For all those travel friends out there who may not know, Mel and I were married in August 09--travel really was the final test! Next: "honeymoon"...the ultimate excuse to travel!
Now that the Brel Chronicles travel adventure is over, you may still be looking for something to entertain yourself while you have your morning coffee.
Check out our new blog - Brel on a Budget - which chronicles our adventures in learning to live frugally…while trying to maintain our fun and fashionable lifestyle… http://brelonabudget.blogspot.com/
The Brel Adventure may be over, but the blog-writing isn’t. Brendan has been posting his version of our adventures as PlanetEye’s “Global Nomad.” PlanetEye is a cool travel planning website, with city guides, local experts, reviews, photos and interactive maps where all content is geotagged. Check it out.
As the Global Nomad blog’s focus is more on practical information for travellers (reviews, etc.), and less about being in accurate real time…he’s still posting about Argentina. There’s lots more content to come!
Come visit the Global Nomad blog here, or see all the best pictures on an interactive world map here.
As avid Brel Chronicles readers, you probably already know that Mel had surgery 2 weeks ago in Athens. Well things have not gone as planned, and we’ve been dealing with some serious post-surgery complications in Santorini, with daily doctor visits and a lot of drugs. Unfortunately, the prognosis, while good, will require months of rest and recovery.
While Greece and the rest of Europe are beautiful places to visit, it’s tough to recover without the support of friends and family and the comfort of home. And while Nurse Powell has been amazing, he probably wouldn’t mind some help from the Canadian medical system.
And so we have made the extremely difficult decision to end our trip and return to Canada.
This journey has been incredible: we’ve seen great places, met wonderful people and experienced life to the fullest. And yes, we found the perfect beach, drank great espresso and consumed our body weights in wine.
Who knew that the Brel match wasn’t really Vacation vs. Travel. It was Life vs. Travel, and in the end, they became the same thing.
Final Score:
Life: 1 Travel: 1
Welcome to the crazy and wonderful city of Istanbul. It’s been a long road to get here - nearly 4,000 km in fact.
Istanbul is famous for many things, not the least of which is the great nightlife. Of course, it wouldn’t be Turkey unless there were some great ancient sites: the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and of course, the Grand Bazaar.
Unfortunately we had to cut our Istanbul trip short, deciding to get surgery in Athens rather than here, so we didn’t get to experience nearly as much of it as we wanted.
But fear not Istanbul… Brel will be back.
Troy
The lost city of Troy was discovered in the late 1800’s, along with nine successive civilizations, one on top of the other, dating back 5,000 years. Classics student Brendan enjoyed walking through the site and debating whether Homer’s Iliad was fact or fiction. Mel remembered her first heart-break, healed to Sinead O’Connor’s song, Troy. “There is no other Troy, for you to burn …”
Ephesus
By far the most impressive of the many (many, many) ancient sites we saw in Turkey was Ephesus. Remarkably well-preserved, Ephesus was an important trading port, and was visited by the likes of Alexander the Great, St. John and quite possibly, the Virgin Mary. How cool is that?
Pergamon
Another impressive Turkish site is Pergamon, one of the ancient world’s major powers. You’ll note Mel is absent from the group shot- claiming to be all “ruined out”.
As we continue our journey through Turkey, we’re becoming more familiar with the culture, people and maybe even a little bit of the history. (Ugur, our tour guide: if you are reading this, don’t worry, that last bit was sarcasm)
Carpets - It’s no secret that Turkey is famous for its carpets and at every street corner we find shops and carpet salesmen eager to invite us in for tea and a sampling of their goods. We did fall prey to a post-bar party in a carpet shop, which initially looked innocent - beer and music in a showroom. This, of course made us prime targets for a lengthy rant about the quality and history of Turkish carpets, and a viewing of literally, hundreds of carpets. Not sure they realized that back-packing and homeless Brel was not really their target market. But the beer was good.
The Turks - The Turks are wonderful, friendly people, and our first impressions (http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Mel-and-Brendan/lessons-learned-in-our-first-3-hours-in-turkey.html) were downright wrong. While they can be aggressive in their selling approach, they are proud of their heritage and want visitors to appreciate all Turkey has to offer. And Mel also feels it’s important to mention that the men are hot. Single girls, take note.
