Travelling and Food

When it comes to travelling, the food culture of a country is a definite incentive! I love to eat! Really, it's my favorite activity in the whole wide world...aside from travelling, of course!

But you get my point.

Eating is a socializing activity, from planning the menu, to getting the ingredients, to preparing the meal and finally sit down and chow down! And so, to do it while travelling only makes it better! During my travels, I try as much as possible to sample the local food and thus learn about the culinary culture.

To date, my top 3 favorite food city/ country are (not in order of preference):

San Francisco

SF/Korean version of a poutine?

When I landed in San Francisco, I was pleasantly surprised at how the food scene was so divers and good! Granted, I made the mistake of going to some bogus tourist trap of a restaurant on my first day, but I quickly made up for it on the following days. Everything taste and is made fresh, probably because farmer's markets are really big in SF. I had the most memorable brunch at this restaurant. While eating from the delicious soul food-inspired menu, there was a gospel choir setting the tone for a happy (Easter) day!  I had met the chef the day before, and after sampling some of his food, I told him that I wanted to come to try the full menu. He chuckled and said: 'Good luck getting a reservation on such short notice!' Not only did I get a table, I didn't even have to make a reservation (he obviously didn't know me...)! 

Note: if you like mimosa, do yourself a favor and order the bottomless pomosas...they will keep filling you glass until you tell them to stop...but why would you do that?!

I still dream about this brunch!

Lebanon

As I have mentioned in my post on Lebanon, I was fortunate enough to grow up around this culture and its food. So to be in the homeland where all the delicious goodness is created and made, I was like kid in a candy store! And those people love to stuff you! You never eat enough and if you say you're full, they'll give you a blank stare and just keep on pilling the food in your plate! They really don't want their guest to go hungry...

Can you get a healthier dessert?!

Note: if you're not a huge fan of pistachios in you food, be warned: there's pistachios in practically every dish (not a complete exaggeration!). 

Buenos Aires

Steak, empanadas and wine...tantas cosas buenas! What more would you need to be complete? I know! Having dulce de leche as its own food group! And even better, dulce de leche flavored ice cream! Heaven on Earth! There is also a super yummy, hearty stew called locro, which is perfect to have on a cold day and/or if you're sick (which I had because it was cold and I was sick!)

Locro

But my personal favorite in Buenos Aires were the facturas, a term to collectively define baked goods! More specifically, the medialunas (literally 'half moons'.or croissants for the less romantics!) were heaven! I tried to find them in Montreal, but so far, no luck!

Best merienda. Ever!

Note: Considering this dense diet and the fact that Argentinians are notoriously known to eat really late (no sooner than 10pm) I am still amazed by the fact that there are not more people with excess weight issues...what's the secret?!

Honorable mention: Beijing and New York City. Both have a very diverse culinary scene, it would be a shame to overlook them!

And this is my top 3 countries /cities that I want to visit for their culinary appeal:

Chicago - I have a feeling that I will be pleasantly surprised, just like in San Fransisco!
Greece - phyllo, tzatziki, and possibly the freshest Greek salad I'll ever eat
Singapore - Two words: street food!

Honorable mention: Italy, Thailand and Singapore. Who can resist pizza and gelato in one and spicy (and flavorful) food in the other Not me!

Ok. Now I'm hungry!

Travelling Dissonance

How do you reconcile two seemingly opposite ideas? That of travelling to no end with that of having a home base life. I am currently single, so picking up and go as I please is relatively easy. But I don't necessarily want to remain single for the sake of travelling. I want to meet that special someone with whom I will want to build a relationship, share the many life experiences ahead of us and grow old with.

As much as I hate 'what ifs', they usually find a way to creep up in my mind:

• what if I never meet someone because of my insatiable need for travel?
• what if I meet someone special, only to leave him behind because of an upcoming trip? Then what? Is it over? Do we try to make it work? What if he doesn't see it the way I do? Do I cancel my trip for a chance at romance?
• what if he doesn't like to travel and/or isn't supportive of my wanderlust?

And the list goes on...

About a week ago, the news of a travel blogger who committed suicide made its round in social media. Her last post really hit home for me. While it seemed like she was living the dream, her personal life was falling apart. Among other things, her long-time boyfriend left her, partly because he was not supportive of her life choices. The last question she raised in her article has crossed my mind numerous times: 'as a traveler, am I destined to be alone?'

