Archive for Argentina

17 to London Bridge

April 28, 2011 / admin / 2 comments

Have been taking bus No. 17 to London Bridge. Ya ya… when you say London Bridge, everyone thinks I’m this tourist in my own city and its a thorough joyride. Nope, its work. My office is a stone’s throw away from London Bridge. Between the consistent announcement ’17 to London Bridge’ all the way from Caledonian Road to the final stop, I tend to overhear a lot of early morning conversations on the bus. Kind of like Mumbai train people watching.

The one this morning was the one totally worth blogging about.

2 little boys enter the bus. School uniforms, big school bags et all. Must be 7 or 8 years old.

Boy 1 : Did ya see Messi’s goal? Legend.

Announcement: 17 to London Bridge. Her Majesty Pentonville Prison.

Boy 2: I heard about it from my Dad. I was out.

Boy 1: I recorded it.

Boy 2: My recorder broke down.

Boy 1: You could come over and we could watch the second goal. The first one was ok but the second one.

….. more about Messi and how great he is….

Announcement: 17 to London Bridge. Kings Cross.

Boy 2 suddenly: You remember the time I dribbled all the way to the other side and scored a similar one.

Boy 1: Wasn’t that Max?

Boy 2: No, it was the day Max wasn’t playing. It was just Chad, you and me.

Boy 1: Right… ofcourse.

….. more about Max not being around enough…..

Announcement: 17 to London Bridge. Ludgate Circus.

… I’m wondering how just 3 boys land up playing the game….

…. more conversation….

…. then the revelation…

Boy 1: Did your PS3 crash? I heard there were some network issues and it got hacked.

Reality : 8 year olds spend more time on their Play Stations, even when there are such beautiful open spaces.

Announcement: 17 to London Bridge. St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Boy 1 and 2 jump out of their seats and get out of the bus.

Thanks for the morning entertainment.

Category: Argentina, England, Europe, London, South America / Tags: , ,

Around the world in many Cups

February 13, 2011 / admin / 10 comments

People are clearly coffee people or tea people. Just like you find Dog people or Cat people. Just last week, a good friend of mine made a remark about how I had changed in 2 years. Apparently, when he met me 2 years ago, I would drink nothing but black coffee. Agree. About a year ago, I was overworked and I would drink nothing but Red Bull. Partly agree. Recently, he mentioned that my preference has changed to tea. Disagree. All this hype about Coffee, Tea and Red Bull, I decided to think about my life, my travels and really figure out who I am. So, here are plenty of coffee moments, some tea moments and many life lessons.

Nothing inspires me to write more than coffee – Coffee has been the savior. When I blog. When I write in my travel diary. More than anything, when I had to write innumerable mails at work. When I had to especially frame politically correct emails. When I had to apply for a job. When I had to write my resignation. You get the drift. (Infact, right now, that’s what I’m drinking)

Starbucks should not even be your last resort – If you are anywhere near North America, they sell you brown liquid in the name of Starbucks Coffee. I detest Starbucks. I avoid it all costs. Whoever came up with Tall, Grande and whatever? I know Americans like everything ‘supersize’ but it is ridiculous making anyone drink that amount of bad coffee. (I know my sister is probably going to kill me for this, but to save humanity from bad coffee, I had to write this). If they worry so much about the coffee farmers and so on and so forth (as it reads in their promotional material in store), they would stop spending so much money on real estate and give it back to society.

The best coffee can be brewed with socks – Honest to God. In Brazil, they have this coffee maker called a Cuador, which is nothing but a sock like cloth attached to a metal ring and handle. You put the coffee powder in this and Voila, you have a hot cup of awesome coffee. This makes a fabulous travel companion. All you need to do is buy the local coffee from a supermarket and boil water and you can make your own coffee, about 10 times cheaper than drinking coffee outside. If you do not get a cuador, fresh clean ankle socks works.

Meet the people behind the scenes and hear the coffee stories – Whether it is in the Guatemalan coffee farms or the Bali coffee estates, you’ll find coffee farmers to be warm and loving and ready to make the 100th cup of the day just to share with you. I remember sitting and chatting with this lady who was roasting the ‘Luwak’ beans in Bali and telling me the history of coffee. Known as Kopi Luwak, it is among the most expensive coffee in the world. The process of making this coffee will disgust you – they make the little Asian Palm Civet’s eat the berries and excrete the same. Then, the beans having gone through the intestines and out, are separated, cleaned and roasted and so on and so forth, till the most amazing coffee is made.