Politics - Turkey is still a hot-bed politically, and the current Islamist government is controversial. The day after we left Istanbul, there was a terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate there, with a probable Al Quaeda connection.
Nargile (a.k.a. Hookah or Sheesha)- Whatever you call it, the nargile is an integral part of Turkish culture. Essentially a water pipe, the nargile allows you to smoke flavoured tobacco via a long pipe, usually while sitting on beanbags on the floor.
Firsts - Turkey is responsible for a lot of firsts, not the least of which is coffee. Oh, and for all you advertising-types: the first known ad is found in Ephesus, see pic below. I guess our biz has been shady since the beginning - the ad is for a brothel.
It’s been a week since the surgery, and things are progressing well. Nurse Powell has been diligently carrying out his tasks with much love, and Mel is definitely on the mend. The drainage tube (yuck) is finally out, the drugs are decreasing in supply and the stitches are scheduled for removal on Friday.
Some stats for your amusement:
We hope this will soon just be a bad memory (and perhaps one day a funny story?) of life on the road.
Thanks to all of you for your concern and support. And thanks to our travel insurance for making this less painful.
Now back to the Turkey blogs…
We interrupt your Turkey blog reading to bring you real-time news from Athens (our blog is usually a week behind our adventures).
In an unfortunate twist of fate, Brel have found themselves in a hospital in Athens, Greece. Mel has had surgery for an abscess on her tail-bone (not the sexiest of diseases or recovery by the way). The prognosis is good-but it does require us to spend 10 days here and miss half of our Greek Islands sailing trip.
As with all things Brel, there have been some interesting moments:
* Mel mistaking the IT Manager for the doctor and nearly dropping her drawers for him
* Mel attempting to take directions in Greek-and accidentally putting on multiple robes and paper panties on her head
* Mel waking up from the anesthetic convinced she had been unconscious for 7 years (and asking everyone if she was still alive)
* The constant “good lucks” from the Greek hospital staff - unnerving as we were kind of hoping to rely on expertise and not luck
And so, in the end, 24/7 travel for a year isn’t the biggest Brel test- it’s surgery in a foreign country, with Mel in significant pain and Brendan playing Florence Nightingale. Wish us luck!
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, idolator, worshipper of fire
Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times.
Come, and come yet again.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
-Mevlana Rumi
We had the opportunity to visit Konya, the adopted home of Rumi, the Sufi mystic poet. Rumi was known for his use of dance and song to reach spiritual enlightenment. His ideas and poems were rooted in love, captured in his most famous work, Masnavi written in the late 1200’s.
After his death, the Mevlevi order of dervishes was founded and they continue to this day to use dance (or whirling) to bring themselves closer to God.
The idea of a tolerant religion based on love was refreshing. We can’t help but think that we could all learn a lot from the Sufis.
While it may not be as well known as Greece for it’s coastal towns and islands, the Turquoise Coast is gorgeous. We spent some time in Kas, a beautiful town set amidst cliffs on the Mediterranean. Once again, we had to make the difficult decisions between the pool and the beach, one beer or two beer, and what level of sunscreen to wear. So don’t fool yourself, this life of ours on the road isn’t all fun and games- it’s not easy being Brel.
We have seen some fabulous sites in Turkey. Some highlights:
As we continue our 4,000 km, 14 day road trip, we have fallen in love with Turkey.
Food: The food here is delicious. Our options (thankfully) are more varied than meat-on-a-stick (though shish is available everywhere). And yes, they have Turkish Delight here. But interestingly, they don’t eat turkey, the bird. Go figure.
Religion: The Turks seem to pick and choose which parts of Islam they want to implement. Alcohol can be found in many restaurants. The divorce rate is 30%. There are more love marriages these days then arranged marriage. Scarves are still the norm for women here though, and the mosques are central to every town we visit.
Football: Like most of the world (save Canada and the U.S.), soccer is huge in Turkey. We were fortunate enough to be here for the Euro Cup semi-finals, with Turkey facing off against Germany. Ironically, we were in Konya, the driest city in Turkey, where only one restaurant serves alcohol. Not the wildest party of our trip, but fun nonetheless. Unfortunately, we didn’t win the game. Which at least meant no gunshots in the air and accidental Canadian victims.
Turkish Weddings: We witnessed first-hand a Turkish wedding. It was all quite traditional, with a live Turkish band, dancing and of course, no booze. We were a bit surprised by the choice of the first song for the bride and groom though– Careless Whisper, circa 1983. Seriously.
