the main bus station where I caught another bus to Colonia (I didn’t even need to try to figure out how to buy this ticket since a nice woman held my hand a bought the ticket for me- yay!).

Colonia is a super cute town only about an hour ferry from Buenos Aires- when watching the sunset next to the lighthouse you can see BA in the distance. The town was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese governor of Buenos Aires and was a source for smuggled goods much to the schagrin of the Spanish (it officially became part of the Spainish empire in 1750).

It doesn’t take long to see Colonia's Barrio Historico (another UNESCO site)--- about 2 hours of slow walking and you have seen all the sites: the 1745 city gate, the two main squares (like everywhere, one named after the 25th of May and the other Plaza de Armas), Inglesia Matriz (the oldest church in Uruguay) and the various old colonial homes that now house small museums (a tile museum, really??) .

That leaves a lot of time for eating and reading, which is pretty much how I spend my two days here.

I enjoyed reading in the old park until a Uruguayan man wanted to chat. I wasn’t really in the mood to try to decipher Spanish, but despite repeated “no hablo espanol” he kept talking. Eventually I just had to vacate the premise. ;-)

Colonia has many waterfront restaurants to hang at and watch the sunset over the Rio de la Plata, and even one with legitimately good pizza.  Sure, there is nothing to do here, but I found it very charming and relaxing.

Since I skipped Punta del Este as it sounds kinda cheesy like Miami, I pretty much covered all the destinations within reach of Buenos Aires.

After all I had to return for one more day of debauchery in BA before heading to the ‘bottom of the world’.

Muchos Buenos Aires

Yes, perhaps I should have arrived nice and well rested after what I think was a 14-hour, 1st class trip from Sydney (they greeted me with Qantas PJ’s- how nice!), but I was pretty sleepy trying to adjust to the 16-hour time difference from New Zealand (even with my friend, Ambien).

Day 1 in Buenos Aires was pretty much a waste. All I did was sleep and wander around trying to find a mobile signal (un- beknownst to me I found one in the “don't cry for me Argentina” plaza).

Finally motivating, at 9:30pm I decided I should probably grab dinner not realizing this was WAY early by Argentine standards. This became clear when people continued to arrive (with small children) as late as midnight. I am still puzzled how they manage to do any work? In the land of beef, I had to get my first steak, mashed potatoes (there are NO vegetables here) and Argentine red wine (plus a glass of free champagne for some unclear reason)--- so far South America is off to a fine start. ;-)

The following day I walked around Puerto Madero, the old port that was only used from 1898-1926 since it became too small to handle the amount of cargo by 1910. Complete with cobble stone paths and brick warehouses, the area has been converted into an upscale neighborhood.

It is charming and apparently brings out the romantics--- as I was sitting on a bench a young, Argentinian man asked if he could sit and chat (in our broken Spanish and English). Before I knew it he kissed me--- my, they are quite forward here in Buenos Aires! Needless to say I was taken off guard (but found the whole ridiculous incident pretty amusing.)

After lunch I visited the Museo Fortabat, a new museum showcasing the collection of Argentina’s wealthiest woman, Amalia Lacroze. I loved the art as well as the building which has movable aluminum panels above the roof that open and close depending on the position of the sun- cool!

Since it was still relatively early, I decided to do Lonely Planet’s walking tour of Central BA, or at least most of the 5km route (who needs to see Congress up close, especially when it is modeled after the U.S. Capitol Building).

Along the way I saw Plaza San Martin with the obligatory statue of the hero/general who helped liberate Argentina from Spanish rule (there is stuff named after him all over the country). The plaza is surrounded by beautiful mansions and South America’s former tallest building (1935). Across the street is the British donated Torre de los Ingleses which they now call by another name after the Falkland Islands War (or Malvinas Islands as they are called in Argentina).Yes, they still hold a grudge.

After a walk on Ave 9 de Julio (‘the widest street in the world’- 16 lanes at some points), passing by the city’s 67m obelisk (build in one month back in 1936 and the place for celebrating sports fans), I ended the abridged tour at the Plaza de Mayo where the Cathedral Metropolitana (containing the tomb of General San Martin) and Casa Rosada stand, besides other impressive buildings--- the architecture in BA is stunning! The Casa Rosada houses the President’s office, but it is also where Eva (aka Evita) and Juan Peron (and Madonna) addressed the public from the balcony. I couldn’t stop singing the tunes from “Evita”!

After another steak dinner (not as good as the night before), I had another lazy morning (this is the Argentine way!) before heading off to the ritzy Recoleta neighborhood. I walked along the streets marveling at the stunning buildings (and disgusted by the fact that the Vatican embassy was the nicest of them all--- maybe they should sell that and give some money to their needy believers?). 

