The Honeymoon

El Calafate and the Glaciers

2008-07-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

After yet another 18-hour bus ride overnight we arrived in Rio Gallegos and then transferred to another 4-hour bus ride to El Calafate, home of the famous Perito Moreno glacier.

This map in red shows the Santa Cruz province in which El Calafate is located. This was the furthest south that we got.

We had hoped to go to the end of the world, to Tierra del Fuego, a jumping off point to Antarctica, but our flight there was cancelled and we just couldn't hack more bus rides that we had to.

The hostel in Calafate, America del Sur, was pretty good. Compared to our chilly room in Bariloche, it really toasty and they served a great nightly, all-you-can-eat BBQ.

America del Sur was situated up on a hill with a great view of Lago Argentino, one of the biggest lakes in Argentina. The perfect weather during the day lent itself to gorgeous sunsets at night that we enjoyed from the common area.

The town’s economy is centred around tourists who come here for access to the Parque Nacional de los Glaciares. When we arrived at the hostel we were inundated with a variety of tour options for viewing the various glaciers.

For our first full day we selected the all-day boat tour that would take us on Lago Argentino to view the Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers. Upsala is the largest glacier out of atleast 300 in Argentina.

We had a fantastic day on the boat. Not a cloud was in the sky and the majestic, snow covered Andes mountains gleamed white in the morning sun.

Rocky was having a blast taking photos from the outer deck while I preferred to enjoy the scenery from inside where it was warm. When we arrived close to the glaciers, everyone would go outside and get a close look at them.

The glaciers were impressive, but we also really enjoyed the multitude of icebergs floating in the lake. They formed such beautiful shapes, some looking like human-made sculptures. Many were also brilliant blue, floating in blue-green water, set against our clear blue sky that day.

Perito Moreno

For our second day, we had wanted to book the tour to Perito Moreno glacier that including viewing, a boat ride, and then actually hiking on the glacier with crampons on our feet.

When we went to book, it was already full. We were disappointed, but sort of thought there must be a reason we shouldn’t go. That night, Rocky came down with major tummy troubles that lasted three days.

I decided to go on the guided tour to Perito Moreno without him. It’s the most famous of the glaciers in Argentina—because it advances rather than recedes—so I thought one of us should see it.

Two other girls from the hostel and I were picked up by the mini-van. We had about an hour drive to Parque Nacional los Glaciares, while our guide Ramon talked in Spanish, English and some French along the way. He was really funny, so it made the drive go faster.

When we arrived at the park, we stopped at a spot where boats took off from to see Perito Moreno up close. We had to wait 15-20 minutes to get on the boat and during that time it felt like my feet literally froze.

When we finally got on boat, all I could do for about 20 minutes was thaw my icy feet by the tiny little vent with hot air coming out. Once they thawed, I went out side to enjoy the glacier up close.

We were only looking at one small side of it from the boat. It wasn’t as impressive as what we saw later in the day, but I could see the trekkers walking up the glacier with their crampons on.

The fantastic views were at the next stop, where there were a few big balcony lookout points as well as a beautiful walkway through the trees.

During our two hours at the lookout ice fell from the glacier about ten times. The pieces that fall look so small compared to the glacier, yet when they land they make such a massive sound. Perito Moreno is one of the only glaciers in Argentina that is advancing, hence the falling of the ice.

It really was one of the most beautiful things I have seen on earth so far.

Click here to see all the Glacier photos.

Bariloche and Ruta de los Siete Lagos (7 Lakes)

2008-06-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

After an 18-hour trip on two buses we finally arrived in Bariloche, a very pretty lakeside town in the mountains.

We felt like we were in BC. It could have been a little ski resort town in the Kootenays, although the expensive shops and the new ski chalet style buildings made it feel a lot like Whistler as well.

And it was really cold. I thought I had enough layers on, but it felt like at least -5 degrees even though it appeared to only be 1 or maybe 0 degrees.

Our hostel was excellent here. It was called Penthouse 1004 and was on the tenth floor penthouse of the tallest building in the town. It had an incredible view of the lake and mountains around, a fabulous kitchen and a really friendly feel.

It’s funny when you first walk into a hostel. You look around hoping to see a friendly face among strangers, or in our case, anyone at all. We’ve been the only people in a few of the hostels in Argentina so far and it feels a bit weird and lonely.

Aside from the low cost, the reason we stay in hostels is to meet fellow travelers. So we were relieved to see two girls near our age in the common room when we arrived. But to our surprise, the hostel was bustling with activity that night. The kitchen was full of people cooking and chatting and there was lots of laughter and good times.

One traveler we met there, Joe from Orange County, got to Bariloche and decided that he would spend two years there. “Just ‘cause it’s a beautiful place”, he said.

He was working at the hostel temporarily and would spend most of his days writing at the table there. He had been laid off from Silicon Valley, so I guess he had some time on his hands.

Rocky and I spent one day just tooting around in the little town. I had heard that Bariloche was renowned for it’s chocolate so I was really looking forward to sampling. It was delicious, but they were really lacking in the dark cocoa varieties, which I’ve grown to love more.

We also spent the day urgently looking for another layer of clothing, mitts, hats and socks. It’s funny how 6 months ago we were planning a sun filled journey and now we find ourselves chasing winter.