History – There is a ridiculous amount of history in Turkey, and our guide Ugur seems to know about 9,000 years of it. We still can’t tell you if the Ottomans or the Seljuks were here first, but hopefully, by the end of the trip, we’ll have it down.
Language – Turkish is really, really hard to learn, and we’re not entirely meeting our one word-a-day goal. Mel is still struggling to learn to say ‘Thank you’.
Weather- We are essentially melting in Turkey. Our warmest day so far was 45 degrees. We haven’t seen any clouds yet, though our Guide assures us they do exist in Turkey, he’s just made special arrangements for our visit.
Cake time - OK, we aren’t sure if this is actually a custom all over Turkey, but basically, this involves a man carrying around a large cake and saying “Cake time!”, as though this is an obvious part of the day.
It’s almost impossible to describe the landscape in Cappadocia. Formed millions of years ago by 3 volcanoes, years of erosion, water, oxidation and wind have combined to create incredible, magical formations referred to as fairy chimneys. (You’ll need to check out the photos below to truly understand.) The towns making up the Cappadocia region are dotted with caves, now used as homes, boutique hotels and bars.
Because of this incredible landscape, Cappadocia is said to be the world’s top ballooning destination. There aren’t a lot of things that gets Brel out of bed at 4:15 a.m., but the 2 hour ride over Cappadocia was well worth it. Going as fast as 21 knots and traveling more than 22 km, our vantage point was second-to-none. Ballooning, unlike some of our recent adventures, is a smooth and gentle ride where you have the opportunity to see the fairy chimneys from as close of 1 inch from the ground, to as high as 1,000 metres.
As luck would have it, we came into the landing at 22 km/hour, which basically meant we had to prepare for a ‘controlled crash landing’. Don’t worry Mom, it happens all the time. Our basket landed sideways - see pic below.
We celebrated with champagne (yes it was before 8 a.m) in the poppy field where we landed.
Of course we had to partake in one of the oldest rituals in Turkey, the Turkish bath.
Basically, it goes like this: Hang out in a steam room until you think you’re going to faint. Bathing suit optional. Take a cold shower. Jump into an even colder pool. More steam room. Lie on a hot marble circular slab for additional steaming. Put hygiene (or lack of) thoughts out of your mind. Lie on a rectangular marble slab. Get violently scrubbed and exfoliated by a large Turkish man. Get covered in foam. Shower. Remind yourself to put hygiene thoughts out of your mind. Get ‘massaged’, or roughly smacked around, Rinse off in the shower.
Surprisingly, our Hammam experience only gets a Random Factor rating of 4. Maybe that’s because they didn’t paint us in war paint. (if you don’t know what this refers to, check out: http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Mel-and-Brendan/category/travel/belize/page/2)
We predict good times ahead. And some funny blogs.
It´s hard to believe, but the Brel Adventure is half over. Seems as good a time as any to take a look back:
Random Stats
Brel Chronicle Stats
Random Mel Facts
Mel´s lessons learned:
Random Brendan Facts
Brendan’s Lessons Learned
By the Numbers
Highlights
Moments We´d Rather Forget
Memorable Quotes
Brendan was a bit obsessed with taking photos of the many endemic iguanas in the Galapagos, so it seemed wrong to not have a blog dedicated to them. You have no idea how many hundreds of pictures I had to filter through to pick these photos. Enjoy.
The Galapagos Islands are famous for their giant tortoises - in fact they were named for them. Here you can see 200 kg tortoises measuring over 1 metre in length. Humans have not been kind to the tortoises over the centuries however (apparently they make good eatin´), and of the 14 species originally found on the islands, 4 are extinct in the wild.
Lonesome George is the last remaining tortoise from the island of Pinta. Thought to have been extinct in the early 1900´s, George was discovered during an expedition in 1971 and brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station. The survival of his species depends on finding George a mate, and for the past 37 years, researchers have been trying (unsuccessfully) to do just that. George can live to 200 years old, so there´s still hope for the survival of the Pinta Tortoise. Advances in science (specifically DNA) are providing new hope.
At about 85 years old, George has led a solitary life - he tends to withdraw from other tortoises and people. He´s even been the target of a kidnapping plot a few years ago, when sea cucumber fishermen were protesting government quotas.
