Salta and Jujuy Provinces

I just got back from 6 days in Salta. It was some of the most spectacular scenery I ever saw. 4 days of driving around the different canyons and gorges and every day the scenery was different. I could have easily stayed another couple of days and seen more.
Salta city is very cute and worth spending a day walking around in. Try to squeeze in a visit to MAAM (Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montaña) to see the artifacts and 500-year old mummy of a young Incan girl which is amazingly well preserved and lifelike. There is some debate about whether or not this should be on public display and I can see both sides of the argument, but it´s an incredible experience none the less. The museum shop is also the best shopping I found in Salta, high quality craftsmanship using traditional methods and a great selection of prints, handicrafts and weaving.

There are tons of tour companies in Salta. Be sure to book with one that does small groups so you are in a 4×4 or minivan. There are some places the big busses can´t go (and obviously, it´s less pleasant). I arranged some of my tours beforehand and went with Nordic Travel.  The English guides were great and they were very flexible about stopping for picture taking as we went along. There are lots of excursions available, I did 4 one-day trips (in order of favorites):

• Tren de los Nubes with Salines Grandes – the salt flats are incredible. 25 square miles of blinding white salt. The trip to get out there is also breath taking and follows the path of the currently benched Tren de los Nubes. It´s an 11 hour tour but totally worth it. Originally I was disappointed he train wasn´t working but I now think it´s much better to do by car.  You see 90% of the same scenery and you can make stops.
• Humuacha – more details on this and the other tours later, I´m tired
• Cachi
• Cafayate

Mendoza Winetours

My mom and I had a GREAT time in Mendoza. Mendoza is a hot destination so I recommend arranging your hotel in advance (unlike we did) in order to get a spot at one of the cute boutique hotels. We ended up in a sub-par hotel that I won´t bother to mention. The city itself is cute and nice to walk around in for a half a day, but there isn´t a ton to see or do in the city itself.
We arranged tours with Grape Vine Tours beforehand (My mom had seen them mentioned in a NY Times travel article). They were great, the groups were never more than 4 (unlike some other companies that use large tour busses). The guides were extremely knowledgeable and fun. The tasting lunches in the wineries were excellent (make sure your tour includes a lunch at Ruca Malen)! They took us to see mainly small boutique wineries (or micro-wineries). We did 2 one-day winery tours broken up with a daytrip into the mountains to see the Inca bridge, the national park to catch a glimpse of Aconcagua (the largest peak in South America) and Seven Colors Rock- also arranged by Grapvine.

My favorite wine is Melipal, which also is a great visit and the best tasting (sit down with olives, raisins and walnuts) but my other favorite winery visits were:

• O.Fournier – a crazy space age facility with amazing views.
• Tapiz – I´m not a huge fan of their wines but the tour is excellent and you really get to witness the whole process (tasting the grapes from the different varietals, tasting the wine during different stages of fermentation).

Sovanna Phum Arts Association

The Sovanna Phum group is a non-profit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia aimed at preserving and promoting traditional Khmer culture that was nearly wiped out by the Khmer Rouge (Shadow Puppet Theater, Classical Dance, Folk Dance, Traditional Music and Circus). When we went they were performing a story from the Ramayana with live musical accompaniment using shadow puppets – very very cool. Definitely worth a visit.

Where to stay in BA

Now that I have been here for a few weeks, I think I can confidently make recommendations of where to stay. Keep in mind that taxis are pretty cheap (a 10 min ride usually costs me about $2.50) and the Subte is user-friendly, cheap and can get you pretty much everywhere during the day. I´m still intimidated to take the bus on my own, but that´s because my Spanish is so bad.

Las Canitas – a little bit out of the way, but v cute with lots of trees, cafes and restaurants. Nice for a longer stay and more bang for your buck if you´re renting a vacation apartment.

Palermo - yes, this is where a lot of the expats hang out however there are weekend markets, nice bars, the best shopping I have found in the city and tons of restaurants. It also the largest (by far) neighborhood in BA: I prefer Palermo Viejo to Palermo Hollywood, personally but it doesn´t make a big difference.

Barrio Norte – I think this is the best bet if you´re on a budget. There´s not a whole lot going on in Barrio Norte itself but it borders with Parlemo Viejo and Recoleta. You get a great location and it´s a lot cheaper than staying in either of those. I can get pretty much wherever I want to go by walking for 20 minutes.

A word about San Telmo – this is where you want to walk around during the day, but not where you want to stay. It´s cute but v touristy and not that exciting at night. I don´t think it would enhance your visit to stay here.

If you´re here for a week or longer, it´s worth it to get an apartment. Not only is it less expensive, it´s nice to have some space and a kitchen (and many incl made service). I found my place on craigslist, however www.apartmentsba.com is also a good place to look.