Sometimes, the only thing that can get you through bad coffee is good company – I love black coffee. Hanging around a bus station in Brazil with a friend, I was deeply disappointed to find only coffee chains with milky coffee and not the usual Cafezinho (small black coffee). Remember cribbing a lot. Then, the adaptable calm friend of mine picked up the coffee and literally thrust it on my face. One coffee slap was good to get me slurping out of the cup. And surprisingly, I enjoyed it as she cracked jokes about bus stations, travel, losing weight and all that. So, it is true. Bad Coffee + Good Company = Great memories.

The one thing on top of my sightseeing list in every city is the oldest café – Whether it is Café Sperl in Vienna or Café Tortoni in Buenos Aires, it was top priority for me to visit these cafes. All the museums and palaces of the world came next. Old world charm, black and white photographs, the history adds to the nostalgia.  Imagine sitting in the room where the King of Spain sipped coffee. I’ve landed up spending a bomb across such cafes but you never think money when you think coffee. These are far stronger memories than seeing a hundred paintings in a museum and not remembering one.

When in trouble, find an Illy - For those who take their black coffee seriously, visiting a new country and not finding the perfect blend can be worrisome. I’ve had terrible terrible coffee in Malaysia, North India and Egypt. A wise woman I met in Mexico told me that the easiest way to find good coffee in a country is to find the Italian Embassy or Italian Cultural Centre and hope they have a cafeteria. Illy rocks. (Now, I can’t help but remember the day my Italian neighbour in Chennai taught me how to make an Italian espresso – Read more here)

Never make the mistake of ordering coffee in Tea land – Was in Egypt last year and craving for coffee one day. Made the terrible mistake of ordering a coffee in the old markets of Cairo. With tons of Elachi and a terrible fragrance, one sip made me cry out Allah. I had the impression it would be close to Turkish coffee or Arabic coffee, dark and strong. Had no idea it came with spices. Prompty, I switched to Tea. It is not about the drink at all. It is about lounging around in a Sheesha place with a glass of tea for hours.

When you in the wilderness, coffee or tea, have it hot – After a long day bushwhacking or trekking or hiking or whatever you do in the wild, the only thing I yearn for is a hot cup of whatever. (This is obviously second to a cold beer, but I generally don’t carry a mini fridge when I go hiking). So, for a change, its not about coffee or not about tea but about hot water. As the kettle gently sways over the camp fire, you have this warm feeling within you that doesn’t go away. (Tried and tested in many places around the world – Special moment was in Swansea in Wales and Smoky Mountains in the USA).

While coffee goes with backpacking, tea goes with luxury – Unless you are backpacking in the Middle East or roughing it out in a guesthouse in Varanasi, I would suggest the best companion to backpacking is coffee. Anyway, coming back to tea, why tea and luxury? Recently, I was invited to a Champagne Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester hotel in London. No, I’m not kidding. With scones and jam, champagne and perfect little sandwiches, they served a whole bunch of us tea in fine china. I was so worried I was going to knock down something or break something. It was like being in the Titanic, with all the cutlery. Rated as one of the best Tea experiences in all of Britain, this was something way out of my league. (Ok.. someone else was paying.. Haha) Anyway, I’m not bad at role playing. I promptly held the cup like most of them do, with the little pinkie finger sticking out, pursed my lips and slurped away. And, I felt like the perfect lady when the waiter actually asked me, ‘Would you like some more teaaaaa?’. And, that is the London experience I worry about.

Saving the best for last, nothing beats South Indian Filter coffee – Yes, I’m that South Indian girl who grew up drinking filter coffee from a tumbler. So, now you know why the obsession to find coffee everywhere I go. This was just a few moments before my wedding (early in the morning), drinking a strong cup of filter coffee, freshly brewed at home. (My aunt was hyperventilating that I would spill the coffee on my Sari, but I managed). I absolutely needed to clear my head before taking that big step towards marriage. Like I said, nothing beats South Indian Filter coffee.

