Baltic Balsam

Our traditional Latvian cuisine last night was served buffet style at a restaurant called Lido.  We were sadly informed by a ladle wielding tall man that taking pictures of the food was illegal in Latvia. Big bummer. Unfortunately the only picture we have is one of some sad potatoes taken seconds before being told off. Poor Paul. 

The portions were also  huge.  I asked for a little sauerkraut and was served half a plate. Hmmm lucky Paul tonight!  

Sunday we started the day with our usual freshly baked goodie from the local supermarket Rimi and had lunch at the beer garden. Here they had surprisingly good food with a range of local beers on tap. 

We shared a cup of fried seafood (squid, octopus and shrimp), some fried garlic soaked rye bread, a sandwich of spinach, pork and aged provolone with a spicy mayo and finally a fig and beet root salad with goats cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. 

With food heavy on our bellies we decided the logical place to go next was the central market. Housed in three large zeppelin hangars we were surrounded by huge quantities of meat, fish, vegetables, pickles, breads and any other food item you should want. I had a delicious pickle from one stall and for dessert some fried donuts covered in powdered sugar. Yum indeed!

To complete our day of food food and more food we went for dinner at a local dumplings store called Pelmeni XL where they sell, you guessed it, Pelmeni! Dumplings filled with a variety of meats, veg, and cheese with sauces and soups.  A very unhealthy day over all. 

4th of July! How better to spend it but to shoot some soviet guns at a James Bond cut out!  Great experience if not a tad sketchy. The guide book says it is in a Soviet Bunker so when we showed up outside a football pitch with toddler boys and their practice session I was a tad confused. We came to find out that a few weeks prior, the police ("who are now mostly corrupt") had raided the soviet bunker and taken control of all the guns. So now the older woman who runs it had to find somewhere else to once again set up shop.  Hence we were allowed to take pictures of the shooting as long as we did not get her face in the shot. Ended the day with some cards and black balsam. Note of warning about the balsam: as Paul and I found out, it is not only hard to down, but also has the unlikely trait of providing you with the interesting next day body odor of licorice.

Next day we were off to Sigulda. The gateway town to the national park 'Goija' (pronounced 'goy-ya'). 3 lats (about $5) total for an hour and a half trip. Thinking we had landed somewhere out in the boonies we were surprised that our hotel was so nice. The Hotel Segevold was swank and clean with the most comfortable beds we have had in a few days (Paul's eye baggage was grateful) but also desolate. Other than an asian party (which we saw once) we seemed to be two of a total of three guests.

In Sigulda we did the long walk to castles and caves taking a cable car along the way. We saw the infamous Gutmana cave where the beautiful Maija Rose was murdered, and splashed the "wrinkle-remover-medicinal" spring water on our faces (you can never be too careful). We saw Krimulda castle (where Maija Rose lived) in the town of Turaida with it's red bricked tower.

Back to Riga on Thursday for our morning flight to London on Friday. Maybe another shooting lesson?

Ready to Start

After a BBQ of every available meat and a late night game of cards we spent the next better half of the morning tired (and more to the point hungover) traveling back to London and meeting up with the wonderful Lucy! A quick nap and we were raring to go. Hyde park!!!! Thousands of people, a bit of pushing and shoving and we were front crowd centre in a surprisingly peaceful crowd of eager fans of all ages. 

I am not going to even attempt to describe the concert, except to say that I do not believe I will ever experience as amazing of a line up as that. 

The low point of the day was finding out that Paul and I, dummies that we are, did not adequately prepare for the trip back with £0 left on our oyster cards we were forced to ask people on the street for change, asking people to donate 20p only to find out we needed 40. Eventually walking the 10 blocks to a tube station that was not "closed for scheduled works", witnessing an attempted robbery and finally getting back to Lucys apartment. 

Keeping with the theme of our disorganization we did a bit of scrambling to print our boarding pass finally deciding just to take the iPad and therefore being forced to pay the £80 just for Ryanair to print it for us. 

