Week 13: Shanghai & Yangshou, China (May 27th – June 4th)
(May 27 – 29th)
On Tuesday evening we boarded a plane from Beijing to Shanghai which was severely delayed by a few hours due to weather and therefore we touched down at about 1am in Shanghai. Because every flight was delayed, we were greeted outside the airport by the longest taxi line we have ever seen. Rows and rows of people all exhausted, tired, and speaking languages we could not understand. It was apparent that Shanghai is quite the international city. After an hour of waiting, our taxi driver sped us into town at about 90 mph – I was clutching my seat belt around every curve. Excited to be checked into our hotel we turned in for the night and awaited a new day in a new city.
Shanghai has some of the most beautiful and interesting architecture in the world, so on our first day in this big city we decided to head to Xanadi Square for a small lunch. Shanghai has built many small “cities” within a city, all complete with ridiculously large shopping malls. The Chinese LOVE to shop, and there are millions of them. Consequently China has about 40 cities with a million or more people. Shanghai is one of the larger cities and therefore boasts “many many” (as the Chinese would say) street markets. We spent the rest of our day wandering through secret doorways and side streets in Shanghai’s markets and passing by the endless amount of street vendors selling everything from roast octopus on a stick to Chinese fans. Not only does Shanghai have entire streets dedicated to shopping but also entire streets dedicated to food. Our hotel was located near one and so we wandered over at night when Shanghai comes alive with fluorescent lights that beckon you to each restaurant. We decided to eat at a 3 story Chinese restaurants complete with tanks full of fish and sorts, all ready to be cooked and brought directly to our plates. As seeing our dinner before we ate it did not sit right, we opted for chicken and noodles instead.
The next day we sought out a local ferry to take us to Dongtan – an island near Shanghai where the first “green” city in the world will be built. Construction has not begun on the island as of yet, a few small villages and vast wetlands are all that exist at the moment. We spend the afternoon exploring the untouched island taking pictures and writing down bits of information for an article Patrick will write about Dongtan. In one of the “bird sanctuaries” we are not able to spot any birds but we do happen upon the strangest animals I have ever seen. Little fish in shallow muddy water with two feet! The strangest things with big round eyeballs on the tops of their heads, they looked like they were straight out of an episode in the Simpsons. My guess they are mutants because of the high amount of pollutants in China’s air and water.
(May 30th – June 2nd)
In continuing Patrick’s quest for “green” interviews to add to his growing bank of intelligent articles, we stop by Arup’s Shanghai offices. To fill you in, Arup is one of the biggest architectural firms in the world, with their recent claim to fame being the Beijing 2008 Olympic “bubble building” – we even got to view the model at their offices. They have offices all over the world that employ some of the most creative architectural minds, and thankfully it only took a little convincing for Patrick to meet with the project manager for 20 minutes. Great Success!
We spend the rest of the day exploring different parts of Shanghai and marveling at the contrasts between old and new. The city exhibits so much modernity, but at the same time you can turn a corner and an ancient temple sits in front of newly built skyscrapers in the background. Our exploration was capped off by Patrick confronting a candy shop owner who over charged us for gummy bears we didn’t even want. Are you sensing a pattern here? The Chinese love to cut corners and are sneaky about charging you that extra Chinese Yuan, but we are catching up to you! That evening we ate at a vegetarian restaurant, these are popular and everywhere in China, serving up all the “mock” meat you can think of – chicken, duck, pork etc. We ordered the chicken and I swear it tasted like corn dogs, strange.
The next day we indulged ourselves in more architecture, as this city was handing it out by the handful. We strolled “The Bund” which is famous in Shanghai and host some of the most ridiculous buildings you have seen along the river. The skyline is outrageous, you could literally stare for hours at the space age lights, and we did. We took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel which takes you underground and “through” the river to the other side. Below ground was a whole tram system set up to carry you from one side to the other through electric lights and laser beam shows. Still, the best part was just to mosey down the concrete path by the water and check out the action. We also fit in some cute couple shots, awww!
Today we fly to Guillin to make our trek to Yangshou. But the journey would not be complete without a quiet meal disturbed by my “new friend” who decided that our table was also hers. While I am finishing my drink she slams her bags down and takes a seat, and in my head I am thinking “How nice of you to join us!” Patrick could not help but take a picture, she does not look too happy. We laugh every time we look at it.
(June 2 -4th)
From Guillin we are able to make our way to the quite mountain town of Yangshou, China. After spending the last few weeks in large cities we decided we needed and break and so we headed for the countryside. What we didn’t know is that every city in China, no matter how remote, is filled with people. They all want to take pictures with you, and they are everywhere! Which I guess makes sense considering the country’s population is almost 1.4 billion people. Yowza.
Even so, the small village of Yangshou has enough charm to keep us occupied for a few days. The town is littered with small coffee shops that fashion foam hearts on their lattes, locally owned book exchange stores where the owner will fry you an eggroll if you ask, and restaurants overlooking limestone karsts that serve banana pancakes all day and night. Our favorite was a store selling obviously fake sunglasses, including a pair of green Prada’s that the two ladies insisted were the “new style.” Everything is ALWAYS the new style. Persuaded by their excellent sales skills, we fell victim and posed for a few photos. Classic.
My absolute favorite part of Yangshou was that you could rent bikes for $5 dollars a day to explore any part of the countryside you wanted to. Once you got away from the shops and restaurants and into the countryside, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We biked past rivers, water buffalo, village huts, and the occasional bamboo boat floating lazily under the hot sun. Thankfully a lot of our bike riding was downhill, sending cool breezes across our face and through our hair. The experience was amazing and one to be remembered.
(May 22 – 23rd)
On Thursday the 22nd we flew to Beijing with high hopes for the city that is to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The new terminal we arrived in was very impressive with high dome ceilings curved with modern light structures. The tram that took us from our arrival gate to baggage claim was so new that it smelled of fresh paint. It was obvious that Beijing was still putting finishes touches on new building construction in the City for the Olympics. We collected our bags and walked out to the queue of taxis outside and handed a driver our hotel name and address. Confused, he motioned he could not take us. Within 10 minutes we had asked 5 more cabs to take us to our destination, all who shrugged and motioned that they could not help us. What we soon figured out was that Chinese cab drivers could only read Chinese Characters and not phonetic letters like we use in the West. Thank goodness for Patrick’s genius idea to look up the name of the closest metro stop in our guidebook, which was written in Mandarin not English, to show to a cab driver. We were off to our destination with premature excitement only to find that it would take us another 30 minutes to find our hotel which is located far down one of the many “putongs” in Beijing. A putong is a small city inside a city, full of narrow alleyways that snake into a collection of other putongs and home to most local Beijing residents. Great for walking, bad for driving. So it took a lot of convincing for our driver to make it to our hotel, but we did!