We were lucky to see Lonesome George during our visit to the Darwin Research Station - he doesn´t often come out from under the bushes. The Darwin Centre does fantastic conservation work with other tortoises as well, and is the recipient of our Brel Drop in the Ocean donation this month.
Loneone George is a conservation icon - a constant reminder of the consequences of our actions.
There are all sorts of endemic birds in the Galapagos Islands. Some highlights for your reading and viewing pleasure:
Snorkeling opportunities abound in the Galapagos Islands - there are multi-colored fish, sharks, octopus, sea horses, turtles, starfish… The most exciting thing to spot however, is the Galapagos Penguin. Endemic to this area, the penguins live in groups of up to 20 and have no fear of people. They clumsily walk along the rocky shores, and glide in the water at amazing speed.
You can imagine how excited we were when mid-snorkel, a group of 12 penguins joined us. Cursing the fact that we didn´t buy an underwater camera, we marvelled at their finesse in the water. And the fact that they have adapted to live in 30 degree weather.
Definately a Brel trip highlight.
With memories of our sailing trip in Brazil still fresh in our minds (16 bunk-beds in one room, no showers, crazy toilet ritual, etc.), we were pleasantly surprised to board our home for our week in the Galapagos Islands.
The GAP Adventurer V is a luxury yacht for 20 passengers - private cabins, hot water showers and a fully stocked bar. Our crew is great: two Level 3 Naturalists guide our twice daily expeditions and while Captain Stubing isn´t steering the ship, we do have a perfect Isaac replica behind the bar.
Once again, we thank the Costco Gods for our supply of Gravol. The sea sure can be rough at night.
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Galapagos Islands is spotting the blue-footed boobie. (insert boobie joke here). About the size of sea gulls, the blue-footed boobies have, well, blue feet. The mating ritual involve the male dancing and showing off said blue feet. And giving the female a carefully selected stick. They really are a bit of a ridiculous bird, but we love the boobies all the same. (insert boobie joke here.)
Lounge in the sun. Take a few steps. Flop down. Swim in the sea. Repeat.
Such is the life of the Galapagos sea lion. Sound familiar?
Hundreds of sea lions line the rocky shores of most of the Galapagos Islands, and you don´t soon forget an interaction with one - or rather, with a colony of up to 100 of them.
Sea lions here are incredibly friendly- you can walk right up to them, and if you´re lucky, even swim with them. Of course, you need to avoid the large male ´bulls´ who are busy protecting their harem of up to 30 female sea lions. The other males, unlucky in love, congregate in more remote areas to wait out their days of bachelorhood.
Sound familiar? We thought so.
I remember as an 11 year-old, waking early every Saturday morning to watch Jack Hanna´s Animal Adventures. For a few years, Jack focused exclusively on the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. With every tortoise, sea lion, iguana and blue-footed boobie I saw, I vowed to one day explore the Galapagos Islands on my own.
Nearly 25 years later, I´ve made it.
Discovered by accident in 1535, the Islands formed millions of years ago, the result of volcanic activity. The wildlife of the archipelago is unique. Because the Islands have never been attached to land, the flora and fauna found here must have either flown or floated thousands of kilometres in order to establish themselves here.
The Galapagos Islands are a collection of 13 main islands, covering 7,882 square kilometres. Both the land the surrounding ocean are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The landscape, plants, birds and animals are surprisingly different from one island to the next, and the adapatations each species have made are remarkable. It´s no surprise that this is where Charles Darwin first came up with his ideas about evolution (and the Origin of Species).
There are few predators here, and the birds, reptiles and mammals have yet to develop the instict to fear humans. Guests of the Galapagos have the privilege of up close and personal encounters with the wildlife unlike anywhere else in the world.
Unfortunately, the impact of humans on the Islands has been significant. From the introduction of non-native plants and animals wreaking havoc on the eco-systems, to the 100,000 annual tourists, the Galapagos Islands are at risk. Some predict that the Islands won´t be here for the next generation to enjoy.
We know we´re lucky to be here. We hope our blog and photos will give you a taste of this magnificent place.
(Jack is Mel´s 4 year-old nephew)
Hi Jack!
You would have loved the Amazon! We saw all sorts of frogs: poison-dart frogs, tree frogs, glass frogs and a bunch I don´t remember the names of. We thought you might enjoy the photos. See you soon! Love you!