Or is it possible to have it all? 

When I told my friends about my trip to Argentina, one of them asked 'what if you meet someone between now and the time you leave?' Though I thought it was very unlikely, I replied: 'Well, one thing for sure is that I am not changing my plans and hopefully, if he is worth it, we will be able to make it work. I'll only be gone for 3 months.' Sure enough, I met someone! I took some time before telling him about my plans, because I wanted to see where this thing was going. When I did tell him, he didn't take it as well as I had hoped. I told him that I wanted to try to make it work and make the most of the time I was still in town, but he didn't see it that way. Granted, we only had been dating for a short period of time, but this whole situation really affected me and got me thinking.

What is most important for me? Travelling the world or the sense of stability? What kind of traveler am I or do I want to be? Do I really want to only travel solo? What would be the best compromise? To meet a fellow avid traveler?

I don't have the answer to any of those questions and I'm not sure where trying to answer them starts. Because the truth is, sometimes, travelling raises questions other than where to go next and when to purchase the ticket. I don't know that I am courageous enough to make the same sacrifices as have the many travel bloggers I admire.

I'm asking a lot of questions here, if you want to suggest answers, by all means, please do so! Let's start a discussion!
  

Post-Travel Blues: Now What?

So it's been some time since you got back from a long trip, you finally managed to get used to your old surroundings (dare I say: back in your pre-travel routine?), there is no longer that sense of wonder and amazement from the people around you. The pictures have been edited and posted on your wall, the different version of the same stories have been told, the same questions have been answered.

Now what?

If you're like me, and your original plan of travelling indefinitely did not work out the way you wanted, your mind is in on 'back to the drawing board' mode. Because I will admit, when I left for Argentina, my plan was not to come back home...so soon. My dream was to live the expat life, in a completely different and new culture. So, now is the time to evaluate and think over what it is I did right and what I need to improve on for my next adventure.

So what happened?

To start, I have to be very honest. Buenos Aires was a bit of a let down for me. For as long as I can remember, I have been dreaming of the day that I would finally make my way to Argentina. I read so many bloggers' account of their time in the 'Paris of South America', and it sounded like a fantasy world. But my personal account differed. Granted, I enjoyed my fair share of cheap wine and steak, stuffed my belly with delicious medialunas and empanadas (the best I've had while in South America), met some lovely people and fell in love with tango. I even learned to embrace (and now miss) castellano and  how everyone greet each other - one kiss on the right cheek.  Ultimately though, it wasn't enough to make me want to stay (maybe come back to visit...one day). I thought this trip was going to be the 'love at first sight', but the initial sense of wonder quickly dissipated into the depleted infrastructures, the unwanted attention and ill-displaced gifts to nature (I'm talking about dog poo here!). Buenos Aires is far from perfect, and in that aspect, it is no different from other major cities (e.g. in Montreal, construction sites = hell!) It was just not where I could see myself making a home, as permanent or temporary as it could be. I felt more at home in other cities (San Francisco, Barcelona, Beijing?!).

Strangely enough though, I now find myself comparing Montreal to Buenos Aires; I surprise myself when I start a sentence by: 'But in Buenos Aires, they do it that way...' which is a slippery slope. It only makes it harder to be at peace with the fact that I am no longer in that not-so-magical-place that I learned to appreciate, in spite of its shortcomings.

This trip was far from a complete lost. I cannot put a value on all that I have experienced in the 3 months I spent in Buenos Aires and South America. So I took a leap of faith...and fell short. But you know how the saying goes ' Fall 7 times, stand up 8'. So Argentina and I were not a match made in expat heaven? Maybe the timing wasn't right or I'm just not that into BsAs. Who knows. What I do know is that there are dozens of countries I want to visit. And maybe one of them will be a perfect match!

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. ” - Vince Lombardi Jr.

TWB - Travelling While Black

There was just no way I was not going to broach this subject...

I find myself very fortunate to have been born and raised in a city like Montreal. Walking down the street is like a colorful parade of people from all over the world, with a mixture of different languages as the city's soundtrack.