After settling in for the night in our traditionally decorated hotel room we awake the next morning and decide to explore and visit the Forbidden City. Completely surrounded by a moat, the Forbidden City was just as its name says “forbidden” to all outsiders for many years and was home to the emperor of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The sheer size of this large tourist attraction was unbelievable – we would know because upon arriving at the wrong entrance, it took us almost an hour to walk to the other side of the City to gain access at the correct entrance. In order to blend in with the dozens of tourists who flood this place daily we purchased some earphones and an audio guide, it was a good look. We spent our day under the intense summer heat and amongst throngs of Chinese tourists who will push you, literally, out of the way with their umbrellas to look inside one of the dozens of temples. The architecture was beautiful with classic Chinese roofs, large stone staircases, red, greens, and gold colors, and of course Patrick’s favorites where the Chinese Lions who protected each of the sacred temples. Even better was Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world (take that Europe!) with the HUGE picture of Chairman Mao.
The only disappointment to walking in the same footprints as the great Chinese emperors was the stunning amount of air pollution. We were definitely not prepared for the thick yellow smog that would soon overtake our entire travels through China (Los Angeles has nothing on China). Still, we could not let pollution or acid rain ruin our stay; we were dedicated to the ultimate China experience and what better way to do this than to eat some traditional Chinese food. Throwing our guidebooks aside, we walked down the street in search of the perfect restaurant. We stumbled upon a large open restaurant filled with locals and a large sign in Mandarin on display outside, no English here – this was the place! The menu was extensive, the biggest menu we have ever seen, a book filled with numerous pictures of roast duck, fried pork and the occasional mention of “shark fin soup,” “roast pig knuckles” or my favorite “slightly overcooked balls.” We were quick to play it safe, ordering fried rice, chow mein, dumplings, a vegetable dish and two large beers from our looming waitress who demanded “MONEY NOW” right when we placed our order. We could not help but laugh at the lack of please and thank you’s, China is hilarious! The best part was that our four plates of food and two giant drinks were $8 US dollars. We love this place.
(May 24th -25th)
The next day we venture out to some of the infamous Chinese street markets. First stop is the outdoor Puanyuan Market. Close your eyes and imagine intense heat, rows of hawkers under umbrellas selling everything from red Chairman Mao alarm clocks to large jade Buddha statues, people pushing and yelling, bargaining, sweating, spitting and hunching over plates of noodles with chopsticks slurping away the afternoon. This is China. And to add to the experience we buy a plastic bag full of fresh homemade dumplings from an old woman off the street for 15 cents, the perfect chopstick lunch. Yummy!
Next stop is the Temple of Heaven, a beautiful display of more ancient Chinese architecture with long hallways stretching between each temple door. The open hallways are filled on weekend afternoons with GREAT performers, dancers, singers and the occasional raucous group of men playing Chinese checkers or a game of cards. The main attraction of the Temple of Heaven is the climb to the Circular Mound Altar, where the Emperor stood between Heaven and Earth, almighty above everyone else, it is rumored that even your voice becomes louder when you speak upon it. I personally could not hear my voice over the umbrella brigade of Chinese tourists, but the thought was nice. After many uses of my elbows and other limbs to push, I triumphed over the squad of red vests to my right and landed on top of the Circular Mound Altar, VICTORY!
(May 26 – 27th)
Today is our favorite part of Beijing; we get to see the Great Wall of China! Thank goodness for a nice couple we met at our hotel, Mark and Alana from New York, who told us about the best part of the Wall to visit. Thankfully Alana has been to Beijing 3 times and filled us in on the most crowded and touristy parts of the wall, telling us to steer clear and that a much better and quieter part of the wall was just as accessible. We hired a taxi to take us to the wall for the day, the only option since we were not one of the dozens of tour groups who flood the Badaling portion of wall every day. After the hour and a half drive we pulled up to the bottom of the hill and as we hiked to the entrance our excitement was building. After arguing with a cranky restaurant owner about over priced dumplings, we decided to be adventurous and hike up to the 1,000+ steps to the wall rather than taking the “lazy people” tram. The hike was strenuous, but worth it. We arrived at a part of the wall where literally nobody was, and immediately said hello to our favorite Deli back home. We spent the day under China’s summer heat, sweating and straining to see other parts of the wall through the thick yellow fog that surrounds Beijing. We hiked from the top to the bottom of each part of the wall, climbing some of the steepest steps I have seen. To even imagine how the Wall was built by hand with no machines is just incredible. Even better was knowing that we were walking the same steps that some Chinese warriors used to defend themselves against Mongolian attacks. We pretty much had the wall to ourselves, it was amazing; an experience that I recommend to anyone who would enjoy a slice of history.
That night we enjoyed one last good dinner before saying goodbye to Beijing. Mark and Alana took us to a riverside meal where we enjoyed strange pizza concoctions over good conversation and laughed about the “Engrish” menu. We said good bye to our new friends and hello to Shanghai tomorrow!
(May 19 -20th)
Konnichiwa! We absolutely love Tokyo, what an incredible city! Even the 15 hour flight was comfortable, and the service was great with all you can drink sake, Japanese beer and yummy soba noodles to slurp up in your seat. Upon touching down in the Narita airport, we immediately bought our tickets for the hour and a half long train ride into the city center of Tokyo. This has been the first city on our entire trip with an efficient and easy method of transportation from the airport, a relief from arguments with taxi drivers and faulty bus schedules in South America. After arriving at our hotel around 7pm Tokyo time, we decide it is best to go to bed early (in our box of a hotel room) to try and beat the jet lag. So we turn the lights off and fall right asleep.
The next morning, still jet lagged, we wake up at sunrise (not by choice) and decide to take advantage of the situation by spending the whole day exploring the city. First on our list is the Sunshine City Building, 80 floors that includes our hotel as well as a huge underground shopping metropolis that links to the closest metro stop almost 6 blocks away. Tokyo has dozens of these underground shopping malls and underground walkway systems to and from metro stations and major landmarks, which is a smart way to divert crowds from the already packed streets (and also serves as an alternative route if it is raining). We learned of this advantage our first day when a typhoon hit off the coast of Tokyo causing heavy rain with violent winds and broken umbrellas. It is amazing that you can get just about anywhere in Tokyo by walking underground through giant clean tunnels that house excellent restaurants and shopping. The metro system itself is meticulously clean (the opposite of subway stations in New York) with places to shop and eat. Some of the best sushi we had was $3 in a subway station that was clean, fresh and amazing. We used the subway all day, to take us to our destinations of choice among crowds of polite Japanese.
Our first stop was the Tokyo National Museum located in Ueno Park. This museum housed the Japanese Samurai exhibit that was quite interesting. We also had a little fun. After taking most of the morning to explore the museum and its thousands of Japanese artifacts, we had worked up a hunger and craved good fresh sushi. So we headed to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Although the market closes in the morning, if you explore the back alleys nearby you find dozens of restaurants serving fresh fish from the morning = the freshest fish in the entire world. Our lunch was beyond the best sushi we have ever had.