And I have to mention that we ate one of the best meat sandwiches I will ever have. Essentially just chorizo sausage on a toasted baguette, Choripan, was served up to us for 1 dollar from a vendor in the park near our hostel.

Chorizo cooked to a perfect BBQ crisp with a spicy sauce drizzled over it on a fresh bun is really a flavor sensation! Yes, folks I will be trying that at home… once the overdose of white bread and too much red meat has worn off.

That’s right. As usually happens with prolonged travel, we are a little tired of the food. Even the steak.

Salads only ever consist of iceberg lettuce, foamy beefsteak tomato and white onions, all slathered with corn oil, vinegar and salt. It might be olive oil if you are lucky.

And the white bread!!!

I’m surprised there isn’t an epidemic of constipation in this country because all these people seem to eat is white bread, ham & cheese sandwiches, pizza, pasta and, of course, steak.

Almost every restaurant has the same menu. I kiss the ground when the salad menu extends beyond the above listed ingredients.

It’s funny that in the hospital in Thailand I was dreaming above pasta slathered in tomato sauce and cheese, and now I run screaming when I see the word “raviolis”. And I would pay $30 or more for a nice spicy red curry with veggies and rice. It’s all about the moderation.

Being Vancouverites, we are so lucky to have the multi-cultural array of foods that we do.

Ruta de los Siete Lagos

After spending a day in Bariloche, Rocky and I rented a car to drive the Seven Lakes route to a little town called San Martin de los Andes.

The road was gravel or dirt for the most part, and passed by at least seven of the lakes in the region. We had lots of fun driving in our 4x4 Ford Echo.

We spent the night in a really cold room in “grandma’s house” in San Martin. It was another cute little ski town like a much smaller, quainter version of Bariloche. Not too much going on there for us though, since the town was really quiet just before the start of the ski season.

The next day the route took us through an even more rugged dirt road where we didn’t see a single car, and passed a handful of estancias (farms) along the way.

I was most impressed by the rock formations and the rivers that we passed along the way. I think Rocky most enjoyed being able to drive a somewhat challenging road in a 4x4.

Click here to see all the photos.

Mendoza

2008-06-08T14:35:00.001-07:00

I was really looking forward to Mendoza. We had heard so many good reviews about it. Unfortunately it would have been better earlier in the Fall, when the leaves were just turning and it was *warmer*.

As with every other country we've been this year, the weather was freaky. It was around zero degrees and we have snow our first full day in Mendoza.

Fortunately for us, there are hot springs outside the town a ways in a place called Cacheuta. Cacheuta was a somewhat depressing little town on a deserted railway line and when we arrived, it took us and some other tourists about half an hour to locate the thermal baths.

There was both public access, as well as a hotel that had a nice day package with bathing, a buffet lunch and a massage at the end... Which do you think Rocky and I were looking for?

Anyway, you would think a hotel would have a sign at the entrance of it, but no. It appeared they went to great lengths to make the hotel as difficult to find as possible. We ended up walking through someone's backyard and down some rickety stairs and into the servants quarters to access the hotel.

But we found it!

The baths were really hot and soothing. The setting was very pretty too. The lunch was delicious! And the massages were... okay, but what do you expect for twenty bucks. Ultimately, it was a great way to spend a snowy day in Mendoza!

Wine tasting
The next day was cold, but sunny, so at least we were able to do the wine tasting tour. It wasn't really an organized tour, just bike rentals along with a map of the winery locations.

We took a bus out to a suburb called Maipu where many of the vineyards are. At the bike rental shop we met up with some girls from our hostel, two Americans and one Swiss girl.

The going was very slow at the start as one of the Americans didn't know how to ride a bike?! She decided to just stay and drink at the first vineyard we hit.

We ended up just having time to visit two wineries: Tempo Sur and Familia di Tomasso. I wouldn't say I loved any wines that we tried... especially not the award winning ones seeing as I dislike the taste of Oak in wine.

But it was fun. The two wineries were totally different, one modern and snobby, the other totally old school, family run and very friendly.

I really feel like our day did not Mendoza any justice, so maybe we'll return in the early fall or spring one day.

For the full Mendoza photo album, click here.

More BsAs, Rosario and Colonia in Uruguay

2008-05-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Milonga

As I mentioned before we went to a fun Milonga (tango party) at an Armenian Community Centre in Palermo Viejo. The night was called "La Viruta" and here are some pics and video.

Milonga in Palermo Viejo from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

A favorite Argentine restaurant near Palermo Viejo

We had a few great lunches at Hermann’s. It was a great place for people watching and observing how the local’s do it.

Little old ladies sat and had lunch and drank their coffee or tea and on Sunday it was especially busy with families, kind of like a Buenos Aires White Spot…

One sight that we found funny happened near closing time. A big roast with raviolis in it was set out on a large table. At first I thought it was a huge family order, but then we realized it was the meal for the staff.

One server was opening bottles of red wine for the table with a huge smile on his face. This was when we realized it must be for the staff. Why else would he look so happy? Then they sat down to eat, signalling that the restaurant was closing and it was time for them to have their lunch.

In this little movie of Hermann’s, he is the man on the right. Looks like he enjoys his food!

Hermann's Restaurant in Buenos Aires from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Speaking of Food, this was a sight we had at the Supermarket...