I have been travelling around for some time now, and I must admit that I was quite surprised at how homogeneous some countries are...and the reaction I was faced with when I came in contact with the inhabitants of those countries.

Exhibit A: China  

I went to China in 2008, just after the Olympics. I was very excited to go as this was my very first time taking the plane on my own for such a long haul. I was so excited that it didn't even occur to me to think or worry about how I would be treated. But I found out pretty quickly! When I arrived at the school where I was interning, the children would stop dead in their tracks to look (read stare), point, laugh, whisper to their friend, out of shear sight of me. Mind you, I was in the suburb of Beijing, where any non-Chinese looking person would be stared at (ask the two Dutch who were also interning with me). One day, I went to visit statues in a town that is 5 hours away from Beijing. Two guys started to follow me around from a distance. Eventually, one of them came closer and asked if he could take a picture with me! Now that was a first but definitely not the last of it! Depending on my mood I would either take the picture or say no and turn my head away. Another time, I had my hair pulled by a woman in a bus. When I turned to give her a dirty look, she started asking me questions on how I take care of my hair (the same way you do, lady. With water, shampoo and conditioner!) 

One of my many instant Chinese 'fan'! 

Exhibit B: Mexico

Last year, I went to visit a friend who had just moved to the south of Mexico.The first night I arrived, we went out. On our way out of the bar, a guy asked to take a picture with us. By looking at my friend, I could tell that she didn't know him and was as surprised as I was. We obliged, but before I knew it, we were having a photo shoot with that guy and his friends! By the end of my week, I had lost count of the number of times I was either asked for a picture or catching people sneakily taking a picture of me (not cool, at least ask!). It was as though I was an attraction in a museum or part of the landscape. And what do they do with those pictures?! Show them to their friends and family, like one shows their vacation pictures ( 'This is a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Oh, and this one here, is a picture of me with a Black woman. Amazing, huh?!' )  Why would it be OK to photograph someone on the basis that they look different from you? I could not imagine approaching a particularly short person and ask to take a picture with them, just because they are short! It's just rude.

Exhibit C: Argentina  

In preparation for my extended stay in Argentina, I did A LOT of reading, particularly with regards to the situation of Black people in that country. Well, to date, Argentina is probably the whitest country I have visited, which is both understandable and surprising. Surprising, because their biggest neighbor, Brazil, has a sizeable population of African-descent outside of Africa, understandable, because if you read a brief historical overview of Argentina, you will see that the government of the mid-1800 was systematic in eliminating the African presence in the country. But that didn't stop me from going and I was prepared (or so I thought) to face any kind of 'attention' I was to receive. To make a long story short, I was constantly face with the following: 1) people generally assumed that I was from Brazil and 2) the men in Argentina are big on catcalling, piropos in castellano and no woman is safe from it. In my case, a lot of it was focused on the color of my skin ( 'hola morena/ moracha!' 'hermosa morena!' 'que linda morena!'...and these are the ones I understood!). I get it. I'm 'brown'. And you don't see brown women walking, doing their groceries or having coffee on a daily basis. But do you really feel the need to point out the colour of skin?! Needless to say, it became very tiring to walk down the street of Buenos Aires, because of that unwanted, constant, attention. I wonder if Black men received similar attention... And I still don't know how I feel about what I saw in a bakery window one day:

Hmm...is this appetizing or offensive?  

Overall, would I say that I have been treated differently, and I suspect the color of my skin had something to do with it? Of course I have (i.e. being followed the moment I entered a store in China, and they were not even trying to hide it). Is this limited to countries outside of North America? Of course not! (those TSA people in American airports can't take their hands off my hair...because, you know, I just might be hiding something in there! Seriously?!). Is racism alive and well? Unfortunately, it is (for the deniers out there: get your head out of the sand!). Will that stop me from travelling? No, but it will definitely influence how I travel (with someone as opposed to alone, like my trip to Lebanon.). The color of my skin, as superficial as it may be, will always be a factor that shapes my perception of others and how I am/ will be perceived and treated. A lot of racism is based on fear and ignorance. I see travelling as a way to let the world know that we (Black people) are not all the same, that we don't all fit the (generally negative) stereotypes perpetuated in the media. Concurrently, it broaden my mind about other cultures and countries. Mark Twain said it best:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

So keep on travelling! :)

Querida Colombia!