I later learned on a free walking tour of the area a few interesting tid bits:

#1- BA is often called the ‘Paris of South America’ since when trading with Europe back in the early 1900’s they needed to load the ships for the return trip, so the former Europeans and current residents of BA had the good idea to ship European construction materials: stone, ironwork, fountains, you name it.

#2- With a good insurance plan Argentines get one free plastic surgery every two years--- there were many ‘plasticos’ in this neighborhood!

The Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes was a brief stop before the walking tour, which was randomly full of Americans, including a lovely couple from San Fran who I joined for some yummy Dulce de Leche gelato afterwards (the Argentines have incredible ice cream so I tried to fit it in every day).

Each day in BA seemed to get less and less productive. Following a late night in San Telmo (4am) of more steak (getting worse food and service wise!), vino, Jenga and Connect 4 (I said you had to be a moron to lose at Connect 4 and then I lost 3 games- wow, I have really lost it!) with Anil, my new friend from Colorado, I slept yet another day away.

Luckily I rebounded for dinner with Ilse (Holland) and Guy (Belgium) at a buffet restaurant with the most adorable, young, attentive waiter (what a difference from last night!). Over the course of dinner we befriended Arian, a local who entertained us for days to come.

Since Arian invited us to a New Year’s Eve party, Ilse and I decided to go shopping in posh and trendy Palermo, (you can get Havianas down here for $10!!!!).

Arian’s band was playing at a party for what turned out to be Peruvians in BA. It was pretty hilarious and we felt like we crashed someone’s wedding--- we were definitely the thing that did not belong! Although midnight was fairly anticlimactic, the rest of the night dancing salsa was SO much fun (or whatever it was---- I had no idea what I was doing, I just followed my lead as the Argentines can dance!).

Wait--- it is 7am!!!!!!!!!!!!

It won’t be a shock to learn that yes, I slept a lot of the next day away too. ;-)

BA is going to kill me! Up all night, sleep all day. How do these people get anything done???

I did arise in time to see a bit of the start of the Dakar Rally and a late lunch along the waterfront (which was littered with beer and champagne bottles which as you can imagine didn’t smell too hot a day later…. prob worse three days later since no one works here on holidays or weekends!)

One of the only things left to check off the list was visiting La Boca, the meat- packing/ warehouse area that is known for its brightly colored houses. The houses were originally splashed with leftover paint used on shipping barges. Caminito, the famous street, is pretty touristy, but cute for a quick, sleepy stroll to see the houses and performers tangoing in the street (you can´t leave this street since the rest of the hood is a bit dangerous).

At this point I had to flee Buenos Aires- too much drink, too much steak, too many skipped meals and lost night’s sleep. It was starting to takes its toll. No mas!!!!!!!!!!

The city is AMAZING-- it is beautiful, vibrant, fantastic. Each neighborhood has its own distinct look and feel. I loved every minute of it (well, I could have lived without the morning headaches)!!!!

New Zealand Postponed

No pictures to post given they are trapped on my old computer, so we'll revisit NZ later.

Mmmmmmm Melbourne

Yes, I was supposed to spend the month of November in Australia. Obviously that didn't happen since I unexpectedly went to Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore instead. But thankfully I did have four short days in Melbourne on route to New Zealand.

I must say that I was super happy there- it was just the perfect dose of home, but WAY mellower, perhaps more of a West Coast feel? I thoroughly enjoyed myself and all the city things I got to do--- eat, drink, museums and movies. See, just like home!

It all started off with a bus loop around the city to peruse the sights and then a late lunch of cured meats, cheeses and micro brew along the water in the Docklands on the most glorious day. I feared Asia had made me lactose intolerant, but fear not I have battled through- bring on the cheese! ;-)

That evening I found Carlton, Melbourne's Little Italy and University area, lined with all sorts of restaurants, bars and the Nova Cinema. Yes, an art house movie theater where I saw "The Social Network" (review: thumbs up) interrupted by a fire alarm-- that is a first, I have never been to a movie theater than had to be evacuated (just a 30 minute delay until the fire brigade arrived).

The weather was a little temperamental, but I did enjoy a lovely lunch of pumpkin and beet pizza along the Yarra River before scampering in the rain to the National Gallery of Victoria, International. As the name suggests, this museum houses Australia's finest collection of international art. The art was so-so, but the building was really impressive. I loved the glass entrance with water cascading down in front of cool sculpture. The unusual part was how friendly the security personnel was. I had a LONG chat with one who showed me a cool feature of a modern piece and then explained how I could get Aussie citizenship. Another guard pointed out some 18th C. paintings where the eyes, shoes, floor played tricks on the eye. It was a nice bonus!

Since I was in a wine producing country I HAD to visit some vineyards in Australia, even if they aren't the most acclaimed. I tasted some tasty wine in the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne. This is the area that experienced "Black Saturday", the devastating bush fires of February 2009. One winery had pictures of the area during the blaze when a 30ft. high wall of fire came meters from their property (they believe they were saved by their underground irrigation system- crazy stuff!)