Rosario: Kind of a Bust

The Lonely Planet raved about a smaller town called Rosario, claiming it was the perfect Argentine city. We took the 4-hour bus ride over to visit and were really underwhelmed.

The main architectural sight of this town of about one million is the Monument of the Flag, which holds the original Argentine flag. Oh yeah, it was also the birthplace of Che Guevara. Other than that we didn’t feel it had much to offer.

Another bummer was that two of the most highly recommended restaurants from the guidebook did not exist anymore. According to the hotel concierge, they were “broken”.

Part of the problem was that we weren’t there in the right season. It seems that the author of the LP guide must have been drawn to the bustling, riverside beaches of summer while we, of course, were there at the end of their autumn. Surprisingly, Rosario was unusually hot and humid for this time of year, so Rocky and I were wearing shorts and t-shirts and still sweating.

We took the cab a ways out of town to have a look at the beach. Since it was warm there were some people doing the beach thing, so we did manage to see some cute little Argentine bums in thong bikini’s. Rocky definitely understood how this could be an excellent place in the summer!

The best part Rosario was that 'Husband' wanted a break from hosteling, so we stayed at a nice hotel in the downtown core. Apparently a four-star hotel, it was more like Holiday Inn, very simple but clean and spacious.

We enjoyed it very much and got rid of that gritty feeling that hostels can sometimes leave you with. I enjoyed the huge Jacuzzi tub both nights. It felt like a well-deserved splurge at that point.

Oh yeah, one other highlight was on our walk through Parque Urquiza. We came across the boche court where the old men were gathered for a tournament. You can really hear the Italian influence in the way they are speaking.

Boche in Parque Urquiza, Rosario, Argentina from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Boche in Parque Urquiza, Rosario, Argentina from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Colonia del Sacramento

We caught a bus back to Buenos Aires and then a boat to Colonia in Uruguay. Colonia is just across an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean from B.A. The trip was an hour by fast ferry.

We stayed overnight at an HI Hostel called Hostel Colonial and there was a cute, playful doggie there that I liked. His name was Oso (bear in English) and we made friends and played fetch a bit. He was super friendly, but even still Rocky said “Watch out for rabies!”

The next morning we had a bit of a scare as there was this sign that said something like “Prevent Against Dengue!” So we had to ask a few people what the Dengue status was, which was apparently nada and the sign was just for prevention. They had a few cases in the past.

Colonia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was a real treat. It used to be a Portuguese colony with buildings dating from the mid 1600’s. The entrance to the town was an actual drawbridge, and I found myself whistling the theme song to “The Friendly Giant” as we passed through.

Inside the town there were cute little side streets with lots of photos ops. We walked through the main plaza and looked at some of the little museums and “typical” houses from the time of the Portuguese colonies.

We had lunch at a cool place called The Drugstore. Actually I had my first cheese fondue ever there and it was delicious! We dipped various vegetables and bread into a really tasty cheese mix.

I also tried my first mate (matay), which is a really popular South American tea sipped through a metal straw from a decorated gourd. It was interesting, pretty good, but quite strong and smoky. According to our Lonely Planet guide, about 92% of the population of Argentina drink this regularly.

Other than that, I’ll let the pics of Colonia speak for themselves. There were lots of dogs in the town, hence all the doggy photos.

View Colonia photos here.

Buenos Aires

2008-05-17T17:12:00.001-07:00

Rocky and I have been in Buenos Aires for a week and a half now. We've stayed in two hostels in different neighbourhoods to get a feel for different areas.

To cut to the chase, click on this link to see photos (Facebook account NOT necessary).

First we were in San Telmo staying at the Garden House Art Factory hostel -- www.artfactoryba.com.ar. We had a fantastic experience there because of the friendly people that we met from various places.

Actually, it was one of the best hostel experiences for both Rocky and I. Breakfast was placed at a low round table in the central room. It was easy to meet people that way and see who was coming and going. The hostel was also a bit chilly, so people gathered 'round the gas fireplace and chatted in the evenings.

The people we met were really great. There was a couple from Neuquen province in Argentina who were just up for a few days for a conference. They were super friendly and helpful in teaching us the Argentine ways of the asado (bbq), Castellano (their version of Spanish), and their exceedingly late hours for eating and going out. They were Alejandro and Faviana.

I met a gal from Montreal who gave me some tips for our stay in June/July there.

We had a great time with new friends, Neil and Joni. Joni is originally from Vancouver and Neil from London. They met traveling and now live in London but are moving back to Van in the next few weeks actually.

They shared stories of other travels, of their great time at a Buenos Aires soccer game, and also were great company at the Cafe Tortoni tango show and weekend stroll through the park in Palermo neighbourhood. We hope to see them again in Vancouver.

There were also two German guys traveling solo. They were really interesting.

One was bound for great things, we think, as he was only twenty but incredibly mature, interesting, was fluent in Spanish from a year's home stay in Costa Rica, and was taking a Spanish prep course to prepare him for studies in Economics at the University outside of Buenos Aires. Oh yeah, and he studied Latin in high school... nuff said.

The other German guy was hilariously funny as he talked about his travels all over the world this past year, of living in a tent in Africa for a month and eating goat brains because it was too dark to see what it was. He said his hosts there were so excited to bring 'meat' back from the town.