First and foremost, it's ColOmbia, not ColUmbia! The Colombians will thank you for not misspelling the name of their country!

As I have mentioned in a previous post, Colombia was not originally part of my recent travel plans. But fate would have it otherwise, and I am so happy I went. I can't wait to go back! As a Colombia newbie, I thought it would be best to hit the 3 most popular cities (based on an unofficial poll): Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena.

First up, Bogota. I was fortunate enough to have met someone while in Buenos Aires who offered me shelter in Bogota. I stayed near Zona Rosa, which has many bars, coffeeshops, restaurants and upscale boutiques. I felt safe walking around in the daytime, though there had been reports of recent crimes occurrences (i.e. robbery gone bad), so I did not venture out at night alone. I had amazing culinary experiences at a tapas and Mexican restaurants. And Old Bogota is nice too! I went to the Botero and the Gold Museums.

Word of caution: if you think hailing a taxi is easy in Bogota, think again. When you hail a cab, the driver will ask your destination before you get in. If it's not on his way, he won't take you. I learned this the hard way...during rush hour!

Sunday is a nice day to be Bogota. It is the perfect day to go for a run or a bike ride, thanks to Ciclovia! For a substantial part of the day, some of the major streets are closed to cars and opened to pedestrians wanting to workout. This is a great way to promote healthy habits, but it also causes a major headaches for drivers! If you're more in the mood to spend money, there's always the Usaquen Market, where local artisans come to sell their crafts. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for my wallet!), I only dashed through the market, as I had to catch my flight to...

...Medellin! What a change in scenery (and weather) from Bogota that was! The drive from the airport was both amazing and (stomach) upsetting, swirling down the mountains to get to the valley where the city rests. The history of Medellin is very rich, and I learned quite a lot thanks to a walking tour I did. Among other things, I learned that people of Medellin are very proud of their heritage, so much so that they will say they are from Medellin before saying they are from Colombia!

Final stop, Cartagena! One of the main reason why I wanted to visit the city was for the beach and the Caribbean Sea. I just wanted to lie on a sandy beach with clear blue water nearby. But I got so much more out of my visit. First, and most importantly, I met a girl who took me under her wing! On the days we spent together, we did all kinds of activities, including acro-yoga and biking on the old-city wall! She told me about life in Cartagena, whether you are rich or poor, white or of African descent. She was very receptive to my questions and was happy to help me discover her part of the world. On the days that she was not available to hang out, she arranged must-do activities for me: Playa Blanca and a mud bath in the Totumo volcano. I don't want to play favorite, but Cartagena was definitely the highlight of this trip!

Overall, my experience in Colombia was very positive! The people are very friendly and welcoming, and there is something for everyone! The Colombians are very aware of the reputation the country has around the world (violence and cocaine), and so they are genuinely grateful that more and more foreigners come and visit. In fact, I was thanked on several occasions for being in Colombia! 

So go ahead, go to Colombia! You won't regret it!

TSWF - Travelling Solo While Female

Here's a scary thought: a woman, travelling alone to a country where she doesn't know a soul. That's asking for trouble, most will say! I think not...

I didn't decide that I was going to become a solo traveler. It just happened. I was getting tired of people showing initial excitement to the idea of going on a trip, only to back down with some really good excuses when it was time to actually plan the trip. And so I thought 'Screw you, I'm going alone!'

Then the 'what ifs' started to pour in:

-What if you get robbed or attacked? A major concern as a woman. The truth is that it can happen right here in the streets of my hometown. Violence against women is not limited to specific parts of the world.
-What if you get lonely? I don't mind loneliness, it gives me time to think. Besides, you're never alone when you travel.
-What if you get kidnapped? I have a (male) friend who felt the need to constantly remind me to not get kidnapped.
-What if...? 

The true is, you don't usually get a warning that something bad is going to happen. Bad things happen any where at any time. Travelling (alone) does not necessarily enhances or decreases the chances of such thing to happen. Granted, you might be an easier target, but with that in mind, one must take proper precautions (and no, being locked in your room is not one of them!). But I cannot or will not let the fear of 'what if' stop me. If any thing, my biggest fear would be to wake up one day, old, and realize I never even tried to do anything I wanted to do because I was too afraid.