Latvia is two hours ahead of London and in the summer hardly gets dark.  As soon as we had dropped our bags off in our room we made some friends in the hostel and got a night tour of Riga and the bars.  Rock band bars, "moon safari" bar, a 30 minute wait for a sugary mojito, a punch bowl of assorted fruit and alcohol with 6 straws...made a friend with a Latvian girl who danced with me, gave me drinks, told me I was fun (man I am so naive). She left and we were to go meet her at a bar when I passed her making out with another girl on the street....hmmm did I just get hit on? Interesting experience or narrow escape? 

In the day, Riga has an old European feel. Cobblestone streets lead to huge churches, replicas of original Latvian buildings torn down during the soviet oppression, beer gardens and markets. Art Nouveau buildings (more than any city in Europe I hear) are everywhere in central Riga, gargoyles,  peacocks, and goblins, Oh My! 

Traditional Latvian cuisine for dinner with some hostelers! 

Hello England

After a very fast six hour flight we arrived at Heathrow airport at 8:00 pm. Having decided that it must be our maturity that made the flight seem so much faster than it would have as a child we got immediately grumpy since the underground ride seemed too take twice as long as the entire flight.

Clearly in desperate need of reserve replenishments we did a quick survey and had a satisfactory tasting and quickly served meal of indian. It did the job.

Despite a troubled, where-am-I and in-what-timezone sleep we took off on an "adventure" to meet up with the Dixon family. Three trains, a bus and a walk and much confusion we arrived in Woolwich Arsenal (pronounced 'wool-itch' not 'wool-witch' ahem-cough Paul) with just enough time to eat a fast but delicious dish of mussels and we were off back into London. Took the ferry back which was much more preferable to the sweltering hot bus (much hotter than bda). Short of taking a submarine I think we have established ourselves as public transport veterans.

The next day (only our second but feels like a week has passed) was spent wandering through Harrods looking at things we could not afford. So to feel better we went for an affordable lunch...at Bar Boloud. Ok...maybe not affordable but worth every penny. See Paul's blog for food details (greedygastronomer.tumblr.com).

Then we were off to see the sheriff...of Nottingham that is. Lots of laughs, some beer and wine, a castle and the oldest pub in England!

Next up: some arsenic sons (Mumford and sons and arcade fire...but you got that right?)

Hasta Luego, Baby!!

Valpairaso was a beautiful city on the coast of Chile which reminded me a bit of Rio de Janeiro with is vibrancy and beauty. An hour and a half out of Santiago, Gibby, Shandy, Matt, James and I headed there from Mendoza for a few days of relaxing before Santiago and flights out. The city has a bohemian feel, with spray paint murals everywhere. It seemed as though everyone made an effort to get into the spirit of the city with elaborate doors, glass and mirror murals, spray paint art on walls and every other surface possible. Every building had some type of art. On a hill with some workouts to get up(reminding me much of Rio in that aspect) with narrow roads and tiny alleys. On our way to food from our hostel one day, which was located in one such tiny alley, we passed some local artists with walkie talkies communicating and keeping watch so they could complete their art in peace. Not that anyone should stop them. Its beautiful. Many photos to come of that.

While there we visited Vina del Mar, the beach (cold even for them, with iron sand....completely new for me), had a candy apple (or a toffee apple as it was argued over and over again by the english), and took a scenic and typical elevator ride up the hill (Valpairaso is known for them). On our last day we had a beautiful fish stew called "Paila Marina" with a massive amount of fresh shrimp, clams, mussels and fish for approximately $6 US. Beautiful.

One easy and painless bus ride to Santiago the five of us set out for our hostel La Chimba which will be my last hostel before I head home in two days. I cant believe its coming to an end but will be happy to get home (yes Mummy I missed the family...as well as your cooking). Will probably have some difficulties adjusting back to our keyboards as here I have lost all sense of where symbols are....for example, the @ sign is produced by pressing Alt+6+4. The ? moves form the top right to the bottom left...I have NO idea of where its usual position is. May not be my usual speedy typer when I return.