There was also an Aussie gal from Sydney named Alicia, who was sadly was having terrible luck in her first week of traveling alone for six months in South America.

Firstly, she mistakenly went the wrong way around the world. The ticket was cheap but she didn't realize that it went from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur to Cape Town to somewhere else to Buenos Aires. She said it took her 32 hours... yuck!

Then she left her Visa in an ATM and someone had already purchased something on it after an hour. Then her little wallet was stolen out of her purse. I think her spirits were a bit low when we hung out with her.

After five nights we left the Garden House because San Telmo was a bit of a sleepy area after dark. We were lured to the hip, bustling neighbourhood of Palermo Viejo. It could best be described as Main Street x Yaletown + a hint of Commercial Drive.

There are so many funky restaurants, awesome shopping, cool bars and an always busy plaza in Palermo Viejo. It has been a good switch from San Telmo even though we've been a bit lonely in this hostel that has been empty for most of the time. This one is called Giramondo Suites (sister hostel to Giramondo Youth hostel) -- hostelgiramondo.com.ar.

Carolina, our host, was great. The first day I bought a few bananas and four oranges and was charged 14 pesos (5 dollars CAD). I figured I had been ripped off and she concurred. She proceeded to drag me back down the block so that she could chew out the young shop keep for ripping off her patrons. She got my money back so I ended up paying the real price which ended up being one fifth of the original price.

After we got back to the hostel her face was flushed and she told me to feel her pulse. It was racing and she told me some Argentine people who are corrupt like that really make her blood boil! It was awesome!

Our favorite havens from the ubiquitous pizza, pasta and steaks have been Bar Uriarte, Bio Organic restaurant (absolutely the best salad of my life!!!) and Cumana.

We have also had some great steaks and pastas at Hermann's at Santa Fe and Armenia, La Dorita in Palermo Hollywood, and a local Parilla in San Telmo. Parilla means not only can you get choice cuts of steak, but also kidneys, tripe and intestines grilled to perfection. Parillas are everywhere!

It's funny when you travel how food becomes such an important focus. Without it, one's energy is sapped--and hey, I love food. Rocky chuckles because I love to have a running commentary going as I decide what I'm going to eat.

Highlights in Buenos Aires So Far

Tango!
We went with Jodi and Neil to a Tango Show at the historic Cafe Tortoni. I must say that I didn't really understand tango nor have an appreciation of it before this, but it really captivated me.

It was more like a theatre show, a short musical of sorts, but the dancing was really good and the music was hauntingly beautiful, not to mention the violin player herself. Rocky and I would both like to take some tango classes while we are here.

San Telmo Antique Fair
Lots of cool stuff and interesting people to see here. And of course more Tango!

Tango Dancers in San Telmo Antique Fair from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

There was also a Guacho (Argentine rancher) who part of the show. He was kind of a hunk!

Gaucho at Cafe Tortoni from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Check out the photos for more details.

An Authentic Milonga (tango party)
One of our Buenos Aires Time Out suggestions for a Friday night milonga turned out to be a really excellent one.

I knew we were in the right place because two of the performers from our Tortoni tango show were there, one dancing on the crowded dance floor and the other--the according player--studied intently as the live tango band played for the dancing crowd.

The milonga was also taking place in the basement of the local Armenian Community Centre, so it was even more legit.

Recolata Cementario

Highlights wouldn't be complete without a mention of the beautiful and eerie Recoleta Cemetary.

Inside the crypts we could see caskets stacked on shelves and eerie little staircases leading down below the ground.

The cobwebs were so ancient. Some of the statues and tombstone message were really beautiful.

Many more photos of this here.

Viva Argentina!

2008-04-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Rocky and I have now recovered from our tropical diseases. It has taken me this long to feel like writing about it.

I had Dengue Fever and was in and out of a Phuket hospital over a period of ten days. While I was in hospital Rocky managed to contract Chicken Pox. Chicken Pox???

Here we are in our respective weakened conditions...

So upon our return to Vancouver, Rocky had to spend almost a week in bed with fever and the spots. It was such a blow for us and we sincerely felt cursed. I felt like the world had chewed us up and spat us out.

It also seemed so ridiculous that we spent a wad of cash getting shots for Rabies and J. Encephalitis, only to have him get the Chicken Pox. The Chicken Pox vaccine would have been easy and most children get it these days.

I suggested to the Travel Clinic that that would be a simple question to ask people whether they’ve had it or not, but alas it’s a “family doctor” issue not a travel related one.

Hmm, doctors here haven’t seen it in at least 20 years yet Rocky catches it in Thailand. Definitely not travel related!

Anyway… rant, rant, rant. What would my Buddhist garden have to say about this? Oh yeah, something like “As you sow so you reap” or “Today is better than two tomorrows”. Yes!

We are trying to look ahead now, not dwell on the past. It is hard to have a wrench thrown into big plans, but as a few people here have reassured us… there is a reason for it all.

One of our reasons for coming back was family. It was hard to be so many, many miles away from everyone who cared about us when I was in the hospital. Phone calls were our lifeline—literally—as it was my dad that verbally ordered me back into the hospital after hearing the results of my blood tests, as well as my other symptoms.