So, brought up in coffee land (South India) and obsessed with coffee land (Brazil), moving to tea land (Britain) is a bit of a worry. Especially after I read this quote. “Coffee in England always tastes like a chemistry experiment.” – Agatha Christie

And, such is life. No fear. What lays ahead is a path of discovery. I cannot wait to begin my coffee crawl of London and add to these stories here.

Category: Africa, Argentina, Asia, Brazil, Egypt, England, Europe, Food & Drinks, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, London, North America, South America, Travel Tips, USA / Tags: , , , , ,

Postbox hugger

February 8, 2011 / admin / 13 comments

You’ve heard of tree huggers.

You’ve heard of free huggers.

But, have you heard of a postbox hugger? That’s me.

A self proclaimed deltiologist, I’ve been fascinated by postcards since god knows when. When I was a kid, my uncle used to send snail mail regularly to my grandparents and I used to rip off the stamps even before they laid hands on the important letter. Snail mail started fascinating me. Then, a couple of my friends from school traveled outside India and I pleaded them to send me letters or postcards. The day I received my first postcard from Germany (Thanks to a dear friend who moved there) and soon after, a post card from the USA (my best friend traveled there), I was addicted. The email age came and I was still writing letters and postcards to people. For those who still did not get it, deltiology is the official name for postcard collecting and is thought to be one of the three greatest hobbies apart from stamp and coin collecting.

So, these are reasons why I am / am not a deltiologist, in no particular order -

1. The first thing I do apart from finding a tourist information office in any city is finding the post office.

2. I’ve spent more time selecting postcards for friends than eating breakfast, lunch, dinner in every trip. My husband will certify this.

3. I can spot a mail van / post box from a mile but I cannot spot a Mc Donalds.

4. I went into a 2 week depression when 1 set of postcards of mine from Argentina did not reach my best friends.

5. I live in this imaginary romantic world where I think that you can explain your life’s purpose on postcards. (If you were to explain this in corporate language, why make a power point presentation, that too a lengthy one when you can make your point in one page)

6. There is nothing more exciting to me than receiving a postcard. For every 100 or so that I send, I receive one. So, obviously it is exciting.

7. Postcards are great bribes when you want to ask your boss for leave.

8. You can break up or make up on a post card. Its the closest to being face to face. Forget the mobile phone, chat, blackberry, etc of the world.

9. The one thing I treasure most in my life is the 40 odd postcards I have received from my Grandfather when I was in college. Old yellow postcards. Written with all the love and care in the world. I just hope I had replied to every one of them. I know I did not. He probably got one letter from me for every 10 he sent. I’m making up by sending cards to the whole world now.

10. Postcards make me cry. More than onions and lovers quarrel.

11. They say a deltiologist can track history with postcards. Well, I know one thing for sure. If I were to read the postcards I sent to myself (I started doing that since others dont), it would make a historical diary

So, I’ll leave you with my favourite images of postcards, postboxes and all things beautiful. The thing I spend more time in when I am traveling. Even more than sightseeing.

This was taken in Windsor, England and this is one of the oldest postboxes of England. It has a vertical opening instead of a horizontal one and this is how postboxes used to be till they discovered water used to go in during rainy season. Then, they changed it to a horizontal opening with a cap :) This is one of the postboxes I hugged.

The lady in the post office in Antigua, Guatemala assuring me that these cards would reach in 3 to 4 weeks. I did not let go till then. Remember that moment vividly.

Stuck in the middle of the jungle trekking for 4 days in Chapada Diamantina, Brazil. There were no postcards. So, I wrote postcard length notes and later, pasted them onto cards and mailed them. The strong black coffee (Brazilian coffee) – Oooooh, I would kill for that.

God bless people who built post offices. Check out the brass work in the post office in Mexico city. ‘Estampillas’ sound as enticing as ‘Enchiladas’.

Hope I have given you enough reason to send a postcard instead of an email. If you are inspired, send one to the Ninja. Shoot me a comment and I’ll send you my address.

Stamped with love. This is Ninja signing out.

Category: Argentina, Brazil, England, Europe, Guatemala, Life, Mexico, North America, Not Just Travel, South America, Travel Tips / Tags: , , ,

The people who made everything worth it……

February 7, 2009 / Backpacking Ninja / One comment

Was just thinking about how many interesting people Ive met in this trip so far…..