“How much I missed, simply because I was afraid of missing it.” - Paolo Coelho

During my last trip, I encountered 2 types of women: those who thought like me and those who (not so secretly) thought I was crazy! Strangely enough, I met most of the latter women in Colombia, like the women I met during a guided tour to the Totumo volcano. I was chatting with our tour guide (female) and when I told her that I had been travelling alone for the past 3 months, I thought her eye were about to fall off their sockets! She said that in Colombia, it is rare, if not unheard of, to see a woman travelling on her own, that she would love to do the same but doesn't feel courageous enough. She also admired the fact that I was visiting South America despite the fact that Spanish is not my first language. The older women in our group gave me the same spiel. 'Aren't you scared? Don't you miss your family?' they asked. If I let fear control me, I would never leave my bed, and as far as missing my family goes, there's always Skype and Facebook!

I'll be honest here. As much as I endorse solo travelling, there are parts of the world that I simply do not see myself going to on my own, primarily for security reasons (See? I'm not completely nuts!)

Ultimately, I think that travelling solo as a woman is very important. It strengthens the sense of self and identity, which is especially important in a society that perpetuate the degrading of women (did someone say rap music?!). It made me realize that I am capable of anything that I set my mind on.  I learned to listen to and trust my gut feeling. Now, more than ever, I feel proud of myself and my accomplishments. Without a doubt, there are many other ways to achieve such a sense of self, but doing it while travelling is just so much fun!

You Are Never Alone When You Travel Solo - How to meet people while travelling

When I announced to my friends and family that I was going to Buenos Aires for an extended period, one of the many questions I was asked was 'Do you know anybody there?'. The short answer was 'no'. I saw it as a challenge to get out there to meet people and out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong; it was not always an easy process, but it was definitely rewarding!

I met some quite interesting people who have enriched this trip in many ways. How did I meet those people? The Internet.

Cautionary tales will tell anyone that the Internet is a dark place where creepy weirdos are lurking around, waiting for their next innocent and naive prey, or pretending to be someone they are not (Catfish, anyone?). And unfortunately there have been too many cases to deny it as true. But I will tell you that, if you use a lot of common sense, trust your gut feelings (if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't) and have a little faith in the genuine goodness of people (especially travelling peeps), you will be rewarded with amazing encounters.

First, I used Facebook. As much as I deny loving it, it is a great tool to meet people, as there are any groups that caters to various interest. My interest being travelling, I joined this one group that take travelling seriously and when I wrote a message on the wall to announce that I was on my way to Buenos Aires and was looking to meet fellow expats, the responses were almost instant!

I also used the website called TravBuddy, which is sort of like Facebook, but only for travelers. On this website, you set up an account and pay a small one-time fee and then you can connect with expats and locals who wants to show around their part of the world. And that's how I (indirectly) met the friend I stayed with in Bogota!

Then there's the old fashion way to meet people: through other people. Shocking, eh?!

One way that I thought was surprisingly harder to meet people was in hostels. I noticed that most of the people staying in hostels were couples or friends travelling together and thus more inclined to stick to themselves. Also, if they were not with their travel partner, they were on their laptop or smartphone. As a solo traveler, I found that to be harder to engaged with.

Another sure way to not meet people is to stay locked up in your apartment or room. The days that I didn't leave my apartment were out of choice, because sometimes I just didn't feel like introducing myself for the umpteenth time and answer the same old questions (Where are you from? Why are you in Buenos Aires? How come you speak Spanish so well?). It can be draining, especially if you do it several times in a short period of time.

The quasi-instant friendships that develop may or may  not last; we all make the promise of keeping in touch when it's time for goodbyes, but that could very well be the last time you ever each other. It's a gamble that comes with the game. Regardless, I remember everyone I met during my travels, because they are part of specific moments in my life. And sometime I will smile to myself, thinking about 'the time when we...'.

Overall, if one reason stopping you from travelling alone is 'I'm going to get lonely', guess what? You won't get sympathy from me! I consider myself the shyest person on earth, but when it comes to travelling, I get bold! So go ahead, book that ticket, you might surprise yourself!