So after my Dengue had subsided, my damaged liver had almost regenerated and we had rested up in a hotel in Phuket Town, we hopped back on a plane home.

We questioned for a moment whether it was necessary to come all the way home after I had seemingly recovered, but I knew at that point all I wanted was family, friends and the familiar.

On the plane from Hong Kong to Vancouver, aside from being delirious from lack of sleep and stressful travel, I was so full of emotion and happiness that we were coming home to everyone we loved.

We stayed first at my parents for a few days and then at Jon’s parents, which is where he first started to feel his fever come on. He spent about a week in bed there.

After staying at our parents’ we made a beeline for Hornby Island, where we fully chilled out for about ten days. Sis ‘n law Jenny joined us for a while, as well as Ian (the best man), Becky and some of her friends.

Hornby was the perfect place to relax. We had breakfast’s at Jan’s Café, went for hikes up Mt Geoffrey, and did lots of fireside lounging.

After Hornby, we moved to a few different house sitting gigs in Vancouver; one in a West End apartment with Meeka the Countess, one in a Cambie coach house with DeeDee the Lion Cat, and lastly a fantastic mansion on the hill above Spanish Banks.

We were truly lucky and thankful to have all of these places to stay over our two months in Vancouver. Rocky did a month’s work at his old job at Western Post and I did a little work for a client as well.

During our time in Vancouver, we also did a few touristy things like head up to Whistler, rent bikes on the sea wall, as well as catch up with friends. It was good to fully rest up and plot a new course for the Honeymoon.

So our next stop is Argentina!

We are currently in Montreal where we have stayed a few days to break up the trip and we fly out tonight to Buenos Aires. On June 20, we return to Montreal to spend three weeks here for Jazz Fest and Comedy Fest.

We are excited about the trip and have received lots of promising tips for what to do in Argentina and Montreal. We welcome any other ideas from any of you!

I am especially excited that we do not need to worry about any mosquito-borne illnesses there, as long as we avoid the northern part of the country.

We are looking forward to exploring hip Buenos Aires, taking a tango class or two, visiting the Mendoza wine region, braving cooler weather in Patagonia, and maybe even Tierra del Fuego. Apparently the Argentine people are very friendly and full of life, too!

Hasta pronto, amigos!

Thailand: Chiang Mai

2008-02-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

Overall we really liked Chiang Mai. Although there are apparently about 1.6 million people, it had a small town feel.

In the old part of town where we stayed there weren't any highrises at all. Just homes with a guest house, restaurant, cooking school, store, or massage parlor attached. Thai people invented the phrase "home based business"!

For the complete set of Photos for Chiang Mai, go here.

We did the obligatory temple visit, to a temple dating to around the 1300's. One you've seen one or two, they all start to look the same.

The part I enjoy most about visiting temples is the tranquil garden beside the building where the shade offers respite from the heat and we can ponder messages like the below while listening to the trance inducing chant of monks.

This part made Buddhism seem really appealing.

Cooking Class!

We went to a cooking class at Baan Thai Cooking school here in Chiang Mai. Like most other businesses in the old town part of Chiang Mai, the cookery school was actually part of a family home.

Cooking class was really fun and we had a great teacher, a young woman named Boom, who spoke English very well and taught us a little Thai. Fish sauce is "Nam Bplah", literally "Water Fish".

On the side of the house, there was a row of six cooking stations with a small gas stove, a wok, and other supplies.

Beside that was a room where we sat on the ground or small stools preparing our vegetables and curry paste.

At the front of the house was a room with a low table where we sat and ate the dishes we prepared.

The funny thing about cooking class was that over the course of about four hours we prepared and thus had to eat five thai dishes including one very rich Penang Curry with rice. And for some reason they even felt that we needed a snack of sticky rice and fruit before we commenced the cooking and eating!

Our menu consisted of:

- Snack of sticky rice with banana, dragon fruit and coconut jello
- Thai style Pad Thai (not at all like the North American version)
- Tom Yam Soup (Hot and Spicy Soup with Shrimp) -- YUM!
- Sweet and Sour Stir Fry with Chicken
- Penang Curry with Chicken and Rice
- Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice (a common thai dessert)

We were basically rolled out of there and opted for transportation home, though it was only a five minute walk away.

At cooking class we had fun chatting with a Swede named Nicholas, and an American couple from Port Townsend, named Mike and Janice--all super nice, laid back people.

One surprise at cooking class was that we started out learning vegetable carving, basically making garnishes for our first dish of Pad Thai. We had a lot of laughs doing that as it was really fine work and we also learned that Thai children learn vegetable carving in primary school. They also "learn" how to eat spicy food.

Our teacher, Boom, really impressed upon me how important food and food presentation is to the Thai people.

Making the curry paste was really interesting. On our little tree trunk cutting boards and with big meat cleavers, the six of us chopped up ingredients including garlic, galangal ginger, lemongrass, kafir lime leaf and peel, and red chilis.

We chopped for about 10 minutes making it as fine as we could and then dumped it all into one very large mortar. Boom told us we were learning to be good Thai wives as we pounded the ingredients with the pestle. Phew!

After about 15 minutes of pounding we had an acceptable paste, so we each took a ball, some magic Penang powder, a glob of honey-like palm sugar and went to make our curry. We stirred all the ingredients into boiling coconut milk, added chicken, onion, and voila! Our curry was ready in about three minutes.