Getting to La Selva Lodge (www.laselvajunglelodge.com) isn´t easy: the journey begins with a flight from Quito, followed by a 2.5 hour ride in a motorized dug-out canoe along the Napo River, a 30 minute hike through the dense Amazon rainforest, and finally, a paddled canoe ride across a lagoon.
Just a few hours into our stay, we knew it had all been worthwhile. We´d already spotted 4 kinds of monkeys, seen a toe-toed sloth up close, and added the hoatzin to our birding life lists-a proud feat by any birder´s standards.
While neither of us were thrilled with the 5:30 am wake-up calls, the early morning nature viewing and night paddles were incredible: 57 new birds identified including 6 owls (Mel has been trying to see owls for 5 months now); 7 types of new monkey species; tarantulas, frogs, mariposas, lizards…..
We´ve clearly made significant progress on Operation Bird Discovery, Phase 3, and predict this may be our most successful venture yet.
Our lodge, an “upmarket rainforest eco-resort” felt like home - that is, if home was a groovy palapa and bamboo hut set amidst the wild and unpredictable Amazon rainforest.
Note to Mel´s parents: You´ll be pleased to know that Brendan made me wear a lifejacket all the time. But I´m pretty sure the piranha would have got me first. And no, I didn´t get malaria.
In a country with as much history as Ecuador, it seemed only right for Brel to spend the night in the oldest hacienda, 400 year-old La Guachala.
Amidst our antique furniture, we easily slipped into the roles of the pioneers. Brendan built us a fire. Mel considered baking some bread. And oh yea, we watched movies on the laptop because it was too cold to go outside. We´re pretty sure the pioneers would have done the same thing though, had it been an option.
No visit to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to the place where the middle of the world was declared, in 1736 . The equator, the widest part of the world, crosses only 7 countries.
The museum at the Mitad del Mundo strives to prove the power of the equator, through a bunch of experiments. Yes, the Coriolis Effect makes water run counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and straight down on the equator. Yes, centrifugal forces at the equator allow you to easily balance an egg on a nail (we have the certificates to prove it!). And best of all, yes you do weigh less at the equator…at last, a workable solution for the Brel travel weight gain!
Our only equator disappointment was in the weather…while the sun does shine directly down (i.e. no shadows), the 2,800 metre altitude means it´s still pretty darn cold.
We find ourselves in Otavalo, Ecuador, home to South America´s largest outdoor market. I should have anticipated this would be trouble.
Lessons learned:
1. Markets are a lot of fun. I actually hyperventilated a little when I saw it.
2. Bargaining makes me feel good. It doesn´t matter if I only save $1 on a $30 item- the thrill of winning is pretty fine.
3. Avoid the hammock and table cloth people at all costs. And it´s a good idea to learn how to say - ¨I don´t even have a house, let alone a table¨, in Spanish.
4. Think of a good story for crossing the Canadian border. It´s quite possible that Canada Customs will assume I am in the alpaca importing business.
5. When you can no longer carry what you´re buying, you should probably stop. Dumping your stuff at the hotel and going back can be an expensive idea.
With our tour of South America almost over, we will be in Toronto from June 15 - 20, before heading off to Turkey.
We´d invite you all for a BBQ were it not for the fact that we are homeless. We´re hoping that perhaps one of our dear friends will volunteer to host? Mel is happy to do the cooking. Shameless, we know.
So mark Thursday, June 19th on your calendars. (That date, coincidentally, will be the Brel 2-year anniversary. So whatever we do, a beer at the Foggy Dew is required.)
It´s high time Brel spent some time apart. And with Brendan writing away and working hard to meet deadlines, I ventured into the Ecuadorian cloudforest for the weekend. Two hours from Quito (the capital and largest city in Ecuador) lies a beautiful, mostly untouched cloudforest. And you get to cross the equator 3 times on your way there, which is kind of cool.
Staying at an extremely remote eco-lodge 2,200 metres from sea level, I added some great birds to to my collection: new trogons, a multi-colored toucan, and a whole array of hummigbirds. Can´t wait for the birding in the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands…and of course, having my birding companion with me…Brendan really is a good spotter…
We are in the midst of planning the third and final leg of our adventure and would love your thoughts if you´ve been to any of the countires on our itinerary. We´ve changed our plans considerably (yay Africa! see you next time Spain and Portugal!). Below, the current plan:
Turkey - looking for Istanbul and Turquoise Coast ideas
Greece - sailing through the traditional islands, but looking for original island options?