Cicerones – free Buenos Aires Walking Tours

Cicerones is a non-profit that matches proud Porteños with visitors to go on 4-hour custom walking tours. You fill in a form outlining the kinds of things you are interested in (art, architecture, sports, etc), the area(s) of BA you are keen to see and they match you with a volunteer. I had a great time with my Cicerone, Ariel. He picked me up and we took the subte down to San Telmo and then continued on to La Boca and took the bus back up to Barrio Norte. Because the guides are volunteers they are not professionally trained, they are sharing ´´their´´ Buenos Aires with you. It is free, but the visitor is responsible for covering costs (transportation costs, any entrance fees and in my case, beer).

My Favorite Restaurant in Hanoi

Someone asked about recommendations for Vietnam, which got me thinking (and searching through old emails). Anyway, this place is SOOO good. Some local friends took Jeanette, Dave and I there and we went back again (and again). Traditional Vietnamese dishes are served on beautiful china in a three-story old building. I would say it´s in the high-middle in terms of price.

Restaurant: Com Viet
Adresse: 13 rue Ly Thai To, Arr. de Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Tél.: 8240637

Expat Connection Buenos Aires

Expat connection (yeah…the name isn´t so creative) is an organization in Buenos Aires that hosts a variety of social events: winetastings, dinners, paragliding.. these are open to visitors as well as Porteños and foreign residents. For someone like me who came to BA without knowing anyone it´s been a fun and easy way to meet people. In my experience (I have 2 events under my belt) it´s been predominately Americans (who all seem to come from the Bay area..) — just sayin. Anyway, check their online calendar, a lot of the events require RSVP.

Grupo de Ingles

Every friday night a group of Portenos get together to practice their English. They invite native English speakers to join them (local expats as well as travellers). I went last Friday and had a really nice time, we chatted for a couple hours and then went to dinner. They are a lovely group, very friendly and welcoming. They are not partyers.. this is not a pub thing but it is a nice way to get to meet some locals. To get the address you need to contact them directly (this is too weed out the sexual deviants): Grupo de Ingles

London Food Post (here you go, Bronwyn)

This is still a WIP (consider it v1.0)

Toptable is your friend – check here before you venture to anywhere upmarket, they have great deals (like 25% off if you are out the door by 7)

$ Borough Market – if you´re a foodie, this is heaven. GO EARLY (get there by 10) you can eat there or buy food and make a picnic (weather permitting)

$$ Levant - beautiful restaurant, good Middle Eastern food. Skip the seafood platter and get the meat.

$-$$ Lots Road Pub – good for lunch, brunch or dinner. What a gastropub should be. Make reservations.

$$$ Bluebird Cafe – it´s an institution but I still like it. They do a good brunch.

$$$ Nobu – the best deal is to go at lunch and have the Binto box. OR get snacks in the bar, not really worth the money for a full dinner.

$$ Electric Bar and Brasserie Notting Hill – Great people watching on Notting Hill (and good food). Excellent for brunhc/lunch

$$$ Arbutus - A reasonable Michelin Star restaurant. Worth the splurge. They do wine by carafe/half carafe as well which is cool. Book well in advance

$$ Tsunami - Excellent (reasonably priced) Japanese fusion food.

$$ The Bombay Brasserie – I had been told it was the best indian food in London and I have to say, I think I agree. It´s pricey but they do a good lunch special (14 GBP)

$$ Admiral Codrington – another good Gastrobpub. They specialize in Seafood (yum crabcakes)

$ Beirut Express – Maroush has Lebanese restaurants all over London but I usually go to the one at South Ken. The Hummus Beiruty is rocking. We generally get the shwarma sandwichs.

$ Bagels on Bricklane – 24 hours real bagels..the best thing at the end of a long night. Or a shopping break snack.

$$-$$$ Hunan - my favorite restaurant in London. There´s no menu but you will be asked for any dietary restrictions you have then then you will eat some of the best Chinese food you ever had (ask for the pork with prunes). Let Mikey pick the wine for you.

$ Dim Sum place in Bayswater – the most authentic Dim Sum we found in London.. They don´t take reservations so get there early. (I need to confirm the name with Ann)

$-$$ Jakob´s - Organic predominantly vegetarian Armenian deli/cafe (try the falafel sandwich)

Hummingbird Bakery – REALLY good cupcakes (my fav is the red velvet).

Bars:

Janet´s bar

Bohemian Kitchen on Old whatever street (need to check this one again)

Misc:

Upstart Market (Sundays only) – an indoor market for emerging clothing and accesarry designers. Some cool ethnic food stalls as well.

If you like markets, this is a good listing: http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/markets.htm

Best Pisco Sour (and food) in Lima

The first accolade is not only based on my personal experience but also on the advice of my Liman friends. Unlike some other Pisco Sours we tried, it wasn´t too sweet or syrupy. It still packs a serious whallop, definitely the strongest cocktail I ever had. La Gloria is not cheap, even by international standards, but if you´re going to splurge on one meal in Lima – this is the place (but you can also just drink at the bar in the front room). Make sure to order the grilled calamari!! (reservations are a must)

For those who don´t know: A Pisco Sour is a cocktail which contains Pisco (a regional brandy), lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup, and regional bitters (like Amargo bitters, though Angostura bitters work if regional bitters are unavailable).