On our last few days of South America we will be exploring Santiago, we climbed (and by climb I mean we took the trolley) to San Cristobal hill, saw the Virgin Mary statue on top and a beautiful layout of Santiago. Still havent parted with the English crew (Gibby, Shandy and Matt) and will definitely be sad to see them go....however after many many delays they need to head up to Bolivia.

Probably the last post as I fly out day after tomorrow. So...until the next trip....bye and thanks for reading!

Catena Zapata

On our next day in Mendoza we took an afternoon bus to Maipu pronounced...ahem ¨my-poo¨(pause for jokes...there were three days worth of jokes made here so I have pretty much heard them all). Once in Maipu (stop laughing) we tried to find a taxi but to no avail. Standing in the middle of an emptry street, with 15 minutes left before we were supposed to be at Catena Zapata winery, we were five extremely lost and sorry looking tourists. Finally a police officer took pity on us, stopped, and called us a taxi. One sketchy taxi ride later with us having to stop (meter running) so he could fill up on gas(!), and stops along a dirt road with our driver insisting we were going the wrong way (the map does not lie!!), we arrived to a beautiful winery with the signature Catena Zapata Mayan temple style building before us. It was like arriving to a palace.

Every inch of the walls, floor and ceiling were made of a magnificent cream coloured marble/limestone. 12 foot long tables made out of one piece of wood from a tree from the Iguacu Falls. Premium french oak barrels (used for no longer than 3 years...a year shorter than the other wineries we visited) were lined up in rows in a large pristine and perfectly cared for ampitheatre shaped room...actually shown on their website. We got an extensive tour from top to bottom of the winery, including rooms with every inch of space taken by wines aging in the bottle.

The wine itself was indescribable. We were provided with two wines to taste, a 2008 Chardonnay and a premium bottle of their 2005 Malbec. Heaven.

The next day in a group of 9 we headed to MR. HUGO! A bicycle rent shop where we got bikes for the day and went from winery to winery, tasting and generally having fun. After the amazing day before, however, and because I was feeling slightly feverish I did not sample much wine and mainly concentrated on staying awake.

Did not think it was possible but am definitely sick of wine for now so Matt, Shandy, Gibby, James and I (the last remaining from the Navimag boat trip) headed to Valparaiso, Chile.

Santiago in a day or two and then flying back home.

Land of the Vino Tinto

After our white water rafting trip we had a great full asado lunch with tons of perfectly cooked beef, all types of cuts, steaming on a metal platter, topped up every few minutes whether we had finished it or not. All in all it was a wonderful day complete with an encounter with a real life gaucho who patrols the Chile-Argentina border.

The next day Matt, Shandy, Gibby and I went on a zip lining tour through the forest. Beautiful, fast, exhilirating and, of course, SAFE (love you mummy). Also had many mini spanish lessons from our guide who kept insisting I learn how to say ready to go, ¨estas listas!¨

That night we went for mexican food in Bariloche, followed by ONE tequila shot, and a few very interesting games of beer pong. I will go no further.

With a slight hangover we left the following day for Mendoza where I am currently. The first day in Mendoza, a desert in the middle of mountains, and there was a sand storm. Tree branches had fallen off into the road, the sand and debris was flying everywhere it felt and looked like a city of apocolyptic remains. I returned to the hostel with much lighter (in colour) dusty hair, and the outline of my clothes on my body. The temperature, however, was the real surprise. After being in the cold for the last few weeks I was rudely surprised by the intense dry heat. Followed by dust it was not the ideal introduction.

Today was the exact opposite of yesterday. No wind, but very very cold. I dressed to accomodate the heat in a tank and shorts and immediately after exiting my room had to switch back into the cold clothes I had been wearing the last few weeks in Patagonia. This is apparantly the normal weather occurence after a sand storm.

After our friends Anna and Joe were sent back to the hostel because of a shut down of the Chile-Argentina border we ended up going as a group on a winery and olive oil factory tour. The first winery we went to was clearly an industrial mass produced factory with ladies topping up fizzing bottles of white wine with a squeegy bottle....something was wrong with that production line.