I did browse the goods for sale at the Queen Victoria Market, which sells everything from food to your standard tourist goods. I enjoyed this market more than most since it appeared that real locals actually shop here, plus they had a bakery that sold pretzels and red gummy frogs (like our red gummy fish, but frogs!)

Federation Square, along the Yarra River, has become a meeting place for locals and tourists surrounded by museums and theaters. Opened in 2002, The NGV Ian Potter Centre is on the Square, dedicated to Australian art. I enjoyed this collection more than the International collection, including the gallery of Aboriginal art. I took one of the collection tours, per the advise of one of those helpful guards at the National Gallery, which shed some light on a few Australian artists (even if a little long winded).

Even though Melbourne's Christmas tree was totally lame, they did amuse me with some of their other decorations- gotta love that Aussie sense of humor!

I didn't think I had much interest in going to Australia, but I LOVED Melbourne. It may be the first place I visited that I really felt I could live.

Maybe next time I will actually make it to Sydney? Or better yet, a return trip for the Australian Open!

Taste of My Old Life

Ahhhhh, luxury again! :-)

Only a few hours on a bus and I was over the border into sparkling clean, orderly Singapore staying at Natalie's lovely apartment with my very own bedroom AND bathroom. Oh, so nice!!!!!!!!

Natalie and Rob totally spoiled me with all the yummy food (and drinks) that Singapore has to offer.

Yes, I had my obligatory Singapore Sling at Raffles (built in 1887 and lovely!), but there was so much more!!!

Chili Crab- chili, black pepper or white pepper- which is your favorite? I was quite fond of the black pepper. The best was the (parking lot) decor and the middle aged waitresses in the cheap, satin Tiger beer uniforms. So good!

Satay outside the hawker centre-- prawn, chicken, mutton---- all delish, albeit a little smokey.

Crab and prawn dumplings, sushi, chicken rice, lime juice, chicken fingers & creamed spinach (okay, maybe not them- a weak substitute for sold-out Thanksgiving dinner!)- yum, yum and more yum!

Sure, I never got to see that rooftop view since they wouldn't let me in the "club" with "slippers" (aka flip flops), but all was good! ;-)

And Nat wasn't the only one to spoil me, Freida (who I met in Nepal) showed me around Robertson Quay where we even had chips and salsa (do you know how long it's been???)

I again walked all over the city to get a feel for life here. And life seems pretty nice!

Like KL it has a lot of malls, but unlike KL I didn't almost get killed trying to cross their super clean streets. Sure, there were times I couldn't quite figure out how to cross, and jaywalking didn't seem acceptable in Singapore, but eventually I figured out where the underpass was located (after walking in circles and eventually asking ;-)

Okay, there may be issues with the government being overly controlling, but I've got to say it was quite nice as a visitor. Maybe you deserve a caning for chewing gum? ;-) For example, they seemed to have mandated a blue and white Christmas theme--- all the decorations (and EVERYTHING was decorated) were bling-a-rific. I loved it!

I did a very quick run through of the Asian Civilizations Museum when I first arrived, which was really just a well done overview of all the countries I had visited over the last few months, so I didn't feel too terrible about my brief visit.

The next morning I started with the walking tour of Chinatown and a visit to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Buddha Museum. The Temple is pretty much brand new, completed in 2007, but was pretty and had a very interesting museum that explained the life of Buddha in the 1st person--- I kinda loved it! The shrine with the tooth was very impressive, but sadly you couldn't get all that close to see much and I am always sceptical of relics of any faith.

A quick metro ride and I was transported to Little India, followed by a walk along Arab Street, with all its colorful fabric shops, before making my way to the waterfront. On the way I passed the world's largest fountain which I didn't get because I didn't know it wasn't really turned on. It made more sense when I passed by in a taxi a second time.

The Esplanade Theaters on the Bay, nicknamed "the durians" since they look like the spiky fruit, were my first stop. From there I could see the famous Merlion fountain- the half lion, half fish symbol of Singapore. But the real standout was the newly built Marina Bay Sands "integrated resort" (aka casino). The design is odd- it is reportedly supposed to be a fishing boat with it's nets cast (perhaps to scoop up all the people's money in the casino, upscale mall, theaters and celerity chef restaurants?) Not sure about this one!

Like all the others, my last day in Singapore was delightful. First stop was the Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island where, despite a brief rain shower, we had a lovely time drinking our White Rabbits on lounge chairs with views of the tanker ships in the distance and a dog in a life preserver swimming just offshore (Singaporeans can be a little wacky it seems).

As if that wasn't good enough, we ended the day at Natalie's friends who hosted a real American Thanks- giving. They did an AMAZING job replicating home! Sure the sweet potatoes were purple and the peanut butter pie was melting in the Singapore humidity, but they tasted just right!

The Vandervorsts really know how to treat a girl!!! Thanks again!!!!