Category: Food & Drink

Paraíso en Providencia

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel1 Comment

A blast of warm, salty air greets us as we step off the plane at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport. Breathing is suddenly a lot easier, and my track jacket feels quite redundant in 29C (84F) weather. After a night spent in Bogotá, San Andrés certainly feels like the sea change we needed.

Armando has already spotted us at the left-luggage area, and is quick to offer his services. We negotiate with him for 20,000 COP (~$7) for the 20-minute ride down to San Luis, a little village on the southeast of the island. Filing into his dated Chevrolet, we follow the coastal road south, past many colorful homes, a smattering of Baptist Churches, and several vendors hawking coconuts.

Buggies line the narrow lane leading to Donde Francesca, a popular seafood eatery located on San Luis‘s sprawling beach. Lunch hour is busy here, and aptly so. Far removed from the commercial hustle of the island’s main town, the food here is excellent, and the setting is hard to beat…
Donde Francesca

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Patagonia, parte dos

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel1 Comment

The glacier-fed waters of Lago Argentino, the country’s largest freshwater lake, shimmer in the late afternoon sun. Marking the northern limits of Comandante Armando Tola International Airport, its striking turquoise color is a sight to behold. On the road to El Calafate, windswept plains, so characteristic of this part of the country, stretch far into the horizon. Over us, an incredible, otherworldly Patagonia sky…

That Patagonia sky! #elcalafate #lagoargentino #patagonia #provinciasantacruz #argentina Continue reading “Patagonia, parte dos” →

Devil’s Point

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel1 Comment

With the outskirts of Montevideo behind us, we join Uruguay’s Ruta Nacional 9, a lightly trafficked, two-lane affair, which rides the country’s southern rim, connecting it to the Atlantic coast. Hemmed in by sprawling ranches or estancias, the highway meanders through gently undulating countryside, as it makes its way east.

The estancias here are known to rear some of the best cows in the world, and as a result, the tastiest beef too. In this, the heart of Uruguay’s farm belt, don’t be too surprised if you come across signs displaying crossing times for cattle…

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Fiesta de la Cerveza

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel3 Comments

In the lush Calamuchita valley of the Sierras de Córdoba in Central Argentina, lies the picturesque town of Villa General Belgrano. Its name betrays its origins though, for this little town of about six thousand people is made up mostly of German immigrants. And its claim to fame: hosting the second largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich!

Think Lederhosens and Dirndls, ginormous Steins brimful of Bier and plates stacked full of Wurst. Throw in a colorful parade, the traditional breaking of the keg, a Beer Queen contest, several Chicken Dances, and many thousand revelers, and you’ve got yourself a fiesta.

The celebrations kick off early in October, lasting 11 days in all. I was there for the opening weekend, accompanying a friend, who had a writing gig for VICE channel’s food blog, Munchies. Her article, This is how Argentina does Oktoberfest, was published a week later, accompanied by photos taken by me.

Since she’s already gone through the hassle of penning it all down, I’m going to leave you here with a few selected images from the fest. A full set of pics can be seen on my Flickr.

Prost!

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Across the Rio de la Plata

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel3 Comments

It’s a little past 7 AM on Saturday and the Buquebus ferry terminal is already a beehive of activity, full of Porteños eager to begin their long weekend. They’re leaving behind a weeklong spell of rain and gloominess, and looking ahead to plenty of sunshine, some juicy asado, and sacks full of duty-free goods – one of the perks of traveling into neighboring Uruguay.

For me, its all a little surreal – my visa only arrived two days ago, and between that and scrambling to get tickets and hotel bookings, I’ve had almost no time to plan my trip. But here I am, in business class no less (not sure how that worked out), journeying across the Rio de la Plata, on what is to be my first international border crossing by boat…

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The Train to the Clouds

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Trains, TravelLeave a comment

The drive from the airport to the city center isn’t terribly long, but Eduardo insists on engaging me in conversation. Never mind the fact that his English is almost as lousy as my Spanish! I’ve learned by now how to say one billion in Español and when I reveal to him India’s population statistic, he can’t stop shaking his head in disbelief. Mucha gente, he says from under his breadth. The rest of his questions about my homeland run the gamut. Do people eat meat? Do they drink alcohol? And most importantly, how are the chicas? Muy lindo, I assure him!

Having sufficiently beefed up his knowledge about India, he sets me down at No.770, General Güemes, my address in Salta for the long weekend. Conveniently located, Espacio Mundano is a quaint little bed and breakfast, kitted out in traditional Salteña aesthetic; plenty of potted plants, heirloom furniture, and the all-essential patio.

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Pretty as Puerto Rico

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Travel2 Comments

A lot of people outside the US still consider Puerto Rico to be a sovereign state. Not surprising, given how removed it is culturally and socially; and if you happen to be in the middle of February, climatically too! It is one of those unique destinations that has all the obvious advantages of being located in the Caribbean, while still allowing easy access form the mainland United States; a relatively short domestic flight for one; and in my case, no need for a visa!

San Juan is its capital, and is well served by all the major carriers, although a lot of people choose to fly into Aguadilla instead. In doing so, however, they miss out on one of the best kept colonial city centers in Latin America!

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Bolivian wanderings, and a slice of Peru

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Trains, Travel2 Comments

First and foremost, a special shout out to Yesmy and Roxanna, the two amazing women working the reservations desk at the Amaszonas office in Uyuni. Without their efforts, a lot of what I am about to share would never have been possible. The guardian angels of Uyuni, as I like to refer to them, I will forever be grateful.

El Alto landings

The runway at El Alto is almost 4-Km long! Not for nothing though – at that altitude, aircraft land at twice their sea level velocity and need every foot of tarmac available to them. At 13,225 ft, El Alto is also the highest international airport in the world, and a gateway to La Paz, the world’s highest capital city.

La Paz itself sits in a bowl surrounded by the Cordillera Real, a branch of the Bolivian Andes, flanked on its south by the imposing snow-capped peak of Illimani (at 21,122 ft., the highest mountain in the range) and the equally impressive Illampu, to its north. El Alto lies on a plateau some thousand feet higher than the capital, and the drive down from there to La Paz offers some rather dramatic views.

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The Isle of Manori

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, India, Travel1 Comment

In a somewhat remote, northwestern corner of Bombay, lies the little hamlet of Manori. Inhabited for generations by the Kolis, a fishing community, Manori is equal parts Portuguese, Hindu and Christian, giving it a unique cultural identity and a distinct vibe; one that stands out in this city of millions. To the few Mumbaikars aware of its presence, it is best known for its namesake beach, one of 9 that adorn the city’s shores, and probably the most secluded.

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