After lunch, we headed over to Roppongi Square to marvel at the high buildings. At dusk we head to Shibuya, with a quick metro ride over. We are also beginning to notice that people sleep everywhere and anytime in Tokyo. Whether it be in a museum, a parked car, their motorbike or the subway they have no shame in taking a quick snooze in public. Is it because everyone is so hard working in Japan? Whatever the reason, we scored some amazing photos of this phenomenon. Anyway, on to Shibuya Crossing – the biggest crosswalk in the entire world. We decided to post ourselves here for a couple hours to watch the chaos. Millions of people cross this crosswalk everyday and it is amazing to watch when the light turns green. Patrick and I played a fun game of “Where’s Waldo in Japan” with Patrick as the lead role. Can you find him in this picture? I swear it was really funny at the time. We dubbed ourselves “Patzilla” and “Blondzilla”. We also took the time to marvel at the incomparable Tokyo style of dress among young twenty year olds on the street. We have never seen the style of dress or hairstyles quite like the young Japanese. It was pure entertainment. A great end to a great day.
(May 21 – 22nd)
The next morning the sun came out, so we headed to a large park near Shinjuku and Shibuya complete with Japanese, French and English gardens to wander around in. The best part of the afternoon was a group of well-behaved and exceedingly cute school children in green, blue and orange uniforms who followed each other in single file lines and waved hello to us as they passed over the Japanese bridges. I am convinced that Japanese children are the cutest little things. We enjoyed the peaceful garden for most of the morning, exploring pathways, wandering the extensive rose gardens and peeking our heads into Japanese Tea houses. The park was also a local spot for artists to sit, sketch and paint some of the beautiful scenery.
After the park we started our search for some traditional ramen noodle restaurants, which proved to be really easy – all we had to do was follow the “slurping sounds.” The Japanese are really into their noodles, and with chopsticks in the right hand and spoons in the left, they slurp away piles of noodles on their lunch break. We ducked into a small ramen restaurant with no English menu, but the smells where so amazing we pointed to what looked good. It turns out that the Japanese do ramen just as well as they do sushi, because our lunch was delicious. We watched the locals sitting next to us to master the chopstick, spoon and slurping techniques.
We then made our way over to Sensoji Temple and the surrounding shopping streets. Here, you can not only shop for souvenirs such as chopsticks, fans and Japanese lanterns, but you can also sample local food and drink. We enjoyed some hot pressed cookies fresh off the “cookie machine,” which was very popular, and also sampled some delicious fresh green tea served by smiling Japanese ladies in traditional robes.
Our next stop was the most exciting part of our short trip in Tokyo because we had tickets to Sumo! Keep in mind that Sumo only happens once a year, and unlike American football and basketball that lasts a whole season, Sumo only happens for a mere 8 days. Our timing in Tokyo couldn’t have been more perfect. After finding our seats, we settled in with some Japanese beer and spent the remainder of our afternoon watching these giants wrestle each other in the ring. After hundreds of years, the tradition of Sumo is still the same, including their traditional garments, the presentation and the salt-throwing before each match. We truly felt blessed to be watching such an ancient tradition in person. We capped the night off with another cheap but excellent sushi dinner (you can never have enough sushi) and bid our farewell to Tokyo, sad!
(May 10 – 11th)
Today we head to a section of town in Rio called Santa Teresa. A beautiful town filled with old colonial mansions and cobbled streets winding up to the top of hills that overlook the city of Rio. We take the metro into town to catch the 40 cent yellow tram up to Santa Teresa. True to the disorganization of everything in Rio, the line for the small tram stretches around the corner, and when the tram is boarded, twice as many people are let on then can fit. People are hanging off from all directions the entire way up the narrow hillside, classic Rio. Santa Teresa so far, other than the beach, has become my favorite part of Rio. The scenery is classic colonial, with endless small streets to wander and enjoy. Patrick and I immediately followed the sound of a samba band playing in a small café. We climbed the steps and settled in to enjoy some live music. When some rain started to drizzle, we ordered coffee and hot chocolate to waste the day away under an umbrella surrounded by tropical rain and samba beats.
That evening we ate out at a local Churrascuria in Ipanema. For those who do not know what a Brazilian barbeque is, let me explain. The first thing they hand you when you walk in the door is a card that is green on one side for “yes, more meat,” and red on one side for “I am full and about to explode.” This card is set out on your table, and when the green side is up, men in white shirts and black bowties parade around with giant sticks of meat and swords to cut you slices of whatever you fancy onto your plate. Even better, there is an all you can eat salad bar with veggies, and hummus, and deserts, and yes, even fresh sashimi and sushi. Is your mouth watering yet? After we rolled out of the restaurant, we met up with Damon and Jackie and their friend Hanata (I probably spelled this wrong) for some late night samba music and dancing in Lapa. Although most of our night was spent drinking, chatting and enjoying the action on the street, we also made it in to one of the samba clubs for some dancing.
The next day we arose and met with Damon and Jackie for some local brunch. After taking it easy for the rest of the day we headed to the Faria Sao Cristavo on the outer border of Rio for some local music and dancing. And when I say local, I really mean it. We were the only gringos around hundreds of Cariocas dancing and drinking and having a good time. The amazing thing about Brazil is that all people from ages 17 to 70 come to the same concerts and dance on the same dance floor. The stage was taken by accordions, guitars, pianos and even a triangle. The dance floor was filled with all people, all ages and all sizes. Immediately, Jackie was swept on to the dance floor by a male suitor and then next it was my turn to spin around with a local. The boys got a kick out of this, and let’s just say that samba dancing should be left to the Brazilians.
(May 12 – 15th)
The next morning we say a sad farewell to our new friends Damon and Jackie and promise to keep in touch. It is now off to a highly recommended, from locals and travelers alike, beach town of Buzios just down the coast of Brazil. Patrick did some careful research to find a nice hotel with the best low-season discount. Our beautiful Posada called Baia de Jao was everything we could ask for and more with panoramic views of the ocean and spectacular cliffs that hug the coastline. To top it off, we have a hammock on our deck to relax and enjoy the evening sunset.
The next morning we head down to the beach, rent some chairs and nestle in for an afternoon of sun and stunning views.We immediately make friends with Maria, a local lady selling some yummy fresh sandwiches that we savor for lunch. I immediately love Buzios, the town has a way of lulling you into a trance of relaxation. The weather is perfect, the water is warm and the hours in the day go by slowly. Patrick even takes it upon himself to make friends with a local to skimboard for the afternoon. Although we think he may have broken his board, everyone is still friends by the end of the day. We spend the evening shopping for Havaina flip flops and drinking fresh Mango smoothies.
On Tuesday we decide to rent a buggy, based on the advice of Damon and Jackie, to cruise around to all the islands beaches. We obtained a map from our hotel, and trot down to the local rental place for our new vehicle. A buggy, described at best, is a vehicle with no top, no windows and no doors that is perfect for cruising around a small beach town. We take off on our own beach journey and explore the hidden beaches of Buzios. Most beaches are found by hiking up or down tiny overgrown trails, including one where we found one lone man selling caipirinhas, except the small beach was empty. What a life! This guy just sits and does nothing all day. Most of the beaches we explore are totally deserted, and some are scattered with a few people here and there. We finish the day off with some acai and dulche de leche ice cream while watching the sunset and reminiscing over our beach hikes. Sadly though, it is time to leave Brazil and South America! Next stop is Asia.