It was the most delicious Penang curry I've ever had!

Flower Festival

We timed our visit to Chiang Mai well, as we got to see the Flower Festival parades, with beauty queen contenders riding gorgeous, intricately adorned floats.

We didn't fully appreciate what we were seeing until the parade ended at the park and we were able to inspect up close how each little flower was pinned onto the gigantic floats. Rocky estimated it would have taken months of work to create these, but of course the flowers would wilt, so realistically it was probably done over one or two days by many many hands.

The pictures will speak for themselves.

For more Festival photos go here.

Thailand: Bangkok

2008-01-31T21:24:00.000-08:00

Well we finally arrived into Thailand starting in Bangkok. As usual, I find a busy city quite overwhelming and we had to go door to door looking for a room as Rambuttri was full at 10pm in the evening.

We settled on the first place we could find, which was a total dump, but next morning we were able to muscle our way into Rambuttri Village Inn near Kao San Rd.

This place was heaven. Very clean, super nice pool on the roof, and very convenient location to lots of shopping, great food for $1 a plate just outside our door, and lots of other traveler focused services.

Here is Rocky lounging in the pool.

Over our three days in Bangkok we were asked at least 20 times by the same 4 people if we needed a tailor, perhaps a suit made?

For Bangkok photos click here. (anyone can view, no need for Facebook acct)

Kao San Rd was crazier that I expected!!! It has a real riff raff Camden feel to it, with lots of loud bars, loud techno blaring from pirated music vendors, lots of scary looking street food, mountains of noodles, and endless stuff to buy.

We are still working on how to correctly upload videos to YouTube but will have a great one of Kao San Rd soon.

We loved our little Soi (sidestreet) that we stayed on. It was so much more laid back and pretty than Kao San. There are wheeled fruit, drink and noodle carts going by at all times, lots of people on scooters trying to get by, and of course every ten feet is a tuk tuk driver trying to get you into his death trap little vehicle.

There was a monastery/temple nearby and once of the days we could hear this repetitive chanting so we decided to check it out.

It was some kind of service on a Wednesday afternoon. We went inside and didn't see any other non-thais so we kneeled at the back of the temple and tried to blend in. I reminded Rocky not to point his feet toward the Buddha, as feet are the most dirty part.

Some highlights from Bangkok include the following:

Palace Visit

The Royal Family's main palace in Bangkok is open for tourists and there are some beautiful temples and sculptures of other temples on the grounds. We took the chance to take lots of photos there.

Click here to see more temple photos.

There were lots of Thai people who were actually there to worship. They dress very "respectfully" and quite formal all in black. We were in awe of their ability not to pass out from the heat.

While at the temple, Rocky and I both got interviewed by Thai students for their English class. It didn't seem like they understood much of our responses and they were so nervous.

Boat Ride

One of the means of transportation in Bangkok is to take a boat down the Chao Phraya river. We hopped on that and really enjoyed the fast trip down the river.

The skipper blew a whistle many times when approaching a stop, and then he'd leap onto the dock while the boat was still traveling quite fast. People scurried off and scurried on. There was also a designated space on the boat for monks to stand.

We got off and transfered to the Skytrain, which is very modern and clean. We took our friend Andrew's advice and went to a restaurant called Face Bar.

Face Bar - http://www.facebars.com/

We had a most delicious and very out of our budget meal here (main dishes cost similar to what they would in Vancouver). They had both an Indian restaurant and a Thai restaurant in different parts of the restaurant, we chose Indian for a change of pace.

It was the best Indian we've had and also had an incredible atmosphere. It's kind of what I would imagine a Tibetan mountain lodge to be like--dark wood, candlelit, high ceilings and lots of different levels and rooms. There were beautiful little details like orchids floating in water and very, very old asian antiques. We were impressed!

World's Largest Reclining Buddha

Yes, we saw it! How random you might be thinking...The significance of the reclining buddha is that it was the position he was in just before reaching Nirvana... I guess I reach Nirvana every night!

After looking at the buddha we walked along a long corridor where people dropped a small coin into each of the roughly 50 little metal jars lining the corridor. The tinkling sound like rain on a tin roof filled the temple.

Siam Center

For the most part Bangkok was pretty rough around the edges, but the more expensive hotel and shopping area had two very modern malls. We were looking for an extension chord and a laptop lock, so ventured there to peruse.

This was a very different Thailand, one very similar to what we might see when going to the mall. Mostly young teens shopping, but tourists here and there. We had dinner at a so-so Japanese restaurant, but the Green Tea Ice Cream Shakes were to die for!

We found our extension chord and laptop lock and then sat in massage chairs for about 15 minutes. Hey, tired travelers need some R and R...

An Oliphaunt!

One of the highlights for me was seeing an elephant on the street we were staying on. It was a baby elephant, but already well trained by his very young master who looked about 15 years old.

I bought some sugar cane from him to feed the elephant with. The long trunk was already inside the bag before I had time to get a piece out.

I was laughing a lot and it was also cool to see other people's reactions who had clearly never seen an elephant before. They seem like really sweet animals and we are really looking forward to an elephant ride when we go to Pai.