Italy - Rome, Naples and Tuscany - looking to road trip through Tuscany, affordably
Africa - South Africa, Namibia, Botsawana and ??
Morocco - looking for Marrakesh ideas
And of course if any of you are planning to be in any of the above countries, please let us know….we always welcome a break in the Brel Party of Two.
Please feel free to use the Comments feature of our blog, our email us directly…..
With over 1,000 wineries, Mendoza really is a wine lovers´paradise. And with only one week to explore, you can imagine the pressure Brel was feeling to sample as many as possible. While our livers may take some time to recover, we really did try our best. Below, our favourite picks:
Trapiche - Fond de Cave
Luigi Bosca* - Malbec Reserva and La Linda
Norton Classico
Ruca Malen- Kinen¨Malbec 04 and Petit Verdot 06
Punto Final* - Malbec, Reserva and Enamore
Carmello Patti* - Cab Sauvignon, Malbec and Gran Assemblage
And so with a final bottle of Malbec, we bid Adieu to Argentina.
Now you can cry for me.
* They tell us these are available at the LCBO
“Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. There are five basic steps in tasting wine: color, swirl, smell, taste, and savour. Essentially, a taster is looking for clarity, varietal character, integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness.”
Brel: “Can we have a refill, please?”
We all know some people take tasting to an extreme level. Despite the number of wineries we’ve visited, it all seems a bit pretentious – even for Brendan. Below, Brel tasting notes, as overheard at a recent tasting:
Mel: “Ugh, I don’t love that.”
Connoisseur Translation: Full bodied, peppery, bold, with hints of spice.
Mel: “Yeah I could drink a bottle of that.”
Connosseur Translation: Smooth, fruity, yet light on the palate.
Brel: “We could serve this to our friends. In a decanter. After 1 a.m.”
Connoisseur Translation: Cheap, cheap, cheap.
Mel: “This one, I like.”
Brendan: “Uh Mel, you’re drinking the spittoon.”
Mel: “I taste wine. Nothing but wine.”
Connoisseur Translation: Dark, smoky with hints of berries, vanilla and oak.
Brendan: “Dry on the palate with notes of chocolate…”
Mel: “Chocolate? Did you say chocolate?”
Wine Connoisseur: “A perfect accompaniment to poultry, pasta and seafood.”
Brel: “We could totally drink this for breakfast.”
Wine Connoisseur: “Enhances the flavours of red meats, spicy foods and chocolate.”B
Brel: “The perfect chaser for 5 pints of Tankhouse, 2 jello shots and a Roger Moore.”
P.S. We actually wrote this on our 4th winery visit, on a tasting placemat. Don’t worry, we’ve taken real notes too and will be posting a guide to great Argentine wines soon.
Don´t cry for me Argentina Sorry Chile…our hearts are still in Argentina, so we´ve returned to spend some time in Mendoza, a.k.a. Argentine wine country.
Moments We´d Rather Forget…
Highlights…
Memorable Quotes…
This is a bad time of year to visit Santiago. Surrounded by the Andes, it’s kind of like a cesspool of pollution. The air is thick and nasty and you can’t actually see the mountains. Apparently there’s a thermal inversion here - a phenomenon whereby a stable layer of warm air holds down colder air close to the ground and causes high levels of smog and pollution to concentrate in the valley. Call it what you want Wikipedia, it’s still kind of gross.
Santiago is home to a lot vineyards, and we visit Concha y Toro, makers of the world-famous Casillero del Diablo. We’re in Cabernet Sauvignon land now, and our livers are co-operating nicely. Chile is also home to a lot of salsa clubs, and we’re surprised to find that we actually remember some of the moves we learned in Costa Rica.
As Chile is the world’s 2nd largest exporter of salmon, fish and seafood are everywhere. B is in food heaven. Mel is eating a lot of chicken.
Not sure we love Santiago. Well at least not at this time of year.
We´ve crossed the Andes and entered Chile at a most interesting time - the Chaiten volcano is erupting for the first time in over 9,000 years and it´s all over the international news. The smoke and ash is being blown 12 miles into the sky, and it´s quite a sight. While there are 2,000 volcanos in Chile, 70 of which are currently considered active, the area hasn´t seen activity like Chaiten in recent memory.