(May 2 – May 4th)
On Friday May 2nd we leave on an early flight out of Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, arriving in the early afternoon. We catch a cab from the airport and hand the address of our apartment to the weary cab driver. Vamos a Praia! We arrive in town and the taxi slowly creeps down our street looking for our address. We find it, but the building looks more like an office than an apartment building. Hmmm, Patrick jumps out and walks inside… the cab driver pretty much throws us out of the cab with our bags on the street so it looks like we are stuck here. Thank goodness, this is our apartment and we settle in, quickly changing into our suits to head to the beach.
Before we hit the sand, we hit up one of Rio’s infamous juice stops called Polis Sucos. Keep in mind that the Suco Stands (Juice Stands) in Rio are not small time Jamba Juices, these places stock fresh Amazon fruit daily and so the smoothies are AMAZING. We order up mango and acai juices along with two meat and pineapple sandwiches. The thing to do here is stand while you eat at the counter and chat with your fellow diners. Our favorite was our guy behind the counter who didn’t speak English, and since we did not speak Portuguese we exchanged numerous thumbs ups for the next week.
The beaches here are everything you see in pictures and more. The next few days are sunny and temperate with some cooling winds along the sands of Ipanema Beach where we are staying. Our apartment is a two block walk from the beach and we quickly learn our way around. Spreading down the entire beach of Ipanema are vendors who rent chairs for the day to locals and tourists alike. We find one we like for cheap and we set up our chairs. The first thing I notice looking around is that everyone has their chair facing the street and not the ocean. Strange? You would think, but it’s because everyone is facing the west for the sun and away from the ocean. Too funny.
On Sunday we head to Ipanema’s “Hippie Fair” just a 15 minute walk away in a local square. Vendors come here to set up shop every weekend to sell things from leather purses to glass jewelry to to Bahian food from the north. We spend most of the day here browsing and soaking in the culture before heading to the local grocery store to stock up on breakfast supplies. Our mornings have become routine with tropical fruit, yogurt and cornflake breakfasts. Instead of milk, Brazilians pour flavored yogurt over their cereal, tudo bem!
(May 5 – 7th)
The next day we spend at the U.S. consulate to obtain more passport pages for Patrick and the Chinese consulate to obtain our Chinese visas for the next leg of our trip. We make use of the metro and head to downtown Rio where building and concrete dominate instead of sun and sand. The U.S. consulate was a success with more passport pages for Patrick. The Chinese consulate was not so easy. After spending the entire morning printing forms, completing forms, making reservations and printing reservations, then translating with the Chinese-Brazilian counter women who speaks no english, we learn that Americans cannot obtain a Chinese Visa in Brazil. WHAT! Yes our visas will have to be obtained in the United States. Ouch.
To shake off the frustration of no Chinese Visa, we head back to Ipanema for some much needed acai (a delicious purple Amazon fruit). We take our sucos to go and stroll the beach at sunset with some beautiful views over Ipanema and Aproador, the neighboring beach before Copacabana. We also browse for a “man-kini” for Patrick, a must if you want to fit in on the beach here, where men stand and pose ALL day. And of course, because it is Cinco de Mayo (note: this holiday is not celebrated by South America), we decide to seek out a Mexican restaurant to celebrate over tacos and beer. Turns out there is only ONE Mexican restaurant in the entire city of Rio. So funny! And so worth it! There is nothing like chicken fajitas and Mexican beer to end the long day. Aaah!
The next day we headed up to Pao de Azucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) to enjoy some stunning views of Rio below. There are two cable wires connected from the tram station below to the top of the mountain above. These trams dangle from these wires and the enclosure is 360 degree windows for maximum viewing and vertigo, yikes! Once at the top the views are stunning and we enjoy hot chocolate while watching the sun go down behind the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema below.
The following morning we are off to the beach again, which of course is our favorite activity. The best part about the beaches in Rio is the local vendors who troll the beaches all day, back and forth and back and forth selling yummy coconut milk among other food, drinks and trinkets. You may be thinking Mexico, where they sell horrible woven bracelets and water while yelling in your ear, but Brazil is completely different. Not only are the vendor’s chants not annoying, but they are funny, and the stuff they sell is GOOD. There is fresh Acai (“Acai, Acai, Acai, the best… on the beach! Granola, y miel! Acai!”), or there is fresh grilled shrimp (“Camarao, Camarao, Camarao, Camarao”), the vendors yell over and over again. The beer is cold, the food is good and you can even buy clothes on the beach! Cute white linen dresses or any soccer jersey of your choice. Our favorite was the huge man with the bathing suits. Our hero!
We packed up from the beach early today and headed up to Cristo Redentor (Christ the Reedemer) perched high above the city looking down on all of Rio de Janeiro. While we are taking our photos as the sun goes down, we are approached by an American couple whose camera battery died. Discovering that we own the same Canon camera, we lend them our battery and a good conversation starts. We share a cab with Damon and Jackie back down to Ipanema and agree to meet for drinks the same night. Drinks at a local brewery called Devassa are followed by a local samba jam session in Lapa. Our conversations with Damon and Jackie were easy and natural, instant friends! Or as the locals would say, TUDO BEM!
(May 8 – 9th) The next day we meet up with Jackie and Damon to go hang-gliding, something I have been waiting for and so excited about! We take a cab down the beach in the late afternoon to the bottom of the cliffs to meet our instructor. It turns out that the cab driver tries to rip us Gringos off by charging us hidden fees and dropping us on the wrong side of the beach. Patrick yells, and we trump off trying to obtain directions from locals who have no idea how to translate “hang-gliding.” We finally make it to the spot and meet up with Damon and Jackie who are gliding down to the beach below.
We drive up 15 minutes in our instructors green truck to the top of the cliffs to get ready for our turn to glide. Alex, the instructor, explains everything in warp speed and before I know it he has me strapped in and we are running of a wooden platform into the sky, ahhh! I didn’t even have time to think and all of a sudden I am flying over a beach and buildings that look the size of ants below. As we come in for the landing, I swear that we are gliding at about 60 miles an hour and as my feet are ready to hit the ground I cringe. But then Alex miraculously slows the “wings” and we come in for a soft landing. Jackie and Damon are cheering and I have never felt more incredible about such a cool experience. Now it is Patrick’s turn! We settle into a table below and order some beer to wait for him. Finally we spot him high above and notice that he is more out over the ocean than any of us. Which means Patrick will come in for a beach landing, what an incredible day.
We take it easy that night and the next day we settle in at the beach again for some people watching. The culture in Rio is incredible, as people parade on the beach in next to nothing no matter the age or body type. Everyone is so open and friendly here we only wished we spoke the language. At least we know the important words like “obrigada” for thank you and “bom noite” for good night!