Check out the pics we've put up as they tell more of the story of Bangkok. Videos will be coming soon.

Hong Kong

2008-01-26T21:34:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Hong Kong (actually Kowloon) with a fairly easy bus ride from the airport. Got to our corner and were faced with signage overload and a fear ran through me that we had been scammed and our hostel didn’t exist.

The Rocky noticed a small sign beside a door with Dragon Hostel on it. Phew!

Click here to see photos of Hong Kong. (anyone can view these)

First morning there

Rocky and I walked down Nathan Rd. to Temple Street where we visited a gorgeous old temple. There were people praying there, which involved lighting incense and moving it in a rapid praying fashion.

This guy was jamming on a cowbell in the corner while his buddy chanted along. Sorry the video is sideways! I'm just learning that I can't do that!

We made it down to the harbour where we caught the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong proper. The waters edge is lined thick with some of the tallest buildings we’ve ever seen but with the mountain behind it reminded us of Vancouver.

There was lots of money on this side. Lots of suits going for lunch at Prêt a Manger in one of the ritziest malls we’ve ever been in.

We didn’t do much on this side because it was raining and we were really cold. Packing for Thailand had not included a warm jacket.

We went for foot massages and called it a day.

Had dinner later in the night market at a sit down place on the street. Very tasty chicken with cashew nuts and noodles!

To our surprise, prices in Hong Kong are lower than in Vancouver for food, clothing, electronics, transportation, and probably more.

Things here run very efficiently. We haven’t waited longer than 2 minutes for a bus, train or boat. The people are very impatient as I fish through my coin purse at the till.

Our waitress brought the bill and stood there over me while I found the money. She had cleverly anticipated that I would be paying with a $100 HK note, and promptly whipped out the correct change. Even though the restaurant is empty, there is no time to waste!

At another restaurant I dropped my chopsticks and didn’t think anyone had noticed. About a minute later I had a new pair of chopsticks in my hand.

Everywhere the people are operating at maximum velocity. As my dad would say, the productivity of the people here--at least that we’ve seen--is very high! They make North America look like a joke.

You gotta give it to the Chinese for not being self conscious either. Belching, farting and hocking loogies are totally acceptable wherever you are!

Second morning
Happy Birthday Rocky!

We had a hankering to see Macao, China’s new acquisition from the Portuguese. Old colonial architecture, winding streets, delicious food and of course... Casinos!

This is the Vegas of China.

The official languages are Cantonese and Portuguese. Bem vindo!

Macanese (half Portuguese, half Chinese) are less than five percent but there is Portuguese signage everywhere.

Rocky had a brilliant idea to catch a free shuttle from the ferry terminal to the Wynn Casino. This got us within walking distance of the town and conveniently we arrived just in time for the show in the lobby. [video]

We went to lunch in the café and were quietly placed in the rear of the restaurant with the other whities. Only Chinese people in the front of the restaurant.

We had an out of this world delicious Macanese dish called African chicken and then I sang happy birthday to Rocky.

We got to see high society Chinese having a blast at the Casino. One table was very loud, a huge crowd of people around it, and as each card was dealt everyone yelled and slammed a hand on the table. It looked like a lot of fun.

Yelapa

2008-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

Rocky and I just got back from a wonderful little overnight trip to Yelapa, a town accessible only by boat just outside of Puerto Vallarta. We took a roughly half-hour bus ride (for 50 cents) South to Boca de Tomatlan where we caught a boat to Yelapa for roughly $6.

The boat ride was about 20 minutes. It was really fun, an open air boat with super horsepower motors. The highlight of the boat ride was that we saw a whale!!

It was jumping so much for us and the boat driver got really close and slowed down for about 5-10 minutes. Rocky took a great video of it which I will post soon!

Along the way we passed a few other small beach towns nestled among craggy cliffs, and then finally arrived to Yelapa.

Yelapa is a tiny town with probably less than 1,000 people. It seems even smaller because the houses are all packed together and so many people live in one house. There are no cars, no roads, just a foot path through the town with burro's (donkey's) being the way to transport heavy goods such as water, large propane tanks, food, etc.

Yelapa feels like another world. Rocky marveled at how short a trip from Vancouver could be to get to such a different, secluded little world. 5 hour plane ride, 20 min cab from airport, 40 minute boat ride from downtown PV... and voila! Maybe even a weekend getaway?

Our boat dropped us off right in front of Casas de Isabel where we stayed overnight. Our accommodation was the Gatehouse, a little tree fort right above a small rocky beach with crashing waves. The Gatehouse has a double bed hanging on a platform that hangs from the bamboo frame (I think this is so Scorpions do not crawl into bed with you). It also has a hammock, a table and chairs, a small kitchenette with a propane camp stove, and a rustic seldom hot water shower. Very rustic indeed, but we enjoyed it a lot.

Once we got settled by Isabel's lovely, very off-the-grid assistant we headed through the little pueblo over to the beach. In Yelapa, there isn't a helluvalot to do but that is part of the beauty of it. When at the beach you can go Para-sailing ("Want to fly or get high?" they ask), go swimming, enjoy the food at the very similar row of restaurants on the beach.

You can also take a burro ride or walk to the waterfalls. There were quite a few people Para-gliding from the mountain above as well. The wind got high on day 2 and someone apparently crashed in the woods but made it out unharmed.