We are staying in Puerto Varas, and aren´t actually that far from the volcano - just over 200 km away in fact. Chaiten residents are being evacuated to Puerto Montt, just 20 km away.
The volcano we have come here to see - Osorno - is historically one of the most active in Chile. At 8,701 feet, Osorno´s perfect conical shape is easily recognizable - and the snow-capped mountains surrounding it are impressive. Thankfully, it hasn’t erupted since 1869, so you won´t be seeing us on CNN anytime soon.
By The Numbers
Moments We’d Rather Forget
Highlights
Memorable Quotes
Bariloche, in northern Patagonia, Argentina, is home to more than 50 artesan chocolate shops and over a dozen microbreweries.
How do you spell Brel heaven? B-A-R-I-L-O-C-H-E.
Set amidst the Andes, Bariloche is also a world-reknowned ski destination. Though it isn´t ski season yet, the mountains are snow-capped and it´s -2 degrees Celsius. We´ve clearly left our bikinis and Havaianas behind, and for the first time in a long time, are longing for Canadian weather. Is the Foggy Dew patio open yet?
Bariloche is a great town with a great vibe, and deserves a much longer visit than we have planned. The chocolate shops provide free samples, the micro-brew is $2, and fondue is served everywhere. We love fondue. And chocolate. And beer, of course.
And for those of you who caught the Homer Simpson quote in this blog´s title, here´s the link to that famous scene where Homer visits the Land of Chocolate…an inspiration to us all…
You know Mel is the one writing this blog when this photo actually makes it onto the site. I just can´t help laughing out loud every time I see it…do I actually date this person?
Of course this photo begs the question…is this the worst photo of Brendan EVER? I´d love to receive your submissions for a future post… pichemelanie@hotmail.com.
Gaining an understanding of Argentina means more than just hanging out in trendy restaurants and binging on beef and wine in Buenos Aires. (Not that there´s anything wrong with that.)
And so we journeyed to the province of Salta, way up north near the Bolivian border and encountered an Argentina we hadn´t yet seen . We traveled north along an Inca Road to Humahuaca, through Indian villages, andean markets and old-school cemetaries. We went south to Cafayate, and gawked at the colourful rock formations caused by millions of years of erosion. And of course, we visited the wineries and sampled Torrontes, the white wine Cafayate is famous for. Did I mention the llamas? They were everywhere.
Back in Salta, we checked out the world´s best preserved mummy - a child sacrificed to the Apus (sacred mountain gods) in the 15th century. A little freaky, but cool.
We clearly have only just begun to scratch the surface of Argentina. Next stop: Bariloche.
An open letter to Ted Rogers:
One would think that being out of the country for 4 months would translate to fewer issues with you, the cable and internet provider from hell. I’m sure you understand our surprise then, to find out that our Rogers woes continue. It seems you have misplaced our PVR and decided to charge $700 to our Visa until WE can prove to you that we returned it. And to add insult to injury, you’ve now decided to send our account to collections for a new, mystery $279 bill you say we haven’t paid – despite the automatic credit card payments you have been taking from us for the last 10 years.
Rogers, allow us to remind you: we have no house. We have no cable TV or internet. In fact, we don’t even have an address. Enough already!
And by the way, did you teach your business practices to Primus? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that they too are still looking for our VOIP gateway, which we also returned. Rogers and Primus: you suck.
P.S. Ted – we know where you live. The UCC boys were the ones throwing all those cigarette butts on your lawn in the late 80’s.
We are going to Grooooove Armada! Right now!! In Buenos Aires!
Wicked.
Since the City Slickers movies of the early 90’s, Mel has dreamed of staying at a working dude ranch – learning to ride while living the cowboy life. (Surely this is coincidental to her ongoing attraction to men in cowboy hats and boots). What better place to experience this, than in Northern Argentina, home of the Argentinian cowboy, the gaucho?
We are spending the weekend at Sayta (www.sayta.com.ar), an authentic estancia (or dude ranch in North American terms). Sayta is about an hour’s drive from the city of Salta, which itself is a 22-hour bus ride (or 2.5 hour flight in the Brel world), from Buenos Aires. Our estancia is everything we could want and more – gauchos in chaps chewing coca leaves, random chickens and geese running about, legends and myths, a tobacco plantation and a pasture of gorgeous horses.