(April 15 – 16th) Our third week in Argentina starts with one of our biggest adventures. Patrick’s contact from the Argentina Green Building Council, Sebastian, arranged to pick us up from our apartment in the morning for a day trip to Matanza. Located on the outside of Buenos Aires, Matanza’s population of 1.2 million people includes many of the city’s poorest. It is here that Sebastian, through his organization called IARCOS, reaches out to the community to build homes and teach residents about the local environment. For two young people from California, our day in Mantanza is a huge eye opener.
Our first stop is at a local housing project, where we must be accompanied by the community leader or else it would have been “too dangerous, “as Sebastian warned. As we drive deeper into the local community, we receive more stares. We make another stop in a small neighborhood on the Mantanza river; all the homes are barely put together with corrugated steel and floods are common when the river rises from rain. These floods bring toxins and trash from the river into the homes of the local people. Sebastian has come to work with all the residents to band them together as a community and educate them that toxins from the river are dangerous. The residents are very friendly, offering us Mate tea and places to sit on benches made from local wood. Nobody speaks English, but we get by on the Spanish we know. Sebastian even takes us to a local “Parilla” where Patrick shares cow intestine, heart and blood sausage grilled up for a late lunch before we return home.
We spend the next day relaxing and reflecting on our journey to Mantanza. It was such an experience to see another side of Argentina that is very different from pleasant Palermo Soho where we are staying. It was interesting to learn and see how many people are still affected by drugs and poverty in this world and also how lucky we are to have people like Sebastian who are working hard every day to make a difference. He told us that he even gets calls at 2am from residents who need his help. Simply amazing.
For dinner tonight, Eric, Patrick and I head to our new favorite restaurant, Las Cabras, just a 10 minute walk to Palermo Hollywood. We grab a nice table by an open window that faces outside and we begin to order some wine. You see, the beautiful thing about Argentina is the power of our dollar and our ability to buy good bottles of wine for $3 at dinner. Eric decides to order 3 bottles of $3 house wine, and including 3 full dinners and dessert our final bill is $29. It is no wonder we love this place. Keep in mind that I only had about one glass of wine with dinner and the boys finished the remaining. By the end of dinner Eric was having an “animal sound” contest in Spanish with the waitress and Patrick was showing of some new hair styles. We left the restaurant to meet our friend Guadalupe at a local sushi bar. Eric and Patrick kept on drinking pisco sours and as the night went on their dance moves and voice volume increased to whole new levels. I am lucky to have gotten Patrick home safe and sound.
(April 17-19th)
On Thursday we were invited by Matais to join him at a new restaurant in Belgrano that was owned and managed by his friends. We gladly agree and leave in a taxi that takes us as “close” to the restaurant as the driver can. The restaurant is located on a dead end one-way street, down a side alley and through an unmarked door. Very hush hush. We are joined by Matais, Nando, Stacy, and a few other friends with whom we share some yummy cocktails and food under the black lights of the trendy restaurant. On Friday, we relax (our new favorite hobby) explore our neighborhood some more and go out for a good Mexican meal down the street. It is so nice to have margaritas, good guacamole and spicy food instead of our many nights of all meat dinners, salads and vino tinto (I swear I am not complaining).
Saturday is one of our favorite days of traveling so far because we are going to a Futbol game. Patrick and I are extremely excited for the ultimate South American experience of a La Boca soccer game. Futbol is HUGE in South America, if you did not know. The raucous fans are infamous, and deaths are not uncommon in the “bleachers.” To top it off, the stadium is in the most dangerous part of town so we decide to bring Guadalupe, a friend of Eric’s and a local Argentine. On our way into the stadium the first thing we notice is the line of masked policemen with shields standing outside. As we enter the bright yellow stadium we begin the hike up 6 separate exhausting flights of stairs, passing the bleacher section which literally roars with chants, songs and cheers from the fans inside. It is nothing I can put into words and cannot be explained without hearing it firsthand. The noise is extremely intense and exhilarating; this is not something you can ever experience in the US.
Our section is at the top of the stadium overlooking the crazed La Boca fans in the bleachers below. My eyes are transfixed on the thousands of belligerent male fans packed together, yelling, chanting, singing, hanging over railings and off fences, waving flags, pushing each other, dangling from banners, punching each other and hugging each other all at once. Whenever La Boca has possession and the ball is near a goal, the entire stadium begins to shake as every single fan jumps up and down in unison; the feeling can literally send shivers up your spine. La Boca, thankfully, won 2-0.
(April 20 – 22nd)
On Sunday, we enjoy an incredible brunch at Olsen in Palermo Hollywood, complete with smoked fish, eggs, gourmet waffles and champagne. Patrick and I head back to the San Telmo and La Boca street fairs for some last minute browsing and shopping for the family. The weather in San Telmo is warmer and sunnier then last week and therefore more street vendors have set up shop and the crowds are bigger. The best part is a group of musicians performing off a side street with a stand-up bass, piano, violin and four accordion players. The music is memorizing to watch and listen and we stay for a few minutes to buy their CD for cheap. La Boca is also more crowded today, with twice as many tango dancers to enjoy and many local art galleries to explore, and by night time our feet are tired so we catch a cab home. Our evening is then topped off with a mellow dinner at our favorite restaurant “Las Cabras” where we enjoy more $3 bottles of wine.
Our last few days in Buenos Aires are spent enjoying more good food including some of the best pizza at Romarios on a rooftop patio and the best steak ever at Cabrera, where a tender 4-inch thick steak will cost you $12. We packed up that night and realized that we would have to say goodbye to our new friends, Eric and Buenos Aires – our new favorite city. Tomorrow we are off to the coastal town of Punta del Este, Uruguay. Ciao!
(April 9th – 10th)
On Wednesday evening we gladly settle in for a nice big buffet dinner with one of Patrick’s green building contacts. Sebastian, the head of the Argentine Green Building Council, brings his daughter to help translate to English and informs us that we are going to “shut this restaurant down.” Its 8:30pm when we settle in and by almost 1am we are the last people with empty plates and glasses of wine who are getting kicked out. On the cab ride back Patrick and I chat about his good friend Eric who is supposedly arriving into town tomorrow. I make a joke as we round the corner to our place that he may be here now, and low and behold, there is Eric standing at the door with his suitcase and box o’ books (as I rightfully dubbed it).
We say our hellos and move our third roommate in, and then head to Plaza Serrano to a great place called Janio where you can enjoy a nice bottle of wine and a big plate of cheese for under $20. After stuffing ourselves with the two of the best things in the world (cheese and wine, of course) we are off to bed. We are beginning to become accustomed to the Buenos Aires lifestyle here of dinner at midnight.
The next day we immediately show off our great neighborhood with some more walks and browsing in some local stores. To cap it off, we decide to buy tickets to the opera at Teatro Avenida and soak in some culture. We show up to the opera house extremely underdressed in jeans and rightfully buy the cheapest tickets they have. We then discover that we are “De Pie,” which means “Of the Feet”, so we must stand in an area of the opera house, yes stand, where the stage is barely in sight. We laugh it off and steal a seat where we can lean over a high balcony to watch L’Italiana. The opera house is beautiful and very reminiscent of Shakespeare; too bad cameras are not aloud! After the opera we leave to grab dinner in Puerto Madera at a restaurant called Siga La Vaca, which offers all you can eat meat. They love their meat here, wow.