Rocky and I relaxed on the beach and ordered up quesadillas con pollo, Negra Modelo and limonadas.

Clouds rolled in, so we walked back to our little tree fort and I lay in the hammock and read my book. Rocky experimented with our new camera for the trip. It's a hard life!

Here is a video of me walking thru the town of Yelapa from the beach to our little place.

A few hours later we went into town and had dinner at Pollo Bollo, a place that Isabel had recommended. We saw her and her friends eating there, so that really was a good sign. Again, it was pretty standard fair. Chicken, ribs and seafood cooked in garlic. Standard Mexican food is really similar--meat that comes with a portion of beans, rice, warmed tortilla and a little salad. Often a fresh tomato and cilantro salsa with tortilla chips to start.

This was a pretty hoppin' spot with a large table of hippy folk, snowbird gringo's and of course some minor dog fights. The flan was pretty tasty too but not quite as creamy as I usually enjoy.

After dinner we took a stroll through town. It seemed really sleepy and perhaps slightly boring at night, but I spoke too soon--Rocky had a vision.

He was hoping to walk to the beach to find a beach fire, but we missed the steps down to the beach and continued on behind the beach a ways into the marshy lands. After walking about 10 minutes we heard funky beats and young people laughing.

We stumbled upon Oasis, a really nice little resort that had a beautifully lit outdoor bar. Walked in and there was a young guy and girl from Ontario serving drinks. DJ Grapenuts from Bellingham, WA was on the decks (well laptop actually) and he was playing some great dub and downtempo. We were stoked to find this hidden gem!

After sipping on peppermint tea, somebody lit a fire. Rocky got his campfire after all. We joined a group of 6 dudes who were from Squamish, Victoria, Ontario and a few very americanized Mexicans. Small world!

Being around the campfire reminded us of good ol' Oliver Crescent, our home before our current one in Kits. Fires are so comforting, and it was actually pretty chilly out. We learned that the folks from Bellingham were actually a group of friends who had decided to start a traveling circus and tour around in their diesel-turned-veggie-oil-powered bus. How groovy!

After the bar closed at around midnight, we followed the group to the Yacht Club, Yelapa's restaurant disco. When we arrived they were playing some sassy salsa beats, but the mix soon turned to the epic 80's rock medley that seemed to get all the 50 somethings dancing. A three dog play fight ensued on the dance floor. Gotta love those Mexican dogs!

We said bye to our gringo friends and got the hell outta there.

Next morning went for french toast and fruit at an internet cafe where two other women were sitting with their mac laptops. You can run but you can't hide!

A little boy drove his toy motorbike over our table and got a piggy back ride from another gringo guy. Lots of laughter and lots of really loud, obnoxious music very early in the morning in Mexico!

For the rest of the day I lounged on the beach while Rocky got an excruciating accu-pressure treatment near our casa. Then we caught the 4pm boat from the beach and headed back to town.

Yelapa is definitely one of those places you should spend a night in at some point in your life. It really forces you to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n.

San Miguel de Allende

2008-01-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

We just spent 4 nights in San Miguel de Allende, a town in the province of Guanajuato (Wannawhatoe), where Rocky's parent's long time friend, Sona, and her mother, Maman, live.

We first flew into Puerto Vallarta and then hopped on the very comfortable and highly recommended ETN bus to Guadalajara (a 5-hour ride). From there we had to take another 5.5 hour bus to San Miguel. After 11 hours on a bus you definitely feel a bit queezy, but the saving grace was how comfortable the bus was.

We basically had beds to lie on for our 11-hour ride. Our buses at home have two seats on either side, but these seats were so wide that they could only fit two and one. There was also so much space between the seats ahead and behind that we could almost fully recline, and there was a full leg rest. Can you tell that Rocky and I were stoked about such a comfortable ride?

I will say that it's still really hard to pee on a bouncing bus though!

We finally made it to Sona's house which is, to say the least, palatial. Persian rugs and Sona's art adorn the main floor. There is an incredible view from the patio onto the town of San Miguel. The downstairs, accessible by a glass staircase, is kind of like the ultimate performance or party space. It's also got a movie theatre, a lap pool and a bar.

For our first day in San Miguel we went to the Tuesday market on top of the hill above the town. It mostly basurra (garbage as Sona liked to call it) but there were lots of bright colors, yummy smells and of course, loud distorted music playing.

Click here for more photos of our San Miguel visit.

Our Honeymoon Itinerary

2008-01-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

We left Vancouver on January 5th for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We've got another week in Mexico and then we're back in Vancouver on Jan. 21st and 22nd.

On Jan 23rd, we will leave for Hong Kong for three nights and then Thailand on Jan 27th. Right now our plan is to spend a few days in Bangkok until we get tired of the city, and then we'll see what else is out there.

Our only set dates are Feb 13th - Feb 17th on Koh Samui at the Jungle Club (thanks Janet!) and then a week on Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party which, I believe, is Feb 22nd that month.

We've got a tourist visa for Vietnam from Feb 25th until about April 7th.

After that we want to check out the surrounding countries of Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and maybe Singapore (if only for the Singapore Airlines experience!) but we don't have any set dates there.

We've received lots of great tips so far and if you do think of something that we should check out, please let us know!