I guess Ive always had this doubt in my mind whether travel is about meeting people or seeing places.. I guess its a bit of both…. I remember people more than places and I remember places because of the people I met there…

So…. a big thanks to all these people for making my journey worth it….

Italian gay artist in a China town bus in New York

A music lover and wonderful human being (who incidentally is my sisters educational Godfather) in Madison

3 Tam Bram Engineering Boys living the typical American Grad student life in Madison

Sociologist Mom in Sao Paulo

The 17 year old on a metro who was carrying a cake for his girlfriends birthday in Sao Paulo

Amelie Poulain look alike and kickass samba dancer in Sao Paulo

Drama queen cum Capoeirista who loves to wear roman sandals in Sao Paulo

Brazilian capoeirist couple who ideally should have been a bollywood dancing couple in Sao Paulo

Brazilian born middle eastern obsessed Foodie in Sao Paulo

The only Brazilian guy who doesnt like the sun and coffee in Rio De Janeiro

His girlfriend who is as Brazilian as it gets in Rio De Janeiro too

A Chilean artist who has made one of the most romantic and moving art staircase Ive ever seen in my life in Rio De Janeiro

A Slovakian Anthropoligist living in Bahia in Rio De Janeiro

A social worker from Portugal, working with children in Rio De Janeiro

A professor from Petropolis who is learning English in his 50s in Rio De Janeiro

An Australian from England, overstaying her visa in Brazil to learn Capoeira in Rio De Janeiro

2 Brothers named Washington and Wellington in Ouro Preto

An arrogant American who asked unbelievably idiotic questions about India in Ouro Preto

A Polish guy who was locked outside the hostel in Sao Paulo

His English friend who kept ringing the bell in the wrong house in Sao Paulo

The Canadian couple who were fussing about 5 dollar meals but spent 100 dollars on REM in
Buenos Aires.. whatever rocks their boat…

The 3 loud girls who wore lycra and went out only at 10 pm and returned at 6 am in Buenos Aires

The pinstriped shirt banker gathering in a Halloween meetup in Buenos Aires

The Peruvian Women Shahrukh Khan Fan Club in the hostel in Cusco

The Swedish (overenthuasiastic engineer sent to Peru to work on some technology project) who escaped work for a weekend trip in Machu Picchu

The Colombian couple Lina and Mauro who I cannot describe in one sentence…. They are my family and I love them to death… Met them in Peru and landed up traveling in Bolivia with them.. Check out what I have to say about them in my post Un-Boliviable

French couple in the hostel in Puno, who were doing the exact reverse of my trip from East to West giving me invaluable advice about Bolivia and Chile

Brazilian 40 year old who looked nothing over 30 in the boat in Lake Titicaca .. Landed up going and staying with her Salvador after a few months

The Mexican sisters in the boat in Lake Titicaca who were dying to go sand boarding

The Australian exchange students in the bus ride from Lake Titicaca to Lapaz, with whom I spent an afternoon drinking beer and bitching about cricket

Bolivian biologist who hosted me in Lapaz and who is now tripping around India.. I truly managed to convince her to visit my country

Another wonderful Bolivian girl with a Swiss boyfriend (who worked in an organisation with priests.. so he really coudlnt admit he had a girlfriend)

The large Bolivian family who made me feel so welcome I was afraid I would leave Bolivia with Montana as my surname

Menta, the most beautiful blind dog Ive met in my life.. I wish she couuld see how beautiful she was

A Colombian 21 year old gastronomical student who is moving to Australia to become a chef… who danced with me under the stars and taught me how to love Spanish music.. I traveled with
him in Bolivia and fell in love with his spirit… I cant wait for the day I get to travel with him again

A German geologist, without whom I would have never understood the real natural beauty of the Bolivian salt plains…

A French couple…. the guy talking all the time and the girl sitting quietly…. Kinda reminded me of Roy and me (opposite though)

An Israeli gang who sang Bob Marley all the time… something about the whole wild outlook of
the group made me fall in love with Israel… I just have to go there

The perfect boyfriend anyone can ask for… the colombian boyfriend of my Indian friend in Santiago, Chile… he is adorable

Peruvian single mother to a baby who looks like a J&J baby in Santiago… a fantastic strong woman

Monicas mother – Energetic mother, shopper, tour guide cum Ambassador of Santiago

Capoerist professor (friend of neeshas from the US) who I think looks really hot

Spunky theatre artist cum dancer addicted to Yoga and wearing Indian clothes all the time in Santiago

Colombian Chica Loca (Crazy in Cordoba Argentina… there is an entire blog post dedicated to her..