(April 11 – 12th)
Friday was Eric’s birthday and we planned for a night out on the town. Our evening began with some champagne and 80’s dance music at our house before we headed over to the Palermo Hollywood section of town. Eric’s friend Stacy from back in California, who is living and working in BA, invited us over to her house for some drinks before we headed to dinner. After a few strong Vodka drinks and some modeling of fur vests and suspenders, we are off to a midnight dinner. We decide to indulge at Green Bamboo which is known for its exotic drinks and great Vietnamese food. We enjoy a lengthily dinner sitting cross-legged on pillows and slurp down the last of our Isla Fuerte and Purple Buddha drinks before leaving at 2:30am. Be advised that showing up at a club in BA before 2am is totally uncool. We make our way to Crobar and arrive by 3am to partake in some dancing and people watching. Lots of fun but by 5am its bed time for the old folks.
We spend the next day in recovery, reminding ourselves that we are not 21 years old anymore. My face and stomach are swollen from the alcohol and I have developed some nice looking “cankles” (where your calf and ankles become one). Still, there is a lot to see in the city of Buenos Aires, so we make our way down to La Boca to see if we can buy tickets for a Boca Futbol game. Although Boca is a dangerous part of town, we stay near the stadium and the local feria to keep safe. The buildings in La Boca boast some beautiful colors and again there is tango dancing on the street for everyone’s free enjoyment. After walking around for a bit, we wander into a small shop where two short Italian-Argentine men are making and selling fresh pasta. Eric immediately buys two pounds of Gnocchi and Patrick and I buy two boxes of ravioli. Eric then tries to convince us to take the Subte (subway) in the worse part of town. We take a cab and arrive safely at home.
(April 13 – 14th)
This morning we manage to wake up at a reasonable time. Eric, who has been traveling in South America for over 7 months, has managed to make a few contacts and friends, two of which offer to take us to lunch and a day around town. Along with new friends Matias and Nando we pick up Stacy and head to Puerto Madero (a beautiful area of town by the bay, very reminiscent of the SF Embarcadero). The lunch was amazing and Matias offers to pay, calling us “his guests,” how accommodating! All of us make our way to San Telmo, something I have been waiting to see on a Sunday here in BA. San Telmo holds one of the most famous antique fairs in the world and is supposed to be amazing. This area of town is also one of the first in BA, and therefore the cobblestone streets and old buildings add to the flavor.
The feria (street fair) has everything from antique jewelry, watches, clothing, bags, record players, memorabilia etc. Patrick immediately notices a Breitling watch from the 1940s, among other expensive collectible watches, and we break off from the pack to browse. Maybe we have a future watch collector? We end the day with a trip to Easy Jumbo, a Target and Supermarket rolled into one, to stock up on some healthy food for the week. The best part is the “Estados Unidos” food section, complete with Chef Bouyardi and Pringles.
On Monday afternoon we take a taxi to the Brazilian Consulate to apply for a Brazilian Visa. Little did we know that although the consulate is open to residents until 5pm, it closes at 2pm for everyone else. Great. Plus the process could take up to 10 days, and we don’t want anyone holding on to our passports for that long. So we decide to cross our fingers and hope we can obtain our Visas at the Brazilian border in Iguazu.
After failing at our first task of the day, we decide to explore Recoleta. This area of town is well-known for its old mansions, huge parks and a cemetery for the “elite” dead. Now when I think of a cemetery, I think of green lawns and a few head stones. I obviously was not prepared for the history and massive size of the Recoleta cemetery. The place is filled with the famous dead of Argentina including diplomats, politicians, and the famous Eva Peron (Evita). The “graves” are massive with large rooms filled with family memorabilia, stairs, columns, religious adornments, stained glass windows and beautifully detailed coffins, some containing 6 or more coffins. We are completely fascinated and we spend the rest of the day getting lost among some of the most famous dead people in the world.
(April 1 – 3rd)
We arrived in Buenos Aires in the late afternoon on a flight from Lima. Our first order of business was to contact our “landlord” for the apartment we rented in the city for 3 weeks. Thankfully we were able to check our email at the airport and received notice that he was going to be waiting for us at our place. We took a taxi from the airport to Palermo Soho, the area of town where we will finally rest our feet. We pull into MicroCentro (the downtown area of Buenos Aires) and the first thing we notice is the uniqueness of the city – we both have never been to any city in the world quite like BA. When admiring the city, we notice huge gusts of wind that are sweeping up leaves and skirts on the streets. Then, before we know it, a massive downpour starts. And I am being modest when I say downpour, the best way to describe the rain that suddenly hit is a flash flood. Before we know it our taxi is wading through rivers in the middle of town and the rain is so strong and loud I can barely hear myself think. Our driver says this type of rain is very rare, ugh. Please, please let our landlord be there, I hope he waits….
From the taxi to the door we are soaked head to toe, Patrick rings the bell and we are let in! The place is spectacular. For a second we thought we were in the lobby of an apartment building, but the huge room is indeed our apartment. Pictures of the place clearly do not do it justice. The first thing we do is unpack our suitcases and hang up our clothes for the first time. I cannot express how good it feels to have a place to hang our hats for a while. We spend the rest of the evening at a beautiful but cheap (thanks to the Peso) restaurant called Bar 6 just a few blocks from our place. Patrick immediately orders a steak, the specialty of Buenos Aires, and is astounded by the flavor and juiciness. Looks like this will be a nice stay in BA.
The next morning we are so busy planning and looking up fun things to do in this wonderful city that we have forgotten to eat. So we walk down the street to another yummy restaurant called Mark’s Deli that serves gourmet coffee and sandwiches. We quickly learn that Palermo Soho is the best place in BA for restaurants, bars and shopping. But even so, we need to save money so we stock up at a local grocery store for later. We spend the rest of today and the next exploring the neighborhood of Palermo and walking around. The rain never returned and the weather was sunny and perfect as we made our way through a local “feria” (street fair) in Plaza Armenia and explored the funky shops and restaurants near Plaza Serrano.
(April 4 – 6th)
The next day we have our meeting with Dr. Victor Ruggieri and his team of specialists at the Pediatric Hospital. We spend our day learning everything about diagnosis and treatment of autism in Argentina (see Autism entry for Buenos Aires). The day after we explore some of Buenos Aires parks, which are spread out all over the city, including Palermo which has a Zoo, Botanical Gardens, a Japanese Garden and a few man-made lakes that you can rent bikes to ride around. The first park we stop at is filled with an unusual abundance of stray cats (and stray people). I mean the cats are all over. The city had even put up a sign telling locals to not leave their cats in the park. We walk over to the Japanese gardens , enjoy a hot dog and some sweets and then strolled past the zoo before making our way down to the Evita museum – an amazing must-see.