Our host, Enrique, is a hard-core gaucho – think Curly but with an incredible positive energy and spirit - the kind of guy who makes you instantly feel like you’ve been friends for years. His hosting style is one Brel can appreciate – bottomless glasses of wine, copious amounts of home-cooked food and a sense of humour second-to-none. Our lunches are cooked on a huge outdoor asado – endless, perfectly grilled meats arrive at our table for what seems like (and probably is) hours. Enrique goes to great effort to make sure we feel we are truly guests in his home. For dinner, we join him in his kitchen. We are served (and sometimes force-fed) beautiful Salteño wines until late into the night. In the afternoons, we join Enrique and his friends for mate.
Riding is obviously a big part of staying at Sayta – there are morning and afternoon rides, through trails, up streams or into the mountains. Our delicate bottoms, too accustomed to our recent life of leisure, protest after every ride.
We won’t soon forget our stay at Sayta. Enrique and his team have given us a welcomed sneak-peak into the world of the gaucho. Gracias!
No, that wasn´t just to get your attention.
We are spending the next month in wine country - Bariloche, the Maipo Valley and Mendoza. So as you can imagine, we don´t want our love affair with Argentinian wines to end.
We know we can´t just ship wine to Canada, because our wonderful country and it´s wonderful liquor control laws won´t allow it. The question is…if we ship it, what´s the worse that can happen? How much duty-taxes-penalties might we have to pay? There will be 3-4 weeks between the time we would ship it and the time we return to Canada.
One case of Malbec to the first reader to solve our dilemma…and our life-long gratitude…or gratitude for at least as long as the wine lasts.
Thanks!
While it may seem like our trip is all fun and games (and it is, mostly), Mel has been taking private Spanish lessons (3 hours/day) for the past few weeks. Well beyond telling time and counting, she can now form entire sentences – in the present AND past tense! And her vocabulary, while still pretty basic, has moved well beyond fruits and basic introductions. Her teacher Celeste (are all Spanish teachers hot? Rosa?) has also worked hard to teach her Argentinian slang – much to the dismay of Papi. Muy copado! In the spirit of doing my homework while blogging, here’s a summary of my weekend in Spanish - sorry to all Spanish speakers, my keyboard is turned to English. English translation to follow.
En español…
Despues de mi clase de español, mi novio y yo cenamos en Club Eros. Fuimos a la terminal de omnibus, pero el collectivo se canceló por el humo. El dia siguiente, yo caminé por Palermo y mi novio trabajó en casa. Esa noche, nosotros fuimos otra vez a la terminal. Doce horas mas tarde, llegamos a Cordoba. Brendan olvidó su carnet de conducir. Yo estuvé enojada. Nosotros dormimos en Villa Benitz - muy linda! Caminamos por el Camino de los Artensanos. Comimos una tabla de quesos y fiambres y una botella de vino Malbec. Despues, fuimos a Juku y bebimos la cerveza casera y comimos una fondue. El domingo, fuimos a hacer parapente. El mirador es muy bonito. Caminamos por La Cumbre y yo practiqué español con los dueños de la Casa de Chocolates. Yo compré los chocolates. Requisimo! El lunes, alquilamos un taxi, pero las estancias estuvieron cerradas. Nosotros volvimos a Buenos Aires en collectivo.
In English…
After my Spanish class, my boyfriend and I had dinner at Club Eros. We went to the bus station but our bus was cancelled because of the smoke from the burning fields. The next day, I went shopping while Brendan worked. Friday night, we once again went to the bus station. Twelve hours later, we arrived in Cordoba. Brendan forgot his driver’s license in Buenos Aires, so our road trip became a bus/taxi/walking trip. I was not pleased with him. We stayed at Villa Benitz – very beautiful! We walked along Caminos del Artisanos. . We had a cheese and meat platter and a bottle of wine at Zagreo – delicious! Later, we went to a micro-brewery and drank beer and ate fondue. On Sunday, we went paragliding. The scenery was beautiful. We walked around La Cumbre and I practiced Spanish with the people at the Chocolate House. I also bought some chocolates. Delicious! On Monday, we rented a taxi but the estancias were closed. We returned to Buenos Aires by bus.