James Dean look alike Argentinian guy who just returned from Canada in Cordoba

Greek god who dances like he was born to dance in Buenos Aires

A cartoonist cum beedi smoker who loves to bicycle in Buenos Aires

An Armenian Australian chiropractor in Buenos Aires

A Colombian guitarist who was spending time learning music in Buenos Aires

A Brazilian student in Argentina, missing home

An American round the world traveler with whom I shared 3 wonderful days in Iguazu

A ping pong expert and business woman from Singapore (she is in her 30s and already a MD of a company) in Iguazu

A lost little boy from Singapore who wanted to travel all around South America in 25 days in Iguazu

A Californian couple who run a fitness club with more positive energy than anyone else Ive met

A Brazilian family (who have adopted me as their daughter) in Curitiba

An American firefighter (wonderful dancer but he will deny it, patient listener considering how much of my non stop banter he has put up with and someone who I am addicted to in many ways now) and his friend (who Ill always remember as the guy who lost his camera on New years in Rio and tried to report it to the cops….)

A talented Brazilian musician who needs a third hand (to hold the beer as he strums the guitar) in Vitoria and then in Belo Horizonte

His father, who makes the best breakfast in Brazil

His fathers friend, who I can fall in love with had he been about 20 years younger

An American woman who lives in Salvador Bahia setting up an NGO for the homeless, who incidentally spent many of years of her life as a professional dancer, grew up in Hollywood (knows Brad Pitt), has 20 year old sons (when you see her, you wont believe it) and a heart of gold

An American guy who moved to Salvador 18 years ago and celebrated the 18th birthday of his move with my Indian dinner

An American girl who decided to visit Salvador for 3 months and is paying for everything with her credit card, hoping to get a job to pay back those bills when she heads back

A British girl, whose aunt paid for her rount the world trip, discovering herself

A Spanish guy, who can make you laugh even when everything around you makes you want to scream and cry

An American guy who does some virtual techy job (computer software stuff) who lives in a different country every year… Im freaking jealous

A Brazilian guy who was obsessed about doing handstands and kissing t
he British girl in Chapada Diamantina

A Brazilian lady who moved to live in Hawaii and named her son after Narayan, the Indian God as she is obsessed with Hare Rama Hare Krishna stuff in Chapada Diamantina

A Brazilian guy from Belo Horizonte who volunteers with children in a Favela teaching them Capoeira and Afro dance

A 5 year old Brazilian girl who taught me how to dance to Shakira on a 24 hour bus journey from Salvador to Belo Horizonte

A house full of girls who throow weekly international theme parties and monthly costume parties in Belo Horizonte

A girl wearing a pink dress and putting up balloons at a music show in Belo Horizonte

A whole bunch of musicians who make the world seem like a more beautiful place in Belo Horizonte…….

….. and I still have 3 more months to go…..

Category: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South America / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lost in Translation.. Lost in Pronunciation too..

January 19, 2009 / Backpacking Ninja / 4 comments

If you think that the challenge is learning a foreign language, think again. That’s actually the easy part. Try flying to a continent, where supposedly you need to know only 2 languages – Spanish and Portuguese. Who are you kidding? The way in which Spanish is spoken in Argentina is way different from Colombia and different from Chile and so on.. and the Spanish in South America and the Spanish in Spain is different too… the way in which Portuguese is spoken in every part of Brazil seems to be different…. and I don’t think the Portuguese from Portugal understand any of the Portuguese from Brazil…

Its crazy… Rio De Janeiro is pronounced as Hio de janeiro in Brazil and Rio de Haneiro in other parts of South America. Pollo (chicken) is pronounced as Poyyo in some countries, Pojo in some and Posho in some….