April (7 – 8th)
The next two days I am sure are Patrick’s favorite, as we spend much of them searching for the perfect pair of boots to charge on my credit card. Part of this “shopping experience” is spent on the famous Avenida Florida, a pedestrian only shopping street that stretches as far as the eyes can see both ways. There are also live tango performances here that we stop to watch. We also ooh and aah over the numerous McDonalds which are huge and pristine, and even have McInternet cafes within the McCafes on every corner. Incredible, a McDonalds where you can enjoy a gourmet café latte and a chocolate croissant, ooh la la! After being inspired by the street tango shows we decide to buy tickets to a dinner tango show the next evening at the acclaimed Café Tortini. Before we settle into our dinner and show, we stop by Plaza de Mayo to view Casa Rosada where Evita made her speeches from its balcony. Madonna, anyone? Our show was at 8pm with dinner at 7pm which consisted of horrible service from a nervous waiter and some very strong malbec wine. At least the tango show was amazing with high kicks, singing and even an accordion. Maravilloso!
Peru Week 3 & 4 (March 17th – March 31st) So far, our trip to Peru has been the most adventurous – climbing the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, exploring and island hopping on Lake Titicaca – but we soon learned that high altitude (upwards of 12,000 ft), colder weather, before sunrise wake up calls and local Peruvian food would soon take its toll on our bodies. Even so, we quickly started to appreciate the astounding beauty of the bluest skies and the tallest mountains we have ever seen. Peru proved again and again to be a natural beauty that was enjoyed equally by the both of us.
Lima (March 17th)
After saying farewell to Costa Rica, we are on our way to Peru on a flight that landed in Lima in the afternoon. Our hostel we were staying at kindly offered to pick us up at the airport and we gladly accepted. When we landed, our transportation was nowhere to be found and so we were forced to take a taxi. When we arrived at our hotel we learned not only that the driver from the hotel did not show up because he was arrested, but the taxi driver who gave us a ride charged us double! Thank God for the free welcome beer, we needed it. We asked the front desk for a restaurant recommendation close by that we could walk to for dinner, and we found a small local restaurant where we enjoyed some really good ceviche on the patio and chicken with really good mystery sauce. Our waiter was super friendly and talked a lot, we understood about half of it. So we have made a new friend, and we go to bed full and happy.
Cusco (March 18-19th)
Our wake up time the next morning was at 3:15am, why we even bothered to go to bed, I do not know. We shared a cab to the airport and our flight with a nice Dutch lady who kindly gave us advice on Machu Picchu and places to see in Peru. Apparently she has been to Peru 6 times, so it was nice to hear some tips from her. Our flight arrived at 7:30am and we are beyond brain-dead. Thank god the transport to our hotel showed up this time. We arrived at the quaint Hostel Marani and were kindly given some Mate de Cocoa Tea to alleviate the symptoms from altitude we were already feeling. Mate de Cocoa is a local tea made with Cocoa leaves that are dumped directly into hot boiling water. We drank our fair share of this Peruvian drink and then decided it was time for a much needed nap.
After snoozing for a couple hours we woke up and decided to explore Cusco all day today and tomorrow so that we couldadjust to the altitude before hiking Machu Picchu. The town of Cusco is amazing and unique with its own charm - narrow cobblestone streets, big and beautiful plazas, colorful marketplaces, and the alpaca llamas even roam the streets like their own. I love it, so cute. We grab a bite to eat at Jack’s Café, which soon becomes our “staple” to eat at night and day, really good comfort food to keep us going a cheap price. We explore the market places, take pictures with my buddies (aka the llamas) and look at some Peruvian art. We are staying in the San Blas area which is packed with galleries filled with local artist’s work. We must go to bed early though, our train to Aquas Calientes (Machu Picchu) leaves at 7am and we need our rest.
Aquas Calientes, Machu Picchu (March 20- 21st)
Today is the day we have been waiting for, we finally get to see Machu Picchu! Some people wait their whole lives to make it to these Inca ruins, and our chance had finally come. We board the “Backpacker” Train to Aquas Calientes (the closest town to Machu Picchu). It is about a four hour journey, including 3 stops for the train to gain its momentum just to make it up the mountain. And when I say “stops,” I mean that the train has to go back the way it came and then start all over again. Even so, the views from our rickety train are astounding. The rocky mountains are so high that I have to strech my neck against the train window to even see the tops. Imagine Half Dome in Yosemite times 20, thats how magnificant this mountain range is. I snap a ton of pictures of rivers, sheep, locals, and the green countryside - all of which Patrick assures me will be boring pictures later. ha.
We pull into the small town of Aguas Calientes. The first thing I notice is the amount of people, tons and tons of tourists all here for the same reason. The second thing I notice are the flies, they are everywhere! And as all guidebooks will tell you, Aguas is not much of a town. Its literally one steep road up a mountain lined with hostels and little restaurants. Its apparent that tourists are here only for Machu Picchu and not the local fare. After realizing this ourselves, we board a mid-afternoon bus straight up to Machu Picchu. The bus ride is a half hour up switchbacks, very nauseating. We make it to the top and the clouds are just about to break over the highest mountain. We push past all the tourist groups and make our way through the entrance of Machu Picchu. The first view takes our breath away. The pictures you see in all the guidebooks and magazines and post cards don’t do it justice. We decide to hike up to the top for the best view, or the “money shot.” The sun is now shining full force and we are enjoying some unusually clear view of the Inca ruins. We spend a few hours roaming the ruins and exploring. I keep pinching myself about how cool this is that we are finally here. Then its back down to town for some dinner and bed.
The next morning we wake up and have some horrible breakfast (really, how do you ruin breakfast?) before heading back up to Machu Picchu. We take a short guided tour this time to actually learn something about the ruins. The sun is shining again and we enjoy our second day of beautiful views. We snap a bunch more pictures, more of llamas (my favorite) and more of the ruins. We have a 5 o’clock train to catch, so we say goodbye to the ancient ruins and prepare to head back.
Puno, Lake Titicaca (March 22-24th)
This morning I wake up with a bad cold – I claim I am on my death bed and Patrick laughs at me. Still, I must be a good sport because there are lots to do, runny nose or not. We take the Inka Express Bus to Puno, a 10 hour bus ride with some tour stops along the way. Not our cup of tea, but we enjoy it for what it is anyway. Puno reminds me of Aquas Calientes. The town is definitely not a big tourist destination if it wasn’t for Lake Titicaca. Still, we are very excited to explore the lake the next day so we check into our hostel and try to sleep over the street noise outside.