The second winery tour at Cavas de Don Arturas was fantastic. We were able to get a tour in english (thank goodness!!!) with a woman born and raised in Florida but who moved to Mendoza to work on her family´s winery. Very snappy woman, starting most of her sentences with ¨of course!¨ but full of really interesting information. Bought a couple bottles, tried a few glasses, and headed back with some of the best olive oil, wine, bottled olive paste, cheese, and lots of other goodies perfect for an antipasto dinner. Even picked up some fresh jamon crudo from a nearby queso and carne shop.

Villarrica to Manso

Our first morning after a brutal wake up at 6am (6;45 if your alarm is stupidly set to pm instead of am) we found out that the weather was not good enough to climb the mountain so we put it off for another day. Instead, we went back to sleep for another few hours and then headed off to the hot springs.

Naturally made jacuzzis ranging from slightly warmer than a pool to scalding hot temperature alongside a freeezing cold river. Beautiful. Absolute bliss. On our ride back we had a beautiful clear view of the volcano we were supposed to be climbing the next day. More than a little dubious. In fact, terrified of the steep mountain before us.

The next day we woke up to clear sunny skies and headed off to Volcan Villarrica. Minor delay when our van skidded out on the snow covered roads and had to put on chain links to our tires. Minor problem fixed we continued on our way. At the base, with gear all strapped on, clingons in bag, ice picks strapped outside, lots of layers on, this is the moment our guide Carlos and Jason decided to inform us that the ski lift was not working today. Major let down. Full panic mode now. I know how unfit I am, flashbacks of biking up the "hill" are coming back to me. After an hour or so of walking we reach the end of the ski lift. I am practically crying....I am not made for physical exercise like this! It is boiling up there, despite the fact that we are walking in snow, the sun is roasting us, and worst of all, I know we are not even half way, for goodness sake we havent even STARTED!!

After being downgraded to the "slow" group, I like to call it the "normal" group, we continued on four of us with our guide Jason. Every once in a while we would take a break for breath or some water or chocolate and be astounded at the view around us. Between gasps and whimpers I would occasionally mention that I would have more spirit if someone would just lie to me and tell me that we were half way. This would always be followed by someone telling me that we were and me cussing them off because I knew it wasnt the truth. Not until Jason our guide finally told me that we were a little more than half way through did I think there was an actual chance that I would make it. Fast forward 5 more hours, lots of chocolate and sugar, and a 60 degree steep gradient (in places) and we made it. We reached the top of the volcano/mountain and was greeted by a lungful of sulfuric smoke (healthy right?). Out of the cloud of smoke the view was amazing. 2,830m high up, no clouds in the sky. Just the scene of Pucon and Patagonia before us.

The ride down, despite my inital fear of the height and steepness, was the best part. With only our ice picks to slow us down (while trying not to stab ourselves, which I managed to do once) we slid down the side of the mountain one after another on our behinds. 7 hours up, 1 hour down. Incredible.

Every muscle in my body hurt that night, but it was completely worth it. The next day we left at 10am and moved to Bariloche, Argentina, sadly leaving two of the group behind.

Bariloche is known for a few things. Chocolate for one, which we have had a bit of. As well as its amazing location in the mountains and lake. We decided to go white water rafting the day after arriving. Out of a 5 class system (5 being the highest) we went on rapids graded 3 and 4 down Manso river (Manso ironically means ´calm´). First rapid and all but 2 of us went in the water. Freezing water. I was definitely more afraid of getting wet and cold than I was on the rapids....ok perhaps I was equally scared. With your guide saying things like "guys, we need to pay attention on the right when we go over the big wave we dont want to go right, avoid the whirlpool on the right, and the rocks on the left" or "DONT fall out here guys!" Like we can help it! On the whole the guides were amazing, full of jokes (all of which I fell for), very attentive, and they knew that river like the back of their hand...or better.

Perhaps some zip lining in the canopy tomorrow and then off to Mendoza.