I really should not complain coming from India. Imagine the poor tourist in India. After every couple of hours of traveling, the language changes.. the script too…

Coming back to South America, its more than three and a half months since I landed in South America. I’ve been making a conscious effort to learn the language…. If God paid me for effort, I would be able to sponsor my next trip.

Anyway, why am I writing this post now…. after so long… Just 2 weeks back, I spoke for 7 minutes on the phone with a Police officer in Rio De Janeiro Airport about renewing my visa. Totally in Portuguese. Phew! I am serious. If you do not believe me, check with my friend Aarti. She witnessed the whole conversation. And today, I did something even more outrageous… I called a friend in the United States and left an angry voice mail in Portuguese. All in Portuguese. So, I think Im finally getting the hang of how Portuguese works… Well, I’ve used a couple of techniques for learning the language. Just thought it might be interesting….

Rule No 1 – Do not get psyched by people who are ‘natural born language learners’. Por exemple, my travel partner Neesha was learning to say words like extraordinary, probable, destiny, etc when I was still stuck with Good morning and Thank you. She is incredible with languages. Right now, she is headed further North and I am sure she already knows the dialect there.

Rule No 2 – Watch movies and tv. In South America, they have all the international channels and subtitles in Portuguese and Spanish. As you listen to English, read the subtitles. That’s a very fast way of picking up words. In about 1/2 hour, you can learn close to 30 words atleast. Ofcourse, if you are watching some real trash, then you will learn swear words earlier than anything.

Rule No 3 – Buy a dictionary before heading out. Phrasebooks and Teach yourself books won’t get you anywhere. With a dictionary and South America in front of you, you can translate anything – billboards, menu cards, flyers, etc. That way, you will start learning. Fast trackers can buy books in that language and start reading. For me, I am just still reading billboards.

Rule No 4 – Listen to people. Then, talk to people. Irrespective of how horrible you sound, just try to talk. It doesn’t pay to be shy. Hang out with people who don’t speak English… you’ll be forced to learn. And then, when you feel like its too much, hang out with people who dont speak the language you are trying to learn. Whatever you have learnt will be more than what they know and they will probably land up complimenting you and that will only make you feel more charged to learn the language. Psychological feel good tips to learning.

Rule No 5 – Start with simple things and important things. For me, my objective was to learn everything that I needed to learn to save myself in a coffeeshop. On day 1, it took me a frustrating 7 minutes to order coffee and I got really upset. That charged me to pick up coffee stuff. Today, I can walk into a shop and say ‘Cafe sem leche por favor…’ with confidence. Can also ask for ‘coffee to go’, ‘with or without sugar’, ‘how much it costs’, ‘double shot with water on the side’, etc. Its been a real challenge, but if you meet me in a coffee shop, you’ll think I am Brazilian.

Rule No 6 – Decide what your style is. Do you want to be the ‘Wren and Martin’ type or the ‘Sign language type’ or the ‘Word by word type’. To explain further, the ‘Wren and Martin types’ learn everything in a grammatically perfect manner. The sign language varieties use some words and the rest are just gestures and expressions. The word by word type is like join the dots… For eg: Eu, Centro, Bus, Onde means I, Centro, Bus, Where… which actually means I need to go to Centro…. Where can I get a bus… It works.. People understand.. People are glad you are atleast making an effort…

Rule No 7 – Listen to music… Music is one of the best ways to pick up the language… try and choose your favourite songs and look up the translation on the internet… its an interesting way to learn… this also helps you learn some romantic words… (since most of the songs anyway have some romance in them.. its Latin America)

Rule No 8 – Write letters in that language. I spent about 2 hours and wrote one paragraph. Then, I decided it would be good to begin with postcards.

Rule No 9 – Learn some nuances… for example, in Brazil, everything is pronounced with this sounds ‘chee’… Internet is internechee…. Citibank is Cicheebankee…. Hip Hop is Hippee Hopeee… Samba Rock is Samba Hockee… and the Portuguese equivalent of ly in english is mente… Actually is actualmente…. normalmente.. generalmente… facilemente… so, when you are stumped, you can use mente and you will be fine.

Rule No 10 – No more rules….. Just, learn to say ‘I love you’ in the language. If you don’t know anything, you can survive with romance. That’s my latest theory about life.

Category: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, New Language, Peru, South America, Travel Tips / Tags: , , , ,
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