The next morning we are up early again and down to the docks to catch our 7am boat tour to Lake Titicaca. Our boat is nice and includes a roof deck for optimal lake viewing. First stop are the floating islands call “Uros,” and yes the islands literally are floating. The local island inhabitants have built small islands out of the reeds that grow in the water. Even their houses are built out of these dried reeds which is truly amazing to see it up close. We are even able to take a boat ride to another floating island in a reed boat, one of many built by the island locals. After Uros, we head over to a bigger island called Taquile. After an hour hike uphill, we turn around to see that this island boasts some incredible views of the big blue lake. Lake Tahoe doesn’t even compare with the beauty of this lake, which our boat guide reminds us is up for nomination as one of the seven wonders of the world. We spend the rest of the afternoon at Taquile and enjoy a local lunch including yummy trout and a peruvian omlet. I buy a postcard with llamas on it and Patrick laughs at me. The boat ride back takes a relaxing four hours and I head up to the deck to avoid any sea sickness.
Cusco (March 25-27th) We had a bunch of side trips planned in our head – trip to Bolivia, trip to Pisco – but we decided to lay low and save some money by heading back to Cusco, a town both of us really love. We grab a hotel for 3 nights with much needed heat and hot showers. We need some downtime so I can kick my cold (aka death bed) and we can both do some catch up work. We spend the next couple of days lazing around the city and enjoying some good food. It’s nice to finally stay and enjoy a city without feeling rushed to do back to back activities.
Lima (March 28-31st)
We decide to spend the last part of our Peru trip in Lima, another city that we didn’t have a chance to explore. On the flight from Cusco on Thursday morning, Patrick scarfs down two, yes two, ham sandwichs that are courtesy of our Peruvian airline. He immediatly does not feel well. We check into our hostel and immediatly realize that there is no running water. This is not going to be good, but we must press on. Patrick has scheduled a meeting with an engineering professor named Daniel at one of the local Universities who is pioneering Adobe (earth) seismic construction for the town of Ica that was recently devastated by the earthquake. Daniel is a really great guy, who speaks great English and even takes us out to lunch. We quickly learn that he is just as passionate about food as he is about his work. We eat at a seafood buffet on the beach, and he is pointing to a million different dishes we have to try. Three plates each, and some pisco sours later we say farewell to Daniel and head back to the hostel. Patrick does not feel well, and let we remind you again that we have no running water. This is a bad, bad combination. So we decide the next day to stay at a hotel in Miraflores (the nice part of Lima) for the remainder of our trip.
Miraflores is a nice town on the cliffs of Lima overlooking the ocean. They have even built a 3-story shopping mall with a movie theater into the rocks by the beach, which is an engineering wonder all on its own. We take some Spanish classes while we are here to brush up before Argentina and enjoy some nice runs along the make-shift rocky beaches. But, once again it is time to say goodbye to another country. We enjoyed our adventures in Peru and now its off to Buenos Aires, Ciao!
weather and therefore we touched down at about 1am in Shanghai. Because every flight was delayed, we were greeted outside the airport by the longest taxi line we have ever seen. Rows and rows of people all exhausted, tired, and speaking languages we could not understand. It was apparent that Shanghai is quite the international city. After an hour of waiting, our taxi driver sped us into town at about 90 mph – I was clutching my seat belt around every curve. Excited to be checked into our hotel we turned in for the night and awaited a new day in a new city.
large shopping malls. The Chinese LOVE to shop, and there are millions of them. Consequently China has about 40 cities with a million or more people. Shanghai is one of the larger cities and therefore boasts “many many” (as the Chinese would say) street markets. We spent the rest of our day wandering through secret doorways and side streets in Shanghai’s markets and passing by the endless amount of street vendors selling everything from roast octopus on a stick to Chinese fans. Not only does Shanghai have entire streets dedicated to shopping but also entire streets dedicated to food. Our hotel was located near one and so we wandered over at night when Shanghai comes alive with fluorescent lights that beckon you to each restaurant. We decided to eat at a 3 story Chinese restaurants complete with tanks full of fish and sorts, all ready to be cooked and brought directly to our plates. As seeing our dinner before we ate it did not sit right, we opted for chicken and noodles instead.
world will be built. Construction has not begun on the island as of yet, a few small villages and vast wetlands are all that exist at the moment. We spend the afternoon exploring the untouched island
taking pictures and writing down bits of information for an article Patrick will write about Dongtan. In one of the “bird sanctuaries” we are not able to spot any birds but we do happen upon the strangest animals I have ever seen. Little fish in shallow muddy water with two feet! The strangest things with big round eyeballs on the tops of their heads, they looked like they were straight out of an episode in the Simpsons. My guess they are mutants because of the high amount of pollutants in China’s air and water.
Shanghai offices. To fill you in, Arup is one of the biggest architectural firms in the world, with their recent claim to fame being the Beijing 2008 Olympic “bubble building” – we even got to view the model at their offices. They have offices all over the world that employ some of the most creative architectural minds, and thankfully it only took a little convincing for Patrick to meet with the project manager for 20 minutes. Great Success!
The city exhibits so much modernity, but at the same time you can turn a corner and an ancient temple sits in front of newly built skyscrapers in the background. Our exploration was capped off by Patrick confronting a candy shop owner who over charged us for gummy bears we didn’t even want. Are you sensing a pattern here? The Chinese love to cut corners and are sneaky about charging you that extra Chinese Yuan, but we are catching up to you! That evening we ate at a vegetarian restaurant, these are popular and everywhere in China, serving up all the “mock” meat you can think of – chicken, duck, pork etc. We ordered the chicken and I swear it tasted like corn dogs, strange.
Bund” which is famous in Shanghai and host some of the most ridiculous buildings you have seen along the river. The skyline is outrageous, you could literally stare for hours at the space age lights, and we did. We took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel which takes you underground and “through” the river to the other side. Below ground was a whole tram system set up to carry you from one side to the other through electric lights and laser beam shows. Still, the best part was just to mosey down the concrete path by the water and check out the action. We also fit in some cute couple shots, awww!
Today we fly to Guillin to make our trek to Yangshou. But the journey would not be complete without a quiet meal disturbed by my “new friend” who decided that our table was also hers. While I am finishing my drink she slams her bags down and takes a seat, and in my head I am thinking “How nice of you to join us!” Patrick could not help but take a picture, she does not look too happy. We laugh every time we look at it.
weeks in large cities we decided we needed and break and so we headed for the countryside. What we didn’t know is that every city in China, no matter how remote, is filled with people. They all want to take pictures with you, and they are everywhere! Which I guess makes sense considering the country’s population is almost 1.4 billion people. Yowza.
town is littered with small coffee shops that fashion foam hearts on their lattes, locally owned book exchange stores where 
the owner will fry you an eggroll if you ask, and restaurants overlooking limestone karsts that serve banana pancakes all day and night. Our favorite was a store selling obviously fake sunglasses, including a pair of green Prada’s that the two ladies insisted were the “new style.” Everything is ALWAYS the new style. Persuaded by their excellent sales skills, we fell victim and posed for a few photos. Classic.
countryside you wanted to. Once you got away from the shops and restaurants and into the countryside, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We biked past rivers, water buffalo, village huts, and the occasional bamboo boat floating lazily under the hot sun. Thankfully a lot of our bike riding was downhill, sending cool breezes across our face and through our hair. The experience was amazing and one to be remembered.
